Green Expo In Kingston

Green Expo success - Organisers pleased at support of fair

Ainsworth Morris

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Environmentally conscious Jamaicans searching for advances in solar energy or waste water management found them last weekend during the staging of Green Expo 2011.

The annual showcase of the best the island has to offer in terms of natural resources conservation and disaster mitigation was held June 10 to 12 at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston and just across the street from the hotel, at the National Golf Academy.

The exhibition, themed 'Balancing Development with Environment Protection' was organised by the Jamaica Conservation Development Trust (JCDT).

Chairman Robert Stephens declared the event a success.

"Exhibitors, who were offering solar energy and waste water deals, reported that people came and made appointments. "Approximately 90 per cent of the exhibitors said that they were happy," Stephens told the Observer on Saturday.

This year the Green Expo hosted over 70 exhibitors with an expressed commitment to preservation of the environment, who showcased a wide range of environmentally friendly products, energy-efficient systems and alternative energy set-ups.

They also demonstrated proper energy and water conservation practices, how to prepare for natural disasters, and tried to spark potential investors' interest in agri-business ventures, eco-friendly art and craft creations and energy-saving devices.

Booths by advocates for the preservation of Jamaica's natural habitats and species, such as the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, the National Environment and Planning Agency and the Forest Conservation Fund seemed to catch the attention of many patrons.

"I'm having a good time. I learnt a lot today. Some things that I learnt were just reiterated to me, but the event was worth my time," said Sonia Richards, who was attending the Green Expo to satisfy her curiosity about energy-conservation.

Aside from the expected high interest in the sale of plants, a special feature of the Expo this year was the promotion of environmentally friendly household products and locally made craft. Organisers' decision to set up a grand farmers' market on the grounds of the National Golf Academy was also well recieved.

"The prices here are reasonable. I just came to the expo and realised that there was a farmers' market being held on location. At first, I only had $300. With that I got carrots, sweet potatoes and some other ground provision. When I realised the prices were so reasonable, I went to the automated teller machine, got more money and came back to buy other ground provision items," said Joan Foster who visited the Expo on Saturday.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Green-Expo-success---Organisers-pleased-at-support-of-fair_9008181



Jamaica Conservation Development Trust (JCDT) - http://jcdt.org.jm/html/

If There Were Any Doubts......

PM, you were wrong

Dudus/Manatt Enquiry report says Golding/JLP should have stayed out of extradition matter

BY ALICIA DUNKLEY Observer Senior staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

PRIME Minister Bruce Golding, Attorney General and Justice Minister Senator Dorothy Lightbourne and former Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin have all come in for harsh criticism in the much-anticipated report of the $78 million Dudus/Manatt Commission of Enquiry tabled in Parliament yesterday.

The 58-page report submitted by commissioners Queen's Counsel Emil George, former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Anthony Irons, and Queen's Counsel Donald Scharschmidt, though couched in diplomatic language, left no doubt as to where they believed matters went wrong, starting with the Jamaica Labour Party contracting United States law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips to lobby the Obama administration over the extradition request for former Tivoli Gardens don Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

They went further to suggest that the post now held by Lightbourne is due for review and that Rear Admiral Lewin jumped the gun in acting on information he received about the pending extradition request.

The commission, appointed by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen in October last year, began its hearings on January 17 this year to probe the Government's handling of the extradition request.

"On the evidence before us we conclude that the Jamaica Labour Party instructed Manatt, Phelps and Phillips," said the commissioners. "Diplomatic matters of this sort should be dealt with by our foreign service, accountable to Parliament through the minister of foreign affairs and not by a political party," the report read.

"It was imprudent for the prime minister to have instructed his party to deal with diplomatic matters involving US/Jamaica relations when the party is obviously not accountable to Parliament, unlike the minister of foreign affairs.

"It was also imprudent for any such initiative not have been led and managed by our ambassador in Washington. Surely, that would have been the appropriate diplomatic channel, accountable through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Parliament," the commissioners added.

According to the trio of commissioners, who had been accused of being less than authoritative over the course of the enquiry which ended on March 20, "the prime minister's involvement with Coke's extradition was inappropriate".

"He should have distanced himself completely from the matter. His failure to do this led to the unfortunate suspicion that he was protecting an alleged narcotics dealer and drug smuggler," they said.

"The Jamaica Labour Party should not have been involved to the extent it was. There may have been inappropriate comingling. We feel it was an unfortunate mistake because it fuelled suggestions that this move was made to protect Mr Coke because he was an important man to the JLP," the report continued.

In addressing the question of whether the justice minister should have promptly signed the documents giving authority to proceed with the extradition, the commissioners said this would "have prevented the criticism that the minister was deliberately delaying the extradition process for Coke for political reasons, and would have removed some of the causes of friction between Kingston and Washington.

"It seems to us that although late in signing the authority to proceed, the minister acted reasonably in signing it when she did," the commissioners said, noting that her "recollection of those events, however, was faulty".

The commissioners said while they "found no evidence of misconduct" on the part of the persons brought before it as it related to the handling of the request for Coke, "mistakes and errors of judgement were made", and suggested critical changes which could potentially marginalise Lightbourne, who was repeatedly labelled "incompetent" by the Opposition People's National Party during and enquiry.

"We suggest that the posts of minister of justice and attorney general should be split. The attorney general need not be a member of either House. We have considered the quality and amount of work done by the Attorney General's Department and the quality and volume of work done by the justice ministry and we recommend that these departments be headed by two different people," the report said.

In the meantime, it further proposed that Cabinet should be informed of any amendments or memoranda affecting constitutional rights.

In the case of Rear Admiral Lewin, the then police commissioner — who gave evidence that on August 4, 2009 he was told by someone in the US Embassy that on August 25, 2009 an extradition request would have been made for Coke — the commissioners said communication between the embassy and the rear admiral should have been made through the foreign affairs ministry.

"Notwithstanding, the rear admiral chose to act on the information without pointing out to the US Embassy that they were ignoring the proper procedure. The commission can understand the police commissioner's concern for security, but he may have gone too far," they concluded.

On the contentious issue of the Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), signed by former National Security Minister Dr Peter Phillips with the US Government and which figured prominently in the enquiry, the commissioners found that they were not in keeping with the Interception of Communications Act.

"Accordingly, nothing done persuant to, or in reliance on the MOUs can be said to have been under the authority of the Act," the said. "On this view, the supply of Coke's telephone records to the US Government agencies was, therefore, a breach of his constitutional rights."

The commissioners said they had to accept, however reluctantly, that this meant the MOUs were "in breach of the Constitution".

"We have come to this conclusion with much reluctance because Dr Phillips' obvious intention was to bring the narcotics dealers and gun runners to justice," the commissioners said.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/PM--you-were-wrong_9012308

CD PIrates

VIDEO: 1.2 million bootleg CDs destroyed

BY SHAWN BARNES Observer video editor barness@jamaicaobserver.com

Saturday, April 16, 2011

ANTI-piracy campaigners yesterday organised the destruction of 1.2 million bootleg CDs and 212,000 DVDs confiscated by the police.

As part of Intellectual Property Week 2011, the Jamaica Anti-Piracy Alliance (JAPA) hopes that the destruction, carried out at the Riverton City Dump in St Andrew, will help convince Jamaicans of the importance of respecting intellectual property rights and combating piracy, which also helps fund organised crime.

Carol A Newman, general manager of the Jamaica Copyright Licensing Association (JAMCOPY), warned persons, including those who produce creative works — such as entertainers — that they do not stand to benefit from piracy.

"The importance of this today is to bring an awareness to the public of the harmful effects of piracy," Newman told Observer. "Piracy in all forms have a rehabilitating effect on not only the creators of intellectual property but also on our economy because the trade in pirated goods does not contribute to the legitimate economy," she added.

Head of the police's Organised Crime Division Superintendent Fitz Bailey said that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) would continue to pursue those who flout anti-piracy laws, warning that members of the public, both buyers and sellers were liable for prosecution.

"We will continue to enforce the law; we'll be very aggressive in our pursuit to identify those people who continue to pirate people's intellectual property," said Bailey. He said, too, that the police would be engaging in zero-tolerance efforts in their quest to support the artistes and other persons who are involved in the whole issue of intellectual property rights.

JAPA, which has been in existence since 2005, is a partnership of local organisations that represent or manage intellectual property rights.

Members include the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office; Jamaica Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers; JAMCOPY; Jamaica Music Society; the JCF; Palace Amusement Company; the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports; and the Business Software Alliance.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/pfversion/VIDEO--1-2-million-bootleg-CDs-destroyed_8676342#ixzz1Ji6rlRGw

Debt Free Jamaica?

Chinese companies, often state run, have been active buyers during the past few years in the Caribbean and Africa. In the following comments from Omar Davies, a ranking PNP politician and former cabinet minister, Davis promotes further ties with the BRIC countries. From recent Chinese activities in Jamaica, I take his comments to have a slant towards China.
The article says that according to Bank Of Jamaica statistics, China and Japan are not listed as "principal trading partners". I do not know the BoJ's criterea for listing but Chinese and Japanese products are ubiquitous in Jamaica. To begin with, Japanese used cars and trucks have transformed Jamaica's roads, adding thousand of new to Jamaica vehicles in the past 15 years.

BRICs needed to build debt-free Jamaica — Davies

BY STEVEN JACKSON Business writer jacksons@jamaicaobserver.com

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

JAMAICA's debt worsened nearly 50 per cent under the present administration and it won't grow its way out unless aligned with the prosperous BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China), according to Dr Omar Davies, opposition spokesperson on finance.

"(Finance minister Audley Shaw's) major achievement is the extent to which he has borrowed more and made us more indebted. When I left in 2007, the debt was $950 billion, we have now moved to $1,400 billion ($1.4 trillion) and he says, 'look how great I am'," Davies told an audience at a People's National Party Youth Organisation (PNP YO) meeting on the Univeristy of West Indies (UWI), last Thursday. "I can't help scoring this but that is his major achievement, and it doesn't matter what price you are borrowing at if the principal is growing. So we are a highly indebted country."

Davies' comments are corroborated by International Monetary Fund statistics which indicate that in only three years the island's nominal public debt jumped 30 per cent to $1.7 trillion or 139 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) versus $1.3 trillion in the fiscal year 2008/9 at the start of the global economic downturn. Davies was however finance minister for much of the 18-year administration of the PNP under which the debt ballooned to record figures up to 2007.

Jamaica's best growth prospect according to Davies is to trade heavily with Latin America and Asia, the fastest growing economies in the world.

"The future cannot be simply appending yourself more to the countries which have low growth prospects. Regardless of how much the US recovers, the US economy won't grow by more than 1.5 per cent per annum. Therefore if all of our aspirations of attachments are to the US then you are by definition reducing your own prospects for growth. There is a need to diversify our economic linkages," he stated.

Davies comments on the island's lack of diversity in its trading partners is underscored by the fact that China and Japan the second and third largest economies are not listed as 'principal trading partners' with Jamaica based on Bank of Jamaica statistics. Countries listed include the US, Canada, UK, Norway, the European Union, the Caribbean Community and Latin America (as a single group).

"You will not abandon your old friends but expand your circle of friends. Whilst keeping the UK, Canada and US (for obvious reasons) but realising that our future chances of growing our economy cannot be aligned with countries which can't grow by over 1.5 per cent. Therefore we need to seek to identify countries with similar challenges," he said.

Jamaica — characterised by high debt and slow growth — is projected to grow the seventh slowest in the world up to 2015 according to IMF statistics previously anlaysed by the Observer. Jamaica is projected to grow about 1.3 per cent annually over the next five years, or three times slower than the world economy, according to charts within the World Economic Outlook (WEO) published this month by the IMF. The only territories -- amongst 150 -- projected to grow at a slower pace on average than Jamaica over five years are St Kitts & Nevis at 0.3 per cent, oil-rich Venezuela at 0.33 per cent, Brunei Darussalam at 1.03 per cent, Croatia at 1.03 per cent, Antigua at 1.13 per cent and Equatorial Guinea at 1.23 per cent.

Interestingly, three of the six territories trailing Jamaica are in the Latin America and Caribbean region. However, generally, the region is projected to outperform the world economy at 4.5 per cent on average over the period due to stellar performances expected from Brazil, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Chile and Colombia.

"The US is still the dominant country, but its dominance is in decline. China has become the number two economy and the only question is when will they intersect. When one is growing by 1.0 to 1.5 per cent and the other is growing at seven and 10 per cent the graphs will intersect sooner than later," stated Davies.

Air Pollution In Jamaica

From The Observer:

The right to breathe fresh air

BY DR PATRECE CHARLES-FREEMAN

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

OUR constitution gives us the fundamental right to life, liberty, personal safety and, of course, the age-old right to vote; but what about the right to a breath of fresh air?

Environmental degradation has been on the rise and is observed in both rural and urban communities due to the lack of effective restrictions on a wide range of development projects. Among the most severe environmental problems affecting Jamaica are those related to air pollution, which threatens health, vegetation and infrastructure.

According to the WHO 2000 Fact Sheet N187, air pollution causes serious health effects mainly respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, and lung cancer.

Following concerns expressed by the communities living within close proximity to bauxite processing plants, I conducted an investigation into the effects of pollutants, specifically particulate matter on the health of persons living in these areas.

The study examined the levels of particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5 and the prevalence of respiratory illnesses within communities that were believed to be exposed to industrial pollutants emanating from a bauxite factory. The communities represented urban, rural, industrialised, and non-industrialised areas. The monitoring of air quality, health assessment of the individuals who participated in the study and the relationship between health and the environment were investigated.

The study showed that adults within six miles of the bauxite company had higher levels of sinusitis, allergies and asthma. Children within the same area also showed higher rates of sinusitis and allergies, however, no clear relationship was established with asthma.

The results suggested that particulate matter associated with bauxite mining may have significant negative impacts on the health of persons in communities, particularly those residing closer to the factory who are exposed to unacceptable levels of PM10 and PM2.5 particles.

The Charles-Freeman 2007 study examined the levels of particulate matter at sizes 10 and 2.5 µg/m3. The mean average of the levels of the pollutants for both PM10 and PM2.5 showed an exceedance above the national average acceptable safe level of 50µg/m3 at a distance of one - six-mile radius from the bauxite processing plant.

This study pointed to an increase in particulate matter exposure for individuals living in close proximity to the bauxite factory than those individuals living further away.

Whilst one accepts that industrialisation is central to economic development and improved prospects for human well-being, particularly in developing countries such as Jamaica, we cannot be unmindful of the fact that this often brings with it many negative implications for health.

It is in this context that we must review the renewed quarrying on the Puerto Bueno Mountain near the Queen's Highway between Rio Bueno and Discovery Bay in St Ann.

The communities have a right to be concerned, not only about the protection of the natural environment on the Puerto Bueno Mountain, but also for the health of the residents who live within six miles of the site of the quarry and crushing plant.

More attention needs to be given to the plight of the residents who will be exposed to the air pollution resulting from the quarry and crushing plant on the Puerto Bueno Mountain. The data set from the Charles-Freeman 2007 study clearly established that there was a higher prevalence of sinusitis, asthma and allergies for adults and that there was a need to examine and monitor respiratory symptoms of adults living within a six-mile radius of the bauxite factory.

Likewise, children may experience an increasing vulnerability to the pollutants and higher rates of sinusitis and allergies were reported amongst children living closer to the bauxite factory versus those living further away. It therefore stands to reason that the communities in close proximity to the quarry and crushing plant will be exposed to significantly higher levels of unacceptable particulate matter and will also experience similar health effects.

The Charles-Freeman study suggests, to some extent, that with technology comes inherent negative impacts on our environment. We must explore effective means of combating the effect of technological advances and globalisation on environmental degradation and the health of our people.

— Dr Patrece Charles-Freeman is a public and environmental health consultant

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/The-right-to-breathe-fresh-air_8453339#ixzz1FSAtyocI

Change One Way Or The Other

From The Observer:

Rome is burning

Lloyd B. Smith

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

"Rain a fall but di dutty tuff

Pot a bwile but di food no nuff

A hungry man is an angry man..."

- Lyrics attributed to Bob Marley

ONE of the most compelling reasons why people revolt against their government is hunger. The recent people's revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain and Libya among others speak to unemployment and lack of economic opportunities which often lead to empty stomachs.

The French Revolution is one of the most classic examples of hungry citizens taking to the streets and "storming the Bastille". Marie Antoinette's now infamous but telling utterance, "Let them eat cake!" after the hungry peasants clamoured for bread cost her head and the heads of her fellow aristocrats who had lost touch with the proletariat. Unfortunately, some of our leaders have no sense of history and feel rather comfortably that they can fool all the people all the time.

A look at the social pages in the nation's various newspapers would suggest that all is well in the state of Jamaica. Yet while the elite of the society wine and dine in fine style, savour caviar and sip champagne, the price of bread is going up...and yes, so is cake!

Then there is the price of gas which ironically is going up because of the people's revolutions in the Middle East. And when this happens, the prices of most goods and services also go up.

The latest "cake" that the government has given an increasingly angry and hungry populace is the Dudus/Manatt Commission of Enquiry, and one suspects others are planned such as the highly touted JDIF which will be timed to afford sufficient mileage going into the general election of 2012. Meanwhile, Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Olivia "Babsy" Grange, not having got sufficient hype out of the Under-17 Reggae Boyz overall performance, must now be salivating at the prospects next year of the nation's 50th Independence anniversary celebrations and the London Olympics. That feel-good factor that successive political parties have used in Jamaica to postpone the revolution indefinitely.

Every time I hear about the success of the JDX, the trending down of interest rates and the acquisition of low interest loans and I juxtapose those against the harsh socio-economic realities facing especially poor and working-class Jamaicans, I want to puke. Yes, these are noble achievements for which the government should take full credit, but the potent question now is what next? After all, the occasional one-day bellyful cannot fatten "mawga cow".

According to the latest statistics, some 400,000 Jamaicans are unemployed, and of that number some 220,000 are not seeking any jobs which means they have given up doing so, while there are those who have never worked in their entire lives!

There are hundreds of thousands of young Jamaicans in this country who feel hopeless and fed up with the present state of affairs. They are turned off from both the major political parties because they believe it is a case of "no better herring, no better barrel". They are convinced that politicians are interested only in obtaining and retaining power which they use to enrich themselves, their relatives and cronies. In this sad scenario, the people are no longer the centrepiece of any development strategy, but the victims of a system that does not engender equal rights, equal opportunity and justice for them. No empowerment, no self-actualisation, just persistent poverty and hopelessness. Is it any wonder that many Jamaicans are selling their votes?

There is the well-known Jamaican expression, "Fire deh a muss-muss tail, 'im tink a cool breeze." When one observes what takes place in the House of Parliament these days, it is clear that the people's business is fast becoming a footnote. Instead, rabid political one-upmanship, personal aggrandisement and crass ineptitude have become the norm.

Are our politicians aware that there is a seething anger among the people which cuts across party lines, and this is so because there is a serious disconnect between the electorate and those who were elected to govern? Are they aware that among the 80 per cent of black Jamaicans there is a growing feeling of alienation and that Jamaica no longer belongs to them but to those who have one foot in and one foot out of this country?

Hunger is not necessarily just a physical experience. The Jamaican people are hungry for good governance, hungry for a justice system that is equitable and timely, hungry for meaningful opportunities to advance themselves and not to be overtaxed, overworked and underpaid seemingly to ensure that the plutocracy can remain alive and well. And most important, they hunger for respect and a government that cares, not one that rules by fear and arrogance.

Now that Jamaica is approaching its 50th year of having achieved political independence but most ashamedly has not attained economic independence and social equity, it is time that our current crop of political representatives and their colleagues come to the inevitable conclusion that Jamaica is a failing state. It is therefore incumbent on them to seek to come up with a new order and in that context the reform of the 1962 Jamaican Constitution must take top priority.

Regrettably, it is felt by the Jamaican people that our politicians are not too eager to change the status quo; after all, to give the people justiciable rights would abrogate from the power of Parliament. In other words, contrary to the ethos of the Westminster system which we claim to embrace, politicians are our masters and we are their servants.

So while they fight for the power and the glory, Jah kingdom goes to waste. Rome is burning; fiddle on, Nero!

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/pfversion/Rome-is-burning_8449809#ixzz1FSAIdWXQ

PCJ donates solar panels to Bellevue

Published: Thursday | January 13, 2011

Nadisha Hunter, Gleaner Writer

The Bellevue Hospital in Kingston is looking forward to cuts in its electricity bill after receiving a gift of seven solar outdoor lighting system donated by the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ).

The solar panels, which were recently installed, will save the health facility some $700,000 per year, representing approximately five per cent savings.

PCJ Chairman Paris Lyew-Ayee said yesterday that with oil prices on the increase, it is important that the Government be a leader in saving the commodity.

"We recognised that within the government organisations, the health sector is one of those areas that use a lot of energy to carry out its work. In keeping with that concern, the PCJ said it would work with the health services to help in addressing that matter," he disclosed during the handover ceremony at the health facility.

Lyew-Ayee encouraged manufacturers, hoteliers, homeowners and others to adapt to the energy-saving initiative in order to save on the resource.

Chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), Lyttleton Shirley, in expressing his appreciation, said the lights would support the security details on the compound.

"This most valuable donation will no doubt significantly enhance the safety of this facility and, in particular, the safety of our staff who have been victims of robberies in recent times," Shirley said.

"It is important to note that this institution is situated on some 48 acres of land, so you can well appreciate the fact that securing this facility is a major challenge to our management," he added.

Minister of Energy and Mining James Robertson said the ministry was working with international development partners on a three-year project, at a cost of up to US$50 million, dealing with energy conservation and efficiencies in government agencies and structures.

Robertson added that savings from the project would foot the bill before the time is up.

nadisha.hunter@gleanerjm.com

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110113/lead/lead3.html