Letter from the Publisher

Kellie Balkissoon

Recently, one topic continues to be brought to my attention by our readers; media and how it influences young women and men today. What puzzles me however is the fact that the media affects about 95 percent of all youths in today’s society.

Media can be used in a good way and but more frequently in a bad way. It affects youths in ways I’m sure they don’t know about as yet. In schools and at home, teachers and parents are constantly stressing the importance of using the internet in safe ways. As always, not a lot of youths listen to these warnings which leads me to my advice to those who use social websites including Facebook, MSN, Twitter and Blackberry Messenger, just to name a few.

A common problem we see today, is posting any and everything on websites such as Facebook. Information such as relationship status, employer, pictures and even what they’re thinking/feeling is out in the open for the world and yes not just your friends, but the world to see. This information, which should be considered personal, becomes a free for all. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing because I do have a Facebook account but all I’m trying to say is watch what information you put on the internet because it can get into the wrong hands and you can find yourself in a lot of trouble, and this goes out to everyone not just the youths.

For example; let’s say Mary puts every detail about her life on Facebook. She has details about what’s going on between her and her family, information about her boyfriend, places she’s going to, places she’s been etc. Now let’s say Ann sees all these things and uses it against Mary, and starts rumours about Mary. For one, Ann should be minding her own business and not getting herself involved in someone else’s life. But at the same time, Mary cannot really say anything to Ann because Mary is the one that wanted to put her life out there. In simple words, if you do not want anyone to talk about your life, then keep certain things to yourself.

Now that we’ve dealt with the negative impact, let’s talk about the positive. Sometimes people put certain things on Facebook to share events in their lives with their family and friends. In some cases, family members live abroad and they want to keep in touch with loved ones or maybe it’s a way to look back at memories and reminisce on those times.

Whatever the case may be, the media can be used for both positive and negative meanings but it is up to you to use it at your best interest. Starting unnecessary conflicts are, well unnecessary. If there are certain things you don’t want the world to talk about then maybe you shouldn’t have those “friends or people” on your list. Perhaps you shouldn’t post every single item

about your life on the websites.

Another reason why youths tend to display their whole lives on Facebook is because they want the world to see how “happy” and “great” their lives are opposed to everyone else’s. They post pictures of their “friends” and where they go or what they do, and it’s really not necessary. People do this because they want to portray a certain image to everyone else.

My advice is simple: be who you are. Once you stop doing what you think everyone wants you to do and stop trying to portray a certain life, your life will change and believe me, it will change for the better. Once you start thinking about yourself, there may be certain friends who walk out of your life and

when they do, that should show you that those individuals weren’t really your friends to begin with.

I would like to end by reminding all our readers to once again look out for Caribbean Xpress’ next issue which will be right after the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival. Our staff will be covering all the biggest fetes this upcoming weekend and will be front and centre at all the biggest shows.

Our photographers will be around, so make sure you look your best for a chance to be in our next issue. Also, look out for exclusive interviews with your favourite artists. Yes Toronto, Caribbean Xpress is doing it big and I invite you all to be a part of this revamp. Caribbean Xpress: Keeping you in touch with the Caribbean.

Evil Stalks T & T

Once again we are faced with a dreadful multiple murder in our society, and what makes some of these more frightening is that, once again, this is not apparently gang or drug related, but involved a young mother and two children in the presumed sanctity of their home.

The killing of Vonetta Haynes-Reyes, and her two little boys, Malik and Makasi Reyes, in La Horquetta on Thursday seems to have no discernable motive.

We have grown sadly accustomed to a range of alleged “motives” for the murders of our women and their children.

And while we try to come to terms with these killings in the east, we also have to face up to the dread of two connected, but separate suicides in south. One of them, Rehana Nandlal was a mere child of 15, who ran away from home on Monday, and was found frothing at the mouth on the steps of a church on Tuesday. She had drunk poison, and died shortly thereafter. In her diary, Rehana had described her “love affair” with a Health and Safety Officer at her school, a married man of 52. The following day, the man, Hydar Mohammed, also drank poison and died.

It is difficult to determine which is the more tragic story gripping our now battered society. How often in this year alone have we risen up in fear, anger, and horror at the violence being perpetrated upon our women and our young children? And make no mistake about it, however little Rehana might have thought that she was in love and in a loving relationship, she was an ongoing victim of rape by an older man, who appeared to have no plans to leave his wife for this child he was abusing.

As a society we need to address two questions, even as we wonder if these
can be answered.

The first is, given the number of women murdered this year, some even burned to death by their partners, how many of our women (and indeed their children) are now living among us and facing the possibility of being murdered?

And how many of our girl children are now living in similar sexual relationships as Rehana was, with older men? And we are not considering 17 to 21-year-old boys as “older men” here. We are talking about “full men” old enough to be the fathers (and sometimes they are!) of the girls whom they are abusing.

Given the frequency of the crimes against women and children, and the ongoing disappearances of young girls — some of whom are never seen alive again, although some seem to run away from what they perceive to be overly strict parents—we are facing a frightening prospect indeed.

We all need to be aware that the next victim of violence, or of ongoing sexual abuse could be our relative or neighbour, and that among the groups of schoolgirls wending their way between school and home, could be in some sexual relationships similar to Rehana’s. These are the potential next victims of murder and suicide.

But what can we do about it? These crimes are less “preventable” by the police than are the gang killings. Police sleuthing cannot unearth the type of evils which may have caused the deaths of the Reyes family, or stopped poor little Rehana drinking poison on her own terrifying and lonely last day. It is up to us, the society rather than the police, who must carry the burden of eliminating these horrors from our lives.

compliments Newsday

Time’s up! - FIFA’s 48-hour ultimatum to CFU runs out

Mohamed bin Hammam

Acting president of the embattled Caribbean Football Union (CFU), Jamaican Captain Horace Burrell, says he expects all members yet to cooperate with FIFA’s Ethics Committee investigations into bribery allegations to comply in time to meet a 48-hour ultimatum issued by the world governing body of the sport.

FIFA has given Caribbean football leaders a last chance to explain their part in a Trinidad meeting where Mohamed bin Hammam allegedly offered them bribes, or face the possibility of life bans from football.

“All members of the CFU have agreed that they will comply with the latest FIFA order, and I expect that they will,” said Burrell, who is also president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

Football’s scandal-hit governing body sent letters Monday July 25 setting out a today deadline for CFU members to provide “truthful and complete” versions of events.

“Any person who has relevant information but does not come forward during this 48-hour period will be subject to the full range of sanctions,” FIFA said in a statement.

Of nine countries that are on record of co-operating with investigators, Burrell categorically stated that Jamaica was one of them.

“We (JFF) have co-operated with these investigations and were present at the Bahamas meetings conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who is leading the investigation on behalf of FIFA. We spoke with Mr Freeh and the meeting was respectful from both sides,” said the CONCACAF Executive Committee member.

The CFU membership had refused to meet with Freeh and his team for interviews in Miami, but some complied when the venue was switched to the less prejudicial Bahamas last month. “Some members were not able to attend for various reasons,” Burrell said yesterday.

Last month as the story unravelled about the cash-for-vote that resulted in bin Hammam being banned for life by FIFA’s ethics committee on Saturday, Burrell had defended Jamaica by declaring that “we were neither offered nor received” any gifts. He has maintained that position.

The Qatari bin Hammam was accused of offering US$40,000 cash bribes to Caribbean officials to back his later-abandoned presidential bid to unseat Sepp Blatter.

In its letter to all 25 CFU members on Monday, FIFA asked “the associations, their presidents and any of their members... (for) knowledge of anything that transpired” in Trinidad at a May 10-11 conference, which bin Hammam acknowledges that he paid for.

“Following this 48-hour period, the ethics committee will be asked to open the necessary ethics proceedings,” the FIFA correspondent said. “Truthful and complete reporting will be considered in mitigation by the ethics committee when deciding on potential sanctions,” it added. With at least nine Caribbean countries said to have co-operated with FIFA’s investigation into the bribery claims, and a 10th — Cuba — was not present in Trinidad for the controversial meet.

Of the 15 remaining CFU members, 12 wrote testimonies denying the allegations
and supporting bin Hammam and Caribbean football powerbroker Jack Warner when they first appeared before FIFA’s ethics panel in May.

Those supporters were targeted in recent weeks by FIFA investigators, led by Freeh, but some did not cooperate or did not accept invitations to be quizzed in Miami and the Bahamas last month.

The sanctions threatened by FIFA could potentially remove the Caribbean’s most experienced football leaders.

Most are longtime allies of Warner, who avoided the ethics panel’s scrutiny by resigning from all his football positions last month, including his 28-year seat on FIFA’s executive committee, and his presidencies of the CONCACAF regional confederation and the CFU.

FIFA said Warner maintained a “presumption of innocence” as he returned to his job as a government minister in his native Trinidad and Tobago. Bin Hammam denies wrongdoing and has pledged to appeal his lifetime ban.

Two CFU staffers, Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester, got one-year bans from FIFA on Saturday for their part distributing the cash payments. Meanwhile, Burrell said he is anxious to see the ugly matter laid to rest and that the CFU can return to being a united family.

“It is important to remove this cloud and return to the business of getting the family back together and focused on the business of football... it is indeed a challenging time for Caribbean football and for me to take the reins at this time, but as leaders we have to expect this kind of thing,” he ended.

Government & Labour Unions at war

After talks to avert a possible public enterprise shutdown fell apart, unions yesterday declared war on the Government, as the Prime Minister stood firm on her stance in relation to the issue of a five percent wage increase ceiling and the possible restart of negotiations from “ground zero”.

Minutes after holding more than three hours of talks at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair, Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) presidentgeneral Ancel Roget told hundreds of trade unionists gathered outside of the building that it is now war with the Government.

“Because of this event, we have to declare war,” he told the crowd comprising members of several unions and others after he emerged from the building at about 6 pm. “We are an army and we are a disciplined army.”

“War! War! War! War!” the crowd chanted in response.

Roget told workers that the talks with the Prime Minister broke down because the Prime Minister could not indicate that she would issue a directive instructing State enterprises (which fall under the remit of boards
and the Finance Ministry) to assure that there is no five percent cap in negotiations. Talks also broke down
after the Prime Minister suggested that negotiations start again from zero percent.

Roget noted the trade unions are not open to further talks unless one pre-condition is fulfilled.

“We clarified before we left exactly what is required which is again the removal of the five percent wage ceiling. Once that is not done it makes no sense to meet with them,” he said. He said the Prime Minister, in frustration, dared unions to go ahead and shut down the country and terminated the meeting after she refused to promise to issue an instruction to all State enterprises that there is no five percent ceiling.

“She said, ‘well gentlemen I cannot give that commitment so shut-down the country’ and she got up and terminated the meeting,” one source said. Roget relayed this detail to the crowd outside.

Toronto Revellers sets the stage for Caribbean Carnival

Toronto Revellers

More than 2,000 junior masqueraders bared the Toronto heat as they jumped down Jane Street in the annual Kiddies Carnival this past week. After last year’s successful event, organizers decided to move the parade onto the main road anticipating the larger turnout.

“On Shoreham Road there isn’t the room to accommodate all the spectators,” explained Junior Carnival Parade organizer Greta Best. “By moving the reviewing stand to Jane Street literally thousands and thousands of people can see the kiddies performing
their routines in front of the judges.” For the past 10 years, the bands have been judged at the start of the parade along Shoreham Drive (Black Creek Pioneer Village).

However, this year the parade started on Shoreham Drive with the review stand about half way along the route which travelled from Shoreham to Jane, ending in the parking lot of the Yorkgate Mall (Jane & Finch).

While each band had three marshals per 20 masqueraders, a panel of five volunteer judges marked each band by visual impact, authenticity, creativity, mas on the move, clarity of theme, presentation and craftsmanship.

After all the jumping and waving, Jamaal Magloire’s Toronto Revellers band took the main prize for Junior Band of the Year, beating out Dexter Seusahai’s Tribal nights and Marcus
Eustace’s Carnival Nationz, who came in a close second and third respectively.

Toronto Revellers’ Jalen Gause won the Junior Male category for his portrayal of “The Timid King” while fellow Revellers’ Anastasia La Rose won the Junior Female category for her “Good
Witch of the North” costume.

Meanwhile, Tribal Knights’ Calena Seusahai and Carnival Nationz’
Demeko Minott took home the Junior Queen of the Bands and Junior King of the Bands awards respectively.

Here are the official results:


Junior Parade of the Bands
(Band Leader, Band, Theme, Points)

• 1. Jamaal Magloire - Toronto Revellers - Welcome to Oz - 261
• 2. Dexter Seusahai - Tribal Knights - Legends - 260
• 3. Marcus Eustace - Carnival Nationz - Mythical Creatures - 259

Junior Male Individual
(Contestant, Portrayal, Band Leader/ Band, Band Theme)

• 1. Jalen Gause - The Timid King - Jamaal Magloire/Toronto Revellers . Welcome to Oz
• 2. Maven Lee - Symphony of D’ Sea - Mark Deleon/Mas Toronto - Mas in Atlantis, A Carnival Mythology
• 3. Courtney St. Louis - Guardian of the Rainforest - Dexter Seusahai/Tribal Knights - Legends

Junior Female Individual
(Contestant, Portrayal, Band Leader/ Band, Band Theme)

• 1. Anastasia La Rose - Good Witch of the North - Jamaal Magloire/Toronto Revellers - Welcome to Oz
• 2. Canisha Edwards - Lost Treasures - Dexter Seusahai/Tribal Knights - Legends
• 3. Sariah Seon - Jelly Jamboree, Shake and Wine - Mark Deleon/Mas Toronto - Mas In Atlantis, A Carnival Mythology

Junior Queen of the Bands
(Contestant, Portrayal, Band Leader/ Band, Band Theme)

• 1. Calena Seusahai - Cleopatra - Dexter Seusahai/Tribal Knights - Legends
• 2. Rebecca Martinez - Hope and Tranquility - Narisa Ali/Blues Carnival Fusion - Mirage of Drums
• 3. Shanisse Kaola Jackson - Arabian Dancer - Will Morton/Fantazia International - Come Dance With Me

Junior King of the Bands
(Contestant, Portrayal, Band Leader/ Band, Band Theme)

• 1. Demeko Minott - The Gryphon - Marcus Eustace/Carnival Nationz - Mythical Creatures
• 2. Fabion Lee - Young King Neptune - Mark Deleon/Mas Toronto - Mas in Atlantis, A Carnival Mythology
• 3. Ty Williamson - Tin Man - Jamaal Magloire/Toronto Revellers - Welcome to Oz

Toronto’s Calypso Monarch crowned

Bryan “Structure” Thornhill

Bryan “Structure” Thornhill brought a sold out crowd at the Chinese Cultural Centre’s P.C. Ho Theatre to its feet last Saturday (July 23) when he was crowned the 2011 Kaiso 365 Calypso Monarch champion.

Presented by the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes (OCPA), Structure won the hotly contested battle between the nine finalists for the fifth time with his renditions “Uprising Is First” and “Trenton Monster.”

The Barbadian-born singer, who also won the coveted People’s Choice Award, took home six other awards
including Best Lyrics, Melody, Presentation, Originality, Rendition and Humour.

Structure, who won the Calypso Monarch title in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007, took home a cash prize of $6,000 beating out five-time champion Michael “Beginner” Moore, two-time winner Pat “Pan Man Pat” McNeilly, Denise “Spice” Quammie-Alexander, Newton “Newton P” Philips, Steve “Mr.Wonderful” Clarke, inaugural champion Clieve “King Smokey” Henry, one-time winner Michael “Redman” Thomas and three-time and defending champion Eulith Tara “Macomere Fifi” Woods.

With the victory, he will represent Canada in London, U.K in next year’s Notting Hill Carnival, as part of an exchange program with the Association of British Calypsonians (ABC). As part of the program; last year’s London Calypso Monarch Alexander D’ Great made a special visit and performed several hits.

Structure, who entered the Calypso world in the 1980’s in his native home Barbados with the social commentary “Product of the Classroom,” was a regular in the yearly Pic-O-De-Crop competitions.

In 2002, after immigrating to Canada, he entered the OCPA Calypso Monarch competition and placed
second.

The Calypso Monarch competition attracts singers from across the GTA and beyond and has been held annually in Toronto for the past 30 years.

Here are the final results:

2011 Calypso Monarch Results

• Winner: Bryan “Structure” Thornhill
• 2 (tie):– Eulith “Macomere Fifi” Tara Woods (defending champion) & Pat “Pan Man Pat” McNeilly
• 4: Michael “Beginner” Moore
• 5: Denise “Spice” Quammie-Alexander
• 6: Steve “Mr. Wonderful” Clarke
• 7: (tie) Newton “Newton P” Phillips & Michael “Redman” Thomas
• 8: King Smokey – Clieve “King Smokey” Henry

Special Awards

• Best Lyrics: Structure – Trenton Monster
• Best Melody: Structure – Trenton Monster
• Best Presentation: (tie) Structure – Trenton Monster & Newton P - Old Age Pension
• Most Original Calypso: Structure – Trenton Monster
• Best Rendition: Structure – Trenton Monster
• Best Composition on a local topic: Pan Man Pat – Stop The Gravy Train

Most Humorous Calypso:

• Structure – Trenton Monster
• Best Arrangement: Michael “Skel”
• Redhead – Tackling The Issues (sung by Macomere Fifi)
• People’s Choice: Structure

Trinidad Government snubs former CL Financial boss.

Lawrence Duprey

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- The Trinidad and Tobago government has reportedly rejected a request for former CL Financial head, Lawrence Duprey, to return to his homeland to rectify the huge problems of CLICO and CL FInancial.

The government has spent billions of dollars to save the company and to pay out 14,000 policy holders.

A top government can allow a man who was responsible for the "total mess" to promote himself as saviour.

The source added, "I think Duprey is delusional. He is the last person who should be allowed back to fix a problem that he started."

Duprey, who now lives in Miami, is reported to have written Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar's administration offering his services to rectify the multibillion dollar problem that now exists with CL Financial and CLICO .

More than six weeks ago Duprey had written to Finance Minister winstion Dookeran, indicating that he would submit a plan to solee the problem, but has failed to do so.

Duprey, through his attorney Lionel Luckhoo, is requesting another 14 days to "put the deal together" , but a government source said, "If Mr Duprey has a plan, why doesn't he submit it ? The government would be happy if they could be relieved of paying out a further $12 billion. "

The source added that it is unfair to the people of Trinidad and Tobago to take one third of the national budget and pay out $12 billion to 14,000 policy holders.

The source added that forensic investigator Bob Lindquist had conducted an investigation into CLICO that was submitted to the DPP and Attorney General Anand Ramlogan .