CTNov2007.qxd 11/5/07 5:15 PM Page 1 PRESORTED NOVEMBER 2007 STANDARD ® U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Tel: (305) 238-2868 1-800-605-7516 [email protected] [email protected] W e cover your world Vol. 18 No. 12 Jamaica: 654-7282 THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE Another major American restaurant franchise has added some distinct Caribbean tastes to its menu, like the coconut shrimp. As “Captain D’s Seafood” admits, “Caribbean flavors are very hot now,” page 14. International dancehall entertainer Moses Davis, popu- larly known as “Beenie Man”, is free on bail, ~ A recent study claims the virus that causes AIDS but he still came to the U.S. via Haiti, page 2, sparking outrage has to from others who say the information does a ‘grave answer to disservice’ to that Caribbean community, which is charges of failing to ‘going crazy’ over the allegation, page 18. pay millions of dollars in taxes in Jamaica, page 19. Remembering our heroes ~ A monument to the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue, Haitian soldiers who fought in the Jamaica’s captain Chris Gayle American Revolution, was poses with the spoils after he unveiled last month in and his team dethroned T&T to claim the KFC trophy and title Savannah, Georgia, page 5. of the Caribbean’s top one-day cricket team, page 25. CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 654-7282 INSIDE News . .2 Tourism/Travel . .11 Local . .18 Politics . .23 Feature . .8 Health . .13 Arts/Entertainment . .19 Sport . .25 Viewpoint . .9 Caribbean Foods . .14 Region . .21 Education/Youth . .27 CTNov2007.qxd 11/5/07 5:15 PM Page 2 2 CARIBBEAN TODAY November 2007 www.caribbeantoday.com NEWS HIV arrived in U.S. from Haiti ~ study NELSON A. KING strain of virus that spawned Zero theory came from a mis- the U.S. AIDS epidemic prob- representation for Patient O, ARIZONA - A new study in ably arrived in or around for “Out of California”, where the United States says HIV, 1969. That is earlier than a lot early research on AIDS by the virus that causes AIDS, of people had imagined,” the Atlanta-based U.S. Center probably came into America Worobey said. for Disease Control and from Haiti around 1969, a “Haiti was the stepping Prevention (CDC) suggested decade earlier than most stone the virus took when it HIV in the U.S. spread in the scientists believed. left Central Africa and started late 1970s, early 1980s came The study, titled “The its sweep around the world. from one man in California. emergence of HIV/AIDS in “Once the virus got to the According to the work of the Americas”, was published U.S. it just moved explosively Worobey and his colleagues, on Oct. 29 in “The Proceedings around the world.” the strain that came to the of the National Academy of U.S. in 1969 was HIV-1 group Sciences”. It is the work of COMMON ANCESTOR M, subtype B; and is the first Michael Worobey, an assistant The researchers found discovered human immunode- professor of ecology and evo- that most HIV/AIDS strains ficiency virus. lutionary biology at The in the U.S. came from a single “This strain is the most University of Arizona in common ancestor that pre- dominant of the AIDS strains Tucson, and his colleagues. dates the well-storied “Patient that exist in most countries “Our results show that the Zero” theory. The Patient outside of sub-Saharan Africa, The AIDS virus. nearly all of which descended in the U.S. can be traced to from the one that came out of one ancestor, the one that Haiti,” the researchers said. entered the U.S. from Haiti in The researchers analyzed and around 1969. the genes in stored blood sam- The researchers said that ples of five AIDS patients to Haiti had a greater genetic pinpoint the date HIV arrived diversity of the subtype B virus in the U.S. All the patients than the U.S., Australia, Europe had recently emigrated from and other countries. They esti- Haiti. mated the virus traveled from “The most likely route Africa to Haiti in 1966. was Africa to Haiti then the U.S., which yielded a proba- Haitians outraged by research bility of 99.8 percent,” the findings, page 18. researchers said, adding that the gene sequence analysis ® also showed that most viruses Caribbean joins U.N. in calling for end to U.S. embargo on Cuba UNITED NATIONS – The a resolution – with an over- Caribbean community (CARI- whelming 184 votes in favor – COM) has reiterating its call to all states to once more refrain from “promulgating and joined the applying laws and measures not United conforming with their obliga- Nations in call- tions to reaffirm freedom of ing for end to trade and navigation”. the commer- Speaking on behalf of CARI- cial, economic COM, The Bahamas’s U.N. and financial Ambassador Paulette Bethel said embargoes Bethel the “significant impact of the imposed on embargo on the Cuban economy Cuba by the United States for is of great concern” to CARI- nearly half a century. COM, “as was the humanitarian For the 16th year in a row, impact on the Cuban people, the General Assembly adopted (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) Governor backs off plan plan to issue licenses to N.Y.’s illegal immigrants NEW YORK – New York identification State Governor Eliot Spitzer to board planes is backing off his plan to allow or cross bor- illegal Caribbean and other ders. immigrants to obtain the same Other New kind of driver’s licenses as Yorkers who other New Yorkers, after con- can prove that troversy over the proposal. they are legal Instead, the governor said Spitzer residents of late last month that illegal the United immigrants in the state would States would be eligible for be able to obtain a license that federally recognized identifi- would permit them to drive, cation cards. but would not be accepted as (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) CTNov2007.qxd 11/5/07 5:15 PM Page 3 November 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 3 CTNov2007.qxd 11/5/07 5:15 PM Page 4 4 CARIBBEAN TODAY November 2007 www.caribbeantoday.com NEWS Crime hampering Caribbean development ~ OAS Caribbean awaits details WASHINGTON, CMC – The tributes to the widespread Organization of American availability of firearms,” on U.S. deportee program States (OAS) says crime and Ramdin said. violence are undermining GEORGETOWN, Guyana, U.S. State Department had development in the Caribbean WORSENING CMC - The Guyana govern- signed an agreement with the and has called on regional The assistant secretary ment says it is yet to receive secretariat to include Guyana, countries to address the prob- general said that, worse yet, the any official document in rela- Jamaica and The Bahamas in the lems through greater coopera- Caribbean is no longer just a tion to the proposal by the deportee program it established tion and partnerships at region for illegal drugs to pass United States government to with Haiti a few years ago. regional and international lev- through, it is increasingly implement a program for peo- U.S. Ambassador to els. becoming a market for illegal ple deported to the country. Guyana David Robinson said OAS Assistant Secretary Ramdin drugs, targeted particularly at Last month the Georgetown- the decision to extend the pro- General Albert Ramdin said crime problem. He expressed youth. Noting the negative based Caribbean community (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6) governments should invest concern that the region has to impact crime and violence has (CARICOM) announced that the more in economic, social, edu- contend with its status as a on the region’s already vulnera- cation and prevention policies major trans-shipment point ble economy, Ramdin said Barbados elected to to combat the challenges of for narcotics and its vulnera- many of the challenges facing drugs, guns and gangs, bility to drug trafficking and the Caribbean transcend through, for example, poverty cited a United Nations Office national and regional bound- key UNESCO body eradication and youth devel- on Drugs and Crime/World aries. opment programs. Bank report said the drug “Demand for drugs NEW YORK – Barbados is review the state of sites already Speaking on the topic of trade is at the core of violent emanates from Europe and the among nine countries elected on the list and whether action to the 21-member United needs to be taken to support “Crime, Violence and Security crime in the Caribbean. United States. On the other Nations Educational, Scientific their safeguarding. It also main- in the CARICOM: Creating “To compound matters, hand, the supply of hard drugs and Cultural Organisation tains the List of World Heritage Community in the fighting drug trafficking and like cocaine emanates from (UNESCO) committee in Danger. Caribbean”, at a conference narco-related crime diverts Latin America and flows charged with overseeing the here late last month, Ramdin criminal justice resources northward via the under- said drug trafficking, the manned, porous borders and World Heritage List of cultural PROPOSAL needed for other important and natural wonders. As a State Party to the World emergence of terror networks, activities; and at the same open waters of the region,” and the linkages between he said. A UNESCO statement Heritage Convention, Barbados time, increases and embeds issued late last month stated has proposed two cultural sites criminal gangs and terrorists more violence, undermines are at the core of the region’s ® that Barbados would join and one natural site on its social cohesion and con- Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Tentative List with the hope that China, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria they will eventually be inscribed and Sweden as new members on the World Heritage List.