Category Archives: Caribbean

The State

International fugitive who bilked $130K out of elderly people arrested in SC The State Hainsley DaCosta Browne, who also goes by Barbados, was arrested Friday in Fairfield County, according to a news release Sunday. Brown fled the Caribbean island of Barbados to escape law enforcement for operating a phone scam ring in which he ... and more »

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International fugitive who bilked $130K out of elderly people arrested in SC - The State

by: Michael Buresh Updated: Aug 6, 2017 - 9:59 AM

Aug. 6, 2017 - The Atlantic Basin seems destined for at least one new named tropical cyclone during the upcoming week... possibly two......

(1)The Western Caribbean & SW Gulf of Mexico/Bay of Campeche - a strong tropical wave - '90L' continues to roll west with persistent convection. There's a chance the wave could be a tropical depression or storm as early as Mon. upon approach to Belize & nearby areas. Land interaction would then disrupt the system before emerging over the Bay of Campeche where several forecast models show explosive development over what is often a "hot bed" for tropical development this time of year.

As for the modeling... The European model continues to be the strongest taking a hurricane into Mexico well south of Brownsville, Texas ... developing the storm as early as upon approach to Central America....the GFS model holds off development a little longer longer but develops a hurricane in about the same area affecting Mexico midweek well south of Texas. The UKMET model still shows little or no development keeping the low pressure farther south & therefore more over the land mass of Mexico & Central America.

This system will stay far to the southwest & west of Florida so no impacts locally or on any of Florida.

(2) Eastern & Central Atlantic where an active tropical wave ('99-L') has a chance to still develop into a tropical cyclone but is showing no signs of organization for the moment. The GFS model has trended weaker taking little more than an open wave to just east of Florida by next weekend. The European model has suddenly become the stronger model (a flip-flop from most of the last several days)... developing a tropical cylone east of the Bahamas in about 10 days... the UKMET model is generally somewhere inbetween & has a weak tropical disturbance approaching the Lesser Antilles & Puerto Rico by the end of the week.

It's most likely the a faster/stronger developing system would end up farther north (poleward) while a weaker system would go farther west largely steered by the low level trade winds. For the moment.... I favor a weaker system that ends up farther west - at least initially. The problem could be in the longer term when conditions could be more favorable for stronger development (next weekend, following week - ish).

Other tropical waves are now marching west from Africa as we enter the 6-8 week period when deep Cape (Cabo) Verde tropical systems become more common.

SE U.S.:

Imagery below courtesy CIMMS continues shows the persistent stream of African Saharan dust (orange & red) breaking up a little but beginning to amass itself again off the NW coast of Africa:

Water vapor imagery shows moisure returning to Florida....

Surface analysis centered on the tropical Atlantic shows the strong Bermuda high remains anchored over the Central Atlantic...

Surface analysis of the Gulf:

Caribbean:

Wind shear analysis (red is stronger shear). '90L' is moving into an area of lower shear near Central America/SW Gulf of Mexico....

The W. Pacific...... "Noru" is hitting Japan as a Cat. 1 typhoon & will weaken to a tropical storm by Monday as the storm dumps heavy rain throughout Japan (could be cause for concern on wave '99L' now in the E. Atlantic using possible teleconnection):

"Noru":

Dr. Phil Klotzbach, Colorado State University updated his seasonal forecast Friday. He increased the total storm number by 1 with an active season still anticipated. If the forecast is accurate, we are in for an awfully active 2-3 months.

2017 Cox Media Group.

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"Talking the Tropics With Mike": Tropical disturbance in Caribbean - Aug. 6th - ActionNewsJax.com

VIEQUES, Puerto Rico Our family wanted a Caribbean island with the white sand, secluded beaches, aqua water, palm trees, vivid sunsets and great snorkeling, but without wall-to-wall resorts.

Yes, such a place still exists, and it is Vieques, a small island 8 miles off the eastern coast of the Puerto Rican mainland.

We encountered the laid-back vibe as soon as we landed in the eight-seat puddle jumper from San Juan. Exiting the one-room terminal, we walked out the door, suitcases in tow, and were startled to see two wild horses sparring over a mare and foal in the parking lot.

There are some 4,000 free-range horses on the island, and they go everywhere and anywhere, including the main streets in the islands two modest small seaside towns.

The wild horses of Vieques are usually shadowed by cattle egrets, which savor the insects the horses flush when they walk. Sometimes, the egrets perch on the horses back, eating bugs.

A mongoose on Vieques island. The predator from India has played havoc with native wildlife

The remains of the Puerto Ferro lighthouse.

A 300-year-old ceiba tree.

Lounging dogs are part of the open-air restaurant scene in Esperanza on Vieques island.

Clashing clouds during a Vieques sunset.

The wild horses of Vieques are usually shadowed by cattle egrets, which savor the insects the horses flush when they walk. Sometimes, the egrets perch on the horses back, eating bugs.

A mongoose on Vieques island. The predator from India has played havoc with native wildlife

The remains of the Puerto Ferro lighthouse.

A 300-year-old ceiba tree.

Lounging dogs are part of the open-air restaurant scene in Esperanza on Vieques island.

Clashing clouds during a Vieques sunset.

Youll also see dates clip-clopping around town, texting in the saddle. Many of the open-air restaurants in the quaint fishing village of Esperanza have fixtures of dogs on the floor.

Add the unpenned dogs, cats and chickens that also roam as they please, and you may see more animals than the islands 9,000 residents.

The Vieques experience is not for the resort crowd there is only one on the island.

But get yourself a Jeep almost all rentals are Jeeps bounce down lumpy dirt roads, and you have your pick of about two-dozen iconic beaches as found in one of those Corona Find your Beach ads.

The island is a mere 5 miles wide and 21 miles long so youre never far from a new cove, each with its own flavor, color of sand, height of waves and coral reefs.

And then theres Mosquito Bay, the worlds best bioluminescent water where microscopic organisms when disturbed turn each paddle stroke into a silvery streak.

Under a new moon one night in a glass-bottom kayak, we oohed and aahed as a fish zig-zagged away in a shimmering dart.

Its like chasing Tinkerbell, my nephew exclaimed under a sky festooned by the arc of the Milky Way. It looked like shooting stars passing under the glass in our skimming boats. Even the waves were tipped with phosphorescence.

Snorkeling day after day, we lost ourselves in watery worlds following fingers of coral. Reef madness.

Underwater plants bowed to the pulse of currents and sea turtles glided effortlessly through grass beds. I felt like I was floating through a dream.

From our hilltop rental bungalow, we watched daily spectacles where billowy dark storm clouds sailed over outbursts from sunrises and sunsets.

Sunsets on Vieques are spectacular.

All these wonders on Vieques came at a price.

Beginning in World War II, the U.S. military seized the island for bombing practice and to simulate beach invasions. Barbed wire was strung between palm trees and beaches bulldozed. Bombs containing napalm, Agent Orange and radioactive plutonium were dropped over the next 50 years.

After the U.S. bought most of the island from owners of former sugar cane plantations, thousands of self-sufficient islanders with farms and orchards were forced to squeeze into the middle of the island without compensation.

After decades of protests that attracted increasing worldwide sympathy, the island was returned to Puerto Rican control in 2003.

More than half the island was made a national wildlife refuge. No other island in the Caribbean has as much land under conservation.

Though parts of the island still contain unexploded ordnance and are off-limits, the military rule did keep some of the best beaches in the Caribbean from being developed and are now open to the public for free. One morning, we had an entire beach to ourselves.

Environmental degradation goes even further back.

A mongoose on Vieques island. The predator from India has played havoc with native wildlife

Foreign plantation owners brought the mongoose, a predator from India, to control the rat population. The animal controlled ground rats, but not tree rats. With no natural predators of their own, the out-of-control mongoose population has killed many native birds and virtually wiped out snakes.

Yet islanders do not appear to hold a grudge. Several times, locals stopped to offer guidance when I stopped in uncertainty in our Jeep.

There are no friendlier people on the planet, maintains E. Martin Walker, a New York psychologist whose search for an alternative to overdeveloped Mexican beach resorts led him to Vieques 21 years ago.

He arrived sight unseen in a puddle jumper that landed in a field with a cargo container for a terminal. He slept behind a bar his first night.

Now, he spends part of the year in a small house tending to 15 varieties of tropical fruit trees, whose bounty he gives away to neighbors.

I love driving the rough roads that go nowhere because it is impossible to get lost on a tiny island, and breathtaking views are around every corner, he says.

Adds the Rev. Don Bradley, 68, who visited the island from his home in Massachusetts four years ago and has felt the pull ever since, Its just one great place after another.

One morning, on U-shaped Playa Media Luna beach, I spied an islander, face pasted with sunscreen, slowly walking along the beach, picking up flotsam washed in by the sea and stuffing it into a bag.

He walked a long way and when he got close I asked him why he was doing it.

In broken English, he said he does it so that the beach is as it should be.

Panoramic view of a Vieques beach.

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Puerto Rican island is a Caribbean paradise without the frills [column] - LancasterOnline

Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: August 6, 2017 Royal Caribbean Blog (blog) The 209th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we talk about how to use credit cards to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise. In this episode, Matt and John discuss the Royal Caribbean credit card as well as other ... Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas Adding Havana, Cuba As Port of Call In 2019SpaceCoastDaily.com Take Advantage of These 3 Cruise Offers From Royal CaribbeanCruise Hive Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. - Receive News & Ratings DailyThe Cerbat Gem Week Herald -Chaffey Breeze all 274 news articles »

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Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: August 6, 2017 - Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Royal Caribbean President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Adam Goldstein (photo, to the right) sold 120,000 shares of his company's cruise stock on August 2 and 3, 2017. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.21 for a total sale of $14,185,200.00, according to the SEC.

This follows the sale of RCL stock by CEO Richard Fain earlier in the week, where he collected$24,406,075.98. Cruise executives Goldstein and Fain, who often sell big blocks of company stock in tandem like this, together sold over $38,500,000 in RCL stock last week.

Following the sale, COO Goldstein still owns 191,252 shares of RCL stock, valued at $22,607,898.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC.

After the sales last week, Mr. Goldstein and Mr. Fain now own over $134,000,000 of RCL stock.

Have a thought, please leave a comment below or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Photo credit: Royal Caribbeanpress center.

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COO Goldstein Sells Over $14000000 in Royal Caribbean Stock - Cruise Law News

Playing Jeremy Meeks and Chloe Green Bring Their PDA to the Caribbean on Barbados Vacation

Jeremy Meeks and Chloe Green are taking their PDA to the Caribbean!

The couple showed off plenty of PDA while vacationing in Barbados on Saturday.

WATCH: Jeremy Meeks Reconnects With Chloe Green In Steamy LA Makeout Session After Filing for Separation From Wife

Meeks and Green both sported printed bathing suits as they held hands during a stroll along the beach. Later, the two heated things up with a makeout session in the ocean.

Photo: MEGA

Photo: MEGA

RELATED: Jeremy Meeks and Chloe Green Flaunt PDA on Beverly Hills Coffee Run

Meeks and Green first made headlines last month when they couldn't keep their hands off each other during a Mediterranean yacht vacay -- while Meeks was still married to his wife, Melissa.

After seeing the photos, Melissa declared that their "marriage is over" and Meeks filed for legal separation upon his return to Los Angeles. Meeks continued to flaunt PDA with Green while Melissa threw shade at the model over social media.

See more in the video below.

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Jeremy Meeks and Chloe Green Bring Their PDA to the Caribbean on Barbados Vacation - Entertainment Tonight

8 P.M. UPDATE: The showers and thunderstorms associated with a strong tropical wave over the central Caribbean is showing signs of organization, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Additional development is possible while it moves west-northwest at 10-15 mph, and a tropical depression or tropical storm could form over the northwestern Caribbean before it reaches the Yucatan peninsula late Monday or Tuesday, according to the Hurricane Centers outlook issued at 8 p.m. Theres now a 70 percent chance of formation in the next five days.

Its also possible for a tropical depression or tropical storm to form over the Bay of Campeche during the middle of next week after the system passes over the Yucatan peninsula. An Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system tomorrow afternoon, if necessary.

Meanwhile, shower activity associated with an elongated area of low pressure about 1,000 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands is becoming slightly more organized. Some additional slow development is possible during the next two to three days before the system encounters less favorable environmental conditions during the middle part of next week.

Forecasters put the chance of development over the next five days at 50 percent as the system moves generally west-northwestward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean at about 15 mph.

Related Check the latest tropical outlook Storm2017: Tracking map, preparation guide, more Sign up for email newsletters

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The National Hurricane Center dropped the chance of development for a system in the central Atlantic Ocean, but forecasters say they expect some development as it heads toward the Antilles.

The National Hurricane Center is watching two areas for tropical development.

A large area of disturbed weather more than 1,000 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, and still more than 2,000 miles from Florida, has been given a 30 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone by Monday afternoon and a 50 percent chance by Thursday afternoon, the NHC said in its 2 p.m. advisory. The system is moving west-northwest at about 15 mph.

Check The Palm Beach Post storm tracking map

Forecasters are also closely watching a system in the central Caribbean Sea that they say is starting to show some signs of organization, with data showing a small area of winds just below tropical-storm force. The system is moving west-northwest at 10-15 mph, and forecasters say a tropical depression or storm could form over the Yucatan peninsula Monday or Tuesday.

A hurricane hunter aircraft is scheduled to fly into the system Sunday afternoon at this time.

Updated season forecast: 61 percent chance of Florida landfall

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UPDATE: 2 potential systems brewing in Caribbean, Atlantic - Palm Beach Post (blog)

Majesty of the Seas homeports in Port Canaveral

Royal Caribbeans Majesty of the Seas will be adding Havana, Cuba as a port of call beginning in March, 2019. The ship homeports in Port Canaveral and accommodates more than 2,700 passengers.

BREVARD COUNTY PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA Royal Caribbeans Majesty of the Seas will be adding Havana, Cuba as a port of call beginning in March, 2019.

Majesty of the Seas homeports in Port Canaveral and accommodates more than 2,700 passengers.

The Havana stop will be part of a four-night cruise, including a day at sea, 12 hour stay in Havana, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and then another day and night sailing back to Port Canaveral.

Empress of the Seas is currently the only Royal Caribbean vessel to offer cruises to Cuba. Those cruises began in April of this year.

Empress of the Seas currently operates a 7-day cycle with four night cruises sailing every Monday through Friday, stopping at Nassau, Coco Cay (a private island owned by Royal Caribbean), and one day at sea.

A three-night cruise follows to Nassau and Coco Cay only each weekend.

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Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas Adding Havana, Cuba As Port of Call In 2019 - SpaceCoastDaily.com

Avia Washington looked great in costume on the route. ( Rene Johnston / Toronto Star ) | Order this photo Kelsey Willmott would not let the rain wash a smile away. Parade participants had a blast at the Caribbean Carnival Grande Parade at the Ex. ( Rene Johnston / Toronto Star ) | Order this photo As the sun poked out, the dancing continued. ( Rene Johnston / Toronto Star ) | Order this photo Parade participants had a blast in the weather at the Caribbean Carnival Grande Parade at the Ex. ( Rene Johnston / Toronto Star ) | Order this photo The Vak Band arrives near the Princes Gates. ( Rene Johnston / Toronto Star ) | Order this photo A massive costume with Mountie on top. ( Rene Johnston / Toronto Star ) | Order this photo Parade participants had a blast in the weather at the Caribbean Carnival Grande Parade at the Ex. ( Rene Johnston / Toronto Star ) | Order this photo Parade participants had a blast in the weather at the Caribbean Carnival Grande Parade at the Ex. ( Rene Johnston / Toronto Star ) | Order this photo Parade participants had a blast in the weather at the Caribbean Carnival Grande Parade at the Ex. ( Rene Johnston / Toronto Star ) | Order this photo

By Alex McKeenStaff Reporter

Sat., Aug. 5, 2017

Whats a little rain compared to the high spirits of thousands of colourfully-clad masqueraders?

Not much, as Toronto discovered Saturday at the annual Caribbean Carnival Grande Parade.

Thousands took part in Saturdays parade, from Toronto locals to travellers coming from as far away as Alabama, Montreal, and everywhere in between.

They all shared ample enthusiasm for celebrating Caribbean culture.

The great thing about Carnival is that theres no judgment, Kimberly King said, pointing out that the purpose of coming to the Grande Parade, for many, is to simply dance and celebrate.

King and her friends drove from Washington, DC on Friday. They had to sort out a couple of costume mishaps, but neither that, nor the prospect of rain dampened their spirits.

She said they made the decision to come to the event because Washington no longer hosts its own version of Caribbean Carnival.

Some took the opportunity to advocate for equity. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) members, passed out small Black Lives Matter signs to participants.

Its an opportunity for the community to come together, Kayla Beckford, a participant from Toronto who carried one of the signs, said.

Vilma Caceres, who walked with the CUPE group, held a large Equity sign while walking in the parade, noting that she did it because she believes in equality for all.

For some, the Caribbean carnival experience is all about tradition. Siobhan Eli, who is from Barbados, said that she attends many such carnivals every year.

This years Toronto parade was the very first that she has participated in, rather than watching from the sidelines.

This year is a different experience because Im actually involved in the parade, she said. I feel more connected, you can enjoy yourself a bit more. You get to shake up and dance!

Part of what makes Caribbean carnivals so special is that it brings people from different countries and cultures together in celebration, Eli said.

When each band puts their perspective on what each section is going to be its pretty awesome, she said.

She chose an elaborate costume with yellow, orange and green feathers.

I figured as a Black woman that yellow would look spectacular, she said.

Toldis Spence has an even longer relationship with the Grande Parade in Toronto. She moved to Canada from Jamaica 46 years ago, and has been going to the parade every year for the past 30 years.

This year, she brought along some special guests: her four- and five-year-old granddaughters Raven and Blair.

Its a good time for family, Spence said, noting that the young girls had a blast gathering feathers that had fallen from costumes.

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Spirits high despite rain at Toronto Caribbean Carnival Grande Parade - Toronto Star

by: Michael Buresh Updated: Aug 5, 2017 - 8:21 AM

Aug. 5, 2017 - There remain two areas of interest/concern:

(1) SW Gulf of Mexico & Bay of Campeche - gradual tropical development possible through the weekend/early next week. This can be a "hot bed' this time of year & any development would primarily impact Mexico &/or far South Texas. The tropical wave - 90L - currently over the Caribbean is moving steadily west/northwest showing some signs at attempted organization as the shear gradually lessen the more west the wave goes. The European model continues to be the strongest taking a hurricane into Mexico well south of Brownsville, Texas while the GFS model holds off development a little longer longer resulting in a somewhat weaker system but hitting about the same area. The UKMET model shows little or no development keeping the low pressure farther south & therefore more over the land mass of Mexico & Central America. It would appear the window for greatest concern for a full fledged tropical cyclone hit south of Texas would be Tue./Wed. (if the storm develops).

(2) Eastern & Central Atlantic where an active tropical wave ('99-L') has a good chance to develop into a tropical cyclone but is showing no signs of organization for the moment. The GFS model has been the most emphatic on this wave becoming a powerful hurricane & making a beeline west/northwest underneath the strong Bermuda high over the Central/Eastern Atlantic though has backed off on recent model runs (that's why one should never get too wrapped up in individual model cycles). The European model eventually dissipates a weak tropical cyclone... the UKMET model is generally somewhere inbetween. It's most likely the a faster/stronger developing system would end up farther north (poleward) while a weaker system would go farther west largely steered by the low level trade winds. For the moment.... I favor a weaker system that ends up farther west - at least initially. The problem could be in the longer term when conditions might become more favoarable for stronger development (late next week/next weekend - ish).

'90L':

Another midsummer cold front is diving deep into the South, but this one will stall earlier than last week's front.

Imagery below courtesy CIMMS continues shows the persistent stream of African Saharan dust (orange & red) breaking up a little but reorganizing off the NW coast of Africa:

Water vapor imagery shows moisure returning to Florida....

Surface analysis centered on the tropical Atlantic shows the strong Bermuda high remains anchored over the Central Atlantic...

Surface analysis of the Gulf:

Caribbean:

Wind shear analysis (red is stronger shear)...

The W. Pacific...... the broad eye of "Noru" will make a hit on Southern & Central Japan over the weekend perhaps as a Cat. 1 or 2 typhoon (could be cause for concern on wave '99L' now in the E. Atlantic using teleconnection):

"Noru":

2017 Cox Media Group.

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"Talking the Tropics With Mike": Caribbean wave trying to organize ... - ActionNewsJax.com