FRIED RICE; MACARONI PIE
STEAMED GREEN BANANAS AND STEAMED YAM
SPAGHETTI WITH CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES
BBQ SPARERIBS; BAKED CHICKEN; BAKED PORK
FRIED STEAK FISH; GRILLED STEAK FISH
BEEF STEW; SALT FISH GRAVY
STEAMED VEGETABLES; TOSSED SALAD
Butterfly Orchids will soon be the star attraction at a tourism oriented farm in Union!
What would you say if you were told that St Lucia was home to the largest and the overall best Orchid Centre in the Caribbean? Most people would first question when exactly Orchids became a big deal in St Lucia in the first place, but truth be told, the Taiwanese Embassy has been promoting the high value product for some time now.Monday, December 7 marked the opening ceremony for an Orchid Centre at the Taiwanese Demonstration Farm in Union. At the ceremony Taiwanese ambassador Tom Chou welcomed all to the “Kingdom of the Butterfly Orchid.”
The Taiwanese ambassador went on to explain why the Taiwanese wanted to develop the Orchid industry in St Lucia. The ambassador said Orchids would do well in a warm climate in St Lucia and the plant did not need much space to grow. There was also not surprisingly a high market for Orchids in St Lucia and the Caribbean.
“We chose butterfly orchid as our main product because it has beautiful colours, shapes, and last longer (in average six weeks),” said Chou.
With Taiwan being the world’s largest Orchid exporter, its introduction to St Lucia had been in the works for some time. Twenty-five percent of the world’s Orchid market share goes to Taiwan with a total export value of EC $220 million. At the opening ceremony Chou said Taiwan’s experience in Orchid production and marketing would prove to be very useful for St Lucia.
A tissue culture lab and green house was completed in September this year for mass production purposes. At the ceremony it was revealed that the newly completed sophisticated green house (1,382 square meters) provided the ideal environment for Orchids to grow through temperature and humidity control. Moreover, Tom Chou said the greenhouse could also control blossom timing. A method that made it possible to have the flowers all year round, rather than just six months a year.
The opening of the Orchid Centre was a grand affair at the Demonstration Farm in Union.
The sophisticated green house can accommodate at least 40,000 orchid plants while another ordinary green house can accommodate 100,000 plantlets from the tissue culture lab. The interior designs of the greenhouses, such as temperature control and maximum utilization of space, are the most advanced in the Caribbean. The centre plans to produce 30,000 orchids a year in the early stage with market value of EC$ 1.2 million.“We can increase the production according to the market demand,” Chou said. According to the Taiwanese Ambassador the short-term goal of the Orchid project is to attract local consumers and cruise ship visitors. The mid-term and long-term goals are the Caribbean and the world markets, respectively. Chou had high hopes of helping St Lucia achieve EC$5 million a year as a long-term goal, something he said had to be worked for.
“With strong support of the prime minister and agriculture minister Ezechiel Joseph, this joint effort project is making excellent progress,” said Tom Chou. “We have put a lot of efforts in upgrading the agricultural sector by introducing new technology and good potential products. Moreover, we also integrate tourism into the agriculture that will benefit farmers and the tourism industry. We are transferring the Union farm into a tourism farm.”
In the future the Taiwanese ambassador said persons would have to buy tickets to enter the Kingdom of Butterfly Orchids! Professional guides would take interested parties into the fascinating world of Orchids, and of course, according to Chou, “coffee, cold drinks and snacks will be sold here too.”
“At the end of his speech Chou noted that the beautiful Orchids matched the image of St Lucia, as the island was known to be the best honeymoon destination in the world. In his words: “The beautiful colours of butterfly Orchid match the image of this country and will make the island more unique than other Caribbean countries.” (St.Lucia Star)
Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting ducks as he is clobbered on the elbow by West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach (out of photo), during first-day action in the third and final Test at the WACA. - Digicel photo PERTH, Australia (CMC):
West Indies coach David Williams denounced the WACA pitch yesterday, after watching his bowlers toil on a wicket that had been projected to be a haven for pace.
Batting first after winning the toss, Australia closed on 339 for three and Williams said he was ‘disappointed’ that the pitch was not as fast they had anticipated.
“After the first 20 minutes we realised it was a very flat track. There was a lot of hype about it being a lot quicker and maybe assisting the fast bowlers a little bit more,” Williams said. “That didn’t happen so we had to resort to the spin of Narsingh Deonarine and (Sulieman) Benn, who did a fairly good job.”
Outside of a briefly fierce battle between young pacer Kemar Roach and Australia captain Ricky Ponting, the Australians fended off the Caribbean side’s bowling attack and enter Thursday’s (last night Jamaica time) second day in a sturdy position.
Second ball
Roach’s second ball to Ponting - a short, 146kph delivery - crashed into the experienced batsman’s elbow and forced him to retire.
Ponting refused to leave the field initially and batted on for 40 minutes before he eventually retired hurt on 23. X-rays showed no fracture and Ponting is expected to bat later in the innings.
Williams admired the engaging battle but conceded that Ponting was not defeated, since he did not lose his wicket to Roach.
“We know for a fact that Ponting, not that he’s scared of Roach, respected Roach as a fast bowler who can also hit you in your head as well as hit your edge,” Williams said.
“It was a keen contest. Ricky I think got the better of him at the end. But at the end of the day it was good for cricket to see a fast bowler running in on a flat deck, bowling to the No.1 batsman in the world,” Williams said.
“(Roach was under) a little bit of pressure, coming in with all this hype and stuff. He probably bowled a little bit too short and maybe at times a little bit too full but he’s a young guy and he’s learning quickly,” Williams added.
Roach removed Shane Watson and finished with one for 67 off 13 overs.
Wicketless
Pacers Ravi Rampaul (0-38), Dwayne Bravo (0-56) and debutant Gavin Tonge (0-65) went wicketless, while Deonarine (1-52) and Benn (1-61) were the other successful bowlers.
Simon Katich (99), Watson (89), Mike Hussey (81 not out) scored heavily for the Aussies. Watson believes West Indies made a huge blunder by using Roach for the bulk of his spells from the wrong end, bowling into the wind.
“As a batsman, facing Kemar Roach bowling at the wrong end was nicer anyway,” Watson said.
“I thought he definitely would have bowled downwind, with the breeze going across. I was surprised he bowled into the wind with the second new ball as well.
“The West Indies are very unpredictable at times with some of the decisions and things they do. It will be interesting to see what Chris Gayle’s thinking was at that time,” Watson said.
Williams played down the issue and said it was the bowler’s call.
“Roach is right now our No. 1 bowler and it’s up to him to pick which end he’s going to bowl,” Williams said.
“He chose that end. That was Roach’s decision. Normally your strike bowler is going to get the end he prefers and that was the case,” Williams said.
AUSTRALIA 1st innings
| S Watson c wkp Ramdin b Roach | 89 |
| S Katich c Roach b Benn | 99 |
| R Ponting ret. hurt | 23 |
| M Hussey not out | 81 |
| M Clarke c Gayle b Deonarine | 11 |
| M North not out | 23 |
| Extras (w1, nb12) | 13 |
| TOTAL (3 wkts, 90 overs) | 339 |
| To bat: +B Haddin, M Johnson, N Hauritz, D Bollinger, C McKay.
Fall of wickets: 1-132 (Watson, 35.2 overs), 1-175(Ponting, ret. hurt, 43), 2-260 (Katich, 67.2), 3-277 (Clarke, 72.3). Bowling: Roach 13-0-67-1 (nb4), Rampaul 14-4-38-0 (w1, nb1), Tonge 13-0-65-0 (nb7), Bravo 13-0-56-0, Benn 19-3-61-1, Deonarine 18-3-52-1. WEST INDIES -C Gayle, T Dowlin, R Sarwan, N Deonarine, B Nash, DJ Bravo, +D Ramdin, S Benn, R Rampaul, G Tonge, K Roach. Toss: Australia. Umpires: B Bowden, I Gould; TV - Asad Rauf. |
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter 
Buju
International dancehall star Buju Banton remains in custody today after a bail hearing planned for yesterday was put on hold.
Buju, dressed in prisoner’s garb, appeared in court in Miami, Florida, yesterday but his attorney, Herbert E. Walker III, did not apply for bail as expected.
“We decided instead to transfer the case to Tampa because that is where it will be tried,” Walker told The Gleaner yesterday. “You get only one chance at a bond hearing and it was decided to do it in Tampa where the trial will take place, instead of in Miami.”
He said no date has yet been set for the bail hearing but he expects that a date will be announced shortly after the papers are filed in the Tampa court.
Minimal talk
Buju did not speak in court except to reply, “Yes, sir,” to the judge’s questions.
Court observers told The Gleaner that, like the other inmates in the courthouse, about 10, Buju wore a beige jail jumpsuit over a white T-shirt, with his dreadlocks tied up and his hands shackled in front of him.
Chief Magistrate in the Southern District of Florida, William C. Turnoff, issued a temporary order of detention for the 36-year-old singer.
Buju has been in custody for more than a week since being arrested by agents from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
He is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
Yesterday, Walker scoffed at reports in the local media that the offence should not carry a federal charge.
Walker told The Gleaner that, based on the nature of the allegations and the quantity of cocaine involved, Buju, whose correct name is Mark Myrie, and his two co-accused would face federal charges.
The attorney has vowed to work night and day to clear his client, who has said he is “absolutely innocent of each of the allegations that the (United States) government has made”. (Jamaica Gleaner)
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Miss Sasha Fierce herself, Beyonce Knowles, will perform in Port of Spain on Thursday, February 18, 2010. The date is posted online, on Beyonce’s official itinerary for the month of February during which she will be on a South American tour with Trinidad being the final leg. The venue listed on the itinerary states ’Queen’s Park’. The tour kicks off immediately following the Grammy Awards on January 31 and will include shows in Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Peru before she makes her way here. Entitled the ’I AM World Tour’, this series of concerts was named the world’s number one concert attraction by Billboard Magazine’s Hot Tour rankings for 2009. Sources said the concert is being produced by TSTT bmobile, which has in recent times presented major concert events featuring internationally acclaimed acts such as Rihanna, Kanye West, Chaka Khan and Anita Baker. It is understood that other corporate entities are being asked to co-sponsor the event. Other promoters have in the past wanted to present Beyonce in concert here, but none seemed to have the financial resources to pull it off. TSTT manager, media relations and corporate communications, Graeme Suite, yesterday expressed surprise when he was asked to confirm that TSTT was hosting Beyonce right after Carnival. He said he was not sure if such an event was ’still’ on. |
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Prime Minister Patrick Manning met with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in Copenhagen, Denmark, yesterday, where they are both attending crucial climate change talks being held there this week. The environmental talks are taking place during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC). Manning joined 90 other Heads of Government/State who pledged to attend the Copenhagen talks during a news conference at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which the Government hosted here in Port of Spain on November 28. Manning was joined at that news conference by Ban Ki-Moon, Australia Prime Minister Michael Rudd, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma and Denmark’s Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen. They had announced that ,during the CHOGM, the Commonwealth Heads signed a historic climate change declaration at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain, ahead of the Copenhagen talks. Among those who will be in Copenhagan later this week, apart from Manning and Ban, will be US President Barack Obama, who met the Prime Minister when he attended the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain in April. During the Summit in April, Obama had proposed an Energy and Climate Partnership for the Americas. (Trinidad Express) |
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A worldwide increase in the application fees, from US$131 to US$140, for tourist and business visitor visas to visit the United States is now being proposed by that country’s Department of State. The reason, according to the US State Department, is that the existing US$131 fee does not cover the cost of processing the visa applications. Trinidad and Tobago nationals seeking to enter the US now pay the US$131 (TT$836) application fee like all other applicants around the world, with no guarantees of actually getting the visas. If the State Department’s proposal is approved, this would mean the new fee would be $140 (TT$983). The US State Department announced its application fee increase proposal for non-immigrant B1/B2 (tourist/business visitor) visas, and also those for petition-based visas, such as those for temporary workers and trainees, in a media note first published on its website on Monday. It added that under the proposed rule, ’applicants for all visas that are not petition-based, including B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and all student and exchange-visitor visas, would pay a fee of $140.’ The State Department is also proposing an increase to US$150 for the application fees for visas for temporary workers and trainees, intracompany transferees, aliens with extraordinary ability, athletes, artists and entertainers, international cultural exchange visitors and religious occupations. ’The application fee for K visas for fiancé(e)s of US citizens would be (US)$350. The fee for E visas for treaty-traders and treaty-investors would be $390,’ the State Department stated. During a post-Cabinet news conference on June 18, Foreign Affairs Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon had said that 20 per cent of Trinidad and Tobago nationals who are granted visas are staying in the US longer than they are supposed to, and this had been contributing to an increase in the number of those who are being denied their visa applications.(Trinidad Express) |
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While everyone else slept at night, Azard Mohammed would stay awake as a lookout to ensure that all was well in the neighbourhood. Tuesday night was no different. Mohammed, 39, was sitting on his porch around 3 a.m. when he heard screams coming from his neighbour’s house. ’I watched next door and saw fire inside the house. I immediately sprung into action. I ran downstairs and grabbed a ladder and my hose. I went across and placed the ladder against the house by the window and climbed up. But when I reached the burglar-proofing, it could not open. I tried to cut it open but nothing,’ he said. Mohammed said, ’The family moved into the house three months ago. They had brought so much life to the community. We had grown really close and looked out for each other. We had so many plans for Christmas. I just couldn’t allow them to die.’ Mohammed said he looked through the flames and saw Persad running through the house. Mohammed said he called out to Persad. ’He saw me by the window. He tried to push his way through the burglar-proofing and he finally got through. He fell face down on the concrete. He was badly burnt,’ he said. Mohammed said he called out to little Deandra Crystal and she, too, made it through the window. ’I tried to go inside to save the other two but I couldn’t, the fire was too intense. I can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe there is something I could have done to save them. I just keep thinking about it,’ he said. Mohammed suffered minor burns. -Carolyn Kissoon (Trinidad Express) |
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Trapped in their burning home, a woman and her two young children perished in a fire early yesterday morning. They were unable to get past the burglar-proofed windows. Fazeeda Ali-Gabriel, 34, was found lying in a corridor. Her children, Leandra, 14, and ten-year-old Aaron Kyle, were huddled in a bedroom, investigators said. Her husband, Daniel Persad, 36, and 12-year-old daughter, Deandra Crystal, squeezed through a window and escaped. Persad was listed in serious condition at the San Fernando General Hospital last evening. He suffered burns to the chest, back, arms and face. Deandra was being treated for minor burns at the same health facility. The fire broke out around 3 a.m. while the family slept at their Battoo Avenue, Marabella, home. Neighbours tried to rescue the family. ’I heard someone call out my name and when I looked next door, I saw smoke… climbed to the window and used my hose to out the blaze, but it was too intense,’ Azard Mohammed said. Ali-Gabriel, a cashier at Fen Mohammed’s Store in Marabella, walked away from a troubled marriage a year ago said her father, councillor Naizool Ali. ’About five months ago, she met this man (Daniel) and they were happy together. And the children loved him more than their own father because he treated them well,’ Ali said. The family moved into the house at Battoo Avenue, Marabella, three months ago. ’They brought so much life to the community. The children were so pleasant. Up to last night, I fixed the boy’s bicycle. We were going to have a good Christmas with them. Now the spirit is all gone,’ Ali said. The family had decorated the house with Christmas lights, Santa Claus and a snowman. A torched wreath remained on the front door after the fire. Fire officers believe an overloaded circuit caused the fatal blaze. Ali said his daughter called him the day before she died. ’She was my best daughter. She called every day to ensure that her mother and I are well. I could not believe it when I heard what had happened. She was a gem. She had gone through so much in her first marriage and was looking forward to spending a good Christmas this year,’ he said. Leandra Gabriel was a pupil of the Tabaquite Composite School and her brother attended Guaracara Hindu School. The bodies were not severely burnt, investigators said. San Fernando Mayor Kenneth Ferguson, who visited the scene, said: ’This is such a tragedy, an entire family destroyed. It is sad that something like this has happened during the Christmas season. I always urge people to be very careful when they are building burglar-proofing in their homes.’ A family who lived three houses away also lost their home in a fire four months ago. Truck driver Kaleel McFarlane, his wife, Patricia, and their daughter, Charlene, were asleep when the fire broke out. The family has since relocated opposite Ali-Gabriel’s home.(Trinidad Express) |
OPPOSITION Member of Parliament (MP) Cynthia Forde wants better food for diabetics at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
She complained in the House of Assembly on Tuesday that diabetics were being fed inappropriate food.
Forde spoke of one diabetic receiving two salt breads, a small portion of grated carrot and a flying fish.
She indicated that nutritionists were apparently not involved in planning the meals for diabetics.
The St Thomas MP spoke during debate on a $19.1 million supplementary resolution, with $16.57 million of this going to the health services.
She complained of “a deterioration of quality care” in the QEH, reflected in the treatment of diabetics.
Forde spoke of pieces of equipment “lying around” at the hospital, and of a shortage of materials, including bandages.
She was also concerned about the number of snack machines at the institution.
Forde said that with their high sugar and salt content, the snacks were not good for children or diabetics.
She complained too that, in some cases, it was not known where the snacks were manufactured.(Nation News)
