As architects and educators, we have seen how the pandemic put many things on hold. Graduating students who planned to jumpstart their careers saw their employment opportunities vanish. Younger students were similarly deprived of summer internships. All were left processing a strange spring semester, the second half of which was necessarily conducted online. The experience forced many questions to the surface: What is the value of an architecture education? Is the classroom or studio the most conducive space for learning? If not, what is?

We do not pretend to know all these answers. What we do know, however, is that we live in a world perpetually in crisis. The pandemic is not unique in this sense, even if its proscriptions are. The public health mandate to socially distance ourselves from others mirrors the alienation endemic to capitalist society, which separates workers from the products of their labor and draws up a barrier between thinking intellect and toiling bodies. In the case of architecture, the field has become detached from the wider world, giving practitioners a false sense of autonomy.

But few, if any, can completely insulate themselves from the effects of crises. We must, then, respond by equipping ourselves with the knowledge and tools to build alternatives to the present order of things. (We might unmake architecture in the process.) To this end, we recently launched the Loudreaders Trade School as a new, free, and accessible platform for education. The name alludes to the practice of 19th- and 20th-century Cuban (and eventually Puerto Rican) tobacco workers who, bored with rolling cigars all day, hired the literate among their ranks to read to them on the job. As the practice of loud-reading grew, the lectores (loudreaders) became traveling performers with larger and larger audiences. They succeeded in creating networks of solidarity all around the Caribbean, as well as a massive shared and open-access oral library to workers who were denied any other form of formal education.

A growing, accessible library is central to our Loudreaders program. The texts it holds were compiled from contributing international authors, designers, artists, and thinkers who gather online to loud-read critical discourses to audiences. The books, essays, and articles shared by the loudreaders range from histories of race and the exploitation of oppressed groups to strategies of solidarity and other models of anti-capitalist resistance in architecture, urbanism, and culture. Together, they form a critical infrastructure for understanding the world today.

Here, we highlight 12 of these texts that we believe can help readers foster an emancipatory imagination. Well need it for the turbulent times ahead.

Critique of Black Reason (2013)by Achille Mbembe

By delving into the work of Frantz Fanon and other critical thinkers, Mbembe renders the intersection where capitalism, exploitation, and race meet. Not much escapes Mbembes grasp, as he traces the creation of the concept of Blackness and the transatlantic slave trade to our current neoliberal moment, one characterized by the climatological crisis, the postimperial military complex, contemporary technologies of mass communication, and the commodification of death.

Necropolitics(2011)by Achille Mbembe and Gore Capitalism (2018)by Sayak Valencia

Capitalisms architecture is anchored in the foundations of death. Achille Mbembe and Sayak Valencia expose the relations between hyperviolence and law, militarization and the commodification of death, geopolitical borders, and the postcolonies, norm and exception, the state of war and states of security and freedom.

Caliban and The Witch (1998) by Silvia Federici and Learning From the Virus(2020) by Paul B. Preciado

For Silvia Federici and Paul B. Preciado, the body is the center around which capitalism, class, exploitation, and politics turn. Federici rethinks the origins and development of capitalism and a long history of models of resistance from a feminist viewpoint, while Preciado proposes to look at links between community and immunity, health and class, and subjecthood and sovereignty.

Potential History: Unlearning Imperialism (2019) by Ariella Azoulay and The Tertiary (2018)by Raquel Salas Rivera

By creating a potential history, Azoulay questions the imperialist construction of time, space, and politics through objects and experiences of struggles around the world, from the original peoples in the Americas, to the Congo under King Leopold II. Salas Rivera reexamines theories of value in Marxist economics and suggests that just as labor is usually the third thing that gives value, there are also other tertiaries between colonialism and Puerto Rico, queer and transness, the binary of colony and empire.

El Lector: A History of the Cigar Factory Reader (2010) by Araceli Tinajero and Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution (1902) by Pytor Kropotkin

In El Lector, Araceli Tinajero describes the evolution of the loudreaders and role of iconic figures like the Puerto Rican feminist and anarcho-syndicalist Luisa Capetillo in the Tobacco Factories across the Caribbean and U.S. as they were able to establish networks of subversive solidarity that promoted emancipatory practices. Among the texts read by Capetillo and others in the tobacco factories, Kropotkins Mutual Aid served as a model for solidarity, collective organization, and emancipatory empowerment.

In Praise of Laziness (1993) by Mladen Stilinovi and Laziness as the Real Truth of Mankind (1921) by Kazimir Malevich

Against the commodification of human life, Mladen Stilinovi and Kazimir Malevich plead for idleness as the ultimate goal of worldly existence. As Stilinovi recalls, Malevich criticized capitalism, because it enabled only a small number of capitalists to be lazy, but also state socialism, which lionized work and disparaged laziness. The lockdown of the past few months rendered architectural labor as non-essential, while making laziness all the more appealing, even necessary, something Stilinovi repeatedly notes in his work: There is no art without laziness. Work is a Disease. Work is a shame.

In Defense of the Poor Image (2009) by Hito Steyerl

In one of the most compelling manifestos about the post-internet era (the art and cultural phenomenon of the mid 2000s), Hito Steyerl reveals the value, intelligence, and subversive power of low-res images. Challenging the capitalist framework that focuses on authorship and high resolution, In Defense of the Poor Image is an ode to low-quality, mass-recycled, authorless pictures. In the kingdom of the internet, the poor image reigns supreme.

Cruz Garcia & Nathalie Frankowski are the founders of WAI Architecture Think Tank. The pair launched the Loudreaders Trade School in June 2020.

See more here:

WAI Architecture Think Tank launches critical education platform modeled on Caribbean loudreading - The Architect's Newspaper

Region to the center-east of America composed of many islands / coastal regions surrounding the Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean (, )[4] (Spanish: El Caribe; French: les Carabes; Haitian Creole: Karayib; Dutch: De Caraben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea[5] and some bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean)[6] and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South America.

Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region has more than 700 islands, islets, reefs and cays (see the list of Caribbean islands). Island arcs delineate the eastern and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea:[7] the Greater Antilles on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (which includes the Leeward Antilles). They form the West Indies with the nearby Lucayan Archipelago (The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands), which are sometimes considered to be a part of the Caribbean despite not bordering the Caribbean Sea. On the mainland, Belize, Nicaragua, the Caribbean region of Colombia, Cozumel, the Yucatn Peninsula, Margarita Island, and The Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Guayana Region in Venezuela, and Amap in Brazil) are often included due to their political and cultural ties with the region.[8]

A mostly tropical geography, the climates are greatly shaped by sea temperatures and precipitation, with the hurricane season regularly leading to natural disasters. Because of its tropical climate and low lying island geography, the Caribbean is vulnerable to a number of climate change effects, including increased storm intensity, salt water intrusion, sea level rise and coastal erosion, and precipitation variability.[9] These weather changes will greatly change the economies of the islands, especially the major industries of agricultural and tourism.[9]

The Caribbean was occupied by indigenous people since at least 3600 BC. When European colonization followed the arrival of Columbus, the population was quickly decimated by brutal labor practices, enslavement and disease and on many islands, Europeans supplanted the native populations with enslaved Africans. Following the independence of Haiti from France in the early 19th century and the decline of slavery in the 19th century, island nations in the Caribbean gradually gained independence, with a wave of new states during the 1950s and 60s. Because of the proximity to the United States, there is also a long history of United States intervention in the region.

The islands of the Caribbean (the West Indies) are often regarded as a subregion of North America, though sometimes they are included in Middle America or left as a subregion of their own.[10][11] and are organized into 30 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. From December 15, 1954, to October 10, 2010, there was a country known as the Netherlands Antilles composed of five states, all of which were Dutch dependencies.[12] From January 3, 1958, to May 31, 1962, there was also a short-lived political union called the West Indies Federation composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories, all of which were then British dependencies.

The region takes its name from that of the Caribs, an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Americas.[13]

The two most prevalent pronunciations of "Caribbean" outside the Caribbean are (KARR--BEE-n), with the primary stress on the third syllable, and (k-RIB-ee-n), with the stress on the second. Most authorities of the last century preferred the stress on the third syllable.[14] This is the older of the two pronunciations, but the stressed-second-syllable variant has been established for over 75 years.[15] It has been suggested that speakers of British English prefer (KARR--BEE-n) while North American speakers more typically use (k-RIB-ee-n),[16] but major American dictionaries and other sources list the stress on the third syllable as more common in American English too.[17][18][19][20] According to the American version of Oxford Online Dictionaries, the stress on the second syllable is becoming more common in UK English and is increasingly considered "by some" to be more up to date and more "correct".[21]

The Oxford Online Dictionaries claim that the stress on the second syllable is the most common pronunciation in the Caribbean itself, but according to the Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, the most common pronunciation in Caribbean English stresses the first syllable instead, (KARR-ih-bee-an).[4][21]

The word "Caribbean" has multiple uses. Its principal ones are geographical and political. The Caribbean can also be expanded to include territories with strong cultural and historical connections to Africa, slavery, European colonisation and the plantation system.

Islands in and near the Caribbean

Maritime boundaries between the Caribbean (island) nations

The oldest evidence of humans in the Caribbean is in southern Trinidad at Banwari Trace, where remains have been found from seven thousand years ago. These pre-ceramic sites, which belong to the Archaic (pre-ceramic) age, have been termed Ortoiroid. The earliest archaeological evidence of human settlement in Hispaniola dates to about 3600 BC, but the reliability of these finds is questioned. Consistent dates of 3100 BC appear in Cuba. The earliest dates in the Lesser Antilles are from 2000 BC in Antigua. A lack of pre-ceramic sites in the Windward Islands and differences in technology suggest that these Archaic settlers may have Central American origins. Whether an Ortoiroid colonization of the islands took place is uncertain, but there is little evidence of one.

Between 400 BC and 200 BC the first ceramic-using agriculturalists, the Saladoid culture, entered Trinidad from South America. They expanded up the Orinoco River to Trinidad, and then spread rapidly up the islands of the Caribbean. Some time after 250 AD another group, the Barancoid, entered Trinidad. The Barancoid society collapsed along the Orinoco around 650 AD and another group, the Arauquinoid, expanded into these areas and up the Caribbean chain. Around 1300 AD a new group, the Mayoid, entered Trinidad and remained the dominant culture until Spanish settlement.

At the time of the European discovery of most of the islands of the Caribbean, three major Amerindian indigenous peoples lived on the islands: the Tano in the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas and the Leeward Islands, the Island Caribs and Galibi in the Windward Islands, and the Ciboney in western Cuba. The Tanos are subdivided into Classic Tanos, who occupied Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, Western Tanos, who occupied Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamian archipelago, and the Eastern Tanos, who occupied the Leeward Islands. Trinidad was inhabited by both Carib speaking and Arawak-speaking groups.

Soon after Christopher Columbus came to the Caribbean, both Portuguese and Spanish explorers began claiming territories in Central and South America. These early colonies brought gold to Europe; most specifically England, the Netherlands, and France. These nations hoped to establish profitable colonies in the Caribbean. Colonial rivalries made the Caribbean a cockpit for European wars for centuries.

The Caribbean was known for pirates, especially between 1640 and 1680. The term "buccaneer" is often used to describe a pirate operating in this region. The Caribbean region was war-torn throughout much of its colonial history, but the wars were often based in Europe, with only minor battles fought in the Caribbean. Some wars, however, were born of political turmoil in the Caribbean itself.

Haiti was the first Caribbean nation to gain independence from European powers (see Haitian Revolution). Some Caribbean nations gained independence from European powers in the 19th century. Some smaller states are still dependencies of European powers today. Cuba remained a Spanish colony until the SpanishAmerican War. Between 1958 and 1962, most of the British-controlled Caribbean became the West Indies Federation before they separated into many separate nations.

The United States has conducted military operations in the Caribbean and Latin America regions for at least 100 years.[31] Successive administrations of the Caribbean region have regularly maintained that the Caribbean must remain a zone of peace and have sought declarations at the United Nations to declare the region as such.

Since the Monroe Doctrine, the United States gained a major influence on most Caribbean nations. In the early part of the 20th century this influence was extended by participation in the Banana Wars. Victory in the SpanishAmerican War and the signing of the Platt Amendment in 1901 ensured that the United States would have the right to interfere in Cuban political and economic affairs, militarily if necessary. After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, relations deteriorated rapidly leading to the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and successive US attempts to destabilize the island, based upon Cold War fears of the Soviet threat. The US invaded and occupied Hispaniola for 19 years (191534), subsequently dominating the Haitian economy through aid and loan repayments. The US invaded Haiti again in 1994 and in 2004 were accused by CARICOM of arranging a coup d'tat to remove elected Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In 1965, 23,000 US troops were sent to the Dominican Republic to quash a local uprising against military rule (see Dominican Civil War). President Lyndon Johnson had ordered the invasion to stem what he deemed to be a "Communist threat." However, the mission appeared ambiguous and was roundly condemned throughout the hemisphere as a return to gunboat diplomacy. In 1983, the US invaded Grenada to remove populist left-wing leader Maurice Bishop. The US maintains a naval military base in Cuba at Guantanamo Bay. The base is one of five unified commands whose "area of responsibility" is Latin America and the Caribbean. The command is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

From 1966 until the late 1980s, the Soviet government upgraded Cuba's military capabilities, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro saw to it that Cuba assisted with the independence struggles of several countries across the world, most notably Angola and Mozambique in southern Africa, and the anti-imperialist struggles of countries such as Syria, Algeria, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Vietnam.[32][33] Its Angolan involvement was particularly intense and noteworthy with heavy assistance given to the MarxistLeninist MPLA in the Angolan Civil War. Cuba sent 380,000 troops to Angola and 70,000 additional civilian technicians and volunteers. (The Cuban forces possessed 1,000 tanks, 600 armored vehicles and 1,600 artillery pieces.)

Cuba's involvement in the Angolan Civil War began in the 1960s, when relations were established with the leftist Movement for the Popular Liberation of Angola (MPLA). The MPLA was one of three organizations struggling to gain Angola's independence from Portugal, the other two being UNITA and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA). In August and October 1975, the South African Defence Force (SADF) intervened in Angola in support of the UNITA and FNLA. On 14 October 1975, the SADF commenced Operation Savannah in an effort to capture Luanda from the south. On 5 November 1975, without consulting Moscow, the Cuban government opted for a direct intervention with combat troops (Operation Carlota) in support of the MPLA and the combined MPLA-Cuban armies managed to stop the South African advance by 26 November.

During the Ogaden War (197778) in which Somalia attempted to invade an Ethiopia affected by civil war, Cuba deployed 18,000 troops along with armored vehicles, artillery, T-62 tanks, and MiGs to assist the Derg. Ethiopia and Cuba defeated Somalia on 9 March 1978.[34]

In 198788, South Africa again sent military forces to Angola to stop an advance of MPLA forces (FAPLA) against UNITA, leading to the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, where the SADF was unable to defeat the FAPLA and Cuban forces. Cuba also directly participated in the negotiations between Angola and South Africa, again without consulting Moscow. Within two years, the Cold War was over and Cuba's foreign policy shifted away from military intervention.

The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies: Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. These islands include Aruba (possessing only minor volcanic features), Curaao, Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Saint Croix, the Bahamas, and Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Saint Martin, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominica, Montserrat, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Thomas, Saint John, Tortola, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago.

Definitions of the terms Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles often vary. The Virgin Islands as part of the Puerto Rican bank are sometimes included with the Greater Antilles. The term Lesser Antilles is often used to define an island arc that includes Grenada but excludes Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Antilles.

The waters of the Caribbean Sea host large, migratory schools of fish, turtles, and coral reef formations. The Puerto Rico Trench, located on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea just to the north of the island of Puerto Rico, is the deepest point in all of the Atlantic Ocean.[35]

The region sits in the line of several major shipping routes with the Panama Canal connecting the western Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.

Lucayan Archipelago[b]

Greater Antilles

Lesser Antilles

All islands at some point were, and a few still are, colonies of European nations; a few are overseas or dependent territories:

The British West Indies were united by the United Kingdom into a West Indies Federation between 1958 and 1962. The independent countries formerly part of the B.W.I. still have a joint cricket team that competes in Test matches, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. The West Indian cricket team includes the South American nation of Guyana, the only former British colony on the mainland of that continent.

In addition, these countries share the University of the West Indies as a regional entity. The university consists of three main campuses in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, a smaller campus in the Bahamas and Resident Tutors in other contributing territories such as Trinidad.

* Disputed territories administered by Colombia.

The climate of the area is tropical, varying from tropical rainforest in some areas to tropical monsoon and tropical savanna in others. There are also some locations that are arid climates with considerable drought in some years, and the peaks of mountains tend to have cooler temperate climates.

Rainfall varies with elevation, size and water currents, such as the cool upwellings that keep the ABC islands arid. Warm, moist trade winds blow consistently from the east, creating both rain forest and semi arid climates across the region. The tropical rainforest climates include lowland areas near the Caribbean Sea from Costa Rica north to Belize, as well as the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, while the more seasonal dry tropical savanna climates are found in Cuba, northern Colombia and Venezuela, and southern Yucatn, Mexico. Arid climates are found along the extreme northern coast of Venezuela out to the islands including Aruba and Curacao, as well as the northwestern tip of Yucatn.

While the region generally is sunny much of the year, the wet season from May through November sees more frequent cloud cover (both broken and overcast), while the dry season from December through April is more often clear to mostly sunny. Seasonal rainfall is divided into 'dry' and 'wet' seasons, with the latter six months of the year being wetter than the first half. The air temperature is hot much of the year, varying from 25 to 33 C (77 F to 90 F) between the wet and dry seasons. Seasonally, monthly mean temperatures vary from only about 5 C (7 F) in the northern most regions, to less than 3 C in the southernmost areas of the Caribbean.

Hurricane season is from June to November, but they occur more frequently in August and September and more common in the northern islands of the Caribbean. Hurricanes that sometimes batter the region usually strike northwards of Grenada and to the west of Barbados. The principal hurricane belt arcs to northwest of the island of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean. A great example being recent events of Hurricane Irma devastating the island of Saint Martin during the 2017 hurricane season.

Sea surface temperatures change little annually, normally running from 30C (87F) in the warmest months to 26C (76F) in the coolest months. The air temperature is warm year round, in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and only varies from winter to summer about 25 degrees on the southern islands and about a 1020 degrees difference on the northern islands of the Caribbean. The northern islands, like the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, may be influenced by continental masses during winter months, such as cold fronts.

Aruba: Latitude 12N

Puerto Rico: Latitude 18N

Cuba: at Latitude 22N

The Caribbean islands have one of the most diverse eco systems in the world. The animals, fungi and plants, and have been classified as one of Conservation International's biodiversity hotspots because of their exceptionally diverse terrestrial and marine ecosystems, ranging from montane cloud forests, to tropical rainforest, to cactus scrublands. The region also contains about 8% (by surface area) of the world's coral reefs[48] along with extensive seagrass meadows,[49] both of which are frequently found in the shallow marine waters bordering the island and continental coasts of the region.

For the fungi, there is a modern checklist based on nearly 90,000 records derived from specimens in reference collections, published accounts and field observations.[50] That checklist includes more than 11,250 species of fungi recorded from the region. As its authors note, the work is far from exhaustive, and it is likely that the true total number of fungal species already known from the Caribbean is higher. The true total number of fungal species occurring in the Caribbean, including species not yet recorded, is likely far higher given the generally accepted estimate that only about 7% of all fungi worldwide have been discovered.[51] Though the amount of available information is still small, a first effort has been made to estimate the number of fungal species endemic to some Caribbean islands. For Cuba, 2200 species of fungi have been tentatively identified as possible endemics of the island;[52] for Puerto Rico, the number is 789 species;[53] for the Dominican Republic, the number is 699 species;[54] for Trinidad and Tobago, the number is 407 species.[55]

Many of the ecosystems of the Caribbean islands have been devastated by deforestation, pollution, and human encroachment. The arrival of the first humans is correlated with extinction of giant owls and dwarf ground sloths.[56] The hotspot contains dozens of highly threatened animals (ranging from birds, to mammals and reptiles), fungi and plants. Examples of threatened animals include the Puerto Rican amazon, two species of solenodon (giant shrews) in Cuba and the Hispaniola island, and the Cuban crocodile.

The region's coral reefs, which contain about 70 species of hard corals and between 500700 species of reef-associated fishes[57] have undergone rapid decline in ecosystem integrity in recent years, and are considered particularly vulnerable to global warming and ocean acidification.[58] According to a UNEP report, the Caribbean coral reefs might get extinct in next 20 years due to population explosion along the coast lines, overfishing, the pollution of coastal areas and global warming.[59]

Some Caribbean islands have terrain that Europeans found suitable for cultivation for agriculture. Tobacco was an important early crop during the colonial era, but was eventually overtaken by sugarcane production as the region's staple crop. Sugar was produced from sugarcane for export to Europe. Cuba and Barbados were historically the largest producers of sugar. The tropical plantation system thus came to dominate Caribbean settlement. Other islands were found to have terrain unsuited for agriculture, for example Dominica, which remains heavily forested. The islands in the southern Lesser Antilles, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaao, are extremely arid, making them unsuitable for agriculture. However, they have salt pans that were exploited by the Dutch. Sea water was pumped into shallow ponds, producing coarse salt when the water evaporated.[60]

The natural environmental diversity of the Caribbean islands has led to recent growth in eco-tourism. This type of tourism is growing on islands lacking sandy beaches and dense human populations.[61]

The Martinique amazon, Amazona martinicana, is an extinct species of parrot in the family Psittacidae.

At the time of European contact, the dominant ethnic groups in the Caribbean included the Tano of the Greater Antilles and northern Lesser Antilles, the Island Caribs of the southern Lesser Antilles, and smaller distinct groups such as the Guanajatabey of western Cuba and the Ciguayo of eastern Hispaniola. The population of the Caribbean is estimated to have been around 750,000 immediately before European contact, although lower and higher figures are given. After contact, social disruption and epidemic diseases such as smallpox and measles (to which they had no natural immunity)[62] led to a decline in the Amerindian population.[63]

From 1500 to 1800 the population rose as slaves arrived from West Africa[64] such as the Kongo, Igbo, Akan, Fon and Yoruba as well as military prisoners from Ireland, who were deported during the Cromwellian reign in England.[citation needed] Immigrants from Britain, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark also arrived, although the mortality rate was high for both groups.[65]

The population is estimated to have reached 2.2million by 1800.[66] Immigrants from India, China, Indonesia, and other countries arrived in the mid-19th century as indentured servants.[67] After the ending of the Atlantic slave trade, the population increased naturally.[68] The total regional population was estimated at 37.5million by 2000.[69]

In Haiti and most of the French, Anglophone and Dutch Caribbean, the population is predominantly of African origin; on many islands there are also significant populations of mixed racial origin (including Mulatto-Creole, Dougla, Mestizo, Quadroon, Cholo, Castizo, Criollo, Zambo, Pardo, Asian Latin Americans, Chindian, Cocoa panyols, and Eurasian), as well as populations of European ancestry: Dutch, English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish ancestry. Asians, especially those of Chinese, Indian descent, and Javanese Indonesians, form a significant minority in parts of the region. Indians form a plurality of the population in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. Most of their ancestors arrived in the 19th century as indentured laborers.

The Spanish-speaking Caribbean populations are primarily of European, African, or racially mixed origins. Puerto Rico has a European majority with a mixture of European-African-Native American (tri-racial), and a large Mulatto (European-West African) and West African minority. Cuba also has a European majority, along with a significant population of African ancestry. The Dominican Republic has the largest mixed-race population, primarily descended from Europeans, West Africans, and Amerindians.

Jamaica has a large African majority, in addition to a significant population of mixed racial background, and has minorities of Chinese, Europeans, Indians, Latinos, Jews, and Arabs. This is a result of years of importation of slaves and indentured laborers, and migration. Most multi-racial Jamaicans refer to themselves as either mixed race or brown. Similar populations can be found in the Caricom states of Belize, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago has a multi-racial cosmopolitan society due to the arrivals of Africans, Indians, Chinese, Arabs, Jews, Latinos, and Europeans along with the native indigenous Amerindians population. This multi-racial mix of the Caribbean has created sub-ethnicities that often straddle the boundaries of major ethnicities and include Mulatto-Creole, Mestizo, Pardo, Zambo, Dougla, Chindian, Afro-Asians, Eurasian, Cocoa panyols, and Asian Latinos.

Spanish (64%), French (25%), English (14%), Dutch, Haitian Creole, and Papiamento are the predominant official languages of various countries in the region, although a handful of unique creole languages or dialects can also be found in virtually every Caribbean country. Other languages such as Caribbean Hindustani, Chinese, Javanese, Arabic, Hmong, Amerindian languages, other African languages, other European languages, and other Indian languages can also be found.

Christianity is the predominant religion in the Caribbean (84.7%).[70] Other religions in the region are Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Rastafarianism, Buddhism, Chinese folk religion (incl. Taoism and Confucianism), Bah', Jainism, Sikhism, Kebatinan, Traditional African religions, Yoruba (incl. Trinidad Orisha), Afro-American religions, (incl. Santera, Palo, Umbanda, Brujera, Hoodoo, Candombl, Quimbanda, Orisha, Xang de Recife, Xang do Nordeste, Comfa, Espiritismo, Santo Daime, Obeah, Candombl, Abaku, Kumina, Winti, Sanse, Cuban Vod, Dominican Vud, Louisiana Voodoo, Haitian Vodou, and Vodun).

Caribbean societies are very different from other Western societies in terms of size, culture, and degree of mobility of their citizens.[71] The current economic and political problems the states face individually are common to all Caribbean states. Regional development has contributed to attempts to subdue current problems and avoid projected problems. From a political and economic perspective, regionalism serves to make Caribbean states active participants in current international affairs through collective coalitions. In 1973, the first political regionalism in the Caribbean Basin was created by advances of the English-speaking Caribbean nations through the institution known as the Caribbean Common Market and Community (CARICOM)[72] which is located in Guyana.

Certain scholars have argued both for and against generalizing the political structures of the Caribbean. On the one hand the Caribbean states are politically diverse, ranging from communist systems such as Cuba toward more capitalist Westminster-style parliamentary systems as in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Other scholars argue that these differences are superficial, and that they tend to undermine commonalities in the various Caribbean states. Contemporary Caribbean systems seem to reflect a "blending of traditional and modern patterns, yielding hybrid systems that exhibit significant structural variations and divergent constitutional traditions yet ultimately appear to function in similar ways."[73] The political systems of the Caribbean states share similar practices.

The influence of regionalism in the Caribbean is often marginalized. Some scholars believe that regionalism cannot exist in the Caribbean because each small state is unique. On the other hand, scholars also suggest that there are commonalities amongst the Caribbean nations that suggest regionalism exists. "Proximity as well as historical ties among the Caribbean nations has led to cooperation as well as a desire for collective action."[74] These attempts at regionalization reflect the nations' desires to compete in the international economic system.[74]

Furthermore, a lack of interest from other major states promoted regionalism in the region. In recent years the Caribbean has suffered from a lack of U.S. interest. "With the end of the Cold War, U.S. security and economic interests have been focused on other areas. As a result there has been a significant reduction in U.S. aid and investment to the Caribbean."[75] The lack of international support for these small, relatively poor states, helped regionalism prosper.

Another issue of due to the cold war in the Caribbean has been the reduced economic growth of some Caribbean States due to the United States and European Union's allegations of special treatment toward the region by each other.

In counteraction, the European Union claimed that the U.S. in the midst of the cold war, and seeking to promote capitalist economic growth in the region through offshoring of business development and later on offshore financial sector characterized this segment of regional government activity in the Caribbean as an unfair/ Harmful low-tax competition which undercuts the higher taxation rates found in Europe. Much of the U.S. tax code which benefited the Caribbean[1], was to cull socialist movements in the region, limit Russian financial influence in the area, and firmly integrate the Caribbean into the United States financial system much to the insistence by the E.U. that the low tax rates of the Caribbean for global companies needed to be banned.[2][3]

The United States President Bill Clinton, backed by American owned banana producers in Central America launched a challenge in the World Trade Organization against the EU over Europe's preferential program, known as the Lom Convention, which allowed banana exports from the former colonies of the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP) to enter Europe cheaply.[76] The World Trade Organization sided in the United States' favour and the beneficial elements of the convention to African, Caribbean and Pacific states has been partially dismantled and replaced by the Cotonou Agreement.[77]

During the US/EU dispute, the United States imposed large tariffs on European Union goods (up to 100%) to pressure Europe to change the agreement with the Caribbean nations in favour of the Cotonou Agreement.[78]

Farmers in the Caribbean have complained of falling profits and rising costs as the Lom Convention weakens. Some farmers have faced increased pressure to turn towards the cultivation of marijuana, which has a higher profit margin and fills the sizable demand for these narcotics in North America and Europe.[79][80][4]

Caribbean nations have also started to more closely cooperate in the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and other instruments to add oversight of the offshore industry. One of the most important associations that deal with regionalism amongst the nations of the Caribbean Basin has been the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Proposed by CARICOM in 1992, the ACS soon won the support of the other countries of the region. It was founded in July 1994. The ACS maintains regionalism within the Caribbean on issues unique to the Caribbean Basin. Through coalition building, like the ACS and CARICOM, regionalism has become an undeniable part of the politics and economics of the Caribbean. The successes of region-building initiatives are still debated by scholars, yet regionalism remains prevalent throughout the Caribbean.

In recent history increasing numbers of countries in the regions have signed on to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative in order to take advantage of the advancing Chinese market and access development loans at rates lower than traditional global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund or World Bank.

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez launched an economic group called the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA), which several eastern Caribbean islands joined. In 2012, the nation of Haiti, with 9million people, became the largest CARICOM nation that sought to join the union.[81]

Here are some of the bodies that several islands share in collaboration:

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Caribbean - Wikipedia

The Caribbean, long referred to as the West Indies, includes more than 7,000 islands; of those, 13 are independent island countries (shown in red on the map), and some are dependencies or overseas territories of other nations.

In addition, that large number includes islets (very small rocky islands); cay's (small, low islands composed largely of coral or sand) and a few inhabited reefs: See Belize.

In geographical terms the Caribbean area includes the Caribbean Sea and all of the islands located to the southeast of the Gulf of Mexico, east of Central America and Mexico, and to the north of South America. Some of its counted cay's, islands, islets and inhabited reefs front the handful of countries that border the region.

The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos are not considered a part of the Caribbean, however, we show them here because of their cultural, geographical and political associations with the Greater Antilles and other Caribbean Islands.

At the beginning of the 15th century the population of the Caribbean was estimated to be nearly 900,000 indigenous people immediately before European contact.

Then in 1492, Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer began his exploration of the Caribbean, becoming the first European to venture into the area.

After reportedly landing in the eastern Bahamas, Columbus named these islands the Indies, because he thought he had finally reached Asia (and the East Indies).

Numerous explorers followed in his path, then tens of thousands of settlers arrived from the Americas, China, European countries and India. Included in that mix were religious outcasts and a small army of pirates.

Across the Caribbean, slaves from Africa were imported in great numbers to work the sugar and tobacco plantations.

By then the indigenous populations of the islands were in severe decline as exposure to disease and brutal genocide wiped out much of their number.

Great military powers continually fought for control of the islands, and finally, a blended mix of African and European cultures and languages transformed this large group of islands and its peoples into one of the premier tourist destinations on the planet.

Long called the West Indies, the overall area is now commonly referred to as the Caribbean, a name that became popular after World War II.

Over the last few decades legions of travelers have journeyed to the Caribbean to enjoy the amenities. They frequently arrive in cruise ships that sail in and out, from ports in Florida and Puerto Rico.

Overall the Caribbean is a magical place of palm trees, white sand beaches, turquoise waters and sunshine, all blessed with a climate that consistently offers a much-needed break for those stuck in the cold weather doldrums of the north.

If you haven't been, you should, and if you've been here more than once, you will come again, as these islands, these beach-ringed, jungle-covered rocks are home to thousands of historical surprises and activities galore.

So come wiggle you toes in the sand, and eat and sleep under the stars in the Caribbean. You won't be disappointed.

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Caribbean Map / Map of the Caribbean - Maps and ...

Despite a rich history in football, the Caribbean has not had many moments to savour on the World stage, making them, interestingly, all the more special.

Cuba provided the first of the moments, making the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup all the way back in 1938.

Cuba had always been a little special island, long proving itself self-sufficient and able to compete with the rest of the world, despite any political or financial issues that could serve to slow its development.

That self-sufficiency and ability to achieve despite significant odds meant that Cubas entrance to the FIFA World Cup was not a emblematic moment and the rest of the Caribbean felt no closer to the possibility of making it on the world stage.

Thirty-six years later, Haiti provided the second moment, getting to the FIFA World Cup in 1974.

That feat, for a country, which had long-standing political issues and an overbearing poverty problem, was immense.

Now the rest of the Caribbean began to take note. Maybe now other islands could dare to dream.

While Haitis football has ebbed and flowed and they have not quite gotten back to those heady heights, the moment was important.

All of a sudden, the possibilities for Caribbean football were immense.

But it took another 20 years before the Reggae Boyz were on a similar journey. For the first time, CONCACAF had more than the obligatory two spots that would go to Mexico and the United States.

Now there was hope for someone else to join the fray. Still there were obstacles.

In 1997, the Reggae Boyz were up against it. In the final round they were winless, until a series of three games, 1-0 wins over each of El Salvador, Canada, and Costa Rica.

After finishing winless in the first four games of the final qualifying round, Jamaica recorded three 10 wins over El Salvador, Canada, and Costa Rica, giving them a chance at history.

Jamaica were on the cusp of becoming the first English-speaking team from the Caribbean to make it to the World Cup.

But standing in their way was the mighty Mexico. Jamaica needed to avoid losing to a team they had lost to 6-0 earlier in those qualifiers. There was hope but it was slim.

History has a funny way of staying the same and no matter how many times this story gets told, the 0-0 draw the Reggae Boyz achieved against the attacking juggernauts that were Mexico still seems unlikely.

An entire nation celebrated, but so did the rest of the Caribbean. After all, there were other countries in the region that had proven worthy adversaries for the Reggae Boyz and that meant somebody else could make it too.

In 2006, somebody else did.

Trinidad and Tobago, still with two of its legends, Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy, in tow would take an ageing team, and prove the Caribbean were now becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Until 2018 when Iceland made their World Cup bow, T&T were the smallest nation to ever play in the tournament.

But it wasnt easy either, and Trinidad and Tobago, after finishing fourth in the final round had to contend with the unknown quantity that was Bahrain.

The tiny twin-island republic had to play against a team, which had financial resources that would dwarf it.

Things looked even more bleak for T&T after the first leg of the home-and-away tie on November 12, 2005, played at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, ended 1-1.

This meant, T&T had to go away to win against a team they couldnt get the better of at home.

Again, the Caribbean beat the odds and a 1-0 win at the Bahrain National Stadium on the 16th of November 2005 again changed the course of history for the Caribbean side and the region around it.

The Caribbean has, since those moments made great leaps in the transport of its players all over the world, even if those marginal improvements have yet to bare fruit in terms of consistent Caribbean representation at the ICC World Cup.

But the improvements continue as can be seen with the large number of locally grown players, now turning out for the national teams of countries all over the region.

Today there is more and more competition from the rest of the Caribbean and neither T&T nor Jamaica have a free run of the region anymore.

It is interesting that the success of the three over the last 46 years, is what has created a competitive Caribbean and destroyed the spectre of their unquestioned dominance.

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Brandon King bats for Black Lives Matter, to lend support Caribbean communities affected by pandemic - sportsmax.tv

One of Food & Wine magazine's 2020 "Best New Chefs," Niven Patel, will bring two new restaurants to his Aya Hospitality lineup later this year.

The first of Niven's two restaurants will be Mamey, named for the tropical fruit native to Cuba and Central America, followed by a wood-fired cooking concept Orno in late-2020.Both will open inside the Thesis Hotel Miami in Coral Gables.

While he notes the move is a departure from his current establishments, Ghee and Erba, Patel said he is excited to align with a hotel group that shares his vision.

"The hotel's desire to create restaurants that reflect this approach was a factor in my decision to partner," Patel says. "This partnership promises great things."

Currently scheduled to open for dinner only seven nights a week beginning Tuesday, August 11, Mamey is described as a vibrant and island-minded concept with tapas-style plates. The concept is inspired by Patel's travels throughout Asia, Polynesia, Thailand, and the Caribbean.

Chef Niven Patel's new restaurant, Mamey, will open inside the Thesis Hotel in Coral Gables in August.

Photo courtesy of Mamey

Like each of his previous concepts, Patel said he wants to give the Mamey menu an authentic and organic touch. To do so, the chef says he will source a great deal of fruit, vegetables, and herbs from Rancho Patel, his two-acre farm in Homestead.Started in 2014, the farm currently supplies each restaurant with fresh produce from mangoes and eggplant to avocados and beets.

Patel's dedication to sustainability and mindful sourcing is what helps to define his eclectic cooking style, one that he says is deeply rooted in his heritage while also pulling inspiration from South Florida's agricultural bounty.

"The connection between the plants, the farm, the harvest, and the food on the plate is so important to me and the soul of everything we do at Ghee and Erba we will do at Mamey and Orno," Patel says.

Expect an eclectic array of cultures to be on display withMamey's menu, each showcasing the exotic flavors and spices commonly found in tropical cuisine. The menu begins with small plates like his yellowfin tuna tostones topped with a tomato sofrito, scallion, and piquillo pepper aioli; Bahamian-style conch fritters served with a cilantro tartar sauce and roasted peppers; and corn and callaloo empanadas.There are also sandwiches and large plates with everything from a Creole-inspired mahi to the crispy chicken sandwich dressed with plantain barbecuesauce, and Trini-style roti with curried chickpeas, spinach, red onion, and tamarind chutney ($8 to $36).

In collaboration with Bar Lab, Mamey's cocktail menu will feature flavorful concoctions that offer an island flair. Take the Mamey Swizzle, a blend of light rum, the chef's own chai tea blend, coconut milk, and mamey fruit. Another signature drink will be the Jerk Sandia, a mixture of Mezcal, watermelon, lemon balm, pomegranate, and jerk spices.

Mamey. 1350 S. Dixie Hwy., Coral Gables; thesishotelmiami.com. Opening August 11.

Nicole Danna is a Palm Beach County-based reporter who began covering the South Florida food scene for New Times in 2011. She also loves drinking beer and writing about the area's growing craft beer community.

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Chef Niven Patel Opens Mamey and Orno at Thesis Hotel Miami - Miami New Times

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The Shared Room by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrations by Xee Reiter

c.2020, University of Minnesota Press $16.95 / higher in Canada

32 pages

Sometimes, things change in a minute.

You look, and its one way. You look again, its different, and you didnt even see the change happening. You might not like it but that never matters. As in the new picture book The Shared Room by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrations by Xee Reiter, thats when its best just to take a deep breath, roll your shoulders, and move on.

If it were any other winter day in Minnesota, it mightve been nice. It was warm enough for the snow to melt and you could almost see that spring was coming. But inside the house in east St. Paul, there were shadows acros

s a dark fireplace and quiet floors. There was light in the house, but no sunshine.

Pictures hung on the wall but it was hard to look at them because they reminded the family inside the house that one of them was missing. It had been seven months since the girl with the shiny brown hair and big toothy smile, the happy little girl in a framed picture, had walked into a lake, misstepped, and accidentally drowned.

Nobody had seen it happen and nobody in the family could forget. The mother and the father couldnt even bear to take the sheets off the girls bed and for seven months, they visited her room and cried once, twice, three times a day. The house was quiet, except when someone would play a video of the girl on their phone, and everyone watched.

But then, something shifted.

Ever since the youngest brother was born, the oldest brother shared a bedroom with him in the house in east St. Paul. There were four bedrooms, four children and two parents, so there had to be sharing until the parents asked the oldest brother if hed like to have his sisters room. Hed have her bed. He would have her dresser and her closet.

But he would never have her back. Would he miss his sister forever?

Is The Shared Room a book for children?

You may wonder that after youve read it through once and you should, to gauge its appropriateness for your child before you present it. Its a lovely story, but its also deeply, unbearably sad.

While the artwork by Xee Reiter may soften things a bit, author Kao Kalia Yangs tale starts with silence and ends like a grey tattered shawl draped over every page. This profound mourning leaves a heaviness over the story that stays well beyond the final page, and youll feel it in your chest.

And yet, if you can withstand the pall, theres a sliver of hope inside this book and a reminder that life goes on. It also serves to tell a child that its best to come to terms with death but that never forgetting is okay, too.

Again, read this book through once before you give it to your 8-to-12-year-old. The Shared Room may prove to be too much, too early, too overwhelming or it may change your childs grieving.

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A room of one's own is bittersweet in this children's tale - Caribbean Life

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Weldon Ryan is playing out his story, making strides in cyberspace despite the coronavirus attack.

The artist, a former Flagler County Art League president, joined artisans through Robert Shirk showcasing Men Painting Women Art Exhibit.

Your eyes will focus on stellar female forms, depicted differently by artists Wilson Romero, Leonardo Montoya Perez, Weldon Ryan, Herbie Martin, and Robert Shirk.

Thats happening through Aug. 21, Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the downtown Orlando Public Library, 101 East Central Blvd., Orlando.

Recently, Ryan rid himself of his studio to work on line from home.

Ive also been working to get my social media with my YouTube channel going for people who enjoy my work, said Trinidad-born Ryan, who mostly grew up in the Bronx.

Ryans popularity has grown since graduating from the High School of Art and Design in 1981 and attending the State University of New York at New Paltz. He later received an associate degree in general illustration from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

He freelanced before landing an Urban Park Rangers job in 1987, painting murals for the New York City Parks Department at Pelham Bay Environmental Nature Center, and afterwards joining the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

Ryans sketches were the poster child for rounding up crooks after his assignment to the NYPD Forensic Artist Unit.

Doing the forensic work and the sketches of perpetrators of crime as you sit there, and speak with individuals, who have suffered a loss, you actually form a bond, and you feel their pain and emotions, he said.

Meanwhile, we trademarked the art of Carnival, between Richlin and myself, he added

His wife, Richlin, an art director and graphic artist, is the mother of the duos two children. Theyve changed their status arriving in Palm Coast in 2004.

Theres not any art related to carnival, except for mine as far as I know depicting the Caribbean side of things, and the way I do it, my realism, he stressed. Although his artwork is realistically illustrative, he allows for a bit of serendipity, reads his vitae.

Were trying also to work on the New York carnival; they are doing a virtual carnival, he added. Members of The Orlando Carnival downtown were also kind and brought us into their family.

PAINTINGS COURTESY OF ARTIST WELDON RYAN

The artist has actualized his dreams through art, and appeared on the Ricki Lake Show, the Geraldo Rivera Show, CNN, and in the April 1999 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine.

Hes treaded shoring up exhibits at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Bronx River Art Center, the Harlem State Office Building, One Police Plaza, in addition to the Fulton Street Art Fair, the Flagler County Art League, the Hollingsworth Gallery, Mary McLeod Bethune Performing Arts Center, and other venues.

I forgot to mention Calypso Fine Art, thats our online site where we also want to do a virtual art show. The art of carnival we must keep that going, he explained, while highlighting that the announcement will appear in September.

The images featured on CalypsoFineArt.com accommodate a dynamic spot for cultural exploration.

You are invited to a delightful Virtual Tea Party, July 30 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Ladies 20 to 100 years old are invited to tune in for fellowship, fun, and a hat-fashion contest.

So, wear your favorite hat. Three awards will be granted.

Its the Sacred Sip and Say, hosted by First Lady Karen Wilkerson of St. James Missionary Baptist Church of Bunnell.

First Lady Carol Coffie of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church of Palm Coast will be topping the headlines.

So, Zoom into the party at Meeting ID: 84152653839. Passcode: 325710.

As I am taking a hiatus through mid-September, I wish the best to all of my readers.

As always, remember our prayers for the sick, afflicted, the prodigal son, or daughter, and the bereaved.

Birthdays wishes to the Rev. Cheryl Daniels, July 30; Annette Preston, July 31;twins Alexis and Alana Williams, Ernest G. Robinson Jr., Aug. 2; Almedia Quarterman, Aug. 3; Gloria Major, Shirley Horne, and Carolyn Snow, Aug. 4.

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Local artist to host Caribbean-themed virtual exhibits Daytona Times - Daytona Times

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Heriberto Hernandez (WPC-1114) offloaded 55 bales of cocaine weighing 1,375 kilograms at Sector San Juan July 22, 2020. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ricardo Castrodad)

By CIMSEC 07-31-2020 06:38:56

[By Dr. Ian Ralby, Lt. Col. Michael Jones and Capt. Errington Shurland (ret.)]

While life on land for most people has been unusually sedentary in 2020 with significant travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders, the maritime space has remained remarkably active. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the Caribbeans maritime domain has garnered widespread attention on three fronts: cruise ships stuck at sea, both with Covid-19 patients onboard and crew unable to be disembarked; a major increase in U.S. naval presence focused on countering narcotics trafficking, particularly via semi-submersible vessels; and shipments of sanctioned fuel and goods from Iran to Venezuela.

Though the region is being pulled into these issues to some degree, all three of these matters are primarily of an international nature. In examining the issues that are not merely occurring in the Caribbean but are of direct concern to the security, governance, and development of the region, the pandemic provides an opportunity for taking new approaches. By compiling comparative data from before and during the pandemic using maritime domain awareness technology and working collaboratively between states, regional bodies, and independent experts, we can bring to light previously overlooked activities and new criminal trends in the region. This new insight provides vital leads on how to reinvigorate maritime security and ensure that the waters of the Caribbeanamong the most economically valuable in the worldare governed by states and not transnational criminal networks.

Caribbean Maritime Activity During the Pandemic

Between March and July 2020, the Caribbean saw an unprecedented decline in travel owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of air travel, over those four months the member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) saw only 4.7 percent of the arrivals and 9 percent of the departures they had seen the four months prior to the declaration of the pandemic. Given such a dramatic drop in travel and tourism, combined with the well-publicized issues surrounding the health security of cruise ships, it would make some sense if the Caribbean also saw a dramatic decrease in maritime activity between mid-March and mid-July. Indeed, records indicate that from March to July 2020, the region saw 48 percent of the port arrivals of the November 2019-March 2020 timeframe. Given this decrease in maritime activity, it would stand to reason that there was a comparable decrease in illicit maritime activity as well. That, however, does not appear to be the case.

Traditional Metrics

Even by traditional metrics of quantities seized, the decline in criminal activity between March and July 2020 did not parallel the decline in port calls. In that period since the onset of the pandemic, the region seized roughly 60 percent the amount of cocaine, marijuana, and illegal migrants that it did between November 2019 and March 2020. Importantly, since early April, the increased presence of the United States Navy and Coast Guard in the region has accounted for more than $1 billion in drug seizures, potentially skewing the seizure figures for the regional states as well. The region, however, has not seen the sort of decline in traditional criminal activities that might be expected under the circumstances. In fact, there were 27 recorded incidents of maritime interdictions between March 12 and July 8, 2020, versus 23 in the longer period between 1 November 2019 and 11 March 2020. Furthermore, seizures in the last few months of birds, goats, cash, and fuel (for some examples), indicate the diversity of smuggling operations running through the Caribbean. Economic hardship may in fact be a growing driver for illicit activity. But these recorded figures are not the only means by which to determine whether criminality has declined in parallel with legitimate maritime activity.

New Approaches

Using Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, a variety of other datasets, augmented intelligence, and machine learning, increasingly advanced maritime domain awareness (MDA) technology can help examine different maritime activities to identify anomalies and instances of suspicious behavior. Whereas maritime law enforcement in the Caribbean has traditionally focused on small vesselsgo-fast speedboats, fishing vessels, and pleasure craft that are generally too small to use AIShigh-volume drug interdictions in other regions in the Caribbean have indicated that traffickers are increasingly using larger vessels for larger drug shipments. By using MDA technology that allows for queries on different activities, a variety of indicators can help shine a light on what has been transpiring in the region during the pandemic and in the time leading up to it.

Focusing on a few factors of potentially suspicious activity can help indicate whether the maritime space of the Caribbean has seen any significant change since travel restrictions began in March 2020. By honing in on vessels that either can be deemed high risk or significant risk based on algorithmic analysis of their movements, or that have corporate ownership and management structures that exhibit risk patterns, analysts can quickly concentrate on vessels that, based on their activities, are likely to have engaged in or currently are engaged in illicit behavior. Focusing on such vessels, and comparing incidents of dark activity, including drifting, sailing below three knots, changes in Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) numbers, meetings, and course deviations, helps paint a relative picture over time.

Each of these factors is tied to known criminal activities at sea. Dark activity, which is not limited merely to AIS signal loss, but intentionally turning off the AIS transponder, is prohibited under Chapter V of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention. There are some circumstances, even in the Caribbean, where as long as this was logged by the master of the vessel, such activity could be deemed acceptable for the safety of the vessel. But it often is an indicator of illicit activity.

Ships that intend to engage in illicit activitylike meeting with another vessel to embark drugs, transship illegally-caught fish or violate sanctionsmay turn off their AIS transponder to help obscure that behavior. Similarly, drifting and sailing below three nautical miles per hour are uneconomic behaviors for ships engaged in legitimate maritime commerce. While these indicators are not in and of themselves indicative of anything specific, they can suggest a vessel may not be acting legally, particularly if there are other risk factors present. Sailing below three knots may also be an indicator of either dropping off or seeking to pick up packages, often drugs, left in the water for collection. There may even be several days between the dropoff and pickup.

MMSI changes can be routine, but particularly when paired with other activities, can also indicate attempts to obscure either past or future activities. Furthermore, they can indicate changes in ownership and control of a vessel, and when such a change also includes a change in flag, there may be cause for concern as to the intentions of the new owners. Meetings could involve anything from bunkering or legitimate resupplying, to key transfers in a criminal supply chain. And finally, odd course deviations may also be indicators of uneconomic behavior that is tied to illegitimate activitiessuch as looking for geolocated drug packages left on the water for collection.

In looking at the Caribbean, the above chartwhich excludes tankers on account of their unusual challenges caused by the decline in the global oil marketis quite telling as to changes in suspicious activity during the pandemic. Using the same periods from the traditional analysis mentioned earlier (November 1, 2019 to March 11, 2020 and March 12 to July 8, 2020), both from 2019 into 2020 and from 2018 into 2019, shows that there is not a significant decrease in suspicious behavior during the pandemic.

On the contrary, there is actually an increase in dark activity, including drifting, sailing below three nautical miles, MMSI changes, and course deviations in comparison to the same periods in 2019. The only decreases were a slight drop in the number of vessels and a significant decline in the activity in which no one is supposed to engage in during a pandemic: meetings. Compared to the four months prior to the onset of Covid-19 restrictions, there were actually more dark activities and slow sailings during the pandemic than there were before.

Comparing the pandemic period to the period immediately prior is most instructive when considering the traditional datasets above. If the volume of legitimate maritime activity dropped by more than 50 percent and the volume of movement by air dropped more than 90 percent, it would seem that the volume of suspicious maritime activities should have dropped a significant amount as well. Instead, the pandemic saw a 38 percent decrease in the total number of suspicious vessels, a 26 percent increase in dark activity, a 77 percent decrease in drifting, an 18 percent increase in sailing below three nautical miles per hour, a 50 percent decrease in MMSI changes, an 88 percent decrease in meetings, and a 39 percent decrease in course deviations compared to the period from November 1, 2019 to March 11, 2020.

One convenient narrative to explain the increase could involve more ships being stuck at sea, but only if drifting rather than dark activity had risen. While this data is not conclusive, it does indicate that suspicious maritime activity does not operate in correlation with changes in legitimate maritime commerce. As has been noted regarding drug flows, criminals dont waste a good crisis, meaning that maritime criminality is relatively unimpeded by the restrictions that have curtailed legal activities during the pandemic, and criminals may actually be taking advantage of the new status quo. This is new insight and new visibility for the region and digging deeper exposes a number of trends.

Vessel Families

While there has been a push in recent years for maritime interdictions to trigger financial investigations in the Caribbean, perhaps more attention needs to be paid to vessel ownership investigations, either at the national or at the regional levels. If a vessel is arrested either within the region or after having been through the region with drugs onboard, it is possible the vessels owners and operators may have been involved. Therefore, one approach to identifying suspicious vessels deserving of scrutiny is to examine any sibling and related vessels, including vessels of associated companies. Doing so in the Caribbean would require the identification of a list of vessels of interest whose activities immediately raise suspicion.

Reverse Routes

The news has been full of stories about Iranian vessels heading for Venezuela, especially owing to international sanctions. However, in examining the movement of vessels leaving the Caribbean after engaging in suspicious activity, some actually proceed onward to sanctioned countries.[8] At the same time, new routes are emerging, bringing drugs and other contraband from other parts of the world to the Caribbean. This deserves significant attention from the region.

Unexpected Vessels

A traditional narrative that has been contradicted is the notion that illicit goods are moved only in certain types of vessels. The 2019 arrest of the M/V NIKA in Indonesia should serve as a cautionary tale. The NIKA is a cargo vessel that was engaged in illegal fishing, operating almost invisibly on account of its vessel type. No law enforcement agency was looking for cargo vessels conducting illegal fishing. Similarly, for the Caribbean, only searching for container ships may obscure possible suspicious patterns of activity which are also being exhibited by cement carriers, livestock carriers, or reefers which may be engaging in smuggling and trafficking.

Next Steps

The pandemic has forced a revision of how Caribbean entities approach their analysis of illicit maritime activity. The present collaboration has allowed for increased insight into suspicious activities in the region that have otherwise gone unnoticed. The question, however, is how does the region act on this insight? The Regional Security System (RSS) a sub-regional treaty-based security cooperation organization comprising seven states (all of which are also CARICOM member states)is able to use a mixture of fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft, small boats, and patrol vessels to monitor and interdict maritime crime. But even with these capabilities and extensive cooperation among the states, identifying these trends in such a way as to analyze and respond to them quickly enough to prompt on-the-water interdictions will be a challenge. Furthermore, the current concept of operations in the RSS and those of CARICOM member states are based on traditional understandings of trafficking routes and criminal modalities. As new insights enter the picture, new approaches need to be consideredboth in terms of how to maintain such enhanced maritime domain awareness and in terms of how to respond to it.

What has become clear is that even while much of the world has been stuck at home during the pandemic, criminals have continued to operate in the maritime space of the Caribbean with virtually no detectable decline in overall activity. Just as criminals continue to adapt and innovate amid changing circumstances, so too must law enforcement. Since the pandemic has destroyed the familiar status quo, the states and regional entities of the Caribbean need to proactively reevaluate the range of assets and approaches that can be deployed to identify, understand, and effectively disrupt maritime criminal activity.

To keep pace with and ultimately get ahead of the criminals, CARICOM member states will need to explore a range of tools for addressing the full spectrum of illicit maritime activities. This includes using new technology such as maritime domain awareness platforms, enhancing operational cooperation through CARICOM IMPACS and the RSS, and both adopting and implementing legal instruments such as the Treaty of San Jos. While the pandemic has curtailed and thwarted many good things around the world, it somewhat ironically has helped catalyze this process in the Caribbean.

Dr. Ian Ralby is a recognized expert in maritime law and security and serves as CEO of I.R. Consilium.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jones is the Executive Director (Ag) of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS).

Captain (N) Errington Ricardo Shurland (ret.) is the Executive Director of the Regional Security System (RSS). Prior to this, he served in the Barbados Defence Force for 33 years.

Dr. David Soud and Rohini Ralby of I.R. Consilium and Tonya Ayow, Callixtus Joseph, and Chesley Olliverre of CARICOM IMPACS also contributed to this article.

This article appears courtesy of CIMSEC and may be found in its original form (including illustrations and footnotes)here.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

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Unmasking Trends in Maritime Crime in the Caribbean - The Maritime Executive

The Dominican Republic has the number one YouTuber in the Caribbean.

According to data from Top Dollar Financial Insights Hub, El Flaco WTF has 4.27 million subscribers, making it the top YouTube channel in the region.

Jamaican YouTuber Yanrique is in second-place with 785,000 subscribers while Barbados Brilliant News is third with 580,000 subscribers.

Cubas LifePles follows with 538,000 subscribers while Trinidad and Tobagos Certified Sampson rounds up the top five with 241,000 subscribers.

Top Dollar compiled the top YouTubers in every country in the world using statistical websitesSocialBladeandVidoolyto find out which YouTuber has the most subscribers.

To calculate each channels earnings, they usedBanner Tagto find the average daily views for each channel and estimated how much it was earning using a site calledNoxinfluencer, which estimates earnings based on views and subscribers.

The regions popular YouTubers create content spanning a range of genres from gaming to food.

El Flaco WTF is a social media sensation who started his channel in 2015 in which he gives lively and entertaining commentary on videos and events. According to Top Dollar, he earns US$54,018 a month.

Yanrique Wright, an online gaming personality, is said to earn US$50,266.20 a month while Barbados Brilliant News, which is said to be located in Barbados, is a quirky talk show about things on the Internet. It is hosted by the Gutierrez Brothers. Brilliant News earns an estimated US$158.5 K monthly.

Top Dollar said from their research the most popular YouTuber in the United States is a six-year-old Russian-American girl namedAnastasia Radzinskaya, who is estimated to earn $7.7 million a month from her videos.

Swedish gamer PewDiePie aka Felix Kjellberg has the most overall subscribers on the video platform, netting 105 million total subscribers, earning him approximately $1.16 million a month.

Here are the top YouTubers in the Caribbean

Dominican Republic: El Flaco WTF 4.27 million subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $54,018

Jamaican: Yanrique 785K subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $50,266.20

Barbados: Brilliant News 580k subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $158.5 K

Cuba: LifePles 538K subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $70,728.90

Trinidad and Tobago: Certified Sampson 241k subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $19,381.50

Haiti: Komedyen Lakay Official 197 K subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $4, 290.90

The Bahamas: Crypto Beadles 92.7 K subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $2401.80

St Vincent and the Grenadines: The Motivator 2 48.1 K subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $60.30

St Kitts and Nevis: Dr Mungli 33.5K subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $873.00

St Lucia: The Dating Guru: 28.0K subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $31.50

Dominica: Chanel Raphael 23.5K subscribers, estimated monthly earnings: $1880.40

Grenada: Laura Forde: 23.2K, estimated monthly earnings: $610.50

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Top YouTubers in the Caribbean | Loop News - Loop News Cayman

Posted: Jul 29, 2020 / 04:27 PM CDT / Updated: Jul 29, 2020 / 04:27 PM CDT

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine located west of the Lesser Antilles.

Hurricane Hunter crews flying through the disturbance have yet to find a closed center of circulation. Thunderstorm activity has increased with the system, but it is not yet a tropical depression or tropical storm. The circulation center is expected form later tonight and the disturbance will likely be named a tropical storm. It will be given the name Isaias (ees-ah-EE-ahs).

A west-northwest track will continue through the rest of the week. Until this system develops a center circulation, forecast models will be playing somewhat of a guessing game meaning theres still a lot of uncertainty with the long-range track. Right now, it doesnt pose a direct threat here. We will continue to keep a close eye on this and will keep you posted.

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Tropical Disturbance taking its time coming together in the Caribbean - WKRG News 5

As hot spots in the Caribbean continue to lift restriction to most travelers that can show a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, private jet bookings to various paradise islands have increased during the past weeks, especially for those South Florida-based private aviation companies, strategically located just an hour away from the Caribbean.

Comprised of 28 nations, the regions destination with the highest private aviation demand from South Florida is The Bahamas. The country accounts for most of private flights departing from South Florida towards the Caribbean. In fact, the most requested route for any type of private aircraft within both regions is Miami Nassau, with more than 5,300 flights departing during the last year from Opa-Locka Executive Airport to Lynden Pindling International Airport.

The Bahamas has arguably the best infrastructure in the region to pair with the needs of the private flight market, one of the main reasons that explain the high demand from South Florida, according to BitLux CEO Kyle Patel. He adds, The proximity to The Bahamas from Miami also helps to drive demand, nevertheless, private air clients want full comfort throughout the experience; whether that comes from more private air terminal options or being able to charter any aircraft to land at destination, The Bahamas grants full flexibility for the traveler and the company arranging the flight.

The private aviation experience is usually connected with jet planes and, although the quickest option, a turboprop aircraft is more efficient for shorter routes thanks to design and overall operational costs. Especially for trips of under two hours like the ones from Miami or Palm Beach to any island, turboprops should be considered as a top option.

Overall, the Caribbean offers the exclusivity that many travelers seek while providing the first-rate holiday all visitors deserve. Commercial aviation is indeed the most popular means of transportation for millions each year, but the proximity of the Caribbean to South Florida allows private aviation to thrive within both regions. The following are the top airports from a private aviation perspective when accounting for its infrastructure and vicinity to destination.

Top 5 private jet airports in the region

1) Lynden Pindling International Airport, Nassau, The Bahamas (NAS): formerly known as Nassau International Airport, is the busiest business airport in the region with over 4,000 flights annually, largely thanks to the proximity to South Florida.

2) V. C. Bird International, Antigua and Barbuda (ANU): is the only airport on the island of Antigua and has a solar power plant that provides almost enough energy to power the entire operation.

This destination, with exclusive retreats and luxury resorts, offers an ideal location immensely popular with private jet travelers.

3) Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU): is one of the busiest terminals in the Caribbean for airline flights and private jet charter operations. It is a popular gateway between the Caribbean and US, while also served by various big-name airlines around the globe.

4) Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten (SXM): is famous for offering one of the worlds most stunning landings, with aircraft coming in low over the beach. The airport serves an important hub in the Caribbean, connecting commercial flights and those in larger private aircraft, with smaller planes headed towards more remote islands.

5) Providenciales International Airport in Turks & Caicos (PLS): accommodates private jet flights of all sizes, with travelers attracted to the world-renowned beaches and luxury resorts, plus the attractive conditions for offshore finance.

You can check a timeline of the Caribbean islands reopening for tourism this summer here.

BitLux provides various services across the air charter industry, but Executive Travel is one that is closest to heart. Whether you are flying for business or leisure, BitLux provides a top tier private jet service that actively exceeds expectations.

The rest is here:

Why the Caribbean is the Perfect Private Jet Getaway - Luxury Travel Magazine

Here are the ships that Captain Jack Sparrow captains in thePirates of the Caribbean series. Portrayed by Johnny Depp in a career-defining performance, Jack Sparrow is the undisputed heart of thePirates of the Caribbean franchise, starring in all five movie releases since 2003. Rumors continue to swirl around Depp's future on the seven seas, but for many, it's hard to imagine the story continuing without Captain Jack swashbuckling his way from one disaster to the next. But just as Jack is instantly recognizable as an iconic movie character, so is the fictional Jack Sparrow famous (on infamous, depending on your perspective) in the fictional world ofPirates of the Caribbean.

And that reputation is far from unwarranted. Captain Jack has endured ancient curses, arduous voyages, the British Navy,zombie pirates, the kraken and, worst of all, running out of rum. Jack's exploits as a captain of the seas are legendary among his peers and enemies, affirming him as a man to be feared, respected, perhaps even loved, but certainly never trusted. Thisrenown would never have been possible without a series of eventful stints as captain on a host of different pirate ships.

Related:What To Expect From Pirates of the Caribbean 6

Born into piracy, Jack was a prodigious talent in his youth, and after a brief stint with the East India Trading Company, Jack resumed his buccaneering ways, and the 18th century's answer to Keith Richards hasn't looked back since. But which ships and crews wereunluckyenough to call Captain Jack Sparrow their leader?

Even the most legendary pirates often have humble beginnings, and so it goes with Jack Sparrow, who made his bones on the Barnacle as an aspiring young teenage pirate. A (very) modest fishing boat, the Barnacle was devoid of the bells and whistles Jack's later ships would come with, but served its purpose incarryingJack and his budding crewduring their earliest adventures. The Barnacle makes her debut in Rob Kidd's series ofofficialPirates of the Caribbean books, which chronicle Jack's early life long beforethe events ofThe Curse of the Black Pearl. After initially leaving with only 2 crew mates, a barmaid and an aristocrat, the new Captain Jack soon gathered more friends and experienced the kind of magic and mayhem even veteran pirates can only dream of, discovering hidden cities, encountering mermaids, fighting a weather-controlling captain and, of course, seeking treasure.

Although the Barnacle was nothing more than a single-sail vessel, young Jack was able to enjoy the full pirate experience when he used the Sword of Corts to turn the undersized boat into an impressive, mighty warship. Renamed the Grand Barnacle, Jack captained his way to victory over the British, but ventured alone during this period, and eventually, the Barnacle was returned to its former state. Much to Jack's dismay, his first true pirate ship came to a fiery end when the Barnacle found itself on the receiving end of a cannonball intended forhis own father, Edward Teague.

After serving under a selection of pirate captains, including Teague,Rapir and others, Jack found himself unwelcome by the pirate community for breaking their time-honored code. Unable to sail as a criminal, Jack tried to go legitimate and signed up to the East India Trading Company, where his extensive sailing experience made for a rapid rise through the ranks. Jack first stepped onto the company's Fair Wind vessel in the position of first mate under Captain Bainbridge. Despite only being a typical merchant ship, this brig-class was a vast upgrade on the Barnacle and made its sole appearance in A.C. Crispin'sThe Price of Freedom novel in 2011. Somewhat surprisingly, Jack largely stuck to the rules while employed on the Fair Wind, and attained the rank of captain not by mutiny or misdeed, but because Bainbridge was killed during a pirate attack.

Related:Pirates of the Caribbean: Why Jack The Monkey Is Still Undead

As first mate, Jack had a responsibility to assume captaincy of the Fair Wind, and did so with aplomb. As fortune would have it, the invading pirate was once romantically involved with Jack during his swashbuckling days,allowing the newly-promoted Sparrow to succeed in salvaging the cargo from Esmeralda's pirate crew and bringing the vessel home in one piece. Having excelled under pressure, the East India Trading Company rewarded Jack for his efforts bypromotinghim to captain of his own ship.

The most famous ship inPirates of the Caribbeanwas originally known as the Wicked Wench. Jack was assigned as her commander after he refused to be captain of a slave ship, whereas the Wicked Wench was designed simply for cargo. Although it was the East India Trading Company who first put Jack in official charge of the Wicked Wench, his history with the boat stretches back to the battle against Salazar, in which the infamous Spaniard was defeated by a young Jack Sparrow alone at the helm of the Wench during his early piracy days. In astrange quirk of fate, both the Wicked Wench and Jackultimately found themselves in the East India Trading Company, and were now reunited.

Finally the captain of his own ship once again, Jack experienced the same kind of attachment to the Wicked Wench as he did with the Barnacle before, enjoying the freedom of the seas and the mastery of his own destiny. Once again, Jack resisted the temptations of piracy and kept on the straight and narrow during his time on the Wench, but Sparrow's staunch moral code would soon lead him away from the privateering world. Jack's superior, Tom Hollander's devious Cutler Beckett, once again tried to steer Jack Sparrow towards the slavery trade and, once again, he was refused. In response, Beckett banished Jackback into piracy and burned the Wicked Wench, while Jack did what any good captain should and went down with his ship.

With his beloved shipfalling to the depths, Jack made a deal with Davy Jones to raise the Wicked Wench once more. Renewed by magic and christened "the Black Pearl" due to being flame-grilled by Beckett, Jack's ship was now the fastest in the Caribbean and the perfect vessel to start his life of piracy anew. Over the course of thePirates of the Caribbean movies, the Black Pearl regularly flits between the command of Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa,and sees more adventure than ever before. The fabled ship is consigned to Davy Jones' Locker along with Jack inAt World's End and miniaturized in a bottle by Blackbeard inOn Stranger Tides. The last fans saw of the Black Pearl, she was once again captained by Jack Sparrow and seeking fresh escapades.

Related:Pirates of the Caribbean 6: Why Disney Is Rebooting The Franchise

WhenThe Curse of the Black Pearl begins, Jack Sparrow has been deprived of the film's titular ship by Barbossa and is seeking to reclaim the boat from his sworn, undead foe. Jack's interests conveniently align with those of Will Turner, whose lover (Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann) has been kidnapped by Barbossa. Together, the unbearably handsome duo plot to escape the port by hijacking one of the Navy's own ships - Captain Norrington's HMS Interceptor, reputedly the fastest in the fleet and second only to the Black Pearl herself. After succeeding in their mission, the unlikely duo of Sparrow and Turner make for Tortuga, where they assemble a pirate crew with the help of Jack's trusted first mate, Joshamee Gibbs.

The Interceptor serves as Jack's replacement ship during his first true voyage in thePirates of the Caribbean movies, but when the protagonists finally catch up to Barbossa and the Black Pearl, their fortunes take a turn. Proving its reputation for swiftness is not without merit, the Black Pearl catches the Interceptor and Jack's ragtag crew are taken aboard his old ship, with not much in the way of friendly welcome. After taking the crew hostage, Barbossa orders the Interceptor destroyed, and the ship is never seen again inPirates of the Caribbean.

This small sloop wass introduced in 2017'sDead Men Tell No Talesand represented another temporary stopgap while Jack's Black Pearl was otherwise unavailable to him, still shrunken inside Blackbeard's bottle. Coming across the boat while it was marooned on the island of Saint Martin, Jack and his crew mates claimed the appropriately-titled Dying Gull as their own, with Sparrow as its land-bound captain, but few believed the thing would actually float if taken to sea. Fortunately for Jack and his new companion, Will Turner's son Henry, the Dying Gull was indeed seaworthy, and more capable than many gave her credit for. Aboard the Gull, Jack, his crew, Henry and Carina set sail seeking the Trident of Poseidon but were pursued by Salazar, seeking revenge on Jack for locking him in the Devil's Triangle years prior.

With Barbossa in tow, Salazar gains on the Dying Gull, at which point the ship's crew decide they want no part ofSalazar'sPirates of the Caribbeanvengeance against Jack, mutinying and forcing their captain, Henry and Carina to disembark. Gibbs takes the captaincy of the Gull for a brief time,although he swiftly passes the buck onto Scrum before the Dying Gull falls into the hands of the British.

More:Pirates of the Caribbean: Why Zoe Saldanas Anamaria Didnt Return

Star Wars: Every Movie That Tried (& Failed) To Copy The Cantina Scene

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig's interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS. Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer. Jim Carrey is Craigs top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

Excerpt from:

Pirates of the Caribbean: All 5 Ships Captained By Jack Sparrow - Screen Rant

Natalie John Dreamy Weddings CEO

ST. KITTS Since COVID-19 outbreak, Natalie John of Dreamy Weddings has turned to technology to develop creative ways to keep her business going.

With restricted access to beaches and iconic attractions and the imposition of curfews and other protocols that enforce physical distancing, John explains that many Caribbean weddings and other celebratory events have either been cancelled, postponed or transformed into virtual affairs.

The St. Kitts-based entrepreneur is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her wedding planning business which offers services in 13 Caribbean destinations. A major international event had been planned for November 6-8, 2020, featuring wedding planner to the stars, Preston Bailey and LA event planner Eddie Zaratsian.

The weekend event was designed to bring greater awareness to the weddings and honeymoon product in St. Kitts through a group vow renewal, wedding planners breakfast forum, as well as island tours and site inspections to showcase the destination.

In light of travel restrictions and the surge in COVID-19 cases in major source markets throughout the US, John has reimagined the November event into a hybrid format, combining in-person and virtual strategies to target an even wider audience than she would have reached through her traditional live event.

This years virtual event will be used to launch next years live event scheduled for Nov. 4 8, 2021 and to kick off an intensive promotional campaign. Both Mr. Bailey & Mr. Zaratsian have reconfirmed their attendance and commitment to the events for 2021.

Several local partners including The St. Kitts Tourism Authority (SKTA), The Royal St. Kitts Hotel, The Park Hyatt and St. Kitts Marriott Resort are sponsors of the event.

The thing with remote participants is that after they engage with you online, you begin to build a relationship. So when you meet later at a face-to-face event, that relationship has already been established and it can make the in-person experience and connection even stronger.

So while challenges exist, this industry leader has enlisted the help of a major celebrity and lifestyle influencer to help create awareness for the wedding and honeymoon market. She will also leverage technology to reach a targeted audience using a platform that combines video, instant messaging, social networking, chat and other audio-visual tools.

This new virtual format is probably the best alternative in these challenging times as we seek to rebuild our tourism business throughout the region. By their very nature, virtual events allow for a higher level of attendance and participation regardless of travel restrictions. Caribbean people are resilient and when we face challenges we explore new options and look at things differently. So rather than displacing live events, digital events can actually enhance them.

John is coauthor of a soon-to-be-released book that will provide industry professionals with new strategies, guidelines and procedures to navigate the industry in a COVID era. She is also the founder of CWEP, an association/network that brings Caribbean wedding and event professionals together digitally to converse, problem-solve, inspire and learn from each other. The organization is currently focused on establishing industry standards andpolicies to address new health and safety protocols.

As a Board Member of the Facebook Group, Travel Advisors Selling the Caribbean (TASC), John also lends her expertise to ensure that the regions unique selling points are fully articulated throughout the travel community.

She is one of organizers of The Caribbean Connection Walk for Wellness, a virtual initiative that will mobilize travel advisors to join the destinations that they sell to focus on a day of action in support of wellness.

The online event will be held on September 12, 2020 which is celebrated as Caribbean Wellness Day. It will raise awareness about the Caribbeans new experiential landscape brought about by a significant shift in health and wellness behaviors as well as visitor expectations in a COVID-19 era.

Although a lot of the existing technology has been around for a while, John envisions that an increase in uptake of new technologies will see virtual formats for some events becoming the norm. She predicts that digital experiences across time, space and borders, will combine the best of in-person and virtual strategies, as long as the events are strategically planned using the right technologies.

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Caribbean Event Planner Turns To Technology To Restructure Her Business In a COVID Era - South Florida Caribbean News

The Caribbean is an astonishing blend of panoramic views, turquoise water, white sand beaches, romance, adventure, wild music, and lively nightlife! What else is required for a perfect getaway? It welcomes the guests with open arms throughout the year but to fetch the most of it, visit anytime between December and April when the climate is a little cooler, drier and less humid. The Caribbean islands are generally safe to visit with pretty less crime. Barbados isconsidered the safest island whereas Puerto Ricos capital of San Juan is the most dangerous one.1. St. Lucia

What makes St. Lucia unique is its geothermal activity! Yes, its the only island in the world that homes a drive-in volcano. Its blessed with natural hot springs and gurgling mud pools that are visited by tourists in great numbers to bathe and relax. Its imperative landmark is the Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), a pair of pointy mountains on the west coast. These are the most visited and clicked mountain peak on the island. But what I like the most is that its the only country that is named after a woman (St. Lucy).2. British Virgin Islands (BVI)

The best way that lets you explore the BVI is by chartering a boat, which you can do on a personal level as well as in a group. Apart from capturing the scenic views, you can also participate in various engrossing boating events. All you would feel here is tranquility on its poised palm-lined beaches, while the others bring out the adventure person hidden inside you by offering snorkeling, hiking, swimming, sailing, and scuba diving. If Tortola is the best stop to test your taste buds with its well-renowned scrumptious street food, Anegada is the best destination for a night-stay under the stars.3. US Virgin Islands

The US Virgin Islands like Trunk Bay and Magens Bay is better known for white powdery sand beaches, reefs, and lush hills. It lies in the territory of the US but sharesthe coasts with both the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. You can shop your heart out as the islands are a sought after shopping destination too.Though the islands are a relatively safe vacation spot, crimes like pickpocketing and purse snatching do take place so, its better to beware of such stuff so as not to spoil your fun.4. Turks and Caicos

If you can be a little spendthrift for a luxurious vacation, this is the go-to spot for you. Turks and Caicos are one of the most expensive islands in the Caribbean, not just in hotel terms but also in meals, drinks, transportation, etc. Its lesser-known existence makes it an elite island devoid of the crowd. These are capable enough to let you escape from the hustle and bustle of your daily life and rejuvenate you with the requisite luxury and privacy.5. St. Vincent &the GrenadinesThis is yet another pocket-loosening vacation spot in the Caribbean. A plethora of word strings can be attached when thought of St. Vincent like boating, white glittery sand, palm-lined bays, colonial buildings, tranquil beaches, and hillside ocean-view luxurious villas, etc. This untouched natures beauty lets you dive and snorkel around astounding reefs and wrecks. You can also get an opportunity to click magnificent photographs for your Instagram handle around magnificent waterfalls along the Western coast.6. Antigua

Antigua is the home to abundant activities like upscale duty-free shops, boutiques, sailing, and yachting. You can get easy access to its casinos as gambling is legal here. If you happen to be here, try to plan your trip in July-end, as it celebrates a 10-day celebration Carnival from the end of July to early August. Owing to the abundant seafood wealth in its oceans, Antigua has recently become a culinary destination. Its lip-smacking dishes of the conch, salt fish, fungi, rum, and Ducana are worth trying.7. BarbadosWith a fusion of West African and British culture, Barbados magnetizes tourists round the globe. It is considered to be one of the best and safest Caribbean islands that are perfect for a family vacation. The locals are quite polite and friendly and welcome everyone with a broad smile. The island offers a wide range of family-friendly beaches at various parts, all you need to decide the reason for stay, whether youre in search of tranquility or liveliness, romantic walks with your love, or playing water sports.

So which one is kicking your travel hormones to move?

Have you read?Worlds Best Medical Schools.Worlds Best Hospitality And Hotel Management Schools.Worlds Best Business Schools.

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Most Capturing Places To Visit In The Caribbean - CEOWORLD magazine

Overview: Mexico & Central America

ACAPS included Costa Rica and Mexico in their July 2020 Humanitarian Access Overview as countries with deteriorating humanitarian access since their previous publication in October 2019. The overview rates Costa Ricas restriction of access to services and assistance as a 2 on a scale of 5, earning an overall access limitation severity rating of 1 out of 5. Mexicos overall rating was 2 due to ratings on restriction of access to services and assistance, internal movement restriction and interference with humanitarian activities, as well as ongoing insecurity and hostilities;ACAPS notes that only access restriction and ongoing hostilities are due to the pandemic.

Prolonged confinement measures in some countries are causing security concerns; Honduras has recorded 434 protests in 72 municipalities since 16 March, with nearly 70 per cent of the protests primarily spurred on by either access to food (35.3 per cent), demands to return to work (17.1 per cent) or state assistance payments (17.1 per cent).

With most borders still closed, populations rendered even more vulnerable by the pandemics impact are being left with increasingly fewer options amid declining economies, limited access to basic services and persistent violence. Costa Rica, who routinely fields anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 asylum requests each month, mostly from Nicaraguan asylum seekers, reports fewer than 25 monthly requests in recent months

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Latin America & the Caribbean: COVID-19 External and Internal Access Restrictions (As of 27 July 2020) - World - ReliefWeb

When it comes to global travel documents, the U.S. passport has historically been one of the strongest of its kind. In fact, it ranks in the top 10 most powerful, according to the Henley & Partners Passport Index, and those who hold it enjoy some of the most extensive travel freedoms in the world (including access to 185 countries). For comparison, Japan takes the number one spot with access to 191 countries, while Afghanistan comes in last with just 26 countries.

The most recent index, however, does not take the ongoing COVID-19 travel bans into consideration. As destinations across the globe attempt to navigate uncharted territory, many countries have closed their borders entirely to U.S. citizens due to the increasing number of confirmed coronavirus cases. Some have adopted policies that only target specific coronavirus hot spots, while others have permitted U.S. tourists to enter, but only if they follow very specific protocols.

On March 31, the Department of State issued a Global Level 4 Health Advisory, advising U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to COVID-19. Travel is an extremely sensitive subject right now, and developments continue to emerge day by day.

That said, many Caribbean nations have started reopening their borders to welcome international visitors. Although the pandemic struck the region during the pinnacle of high season, the Caribbean has reported relatively low coronavirus cases. But ongoing travel restrictions and the absence of cruise ships (combined with an active hurricane season already underway) have caused significant blowsespecially considering how heavily many Caribbean economies depend on tourism.

While some destinations, like Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, have pumped the breaks on reopening plans, many are now feeling prepared to welcome visitors back. With new safeguards and health procedures in place, these Caribbean destinations are hoping to eventually rebound from the devastating past few months. Heres how seven key players are tackling the issue and allowing U.S. citizenS to visit this summer and beyond.

Disclaimer: People planning travel of any kind should visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization for the most current COVID-19 alerts and updates. Be sure to also review any travel advisories related to the destination(s) youre planning to visit, and keep yourself and others safe by wearing a face covering, practicing social distancing, and bringing the appropriate food, drinks, and other supplies when possible.

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The Caribbean Is Welcoming Tourists: Updated COVID-19 Safety Measures - Men's Journal

Sir Geoffrey Cave: Dufry could take full control of the business

BARBADOS. Cave Shepherd & Co. Limited has decided to not inject any further funds into its Duty Free Caribbean Holdings (DFCH) joint venture with Dufry and to write down its investment.

Cave Shepherd & Co Chairman Sir Geoffrey Cave made the announcement yesterday following a shareholders meeting.

After careful consideration, in light of the immense challenges and uncertainty facing the DFCH business, the Directors of Cave Shepherd & Co. Limited have made the difficult decision not to inject any further funds into DFCH and to fully write down our investment, Sir Geoffrey wrote.

This strategic decision will change the current shareholder structure of DFCH and will likely result in a substantially diminished shareholding by Cave Shepherd & Co. Limited, with the possibility that Dufry could take full control of the retail business.

He continued: The details of this transaction are still very much under negotiation; however, the immediate priority is a comprehensive restructuring of DFCHs business operation, led by Dufry, aimed at repositioning DFCH for long-term viability.

Dufry and Cave Shepherd have been partners since 2000. In that year all Cave Shepherds retail assets held across various territories were sold to Duty Free Caribbean (Holdings), a joint venture partnership formed between Cave Shepherd & Co. Limited and Weitnauer (now Dufry) trading primarily as Cave Shepherd, Colombian Emeralds International and Duty Free Caribbean. Since 2006, Dufry has owned 60% of that business and Cave Shepherd had held the remaining 40%.

Wide appeal: Cave Shepherd has remained attractive as a local and a tourist destination

However, Sir Geoffrey Cave noted that since the global recession in 2008, DFCHs profitability has steadily declined against a backdrop of countless challenges. Despite implementation of several strategic initiatives aimed at repositioning and improving business performance, DFCHs accumulated financial losses continue at unsustainable levels, he said.

The details of this transaction are still very much under negotiation; however, the immediate priority is a comprehensive restructuring of DFCHs business operation, led by Dufry, aimed at repositioning DFCH for long-term viability.

Coupled with this undesirable performance, DFCH is now faced with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. This business relies on visitors to the Caribbean for 90% of its revenue and when international travel came to a virtual halt in late March, all of its 66 stores across seven countries were forced to close and over 600 team members were laid-off temporarily.

At the time of writing, only ten stores are open and with travel and tourism expected to be negatively impacted for the foreseeable future, it is anticipated that DFCHs revenue will be significantly reduced well beyond 2020.

Sir Geoffreycontinued: The most difficult decisions are those that impact people, and this one in particular, being our legacy business, has been deeply felt on a personal level, as it has been for many who have been involved in this difficult process.

The restructuring of DFCH will result in job losses and team members have been given the assurance that due process will be followed and that they will be treated with the dignity they deserve and the fairness they have come to expect. For those team members affected, DFCH will be offering both personal and financial counselling and we have extended our Care Programme to assist the most vulnerable.

He said that the accounting adjustments in the Cave Shepherd Group this year will need to be substantial. They will take the form of write-offs, including impairment of goodwill for the retail business, in addition to losses resulting from the pandemic, which collectively are expected to be over US$39 million.

Outside the travel retail sector, the financial services arm of the Cave Shepherd Group continues to perform well, Sir Geoffrey said. Our Cave Shepherd Card business is well positioned for future growth and is operating steadily, as is SigniaGlobe Financial Group.

Meanwhile, as global markets show resilience despite the pandemic, we anticipate that the diversification strategy adopted by Fortress Fund Managers will generate increasing returns. We are also pleased that DGM Financial continues to contribute positively to our Groups overall financial performance. When combined with our healthy liquid and cash reserves, the Group is secure and well positioned to act on opportunities for further growth and expansion in the years ahead.

About Cave Shepherd & Co

History in the making: Cave Shepherd dubbed its original retail enterprise The Ideal Store, a moniker that has resonated with Barbadians for over a century

On December 17, 1906 two respected Bridgetown businessmen and inveterate salesmen, Rupert George Cave and Julian Packer Shepherd, opened a wholesale supply store on Palmetto Street. A dry goods store on Broad Street was added early the following year. The founders reckoned they enjoyed a crucial point of difference over their many competitors an acute knowledge of customer needs and desires.

They were proven right sooner than they expected. The dry goods (retail in modern parlance) store was overrun in the lead-up to its planned Grand Opening on 4 February, prompting the partners to positively refuse admittance to all and any today on Saturday 2 February 1907.

The Manager says the customers will be well rewarded by waiting until Monday when the windows are properly dressed and the shelves arranged in proper order, noted local newspaper, the Agricultural Reporter. Two days later the same media carried a bold advertising invitation in bold capital letters, COME TODAY TO THE IDEAL STORE. For the ensuing 111 years the company has done its best to live up to that moniker.

From its early days, Cave Shepherd was a shopping magnate not just for locals but for the burgeoning tourist trade. It remained so through good times and bad (including a disastrous fire in December 1969 that gutted the flagship store). In 2000, the tourism focus became more institutionalised as the company formed a joint venture with Swiss travel retail giant Dufry [see panel below]. The result was Duty Free Caribbean (Holdings) Ltd (DFCH), in which Cave Shepherd today owns a 40% stake.

Read more here:

Cave Shepherd to cease investments in Duty Free Caribbean Holdings jv with Dufry and write down investment - The Moodie Davitt Report - The Moodie...

KEY FIGURES

4.3M CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN AS OF 26 JULY

REGIONAL: COVID-19

As of 26 July, PAHO/WHO report 4,348,767 and 182,827 deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as 2,832,380 recovered cases.

PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT NEEDS GROWING

PAHO expects psychosocial support needs for women and children to grow as the risks of violence and deteriorating mental health amid the COVID-19 crisis continue to escalate.

PAHO stresses that mental health is receiving inadequate attention from public health systems, citing datathat shows that the average public expenditure on mental health is only 2 per cent of the total health budget.Prior to the pandemic, women in the Americas were already 50 per cent more likely than men to suffer depression disorders and twice as likely to develop anxiety disorders.

In addition to creating higher levels of stress and anxiety in women, the Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Commission of Women says that confinement has increased social gaps, as women in the region are assuming caregiver roles and paid and unpaid domestic work.

KEY FIGURES

54.2% GROWTH IN CASES IN MEXICO FROM 1-20 JULY, DOWN FROM 93.2 FROM 1-20 JUNE

CENTRAL AMERICA & MEXICO: COVID-19

HONDURAS

The Government launched a national response scale-up programme to increase the number of triage centres and medical teams in all 298 municipalities. The programme, which will begin its funding roll out to 12 priority municipalities, is allocating US$18 million to support the installation of triage centres, hiring additional medical personnel, strengthen regional hospitals and help medical teams respond door-to-door.

MEXICO

The Ministry of Health reports that the pace of the national case growth is slowing down as the jump in newdaily cases is becoming proportionately smaller. The Health Ministrys epidemiology lead noted that case growth has decreased from 1.9 per cent to 1.5 per cent in two weeks. The Ministry official also indicated that total cases increased by 54.5 per cent in the first 20 days of July, compared to a growth of 93.2 per cent in the first 20 days of June.

The Ministry also reports that case numbers for Mexico City and the states of Mexico, Baja California, Chiapas, Michoacn and Sinaloa have been stabilizing over the past three weeks.

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Latin America & The Caribbean - Weekly Situation Update (20-26 July 2020) As of 26 July 2020 - Barbados - ReliefWeb

The Black Pearl's name strikes fear and awe into the hearts of sailors, but it was actually called the Wicked Wench before Jack Sparrow took the helm.

Jack Sparrow'smonochromatic ship, theBlack Pearl, is an iconic element of thePirates of the Caribbean film series, but it was originally known by another name under a different captain. Beginning in 2003 withThe Curse of the Black Pearl, thePiratesfilms follow the fantastical, often supernatural exploits of a seafaring band of outlaws and misfits during the Age of Sail. Jack Sparrow has been the central character of theseriessince his first appearance earned Johnny Depp an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Although the series is ostensibly based upon the ride of the same name that has been a mainstay at Disney parks for decades, there was in reality very little narrative to draw from that source. As a result, much of the lore of thePirates franchise is an amalgamation of different influences, ranging from novels and video games to actual naval history and entirely new concepts. One notable holdover from the theme park ride is the original name of the ship that would come to be known as theBlack Pearl:theWicked Wench.

Related: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Actors Who Almost Played Jack Sparrow

As a young pirate, Jack Sparrow was first given command of theWicked Wenchby Captain Morgan in a naval battle against Captain Salazar, a Spanish pirate hunter.Some time after the conflict, Sparrow lost possession of the ship, and iteventually becamea simple merchant vessel belonging to Lord Cutler Beckett. As a compromise toreclaim theWench, Sparrow began serving as a captain under Beckett's branch of the East India Trading Company. This was a contentious arrangement, and Sparrow eventually rebelled when asked to transport slaves. In retaliation, Beckett had theWicked Wench razed, leading a desperate Sparrow to make his fateful bargain with Davy Jones in order to save it. The ship was still visibly blackened from its burning, but Sparrow chose to embrace the change, adorning it with black sails and renaming it theBlack Pearl, which he felt was an appropriately fearsome moniker for apirate ship.

This history, which is only briefly touched upon in the films, is interesting in that it inexorably ties Jack, from youth, to many of the adversaries that he would face later in life, with Salazar, Beckett, and Jones all playing a part in bringing theBlack Pearl to him.But, very much in keeping with his chaotically free character, Jack refuses to dwell on this, instead renaming the vessel to cut ties to the past and regain control of his fortune, as well as topursuehis ideal vision of piracy.

Pragmatically speaking, theBlack Pearlremains a consistent plot point throughout a big-budget, blockbuster franchise, so beyond narrative connections, its name and design ultimately had to satisfy aesthetic considerations. This means that, in a meta sense, Sparrow initially named the ship using the same train of thought as the film's creators: just looking for something that sounded cool and piratey. But as the worldbuilding of the Pirates of the Caribbeanseries has grown more complex, it also seems appropriate that Jack Sparrow's beloved ship in turn has grown to signify so much more about the life and attitude of its captain.

Next: Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Timeline Explained

Fixing The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2's Viewing Order

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Why Jack Sparrow Changed The Black Pearl's Name - Screen Rant

Three separate storm systems are bearing down on the United States and the Caribbean.

The tropical threats include Hurricane Douglas in the Pacific Ocean, which is barreling toward Hawaii; Tropical Storm Hanna in the Gulf of Mexico, which will make landfall on the Texas coast on Saturday; and Tropical Storm Gonzalo in the Atlantic, which will have an impact on the Windward Islands.

Hurricane Douglas

Douglas weakened from a Category 4 to a Category 3 hurricane Friday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

That still makes it a major hurricane and it's projected to pass "dangerously close to, or over" the Hawaiian Islands on Sunday, federal forecasters said.

It was expected to bring with it "life-threatening surf" starting Saturday, the center said.

The storm was about 930 miles east-southeast of Honolulu, forecasters said. Douglas was moving west-northwest at 20 mph.

While the islands were under a hurricane watch, Douglas was expected to weaken to "near hurricane strength" by the time it reaches the area of the archipelago, the hurricane center said.

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Direct hurricane strikes are rare for Hawaii. While the island chain has a lot of close calls and gets brushed by several tropical cyclones a year, only two hurricanes have made direct landfall on the state. The most recent was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which halted the production of the first Jurassic Park movie.

Tropical Storm Hanna

The National Hurricane Center said Friday night that Tropical Storm Hanna had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and was 165 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas and moving west at 8 mph.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Port Mansfield.

A tropical storm warning covered the mouth of the Rio Grande to San Luis Pass, Texas, and a tropical storm watch from San Luis Pass to High Island.

Of particular concern, Hanna is forecast to strengthen right up until it makes landfall on the southern Texas coast sometime Saturday. While the forecast has it making landfall as a strong tropical storm, there is an outside chance it reaches hurricane status before it does.

Heavy rainfall 4-8 inches on average, but up to 12 inches in some areas could fall through Sunday night in southern Texas, causing flash flooding. Meanwhile, 3-5 inches of rain are expected along the upper Texas and the Louisiana coastlines. Tropical storm force gusts could reach the coast by Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Hanna is the earliest "H" storm on record, following other record-setters from the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season such as Cristobal, Edouard, Fay and Gonzalo. The previous record was Harvey on Aug. 3, 2005.

Tropical Storm Gonzalo

As of Friday night, Tropical Storm Gonzalo had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was 285 miles east of Trinidad and moving west at 17 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Tobago and Grenada.

While Gonzalo has yet to reach hurricane strength, there is still a chance it could do so before reaching the southern Windward Islands this weekend. Either way, 2-5 inches of rain and up to 7 inches in some areas are possible for Barbados and the Windward Islands from Friday night through Sunday night.

Beyond the weekend, the current forecast has Gonzalo weakening as it enters the Caribbean Sea and dissipating by the middle of next week.

Simultaneous storm systems in the Atlantic during July are not all that common. It's only happened in 11 other years, according to Phil Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University specializing in Atlantic basin season hurricane forecasts.

And as if that isn't enough, the National Hurricane Center has circled another area to watch just off the western African coast. A vigorous tropical wave is expected to move westward across the tropical Atlantic over the next several days with gradual development possible. This will be one to watch next week.

Kathryn Prociv is a meteorologist and producer for NBC News.

Dennis Romero contributed.

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3 storm systems bearing down on United States, the Caribbean - NBC News