(Paul Grondahl/Special to the Times Union)

(Paul Grondahl/Special to the Times Union)

(Paul Grondahl/Special to the Times Union)

(Paul Grondahl/Special to the Times Union)

Preserving a Caribbean spirit, far from home

Albany

Their voices are easy on the ears.

As they spoke, their lilting inflections from Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti and Nevis crested and fell like waves on a shore.

But beneath the sunny and melodic sounds, a theme of the disorientation of diaspora emerged.

"For some of us, we call it living at the hyphen," said Wilma Waithe of Albany, a native of Barbados who retired from the state Health Department. "It can be difficult straddling cultures. That's why we like to come together for socializing because it's a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere."

"People from the Caribbean have a much different perspective because of their colonial histories," said Annette Johnson, a state worker born in Canada, whose grandmother was Haitian.

A dozen members of the Capital District of New York Caribbean American Cultural Association sat in a circle at the Albany Public Library at a recent meeting. They spoke about their efforts to build an organization that will forge a sense of community among a group of disparate islanders who sometimes feel disconnected.

The organization was formed two years ago by University at Albany faculty members Marcia Sutherland, associate professor of Africana Studies, and Glyne Griffith, associate professor and chair of English. Both are from Jamaica. They met at the Latham home of Sutherland, the group's president, and now have about 20 members, who range in age from their early 30s to late 60s.

Caribbean barbecue

What: Second annual barbecue of the Capital District of New York Caribbean American Cultural Association

When: Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Where: Six Mile Waterworks Park, 138 Fuller Road, Albany. Open to the public.

Contact: Marcia789@aol.com for more information.

Contact Paul Grondahl at grondahlpaul@gmail.com

They talked about growing up under the long shadow cast by British colonial rule a century after the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean, and the ongoing exploitation by sugar cane plantation owners.

"Resistance to colonialism is a central part of the Caribbean psychology," said Sutherland, who presented a research paper on Jamaica's black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Members often present talks on political and cultural heroes from their island nations.

Assimilation can be a challenge even after decades, they said, because they don't feel fully connected either to the American black experience or the culture of those who grew up on the African continent.

"I've gradually gotten used to the dual identity," said Patrick Romain, of Colonie, a native of Haiti, who is a counselor with the Educational Opportunity Program, or EOP, at UAlbany. "I go to Haiti and they see me as an American, but people here see me as a Haitian. Since I lived in the U.S. since I was young, I didn't learn much about my Haitian culture until I became an adult."

On Saturday, they will hold their second annual barbecue at Six Mile Waterworks Park in Albany, off Fuller Road. It coincides with Caribbean American Heritage Month. Their goal is to create a welcoming organization that appeals to the several thousand people of Caribbean heritage across the region.

They invite anyone interested in Caribbean culture to join them for a barbecue featuring spicy Jamaican jerk chicken and macaroni and cheese, which is called macaroni pie on Barbados. They'll brew batches of sorrel, made from boiling the dried sorrel flower into a tea. They add grated ginger, pimento berries, spices, sugar, lemon juice and rum. The drink varies among the islands. Some blend the spices with red wine, similar to sangria. There will be dancing to calypso, reggae and other popular Caribbean musical styles.

Getting together is an opportunity to share elements of their cultures, which vary widely from island to island. Growing up in Jamaica, Jacqueline Rowe of Niskayuna, a registered nurse and real estate agent, recalled that she used to boil dried hibiscus flowers in a tea and used it to lighten and color her hair.

"Hey, I need to try that," said Dalmain Duncan, who is from Jamaica, lives in Albany and works for the city water department. He also happens to be bald. Everyone laughed.

Members are beginning a fundraising drive to be able to provide a college scholarship to a high school senior of Caribbean heritage. The group also solicits donations for food baskets that are distributed at Thanksgiving to the less fortunate.

"Being part of this group gives me an opportunity to make a difference and to show young people a sense of cultural pride, no matter which island they come from," said Ainsley Thomas, who grew up in Jamaica and lives in Albany. He is chief diversity officer at Hudson Valley Community College.

Visiting family and friends back in the Caribbean is an eye-opener regarding standards of living. "They truly believe the streets here are paved with gold and you should be able to scoop up millions and bring it home," said Celia Rouse of Albany, a native of Barbados who is a Ph.D. candidate at UAlbany and works there as a STEM instructor.

"We like to socialize together, but we also focus on cultural identity and the history of the Caribbean diaspora. We learn from each other," said Etwin Bowman, of Albany, a native of Barbados who works as a UAlbany administrator and emigrated in 1985. "The hardest part was getting used to how huge America is. We refer to Barbados as just a big rock in the sea."

They take pride in celebrating notable Caribbean natives, such as reggae star Bob Marley and Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, both Jamaicans, and the late Nobel Prize-winning poet Derek Walcott of St. Lucia.

The smash Broadway musical "Hamilton" highlighted the fact that Founding Father Alexander Hamilton was born on the island of Nevis. That thrilled Carol Tyrell, of Albany, who grew up in Nevis and now works for the state Health Department. "It's a very small island in the Leeward Islands. I always call it my paradise. And we have the best mangoes."

Paul Grondahl is the director of the New York State Writers Institute and a former Times Union reporter. He can be reached at grondahlpaul@gmail.com

Original post:

Preserving a Caribbean spirit, far from home - Albany Times Union

In Caribbean culture, food creates distinct connections between people and other cultures.

For Carleen and Garfield Hartman, the Hartman Jerk Center created a space to share their love for their home countries and their native food.

The couple opened the Caribbean restaurant in April with hopes of bringing the flavors of both Jamaica and Guyana to Wilkes-Barre.

We migrated from New York about five years ago, and we noticed there was not much of a variety of our culture around here, Carleen Hartman said.

After serving Caribbean fusion-styled food out of a parking lot in downtown Wilkes-Barre for some time, the couple jumped on the opportunity to open up shop where a sushi restaurant previously stood.

And the restaurant itself embodies the culture of the Caribbean.

Upon walking into the 35-seat restaurant on South Main Street, customers are greeted by a bright yellow welcome mat. Strains of reggae music flow through the eatery and 25 small flags that represent each of the Caribbean nations hang above the countertop. Larger flags from Guyana, Jamaica and the United States are posted on the walls as a nod to the owners countries of origin as well as their current home.

Garfield Hartman cooks each dish for the restaurant, blending his experience cooking in the Army, hints from his grandmother and the influence of flavors he grew up surrounded by.

(Garfield) is Guyanese and Im Jamaican, Carleen Hartman said. The food is a sort of fusion between both. Its authentic Jamaican and Guyanese ... We all (in the Caribbean) eat the same foods. We might call it something different, or cook it in a different way, but its the same food.

Some customer favorites include oxtail and butterbeans and variations of jerk fish, chicken and pork.

We cant have enough oxtail, Carleen Hartman said. Were here working from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and we constantly have oxtail cooking. People love it because of the flavor and the way its cooked.

Other specialties include a featured soup every Friday, ranging from cow foot and chicken foot to goat head soup. Each Friday, the restaurant also serves national dishes such as ackee and salt fish or callaloo with salt fish, which are served with festival dumplings.

When asked about future goals for the restaurant, Carleen Hartman quickly said she wanted to open two more restaurants one in the Poconos and one in Hazleton. Though, she said they would also like to expand into Scranton as well, due to requests from residents in those regions.

I love meeting different people from the different cultures, she said. When they come in, they first check to see if their flag is up there. And every single flag from inside here, Ive seen someone come in from that place.

The restaurant gained a widespread fanbase through radio ads and word of mouth, she added. One customer, originally from St. Lucia, drove more than two hours to get to the restaurant, tacking on additional time on for getting lost along the way. But when she arrived, the restaurant had every bit of food she was hoping for.

She sat down, ate her food and said it was well worth the drive, that shed definitely be back, Carleen Hartman said with a smile. Those are the things Im happy for. Representing the Caribbean, the language, the culture. People start talking the way they would in their home countries, and they get a taste of home away from home.

Contact the writer: cjacobson@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2061; @CVcljacobson

Hartman

Jerk Center

Address: 72 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre

Phone: 570-871-3013

Established: April 1

Cusine: Jamaican and Guyanese fusion

Owners: Carleen and Garfield Hartman

Hours: Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sundays,

11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Online: Visit .

View original post here:

Chef's Table: Couple from the Caribbean brings flavor of native islands to NEPA - Scranton Times-Tribune

Tropical Storm Cindy formed Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico, hovering south of Louisiana as it churned tides and spun bands of heavy, potentially flooding rain onto the central and eastern Gulf Coast.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency because of the threat of torrential rains and other severe weather, including dangerous high tides and rip currents. Double red flags snapped in the wind on the public beach at Gulf Shores in her state, warning visitors to stay out of the pounding surf.

Workers on Grand Isle, a barrier island community south of New Orleans, worked to reinforce a rock levee protecting the island's vulnerable west side. Officials there decided against calling an evacuation but said in a statement that anyone who wanted to head for the mainland should do so as early as possible because water might eventually cover low-lying parts of the only route off the island.

The Louisiana National Guard dispatched high water vehicles and helicopters into flood-prone areas. The state said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was moving 125,000 meals and 200,000 liters of water into Louisiana.

Gov. John Bel Edwards said the advance notice of the storm gave officials time to put emergency plans in place. Louisiana was slammed with major flooding last summer from an unnamed storm that heavily damaged the Baton Rouge and Lafayette regions.

The third tropical storm of 2017, Cindy was stationary Tuesday afternoon but to resume moving and reach the northern Gulf Coast late Wednesday and rumble inland Thursday over western Louisiana and eastern Texas. Forecasters warned 6 to 9 inches (15-22 cms) of rain and up to 12 inches (30 cms) in spots was the biggest threat in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle.

Already some flooding was reported on Alabama's Dauphin Island and flood control locks and gates were being closed along Louisiana's bayou-marbled coast. Authorities in various coastal Louisiana and Mississippi communities handed out sandbags for areas along rivers and bayous.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Cindy was, on Tuesday afternoon, about 280 miles (450 kilometers) south of Morgan City, Louisiana or about 360 miles (575 kilometers) southeast of Galveston, Texas. It had top sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph).

A tropical storm warning was in effect from San Luis Pass, Texas, to the Pearl River's mouth along the Louisiana-Mississippi line.

Rain and tides, rather than wind, were considered the main danger from the system.

At a news conference in New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu urged vigilance as bands of rain from the system swept over the city. Forecasts said the system could dump from a few inches to more than 12 inches (a few centimeters to more than 25 cm), depending on Cindy's development and path. At worst, the storm could flood neighborhoods outside the city's levee system and cause flash flooding even in protected areas.

"This is going to be a very serious event," Landrieu said.

In coastal Louisiana's Terrebonne Parish, Kim Chauvin said the shrimp processing businesses she and her husband run helped put out the word Monday that shrimpers should return to port and unload their catch before flood control structures closed.

"We call them, we text them, we Facebook them, we Twitter, them. Any way we can get to them," she said.

Earl Eues, an emergency official in Terrebonne, said the closing of locks and flood gates began Monday and would be completed Tuesday evening,

Parishes along the coast made sandbags or sand and bags available to people who wanted to protect homes and businesses.

At the Escatawpa Hollow Campground in Alabama, near the Mississippi State line, owner Larry Godfrey was prepared for flooding that would add to the woes of a rainy spring.

"We've had so much rain, we haven't done any business in about eight weeks because of the rain," said Godfrey, whose campground typically hosts swimmers and boaters. He said the Escatawpa River, at 15 feet (4.5 meters), would typically be lower than 3 feet (1 meter) at this time of year.

While the northern Gulf Coast braced for Cindy, the southern Caribbean region was dealing with the aftermath of Tropical Storm Bret, which unleashed heavy flooding, knocked out power and ripped off several roofs in some areas of Trinidad &Tobago. Bret had degenerated into a tropical wave by Tuesday afternoon..

All airports in Trinidad & Tobago reopened later Tuesday, though public schools and many businesses remain closed.

Associated Press reporters Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans; Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jeff Amy in Jackson, Mississippi; and Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama, contributed to this story.

This version corrects the location of the Escatawpa Hollow Campground in Alabama.

Read the original:

1 tropical storm churns in Gulf, 2nd disbands in Caribbean - ABC News

Derek Walcott at home in St Lucia. A museum celebrating the poet has closed after facing a funding shortfall. Photograph: Micheline Pelletier Decaux/Corbis via Getty Images

A museum on the site of the boyhood home of the poet and playwright Derek Walcott has closed amid a funding shortfall that has been linked to disputes over controversial tourist developments on St Lucia.

The Nobel laureate, who died in March, attended a ceremony last year to mark the opening of the museum, housed in a reconstruction of his former house in the Caribbean islands capital, Castries.

But the St Lucia National Trust has since shuttered the Walcott House, citing budget cuts.

The trust, along with some residents and environmentalists, has previously expressed concerns over a planned $2.6bn resort scheme masterminded by a Hong Kong-based horse racing magnate that is to be part funded by the sale of St Lucian citizenship to Asian investors.

It fears that a proposed causeway linking a nature reserve to the mainland would damage the shoreline and threaten endemic rare species. In March, the trust published an essay on its website entitled A Causeway for Concern.

The trust is also objecting to a planned dolphinarium at the Pigeon Island national park in the north of the island.

In April, the St Lucian government announced the removal of the trusts annual subsidy, which amounts to about $250,000 or about 20% of its yearly budget. This cut, the trust says, has forced it to shut the 700 sq ft Walcott House, which has running costs of about $80,000 per year.

The Walcott House was closed because of funding constraints, said Bishnu Tulsie, the trusts director, who called it a rather painful decision With the cut in our subvention we are finding it difficult to keep the home open.

The islands main opposition party, the leftwing Labour Party, issued a statement describing the governments decision as vicious, vindictive and reeking of victimisation.

The prime minister, Allen Chastanet, of the conservative United Workers Party, has denied that the grant was terminated in retaliation for the trusts stance on the dolphin park and the resort project, known as Pearl of the Caribbean.

I am not vexed with the trust, he told reporters. Right now, we have a cash problem in the government. We are not generating enough revenue to cover all the costs that we have. We have to prioritise where we are going to spend our money.

The trust has ambitious plans to expand the museum site into a major tourist attraction and arts centre, but these have been put on hold.

According to the trust, significant grants from the Taiwanese government to help fund future phases of the $6m project have not yet been passed on by the St Lucian government.

St Lucia is one of a small number of countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than its neighbour and rival China. A spokeswoman for Chastanet did not respond to requests for comment.

Walcott was born on the island and died there on 17 March, aged 87.

He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1992 and was visiting professor of poetry at the University of Essex from 2010-2013. His twin brother, Roderick, a notable playwright and director, died in 2000.

Original post:

Derek Walcott museum closes amid row over Caribbean tourist developments - The Guardian

FORT LAUDERDALE Pageant organizers are pleased to announce the search for the next Miss Florida Caribbean.

We are on a mission to find the most beautiful woman to represent the Sunshine State at the 2018 Miss Caribbean United States Pageant in New York. We are looking for motivated young women who will proudly represent the Florida Caribbean Diaspora says event organizer, Jannice Davis .

The Miss Florida Caribbean pageant has four age divisions for girls between the ages of 5 through 27: Little Miss (Ages 5-8), Junior Miss (Ages 9-12), Miss Teen (Ages 13-16), and Miss (Ages 18-27). Miss Florida Caribbean contestants should be single, never married, nor given birth to a child; been born in the Caribbean or of Caribbean origin; and reside in the state of Florida for at least 6 months as of the date of the 2017 competition.

Lesa Gayle Wee-Tom Miss Florida Caribbean

The Pageant provides young women with a vehicle to further their personal, professional, and humanitarian goals while providing a forum in which they can express their talents, intelligence, and opinions on culture, politics, and the community. Selected contestants will undergo a six-week Personal Development and Financial Literacy Workshop.

The prize package will include a cash award; trips; personal appearance opportunities during their year of reign; personal training by one of South Floridas most noted trainers, Loleta Riley of Body By Loleta (BBL Fitness); and much, much more.

The Miss Florida Caribbean Evening of Pageantry will be held on Sunday, November 5, 2017.

Interested applicants can visit Miss Florida Caribbeanand request an application, or email your statement of interest to jannice@missfloridacaribbean.com

See the article here:

The search is on for the next Miss Florida Caribbean - South Florida Caribbean News

Miami Herald

Carnival reroutes ships in Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean due to ... Miami Herald Three Carnival Cruise Line ships leaving from Miami, Galveston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana, have been rerouted to avoid two tropical storms. and more »

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Carnival reroutes ships in Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean due to ... - Miami Herald

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Originally posted here:

Get a Taste of the Islands at the Caribbean Festival - Up & Coming Weekly

The headline for last week's main review described El Toluco Taqueria & Grocery as bare-bones. I should have saved the adjective for today's Small Bites. Caribbean Delight, which opened in September by the intersection of Gravois Avenue and South Grand Boulevard, is as skeletal a restaurant as you'll find in town. Its single room features an ordering window at the far end, a few tables around the perimeter and a big empty space in the middle.

You'll probably get your food to go your food is served in a to-go container regardless (hence the photographs included here) but get it you should.

At Caribbean Delight, owner and chef Chrisanna Little is serving traditional dishes from her native Jamaica. As she told me during a phone interview, these are the recipes that have been passed down to her.

This is basically how they're cooked, she said.

There is jerk chicken, of course, grilled outside the restaurant, chopped into pieces and served over rice. The char-kissed chicken is appropriately spicy, but the real heat comes from the gravy ladled over the rice.

An order of goat curry from Caribbean Delight. Photo: Ian Froeb

Many of the other dishes on Caribbean Delight's menu Little stews and stews and stews. They cook for a really, really long time, she told me.

These include oxtails, their abundant meat not quite falling off the bone but yielding easily to your plastic to-go fork. A definite, but not searing heat tinges the rich beef flavor. A clear standout is the goat curry, the tender meat's strong natural flavor sharply accented by chiles but also enrobed by more complex, warming curry spices.

Your order should probably include a traditional Jamaican beef patty, an empanada-esque hand pie (though the patty's shell is larger and softer) with spicy minced beef.

An important caveat: Caribbean Delight is cash-only.

Not a caveat, though maybe an invitation: Every other weekend, Little said, Caribbean Delight stays open later than usual and plays music. That big empty space in the middle of the room might come in handy then.

Where Caribbean Delight, 3526 Gravois Avenue More Info 314-799-1463 Menu Traditional Jamaican fare Hours Lunch and dinner daily

A weekly treasure trove of tastiness, featuring reviews from restaurant critic Ian Froeb and how-to videos by food writer Dan Neman.

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Small Bites: Goat curry highlights Caribbean Delight's Jamaican fare - STLtoday.com

Associated Press / Chris Brandis

Several tourists enjoy Rockley beach, in the resort town of Rockley, in the parish Church Christ, Barbados.

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The Group General Manager at Ocean Hotels in Barbados, Patricia Affonso-Dass is the new president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association at the Associations Annual General Meeting, held alongside the Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF) and Taste of the Caribbean at the Hyatt Regency in Miami recently.

Affonso-Dass, a graduate of Florida International Universitys School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, serves as president-elect for the next year before taking over the presidency of the travel trade association next summer from current incumbent Karolin Troubetzkoy, executive director of the renowned Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet resorts in St. Lucia.

He has been the president of both the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana and the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association and runs the Ocean Hotels group, a family-owned company located on the south coast of Barbados with three unique hotels.

Affonso-Dass will serve the association as president for two years after Troubetzkoys tenure ends next year.

Barbados

Hotels in Barbados have seen an increase in package demand with nearly a 15 percent growth in 2016.

This is according to the Expedia group, one of the worlds leading travel companies.

Package bookings, which combine components like flights and hotels, typically capture the attention of higher quality travelers that spend money, have longer lengths of stay, book further in advance.

Some destinations within Barbados that experienced increases in package demand in 2016 included Christ Church with nearly 30 percent year-on-year and St Peters with nearly 50 percent.

New data from the Expedia group also. Indicate that the United States remains the key feeder market for Barbados with a reported growth of more than 20 percent year-on-year in 2016, followed by Canada with more than 15 percent and Brazil with nearly 25 percent year-on-year.

According to the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Board, the destination welcomed more than 630,000 tourists in 2016- a 6.7 percent increase compared to 2015.

Expedia reported that the top source markets for Barbados came from the United States, followed by Canada, UK and other Caribbean markets.

An oil exploration campaign is set to begin in the coming months in Grenadian waters.

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell announced during a national address that a search for oil is expected to start within months.

He said the government of Grenada has granted the Global Petroleum Group (GPG) authorization to conduct a seismic survey on the island and the group has identified the most prospective geographical features offering greatest exploration and economic potential.

They have prepared all the engineering and logistical plans for the exploratory drilling campaign, engaged all the contractors, subcontractors and vendors necessary, and are on the verge of commencing the exploratory drilling campaign within the next month or two, Mitchell said.

At present, Grenada does not produce oil.

The prime minister said the achievements to date represent the furthest any company conducting petroleum exploration in Grenada has ever reached and the quest continues, with future prospects in sight.

Guyana government said it will be seeking advice before making any decision to set up an oil refinery in the South American country.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon said after the minister of natural resources receives the advice, he will bring a memorandum to Cabinet upon which we will cogitate and make a decision that is in the best interest of the people of Guyana.

Recently, Pedro Haas, director of Advisory Services at Hartree Partners of the USA who was tasked with carrying out a feasibility study for an oil refinery in Guyana revealed that the estimated cost to construct an oil refinery would be around $5 billion dollars.

The feasibility study found that it would be too costly for the government to invest in an oil refinery and the minister said that Cabinet is still to review the findings of the study.

The consultant, secured through the New Petroleum Producers Group by Chatham House, USA, said that the final results of the study showed that Guyana would be destroying over half of the value of your investment the day you commission your refinery.

The Jamaica government has passed the Plea Bargain Negotiations and Agreement Act, in the Senate, which provides for a system of plea bargaining for those who commit crimes.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamina Johnson Smith, explained that the act is intended to give accused people the opportunity to offer a guilty plea in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Smith, who is leader of Government Business in the Senate, said the legislation would assist in the delivery of justice in a timely manner and reduce the backlog of cases in the nations courts.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has praised CARICOM countries for acting with independence, courage and concerted action during the recent Permanent Council meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) which was called to discuss the situation in Venezuela.

In a letter sent to CARICOM Secretary General Irwin Larocque, Gonsalves said the CARICOM stance is a tribute to our regions commitment to the highest ideals of our Caribbean civilization and of its institutional expression, politically, the independent and sovereign nation-state.

The prime minister said through its position at the OAS, CARICOM countries have honored the names of our revered leaders of yesteryear, including Errol Barrow of Barbados, Forbes Burnham of Guyana, Michael Manley of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobagos Dr. Eric Williams, whose representative countries defied the edict of a hegemonic neighbor in their formal diplomatic recognition or revolutionary Cuba in 1972.

Police are hunting for three bandits who held up a prominent Roman Catholic priest, tied him up and robbed the St. Martin de Pores Church in Belmont, Port-of Spain around 5 am on June 12, 2017.

Police said Fr. Clive Harvey was outside the church when he was accosted by three armed men with guns.

They ordered the priest into the presbytery before they tied him up and threatened to abduct and kill him.

They left with only TT$1,000 in cash, a cellphone and some other items.

Fr. Harvey managed to untie himself and went to the home of a nearby parishioner, who called the police.

Religious leaders have condemned that attack on the well-known priest, who helps underprivileged children in communities in a crime hot spot in Laventille, Port of Spain.

In a response, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley said the attack on Fr. Harvey by able-bodied, gun-toting men represents the worst that exist in our communities.

He said: Notwithstanding what difficulties one may be facing in life there are limits beneath which the human form should not sink.

compiled by Azad Ali

Posted 12:00 am, June 20, 2017

2017 Community News Group

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Inside the Magic

VIDEO: Talking skull returns to Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World for new on-ride photo Inside the Magic A classic piece of Pirates of the Caribbean history has returned in a new form at Walt Disney World. The talking skull that used to leave passengers with the infamous dead men tell no tales line is now back, but this time this speaking spirit serves ... and more »

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VIDEO: Talking skull returns to Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World for new on-ride photo - Inside the Magic

Visa is rolling out its Everywhere Initiative to foster the development of the next big thing in payments in the Latin America and Caribbean regions.

With the motto of "leveraging digital technologies to transform financial services and payments" in the regions, the company wants to find fintech ventures developing innovative products and services for final consumers and businesses using Visa APIs.

Under the initiative, startups will get a chance to access Visa's executive mentors and technologists, with 10 finalists participating in a 4-day immersion program with the company in Miami prior to the finals. The winner will get a $50,000 prize.

"Around the globe, technology-driven startups are transforming the financial services industry. Latin America is not immune to this trend, where fintech startups from across the region are improving access to and delivery of a wide array of financial services to both banked and unbanked segments of the population," Visa said in the initiative's brief.

"With access to Visa APIs and by harnessing Visa capabilities, startups from the region have the unique opportunity to create innovative products and services that benefit consumers and businesses in the region," the company added.

In order to take part, participating must be based in a Latin America or Caribbean country and must be incorporated, but for no longer than five years.

In addition, Visa wants ventures to have launched a commercial offering and have an existing customer base. Ventures who have raised more than $6 million in external capital will not be considered.

Interested parties must sign up online until July 17.

Everywhere Initiatives are already online in North America, Europe and Asia.

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Visa exports fintech startup contest to LatAm and Caribbean | ZDNet - ZDNet

Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Top things to do in St. Maarten on your Royal Caribbean cruise Royal Caribbean Blog (blog) Many Royal Caribbean cruises that visit the Eastern Caribbean will make a stop in St. Maarten, an island split between The Netherlands and France. St. Maarten is known for its beautiful beaches, and exquisite examples of Dutch and French culture.

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Top things to do in St. Maarten on your Royal Caribbean cruise - Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

After spending ten years at Fox 35, Jim Van Fleet moved to Tampa in late 2011 to become the Chief Meteorologist at WTSP CBS 10. Contract issues with Fox 35 blocked him from being on-air, to begin with, but the station allowed him to wait out the contract before putting him back on television.

At that time, Van Fleet did an interview where he stated That was Triple A, and now Im ready for the majors causing some to believe he was calling Orlando Triple-A but he later clarified that he was only referring to his job at Fox 35, where he was the morning meteorologist, and now he was in the majors because he was the chief meteorologist.

His time in the majors didnt last long though with the station breaking his five-year contract mere weeks early after managers there began spreading lies about him being on drugs, according to a lawsuit he filed against the station in October of last year.

The lawsuit claimed one manager at the station was forced to resign.

Now it looks like Jim Van Fleet, who still has a strong fan base here in the Orlando market, has moved on from petty local news station fights. Late last month Royal Caribbean announced that hes joining the cruise company as the industrys first Chief Meteorologist.

Van Fleet will oversee weather affecting all ships for both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines. According to his Twitter account, hes splitting his time between the Royal Caribbean headquarters in Miami and his former home in Tampa.

In a blog post announcing the new position Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley explains why they created the new position. We have ships sailing all over the world, and they face different weather conditions every day, You have to keep an eye on the weather systems at all times.

In a video posted on Royal Caribbeans YouTube channel Jim Van Fleet explains Even when you have beautiful weather in Miami or the Bahamas and there are plenty of our ships who have fantastic weather for our guests theres something going on somewhere, whether its Australia, the Tasman Sea, whether its South America, the Mediterranean theres something somewhere.

In February 2016, Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas hit a massive storm injuring four guests and causing the cruise line to issue a public apology. Many guests said they feared for their lives as the ship battled the storm for 12 straight hours, four of which included the ship sitting at a 45-degree angle.

Bill Baumgartner, the senior vice president of global marine operations at Royal Caribbean told CNN "If we knew that we were going to have those kinds of winds, the winds that we actually experienced with the ship, we would not have sailed into that. No. Absolutely we wouldn't have (left port)."

The controversy around that storm surfaced again earlier this year when a passenger uploaded terrifying footage from aboard the ship. That video shows waves crashing against the windows and a passenger struggling to walk down a hallway.

In September, another Royal Caribbean ship hit unexpected weather off the Greek coast. Luckily, that incident included no guest injuries though windows as far up as Deck 11 were broken in the intense storm.

The new Chief Meteorologist position should help Royal Caribbean avoid such issues in the future. No other cruise lines have announced plans to add similar positions.

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After being caught off-guard twice last year, Royal Caribbean hires a former Orlando meteorologist - Orlando Weekly (blog)