But impeccable Observer sources said that the controversial diplomat will be leaving the post soon. It could not be ascertained whether Brown-Metzger had offered to leave or whether she had been told by the new People’s National Party administration that she will not be retained. It is not uncommon for heads of overseas missions to be replaced when a change of Government takes place.

The Observer has also been told that a replacement for Brown-Metzger has already been identified and that an announcement is to be made soon.

Relations between Brown-Metzger and some community leaders have been strained for most of her tenure. She has faced criticisms for her style, which critics say has prevented some members of the Jamaican community from participating in issues important to the Diaspora here.
But in a June 2011 interview, Brown-Metzger dismissed the criticisms, arguing instead that “many of them amounted to personal attacks”.

She also pointed to the inability of her office to undertake certain functions as a result of budget and staff cuts by the then Bruce Golding-led administration. Brown-Metzger, who was appointed to the board of the prestigious Penn Relays recently, worked in the private sector before her appointment as consul general.

Since the change of Government, at least one Jamaican organisation here has urged the new administration to appoint somebody “the entire Diaspora will feel comfortable with”.

According to the Jamaica National Movement (JNM), which has urged the Government along that path, it is concerned that “there seem to be a jockeying by some people who we believe are not suitable for the position”.

The JNM made the claim during a packed meeting in Brooklyn after the December 29 general election where it suggested that consultations be done if the next consul general is to be appointed from candidates here.

Source:http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Consul-general-to-NY-to-demit-office_10666477

Marks, Jamaica’s first female ambassador to the US capital, offered no further details. However, an Observer source said she tendered the resignation letter early January but has not yet received a response from the People’s National Party Government, which took office following the December 29, 2011 general election.

According to the source, Marks gave the administration three months’ notice, therefore her resignation will take effect in March.
Last night, Government ministers dodged Observer queries on the issue.
When contacted, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator A J Nicholson directed the Observer to speak with the permanent secretary in his ministry.
“You are asking the wrong person. You need to speak with the permanent secretary,” Nicholson said.

However, the acting permanent secretary, Vilma McLish, did not respond to an e-mail sent to her up to press time.
A check with the minister with responsibility for information Senator Sandrea Falconer also did not shed any further light as she said she was not aware of the matter and referred the Observer to the foreign affairs minister.

Marks is the founder and chief executive officer of the bill payment agency, Paymaster, for which she received an Observer Business Leader nomination for the year 1999.
She was sent to Washington in May 2010 by the Jamaica Labour Party Government to replace Anthony Johnson, who was dispatched to the United Kingdom as Jamaica’s High Commissioner to that country.

Johnson had replaced the former PNP Cabinet minister Burchell Whiteman as Jamaica’s top diplomat to the United Kingdom.
Prior to assuming office as ambassador, Marks served as deputy chairman of the Urban Development Corporation. She also sat on the boards of RBTT Securities Jamaica Limited, Jamaica Trade and Investment Company Limited, National Health Fund, Mona School of Business, as well as a number of private and public sector bodies.

A graduate of Immaculate Conception and Marymount High schools, Marks holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in business administration from the University of West Indies and Nova University (Florida), USA, respectively.

Source:http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Audrey-Marks-resigns_10673044

The 2012 event, April 30 – May13, will feature over fifty artists performing against diverse Saint Lucian locales, from the signature Atlantic Ocean backdrop of the Pigeon Island National Landmark, to quaint and rustic village settings like Fond D’Or in Dennery, Rudy John Beach Park in Laborie and Seaside jazz at Duty free Pointe Seraphine in the heart of Castries.

Commenting on the diverse and star-studded list of performers, Tourism Director Louis Lewis noted that much thought had gone into presenting a package that truly reflected the record 21 year history of the event. “The longevity of Saint Lucia Jazz is testament to constant innovation and determination which is warranted to ensure that as a product, Saint Lucia Jazz remains fresh and exciting, so as to sustain public appeal and visitor attraction.”

Lewis told the gathering, “2012 innovations include a reduced yet more robust jazz centric lineup reflecting pure, smooth, Caribbean and Creole jazz with touches of R&B and world musical genres, and a more cohesive grouping of supporting community-based jazz events, which continue to define Saint Lucia Jazz.”

Main stage performances get underway from May 9 to13 and are headlined by Lionel Richie, who has garnered five Grammys and 18 American Music Awards, among other accolades. Other musical heavy weights include accomplished South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela; five time Grammy winning artiste Ziggy Marley – the son of iconic reggae legend Bob Marley; jazz aficionado Joshua Redman; hit R&B song writer turned performer and soulful songstress Keri Hilson; pop and hip-hop phenom Melanie Fiona and gospel king Kirk Franklin among others. A slue of Saint Lucia’s leading musical masterminds like Luther Francois, Ronald ‘Boo’ Hinkson, Richard Payne, Derek Yarde Project and others complement the casts.

Endorsing the 2012 event, Tourism Minister Lorne Theophilus noted with delight the return of the popular ‘Opening of Jazz.’ Also overseeing the portfolio of Creative Industries, Minister Theophilus exclaimed, “There has been clarinet calls for the return of this component of the festival. For many patrons this simple, yet symbolic opening had significant meaning by aligning Saint Lucia Jazz with the average Saint Lucian, featuring Saint Lucia’s best musical talents within a festival that has become reknowned for attracting the world’s best. It is that lasting community impact, which in 2012 will touch thousands of lives in nine distinct communities across the island, which is the true legacy of this event.”

Headlining the opening of Saint Lucia Jazz set for Monday, April 30 is Trinidadian power couple Fay Ann Lyons & Bunji Garland. Scheduled for the Mindoo Phillip Park, located in what is typically referred to as the ‘Capital of Castries’, the Opening will also feature dancehall wonder Busy Signal and Saint Lucian singing sensation Teddyson John.

Saint Lucia Jazz has maintained its ranking as one of the world’s top five festivals. The festival is presented by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board and is supported by Platinum sponsor Digicel along with other Gold, Bronze and Collateral sponsors.

Source: http://www.sflcn.com/story.php?id=11260

Associate Professor of English Language and English Literature at Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, Noha Faisal Mohamed, has selected Lover’s Leap as one of two novels she proposes to discuss the subject of mixed/fixed relations. The other novel is Forbidden Quest by American writer Dar Tomlinson.

Professor Faisal Mohamed, whose proposal is presented on the conference’s website, notes that, “in Lover’s Leap, Horane Smith, drawn by his Jamaican tradition, revives the legend of Lover’s Leap. He presents Jerome, the Jamaican slave, who is secretly in love with Anita, his master’s daughter. At the same time Alice, another slave, is in love with him. He has to choose between Anita and Alice. Is he going to choose Anita or Alice, wealth or poverty, freedom or slavery?”

It is not the first time that Smith’s novel, which has just been re-released as an e-book, has caught international attention. Shortly after its publication in 1999, the late British best-selling author, John Prebble, picked up the novel at a bookstore in London, describing Smith as, “one of our best emerging writers”. In 2006, the sequel to Lover’s Leap – Dawn at Lover’s Leap – was a finalist in the USA Booknews Bestbook Award for Historical Fiction.

Smith said he was thrilled with the selection. “This is my small gift to Jamaica on the 50th anniversary of its independence. Lover’s Leap is bigger outside of Jamaica than it is back home, so the selection doesn’t surprise me. This novel has appealed to all races and cultures, hence the reason for its inclusion in this paper,” he said.
The 1999 novel tells the story of the legend of Lover’s Leap, in St. Elizabeth, where forbidden love ended in tragedy on the 1700 ft. cliff overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.

The Egyptian professor will be making a virtual presentation in English. She has conducted many researches focusing on interdisciplinary studies, feminism, ecology and sociology.
The Humanities Conference is held annually in different locations around the world. Over the past eight years, the conference has established a reputation as a focal point for new ideas and new practices in humanities research and teaching.

Smith is also the author of Port Royal, Reggae Silver, Underground to Freedom, The Lynching Stream, Seven Days in Jamaica and his latest Marooned in Nova Scotia –A story of the Jamaican Maroons in Canada.
He is the first recipient of the BURLA Award for outstanding contribution to African-Canadian and Caribbean literature, and has also been recognised among the top 100 outstanding Jamaicans by the Jamaica Diaspora Foundation Canada, for his contribution to local literature.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Jamaican-novel-selected-for-presentation-at-int-l-humanities-conference

Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley responded that the PNM’s stance was well articulated during the debate on the Constitution Amendment Capital Offences Bill in February last year. He quoted Opposition whip Marlene McDonald’s Hansard comments that the Opposition supports the death bill but wants to “do the right thing in the right way”.
Here is a look back at how the issue has transpired.

In February 2011, 11-plus years after the last hanging, the Government introduced the Bill for debate in the Parliament to remove major obstacles to the implementation of the death penalty.

Persad-Bissessar said in the House of Representatives in January of last year that the Bill “seeks to plug some of the loopholes that have been exploited and manipulated by murderers who have been properly convicted and sentenced to death according to law.”

In its first draft, the Bill categorised murders into Murder one, two and three and was intended to restrict the mandatory imposition of the death sentence to murder one including:
• A murder that is especially “heinous, atrocious or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity”;
• A murder in which the deceased was intentionally killed because of race, religion, nationality or country of origin;
• the murder of a member of the security forces acting in the execution of his duties or of a person assisting such a member;
• killing of a prison officer acting in the execution of his duties;
• the murder of a member of the security faces, prison officer, a judicial or legal officer directly attributable to the nature of his occupation;
• the murder of a witness or juror;
• Any murder committed by a person in the course of the furtherance of an arrestable offence;
• contract murders- (“murder committed pursuant to an arrangement whereby money or anything of value passes from one person to another”); and
• murders committed by bomb.

The Bill also stated that a person convicted of murder two shall suffer death—that is the same penalty for murder one—in certain circumstances.
However the Opposition disagreed with the categorisation of murders and advocated Government place a limit of 18 months for the hearing of petitions to the Human Rights Commission.

The PNM, saying that original the bill was badly drafted, also wanted a separate bill to deal with petitions to the international bills, which they said they would support.

Opposition MP Colm Imbert said the bill would abolish the death penalty.
“This Bill is so badly drafted that we on this side cannot support it because when this Bill is passed you wouldn’t be able to hang a single person in Trinidad and Tobago ever again. The first person who is charged and convicted under this new Bill will go straight to the Privy Council and have his conviction commuted to life imprisonment,” he said on February 24, 2011, adding that the bill will not meet the Pratt and Morgan standard (which imposes the five-year timetable).

Fearing the Bill would not secure the three quarter majority (32 of 41 votes) to be proclaimed as law, AG Anand Ramlogan announced the adoption of two of the PNM’s three requests; the removal of the categorisation of murders from the Bill and the introduction of the 18-month limit for the hearings of petitions to the Human Rights Commission.

On February 28, the bill was defeated after the Bill gained 29 votes for and 11 against along partisan lines and despite Persad-Bissessar’s last-minute attempts that day to meet with Rowley to arrive at a consensus. Rowley refused to meet with the PM.

The AG wrote Rowley twice in April last year and Rowley admitted Tuesday that he did not respond, saying the Opposition had no time to waste with the AG since its position was well articulated in the Hansard.

Source:http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Death_penalty_hung_up_in_House-138303604.html

Competing indoors for the first time in eight years, the 29-year-old Powell was clocked at 5.64 while Carter was just behind in 5.67.

Despite a slight mistake at the start, Powell led from start to finish to claim the marquee event in the meet that was the first in the 2012 IAAF Indoor Permit Series.

“I had a slip in the blocks but as soon as I got out, the race was over,” said Powell.

A chronic under-performer at major championships, the year will be crucial for Powell as he seeks his first ever Olympic medal at the London Olympiad.
Twenty-one year-old Jamaican Kimmari Roach finished fifth in 5.74 seconds while Antiguan Daniel Bailey was last in 5.75 seconds.
Campbell-Brown, the reigning Olympic and World 200 metres champion, joined Powell in winners’ row as she streaked to victory over her field in the women’s equivalent.

The Jamaican touched the tape in 6.08 seconds, beating American Jessica Young (6.20) into second.

“This is a step in the right direction. Now I have to get back to training. Hopefully this is a preview of what is to come,” Campbell-Brown said.

The British Virgin Islands’ Tahesia Harrigan, the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games 100 metres champion, was fourth in 6.25 seconds.

Quarter-miler Quow, meanwhile, also picked up a morale boosting win, impressively claiming the 600-yard run in a time of one minute, 11.20 seconds.

A bronze medallist at the Berlin World Championships three years ago, Quow produced a late surge with half a lap left in the trip that was just under 549 metres, to beat American Bershawn Jackson (1:11.31) into second, with Tabarie Henry of BVI finishing third in 1:11.75.

Source: http://www.stabroeknews.com/2012/sports/01/30/powell-campbell-brown-make-headlines-as-quow-sneaks-win/

Just as important is the call to keep the annual Labor Day parade that attracts more than two million revelers, spectators and vendors on Eastern Parkway. These campaigns are a form of pushback against long-standing wishes of some residents of Brooklyn who have been campaigning behind the scenes for years to relegate the spectacular phenomenon to Brooklyn’s back streets instead of maintaining it on one of Borough’s most prominent thoroughfares.

“We must do whatever is in our power to ensure both the longevity of WIADCA and the vibrancy of the carnival,” said Raymond Luke, Chairman of Sesame Flyers International, a major participant in the annual cultural extravaganza which contributes tens of millions of dollars to the City’s coffers. “It is very important to all of us to have the parade’s presence on Eastern Parkway maintained.“

Rheba Escalera, Director of Operations and Marketing of Burokeets, a prize winning costume band that puts hundreds of revelers on the Parkway every year, agreed.

“The problems WIADCA is facing need urgent attention and the prospects for change following the resignation of board members would be a good thing for both the organization and the carnival,” she told Carib News. “But what’s clear is that the festival is important, vital, to people from the Caribbean who constitute an important part of economic and social landscape of New York City, especially in Brooklyn. We must ensure that it remains on the Parkway because if it is no longer there as some City police officers would like to see occur, we would never be able to get it back.”

The turmoil erupted recently when nine of the 17 board members departed from the leadership. While Yolanda Lezama-Clarke, who resigned several weeks ago as WIADCA’s president but remains on the board insisted that they resigned, some of them are contending that they merely stepped off the Board because their terms had expired.

“They resigned,” said Lezama-Clarke, daughter of the revered founder of the festival, the late Carlos Lezama-Clarke.

Luke, Sesame Flyers International Chairman, put it differently.

“I was informed by some members with whom I am in touch that they didn’t resign as such but left when their terms of office expired, awaiting an election of officers,” he said. “But whether they resigned or left otherwise what’s crucial is that the problems, including the financial situation facing WIADCA are resolved and the parade remains where it has been for years. Carnival is vital to our community and to the City and it must not only stay but be given every opportunity to expand.”

Efforts to reach several of the board executives who have left and are involved in the controversy were unsuccessful. Calls to them went unanswered or in one case, the former member declined to comment.

In an interview, Yolanda Lezama-Clarke told Carib News that the organization’s goal was to elect a new board and give a voice to the costume and steel bands which were at the heart of the festival’s success. They were also hoping, she added, to bring new members into the organization so that Jamaicans, Haitians, Guyanese, Trinidadians, Grenadians, Barbadians are other national groups in the City would be able to bring diversity to the body and make it more representative of the community.

“We want to bring more diversity to the board and the memberships,” was the way she put it.

Anthony Hinds, Chairman of the National Alliance of Steel Pan, whose members have been participating in the Brooklyn carnival for decades, lent his voice to the chorus calling for change in WIADCA while backing the campaign to keep the festival going. He said that providing both the costume and steel pans with representation on WIDCA’s board was essential.

“The steel pans helped to build carnival over the years and we believe it would be a step in the right direction for both the steel and costume bands to be included on the board,” Hinds said. “We want change on the board and expanded membership to bring people with fresh ideas to the table. We must keep the carnival on the Parkway because that’s where it belongs.”

Like Sesame Flyers and Burokeets, the Steel Pan Alliance members are owed their prize money won in the 2011 carnival but which hasn’t been paid because of WIADCA’s financial woes. In all, the Association acknowledges owing $160,000 in prizes.

“We are disappointed that we haven’t been able to receive our prizes but we are determined to keep carnival alive on the Parkway,” said Hinds.

Dr. Lemuel Stanislaus, a retired dentist and former Grenada Ambassador to the United Nations who is perhaps the oldest living member of WIADCA, said that the current troubles were disturbing but not exactly new, explaining that more than 30 years ago the organization faced an intense internal battle but it was able to solve the problem.

“It’s a matter of history repeating itself. The carnival is well-established and it’s a good thing for the community and the City,” said Dr. Stanislaus, an honorary WIADCA board member. “It’s good for our culture and our Caribbean residents. That’s why we must have a meeting of minds to resolve this unfortunate development. If a meeting is called I would attend. When the impasse arose 30 years ago with some people trying to take over the Association, then Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm brought all parties together and we found common cause which has kept the carnival alive. As a result of the Congresswoman’s intervention we were able, for instance, to get the carnival panorama steel competition into the Brooklyn Museum and have the Sunday celebration which is still ongoing. I am not simply blaming outside forces for the problems today but some of our members who have not and are not acting wisely. This is a reflection of the crab in the barrel mentality which has affected us negatively for many years. We have to be careful that we don’t breakup a well-established entity. It would be to our detriment.”

Hazra Ali, a prominent member of the Trinidadian and Caribbean communities, said that as far back as 2003, a City-funded study of carnival’s impact had not showed the festival’s positive results, especially its financial benefits but had recommended several key steps to improve it.

“Unfortunately, almost a decade later the recommendations were not implemented but now we are hearing that it’s WIADCA’s intention to introduce some of them, including giving the costume bands and steel pans a role on the board,” Ali said. “If the current turmoil results in those recommendations being introduced then change in WIADCA would be a good thing.”

As in the case of Ali, Escalara would welcome changes, contending that the board and the Association needed professionals who could help market the carnival and assist in undertaking an aggressive fund-raising campaign.

“What’s also required is more transparency,” she insisted.

Source:http://nycaribnews.com/news.php?viewStory=1644

The fast ferry Pinar del Río will operate the new service between Florida and The Bahamas, which completes the 76-mile crossing in two and a half hours. Baleària Bahamas Express operates on a daily basis, except on Wednesdays, departing from Fort Lauderdale at 10:00 and returning at 19:30, allowing US passengers to take day trips to Grand Bahama.

The president of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, highlighted the potential of this area of the Caribbean and explained that it complements the routes which the company operates in the Mediterranean. Utor also pointed out that there is a market of over 200,000 passengers per year on this new route, adding that the company is also working on opening another connection to the island of Bimini, also in The Bahamas.

He also stated that, despite the fact that at present the company only transports passengers, Baleària’s aim for the future is to bring to the United States the mixed route model (passengers, vehicles and cargo) that the shipping company uses in Spain.

Baleària has invested 4 million Euros in the launching of this new route.

“The Bahamas Express service provides an important link between South Florida and The Bahamas,” said David Johnson, director general of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. “It is an affordable and easily accessible option that appeals to a variety of travelers, particularly families and for those seeking a relaxing and hassle free route to The Bahamas. We look forward to treating guests to our Bahamian hospitality, whether coming for a day or staying for a week.”

The Pinar del Río, which travels at a speed of 32 knots, has a capacity to hold up to 463 passengers. Furthermore, the ship boasts different services such as a bar-cafeteria, duty free shop and tourist class and first class accommodation, among others.

Fares start at $49 per person one-way, based on a roundtrip purchase.

The Bahamas Express service was officially launched on Tuesday with a ceremonial exchange of plaques in Port Everglades.

Source:http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Fast-ferry-service-begins-operating-between-Florida-and-The-Bahamas-9249.html

Morgan is accused of conspiring to sell more than 350 pounds of ganja after he was held leaving a house in the Bronx with 25 pounds of ganja.
The case was dropped in the Bronx Supreme Court after the indictment was filed by the Federal Government charging him with distribution and possession of marijuana.

The report said court records show Morgan’s defence lawyer has been negotiating a possible plea deal.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Feds-take-over-drug-case-against-Denroy-Morgan-

The solar company said the programme, to be built in Jamaica, will cost in the region of CDN$450 million (US$444.2 million).

When completed, the farm will “enhance and improve the nation’s energy infrastructure, as well as serve as a beacon to attract additional investment in the ICT (Information Communications Technology) and greentech sectors”.

Solamon’s senior vice-president, Ainsley Brown, said the farm would represent one of the region’s first strategic private-public partnerships.

“In order to implement a solution of this magnitude, several parishes are being considered as future homes of one of three 50-acre plots that, when conjoined, will provide the Jamaican people with 60MW of clean electricity,” he said.

“This programme represents a comprehensive approach to renewable energy development, energy diversification, job creation and training for the 21st century,” Brown said.

He added: “Its success will necessitate a level-headed and like-minded approach at the table, as we are offering to tackle and deal with all elements of risk co-operatively and openly examine the implications of carbon credits, fuel or foreign exchange savings, in order to share the greater benefits of solar with our partners and the communities they serve over the lifetime of this deal.”

Brown said the mega-project would create many new jobs for Jamaicans, and with the completion of a requisite light manufacturing plant, will establish the island as a “bona fide greentech hub.”

Employee training

In addition to generating solar electricity and, thereby, reducing for future generations of Jamaicans an “imposing reliance” on fossil fuels, he said the new revenue from the sale of carbon credits will be directed towards establishing employee training and certification programmes, “required to build this and many other similar facilities across the Caribbean”.

“I believe the utility should not be the only one to benefit from the nation going green,” Brown said.

“JPS, as it currently stands, benefits from green initiatives, from not having to produce that energy, as well as the fuel-saving and foreign exchange saving, without passing anything on to the green investor or the customer at large,” he said.

The company said it is “excited” to deliver turnkey power plants using renewable solar energy as a resource to Caribbean and Central American countries, and develop mutually beneficial and long-term relationships around the world.

Source:http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120126/business/business5.html