Category Archives: Caribbean

Two of three budding tropical systems in the Atlantic will approach the Caribbean, Central America and the United States in the coming days.

Three batches of thunderstorms are moving westward across the tropical Atlantic within a swath of moisture at midweek.

From west to east, the three systems have been dubbed 91L, 92L and 93L.

This image shows the tropical Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. The two swirls in the clouds on the lower right represent 91L and 92L. Ninety-three L has not yet entered the image to the right. (NOAA/satellite)

Such a designation is assigned between 90 and 99, when there is potential for the formation of a tropical depression or storm within several days. The "L" represents potential formation for the Atlantic Ocean.

91L to enter Caribbean Sea this weekend

"Nintey-one L may become a tropical depression or storm as it moves through the Lesser Antilles on Friday and the Caribbean Sea on Saturday," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

This feature is likely to bring an uptick in showers and thunderstorms in the Windward and southern Leeward Islands to end the week.

How much strengthening occurs will determine the intensity of rainfall, winds and seas. This system already has a weak circulation.

Inhibitive strong winds aloft are projected to diminish in the path of 91L, which may allow the feature to become organized and strengthen.

The most likely path of 91L is westward across the Caribbean this weekend, which could bring the system near Central America early next week.

92L may pass north of the Caribbean Sea next week

Steering winds are likely to guide the second area of disturbed weather farther north than 91L.

"We project 92L to pass over or just north of the Leeward Islands this weekend," Kottlowski said.

Some dry air has become drawn into 92 L, which could hinder its development for a time.

Like 91L, this feature also has a weak circulation.

"If 92L can overcome the dry air, it has a chance at becoming a depression or tropical storm this weekend," Kottlowski said.

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A track just north of the islands of the northern Caribbean, especially the mountainous islands of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Cuba, would favor development and strengthening, as opposed to a track right over the islands.

At this time, 92L represents the greatest potential for approaching the U.S. or its coastal waters next week.

Following a wave of non-related thunderstorms this weekend, an uptick in thunderstorms from 92L could reach the northwestern Bahamas and South Florida by Tuesday.

93L may remain at sea

The system farthest to the east, 93L, will take a west-northwest past the next few days.

"However, a turn toward the northwest is likely this weekend," Kottlowski said.

"Ninety-three L may never be a threat to land in the western part of the Atlantic basin," Kottlowski said.

This system, which had a circulation immediately after departing the coast of Africa may become a tropical system this weekend and could strengthen significantly if it avoids dry air and strong westerly winds aloft next week.

Real Atlantic hurricane season is just beginning

Additional batches of thunderstorms will continue to roll westward from Africa in the coming weeks.

The next six to eight weeks represent the heart of the hurricane season.

As the peak of the hurricane season approaches, on Sept. 10, the likelihood of tropical storm and hurricane formation will increase due to warm water, shrinking dry air and diminishing winds.

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Triple tropical threat looms in the Atlantic, Caribbean - AccuWeather.com

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Royal Caribbean reveals name of newest cruise ship for China and celebrates steel cutting ceremony - Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

The University of the Virgin Islands Center for the Study of Spirituality and Professionalism, in collaboration with St. Thomas Masjid Nur Muslim community, will present Muslim Origins in the Caribbean, a lecture by Sheik Abdullah Hakim Quick.

His book, Deeper Roots: Muslims in the Caribbean before Columbus to the Present, is an attempt to dispel some of the misconceptions about Islamic history in the Caribbean and the world. He will cover historical perspectives of Islam in the world and the impact on our lives here in the Caribbean.

Quick is a traveling lecturer, historian and author who champions busting myths and misinformation and has visited 61 countries. He has served as imam in Cape Town, South Africa; Toronto; and Los Angeles.

As part of his visit to the Virgin Islands, three lectures are open to the public:

1 to 1:40 p.m. Thursday at the Nur Islamic Center on St. Thomas.

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the UVI Administration and Conference Center, first-floor conference room, on the St. Thomas campus and via video conferencing in the Great Hall on the St. Croix campus.

3 to 6:30 p.m. Friday at the New Masjid Property behind the Lockhart Elementary School on St. Thomas.

For more information, contact the office of the president at 340-693-1003 or at http://csap.uvi.edu.

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'Muslim Origins in the Caribbean' lectures to be held at university - Virgin Islands Daily News

Historically, Caribbean railways existed to carry cane to factories, or raw sugar and molasses to ports. Later, they were used to transport other agricultural crops, minerals, and as urban populations grew, provided passenger services.

However, the demise of sugar, high operating and maintenance costs, and improvements in road transport have seen railways all but disappear in most of the region.

Nevertheless, there is again interest in the newer role a modern railway system might play in the Caribbean, with both Jamaica and Cuba, in very different ways, seeing relevance in the renewal of part or all of their all of their existing networks.

In Jamaicas case, the approach is relatively limited.

In February, in the throne speech, Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen said that improved transportation was critical to meet the demands of the countrys growing population, particularly in urban areas. He then went on to announce that government hopes to rehabilitate the countrys railway network on a phased basis in partnership with the U.S. railroad contractor, Herzog International.

The announcement followed the signing in December 2016 by the Jamaican government of a non-binding memorandum that will see $250 million invested in the resuscitation of the countrys freight and passenger rail service. This is expected to involve construction in three stages: from Montego Bay to Appleton; from Spanish Town to Ewarton; and from Spanish Town to Clarendon.

As with all such railway projects financing is challenging, but it appears likely that the first phase from Montego Bay to Appleton will move forward because it can be related to tourism.

Speaking about this recently, Adam Stewart, the chief executive officer of Sandals Resorts International, told the Jamaica Gleaner that Chukka Caribbean Adventures which he controls, had put a proposal to the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC), which owns the countrys rail network. This, he said, could see the JRC monetize and obtain significant cash flows from the Montego Bay to Appleton portion of the line by enabling its use by visitors from cruise ships, hotels and tour companies. It would, he suggested, also bring economic benefit to rural areas that at present tourists do not visit.

Elsewhere in the region, a similar approach has helped resuscitate another rail system that was on the verge of extinction. Following the demise of St. Kitts cane sugar industry in 2005, the islands narrow-gauge cane railway was taken over by the St. Kitts Scenic Railway, which now carries visitors on 18 miles of track that pass though cane fields, rainforest and alongside the ocean.

There are also two rapid transit metro systems in the region. The Tren Urbano in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Metro Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, which with its two lines and 30 stations now accommodates around 74 million journeys annually.

In contrast, Cubas plans are significantly more ambitious.

At present, the Cuban railway system consists of an east-west spine route between Havana and Santiago de Cuba with numerous branch lines and services, many of which are in a poor state of repair. However, later this year a $2.1 billion Russian-supported project is expected to be signed off that will create an efficient, higher-speed rail system that will become a central element in the countrys national transport infrastructure.

According to Cuban Television, the country is to upgrade almost all of its railway system in segments. This will involve all tracks being re-signalled and rebuilt to accommodate faster running times, and the addition of a higher speed line linking Havana to Varadero, one of the countrys main tourism resorts.

Speaking on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum a few weeks ago, Russias First Vice President Alexander Misharin confirmed to journalists that final contracts are expected to be signed by the years end, after which work will begin.

The initial objective, according to the Russian News Agency TASS, is to completely overhaul more than 1,100 kilometers of track by 2030 in a project that will involve Russian finance, and will be managed by the Russian state-owned railway company RZD International. Russian Railways, which owns RZD, are considering operating the Cuban system.

Separately, a new line from Havana to the countrys international port and special development zone at Mariel was opened in 2014, along with other new lines aimed at improving capacity and journey times to Mariel and its adjoining rail container terminal. In addition, work is under way on acquiring new locomotives and rolling stock, and rebuilding major stations including in Havana, Santa Clara and Camagey.

Beyond this, however, the future prospect for Caribbean railways remains uncertain.

The downside is that the capital investment they require and the long periods needed to achieve a commercial return, place railways beyond the ability of governments to finance, requiring instead an economic model that is difficult to structure if it is to satisfy both the interests of operators and governments.

On the plus side, railways are environmentally friendly, can open areas away from the coast to tourism in ways that spread wealth and create growth, and can facilitate development and economic integration by linking cities.

For most Caribbean nations, building or resuscitating long-gone railways is not a viable economic proposition, particularly as in most cases tracks have been torn up and the land sold or built over.

David C. Robinsons Railways of the Caribbean provides fascinating details on this and the rise and fall of railways that once operated in almost every country in the region.

However, some industry experts suggest that niche opportunities exist in some parts of the Caribbean. These involve new-build light railways for tourism, and the development of rail-based freight systems that can open and link the interior of countries with substantial hinterlands to cities and the sea.

As the 2015 paper, Caribbean Rail Transport: Not Lost and Not Forgotten, published by the Association of Caribbean States, suggests there is a potentially significant future role for railways in larger countries to link rural areas to gateway ports, to supply agricultural and manufactured items to the region and internationally.

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Has rail a future in the Caribbean? - Virgin Islands Daily News

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Unified Technologies, an IT solutions provider with operations in the Caribbean and North America, has announced a newly established Cyber Security Alliance with the global professional services firm Deloitte.

This alliance is designed to provide Deloitte with specific tools and platforms to support their leading Cyber Risk practice, and expand the breadth and depth of their services in the Caribbean and Bermuda region. The combination of Deloitte's global experience in Cyber Security, and the Cyber Security solutions of Unified Technologies, will allow both firms to offer holistic approaches and solutions that will deliver the highest value in cyber security services to their clients in the region.

"We are confident that our alliance with Unified Technologies will continue to grow both our capabilities to provide world-class cyber security services to our clients, that enable them to prevent and mitigate the risks of today's fast-evolving cyber threats," said Taron Jackman, Cyber Risk Services Leader, Deloitte in the Caribbean.

Through this alliance, Unified Technologies will be able to better design and deliver security solutions and services, including assisting potential clients to identify vulnerabilities, detect potential security gaps and update aging and vulnerable technology systems with analytics driven security information and event management platforms, next generation and virtual firewalls, endpoint security, malware and ransomware protection, data loss prevention, and other threat intelligence and prevention measures.

"We are excited to work closely with Deloitte's Global Cyber Risk Services team to provide world-class solutions and services that further preserve and protect our customer's IT infrastructure and sensitive data from potential breach," said Tony Silva, CEO, Unified Technologies.

Edited by Ken Briodagh

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Deloitte Selects Miami Based Unified Technologies for Caribbean Cyber Security Alliance - IoT Evolution World (blog)

Leaders with business expertise, rather than political experience are becoming more accepted as heads of government, according to Dr Tennyson Joseph, Head of the Department of Government, Sociology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill.

The lecture entitled Any Cook Can Govern: Plato, Donald Trump, and the rise of Caribbean Businessmen Politicians was presented by Dr Joseph at the UWI Open Campus in St Vincent on Thursday.

Can you imagine a billionaire is speaking for unemployed people? asked Dr Joseph. Neoliberalism is doing that, because the business class is the ruling class in the 21st century.

United States President Donald Trump, St Lucian Prime Minister Allen Chastanet and even Prime Minister Gaston Browne are examples of how businessmen have become the faces of political leadership.

Neo-liberalism involves the private sector controlling economic factors, rather than the public sector and this has sparked the new trend of persons electing businessmen, rather than political professionals.

Business success is now equated with political wisdom and greatness, said Dr Joseph as he referenced the philosopher, Plato and Trinidadian historian, Cyril James.

According to the professor, the Caribbean is now seeing the total opposite of what Plato and James believed, which is that public participation should be a sacrifice and not for personal gain.

It is no doubt that wealthy businessmen have become more acquainted with political leadership, as Prime Minister Browne has said that he was worth $30 million dollars before he became Antiguas leader.

Dr Joseph also used St Lucian Prime Minister Chastanet as an example of how business acumen has become part of the criteria for political leadership and how this may be detrimental to government. He revealed that Chastanets election to office inspired the lecture, specifically a video where he was shown struggling to follow parliamentary procedures while piloting a Bill. The Prime Minister was seen continuously apologizing for mistakes during the first reading of a Bill.

Far more troubling for the question of governance has been Chastanets decision to contract the private accounting firm, Ernst & Young to prepare St Lucias 2017 budget, said Dr Joseph.

He said that this application of business practices to politics was a clear example of neoliberalism ideals taking over the political sphere.

Neoliberalism has caused that trend of political rulers focusing on getting economy right, said Dr Joseph as he said that getting the economy right is being seen as legitimate in governmental leadership.

Democracy provides the electorate with the freedom to vote as they please; however, Dr Josephs lecture begs the question: Given leaders like Trump and Chastanet, are wealthy businessmen detrimental or helpful to politics and democracy

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Is the business class taking over Caribbean politics? - Antigua Observer

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Tackling the culture of carnival.

The Brooklyn Museum and the Caribbean cultural center Caribbeing, are teaming up to address the autonomy of women in carnival at a roundtable discussion on Aug. 17. The panel When Yes Means No, will gather five Caribbean Americans at the museums Iris and B. Gerald Cantor auditorium, to highlight the ways women have historically been viewed in traditional Caribbean festivities, and the challenges that they encounter in celebrating their bodies. With the digital age magnifying and somewhat blurring the lines of what is acceptable or not, now is the pertinent time to center a conversation about it, said the executive director of Caribbeing.

Effectively the panel is really about how female bodies are hypersexualized in a Carnival context in the recent past with the rise of social media the images have become sharable, which can add even more confusion as to appropriateness and boundaries, said Shelley Worrell.

She said that as these festivities continue to grow and attract more people, it becomes the responsibility to bring discernment and concentrate on safety.

This year we are seeing a lot of splits in the middle, and more recently women being fondled by a gang of men in Toronto making this conversation even more relevant to the community, particularly first and second generation Caribbean-Americans and non-Caribbeans who may participate in mas festivities, added Worrell.

The event is a partnership with the institution and the mobile cultural platform headquartered in Flatbush, to shed light to situations that come forth during carnival season, such as consent and sexuality. The event is also part of the archival centers year long celebration of women in feminism with art and programs. With the West Indian American Day Carnival approaching, now is an apt time for dialogue, said the centers assistant curator of public programs.

Caribbeing is in residence all month long and were celebrating feminism with A Year of Yes, and I knew we wanted to do a conversation about that because I feel that the conversation is coming up in the community a lot, especially regarding the changes around carnival and Jouvert, said Lauren A. Zelaya.

The event starts with a screening of Bottom in De Road, a light humored documentary filmed in Trinidad and Tobago, analyzing the way womens behinds are viewed through the eyes of men followed by a discussion.

Panelists include soca artist Lyrikal, the director of faith-based initiatives at the borough presidents office Pastor Monrose, plus size advocate and model Nicole Zyoness Crowley, professor and author of Island Bodies: Transgressive Sexualities in the Caribbean Imagination, Rosamond King, and Worrell will moderate.

Worrell said that all the guests will share critical input, especially Lyrikal who can add a fresh perspective being an artist who lives and sings about those issues.

He really understands the distinction between being a Caribbean in the Diaspora and back home, she said. As a well respected soca artist who travels internationally to Carnival celebrations and fetes, we felt he could add a really important voice as it relates to the female narrative in Carnival.

The meeting will present a unique educational moment for locals and non-Caribbean people alike, to learn a few things about the history and culture, added Zelaya.

There are so many potentials for learning and unpacking the topic, and I think a major part of our goal is to educate the many new people moving in who are unfamiliar with the tradition, she said. This discussion will show the cultural heritage of the neighborhood and ensure that the newcomers understand and know about it, but also to unpack issues that are not often talked about.

When Yes Means No at the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor auditorium at Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pkwy. between Washington and Flatbush avenues in Prospect Heights, (718) 638-5000, http://www.brooklynmuseum.org]. Aug. 17 at 7 pm. $16.

Posted 12:00 am, August 14, 2017

2017 Community News Group

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Conversations about women's sexuality in carnival culture - Caribbean Life

Over the past few years, the PokerStars brand decided to make a few changes. One such change was doing away with the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and replacing it with the PokerStars Championship Bahamas. After just one event, the brand has now decided to revert to the PCA after listening to customer feedback.

It is not uncommon for PokerStars to listen to their customers and make changes. Over the years, the brand has made changes in a number of ways based on what their players want. However, it is quite surprising to see PokerStars make this change back to the PCA after just retiring the brand.

According to PokerStars.com, an email was sent to the poker media by PokerStars Director of Corporate Communications, Eric Hollreiser. In the email, Hollreiser stated that after receiving feedback from players, the name will change back to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and online qualifiers will be held to send 400 players to the event when it takes place in January.

Surprisingly enough, the event in January 2018 will be the 15th anniversary of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Additional changes will be made to the event based on player feedback such as reductions of admission fees to every event that has a buy-in of $10,000 or more. The fee will be capped at $300. For events that have levels of 19 minutes or less, the fee will be reduced by 50%. With these changes, around $300,000 will be saved by players based on estimates by PokerStars.

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure will take place at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, located in the Bahamas. Dates for the PCA are January 6th to the 14th. Nine days of tournament action will take place with cash games and activities on the schedule. The Main Event will be back with a $10,300 buy-in. The tournament will kick off with the Super High Roller tournament which will have a buy-in of $100,000. Later on, the schedule will feature additional High Roller events with smaller $50,000 and $25,000 buy-ins.

Player feedback results in the return of PokerStars Caribbean Adventure was last modified: August 14th, 2017 by Marie Kelley

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Player feedback results in the return of PokerStars Caribbean Adventure - World Casino Directory