BlackBlack - BrightBrightStimulates - Educates - Motivates

Issue 26

CAMPAIGN TO STAMP

OUT UNFAIR TAX

How to be rich:

our 10-point guide

Great quotes by great ladies

DUAL PASSPORT PROBLEM

Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week (EMCAW)

11th July - 17th July 2011

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I saw the advertisement – “polling clerks wanted” – remunera-tion was £160, and thought ahh! Easy money! I had votedbefore, seen the clerks sitting doing nothing apart from takingmy name and ticking it off, sending me off to the booth andwatching me put the ballot in the box – anyone could do that Ithought – what a doddle. The deadline had passed but Ienquired how I could get my name on the roster. I wrote tothe person who had sent out the email and asked her to put myname down; she emailed me an application form and asked meto send it back as soon as possible. She told me they wereover-subscribed but I completed the forms anyway and gotthem signed off by my supervisor and mailed them off.

With only a fortnight before polling day, I got a call asking if Icould be available for the training and polling day. I confirmedI could be. I was excited - I hadn’t cancelled the annual leaveI had booked in anticipation of being called, so I was able toattend the mandatory training and carry out the polling clerkrole, with little disruption.

I got the confirmation letter in the post the following day. Ihad to arrive at the polling station at 6am in the morning, andfinish at 10pm in the evening. This was going to be a long day.I was provided with the name of my presiding officer and hertelephone number just in case I needed to know anything. Iwanted to know if there were parking facilities and when wewere allowed breaks so I called her up – there were no breaks..no lunch breaks, no morning breaks, unless of course it wasextremely quiet and then it was still at the discretion of the pre-siding officer. £160 for 16 hours it was a long time – but I wasup for the challenge.

I attended the training and on the night before I set my alarmfor 5:00 am, made myself some ham sandwiches and set offwhen the alarm went off in the morning.

I arrived at 6:00 am to an almost empty church. The caretakerwas there looking bright and cheerful and a fellow polling clerkwas putting up the stands in preparation. It wasn’t long afterthe presiding officer arrived, and I knew from the area (dense-ly populated Asian community) that we were in for a busy day.I mentioned it to the presiding officer who scoffed it off in dis-abelief!

I was right though - from the time we opened the doors (andeven before we opened them, we had voters asking what timethey could come in), and streams of eager voters throughoutthe day into the evening – sometimes the queue was a quarterof a mile long!

As each voter came, I, personally, had to find his/her name onthe electoral register, match the address, ensure the informa-tion was corroborated by the information on the polling card,and then ascertain whether they were 1) eligible to vote 2) ifeligible to vote whether they were also entitled to vote for thereferendum or 3) unable to vote at all because they were notregistered. Not only that, my colleague could not give themany ballot or referendum sheet, each ballot paper was num-bered consecutively, and each referendum sheet was similarlynumbered, and the ballot/referendum sheet had to go next tothe correct name/electoral number. This procedure workedwell when they were eligible for both sheets, but when theycouldn’t vote for the referendum because they were not Britishsubjects, it upset the numbering system - it took due diligenceto make sure that we had the correct names (and so manynames were similar!) against the correct numbered ballot/ref-erendum sheets, and if we were unable to make them tally, wewould be unable to go home until we did – even if it took usuntil 4 am! On top of having to concentrate so strenuously onmatching figures, we had to make sure that there was no com-munication between the voters (and with so many elderlyfemale Asians not speaking English, and being escorted bytheir male counterparts, it wasn’t easy!). We also had to makesure that voters put their choices paper in the ballot box (whichhad been checked empty beforehand, locked and tagged) andthat they didn’t pop their electoral card in there by mistake,and that they left the building if they were not voting. Duringall of these, we had aggressors, insisters, those that did notspeak any English, and those who did not understand why theycould not help members of their family to vote. Needless tosay, no easy task!

It was approaching mid-day and I had not used the bathroom,but I had been able to sip on a bottle of energizing drinkthroughout the morning. I had my ham sandwiches but wasworried about taking them out and eating them when ham wastaboo in most Asian communities. Wid hunga a kill me, I hidmy container under the desk on my knee, and crammed largebits of the ham sandwiches into my mouth during those scarcemoments when there was no-one coming through the door,and only those standing at the ballot stand, hoping that thecontents could not be deciphered from a distance.

As people streamed through the door, I realised the necessityof good teamwork. My colleague was an excellent mathemati-cian, so he infuriatingly kept a tight reign on the numbers byconstantly telling me to stop processing the voters so quickly,but it paid off. We closed the door at 10’oclock, registered 983voters and managed to balance the numbers by 10:20p.m. Imanaged to use the toilet; I managed to eat a couple ofbananas, but apart from that, there was no break. At the end ofthe evening, I said never again – I was knackered. It was fortu-nate that our polling station was busy – I was on a roll, and atthe end of it I felt accomplished. It was a remarkable feat, oneI would probably repeat in a year’s time!!

A Role of a Polling ClerkEditorialBy Myrna Loy

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1A Role of a Polling Clerk

Editorial

3Subject: Mubarak’s Corrupt Fortune

4Glass Ceiling Keeping Black Staff From Top

Social Care Jobs

Daniel Lombard

5Keep The Faith

Carl Foster

7Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week

Madhu Agarwal

8Race Bias In Cancer

Abi Ajose-Adeogun/Marina Raime

9Did You Know...

11Campaign To Stamp Out Unfair Tax

Sylbourne Sydial

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Money Worries

13How To Be Rich: our 10-point guide

Chris Torney

15Great Quotes by Great Ladies

The Shoebox

16Update on Falmouth -

Royal Caribbean’s Allure Of The Ses

17Dual Passport Problem

A Caribbean Journal Editorial

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SUBJECT: MUBARAK'S CORRUPT FORTUNE

Dear friends,

Mubarak is out - but he may take unimaginablewealth out with him. Estimates of his stolen fortunerange as high as $70 billion, more than a third of theentire Egyptian economy.

Time is running out for world governments to freezeMubarak’s assets before they disappear into a maze ofobscure bank accounts - like so many other dictator'sstolen fortunes. Switzerland has already frozen hisfinances, and some EU ministers have offered help - butwithout an immediate global outcry, action may come tooslowly to stop the Mubarak billions from vanishing.

Let's call on leaders of all nations to ensure that Egypt'smoney is returned to the people. Our petition will bedelivered, if we reach 500,000 signatures, to G20 financeministers when they meet this Friday in Paris. Let's addour names now and spread the word!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/mubaraks_fortune/?vl

Millions of Egyptians live on less than $2 per day -- yetexperts say that corruption costs Egypt more than $6billion in public money per year. The Mubaraks them-selves have benefited massively from a web of businessdeals, crony-capitalist privatization schemes, and state-guaranteed investments throughout Mubarak's 30 yearsas president. Estimates of their wealth run from a "mere"$2-3 billion to the staggering $70 billion figure, whichwould make Hosni Mubarak the world's richest man. And25 senior government officials are already underinvestigation for amassing fortunes above $1 billionwhile serving under him.

But the days may finally be over when corrupt rulers canescape with their fortunes intact. The new United NationsConvention Against Corruption explicitly calls for thereturn of corruptly-gained assets to the countries oforigin, and Egypt's military government has alreadyasked European Union governments to freezeMubarak's fortune. The key question now is whetheraction will come fast enough: all the laws in the worldwon't help if the Mubarak billions are shuffled out of sightbefore authorities can seize them.

Our voices as citizens can help the people of Egyptmake good on the promise of their revolution. Jointhe call for Egyptian wealth to go back to the people ofEgypt:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/mubaraks_fortune/?vl

As millions of Egyptians risked -- and even gave -- theirlives for democracy, there was little that we around theworld could do beyond send our hopes and solidarity. Butnow we have a special responsibility: to do our utmost torestore the national property stolen by a dictatorship thatour own governments tolerated for far too long.

The people of Egypt are ready now to build a new nation.Let's ensure that they regain the resources that weretaken from them, as they create the future that few daredto dream possible.

With hope,Ben, Alex, Ricken, Mia, Rewan, David and the wholeAvaaz team

SOURCES

Washington Post: "Egyptians focus their attention on recovering the nation's money"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/12/AR2011021203767.html

Egypt's Mubarak Likely to Retain Vast Wealth; Mubarak Family May Have as Much as $70 Billion Stashed Away,Experts Estimatehttp://abcnews.go.com/Business/egypt-mubarak-family-accumulated-wealth-days-military/story?id=12821073

Seize Money Stolen by Mubarak and Return it to Egypthttp://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20Editorials/2011/February/15%20o/Seize%20Money%20Stolen%20by%20Mubarak%20a

nd%20Return%20it%20to%20Egypt%20By%20Paul%20Dunk.htm

EU Yet To Agree Action On Egypt Asset Requestshttp://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201102151027dowjonesdjonline000253&title=ecofineu-

yet-to-agree-action-on-egypt-asset-requests

The United Nations Convention Against Corruptionhttp://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CAC/convention-highlights.html#Asset_recovery

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Glass ceiling keeping black staff from top social care jobs

Daniel LombardWednesday 02 March 2011 16:06

Council chiefs have been urged to remove a glass ceiling holding back black and Asian social care workersfrom promotion after it emerged just 2.5% of social services directors are from ethnic minorities.

Just four of the 152 directors of adult social services in England are believed to be from ethnic minority back-grounds, compared to 17% of registered social workers, according to Association of Directors of SocialServices statistics. The Association of Directors of Children's Services said it kept no data on the issue.

People from ethnic minorities make up 12% of the population in England, according to the Office of NationalStatistics, showing how frontline social work is over-represented by people from non-white backgrounds.

But the Race Equality Foundation, which works to promote racial equality in health and social care, said theunder-representation at senior management level dated back to the 1970s.

Despite efforts over the last 10-15 years, many councils have lost the impetus to promote equality throughsenior appointments, according to Jabeer Butt, deputy chief executive of the foundation "Councillors anddirectors need to change their mindsets when hiring people to senior positions," he added.

A national programme supporting ethnic minority staff in social care to gain promotions, Get Ahead, deliveredby the Improvement and Development Agency, closed in 2010 after four years when funding ran out.

Former social care director Roy Taylor, who is leading Adass's response to the issue, admitted local authori-ties were in danger of appearing out of touch with service users from different cultures. He is planning anevent later this year to discuss solutions, bringing together recruitment agencies and managers.

"If you have a senior management team which is overwhelmingly white, BME service users will not feel full ofconfidence that their needs will be met," he said.

Butt added that a lack of leader-ship in promoting diversity in socialcare was resulting in a poor stan-dard of care for some people fromethnic minorities. "You get pocketsof good practice but this is depend-ent on individuals and teams,rather than across the local author-ity - but this picture was identifiedas far back as 1977."

Barriers for progression includediversity falling off the agenda inthe current round of public spend-ing cuts, and a lack of "champions"raising awareness of the issue,according to Taylor.

But added that BME managerswere being excluded from net-works of senior councillors andexecutives responsible for appoint-ments.

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KEEP THE FAITH by Carl Foster

In the current climate of world recessions, high costof living and job cuts, fuel costs and house pricesrising every year, you may feel like throwing in thetowel and giving up on the good life. The idea ofsuccess seems like a distant dream and a distantmemory. The temptation to follow the crowd and dowhat everyone else is doing may seem a desirableoption. All though these may be challenging times,one thing is for sure there are still people winning inthis world. The dreamer lives on. There is still roomto dream. No matter how bad it gets you can stillwin. In the 1930's America suffered a great depres-sion of which brought suffering and hardship ontomillions of people. People lost their jobs and theirlives. They saw no hope and no way out. It wasinconceivable to even think of success in those con-ditions, but sure enough during the great depressionthere were still people winning, there was still peo-ple making money and living the dream. Such peo-ple as:

1) Henry Ford (Ford car motor company)2) Luther Burbank (World famous scientist)3) John D. Rockefeller (Inventor)4) Andrew Carnegie (multimillionaire) 5) Napoleon Hill (author writer and philosopher)

Napoleon Hill once “said anything the human mindcan believe, the human mind can achieve“.

The power of faith. The dream was still alive just alittle dusty, but the dream was still here. In life welive by the law of polarity: Polarity is a point of viewand your level of awareness.

For example for every up there is a down, for everyright there is a left. For every back there's a front.There are some people wining, there are some peo-ple lousing. There are some people living, there aresome people dying, there are some people working,there are some people out of work. Rich or poorthese are the laws of POLARITY. Depending onyour mind set if ever positive or negative, his will

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determine which group you will fall into. POLARITY states that there is always opportunity no matter howbad it gets. It just depends on your level of awareness. If you have a prosperity consciousness you will seeopportunity for success in all situations and if you have a poverty consciousness you will see lack of oppor-tunity and limitations. The world will seem like a dark and empty place to you. The dynamics of prosperityare always there, which means the opportunity for happiness and success is all ways there too.

The great 18th century philosopher James Alan once said: Man is made or unmade by himself. Asa beings of power and the masters of his thoughts. Man holds the key to every situation and con-tains within himself the transforming and regeneration agency by which he may make himself thathe wills.

As human beings we are natural born survivors and creators. When one resource dries up we find newresources, new solutions and new opportunities. We have a mind that is so powerful it has the answers toall things possible. We need not worry as one thing is for sure, we will succeed and overcome our chal-lenges and obstacles. In fact we will grow stronger than ever. We will think and create new ideas, new jobs,new inventions, new inventions, new technology and new ways of living. When one thing ends another iscreated that’s polarity. That’s the law. There are always positive conditions and negative conditions sideby side. Despite the media and wide spread fear for loss of jobs. There are millions of people right nowhappy as ever and living out their dreams. They are enjoying their life as they see it.

The rich and famous hold dear to their dreams and never give up despite a forever changing world. Intoday’s current climate despite recession and job cuts there are many successful people enjoying greatwealth and fulfilment such people as:

1) Richard Branson (Multi millionaire)2) Allan Sugar (Multimillionaire) 3)Oprah Winfrey (Actress, talk show host and multimil-

lionaire) 4) Simon Cowell ( Creator of X factor, reality show and

multimillionaire)5) Katie Price aka Jordan (Model and multimillionaire) 6) Donald Trump (Multimillionaire)

You need never give up on your dreams as you can win too. Your success is important to us all, as yoursuccess may be an idea that could change the world for the better. Your success could be the solution:Let’s take a look at the dreams of the past that came true and changed the world and made human lifemore comfortable for us: A house, the motor car, the phone, the aeroplane, the train, buildings, great cities,Sky scrapers, ships and boats, Radio, television, the phone, the computer, the internet, the mobile phone,all these dreams that came true and many more have changed the world for the better. These creationsseemed impossible in the beginning but somebody was persistent and what is sure someone kept the faith.That’s why your success in life is important as your ideas, your goals and dreams may change the worldfor better too. You see it’s all connected success is important to us all in one way or another. Are you seri-

ous about your dreams? How serious are you? Doyou want a happy and successful life? Freedom,love life, happiness, great health and wealth. It’s upto you. You hold the key to your new life. Your suc-cess is buried deep in your subconscious mind,with all the answers you need to succeed.

Earl Nightingale from Greatest Secret said: All youneed is a purpose and FAITH.

Understand you hold the key to your dreams.KEEP THE FAITH. Your success begins now. You can win

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Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week(EMCAW)

11th July - 17th July 2011

Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week (EMCAW) waslaunched by Cancer Equality in 2008. That year saw theestablishment of the EMCAW Alliance, comprised oforganisations such as The Afiya Trust, Cancer Equality,and ACLT as well as national cancer charities includingMacmillan, Breast Cancer Care, The Prostate Cancer

Charity and bowel cancer charities.

Why EMCAW is importantCancer affects 1 in 3 people; it is an important issue foreveryone. However, awareness of cancer and uptake ofcancer services may be lower among black and minorityethnic (BME) communities. In some cases, diagnosesare made when the disease is more advanced, leading topoorer survival. Research suggests that some cancersare more common among particular communities. Forexample, African Caribbean men are three times morelikely to develop prostate cancer than white men of thesame age; mouth cancer is more common in South Asiancommunities, and liver cancer is more common in

Bangladeshi and Chinese communities.

What happens during EMCAWThe aim of EMCAW is to encourage community organi-sations and health and social care professionals toorganise events to raise cancer awareness in BME com-munities. The focus is on early detection, highlightingsigns and symptoms of cancer and raising awareness ofand encouraging the take up of cancer services.

The events can be large or small ranging from confer-ences, information sessions or part of other events suchas melas or health fairs. The Alliance supports events byproviding resources including leaflets, posters, speakersand publicity. A resource pack has been produced which

gives ideas for organising events.

EMCAW Grants Programme 2011This year the EMCAW alliance is pleased to announcean exciting new grants programme to support organisa-tions holding events during EMCAW. Groups can applyfor a grant of up to £250 to help with organising an event.Please see the attached information about the fund andan application form.

For further information please visit www.emcaw.co.uk,email info@cancerequality.org.uk or

telephone 020 7735 7888

Your awareness eventApplying for a grant is optional and has restrictions. Evenif you are not eligible for a grant you can still organise anEMCAW event. You can find leaflets and posters atwww.emcaw.co.uk that you can order to give out at yourevent. We will publicise your event on the EMCAW web-site, so please send us the details of the event, using theorder form, so that we can include it.

Please can you circulate this information through anynetworks and contacts who may interested in taking part.

Some past EMCAW events“Breast Cancer Care’s Breast Health Promotion Team

ran an information session on breast awareness and

screening, to promote early detection of breast cancer.

We took publications that are specially produced to be

accessible to different communities. Our attendees were

members of the public, community workers, faith groups

and healthcare professionals. It was as useful an event

for us as it was for the attendees – we learnt more about

communicating with different groups, while they went

away with a better knowledge of breast awareness. The

feedback was great; it was a really valuable event and

well worth doing again.”

“Debbie Marais and the Oswestry 'Knit and Natter' group

raised money and awareness for EMCAW and Beating

Bowel Cancer in 2010 by having a coffee morning and

selling their wonderful knitted items. The theme was tea

party treats!”

“Bowel Cancer UK organised a bowel cancer awareness

day at the Dominion Community Centre in Southall, and

invited members of the local South Asian community to

come along. We advertised it on radio and in the local

paper, and we put flyers and leaflets in the shops, and

also in the temples in the town centre. More than 100

people attended and a local restaurant provided the

food. We had speakers and showed a film about bowel

cancer symptoms, risks, screening and prevention.

Everyone really enjoyed it – particularly the food – and

they went home more knowledgeable about bowel can-

cer.”

Many thanks foryour support,

Madhu AgarwalChair of CancerEquality, on behalf of

EMCAW Alliance

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This article shows how diagnosis and treatment of arange of conditions are still based on the assump-tion that outcomes based on white patients v expe-riences, is the standard 'source of data', rather thanalso looking at or considering racial and ethnicitytrends as part of such research. The consequenceof this 'blinkered' approach is made quite clear in thearticle below for Black/BME women

RACE BIAS IN CANCER 'COSTING LIVES'VIEWPOINT By Abi Ajose-Adeogun and MarinaRaime

Better Days Cancer Care

Each day around 125 women are diagnosed withbreast cancer, but are they all getting the samechances?

In this week's Scrubbing Up, biochemist Abi Ajose-Adeogun from Better Days Cancer Care - a cancercharity for African Caribbean women - and itsfounder, Marina Raime, argue that black women aregetting a raw deal.

They say black women with breast cancer sufferfrom higher death rates and that research carriedout mainly on white women can produce skeweddata.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affectingwomen in the UK with approximately 40,000 newcases diagnosed each year.

For many years the "face of breast cancer" hasbeen that of white middle class women, who havebeen used to illustrate posters and be in adverts.

The lack of any other ethnic image has led to theperception, by many, that other ethnic groups partic-ularly black women are not at significant risk ofdeveloping breast cancer.

And this emphasis on white women may have costlives.

Research has continued to focus primarily on whitewomen, leaving unearthed for many years theeffects of breast cancer on different ethnic groups.

Only in the last few years have studies demonstrat-ed that there are significant differences in the biolo-gy and epidemiology of breast cancer in blackwomen.

Continue reading the main story...

Start Quote ”Black women develop breast cancer onaverage 10 to 20 years younger”

End Quote ‘’Abi Ajose-Adeogun and Marina RaimeBetter Days Cancer Care’’

But the lack of focus on this area has meant that theoutcome for black women diagnosed with breastcancer in the UK is worse than their white counter-parts leading to an inequality in survival rates.

In the UK, only a handful of studies have been con-ducted looking at black women and breast cancer.

These studies have confirmed the results of the vastnumber of studies conducted in the US on African-American women.

They demonstrated that black women developbreast cancer on average 10-20 years younger thanwhite women.

In addition to this, a significant number of blackwomen develop a more aggressive form of breastcancer. The upside for black women is that they areless at risk of developing breast cancer but for thosethat do develop breast cancer the outlook is worsethan their white counterparts.

These differences - the younger age of onset andthe more aggressive nature of the cancer - canreduce the chances of survival. And to make mat-ters worse many of the younger women tend to bemisdiagnosed and/or diagnosed late.

Breast cancer facts:• Breast cancer is now the most common can-cer in the UK• In the UK in 2007 almost 45,700 womenwere diagnosed with breast cancer, that's around125 women a day• 277 men in the UK were diagnosed withbreast cancer in 2007

In addition, as a result of research being based onwhite women the breast cancer screening age wasset at 50, which, based on the younger age of onsetof disease, is too high for black women.

Also the misconception by black women themselvesthat they are not at risk of developing breast canceralso leads to delayed diagnosis.

But unless we want more unnecessary deaths wemust correct the balance by lowering the screeningage for black women; ensuring more balance by

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lowering the screening age for black women; ensur-ing more research is conducted; introducing healtheducation programmes to raise awareness of thesigns, symptoms and risk factors of breast cancer;and supporting programmes to eliminate the barri-ers that black women face when accessing breasthealth services.

Your commentsAll care is based on the bog standard 'white' male -women of different races are ignored and womenare ignored generally in non-sex specific cases. It isas if people cannot see differences make a differ-ence. I am mixed race and don't know how it willaffect me - and I have lost so many Asian and Blackfriends with breast and other female cancers - itcannot be accidental. The researchers themselvesneed to change - they need to become not exclu-sively white males but represent actual ability, peo-ple should not be hired because they come from thesame white male background as they are now - menare hired "on the nod" and such men simply cannot"see" women or black or Asian people. Katy Charles, London

This is a particular instance of something more gen-eral; we know of a great many factors which predis-pose to breast cancer, but this information (apartfrom family history) is not being used to identify andhelp the women most at risk. In Germany, women intheir 40s get a check-up every year with a specialistdoctor. Helen, Bristol

This is a very important article, and on a very impor-tant subject. Doctors have known for years thatthere are important differences between races, andthis is the latest to add to the list (diabetes liklihood,alcohol tolerance etc), but the problem is how tosquare the circle of known risks against the political-ly correct brigade who deny such differences, andclaim that race is only a social construct? Breastcancer screening is in fact based on a radiation ben-efit ratio, not cost, but suppose that anaysis were toshow that the screening should be different for blackwomen, either earlier because of age as above, oravoided completely because of the lower rate of dis-ease and higher radiation sensitivity in yougerwomen making it more likely to kill than cure. Wecan all imagine the headlines - "special treatment forblack women" or "black women denied the samerights as white" - all of which would miss the trueunderlying medical differences. And that's all beforewe start to consider sub-groups, mixed-race, and allthe other issues around racial categorisation. Dr Dave Harvey, Swansea

The same applies to prostate cancer, by the way.And, now I've searched, lung cancer. And with a lit-tle further searching, it seems that many types ofcancers have mortality rates that favour caucasians(skin cancers seem to be exceptions). Eddie Dubourg, Lothians

Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11492960

DID YOU KNOW…....Bill Cosby slammed Trump on the Today Showregarding his ridiculous actions and remarks about ourPresident.

Lawrence O’Donnell the host of the Last Word a pro-gram on MSNBC noted tonight the ratings for TheCelebrity Apprentice have been dropping since Cosbyslammed Trump and also because of the statements hemade regarding Obama. Also, NBC the station that tele-vise the Celebrity Apprentice will decide whether or notto pick the show up for another season. The date NBCdecides to pick up the show for another season is May16th. Let's band together and show Trump he's not asgreat as he think he is. I am pleading with each of you toforward this email to all in your address book and askthem to forward it to everyone they know. We shouldalso boycott his casinos, hotels, etc., anything withTrumps name on it. This man does not respect ourPresident so let's show him just how important he's not.Trump needs to pay for his outrageous antics.

_ _ _ _ _

....GAMAL ABDUL NASSERGamal Abdul Nasser was a Egyptian revolutionist thatsuccessfully drove British out of his country after 72years of rule, under his presidency Egypt came out ofintense poverty to prosperity, he became famous allaround the Arab Peninsula after standing firm againstWestern domination.

Even after his death, he is still remembered by Muslimsas a man who stood up to Western Dominance and leadhis country from a poor slaved British Colony to a FreeProgressing Nation. Even his harshest critics whoaccuse him of turning Egypt into a police state with con-trolled rule, censorship, still beyond doubt see him asthe foremost Arab leader, who restored Arab dignityafter the long humiliation of Western domination.

_ _ _ _ _

…A bad attitude will take you...further than you want togo...keep you longer than you want to stay...cost youmore than you want to pay...

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Facilitators for a Better Jamaica (FFBJ) have again joined up with Caribbean communityorganisations and the Caribbean Council to lobby against the Airport Passenger Duty(APD) tax. Sylbourne Sydial asks for your support.

Our organiatsion began its campaign against APD in June 2009 along with other Jamaicanand Caribbean organisations when the April 2009 the UK Budget proposed a change to thetax system for flights.

The new tax system resulted in an increase in the cost of flights to the Caribbean fromNovember 2009 and a further increase in 2010. Under the new tax, the cost of every visitby a family of four to visit the Caribbean to see family and friends or to return for happy orsad events will be £300 in tax alone (and up to £600 in premium classes).

The Caribbean has been lobbying the UK government over the fact that the tax on flights to the Caribbean has increased somuch in the past two years and also because the tax is calculated unfairly.

This is not only damaging the Caribbean tourism industry but also making it much more expensive for the Caribbean commu-nity in the UK to visit friends and relatives.

We are coming to a really important stage now as we understand that the Treasury is looking at how it might revise APD andwe know that there is a budget statement due on 23 March. Obviously in these difficult economic times, the treasury wants tomaintain the same level of tax, but we have been arguing that APD should be redesigned so that the Caribbean is in the sametax band as the USA - £60 no moreThe Caribbean needs the support of the UK Caribbean community and also prospective visitors to Jamaica if change is to bepossible.

So what can you do?We are asking supporters to end a letter to their MP now so that they receive it urgently and before March 2011. If you arewriting to your local MP, you need to make sure you put on your name and address as they will only pick up issues that relateto someone in their constituency and they will check this first.

HOW TO FIND YOUR LOCAL MP1. Visit the Parliament website which provides a full list of all UK MP’s as well as a variety of other useful information.2.Visit ‘find your mp’ and enter your postcode into the ‘Search’ box. However if you know the name of your MP or constituen-cy you can enter those details into the ‘Search’ box instead.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR MP1. By Email: Once you have discovered who your local MP is, you can ’copy and paste’ the draft APD letter and e-mailhim/her directly at the assigned address.2. By Letter: You may prefer to print a version of the draft APD letter and post it to your MP at the following address: Houseof Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

A full alphabetical directory of MP’s can also be found at the Parliament website.

Sylbourne Sydial Founder/Director of Facilitators for A Better Jamaica (FFBJ) He recently stood as a LocalGovernment candidate in Catford South, Lewisham for the Conservative party in the 2010 General & Local Government Elections. Email: info@ffbj.org

Source:http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/campaign-stamp-out-unfair-tax

CAMPAIGN TO STAMP OUT UNFAIR TAXSubmitted 4 Feb 2011 2:45pm

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How much do you love your partner?Confused.com columnist Sam Dunn says couplesshould tread carefully when considering a financialunion.

I don’t pry out of excessive prurience, of course, ratherfrom genuine concern for your cash.

When any couple make a commitment to each other, it’snot too long before their finances draw closer togethertoo – a joint credit card often pops up first, followed bysavings, then a current account and mortgage.

Naturally, two wallets are better than one: a step-up inspending firepower; more generous savings for asmarter car; a bigger mortgage for a larger property.

Yet your heavenly match could also leave your money inhell if it all turns sour.For starters, your credit rating could collapse.

Or you could end up forking out for your partner’s profli-gacy and bad card debts.

And how about paying every penny of a joint home loanbecause your ex-partner is either bad-tempered enoughto refuse to pay or has fallen on hard times and can nolonger keep up?

Double troubleThe problems are twofold. First, very few of thelovestruck bother to stop and carefully question the risksof hitching their personal finances to those of another.

Second, and rather more delicately, even fewer wouldever dare suggest a solution to the risks of bigger jointfinancial decisions such as a mortgage or pension: aneat legal document detailing what would ever happen inthe event of a split.

Unfortunately, passion killers don’t get any bigger thantwo sets of lawyers’ bills so to spare you such humilia-tion, here are crucial pointers about knowing when tobest pool your finances - and when you’re better offpulling apart.

Home is where the heart isDoubling up has its greatest impact with a mortgage asyou can usually borrow a larger sum than when goingalone by adding your salaries together; an income multi-ple of three or four times a combined £60,000 tends tobuy you a swankier pad than one with a solo £30,000.

Yet make no mistake, when you sign the mortgageforms, you become jointly and severally liable for thatmonthly sum; if the relationship heads south and eitheryou or your ex can’t – or won’t – pay, the bank or build

ing society can legitimately hound either or both of youfor the money.

This same principle can sour joint credit cards or loans(and even utility bills) too: if your personal circumstancesdeteriorate, the debts must be settled. And if one partydefaults or is unable to pay, the other half remains liable.

Banking issuesWhat about a joint current account? While it at leastrelieves a couple’s administrative burden by corrallingpayments for all bills, it also poses a credit rating risk bycreating a financial “link” between the two of you notedby credit reference agencies (a joint mortgage will alertthem too).

So if you or your other half hit the skids financially, thepoor money management can be contagious if it dam-ages your joint account and make it harder to obtainfresh credit.

A joint life insurance policy might sound like a simplemoney saver – a £500,000 payout for less than the priceof two separate £250,000 policies – but carries particularrisks all on its own.

If you were to split years down the line, that joint coverwould need an instant junking in favour of a likely veryexpensive replacement (to pay for dependent kids, say)since you’ll be older with less robust health.

Similarly, even if still together and one half sadly dies, thesurvivor will benefit from the larger payout but any newsubsequent life cover would likely cost more if manyyears have passed.

Get saving and avoid taxAt least joint savings offer a brighter vision of financialunity: two incomes channelling spare cash into an emer-gency fund will generate a bigger savings pot much moreswiftly than one.

You’ll also qualify for double the usual £85,000 guaran-teed protection in the event of a bank crash – cash injoint accounts counts as a half each, so together you cansave £170,000 without fear of loss.

And if one partner earns significantly less than the other– or nothing at all – they can cannily avoid higher taxbills.

By parking as much in the way of joint savings in thename of the lower-earning partner, they can make use ofthe £7,475 tax-free personal income allowance (if under65) and lower savings tax rates to legitimately keep asmuch interest as possible.

MONEY WORRIES

How to be rich: our 10-point guidePublished: 16 Apr 2011 in Money and Savings

If you’re still waiting to amass your first million, you’re not alone. But is your attitude to money holding youback?

By Chris Torney

The sad truth is most of us aren’t as rich as we had hoped we’d be. Nor are we well on the way to acquir-ing great wealth. But why?

You might put it down to the fact your job doesn’t pay enough, or that you haven’t been fortunate to comeup with a once-in-a-lifetime business idea. Maybe you just forgot to buy your lottery ticket the week yournumbers came up.

But could there be other reasons why you’re not a millionaire that have more to do with your approach andattitude to money?

Follow these 10 tips to set yourself on the road to wealth.

1. Live within your meansIf you’re relying on borrowing through loans and credit cards to fund most of your spending, you are nevergoing to be able to build up your wealth.A dependency on credit means your future earnings will end up going towards debt repayment rather thanadding to your own nest egg. This is the more or less the problem facing the UK economy at the moment.

If your credit-card debt is growing by 15 per cent a year – a typical rate – this means you are paying con-siderably more for goods and services than people who only spend the money they have.

2. Cut out wasteful habitsWhere does all your money go? If you’re spending a large chunk of what you earn on alcohol and ciga-rettes, it could explain why your wealth isn’t growing.In isolation, a packet of cigarettes or a lunchtime pint may not cost all that much, but they quickly add up.Cutting these vices back – or stopping them altogether – could free up an awful lot of cash. For example,if you give up a 20-a-day smoking habit, you’ll save almost £2,500 a year at current prices. Try our costcalculator to see how the little things add up.

3. Set budgets and targetsA lot of rich people are, unsurprisingly, very disciplined when it comes to money. So that’s what you needto be.

This means setting yourself strict, but realistic, budgets, and targets for how much money you want to save,for example.

Draw up a list with your income and outgoings on it. Are there any areas of spending – such as smokingor drinking, as mentioned above – that you could cut back on?

Are your debts costing you too much? These may need to be paid off as soon as possible, otherwise they’llbe a constant drain on your finances.

Sticking to a budget is easier said than done, of course, but if you don’t try, you won’t be able to accumu-late wealth. Read our article on how to budget in 60 minutes.

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4. Take control of your moneyWhen it comes to looking after your cash, don’t rely on advice from people you know: work it out for your-self.

This could apply to getting a mortgage, choosing a bank account, or making investments. The more yourely on yourself, the more you’ll understand about how money – and growing it – works.

5. Don’t expect to get rich overnightOne simple way to lose a lot of money is to try and make a lot of money quickly.For example, investing in “can’t fail” ventures recommended by your friends may sound like a great idea,but they are inevitably full of risk. For every one that comes off, perhaps 10 will fail, and you’ll lose all yourinvestment.

It’s fine to use your money like this if you understand the gamble you’re taking: but for most people, it’sunlikely to be a short cut to wealth.

6. Keep it simpleInvesting in anything where you don’t understand how you’ll make money is another recipe for disaster. Ifa financial adviser says: “Just trust me,” then just don’t.

If someone can’t explain in a couple of sentences how a money-making scheme is going to work, treat thatas a warning sign.

Look at the people who invested with fraudsters like, who kept providing the returns without explaining howhe was making so much money.

7. Don’t be cautiousBy putting all your money in a savings account, you’re keeping it safe but missing out on the chance to getsignificantly higher growth.

Once you have enough spare cash to cover rainy-day emergencies (three months’ after-tax salary as a ruleof thumb), consider investing in higher-risk shares or funds, for example.

8. Face up to your financesIf you’re having problems with money, burying your head in the sand isn’t going to help.

Working out how to clear debts – or even calculating how much you owe in the first place – is the first steptowards sorting things out.

9. Don’t expect it to be plain sailingOne of the reasons a lot of people struggle financially is because they are hit by emergencies that costhundreds or even thousands of pounds to put right.

That’s why you need to make sure you have proper insurance cover: this means protection against losingyour job or falling ill and being unable to work.

And don’t forget the basics: decent home insurance and car insurance policies are a must.

10. Stop keeping up with the JonesesSpending your cash on status symbols such as flash cars and iPads does not help you accumulate wealth.If you want to set yourself on the road to riches, wasting money impressing other people is probably notthe way to go about it.

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15

A man and woman had been married for more than60 years.

They had shared everything. They had talked abouteverything. They had kept no secrets from eachother except that the little old woman had a shoebox in the top of her closet that she had Cautionedher husband never to open or ask her about For allof these years, he had never thought about the box,but One day the little old woman got very sick andthe doctor said She would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old mantook Down the shoe box and took it to his wife'sbedside. She agreed that it was time that he shouldknow what was In the box. When he opened it, hefound two crocheted dolls And a stack of moneytotaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents.

'When we were to be married,' she said, ' my grand-mother told me The secret of a happy marriage wasto never argue. She told me that If I ever got angrywith you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fightback tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box.She had only been angry with him two times in allthose years of living and loving. He almost burstwith happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the dolls, but whatabout all of this money? Where did it come from?'

'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from sellingthe dolls.'

A Prayer........

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods;

Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him todeath,

Because I don't have time to crochet.

Great quotes by great ladies Inside me lives a skinny woman crying to get out. But

I can usually shut her up with cookies.-Cora Harvey Armstrong-

A man's got to do what a man's got to do. A womanmust do what he can't. -Rhonda Hansome-

Every time I close the door on reality, it comes inthrough the windows. -Jennifer Unlimited-

I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokesbecause I know I'm not dumb - and I'm also not

blonde. -Dolly Parton-

In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If youwant anything done, ask a woman.

-Margaret Thatcher-

I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave aman, I keep his house.

-Zsa Zsa Gabor-

I refuse to think of them as chin hairs. I think of themas stray eyebrows. -Janette Barber-

A male gynecologist is like an auto mechanic whonever owned a car.

-Carrie Snow-

If you can't be a good example - then you'll just haveto be a horrible warning.

-Catherine-

Thirty-five is when you finally get your head togetherand your body starts falling apart.

-Caryn Leschen-

When women are depressed they either eat or goshopping. Men invade another country..

-Elayne Boosler-

Behind every successful man is a surprised woman. -Maryon Pearson-

Whatever women must do they must do twice as wellas men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not

difficult. -Charlotte Whitton-

THE SHOEBOX

16

Update on Falmouth - Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

It's not just new ships that help cruise traffic at South Florida ports, but the allure of new ports, as well.That's reason enough for the local economy to celebrate Thursday’s opening of the historic Falmouth port along the northcoast of Jamaica.

Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas, which is based in Galveston, is the first ship to call at Falmouth, but itwill soon be followed by the world's biggest cruise ships, the twin Allure of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas, plus the small-er Navigator of the Seas, which are all based at Port Everglades, and the Freedom of the Seas, which is based at PortCanaveral.

The Caribbean is the No. 1 cruise destination in the world, so new destinations help freshen the experience for repeatCaribbean cruisers. Roatan, Honduras, and Costa Maya, Mexico, are other examples of ports that have been developed toserve cruise ships.

Passengers who go to Falmouth will experience one of the best ports in the Caribbean, said Miami's Stewart Chiron, akaCruise Guy, who tweeted Thursday that thousands of Jamaicans were amassing on rooftops, churches and roadways as theVoyager arrived.

"It's a big moment for cruise industry and Jamaica," Chiron said in an e-mail to me.

While many Caribbean ports of call emphasize shopping and natural beauty spots, Falmouth also has the allure of history.Founded in 1790, when Jamaica was the world’s leading sugar producer, it has Georgian-style architecture and more than80 sugar estates nearby, Royal Caribbean said in a news release.

The restoration and preservation of several historic buildings in Falmouth is currently under way. Chiron said he wasimpressed by the changes since he visited the city in September.

The first phase of revitalization includes a two-berth pier, stores and restaurants. Subsequent phases will include attractions,hotels and residential developments.

The town was mapped out in the colonial tradition, with streets named after British royalty and heroes – King Street, QueenStreet, Rodney Street (after 18th century naval leader Admiral Lord George Rodney) and Wellington Street (after ArthurWellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington).

The grand opening celebrations of Falmouth will take place on March 22, when the Oasis arrives.Among the attractions in Falmouth and nearby are:

• Good Hope Great House, an 18th century plantation that offerscarriage rides, river tubing and all-terrain vehicles for exploring. • Dolphin Cove, which has a swim-with-the-dolphins attraction, andDunn’s River Falls, which adventurers can climb. There's also a zipline ride through the rainforest canopy and a Jamaican version of abobsled. • Appleton Estate, a rum plantation, offers samples and visitors canlearn about making rum. • The Martha Brae River, which offers a tranquil ride on a 30-footbamboo raft.

Correction: The Voyager of the Seas is currently based in Galveston. It will be based in New Orleans later this year afterspending the summer in the Adriatic Sea.Margaret

P.S. Falmouth also had a piped water supply and indoor plumbing before New York did.

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A Caribbean Journal Editorial

DUAL PASSPORT PROBLEM

For decades, Caribbean citizens have been makingtheir way off their own islands in search of prosperityabroad — whether that be in the United States,Europe or South America. These men and women typ-ically send back a large portion of the prosperity theyderive back to their families in the Caribbean.

It is no surprise, then, that many Caribbean nationalshave two passports — one from the island of theirbirth, and another from the country in which theywork. This is true for many of their children. The two-passport problem is nothing new — and while theoptimistic mind sees a future Caribbean from which noone needs or wants to leave, the benefits of such trans-migration in the present should not be undervalued.Indeed, many families support themselves with remit-tances.

“Two-passport” Caribbean nationals tend to keep theirhome countries in their hearts, but it is no surprise thatthey soon develop strong affections for their new coun-tries of residency. But for most who wield dual pass-ports, there is not a concern of mixed allegiance —when one is employed within a given country, theirpassport does not generally determine the amount ofeffort they put into their jobs. But there is one job forwhich this is always an issue — working in the businessof government.

There is a reason that section 40(2) of the Jamaicanconstitution (and, for that matter, sections in mostCaribbean constitutions) makes restrictions on the eli-gibility of citizens to sit in Parliament. For those whoare employed by their own governments, any kind ofdual citizenship is simply bad business. An employercannot have an employee having any other company inmind when he or she does his work. For those in thebusiness of serving their countries, loyalty is absolute.When one devotes his or herself to serving the people,only one people can be in the heart. Naturally, that theJamaican constitution demands it.

According to Section 40(2)(a), which has been in thenews domestically in Jamaica for some time, no one iseligible to sit in Parliament if they are, by virtue of their

own act, “under any acknowledgment of allegiance,obedience or adherence to a foreign Power or State.”

In the landmark Dabdoub v. Vaz case from 2007, thismeant that the act of renewing a foreign passport, evenone earned only by birth, meant ineligibility forParliament. Vaz’s victory in the West Portland seatover Abraham Dabdoub was accordingly invalidatedby the Jamaican Supreme Court.

Now, it is news that five parliamentarians in Jamaicahave had the two-passport problem, with some resign-ing, some renouncing their seats, and some renouncingtheir passports and re-entering politics. Two moresuch cases are currently in dispute. The news that Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Goldingknew of the problems and chose not to address them istroubling; but the only lesson that should emerge isthat in future, such candidates should never be on theballot in the first place. The Electoral Office shouldensure that no candidate with a second passport isallowed on the ballot – such an initiative (which wouldnot seem to be altogether difficult) would spare the cit-izens – and Parliament — a great deal of headache.

It is not unrealistic to think of a CARICOM that doesnot see workers traveling abroad for greener pastures.But while the two-passport problem will be here for awhile, it is incumbent upon those running for office —and those who purport to ensure the integrity of elec-tions — to read the constitution first.

Blackbright NewsThe Total Quality, Information-Based Publication that

Stimulates, Educates, Motivates & ElevatesThe Cultural Learning Magazine

developed to redress inaccurate perceptions!

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ISSN No. 1751–1909This is an Online Publication Only

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