Daily Archives: April 14, 2017

The future of U.S. and Caribbean relations was the main topic at hand in Washington, D.C. on March 26 when an alliance of the Caribbean diaspora community met with Trump administration officials.

Religious and business leaders were assembled by the Institute of Caribbean Studies for a follow-up meeting, which was held in February, to continue the discussion between the diaspora and administration on the United States-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016 signed last December by President Obama.

The act provides for the identification and implementation of specific initiatives and programs to enhance Americas relations with the Caribbean at both the multilateral and bilateral levels, according to the press release.

The diaspora submitted a white paper to the State Department, which addresses nine issues they want to discuss.

Vishnu Mahadeo, of the Richmond Hill Economic Development Council, who is Guyanese, was in attendance representing the Queens Caribbean community and said the large topics at hand were trade, immigration and overall foreign relations. We just want the administration to be aware that our programs are beneficial to the U.S., Mahadeo said in a Tuesday interview.

One of the more important questions was that of the need for the U.S. to start cooperating and educating the Caribbean countries, especially Guyana, in terms of its requirement to be able to export fruits and veggies into the U.S. market, he said.

That is actually a question I brought up to the economic chair because as you are aware we have a high concentration of Guyana and Caribbean people in Richmond Hill, an area where none of the fruits and veggies come from Guyana.

Mahadeo believes theres an imbalance between the Caribbean and other countries that the U.S. can address.

The Caribbean is more an importer than exporter, and in Guyanas case they have discovered significant amounts of oil, some of the largest deposits in world right now, he said, inferring this can possibly bring in more revenue.

Third world countries get peanuts off of their resources and were hoping theyll be able to do some infrastructure development for the communities as a whole, he added.

Deportation was another topic Mahadeo spoke on. He finds it unfair to deport people who were born outside the U.S. but spent the majority of their life in the U.S. because they are not accustomed to that countrys society, essentially saying they have no real chance at progressing for themselves.

They are not connected to the society and they have no roots to connect them, so they are left on their own and not in the correct society, he said.

See the article here:

Caribbean diaspora makes way to D.C. - Queens Chronicle

This sublime beauty could almost be called a hidden treasure in the West Indies, where celebrities, from Princess Diana to Anna Wintour, have vacationed to avoid the spotlight.

Nevis doesn't need to shout for visitors to see that it's bubbling with charms aplenty.

A postcard-perfect conical volcano is visible from most anywhere on the island.

But, even in ideal weather, the summit of 3,232-foot Nevis Peak is often sheathed in a blanket of puffy clouds -- so much so that Christopher Columbus mistook the cloud-covered peak as coated with snow and named it Nuestra Senora de las Nieves, aka Our Lady of the Snows.

From the top, whenever the clouds part, Antigua, Montserrat and other islands can be spotted across the azure waters. With slopes of ferns, trumpet bush trees and other verdant foliage punctuated by cascading waters, scampering vervet monkeys and wandering wild goats, a hike up the volcano is rewarding, though not for the faint of heart.

It's an arduous climb that's best done with a guide to avoid getting lost on the poorly defined trails. Slippery, steep and muddy, the five-hour, round-trip path eventually threads along precipitous sections that require scrambling over sheer rocks and grabbing exposed roots and a rope attached to the slope.

Spend the night in a converted stone sugar mill or any of the other seven cottages surrounded by a wild expanse of gardens, and the only sound will be the chorus of tree frogs. During the day, it's the twittering of birds and the tinkling of waters flowing down a stone channel, pooling in a tiny grotto.

This foliage-draped Eden with unexpected places to sit and relax was landscaped by renowned designer Raymond Jungles. Those who wander the network of fieldstone and grassy paths rimmed by tall foliage will discover a pair of lime green chairs in the shade of a ficus tree, and, beside the ruins of the Great House, a picnic table under a broad orange umbrella.

Footbridges and winding paths course past water lily ponds where birds cluster, a many hued orchid collection (considered one of the largest in the Caribbean), and a tropical fruit garden growing everything from passion fruit to tamarind.

Hummingbirds hover above the blossoms draping the arbors of the vine garden that's bedecked with bougainvillea, philodendron and colorful cascades of other flowers, including the butterfly pea blooms used by the on-site Oasis in the Gardens Restaurant to create an icy, antioxidant-laden, purple-hued beverage. Built in the style of a Nevisian Great House, this eatery has a scenic veranda from which to enjoy a view of St. Kitts.

Hiking with Earla, a guide and herbalist with Earla's Eco Tours, provides a window into how Nevisians have long used botanicals in their daily lives. A one-mile, mostly rainforest trail is replete with lessons in how the locals value plants for more than just their aesthetic beauty.

Vines that can be fashioned into jump ropes dangle above the trail like a veil. Tall cedar trees cluster beside the path, their wood hewn for fences and furniture. The broad leaves of the sea grape can be rolled into a funnel to hold drinking water, or to carry fruits.

And the bark of the acacia tree can be used to make charcoal to start a fire for cooking. Among the many plants with medicinal qualities, a tea made from the leaves of the shrub cattle tongue is considered a cure for the common cold, while sage tea is a well-known flatulence remedy. The bitter oranges growing on several nearby trees are much loved by monkeys, while locals make a tasty marmalade from this fruit.

The island's bucolic setting belies a painful history. Nevis' sugar-based economy depended on slaves working the land. (They were finally emancipated in 1834.) But it wasn't until the mid-20th century that some of the expansive plantations were given a new life, as atmospheric accommodations.

Fifteen lemon yellow-tinted cottages with light roofs -- each named for local villages -- pepper the landscape, with some providing direct views of the sea, especially from the porch. The Sea Breeze Beach Bar is an ideal al fresco locale to enjoy a Carib beer and a spiny lobster sandwich. Adjacent, Coconuts Restaurant is especially favored for its Thursday night beach barbecue.

Guests who relax beside the 60-foot blue mosaic swimming pool have views of Nevis Peak. An intact 300-year-old stone sugar mill has been converted into an intimate dining venue, and an outdoor spa surrounded by tropical gardens offers ginger lemongrass warm stone massages and other treatments.

Constructed of ultra-strong lignum vitae timber, this building was the original Great House of the small plantation that grew cotton, spices and tobacco, and, eventually, sugar.

Now it's a cozy lounge with exposed-beam ceilings, furnished and decorated with period pieces and memorabilia from the Lupinacci family's decades in the Caribbean.

Here, guests can enjoy afternoon tea with a slice of homemade carrot cake, or a glass of rum punch made from a centuries-old recipe. In the adjacent kitchen, each Wednesday, a West Indian buffet features suckling pig, as well as other much-loved local dishes that are served in traditional clay vessels.

Those who venture to Indian Castle Beach on the island's southern coast -- down bumpy roads that require a four-wheel drive -- will find a desolate landscape with some surprising elements.

Along the sands of this windward coast are featherweight light pumice stones -- remnants from the 1995 eruption of Montserrat's volcano that floated to the island. Large coral specimens are scattered, an indication that this land, once submerged, uplifted from the sea.

There are also vestiges of the island's original inhabitants: the Carib and Arawak Indians. Pieces of their clay pottery sprinkle the sand, as do numerous conch and whelk shells, evidence of their diet.

Most people today associate Alexander Hamilton's life first and foremost with the hit Broadway hip-hop musical. But a more intimate experience can be had on Nevis, where this United States founding father lived until he was nine.

The museum itself, a two-story restored stone building, may have been where the Hamilton family lived. Inside, recreated artifacts represent his legacy, including a writing desk with a feather pen.

A self-guided walking tour follows the route that young Hamilton would have taken from his home to the Jewish school he attended, passing the ruins of the slave market and following a narrow path referred to as Jew's Alley.

Nevis' booming sugar-based economy attracted immigrants in the 17th century, including a small Jewish population of merchants who built a synagogue and a cemetery. When the economy collapsed in the 18th century, their numbers dramatically declined. Yet, numerous, often-overlooked ruins remain as a testament to their life on this island.

Jeanine Barone is a New York City-based writer who specializes in travel.

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Nevis -- 8 reasons to visit this Caribbean island - CNN.com - CNN

Dr Keith Rowley, the Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, is dismayed by the lack of crowds at matches in the West Indies

Cricket in the Caribbean has been "hijacked by a small clique" of people. That is the assertion of Dr Keith Rowley, the Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, who is part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that has been highly critical of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The CARICOM has blamed the WICB for West Indies' slump in the ICC's Test and ODI rankings for more than a decade.

The CARICOM's opposition to the WICB coincided with the rise of Dave Cameron, who was unanimously re-elected for a third successive term as board president. Last year Cameron rejected the CARICOM cricket review panel's recommendation to dissolve the WICB. According to Cameron the CARICOM panel had ignored the "sweeping" changes brought in by the WICB since 2002 in its governance structure and had also failed to consult territorial boards and WICB directors before listing its findings.

The defiant attitude of Cameron and the WICB, according to Rowley, had only distracted from the real question of who owns Caribbean cricket. The CARICOM, he said, believes cricket is a public product that belongs to the people and not to the WICB.

"Caribbean cricket has been hijacked by a small clique of people who are hell bent on destroying Caribbean cricket," Rowley told the Trinidad-based TV station CNC3 TV on Wednesday. "And this is my position that unless the question is answered as to who owns that asset we spinning top in mud."

The WICB, Rowley said, had told him the board was not accountable to the CARICOM any more, considering it was now a business entity and had become West Indies Inc.

In the media release it sent out following Cameron's re-election, the WICB had spoken of its efforts to rebrand itself.

"In moving forward, the President and the team will have the new strategic plan which will facilitate improved performances at the regional and international level and explore a more robust governance system," the WICB said. "The strategy revolves around the rebranding of Cricket West Indies; the development of our commercial arm - Windies Inc; and the creation of a development foundation to finance cricket development in the region".

Rowley has questioned the basis for the change.

"I was told to my face, me and my colleague the Prime Minister of Grenada, that you all have no say in this. This is West Indies Cricket Inc. West Indies Cricket Incorporated. And it is their shareholders that they have to please. I don't know who the shareholders are, but what I do know [is] unless there are drastic changes to the current arrangements West Indies cricket will never get back to where it is expected to be."

For Rowley, in addition to the decline in West Indies cricket, the most "painful" thing was the fans moving away from the game. He gave the example of driving past Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain and being bewildered by the silence inside when a match was on.

"You know how painful it is for me. In this country lining up outside the [Queen's Park] Oval from 6'0 clock in the morning to get in. That's how cricket used to be. Barbados is playing Trinidad & Tobago and the Oval is full because you got to beat them Bajans, ha! And now, you are passing outside the Oval and you ask, "what's happening in there?" You know how painful that is."

More here:

'Caribbean cricket hijacked by small clique' - ESPN

The disparity has always been huge in how Latin American leaders stand up for their diaspora versus their Caribbean counterparts. Its almost like Jesus and the moneychangers.

Latin American leaders recognize the importance of their diaspora and have always recognized immigration as important to these masses. As such, they have used every opportunitywhether its meeting with a sitting U.S. president, others in the administration or Congressto speak up and speak out on this hot button issue.

Contrast that with Caribbean leaders, who recognize their diaspora when it is convenient and have rarely spoken up on the issue of immigration that affects many of their nationals in the U.S.

That attitude continues even as the Donald Trump administration moves to deport more and more Caribbean and Latin American immigrants from the U.S.

In January, during the annual Community of Latin American and Caribbean States summit in the Dominican Republic, Latin American leaders slammed Trump while their Caribbean Community counterparts stayed silent.

We have to protect ourselves from the aggressive policy of persecuting migrants, Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa said as he arrived in Punta Cana.

His comments were echoed by many others in Latin America and even from Cuba and the Dominican Republic, but none from CARICOM.

The silence continues as thousands of Caribbean immigrantsundocumented and green card holders who have committed petty crimescower in fear of being arrested, detained in a detention center far from their family and then deported. Some are reluctant to go to work, go to a restaurant, go to a store or even go to a social gathering for fear that U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents will nab them, ship them off to a detention center and then deport them.

Some Caribbean leaders, who have little if any interaction with these migrants they are paid tax payer dollars to represent, have decided its better to brown-nose with the Trump administration rather than speak up for the issues of real importance to their nationals and the Caribbean immigrant diaspora.

April 10, 2017, I came across a headline from a regional Caribbean news site that declared, Trump reinforces bond between Jamaica and the United States.

In the article, the writer, Derrick Scott, claimed that Trump told Jamaicas ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, at the White House that he looks forward to working with the Jamaican government administration on bilateral and regional issues.

No details on what these bilateral and regional issues are were given, but the article added that Trump and the ambassador in their exchange underscored the strong bond of friendship that has existed over the years between the people of Jamaica and the United States, noting the contribution of Jamaica in many spheres of American life.

The article also nauseatingly mentions that the envoy took the opportunity to invite Trump to visit Jamaica. I am not sure what the reaction of many Jamaicans to that invitation will be, but thats another story for another day.

Of concern to this writer was that not once in the entire article was the issue of immigration or the concerns of Jamaicans in the diaspora mentioned, including the threat of deportation hanging over their heads.

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Caribbean leaders brown-nose while Latin American leaders slam ... - Amsterdam News

With summer fast approaching, chances are you're starting to fantasize about a vacation. Maybe you love the Caribbean, but you've visited some of the usual spots such as Negril in Jamaica and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, and you're craving a still-undiscovered destination with fewer crowds. If you're looking to pinpoint a hidden gem in the Caribbean, pack your bags for these enticing retreats.

[See: The 10 Best All-Inclusive Resorts in the Caribbean.]

Port Antonio, Jamaica

Drive 2 hours north of the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica, and you'll discover Port Antonio, with its jungle landscape, golden beaches and unique quality that helps it earns its nickname as "the Jamaican Riviera." In the '50s and '60s, Port Antonio was a hideaway for Hollywood A-listers such as Errol Flynn, Elizabeth Taylor and members of the Rat Pack. For a bit of Hollywood glamour, check out the Geejam Hotel, which boasts well-appointed suites, a private villa collection and a state-of-the-art recording studio, where legendary musicians, including John Legend and Alicia Keys, have recorded tracks. Enjoy authentic Jamaican cuisine and ocean views from the Bushbar. Alternatively, the Trident Hotel offers 13 oceanfront villas, the Veranda restaurant and Mike's Supper Club, which features Japanese- and Jamaican-inspired cuisine. You won't find heavy tourist crowds in Port Antonio, but rather unspoiled waters for swimming, snorkeling and kayaking, along with attractions and points of interest such as the Blue Lagoon, the Rio Grande River and Somerset and Ranch waterfalls.

Eleuthera, Bahamas

You've likely never heard of Eleuthera, but there's a reason its earned critical acclaim as a top-secret island. This secluded retreat is touted as the "Pineapple Capital of the World" and is home to the Glass Window Bridge, where you can take in contrasting views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Visit pineapple farms and historic sites like the Haynes Library during your visit. As for lodging, consider The Cove, which offers 57 rooms spread over 40 lush acres, as well as private beaches. Afterward, savor a Pineapple Smash cocktail at The Point Bar as the sun sets. Another option: the French Leave Resort, which boasts 12 oceanfront boutique villas.

Saba

This tiny island in the northeast Caribbean near St. Maarten boasts four main villages, has a population of just over 1,800 residents and delivers plenty of fun. Hike the island's original stone paths through the rainforest. It's worth it to make it to the top of Mount Scenery, the highest peak on the island. Explore the tide pools and historic ruins along the way. Saba is also known for its excellent scuba diving, hiking, deep- sea fishing and snorkeling. It's also a top destination for serenity-seekers with accommodations that range from intimate boutique hotels and eco-lodges to cottages to luxury villas. What's more, you won't find traffic lights or chains like McDonald's or Starbucks in Saba. Plus, Saba's lobster is legendary. You also won't want to miss sampling Saban Lace or Saban Spice, rum-based liquors found only on the island.

[See: 9 Secluded Beaches to Visit This Summer.]

The Abaco Islands, Bahamas

The Abacos comprise a group of islands and cays that form a 120-mile-long chain that extends over 650 square miles. The Abacos are renowned for boating, sailing and fishing. Powdery, white-sand beaches are inviting as are the turquoise waters. Kayak, enjoy parasailing, snorkeling, lobster diving or simply relaxing along the beach. Stay at The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, for first-class pampering in a relaxed environment. You'll never forget the sunset from the pool deck at The Cliff House restaurant. Plus, golfers will delight in the club's renowned courses. If you're a lighthouse enthusiast, visit Hope Town, which boasts Elbow Cay Lighthouse, one of the last manually operated lighthouses in the world.

Nevis

You might have heard of Nevis's sister island, St. Kitts. But Nevis is just as alluring. Part of the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, Nevis is just 36 square miles long and is home to some 12,000 residents. Mount Nevis, a 3,232-foot high dormant volcano, is an attention-grabber and is consistently surrounded by mist. The antithesis to big-city life, Nevis features rolling countrysides peppered with wild donkeys, goats, chickens, cows and even green vervet monkeys. Here, the vibe is mellow and the beaches abundant. Surf, jet ski, fish, enjoy a sunset cruise, horseback ride on Pinney's Beach or stroll along the shore. Hikers and outdoorsy types will also love climbing to the peak of Mount Nevis. On the waterfront, near the heart of Charlestown, the nation's capital that was founded in 1600, sits Hamilton House, a Georgian-style building that is the site where Alexander Hamilton was born and raised, and today contains the Alexander Hamilton Museum. After touring the museum, stop at Sunshine's Beach Bar & Grill, which is famous for its Killer Bee cocktail. As for accommodations, choose among historic inns, villas, the island's five-star Four Seasons outpost and the award-winning Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, the only historic inn on the shore.

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Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe a picturesque tropical retreat, features two isles: Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre. Pointe--Pitre is Guadeloupe's largest city, with more than 130,000 residents, and is filled with a lively marketplace brimming with stalls, along with ornate French architecture. If you're looking for a place to lay down your towel, make your way to Basse-Terre's La Grand- Anse, the longest beach in Guadeloupe that's also touted as one of its best. Meanwhile, at the Jardin Botanique de Deshaies, there's an array of water lilies and unique local flowers.

[See: 10 Lesser-Known Destinations to Visit This Summer.]

Guadeloupe is also at the forefront of ecotourism. The Tendacayou Ecolodge & Spa sits in the protected wilderness of the Morne Bois d'Inde rainforest, and offers panoramic sea views. During your visit, check out the spa, which offers a pool and waterfall. If you want more activity, scuba dive, snorkel, cruise, surf, take the kids to the aquarium or go whale watching. Another option: La Creole Beach Hotel & Spa in Grosier, Guadeloupe, which sits in the heart of a tropical garden, among palms, hibiscus trees and bougainvillea near the beach. At the hotel, you can enjoy nightly music and a special jazz session once a month, where some of the best talent on the island comes together to perform.

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6 Under-the-Radar Caribbean Destinations to Visit This Summer - Yahoo Finance