Category Archives: Caribbean

Princess Beatrix visiting the Sint Maarten Nature Preserve in Simpson Bay, where marine life has been damaged by overdevelopment (2014) AP Photo/M. Cirtiu/PPE/SIPA

Philipsburg, Sint MaartenFranklin, middle-aged inhabitant of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, cocked his head when I asked him about climate change. There is already a lot of flooding because of storm surges in hurricane season, he said, his ebony brow creased. If the sea level rises four feet, then Philipsburg is gone. Philipsburg is the capital of the Dutch side of the island, Sint Maarten, a major receiver of cruise ships, with its Front Street a collage of high-end shopping and outlets for island specialties like guavaberry liqueur. The UN estimates that the oceans will rise at least four feet in the next eight decades.

The picturesque Caribbean, with its turquoise waters and sun-kissed white sand beaches, conjures images of happy family vacations, heady rum cocktails, and nighttime calypso rhythms for most outsiders. Its economy has become heavily dependent on tourism, with nearly 30 million arrivals annuallyrivaling the number of permanent inhabitants (around 40 million) of these islands. The tourists bring in $35 billion a year. Sint Maarten receives about 1.5 million cruise-ship visitors a year, and half a million tourists who fly in to Princess Juliana International Airport. Tourism now accounts for 80 percent of Sint Maartens economy.

Precisely because of this dependency on a tourism centered on beaches and wildlife, the Caribbean is among the areas of the world most vulnerable to the deadly effects of climate change. This menace is caused by the burning of fossil fuels and release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane. Saint Martin, divided into a French north and a Dutch south, is a poster child for this looming disaster.

Tadzio Bervoets, the energetic young head of the Sint Maarten Nature Foundation in Philipsburg with Bruno Martins good looks, told me, Climate change is already affecting Sint Maartens environment. He points to unusual dry spells and unseasonable torrents. I have even seen times recently, he remarked with amazement, when part of the Great Salt Pond has dried up. I could walk on its bed.

Data collected on Barbados over 40 years show that both daytime and nighttime temperatures have steadily increased.

Bervoetss personal experience with the Great Salt Pond, a landmark in Philipsburg, is supported by scientific research. Data collected on the island of Barbados over 40 years show that both daytime and nighttime temperatures have steadily increased. Scientists say that as the islands heat up more moisture will evaporate from the soil and from ponds, and fresh-water aquifers may not be so easily replenished. Clay soils will dry out and crack, which will cause them to lose even more moisture.

Environmentalist Victor Peterson concurred about the issues. A former politician and now building engineer for the Westin Dawn Beach Resort and Spa, he complains, Simpson Bay has been filled in to some extent by developers. The lagoon has shrunk and marine life has been damaged.

The concerned citizen, Franklin, took me along the main artery connecting downtown Philipsburg with the resort area of Simpson Bay, stopping to show me the artificial stone culverts installed by the local government to drain off flood waters, which sometimes make the road impassable. He was clearly skeptical that Sint Maartens government would be able to deal with the substantially increased storm surges that will be caused by sea-level rise and stronger hurricanes. (Hurricanes are produced by warm water, and the warmer the water, the greater their intensity). In 1995, the island was wrecked by Hurricane Luis, and it took years to rebuild.

There have been massive marine life die-offs in recent years. Tadzio Bervoets, Sint Maarten Nature Foundation

Storm surges also threaten public health, inasmuch as they can release polluted water. The Great Salt Pond, Sint Maartens largest inland lagoon, now suffers from an inflow of sewage and leakage from a trash landfill on Pond Island in its center. This pollution, including heavy metals, menaces the birds that stop over and breed there, such as the laughing gull, and threatened local species, including the white-cheeked pintail, Caribbean coot, and ruddy duck. There have been massive marine-life die-offs in recent years, Bervoets said, possibly from a lack of oxygen in the pond. Because of landfill leakage, when the pond is occasionally drained into the ocean, toxins go into the sea and beaches have to be closed, he explained.

Bervoets argues that in Sint Maarten we must mitigate climate impacts. We have to protect coral reefs and mangroves, which offer protection from storm surges. His organization is monitoring a government-designated Marine Park a mile and a half offshore, especially its coral reefs. He says, It is important to put a dollar amount to the value of such resources. The Nature Foundation estimates that the resources in the Marine Park are worth at least $50 million. Peterson over at the Westin agrees about the issues, blaming development in part and warmer seas in part. Conch beds and other marine habitats have already been damaged compared to when I was a boy, he said. Mangroves have been removed.

Coral reefs attract and protect fish, helping fishermen, and are a favorite tourist feature for snorkelers and divers. A Nature Foundation report noted of Sint Maartens reefs, They are also a very important ecosystem for the local and global biodiversity. Bervoets said, We have seen coral bleaching because of heat stress.

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Corals are symbiotic, cohabiting with a kind of algae that live in the corals tissue, and are capable of photosynthesis, turning light into energy. These single-celled algae also promote calcium formation, extending the coral reef. Unfortunately, they do not deal well with extra-warm water. And the industrialized worlds addiction to burning gasoline in automobiles and coal and natural gas for electricity is heating up the earth, including its oceans. The high temperatures interfere in the algaes ability to carry out photosynthesis, thus damaging the coral.

Another threat to Sint Maartens rich marine life is an increasingly acidic ocean. Bervoets says, We have seen lobster and conch shells thinning because of acidification. Conch fritters and lobster feature prominently in Sint Maartens cuisine, and tourists on travel sites can often be observed asking which restaurants prepare them most tastily. Extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed over time by the oceans, though much will remain up there for tens of thousands of years. When it goes into the sea, CO2 produces acidity, threatening marine life (sort of like pouring hydrochloric acid in a goldfish bowl, but on a global scale). The middle-aged Peterson agrees about the deterioration.

At the Sint Maarten Westin resort, Peterson is responsible for overseeing one of the islands (and the Caribbeans) major green-energy projects so far, the 2,600 Lightway solar panels on its roof. He said that the owner, Columbia Sussex Corporation, had them installed in 2013-14 for some $5 million, having become convinced they would pay for themselves in as little as four years. The panels, from China, have a capacity of nearly 800 kilowatts and produce 1.2 million kilowatt hours a year (enough to power 100 homes). Most Caribbean islands, Saint Martin included, depend on expensive imported petroleum for electricity generation. Of course, burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change, so the Caribbean is unwise to feed this beast.

Unlike Aruba, St. Eustatius, and some other islands, Sint Maarten has made few strides toward implementing green energy outside the one resort. Peterson blamed the lack of general progress on solar energy on the government-owned Sint Maarten electrical utility, GEBE, saying it was his impression they feared a loss of revenue. Bervoets observed that Sint Maarten has plans to get two megawatts from solar panels. Land is at a premium, so we will concentrate on rooftop installations, he said. He was referring to GEBEs letter of intent on the installation of 2 megawatts of solar, which it could triple over time to 6 megawatts. The Sint Maarten side of the island has an installed capacity of about 100 megawatts, so at this pace it will be a while before the islands energy is green.

The new administrative offices of the government of Sint Maarten, since 2010 a distinct country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, sit on Pond Island in Philipsburg in the middle of the Great Salt Pond. Across the street, at the Festival Village concert venue, youth staged a pulse-pounding Buss da Chains concert on the eve of July 1, Sint Maartens Emancipation Day. But Bervoets complained that since it became constituent country of the Kingdom, there have been frequent changes of government on the island, which have interfered with consistent environmental policy. We therefore need voter education, he said, on the challenges this generation faces.

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Can the Caribbean's Tourism Economy Survive Climate Change? - The Nation.

Oasis of the Seas will set sail on Aug. 20

ABOVE VIDEO:For the first time in 99 years, a total solar eclipse will occur across the entire continental United States, and NASA is preparing to share this experience of a lifetime on Aug. 21. (Eclipse 2017video)

BREVARD COUNTY PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA Royal Caribbean is offeringa special seven-night Total Eclipse Cruise to the Caribbean that will sail through this Summers eclipses path on August 21.

The voyage even includesNASA-approved sunglasses for safe and optimal viewing.

The 7-night Total Eclipse Cruise on board Oasis of the Seas will set sail on Aug. 20, 2017 from Port Canaveral, Florida and visit Eastern Caribbean destinations Phillipsburg, St. Maarten; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; and Nassau, Bahamas.

More information can be found at RoyalCaribbean.com/TotalEclipse.

Royal Caribbean is offering a special seven-night Total Eclipse Cruise to the Caribbean that will sail through this Summers eclipses path on August 21.

The 7-night Total Eclipse Cruise on board Oasis of the Seas will set sail on Aug. 20, 2017 from Port Canaveral, Florida and visit Eastern Caribbean destinations Phillipsburg, St. Maarten; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; and Nassau, Bahamas.

The August 21 total eclipse of the sun, the first to sweep the entire continental U.S. since 1918, is a celestial phenomenon thats been anticipated for years as the path of moons shadow travels between the sun and Earthfrom the Oregon coast to the Atlantic Ocean by way of South Carolina.

Day will turn to night and nothing but the outermost part of the suns atmosphere, called the corona, will be left shimmering in the sky.

On Aug. 21, millions of people will travel to witness thistotal solar eclipse.

Being in the right place at the right time is important for viewing a total solar eclipse as it only lasts for a few brief minutes along a narrow path. This is called the path of totality.

The rest of the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, will experience a partial solar eclipse.

CLICK HERE to see10 unique spots in the path of totality.

The August 21 total eclipse of the sun, the first to sweep the entire continental U.S. since 1918, is a celestial phenomenon thats been anticipated for years as the path of moons shadow travels between the sun and Earthfrom the Oregon coast to the Atlantic Ocean by way of South Carolina.

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS

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Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Offering Special 'Total Eclipse Cruise' Out of Port Canaveral - SpaceCoastDaily.com

Princess offers a wide range of comfortable accommodations for families or groups traveling together. There is room for up to four guests in all types of staterooms -- interior, balcony and mini-suites, many with interconnecting options and each guest can enjoy the ultimate sleep at sea in the Princess Luxury Bed. Developed in collaboration with board-certified sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus and renowned HGTV designer Candice Olson, the bed combines the science of sleep with the pinnacle of design.

New Interactive Games & Family-Friendly Offerings

For game lovers on these Ocean Medallion Class Ships, the following interactive games will be available.

At the newly launched Camp Discovery youth center created in partnership with Discovery Consumer Products, the licensing arm of Discovery Communications -- Princess offers a wide selection of programs and activities where kids and teens will make memories and create keepsakes while sailing on the Caribbean-bound Regal Princess and Royal Princess.

As part of the cruise line's Discovery at Sea program, there are three center themes where kids and teens can make new friends and participate in activities specially designed to help them Discover, Play, Create and Huddle, including

New youth and teen center programming includesMythBustersscience activities with new hands-on challenges, featuring show star Tory Belleci. In addition, new Camp Discovery offers destination-themed programs focusing on the Caribbean to immerse young cruisers into the culture, nature and customs of this region.

Families will also enjoy lively concerts, sporting events and hit blockbuster films at Movies Under the Stars, a giant 300-square foot poolside movie theater. Princess makes this experience even more special with personal touches including comfortable chaise lounges and cozy blankets in the evening.

More information about OCEAN is available at ocean.com

For additional information on Ocean Medallion vacations on Princess Cruises, please visitwww.Princess.Com/Ocean.

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS or by visiting the company's website atprincess.com.

About Princess Cruises:One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a global cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 17 modern cruise ships renowned for their innovative design and wide array of choices in dining, entertainment and amenities, all provided with the experience of exceptional customer service. As the world's largest international premium cruise brand, Princess carries two million guests each year to more than 360 destinations around the globe on more than 150 itineraries ranging in length from three to 114 days. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK).

Newsroom: Additional media information is available at princess.com/news.

1Offer valid on interior, balcony and mini suite cabins on seven-day cruises. Excludes holiday cruises. Third and fourth guests for 10-day cruises start from $199.

2017 Carnival Corporation. OCEAN, Ocean Medallion, and the OCEAN and Carnival Corporationtrademarks are trademarks of Carnival Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/princess-cruises-offers-families-savings-for-caribbean-sailings-300484175.html

SOURCE Princess Cruises

http://www.princess.com

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Princess Cruises Offers Families Savings for Caribbean Sailings - PR Newswire (press release)

Inside the Magic

Fan petition to "Keep the Redhead" on Pirates of the Caribbean ... Inside the Magic The Walt Disney Company's decision to change the iconic "Bride Auction" scene on Pirates of the Caribbean stirred up a lot of controversy last week, and no. Disney finally scrubs human trafficking from Pirates of the Caribbean ...Orlando Weekly (blog) Disney to Remove 'Wench Auction' From Pirates of the Caribbean RideInvestorplace.com Disney Ditches Controversial Wench Auction On Pirates Of The Caribbean RideGOOD Magazine Today.com -Just Jared -OCRegister -Disney Parks all 41 news articles »

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Fan petition to "Keep the Redhead" on Pirates of the Caribbean ... - Inside the Magic

FOREWORD

The United Nations (UN) is adapting its planning and programmes to better help Caribbean countries ensure that no one is left behind in their thrust to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From Jamaica in the north, through the vibrant islands of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), to Guyana in the south, the Caribbean has demonstrated a wide variety of development achievements and considerable convergence in the challenges countries face.

In middle-income country contexts, marked by decreasing aid flows and changing needs for support from bi-lateral and multi-lateral partners, the UN System is acting on a strong momentum for integration to offer more focused, coherent, and coordinated support to national partners. These actions reflect the spirit of Caribbean countries, which have long been proponents of political integration and have acted to establish major integration mechanisms in the region such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the OECS.

The 2017-2021 United Nations Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework (UN MSDF) defines how the Agencies, Funds, and Programmes of the UN (hereafter referred to as Agencies) will pool their comparative advantages within a single strategic framework that aligns with and supports the overarching strategic goals of the Caribbeans governments and key stakeholders.

This framework provides a platform for countries to access the global expertise and experience of the UN System at both the country and sub-regional levels.

The UN MSDF will increase the coherence of the work of the United Nation System in support of our Member States development and strengthen our ties with Member States and partners across the region. It will also allow for a sharper focus on common priorities, enhance regional initiatives and collaboration, and enable knowledge sharing and cross-collaboration within the region. From a cost perspective, it offers better strategic positioning to leverage resources within a regional resource mobilisation framework, increases efficiency, and decreases transaction costs.

Real progress towards achieving the SDGs in the Caribbean demands a multi-sectoral, human-centered approach to development that focuses on the most vulnerable populations in an equitable manner. The UN MSDF builds on the UNs normative agenda and the need to safeguard the jointly-agreed commitments reflected in various international Conventions and Treaties.

The highly participatory formulation of the UN MSDF brought UN colleagues, both in the region and beyond, into close collaboration with our national and international partners. It also benefitted from surveys aimed at teasing out what, in the eyes of our partners and staff, constitutes the comparative advantages and added value of the UN. Its signing by governments of 18 partner countries and territories in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, along with all the UN Agencies with presence in the region, marks a new stage in the UNs decades of on-the-ground cooperation.

The UN Resident Coordinators, the Heads of UN Agencies sitting on the United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) in the Caribbean, and the United Nations Development Group for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNDG LAC), look forward to the successful implementation of this new approach over the period 2017-2021. The governments of the region also look forward to more effective support from the UN towards the attainment of the regions development goals.

We trust that through the UN MSDF, the UN System will be better equipped to provide Member States with the tools, partnerships, and resources needed to achieve national and sub-regional development priorities, in an inclusive and equitable manner, as reflected in the SDGs. We also look forward to embracing the wider Caribbean in support of deepening regional and triangular cooperation, and improving the effectiveness of the UNs technical cooperation as it engages with Member States in localising the SDGs and accelerating the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway and CARICOM Strategic Plan.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The United Nations Multi-Country Sustainable Development Framework (UN MSDF) defines how the UN will jointly achieve development results in partnership with 18 English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries and Overseas Territories for the period 2017-2021. The countries covered are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Curaao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The framework aims to ensure that no one is left behind in national development efforts, and exemplifies the commonlyshared belief that similar development challenges of the Caribbean countries require a coherent and coordinated response by the UN.

National consultations had an important role in the development of the UN MSDF. The consultations were held in 15 countries using the Common Multi-Country Assessment (CMCA) as the basis for discussions, and provided opportunities for strategic alignment between UN activities and national priorities, as well as a space for countries to validate the CMCA and identify national priorities the UN could address. The national consultations expanded on the principle that no one should be left behind, which is an integral tenet of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the results identified the common challenges faced by the countries. The challenges were grouped into four areas: climate change and environment; economic and social development; health; and crime, and justice and citizen security. The consultations concluded that by joining efforts and resources to deal with these issues, the benefits to countries could be maximised.

The anchor of the framework is the CMCA. It built on the national specificities of the countries to identify the broad issues in the region that are critical for sustainable development. The CMCA analysed and presented the major development challenges in the Caribbean, and the interrelated causes; it also highlighted a regional approach through the UN MSDF as a mechanism that would decrease the administrative burden on national governments and prompt a more coherent response to regional and national challenges, needs, and priorities. The analysis was informed by the work of regional entities, national governments, and key actors such as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the regions universities. It identified the fundamental constraints to the development of the region related to a number of interconnected dimensions economic, social, and environmental that were seen as critical for sustainable development and democratic governance.

The four priority areas of the UN MSDF seek to safeguard the jointly agreed commitments reflected in the human rights conventions and treaties as key strategies to accelerate progress towards the SDGs. The priority areas ensure the voices, realities, and capacities of those most often in the margins of policy development and implementation among them women, children, youth, older persons, and persons with disabilities are at the forefront of the UNs support to Member States. This has been done by clearly aligning the results matrix of the UN MSDF with the SDGs and the SAMOA Pathway, which will have the additional benefit of contributing to national efforts to accelerate progress towards these commitments.

Furthermore, the core principles of human rights, gender equality, youth, environmental sustainability, and development of national capacity will be mainstreamed across the four priority areas of the framework. In line with the 2030 development agenda, data and information to increase evidence-based decision-making is also a theme identified as a priority and will be cross-cutting across the priority areas.

Further extensive consultations on the UN MSDF with governments, civil society, and national, regional, and international stakeholders identified four priority areas: an inclusive, equitable, and prosperous Caribbean; a healthy Caribbean; a cohesive, safe, and just Caribbean; and a sustainable and resilient Caribbean.

Estimated resource requirements highlight the need for not only resource allocation by the United Nations System (UNS), but also for regional and international resource mobilisation, partnerships, and alliances involving key stakeholders, as well as in-kind contributions from Member States, to complement the UNS resources and fill identified gaps.

Monitoring, reporting, and evaluation of the UN MSDF is critical not only for the accountability and transparency of the UNS, but also for enabling Member States to maintain ownership of and commitment to the framework, and to facilitate the continued buy-in and contributions of development partners and other key stakeholders. Regional and national mechanisms for these accountability functions, building on existing structures and procedures to the extent possible, will be established and supported.

Continue reading here:

United Nations Multi-country Sustainable Development Framework in the Caribbean 2017-2021 - Reliefweb

Join host Mike Kerrigan and his friends Didi and Kelsey as they bring you news and discussion about everything fun, including theme parks, video games, television, movies, music and more.

This week on Expansion Drive, the gang is back to talk about all the nerdy news of the week, including: Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 Xbox and Playstation Free games of the month TNA Wrestling Being Re-branded as Global Force Wrestling Changes coming to Pirates of the Caribbean ride Who has the best fast food burger???

You can find the audio show on iTunes, Google Play and Podbean, as well as below.

We welcome your suggestions and want you to be a part of the discussion. Please send your comments to info@attractionsmagazine or connect with the show on Twitter @AttractionsEXP.

Special thanks to Tony Longworth at tonylongworth.com for the theme song, Chillwave.

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Expansion Drive podcast Pirates of the Caribbean updates, Marvel Phase 4 and TNA Wrestling - Attractions Magazine

The latest promotion from Divi Resorts offers a 30 percent discount on summer travel to prime Caribbean destinations.

(PRWEB) July 05, 2017

This summer, Divi Resorts "turns up the heat" on vacation savings, offering 30 percent off best available rates at participating resorts. Travelers can take advantage of the discount for an exciting, affordable getaway to some of the most in-demand Caribbean travel locations: Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, St. Croix and St. Maarten. Room-only rates are available starting as low as $125 per night, and all-inclusive rates as low as $175 per person per night.* The travel window is open now through December 31, 2018.

Special rates are as follows:

On Aruba:

On Barbados:

On Bonaire:

On St. Croix:

On St. Maarten:

Divi Resorts boasts stylish accommodations, friendly service and prime locations among the most picturesque surroundings on Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, St. Croix and St. Maarten. Many vacationers choose Divi for romantic getaways, indulgent escapes or simply an affordable place for the family to unwind. Kids stay, eat and play for free at Divi Resorts,** allowing families to save even more.

Most Divi Resorts are all-suite properties, so guests are able to stretch out. Suites range in size from studios to two-bedrooms, and offer fully equipped kitchens, spacious living rooms and dining areas and private balconies or patios with ocean, pool or garden views. Each resort is also packed with amenities like freshwater poolssome with swim-up bars, as well as numerous on-site restaurants, tennis courts, complimentary kids' activity clubs, water sports centers and indulgent spas.

The summer specials from Divi Resorts can be booked online at http://www.diviresorts.com or by calling 1-800-367-3484.

*All-inclusive rates are based on double occupancy.

**The Divi Resorts Kids Eat & Stay Free Program has a limit of one child per one paying adult, maximum of two children per room, based on double occupancy, for a minimum of three nights. Offer is valid on new reservations only on all nightly rates. Kids' dining options for breakfast, lunch and dinner are chosen from children's menu. This offer is not combinable with vacation ownership weeks, all-inclusive packages, dive packages, spa packages or golf packages. All-inclusive Kids Stay & Eat Free pricing and age options vary.

About Divi Resorts

Divi Resorts is the vacation expert of the Caribbean, with a collection of eight premium resorts spanning the five stunning Caribbean islands of Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, St. Croix and St. Maarten. With both hotel and vacation ownership options, the resorts provide a multitude of vacation pleasures, from relaxing on white sand beaches and indulging in spa services, to embarking on scuba diving adventures and perfecting one's golf swing. Vacation ownership is available through the Divi Vacation Club, a flexible, points-based product. For more information on Divi Resorts, call 1-800-367-3484 or visit http://www.diviresorts.com. For more information on the Divi Vacation Club, visit http://www.divivacationclub.com. Use of the Divi Resorts registered brand is licensed.

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Summer at Divi Is Sizzling: Enjoy 30 Percent Off Caribbean Vacations at Divi Resorts - Benzinga

Trinidads semi-professional cricket, long a feeder for Caribbean cricketers to play broad, has lost of its lustre.

Caribbean cricket fans were dismayed in early June when, for the first time since the ICC Champions Trophy started in 1998, the West Indies Cricket Team did not qualify for this prestigious international competition, which recently concluded in England and Wales.

Winner of the Champions Trophy in 2004 and of the 1975 and 1979 World Cups, the West Indies squad is now at risk of not qualifying for the upcoming World Cup cricket competition in 2019.

Cricket lovers are struggling to understand the decline of the West Indies team, which is composed of athletes from 15 countries, British dependencies and other Caribbean territories, including Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica and Barbados.

In this region of the world, cricket has never been just a sport. In the 20th century struggle against British domination, cricket was central to the Caribbeans anticolonial independence project.

Today, my 2015 research in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago found, its meaning has changed. For poor young men, international cricket is often seen as a way out of poverty and into the lap of luxury.

Originally introduced by British colonisers in the 19th century as an exclusively white male-dominated imperial sport, cricket quickly drew Afro-Caribbean players.

Afro-Caribbeans were allowed to join the West Indies Cricket Team in 1900, and by the 1940s they were numerically dominant. In 1960, an Afro-Caribbean man, Frank Worrell, became the first black captain of the West Indies Cricket Team.

Sir Frank Worrell, far right, in 1961.

A similar quest for belonging spurred the cricketing aspirations of Caribbeans of Indian descent, whose relatives had been brought to the region as indentured laborers after the abolition of slavery in 1834.

Indo-Caribbean players, who are now closely identified with cricket, especially in Guyana and Trinidad, also originally saw the sport as a vehicle for affirming an Indo-Caribbean identity.

Caribbean cricket narratives and histories tend to focus on the sports association with anti-colonial resistance and the efflorescence of a unified West Indian consciousness against the white planter class whats often called liberation cricket.

But contemporary Caribbean cricket is something quite different. Over the past two decades, globalisation and commercialisation of the sport have largely undone its political underpinnings.

The new story of cricket takes the form of Sukdeo Sisnarine, a 23-year-old aspiring Guyanese cricketer who plays in a Trinidadian domestic cricket league.

Adnan Hossain, Author provided

Sukdeo was connected to a cricket club through former players and arrived in Trinidad for his first stint after only a telephone conversation with a manager of the club, a common international recruitment practice in Trinidad.

Now he migrates to Trinidad from January to June each year to play. When I met him in a cricket club in 2015, it was his third sojourn there.

Guyanese are the largest group of overseas athletes playing in the Trinidadian cricket league; in 2015, nearly 25 of the 30 international players were from Guyana (the league has between one hundred or so cricketers in total).

Though geographically located in South America, Guyana is culturally Caribbean, and it is one of the poorest economies in the region, with an estimated per capita GDP of US$7,900 in 2016.

In contrast, Trinidad is one of the Caribbeans richest countries. Last year, its estimated GDP per person was $US31,900.

For cricketers from poorer Caribbean countries like Guyana, Trinidads semi-professional cricket league offers financial opportunities. Guyanese athletes can play competitive cricket while earning some extra money on the side.

Caribbean cricketers practicing in a Trinidadian cricket club.

Adnan Hossain, Author provided

When I knew him, Sukdeo was working in a car parts factory next to the cricket club he played for. He estimated his total earnings that season at about US$5,000.

This income allowed him to buy and do things that would have been impossible in Guyana, like going to the movies, purchasing designer sunglasses and choosing brand-name clothing.

Such consumer pleasures can come at a cost.

In Trinidad, the Guyanese are often portrayed as backwards, and people routinely mock the way they speak English, though they are native speakers. Small islanders, theyre called. Guyana is not an island, of course, let alone a small one. In Trinidad, this odd diminutive serves as a metaphor for the countrys poverty.

The economic disparity between the two countries produces social hierarchies, with Guyanese cricketers, as well as other male economic migrants, often seen in Trinidad as unwanted fortune-seekers.

This stereotype to some extent reflects the reality that for Sukdeo and many other young men I met in Trinidad, cricket is not so much a passion or a political statement as it is a professional pathway to wealth, conspicuous consumption and international travel all signs of success in this neoliberal world.

Trinidadian club managers and owners routinely recruit their Guyanese athletes to play for cricket leagues in Canada and the United States. In 2015, Sukdeo obtained visa sponsorship from a cricket club in Canada, allowing him to travel out of the Caribbean for the first time in his life.

Trinidad thus serves as a jumping-off point for Caribbean athletes who hope to emigrate, helping them to connect with the Caribbean diaspora in North America. In the US alone, there are an estimated 4 million Caribbean immigrants.

Still, Sukdeo didnt want to be in Trinidad or in Canada for that matter. He wanted to be recruited for the Indian Premier League (IPL), the most expensive cricket franchise in the world since its inception in 2008.

The IPL, which changed the format of the game to shorten day-long matches, boasts massive injections of corporate capital, Bollywood-star team owners, foreign cheerleaders and world-calibre cricketers. It has radically repackaged cricket as high-paced glamorous entertainment.

Prior to the IPL, players from the West Indies Cricket Team politically-minded men like Sir Vivian Richards and Clive Lloyd were the role models for aspiring young Caribbean cricketers like Sukdeo.

Today, its the lavish lifestyle of IPL athletes that most appeal.

Once a site for anti-colonial resistance and consolidation of a West Indian identity, contemporary Caribbean cricket is devoid of such political connotations.

This paradigmatic shift may account for the sad state of the West Indies cricket team this year. It seems that neoliberal cricket just cant compete with the liberation cricket of yore.

This article is written in collaboration with the Global Sport Project, an anthropology research initiative (University of Amsterdam).

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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Can Caribbean cricket get its (political) groove back? - HuffPost

Disneys Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales opened at No. 1 in Japan over the July 1-2 weekend the best start for a foreign film so far this year.

Bowing on 989 screens on the first day of the month, when tickets are discounted at theaters across the country, the fifth installment in the Pirates series earned $9.25 million on 771,516 admissions. That was nearly the same number of admissions as for the previous installment, 2011s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which finished with $78 million in Japan.

At No. 2 was Tohos Mumon The Land of Stealth, Yoshihiro Nakamuras period actioner. Starring Satoshi Ono of mega-band Arashi,the film notched $4.3 million on 404,500 admissions. With Arashi fans driving the box office, the film is expected to finish near the $25-million mark.

Ranking at No. 3 was My Big Brother Loves Me So Much Its a Problem, a comedy based on a popular comic about a high school girl who has a stalwart protector in her older brother but who doesnt know they are unrelated by blood. Released on 251 screens on June 30 by Shochiku, the film earned $1.45 million on143,000 admissions, on its way to a hoped-for $10 million.

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'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' Opens at No. 1 in Japan - Variety

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The scene is controversial, but so is the fix, apparently.

Disney has announced plans to clean up the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at its theme parks, losing the Wench Auction in favor of a more politically correct depiction.

For over 50 years, the iconic ride has included a scene featuring animatronic women being sold in an auction under a banner that reads, Auction, take a wench for a bride.

"We believe the time is right to turn the page to a new story in this scene consistent with the humorous, adventurous spirit of the attraction," Suzi Brown, a spokeswoman for Disneyland Resort, told CNN.

The scene is getting a PC makeover with a new banner that will read, Auction, Surrender Yer Loot. Itll feature both men and women surrendering goods such as art and clocks. One thing that will remain the same is the fan favorite redheaded animatronic character, only now, shell be in charge.

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was the last one that Walt Disney himself oversaw before he died in 1966, and is the basis of the popular movie franchise starring Johnny Depp.

While many people are happy with Disneys decision to adjust to modern times, there are still some critics who argue it shouldnt be changing such a historical and classic ride. Its definitely a hot topic debate on social media right now.

This isnt the first time Disney has changed the ride. In 1997, it put food in the hands of the animatronic women so that it appeared the men were lusting and chasing after the grub instead of the ladies.

And of course, "The Simpsons" predicted all of this would happen:

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Disney to clean up Pirates of the Caribbean ride to make it more PC - Today.com