Daily Archives: January 15, 2020

Within the decade beginning this year, the Caribbean may have solutions to the growing scourge of Type II diabetes, have a new economic approach as former colonial nations, and re-establish links with sub-Saharan Africa.

These projected achievements are thanks to a 20 million pounds sterling (US$26,000,200) research fund the University of Glasgow (UG) supplied in the first phase of a continued development programme in repayment for benefitting from the proceeds of slavery and in so doing giving a face to the concept of reparations.

The work is to be done by Glasgow-Caribbean Centre for Development Research that will have offices in the Caribbean and Glasgow.

It is the first institution within British university history, dedicated to the slavery reparations policy framework, read a statement issued by the University of the West Indies and University of Glasgow, administrators of the Centre.

The representatives of the two universities met in late December, to rollout the research and project development agenda for the Centre which is aimed at confronting and eradicating the debilitating legacies of slavery and colonisation in the Caribbean.

Led by Vice-Chancellor, Hilary Beckles, UWI had begun negotiations with UG for compensation since 2017 after that Scottish university published a document admitting to its culpability for slavery by benefitting donations by slave owners.

Between the 1780s and 1880s it received millions of pounds in grants and endowments from Scottish and English slave owners that served to enrich and physically expand the near 600-year-old university, stated part of the reparations agreement reached last August and signed by Dr. Beckles and Dr. David Duncan, University of Glasgows chief operating officer.

That agreement established the Centre that will target and promote solutions to Caribbean development problems in areas such as medicine and public health, economics and economic growth, cultural identity and cultural industries, and other 21st century orientations in Caribbean transformation.

Last months board of directors meeting at UWIs Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, set out targets for the 2020 decade.

Headings of the three tasks set out are:

1. The public health crisis in the Caribbean, particularly the chronic disease pandemic, with special focus on identifying research-based solutions to reduce the burden of Type 2 Diabetes and its sequelae complications, such as diabetic foot amputation;

2. The search for post-plantation economy development policies that are innovative and progressive in the struggle for economic growth in the global economy; and

3. Recognising that slavery and colonialism drove deep wedges between Africa and its Caribbean family, [develop] strategies for project implementation to tackle the day-to-day cultural divide between Africa and the Caribbean.

Last August, UWI had stated the, agreement represents the first occasion on which a slavery-enriched British or European institution has apologized for its part in slavery and committed funds to facilitate a reparations programme. In this instance, the two universities have adopted a regional development approach to reparations.

The seminal agreement, the first of its kind in the Western World for slavery reparations since British Emancipation in 1838.

Posted 4:03 pm, January 14, 2020

2020

Excerpt from:

The face of reparations - Caribbean Life

Dengue fever outbreaks in the Caribbean have reached record high levels, thanks to climate change. Since the beginning of 2019, approximately 3 million Americans have contracted the virus, and 1,372 are reported dead. According to Forbes, this is the highest number of cases recorded. Countries including Honduras, Belize, Saint Martin and Antigua & Barbuda have all been affected.

Multiple sources report that 2019 was a terrible year for dengue outbreaks. Tyler Sharp, an epidemiologist at the CDCs Dengue Branch in Puerto Rico, said that 2019 ..is turning out to be a very bad year for dengue, probably the worst weve had since 2010.Once you have a dengue outbreak thats occurring, its quite difficult to stop it. Its also difficult to contain it.

The cause of Dengues prevalence? Climate change. Dengue fever is spread by mosquitos, who populate and move to new regions as the climate warms. Oliver Brady, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, called the disease, one of the few infectious diseases at a global scale thats still increasing and expanding. Modeling for the disease is based on temperature, and any region that reaches the suitable habitat temperature for the mosquito will be vulnerable to Dengue.

Climate change also affects the disease because when its warmer, the disease can mutate and relocate more quickly. Multiple doctors and experts confirm Dengues connection to climate change. According to the New York Times, climate change is threatening to increase the spread of dengue worldwide by expanding the range of the mosquitoes that carry the virus.

Executive Director of Caribbean Public Health Agency Dr Joy St. John, told Forbes of the climates impact, Climate change has warmed the Caribbean environment and shortened the mosquito breeding cycle. Studies have also demonstrated that the mosquitos disease transmission capacity is increasing. To solve the problem, Dr. St. John called for Integrated Vector Control Management and new technologies to counteract these mosquito friendly conditions.

Read more about climate change and disease in One Green Planet, including how deadly diseases are increasing due to climate change, deforestations role in spreading deadly diseases, and how Ebola is linked to climate change.

The United Nation recently released a report warning countries about the dangers of climate change. They also urged people to reduce their dairy and meat intake by opting for more plant-based foods as one way to take climate action. We highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter!Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!

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Warming Climate Causes Dengue Fever Outbreak in Caribbean Leading to Almost 1400 Deaths in the Last Year - One Green Planet

Its not easy to become a classic.

Its not just half a century of luxury, or years of visits by legendary names.

A classic resort is about a vision, a look, a philosophy and relentless execution.

Being flanked by two of the regions most scenic beaches doesnt hurt, either.

Curtain Bluff, one of Antiguas iconic resorts, has long been a Caribbean signature, a resort the very mention of which seems to stir emotions in travelers.

Set on the southern coast of Antigua and founded by the late Howard Hulford (whose wife Chelle still lives in the resorts Bluff House and still hosts a weekly cocktail party for guests), Curtain Bluff is the sort of grand property that doesnt seem to exist any more.

And yet it has never felt more current, more now.

After several years of upgrades that included changes to even the very smallest of details, Curtain Bluff is, well, better than ever.

The property, which includes a mix of 72 rooms and suites, all of which boast beachfront views, is still the luxurious, indulgent space it always was but its got an even more sparkling look to it.

What hasnt changed is the Hulford vision of hospitality, of serene, beautiful luxury, of a place that makes you feel something.

And its still delivered in a rather unique way an all-inclusive that never feels like one, a luxury resort whose warmth makes you feel as if youre staying in your own private club.

And its rooms, always the sort of lavish accommodations youd expect from a legend, are fresh and gorgeous, with little touches like espresso machines, somehow preserving the jet-set look with a modern sheen. (Thats without mentioning the suites, particularly the propertys splurge-worthy wing, the Hulford Collection, a luxury oasis punctuated by plunge-pools perched above the ocean.)

Its that duality that manages to extend itself across the resort timeless and fresh, family-friendly yet perfect for adults seeking seclusion; apt for active travelers (the Caribbeans best tennis center is on hand) and those merely in search of a week of lazing on the sand.

And thats certainly true of the all-inclusive program. Its an all-inclusive experience that doesnt feel like one, where you always feel like youre being indulged.

Its at once the sort of rarefied space we dream of and an energetic, crisp resort ripe for honeymoons and experiential travelers alike.

In other words its a classic.

See more in the latest Caribbean Journal Video.

For more, visit Curtain Bluff.

More here:

Curtain Bluff, an All-Inclusive Caribbean Classic, Is Better Than Ever - Caribbean Journal

First he saved Rose in Titanic, and now Leonardo DiCaprio has saved a man who fell overboard in the Caribbean.

The actor, his girlfriend, and some friends were on a luxury boat off the coast of St. Barts on December 30th when a Mayday went out asking for help locating the man, reports The Sun. The 24-year-old Club Med cruise crew member identified only as Victor had fallen overboard near St. Martin after a night of excessive drinking. When DiCaprio heard the news, he agreed to redirect the boat towards the man making his the only vessel to respond to the distress call.

DiCaprios crew spotted the man some hours later near the island of Saba. When they finally pulled poor Victor aboard, hed been treading water for 11 hours. He was severely dehydrated and Leos crew provided water, food, and dry clothes before handing him off to coastguards.

(Read: 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2020)

I should have died, the man reportedly said as he was being rescued. In fact, the captain put Victors chance of survival at 1 in a billion, especially as daylight was fading and a storm was coming in. So its not an exaggeration to say DiCaprio literally helped saved a strangers life.

DiCaprio may have missed out on the Best Actor win at this years Golden Globes, but lifesaver is probably a better title anyway. Besides, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood still managed to take home awards for Best Picture Come, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Brad Pitt.

Original post:

Leonardo DiCaprio saves man who fell overboard in the Caribbean - Consequence of Sound

Leonardo DiCaprio got to play a real-life hero to a man who fell off a yacht in the Caribbean and had to tread water for hours. The Oscar-winning actor, his girlfriend and their friends were on a luxury vessel last week when an emergency call went out asking for help looking for the man, Britain's The Sun newspaper reported.

The vessel carrying DiCaprio and his crew was near the island of St. Bart's, and the man fell overboard near the neighboring island of St. Martin, according to the Sun. "The captain of his ship sent out a panicked emergency message and Leonardo and his team agreed to look for the poor guy," a source told the newspaper.

The man was found near Saba island, south of St. Martin, the Sun reported. He was severely dehydrated and had been treading water for 11 hours, the source told the newspaper.

"I should have died," the man reportedly said after he was rescued. The luxury vessel's crew gave him food and dry clothes before handing him off to authorities.

Over the weekend, DiCaprio attended the Golden Globe Awards, where he was nominated for best actor in a musical or comedy film for his performance in "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood." Taron Egerton won the award for his portrayal of Elton John in "Rocketman."

Continued here:

Leonardo DiCaprio helps save man who fell overboard in the Caribbean - CBS News

Hilton has been rapidly expanding its footprint in the Caribbean, and its latest resort in the region will debut on the island of St Kitts.

The highly-anticipated Koi Resort will open this month under Hiltons Curio Collection brand, according to St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris.

Its the first-ever Hilton-branded resort in St Kitts and Nevis.

Koi is already taking reservations for stays as early as Jan. 10, according to the Hilton Web site.

The resort, which is adjacent to the popular Royal St Kitts Golf Course, will include 102 rooms and suites, along with amenities like complimentary Wi-Fi, the Asian-fusion eatery Koi Restaurant; the Jaya Kitchen and Bar; a pool; a full-service spa, a fitness center and meeting space for up to 300 guests.

There is keen interest by developers to operate luxury branded hotels in St. Kitts and Nevis, Harris said this week in a statement.

Indeed, St Kitts has quietly become one of the hottest luxury hotel destinations in the wider Caribbean region, from the celebrated Park Hyatt St Kitts in the islands luxe Christophe Harbour development to the eco-luxe Belle Mont Farm in the north of the island.

The opening is part of a wider hotel boom for St Kitts, which is slated to see at least 700 new hotel rooms open in 2020, Harris said.

That will also include the islands new Ramada Hotel, along with the new T-Loft at Wyndham project and the Sea View hotel in West Basseterre.

The latter is slated to open in the first half of 2020.

Its all part of what has been a full-fledged tourism renaissance in St Kitts, which has been seeing surging arrivals and a wave of new flights to the destination from carriers like American Airlines and upstart carriers like Sun Country Airlines.

For more, visit the Koi Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton.

CJ

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Hilton Is Opening a New Caribbean Resort in St Kitts - Caribbean Journal

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The grand prize winner between Hillcrest Healths 2 studios (F45 Tysons and F45 Ashburn) will receive flights for 2, as well as lodging for 4 days, 3 nights at the luxurious Rum Point Club Residences on Grand Cayman Island, in your own 2 bedroom, 2 bath suite.

Challenge Seminar - January 19th

For more details, attend the Challenge Seminar at F45 Tysons on January 19th from 10:30am until 11:15am. During this seminar we will review the requirements and process for the Challenge, and answer all questions you may have. We are located just above Fish Taco in the Lofts in the Boro. Our address is 1640 Boro Pl Suite 206, McLean, VA 22102.

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Win trip to the Caribbean by getting fit at F45 Training Tysons - Patch.com

In May of 2019, I issued a working paper on my website titled The time has come to permanently retire all our Caribbean currencies.

In that paper I argued that the currencies of Caribbean countries have now outlived their usefulness, and have become a liability. They were devised at a time when most payments were made using notes and coin, issued in distant metropolitan centres.

At that time, scarcity of the means of payment was a severe hindrance to commerce. In response currency boards were set up to issue local currency as needed in the colonies. The system worked well because the local currency issue was backed by an equivalent value of sterling, in a global system of fixed exchange rates.

In contrast, nowadays payments are made mostly by electronic communication, credit and debit cards, cheques and drafts, with settlement over digitised bank accounts.

In todays world an own currency has become a liability for small economies, limiting access to international goods and services, exposing residents to risks of currency devaluation and inflation, eroding the value of domestic savings, increasing economic inequalities, providing a tool for unproductive government spending, and diverting attention from the need to increase productivity and enhance international competitiveness. The paper may be downloaded from my website DelisleWorrell.com and there is also video of a presentation I made at the annual conference of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute.

In September I issued a second working paper, this one entitled Rising above the orthodoxy of finance: Competitiveness is the key to economic growth. The motivation for the paper is the erroneous notion, prevalent in the Caribbean, that economic growth is sluggish because savings are low. Instead, the foremost problem is failure to maintain and enhance the nations international competitiveness and the resulting scarcity of profitable opportunities for investment. My paper explains.

The need for a makeover of the public service, to raise performance to an acceptable international level, was a repeated theme in my monthly Economic Letters in 2019. Public sector inefficiency has been a major hindrance to investment in recent years, and addressing this issue is critical to the prospects for reviving growth in the stagnant economy.

In August I suggested that public sector reform might start with the timely publication of annual reports of all government departments, agencies and state corporations. This would allow for informed discussion of the reasons for the failures of the public sector, and public sector managers would be obliged to come up with plans for improvement.

A second issue that attracted my attention more than once was renewable energy. Barbados energy resources of sun and wind are potentially more valuable to the economy than discoveries of oil and gas would be. Fossil fuel reserves will eventually be exhausted; sun and wind are free and inexhaustible. However, to realise the potential of renewables requires a comprehensive time-bound strategy and action plan, devised by Government and with full engagement by the society.

May 23, 2019 saw the launch of the Association for Barbados-China Friendship, the ABCF, of which I am president. Those of us who came together to form the ABCF aim to focus on personal experiences, people-to-people contact, cultural exchanges and exchanges of ideas, and the facilitation of travel, business and study. That quote is from my editorial in the first issue of the ABCFs magazine, Exchanges, which is available on the associations website, ABCF-BB.com.

On October 17, 2019, Monica and I attended the Gala Dinner Bretton Woods at 75, organised by the Bretton Woods Committee, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC. There were addresses by the president of the World Bank, the managing director of the IMF and the secretary general of the World Trade Organization, WTO. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives was in attendance. The Bretton Woods Committee launched a book on the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO, titled Revitalizing the Spirit of Bretton Woods.

While in Washington for the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank I attended the International Banking Seminar organised by the Group of 30 leading financial experts. My reflections on the main themes of that meeting are the subject of my November 2019 Economic Letter.

Very best wishes for 2020 to everyone.

Dr DeLisle Worrell is the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Barbados. info@delisleworrell.com Website: DelisleWorrell.com

Read more:

Reflecting on 2019 and Caribbean finance | Business - Jamaica Gleaner

In its Global Economic Prospects report released January 8, the World Bank predicts the global economy will rise up to 2.5 percent in 2020 as investment and trade recover from last years slowdown. Amongst its predictions, advanced economies growth is anticipated to slip to 1.4 percent in 2020, while growth in emerging markets is set to accelerate to 4.1 percent.

About a third of emerging markets and developing countries are projected to decelerate in 2020 due to weaker-than-expected exports and investment. According to World Bank Group Vice President for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, with growth in emerging and developing economies likely to remain slow, policymakers should seize the opportunity to undertake structural reforms that boost broad-based growth, which is essential to poverty reduction Steps to improve the business climate, the rule of law, debt management, and productivity can help achieve sustained growth.

However, risks to the global outlook remain, and their materialization could significantly slow down growth. A principal risk that remains is the potential re-escalation of trade tensions, mainly between the United States and China, as well as financial shocks in emerging markets and developing economies.

Regional outlook

Latin America and the Caribbean was not immune to the global economic slowdown in 2019. The World Bank report notes that during the last year, regional growth decelerated to an estimated 0.8 percent, with all three primary economies in the regionArgentina, Brazil and Mexicoperforming worse than predicted due to idiosyncratic factors.

Two other key factors affected the regional economy last year. The first, is the advancement of key developments in policy such as the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)currently under review by the U.S. Senateand the free trade agreement signed between the regional economic bloc, Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and the European Uniona deal that has been in the works for over two decades.

The second was the social unrest experienced by various countries in the region toward the end of the year. Unrest in Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador and the continuing humanitarian, political and economic crises in Venezuela all played a role in the regions slow growth.

The World Bank predicts that in 2020, the regional economy will rise to a tepid 1.8 percent, from an estimated 0.8 percent growth in 2019. The modest prediction is contingent on faster private consumption and investment growth, and highly dependent on economic growth from the major economies.

This year, Brazils economy is expected to grow by 2 percent (vs. est. 1.1 percent growth in 2019), thanks to a boost in investor confidence following progress on major reforms, such as a reform on the countrys pension system. This along with other boosts are anticipated to support an increase in investment and private consumption. In Mexico, as investment picks up growth is also expected to rise to 1.2 percent, against an estimated zero percent growth in 2019. Colombias economy, in turn, is set to rise to 3.6 percent in 2020, and about 3.9 percent in 2021-22, envisioned to boost the outlook for the region as planned infrastructure projects take place and investment continues to increase.

Thanks to offshore oil production developments off the coast of Guyana, the Caribbean is expected to accelerate to 5.6 percent. This is in deep contrast to Argentina, where the countrys economy is set to contract to 1.3 percent as the new government attempts to deal with high inflation, maintaining fiscal prudence, amongst other financial woes.

Risks to economic growth

Like the global economy, external factors risk the regions economic growth. A major regional trade partner, China plays a significant role in Latin Americas economy. Further economic slowdown of Chinas economy or a re-escalation of the U.S.-China trade war could expose the region to negative impacts through trade, commodity prices, and confidence channels. Countries that rely heavily on China as a destination for their exports, such as Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, are more exposed to U.S.-China trade tension. Likewise, slow growth in the United States could heavily affect Mexico and other countries reliant on the U.S. economy.

Natural disasters and climate-related events will also affect the region, and more specifically the Caribbean. This past September, Hurricane Dorian devastated the Caribbean island of The Bahamas resulting in $3.4 billion worth of damage, equivalent to a quarter of the countrys GDP. The World Bank also warns social tensions in the region could persist or extend geographically more than expected, which would generate negative economic repercussions. As noted by Bloomberg, while the most violent protests have dissipatedfor nowwith fragile institutions and weak rule of law, income inequality, ethnic conflict and police brutality will continue to gnaw away at social cohesion and could once again spark unrest unexpectedly and suddenly.

Link:

Latin American and Caribbean economies to grow 1.8 percent in 2020 - Global Americans