Monthly Archives: March 2021

AMResorts has launched a new on-site testing program at its properties, including those in the Caribbean.

Private hospital network Hospiten will be administering the tests, which can be scheduled at each resort by the concierge.

The tests help guests comply with the CDCs testing requirements for returning travelers.

AMResorts has also launched a program that covers the cost of hotel quarantine for guests for up to 14 days, in the event that a guest tests positive.

AMResorts branded properties will do all they can to help guests navigate new travel requirements and logistics, said Gonzalo del Pen, Group President for AMResorts Americas & Global Commercial. With an increasing number of countries requiring a negative COVID-19 test result prior to entry, it is important that guests have an easy, hassle-free way to secure test results within the comfort and safety of AMResorts branded properties.

The new program is an expansion of AMResorts CleanComplete+ health and safety protocols, which launched last summer.

For more, visit AMResorts.

CJ

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AMResorts Launches On-Site Testing in the Caribbean - Caribbean Journal

Losing an entire year of schooling can mean the difference between a bright future and a life derailed. That is what is happening to millions of children in Latin America. Hopes and dreams for a better life can be squashed forever unless we act now.

We face the biggest crisis ever seen for education in Latin America and the Caribbean. Most schools have been closed for almost a year because of COVID-19. We can already see the damage in terms of education outcomes, human capital, and the productivity of an entire generation.

First, lets look at the damage, and then turn to the most pressing question: What do we need to do to prevent this crisis from turning into a tragedy?

As of February 2021, about 120 million of the regions school-age children had already lost or were at risk of losing an entire academic year of presential education due to the measures to contain the pandemic, according to a new World Bank report Acting now to protect the human capital of our children. The costs of and response to the COVID-19 pandemic impact to the education sector in Latin America and the Caribbean.

And while governments sought to reach those students through online learning and other multi-modal solutions, far too many are simply falling through the cracks. Schools and families often werent ready to make the transition. For example, only about 77 percent of 15-year-old students in LAC have access to the internet at home, and this challenge has been much starker for disadvantaged groups. In Peru, Mexico, Panama, and Colombia, for example, barely 14, 19, 24 and 25 percent of students in the bottom quintile have Internet access at home, respectively.

The expected impact of the pandemic on learning and other education outcomes is staggering and tremendously unequal. Latin America and the Caribbean faced a learning crisis even before the pandemic. Learning Poverty defined as the percentage of 10-year-olds that cannot read and understand a simple text was already very high at 51 percent in the region. In addition, the region already had the worlds widest inequity in student access to quality education. For example, in Brazil, Learning Poverty in the state of Sao Paulo was 27 percent, while it reached 70 percent in the state of Maranho.

The pandemic has just made this worse. At least 15 percent of students may never go back to school. Learning losses will likely be substantially larger for children in the lowest income quintile, widening the already high socio-economic education achievement gap by 12 percent. The earlier reopening of private schools vis--vis public schools in some countries is only contributing to this increase.

While things were bad before, they stand to get a lot worse unless we do something about it right now. Learning Poverty could increase by more than 20 percent from a baseline of 51 percent, up to 62.5 percent, equivalent to an increase of roughly 7.6 million learning poor. After 10 months of school closures (the entire academic year), more than 2 out of 3 lower secondary education students (71 percent) may not be able to understand a text of moderate length, compared to 55 percent before the pandemic. This could increase to 77 percent if schools stay closed for another three months into the beginning of the 2021 school year.

These outcomes also have direct costs, both to the students individual potential and to future productivity for their countries. For example, learning losses may translate into a drop in future potential aggregate earnings for the region of US$1.7 trillion, about 10 percent of total baseline earnings, and equivalent to about 16 percent of the regional GDP.

On top of all this, economic distress for families and the interruption of services students used to receive at schools including meals for 10 million students in the region are harming students physical, mental, and emotional health.

Governments and everyone involved in our regions education need to act now to mitigate the damage, investing to recover from the huge learning losses and taking advantage of the opportunity for change to build better education systems for our children.

That means getting ready for safe and effective school reopening country-wide and ensuring that sufficient funding is allocated for this. So, what to do?

While the challenges are enormous, the potential is also enormous to build back education systems even better than before. The pandemic opens a once-in-a-lifetime window of opportunity for long overdue investments in technology to close the digital divide; in teachers, investing in the professionalization of their careers and giving them the tools they need to fulfill their increasingly complex roles; and in supporting the roles of parents and communities in the educational process. This might happen faster and better (some mental barriers regarding teachers ability to adapt to new technologies are now lower, for example). These investments must build upon the immediate response. Our critical policy challenge is to make sure that this window of opportunity is not lost, and countries use this momentous crisis as THE opportunity to start seeing a turning point in addressing the learning crisis.

COVID-19 could be an opportunity to transform education systems and develop a new vision where learning happens for everyone, everywhere. But this requires prioritizing financial investments in education and huge political will. The future depends on us doing it right.

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COVID-19 and the Learning Crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean: How Can We Prevent a Tragedy? - World Bank Group

Pirates of the Caribbean's fourth installment On Stranger Tides narrowly avoided a ban in China, but why did the blockbuster earn the ire of censors?

Much like the third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, the fourth film On Stranger Tides wasinitially almost banned in Chinabut censors objected to this 2011 sequel fora different, odder reason. Beginning in 2003 with The Ring helmer Gore Verbinskis surprise sleeper hit The Curse of the Black Pearl, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies soon became one of the twenty-first centurys most enduringly popular blockbuster franchises despite the middling quality of later installments.

The hugepopularityof series star Johnny Depps Jack Sparrow ensured that audiences flocked to see the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, but not everyone was thrilled with the swashbuckling adventure movies. The third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the original trilogy closer At Worlds End, was nearly denied a release in China due to the movies depiction of the region as a crime-ridden underworld.

Related:POTC: Jack Sparrows Missing Scars Made His Backstory Darker

ChowYun-Fats depictionof Captain Sao Feng as a villainous murderer ensured that Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, like many blockbusters and almost all James Bond movies, was almost notgranted a release in China. However, the next film in the series, 2011s belated sequel On Stranger Tides, didntcenter on China at all and still managed to earn the ire of the films censorship board, with thePirates of the Caribbean installmentalmost being denied a release. Unlike the third films ban (and a lot of blockbuster censorship), this was not actually due to a political issue. The Chinese censors didnt care forOn Stranger Tides' plot frequently referencing ghosts, the occult, and the afterlife, something would later contribute to numerous high-profile flops like R.I.P.D and Ghostbusters.

While its not common for Chinese censors to ban movies for flippantly depicting ghosts, revival, and occult practices, its not unheard of given the conservative views held by some of the countrys citizens. More often than not, movies thatcenter around ghosts and the afterlife are given the option of a Chinese cinematic release but typically underperform due to widespread public disinterest in the themes. This was eventually the caseforOn Stranger Tides, as the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean outing wasgranteda cinema release but nearlybanned, perhaps due to the third film leaving a lingering distaste for the countrys censors.

That said, it was likely not impossible for Chinese viewers to get their hands on a copy of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tideseven before its eventual release, as the countrys booming pirate DVD trade (ironically) meant few films were unavailable for viewingeven if they didnot secure a formal theatrical release. The fact thatPirates of the Caribbean'sthird sequelOn Stranger Tides was not outright banned, along with the next years loosening on James Bond censorship (with 2012s Skyfall being edited rather than denied a release), illustrated the increasingly lax approach to censorship in the nation.

More:POTC: Why Cutler Beckett Left Davy Jones Heart On The Flying Dutchman

Venom 2 Release Delayed To September

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Why Pirates of the Caribbean 4 Was Banned In China | Screen Rant - Screen Rant

Royal Caribbean says something big could be announced on Wednesday.

Travel agents received an email about a new webinar scheduled for Wednesday with "some hot off the press updates."

Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, told travel agents to attend a webinar that strongly hints at a big announcement.

"I guarantee this is a session you will not want to miss out on - I'd say this is the news we've all been waiting for!"

The invitation did not disclose what the topic or scope of the announcement could be, but the wording is very clear that it is significant.

There are plenty of possible topics this webinar could tackle, including an update on when test cruises might start, revenue sailing restart plans, new health protocols, ship deployments, and more.

UPDATE:A new email from Ms. Freed points to a new homeport for Royal Caribbean.

It is unknown if Royal Caribbean's decision to redeploy Mariner of the Seas beginning in October 2021 has anything to do with the announcement.

It has long been speculated that the first Royal Caribbean ships to restart sailings in North America are likely to be short sailings to the Bahamas, and Mariner of the Seas has offered those types of cruises.

Moreover, if there is any connection between the newly redeployed Mariner sailings and restarting cruises, Royal Caribbean can get around the problem of having to figure out a way around needing to maintain a reduced capacity without canceling certain reservations and not others.

Stay tuned to RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com for details on anything Royal Caribbean announces.

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Royal Caribbean teases update coming is "the news we've all been waiting for" - Royal Caribbean Blog

News Americas, WASHINGTON, D.C., Weds. Mar. 17, 2021: Facing mounting criticism of its response to the crisis in Haiti, the US on Tuesday reiterated it is committed to helping the Caribbean country.

The comment at a State Department Press conference came after a reporter asked a question about the US position in light of the fact that Russia has expressed its intent to help Haiti restore political stability amid the ongoing violence there.

Jalina Porter, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department stated: Well, again, what Ill Ill just say Ill just stress our commitment to the people of Haiti. The United States is committed to helping the Haitian people to build a better future.

She also noted that in January, the US announced an additional $75.5 million for Haiti, to help in a wide range of issues, which includes democratic governance, health, education, and agricultural development.

Her comments came as #FreeHaiti continues to make waves on social media and as the countrys President, Jovenel Mose, who many say is clinging to power beyond the legal end of his term last month, has asked the Organization of American States (OAS) for assistance to deal with the security crisis in the French-speaking Caribbean nation, days after the death of four police officers in a botched raid.

Mose asked for help on Monday when he met with OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro to discuss security.

Their discussion came on the same day that an extraordinary Council of Ministers met at the National Palace and adopted a decree to revise State of Emergency legislation to give the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN) the means to combat banditry and crime, and to empower the PNH and the Armed Forces of Haiti (FADH) to work in synergy to combat insecurity.

Four police officers were killed and eight injured in an attempted raid on the gang stronghold in the Village de Dieu slum, in the capital of Oort-au-Prince, where kidnapping victims are often kept. Their armored vehicles and high-calibre automatic weapons were also seized. President Mose denounced the acts as a declaration of war against society.

The US Embassy in Haiti on Monday said a group known as Fantom 509 is active throughout Port-au-Prince and is known for its violent actions.

Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova, the spokesman and director of the information and press department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said last week thatRussia can help Haiti restore political stability, secure the country and train its law enforcement.

As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, were closely following the events in Haiti, it raises our concern, Zakharova said. Currently, this Caribbean country is going through a new cycle of political instability that has lasted for more than a quarter of a century.

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US Insists Its Committed To Haiti - Caribbean and Latin America Daily News - News Americas

Two brothers from South London have taken a Caribbean cuisine business from 500 to a national distribution network - and done it all during the pandemic.

Troy and Jarrell Johnson, who were born and raised in Tooting, are the founders of Juici Jerk, a food business that has managed to thrive during the challenging times of the pandemic.

The brothers have stumbled upon a successful system of bringing the restaurant experience into the homes of the UK public.

But it's not always been easy.

"Starting with 500 seems like a lifetime ago," said Troy. "Neither of us had any business experience. We grew up in a traditional Caribbean household with a big family and something was always cooking in the kitchen.

"We got the 500 to cook chicken in a jerk van, we bought a few fryers and some other things and it really took off from there.

"We used Snapchat and managed to put our name out there and then people started calling us asking if they could get some chicken. That's when we thought 'hold on, we cold be onto something here'."

Once the company took off, Juici Jerk were mainly catering to corporate kitchen events, snagging their first big contract with Halfords.

"At this point we were still at my mum's house in Tooting cooking all the food," said Troy. "She was trying to kick out telling us 'it's getting a bit silly now boys!'" Troy joked. "But we still didn't really know what we were doing."

The Johnson's moved the operation to a shared kitchen in Streatham five days a week and focused on events when the pandemic struck.

"Almost overnight they all got cancelled," said Troy. "Deliveroo took 35 per cent of every order and it became impossible top keep our head above water. That's when we came up with the idea of meal kits.

The initiative that's helped Juici Jerk to expand are its meal kits, which provide a restaurant experience at home.

They are pre-cooked meals delivered to an address with a step by step booklet on how to prepare it.

"Someone even ordered one from Edinburgh!" said Troy.

Troy also spoke out about the difficulty of being black men in the food industry and how there is not enough representation of black cuisines.

"We had done a few street food residencies in food markets but they never allow two Caribbean food stalls or black food stall in the market at the same time.

"They say they want to increase diversity but have four burger spots in the same market. I know of black owned businesses who have tried and failed to get places at markets because of this.

"If Caribbean food is not in your face on Deliveroo, no one seems to be able to order it."

This, among other things emanating from the Black Lives Matter movement, inspired the Johnson brothers to help other black-owned businesses by raising money to offer them 1,000 grants.

"Black Lives Matter was strong," said Troy. "Businesses and corporations saw the need to update their practices so we launched a GoFundMe and are working with some big names to raise 10,000 so we can help elevate black businesses and help them grow.

"Sometimes it's like 'how have we got here without any investment?'

Everything we do, we do ourselves. It's good to give back and help someone on their way.

"Our parents are proud, they are waiting for us to buy them a house!"

Troy said that once the pandemic calms down and life returns to normal they will try to release a new range of products including sauces.

"I know it sounds cliche but to anyone out there starting a company - don't give up.

"We've hit so many barriers and the reason we're seeing success now is because we persevered."

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Tooting brothers who took a Caribbean food business from 500 to national success during lockdown - My London