CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 1 PRESORTED OCTOBER 2007 STANDARD ® U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Tel: (305) 238-2868 1-800-605-7516 [email protected] [email protected] We cover your world Vol. 18 No. 11 Jamaica: 654-7282 THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE Under a pol- icy change announced last month, New York State Democratic ~ Despite frenzied efforts to get passports Governor for United States citizens, and belated Eliot Spitzer protests by Caribbean tourism says he will issue driver’s organizations, the mandatory licenses to Caribbean and passport re-entry requirement other immigrants without went into effect this year. regard to immigration status, Did it help or hurt the page 2. lucrative flow of U.S. visitors to the Jamaica’s Caribbean?, page 15. Veronica Campbell overcame a serious leg injury to again prove she’s one of the best ever athletes from the Caribbean, shining at the recent IAAF World Championships of Athletics, page 11. Congress- woman Yvette D. Man on a Clarke, who is backed by mission a strong Caribbean ~ Caribbean-born immigrant engineer Glenn Chin constituency heads a NASA team in New York, is urging that will deliver United States ‘Harmony’ to outer President George W. Bush to space and expand pull U.S. troops out of Iraq and send them back home to their international access families, page 19. there, page 2. CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 654-7282 INSIDE News . .2 Local . .14 Politics . .18 Sport . .22 Viewpoint . .9 Tourism/Travel . .15 Region . .20 Cargo & Freight . .23 Health . .13 Business . .17 Arts/Entertainment . .21 Feature . .25 CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 2 2 CARIBBEAN TODAY October 2007 www.caribbeantoday.com NEWS Jamaican heads NASA team on space station expansion project GORDON WILLIAMS Oct. 23. Once installed at the 31,500 pounds. said. “The processes are pret- space station, “Harmony” will ty much the same. But the dif- hen the “Discovery” serve as a port for space pro- SIMPLE TASK ferences in hardware for each space shuttle heads grams from China and a com- It was built in Italy, with mission is unique. Each hard- Winto space this bined 13 European countries. fine-tuning at NASA’s ware is unique.” month it will carry a special “Harmony is a module Kennedy Space Center in So is his background. package ‘gift-wrapped’ by with six docking ports where Florida, where Chin and Chin is one of a handful of a Jamaican-born engineer modules can his team are based. He Caribbean nationals working and his team at National dock to make was involved in the early at the Kennedy Space Center, Aeronautics and Space the station design and construction of which employs some 18,000 Administration (NASA) in bigger,” “Harmony” as part of a spe- workers. He is proud of his the United States. explained the cial team, which offered heritage and credits his back- Glenn Chin is NASA mis- 43-year-old NASA insight into the pro- ground for much of his suc- sion manager charged with Chin, who ject’s progress. That required cess in the U.S. delivering a Node 2 module attended high him to travel to Torino “That’s huge for me,” he called “Harmony” that will schools in between 1998 and 2000. Other said. “As a Jamaican I’ve expand the docking area at the Jamaica and Chin work assignments temporarily The space shuttle “Discovery” will trans- always been a hard worker, International Space Station to the U.S. and took Chin away from the port “Harmony” to the International persistent. When I came to the accommodate other space pro- college at the “Harmony” project, but he Space Station. States I realized the opportu- grams. University of Miami, where would later return as mission nities here and went after it. Chin heads a multi-disci- he earned a degree in manager. His task is simple: of 16, four of which he has “I have enough savvy to plined team of 30 to 40 engi- mechanical engineering. get “Harmony” ready for seen through to their launch. know you can reach for your neers and technicians at “It’s like a six entrance launch and make sure it However, despite acknowl- dreams in this country.” NASA which is involved in hallway that you can add works once it gets into space. edging a familiarity with the For the married father of the testing, integration and rooms to…It’s actually the But Chin is confident it procedures required for the a son, his dreams extend to assembly processes that will gateway to the international will. Discovery’s transporta- task, Chin said the different outer space. make “Harmony” ready for partners.” tion of “Harmony” this types of “payload” he is launch inside “Discovery’s” That “hallway” or central month, also called “STS-120”, required to deliver in proper Gordon Williams is Caribbean cargo bay on the morning of building block is 24 feet long is not the only mission Chin working order keeps the chal- Today’s managing editor. and 15 feet wide. It weighs has been involved with at lenge interesting. NASA. He has been in charge “It’s pretty routine,” he ® N.Y. reverses driver’s license policy NEW YORK – Under a policy Vehicles (DMV) will accept a change announced on Sept. 21, current foreign passport as New York State Democratic proof of identity without also Governor Eliot Spitzer says he requiring a valid year-long visa will issue driver’s licenses to or other evidence of legal Caribbean and other immi- immigration. grants without regard to immi- Spitzer said the policy, gration status. which does not require legisla- The change reverses rules tive approval, will be phased adopted four years ago under in starting in December and the previous Republican will be tied to new anti-fraud administration of George E. measures. Those measures will Pataki. Spitzer include authentication of for- That administration had eign passports and the use of made it difficult, if not impos- not prove their legal status. photo comparison technology sible, for tens of thousands of Under the new rules to ensure that no driver has immigrants to obtain driver’s announced by Spitzer, the licenses because they could state’s Department of Motor (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) Miami-Dade cop with Jamaican links wounded in shootout with suspect woman with strong flew in from Kingston, Jamaica assigned on Sept. 13 near an Jamaican ties was following the incident. Her apartment complex in Miami- Aamong four Miami- father Dennis Dalley said doc- Dade. The police said they Dade County police officers tors at Miami’s Ryder Trauma trailed Labeet, driving a red shot last month in the line of Center, Jackson Memorial Buick LaSabre, to his home duty after they tried to stop a Hospital, told him that his after they noticed he had man who was reportedly driv- daughter suffered a gunshot been driving fast. Once there, ing recklessly in South Florida. wound to her knee-cap area, Labeet reportedly fled and was Officer Jody Wright, 31, a which “literally wrecked a num- chased by the cops. Gunfire two-year veteran of the force, ber of bones.” She is expected was exchanged and the officers was hospitalized after being to undergo several surgeries, were shot. Labeet reportedly shot in the leg, reportedly by including reconstruction. took his girlfriend’s car and left Shawn Labeet, a 25-year-old Dalley said Wright was the area. Tips led police to the resident of Margate, who the saddened by the death of her condominium in Pembroke police later said they killed in friend and colleague Somohano. Pines where they said Labeet a shootout at a condominium However, he added that he was was killed in a shootout. complex in Pembroke Pines. grateful that she had survived According to Dalley, Jose Somohano, 37, who the shooting. Wright was never scared of the joined the Miami-Dade police “Thank God’s she’s alive,” possible dangers associated in 2003, died from shots the he told reporters. with her line of work. police said were fired by “(She said) ‘what is to be Labeet. Officers Tomas ENCOUNTER will be’,” Dalley explained. Tundidor, 37, and Christopher According to the police, “’I’m not afraid. I can’t go out Carlin, 34, were also wounded. the four officers were part of a there being afraid.’” Family members of Wright burglary surveillance detail ® CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 3 October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY 3 CTOct2007.qxd 10/4/07 3:49 PM Page 4 4 CARIBBEAN TODAY October 2007 www.caribbeantoday.com NEWS U.S. lists CARICOM countries Trinidadian man falsely accused of child rape sues N.Y. for $10M among major drug transit states NEW YORK – A Trinidadian there!” WASHINGTON – United “A country’s presence on major drug transit or illicit man falsely accused of raping Evelyn was cleaning the States President George W. the Majors List is not neces- drug-producing countries are an eight-year-old schoolgirl in halls of Public School 91 in the Bush has listed three Caribbean sarily an adverse reflection of placed on the list is the combi- Brooklyn has filed a $10 mil- Wingate section of Brooklyn community (CARICOM) its government’s counter-nar- nation of geographical, com- lion lawsuit against the City on Mar. 19, just as he had states among 20 worldwide as cotics efforts or level of coop- mercial, and economic factors of New York. done for nearly 20 years, when being major drug transit or illic- eration with the United that allow drugs to transit or Francis Evelyn, 58, a cus- cops dragged him out in hand- it drug-producing countries.