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Opinion and Commentary

COMMENTARY

Next  Commentary: The intricacies behind the demise of the Pierre Louis government in Haiti Saturday, November 7, 2009 Michelle Duvivier Pierre Louis was dismissed by the Haitian Senate last Friday night as the prime minister of Haiti. A request was sent to the Executive to name a new Prime Minister to form a new cabinet. President Rene Preval wasted no time to name, on Saturday, Jean Max Bellerive. read more... Migration: A dirty word or a global opportunity? Friday, November 6, 2009 “Migration not infrequently gets a bad press. Negative stereotypes, portraying migrants as ‘stealing our jobs’ or ‘scrounging off the taxpayer’, abound in sections of the media and public opinion especially in time of recession”. That is the opening sentence of the United Nations Human Development Report 2009. read more... Commentary: Obama's CDC and Swine flu like Bush's FEMA and Katrina...? Friday, November 6, 2009 Over six months ago, I lamented that the Swine flu was causing more panic than pandemic. And I blamed the Obama administration for inciting much of this panic by issuing specious warnings about its deadly potential, including advisories against traveling to Mexico. I explained my lamentation by noting that... read more... Commentary: Should Rwanda be let in? Thursday, November 5, 2009 At the last Commonwealth summit in Kampala in 2007 heads of government endorsed a report that updated the rules for countries wanting to join the Commonwealth. So far the only country admitted that has no historic connection whatever with the UK or any other Commonwealth member is Mozambique. read more... Commentary: Guyana government has institutionalized torture as an instrument of law enforcement Thursday, November 5, 2009 I join Guyana’s former Attorney General, Bernard de Santos, Attorneys-at-Law Nigel Hughes, Raphael Trotman, Khemraj Ramjatan and 25 other prominent Attorneys, in strongly condemning the barbaric torture of the 14 year-old son of Ms Shirley Thomas, as well as the torture of Deonarine Rafick. read more... Commentary: Bahamas government debates a 'free' prescription drug scheme Monday, November 2, 2009 Well the FNM, not to be out done by the PLP, has taken the first step toward socialised medicine. We're told the comprehensive plan the PLP had proposed before they were voted out of office in 2007 was found by all concerned to be far too ambitious, and was bound to fail. So the FNM is introducing socialised medicine. read more... Commentary: South-South cooperation advanced by ASA Summit Tuesday, November 3, 2009 South-South cooperation advanced further when the two-day Africa-South America (ASA) summit concluded its deliberations on September 28 at Venezuela’s Margarita Island. There the leaders of the two continents issued a lengthy declaration outlining the views of the developing South. read more... Commentary: CSME jobs for you and me? Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Who says CSME does not create jobs? All one needs to do is a quick online search to discover that a whole new cottage industry has emerged. Namely: Workshops and Seminars. On any given day there is a workshop or seminar designed to educate, inform, "help the average citizen learn more about..." CSME. read more... Commentary: Law and Politics: When will we ever really learn? Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Just as I was thinking about my first article in “The New Today”, I recalled a short piece I saw in a story that said “Don’t die until you are dead”. And the part that stayed in my memory was, living out the ideals of our faith, will help us to make the right choices and asses the worth of our earthly pilgrimage. read more... Commentary: Dare To Be Great: What are you going to do when you give up? Monday, November 2, 2009 Due to the failing global economy, many persons have decided to give up on life. Whenever I encounter one of these individuals I ask them quite pointedly, “What are you going to do when you give up?” Yes, what are you really going to do? An unknown writer says “Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world. read more... Commentary: Celebrating independence between pretense and paradox Monday, November 2, 2009 What does a morally strong, successfully sustainable, independent country look like? On the 28th anniversary of Antigua and Barbuda’s independence, we are trapped between broken promises and undetected decay. This situation is made more desperate with deceiving cycles of ‘family themes’ that stop short of suicide. read more... Commentary: Cooking up a Caribbean Callaloo Saturday, October 31, 2009 CASTRIES, Saint Lucia -- This week I am in one of my favorite Caribbean destinations, the simply beautiful island of Saint Lucia - the beneficiary of the new JetBlue service which started on Monday, October 26, 2009 and will operate thrice weekly on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. read more... Commentary: The state of the state of Haiti on the eve of its election year Saturday, October 31, 2009 Next November (2010) the people of Haiti will go to the poll to elect a brand new leader. Coming January 1, the whole country will position itself into a frenzy of maneuvering and posturing to pull up or pull down each one of the candidates. If the United States is all business, Haiti is all politics. read more... Commentary: Today's world - an ugly place for CARICOM states Friday, October 30, 2009 Regrettably, the standing of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), both regionally and internationally, is now at one of its lowest points when the people of CARICOM need it to be at its strongest. The deep concern about CARICOM’s failure to fulfil the promise it has made to the people... read more... Commentary: India insists on Bollywood film about Nehru's affair with Edwina Friday, October 30, 2009 I’ve read quite a bit about the love affair that blossomed during the last days of British rule in India between Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, and Edwina, the wife of the last viceroy of the British Indian Empire, Lord Mountbatten. And nothing has been more revealing in this respect than the love letters. read more... Commentary: Restorative justice: A farfetched idea for the Caribbean? Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Recent years have found the Caribbean embroiled in the challenges of drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, rape, robbery and crimes of all sorts. Gang warfare in Jamaica and Trinidad have resulted in appalling loss of lives, damage to property and devastated the communities involved. read more... Commentary: Whale-watching is a boon to Caribbean tourism Tuesday, October 27, 2009 A study produced this year by group of independent economists located in Australia confirms that whale watching has become a boon to tourism in Central America and the Caribbean over the last ten years and is set to make a bigger contribution to the industry’s earnings. read more... Commentary: Why I embrace homosexuals' rights but accept heterosexual norms Monday, October 26, 2009 I received an invitation to explore the socially volcanic issue of homosexuality and the Caribbean community from a theological perspective. This created hot pepper disagreements and bacchanal emotions. Some felt that my firmly grounded religious background would prejudice my view. read more... Commentary: October, the cruelest month of the year in Haiti Saturday, October 24, 2009 The month of October represents for most Haitian families, the cruelest month of the year. They must choose between feeding their families and allocating their meager funds to eat for sending their children to school. The business of schooling is one of the grossest oriented sectors of the Haitian economy. read more... Commentary: Curbing racism in Britain: Censorsing the BBC not the answer Friday, October 23, 2009 Racism and xenophobia have once again emerged in British politics, driven by the very difficult economic situation in which Britain is now mired. The grim reality of racial unease in Britain and its possible consequences were highlighted by an invitation by the BBC to a convicted racist and leader. read more... Commentary: 'Insufficient evidence' to charge former TCI Premier Misick of rape Friday, October 23, 2009 On Wednesday, the Attorney General of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), Hon Kurt DeFreitas, issued a press release in which he announced that: “… there is insufficient evidence to charge [former Premier] Michael Misick with any offense in connection with a complaint of serious sexual assault..." read more... Commentary: CMAG needs to be reviewed and strengthened Tuesday, October 20, 2009 In over a month’s time fifty three heads of state representing one third of the world’s population will assemble in Trinidad and Tobago from 27-29 November to discuss wide ranging issues concerning the Commonwealth. The agenda of the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is decided... read more... Commentary: Law and Politics: 26 years ago this week - any changes? Tuesday, October 20, 2009 In the nineteen seventies and eighties, the life and times in the Caribbean were in the process of serious discussions and pending changes, as were the cases in South America and Africa. The Soviet Union was spreading its wings far and wide, and Fidel Castro in Cuba was the leading light in the Western Hemisphere. read more... Commentary: Dare To Be Great: Birds of a feather flock together! Monday, October 19, 2009 In nature, the birds of a single species do in fact frequently form flocks. Ornithologists explain this behavior as a ‘safety in numbers” tactic to reduce their risk of predation. Yes, “birds of a feather flock together” in one way it strongly suggest that people of like minds form close friendships. read more... Commentary: What is Antigua and Barbuda's agenda for the economy? Monday, October 19, 2009 When the former Minister of Finance and the Economy, Dr Errol Cort, made the point that the global economic crisis would not have any impact on the local economy, his statement was viewed as quite shocking. Given his training in economics, Dr Cort was likely being unreasonably optimistic. read more... Commentary: Selecting the attorney general for Belize and most English-speaking Caribbean countries Saturday, October 17, 2009 Under the constitution of Belize, the attorney general can only be selected in two ways. The first way is for the prime minister of Belize to recommend an elected lawyer from his party to be a member of his or her cabinet to the governor general to become a minister in his cabinet as our country’s attorney general. read more... Commentary: Barack Obama, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate! Saturday, October 17, 2009 The Nobel Peace Prize Committee did accomplish a coup last week, when unanimously it awarded the coveted Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States. No one was expecting that choice, including Barack Obama. He was as surprised and elated as everyone else. read more... Commentary: Obama's Nobel Prize: The stupidity of political bigotry Friday, October 16, 2009 Barack Obama did not ask for the Nobel Peace Prize and he was probably the most shocked person to learn that it had been awarded to him. He certainly made no secret of his surprise at the news. And, he was dignified and humble in publicly saying that he didn’t feel that he deserved to be... read more... Commentary: Children of MLK finally settle family feud Friday, October 16, 2009 For over a year I’ve been chronicling the unseemly infighting among the children of Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King Jr over everything from royalties from book deals to proceeds from the sale of Dr King’s papers. From the outset I lamented their failure to settle their differences. read more... Commentary: Legal Bytes: The making of contracts - common pitfalls you should avoid Wednesday, October 14, 2009 The law of contracts can be rather much of a conundrum to the ordinary person, who merely wishes to create a binding agreement for the purpose of enterprise or to safeguard the rights and responsibilities of parties in the ordinary course of living. They are not alone since, admittedly, it can become complex and... read more... Commentary: Sharing the benefits of economic growth in the Western Hemisphere Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Fighting poverty and inequality is a priority for governments throughout the Western Hemisphere. We are committed to lifting people out of poverty and moving them from the informal to the formal economy. On September 22 at a conference in New York, leaders from the Western Hemisphere gathered... read more... Commentary: Law and Politics: We are living in strange times! Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Listening to the news and commentaries and criticisms, about what is taking place in the wider world now-a-days, leaves one to wonder about the judgment of man’s conscience. And in listening to the response from those commentators on the CNN last week – after it was revealed that President Barack Obama... read more... Commentary: Dare to Be Great: Mama said there would be days like this! Monday, October 12, 2009 Historically mothers have always had great intuition, with and generally common sense. My late mother was a gifted overcomer with a powerful sense of dealing with the adversities of life. Whenever I am experiencing a personal or professional challenge, I refer back to my mother’s little box of “life’s instructions”. read more... Commentary: How realistic is it for the Caribbean to join the G20? Monday, October 12, 2009 In the Caribbean, schisms have opened up over such pressing issues as immigration, foreign policy agendas, borrowing from the IMF, implementation of the Caribbean Court of Justice, viability of the Caribbean Single Market Economy, and leadership clarity over regional direction. read more... Commentary: British Privy Council judges are tired of dealing with cases from Belize and the Caribbean Saturday, October 10, 2009 The headlines for the Caribbean Life newspaper, which is published in New York City, dated September 30, 2009, were: “Clean Up Carib Courts; Jurist”. This article stated that British judges who sit on the Privy Council in London have expressed their frustrations in presiding over cases that come from Caribbean countries. read more... Commentary: The Clinton Global Initiative Summit, fifth edition! Saturday, October 10, 2009 If it is September, the action is on both sides of Manhattan, New York. On the East Side, at the United Nations, the parade of presidents and chiefs of state, at the podium of the hall of the General Assembly, is most of the time serious and solemn, sometimes comical bordering on the ridiculous and once or... read more... Commentary: Who's listening when the Caribbean speaks? Friday, October 9, 2009 In Turkey, where meetings of the IMF and the World Bank were held during the week of October 4th, Caribbean Finance Ministers raised with the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, John Lipsky, their concerns about “the need for better representation and participation... read more... Commentary: Prospects for a resurgent Cuban tourism market Thursday, October 8, 2009 For almost fifty years, the United States has prohibited the vast majority of its citizens from traveling to Cuba as a part of its economic embargo on the island. However, a flood of American tourists may soon be unleashed on this forbidden island as a bipartisan coalition grows in the US Congress. read more... Commentary: No more Privy Council; take care of your own judicial mess! Friday, October 9, 2009 The failures of CARICOM have become so notorious that talking about them incites more contemptuous laughter than lawyer jokes. And there’s probably no greater monument to these failures than the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which was established in 2001 to replace the Privy Council. read more... Commentary: The notion of a secondary market for SMEs in the Caribbean Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Access to capital for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has been a consistent challenge for economies. Lack of adequate access to financing can have a serious effect on local businesses. For example, some companies borrow money for payroll. Some companies borrow money or use leverage for... read more... Next

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