1. law, govt and politics
2. legal issues
3. human rights

GUNS AND AMMO
DUO ON REMAND
Wednesday 7th January 2015
A n t i g u a
a n d
B a r b u d a
Vol.3
Woeful Windies lose test
No.70
$2.00
Story on page 2
Traffic accidents
went up last year pg 2
Customs to launch electronic platform pg 3
Dale Steyn roars at removing Denesh Ramdin. Story
on page 20
Causion’s hit single
bubbles into 2015....pg 4
pg 23 For Voucher
2
Wednesday 7th January 2015
caribtimes.com
Guns and ammo duo on remand
The two people arrested and
charged by the police on guns and
ammunition charges are currently at
Her Majesty’s Prison on remand after appearing before a magistrate on
Tuesday.
The pair sent to HMP immediately after they were formally
charged in the magistrate court. Legal sources say the magistrate had
no other option but to send to prison
on remand as only the High Court
can authorize bail when anyone is
charged with firearms related crimes.
A communiqué from the police Strategic Communications Unit
states that lawmen have arrested and
charged Earl “Early Bee” Martin,
46 and Lynella Shaw, 25, both of St.
Johnston Village/Sutherlands Area
with a number of gun related offences.
According to initial reports, the
police acting on a tip-off executed
Search Warrants on the duo’s home
in the early hours of Saturday morning and discovered the items, along
with a number of cellular phones,
also believed to have been stolen.
Both Martin and Shaw were
jointly charged with possession of
twenty-three 9mm rounds of Ammunition; possession of Seventy
.380 Rounds of Ammunition; possession of Six .32 Rounds of Ammunition, and possession of Twenty-six
Twelve-Gauge Cartridges.
They were further charged with
possession of one 9mm Beretta Pistol; possession of one Twelve-Gauge
Shot Gun and possession of one .380
Glock Pistol.
Traffic accidents increased in 2014
Despite an extensive
programme of awareness
on road safety issues, the
Traffic Department has
disclosed that it has recorded a 25.6% increase in
traffic collisions for 2014.
According to official
documentation, 1,716 traffic collisions were reported
to the Traffic Department
for 2014, indicating an increase of 350 when compared to 2013.
In a recent, Assistant
Superintendant of Police,
Joseph Hughes, noted that
not only do accidents affect the ones involved and
their relatives, but there is
the economic aspect of an
accident to consider.
One of the more vocal groups is the Antigua
& Barbuda Road Safety Group Inc. This safety
group is a Non-Governmental Organization registered in Antigua, and
which acts on the principle
of saving lives and reducing the severity of road
crashes.
They have, since the
inception, advocated that
road crashes affect everyone and place a burden on
the country’s Emergency
and Medical Services.
The group operates on
several pillars which they
deem will be to the benefit
of the country. These are
road safety management,
safer roads and mobility,
safer vehicles, safer road
users and better post-crash
response.
The actions of the Antigua & Barbuda Road Safety Group fall in line with
the United Nations Decade
of Action for Road Safety. This was established in
May 2011, with a goal of
saving 5 million lives by
2020. The mandate calls
for Governments to release
their National Plan for the
decade.
Wednesday 7th January 2015
caribtimes.com
3
Customs and Excise Division launches
ASYCUDA World electronic platform
The Customs and Excise Division in collaboration with the Office of
the National Authorizing
Officer and EPA Implementation will launch
ASYCUDA World - a fully automated electronic
platform for the clearance
of goods and cargo in the
Conference Room at the
Prime Minister’s Office
commencing at 3 pm on
8th January 2015.
The launch will include remarks from The
Hon. Gaston Browne,
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Corporate Governance, The
Hon. E.P. Chet Greene,
Minster of Trade, Commerce and Industry, a
representative from the
Delegation of the European Union to Barbados
and the Eastern Caribbean
as well as from the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development
(UNCTAD). The Press
Conference will then be
immediately followed by
the first meeting of the
ASYCUDA World Implementation Steering Committee.
The implementation
of ASYCUDA World
forms part of the Customs
Reform and Modernization Program aimed at
fully automating and controlling the core processes
of all custom operations.
The implementation
of the system will assist
in the accumulation and
disbursement of timely,
accurate and valuable information to support Government projections and
planning. The new system
will among other things
utilize cutting edge ITC
Technologies - e-signature and biometrics which
are highly effective tools
used in providing improvements in the areas of
security, trade efficiency,
greater tax revenue collection and lower transaction
cont’d on pg 4
4
caribtimes.com
cont’d from pg 3
costs.
Further, the implementation of ASYCUDA
World will allow the Customs and Excise Division,
trade operators and Government Agencies to more
efficiently expedite their
transactions ranging from
Customs’ Declarations to
Cargo Manifests, Transit
Documents, as well as, licenses and authorizations
through the use of the internet.
Wednesday 7th January 2015
The implementation
of ASYCUDA World System was made possible
through financial support
of the European Union
(EU) with technical expertise from UNCTAD.
The monies were
awarded to Antigua and
Barbuda as a result of assessed good performance
during EU’s Mid Term
Review of the 10th European Development Fund
(EDF) National Indicative
Programme.
Antigua’s Reggae Ambassador Causion.
Causion’s ‘Come
on Baby’ bubbles
into 2015
Bubbling into 2015,
riding the musical wave
at No.1 on South Florida
Mikey B’s WAVS 1170
radio chart, is Antigua’s
Reggae
Ambassador
“Causion”.
His
current
smash ‘Come On Baby’,
released on the Cell Block
label, is the first single
from Causion’s upcoming (fourth) album, titled
‘Mission In Progress’ that
will drop in April 2015.
Produced by engineer Syl Gordon, ‘Come
On Baby’ marks a return
of the producer/artist
working relationship that
started in 1995, while
working on Causion’s
sophomore album ‘Time
Will Tell’. “I’ve got some nice
songs on this album, there
is a combination with
Ambelique called ‘Beauty’. 3 tracks are produced in collaboration
with Syl Gordon, plus
there is a remix of ‘Come
On Baby’ featuring Red
Fox”, says Causion.
The release of the video ‘Come On Baby’ on
January 22, 2015 is anticipated to propel it to the
top of more charts.
Also, it’s currently on
the Jamaica Star newspaper weekly top ten chart
compiled by Anthony
Turner. See what the buzz
is all about by checking it
out on iTunes and other
digital distributors.
For more information email: SeeCausion@
aol.com
Wednesday 7th January 2015
caribtimes.com
5
Message from Mr. Gym
You eat up all the turkey and ham,
Now you can’t fit into your lovely pants;
You go now and join the gym, to lose the weight,
But still have at home more of the Christmas cake.
Containers and foil papers are still in your deep freeze,
But you are crunching your abs to ease the squeeze;
You look at your pretty home, with a wide smile,
And just can’t believe that Christmas went by.
The sodas, the sweets that you still have in your homeHow can you say, you’re working out to the core?
This is January, let’s wait and see,
By next Christmas, where the weight will be!
This message is coming from Mr. Gym.
Written: By Mrs. Jacqueline Wetherill.
6
caribtimes.com
Wednesday 7th January 2015
The importance of democratisation
Democratisation is
one of the most important
concepts and trends in
modern political science,
one whose significance is
just beginning to be understood by conflict-resolution practitioners.
On one level, it is a
relatively simple idea,
since democratisation is
simply the establishment
of a democratic political
regime. However, in practice, democratisation has
been anything but easy
to understand, let alone
achieve.
Democracy, as we
know it today, is a relatively recent phenomenon.
While some of the
ancient Greek city-states
had democratic aspects,
modern democracy only
dates from the late 18th
century. To be considered
democratic, a country
must choose its leaders
through fair and competitive elections, ensure
basic civil liberties, and
respect the rule of law.
Some observers also
claim that a democracy
has to have a capitalist
economy and a strong
civil-society and civic
culture, although not all
political scientists would
include these two criteria.
Democratisation is
the process whereby a
country adopts such a regime. There is less agreement among political
scientists about how that
process occurs, including the criteria to use in
determining if democratisation has, in fact, taken place.
Many countries have
adopted democratic regimes only to see them
collapse in a military
coup or other revolt that
yields an authoritarian
government instead.
Typically, we do not
think that democracy has
truly taken root until at
least three national elections have been held. Another
criterion
raised by many experts is
the peaceful transfer of
power from one political
party or coalition to the
former opposition. cont’d on pg 7
Wednesday 7th January 2015
cont’d from pg 6
Such a transition is
critical because it indicates that the major political forces in a country are prepared to settle
their disputes without violence and to accept that
they will all spend periods of time out of office. Less clear is how democratisation occurs.
It took an extended
period of time to develop in the industrialized
countries of Western Europe and North America. In the United States
and Great Britain, it took
well over a century before all the institutions
and practices mentioned
above were firmly in
place.
France,
Germany,
and Italy saw their democratic regimes collapse
and be replaced by fascist ones. It is undoubtedly true that democratisation can take place
faster today.
However, it certainly
is not something that can
be instituted overnight. Democratisation
takes time, because it requires the development
of new institutions and
widespread trust in them,
which almost never happens quickly.
As with the definition
of the term, the impor-
tance of democratisation is easy to see at first
glance, but is much more
complicated in practice. Between states, democratisation is important because of one of the
most widely (but not universally) accepted trends
in international relations,
referred to as “the democratic peace”. Put simply, democracies do not have wars
with other democracies:
they have achieved what
Kenneth Boulding called
“stable peace.”
Whatever the exact
set of factors that contribute to democratic
peace, within states, democratisation is particularly important in those
countries that have gone
through an extended period of intractable conflict. The institutions and
value systems that make
democracy possible are
based on the development of the trust, tolerance, and capacity for
cooperation that make
stable peace and reconciliation possible outcomes of a conflict-resolution process.
Unfortunately,
the
same reasons that make
democratisation important make it difficult to
achieve.
The ethnic and other
tensions that give rise to
intractable conflict create so much mistrust and
intolerance that cooperation is very difficult to
achieve.
Indeed, there are very
few countries that have
been able to move from
intractable conflict to democracy quickly or easily. One exception is
South Africa, where the
black and white political elites summoned up
unprecedented political
caribtimes.com
7
will and commitment to
the multi-racial democracy that came into effect
in 1994.
What most citizens
can do, however, is to
engage in the political
process of their home
country to promote policies that help democratisation. For one, we can put
pressure on our political
elites to pursue the politics of accommodation
as Mandela did in South
Africa. (Reprinted from
Kaieteur News)
8
caribtimes.com
Wednesday 7th January 2015
The Lovell
Offensive - Part I
Harold Lovell is on the
move. It’s a dirty job, but
somebody’s got to do it.
What am I referring to? I’m
talking about providing the
paralyzed UPP with what
it needs most at this time:
Leadership, with an uppercase “L”.
In the aftermath of the
June 12 debacle, while returning officers were still
counting the last votes,
ex-PM Spencer made a
stunning announcement.
Apparently in a state of
shell-shock from the totally unexpected defeat, the
hapless leader told the Nation that he would not be
running for office in any
future elections. As if this
act of symbolic self-immolation were not sufficiently
demoralizing to the shattered UPP troops, toothless
pit-bull Wilmoth Daniel
simultaneously echoed his
leader. At a single stroke,
without any enemy action,
the UPP forces effectively
lost two of their most senior
generals.
Actually, the UPP lost
its three top leaders in the
engagement. From the moment, early in the counting,
when it became clear that
the ABLP/OND hybrid
Melford Nicholas was leading former Finance Min-
ister Harold Lovell in all
polling divisions, the message was clear: the Antigua
& Barbuda electorate had
sent the UPP government
into opposition, and it was
all over … bar the whimpering.
Everyone seems to
agree that the country’s
economic woes was the
main factor that drove the
UPP from office, and that
voters cast the former Finance Minister in the role
of designated Fall Guy. All
the former UPP ministers
who lost their seats, and
the hopefuls who failed to
win one of their own, were
hapless subalterns caught
up in a general sauve-quipeut. This is only part of the
truth: The Spencer regime’s
patent corruption, its ill-advised, relentless assault on
the democratic process,
combined with a blinkered
absence of respect for the
electorate, had a lot to do
with establishing a negative
view of the UPP that eventually led to a complete loss
of political credibility.
As I noted in a recent
column, voters decide the
fate of politicians for reasons of their own that very
often bear no relation to
the opinion those said politicians may have of them-
selves, or of their policies.
In a most famous example
British voters kicked war
leader Winston Churchill,
who brought them through
their finest hour, out of office in 1945, even as Nazi
Germany lay prostrate before the victorious allies.
The immense sacrifices of
the War Years were over
… and it was time to turn
to bread-and-butter issues:
Churchill was not the right
man for that job.
A certain modicum of
respect for the electorate
might have done much to
keep the UPP in touch with
the voters’ true feelings;
but the Naked Emperor
preferred to swallow the
flattery of his self-seeking
courtiers, rather than listen
to the voice of reason.
The folly of Spencer’s
hasty retreat has since become painfully obvious:
Even if he had in fact hinted before the polling that
the 2014 general elections
would be his last hurrah as
party leader, circumstances
alter cases – and for his followers’ sake the right thing
to say at the time would
have been something like
“Surrender? We have only
just begun to fight!”
Instead the defeated
commander threw in the
towel, right then and there
amidst the smoke and detritus of battle. In doing so the
sadly miscast leader gave
the decided impression that
he was personally very eager to abandon the struggle,
finally, once and for all.
The upshot of it all is
that the opposition party
is virtually leaderless, yet
forced to pretend that Spencer can play a viable role
as an effective campaigner
for a revived, virile political
organization. In truth, not
even the UPP faithful really
believe that barefaced lie,
though they stoutly attempt
to perpetuate the idol-worship that contributed to their
defeat in the first place.
This is where Harold
Lovell comes in. In their
heart of hearts the faithful
know that Lovell is the individual in their party, in
or out of parliament, who
has the best credentials
and the greatest ability to
lead the UPP back into the
limelight. A few bellwether supporters have already
begun to call for his elevation to the political leadership at the next convention.
That alone speaks volumes
about the way Lovell is
viewed among the rankand-file. The stage is set for
a most interesting year.
Wednesday 7th January 2015
caribtimes.com
9
Darkest Hours – Citizens –
Motorists And Tourists
Continued from
yesterday’s issue
SIGN OF
INGRATITUDE
It was to the knowledge that foremost among
the elements destructive
to good human relations,
were undoubtedly, “...immaturity; ...lack of professionalism; ...appreciation
and youthful exuberance.”
It was also the experience
that people who had been
availed privileged positions; ...then displayed
attitude suggestive of
haughtiness, had forced the
citizenry to view such as
a “...Sign of Ingratitude.”
Such attitudinal display
had often provoked consternation and humiliation.
When former Education
Minister, Dr. Jacqui Quinn
shelved her intellectuality
and ill-advisedly uttered
the term, “...Tek-dat- in
yo Nen Nen,” she had not
only outraged the public,
but also experienced her
“...Darkest Electoral Hour”
[June 12, 2014].
OMINOUS SIGNS
When the Antigua and
Barbuda Union of Teachers (ABUT) reportedly
met with stiff resistance
to its selection of representatives to serve on the
‘BOE,’
organizational
members interpreted that
as “...an Ominous Sign.”
When mathematics wizard
Anthonyson King publicly rebuffed ill-conceived
ministerial utterances respecting “...educators positional aggrandizement”
on State Boards, he may
have viewed such utterances as a “...Sign of Egoism” [December 31, 2014].
Lest Minister of Education Michael Browne dispels thoughts of being “...
misguided by exaggerated
intellect and/or a complex
of superiority,” he may not
only run the risk of incurring the wrath of educators,
but also of Cabinet colleagues and the citizenry.
Mount Obama.” This followed Barak Obama’s
election to the US Presidency [November 4,
2008]. Bemused over the
“...Mole Hill Mountain,”
cultural activist Dorbrene
O’Marde was quoted as
saying that he generally
“...supports the peak’s new
name, but people must remember what others have
done for blacks before
Obama” [Anita Kentish:
Huff Post: September 3,
2009]. Further boasting
as a “...land of sun; ...sea;
...white sand beaches and a
warm tropical breeze,” adMOLE HILL
vertisers have regarded the
MOUNTAIN
Boasting of a hill, geo- nation as an ideal place for
graphically mapped and visitor’s stop-over.”
widely called “...Boggy
Peak,” likened to some ar- ALLURING BEACHES
The ‘BBC’ report also
guments depicting the “...
Mole Hill” cliché, it was speaks to the nation’s ecoimaginatively transformed nomic strength as that
into a “...Mountain.” Thus, which “...lies in its tropical
without
overwhelming climate and good beachpublic and/or legislative es, making it “...popular
support, ‘Boggy Peak’ was as a stop-off point for US
symbolically renamed “... cruise ships” [June 18,
2014]. Other entities had
promoted its “...approximately 365” breathtaking and freely accessible
beaches. These have been
promoted as among the
finest anywhere in the region, attracting worldwide
attention.
Consequently, they have lured many
tourists to the comparatively peaceful and stable
nation. Those identified,”
include the alluring sundrenched
“...Buccaneer
Cove: ...Darkwood; ...Ffrye’s: ...Fort; ...Galleon;
...Half Moon; ...Hawksbill;
...Jabberwock; ...Mosquito Cove; ...Runaway and
Valley Church Beaches”
[Tropical Beach Paradise].
Incidentally, inadvertence
may have been the reason
for the omission of the captivating “...Turner’s Beach
at Johnson’s Point” and the
picturesque “...Coco Point
white and Pink sand beaches on the un-spoilt sister island of Barbuda.”
cont’d on pg 10
10 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
cont’d from pg 9
DANGEROUS BRIDGE
Reacting knee-jerkingly” to an
appeal for the erection of “...Directional Signage,” a Government
official said “...Government has
not neglected the road signage programme” [ZDK News: December
16, 2014]. Interestingly, the official
had revealed that “...financial constraints” had affected the “...Road
Signage Initiative.”
While the official defended “...
Street Naming initiative,” many signs
are to be eye-sorely seen lying and/
or leaning by the roadside.” Besides,
there was the most dangerous “...
Light Foot Bridge, without signage,
partially dilapidated guard rails and
improper lighting,” a female motorist
Wednesday 7th January 2015
had veered off into the pond perilously, while another narrowly escaped a
watery death. While residents and
motorists kept pleading for the erection of sturdy guard rails, many recyclable directional signs were to be
seen along the highways begging for
attention.
SELF-DRIVEN TOURISTS
While many “...Taxi-driven
visitors,” will have experienced
directional challenges, many “...
Self-driven Tourists,” under the cover of darkness had also faced graved
difficulties finding their way around.
In a worst case scenario, vulnerable
visitors could easily be “...directed
off route; ...unsuspectingly followed;
...mugged; ...raped and/or robbed or
even relieved of their vehicles and left
stranded. This, therefore, speaks to a
dire need for “...Directional Signs,”
since visitors could find themselves
on roads that may spell trouble.
This may result from travelling
on roads leading to “...desolate areas; ...dead-ends or cul-de-sac, or
places not intended to visit. Many
tourists who are “...Taxi-driven”
had recounted experiences of being
placed at a disadvantage, being taken on long drives that may have been
shortened for stipulated fares. Most
were unaware, that taxi drivers had
often avoided “...traffic congestions
and/or density” in reaching their destinations.
Continued in the next issue of
Caribbean Times
Wednesday 7th January 2015
caribtimes.com
11
12 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 7th January 2015
Major US black group to host
CARICOM reparations summit
NEW YORK, United
States, CMC – A major
Black group in the US
says it will host the next
summit of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM)
Reparations Commission
early this year.
The New York-based
Institute of the Black
World
21st
Century
(IBW) said on Saturday
that the summit will take
place from April 9-12.
The
CARICOM
Commission is chaired
by Sir Hilary Beckles,
Vice-Chancellor Designate of the University of
the West Indies.
Inspired by the creation of the CARICOM
Commission, a National
African American Reparations Commission is being established as part of
an effort to intensify the
Reparations movement in
the US, the IBW said.
It said the Commission will be dedicated to
the memory of Audley
Moore, one of the foremost proponents of Reparations in the history of
Africans in America and
a mentor to generations of
Reparations activists.
IBW said in addition
to the CARICOM and
African American Commissions, representatives
of Reparations movements from Central and
South America, Canada
and Europe are expected
to participate in what is
emerging as a Pan African Reparations Summit.
It said the programmes for the Summit
will include formal business sessions; a dialogue
between leaders of the
Caribbean Diaspora in the
US and the CARICOM
Commission;
meetings between the newly-formed African American Commission and the
Caribbean Commission;
Rallies in Harlem, considered the symbolic Capital
of Black America; Brooklyn, home to the largest
Caribbean community in
the US; and a tribute to
Congressman John Conyers, Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus
and Sponsor of HR-40,
the Reparations Study
Bill, which he has introduced in the US Congress
since 1989.
The IBW noted that,
at the most recent Reparations Braintrust at
the Congressional Black
Caucus Annual Legislative Conference, Sir Hilary urged participants to
declare a “Conyers De-
cade of Reparatory Justice”.
“The tribute to Congressman Conyers will
begin that process,” said
the IBW, adding that
there will also be special
recognition of the National Coalition of Blacks
for Reparations in America (N?COBRA) for “decades of ground-breaking
work on the issue”.
IBW president Dr.
Ron Daniels said that the
National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC) will
develop a Reparations
Programme similar to the
10 Point Programme that
cont’d on pg 13
Wednesday 7th January 2015
caribtimes.com
13
Charges laid against police officer
who assaulted handicapped man
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad,
CMC – A female police officer who was among two officers
caught on video physically assaulting a man in wheelchair, has
been slapped with two charges of
causing malicious damage and assault by beating.
Her male counterpart is to face
an identification parade Saturday before any move is made for
charges to be laid against him.
The incident is reported to
have taken place over the last
weekend in San Fernando, south
of Port-of-Spain, and the video
shows a plain clothes officer slapping the unidentified man in the
wheelchair, while a police woman
is seen disengaging the brakes on
the wheel chair and pushing it into
the road.
Southern Division Senior Supt
Cecil Santana has described the
actions of the people in the video
as a disgrace to the Police Service.
cont’d from pg 12
has been adopted by the CARICOM Commission.
“The first step will be to devise an interim programme that
NAARC will take to the people in
a series of town hall meetings to
receive input before adopting the
final programme,” he said.
“The process of engaging people of African descent across the
country, including young people,
is incredibly important to strength-
National Security Minister
Gary Griffith said he knew of the
video and the matter was being investigated.
The issue has also been condemned by the National Center for
Disabilities.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard last
ening the Reparations movement”.
The IBW said Sir Hilary has
been “eager to have Reparations
Commissions form in various
countries to build a global movement for Reparatory Justice”.
The IBW said the activities for
the CARICOM Reparations visit
to the US will conclude with Sir
Hilary travelling to Detroit for a
Reparations Rally, which will be
the climax to the Tribute to Conyers.
Friday night gave members of the
Professional Stan­dards Bureau
the go ahead to lay two criminal
charges against the female Special
Reserve Police (SRP) officer.
The video footage showed
46-year-old Robbie Ramcharitar,
a paraplegic having his wheelchair
pushed down the roadway in traffic by a uniformed female officer.
But Ramcharitar was also
urged by the man filming the video to “drive back up the road.” It
was after doing so that Ramcharitar was approached by the male
officer, dressed in civilian wear,
who slapped him across the face
and head three times.
The video went viral on Facebook resulting in many expressing
outrage over the incident, with
some citizens calling for the immediate dismissal of the officers.
14 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 7th January 2015
Unarmed Montana man was told
to raise hands before officer fired
BILLINGS, Montana
(AP) — An unarmed man
killed by a Montana police officer during a traffic
stop was told repeatedly
to raise his hands before
the officer shot him three
times, according to video
footage shown Tuesday
during an inquest into the
shooting.
Billings Police Officer Grant Morrison
shot 38-year-old Richard
Ramirez in April when
authorities said Ramirez
— a suspect in a recent
drug-involved shooting
— appeared to reach for
something during the traffic stop.
In the previously unreleased video from a patrol
car dash-cam, Morrison
could be heard yelling
“Hands up!” at least six
times before firing three
shots into the vehicle in
rapid succession.
The
actions
of
Ramirez could not be seen
in the footage.
The two-day inquest
will determine if Morrison
was justified in the killing.
It comes amid heightened
scrutiny of law enforcement and recent nationwide protests in response
to police killings of unarmed suspects including
in Ferguson, Missouri,
and New York City.
Detective Brett Kruger, who investigated the
shooting in Billings, testified that two cellophane
bags with a small amount
of methamphetamine and
a syringe were later found
near where Ramirez had
been sitting in the backseat of the vehicle.
Kruger said Ramirez
had two outstanding warrants and was trying to get
the drugs out of his pocket
to avoid arrest.
Two of the three
people in the car with
Ramirez testified that
Morrison’s commands for
them to raise their hands
were clear. Both said they
were in the front seat and
couldn’t see if Ramirez
complied.
The person sitting
next to Ramirez, Tom
Black, told The Associated Press in the days after
the shooting that Ramirez
was trying to unbuckle his
seatbelt when he was shot.
In 2013, Morrison
shot and killed another
man during a traffic stop
after the man reached for
something that was later determined to be a BB
gun. An inquest cleared
Morrison of wrongdoing
in that case.
A seven-person jury
will decide if Morrison
acted appropriately in the
killing of Ramirez and
advise prosecutors on
whether charges should be
pursued.
Montana law requires
an inquest whenever
someone is killed by law
enforcement or dies in
custody.
Morrison was expected to testify when the inquest resumes Wednesday.
Before Ramirez was
shot, Morrison recognized him as the suspect
in a shooting the night
before where authorities
had recovered 90 grams
of methamphetamine, Senior Deputy Yellowstone
County Attorney Ed Zink
said.
“His hand goes up and
down two or three times
in his pocket while officer
Morrison was screaming
at him,” Zink said about
Ramirez.
About
a
dozen
Ramirez family members
and supporters attended
the inquest. Most wore
T-shirts with an image of
him.
Sister Julie Ramirez
said outside the inquest
that the family wants
Morrison charged with
murder. She noted that her
Billings Police Officer Grant
Morrison
family is half-Mexican
and accused the police of
racial profiling in the case.
“He could have tased
my brother or called for
backup,” Julie Ramirez
said. “When Officer Morrison got out of that patrol
car he knew he was going
to kill my brother.”
Two of Morrison’s
co-workers, Sgt. Matthew
Brewer and Officer Mark
Snider, testified that on
the night before his death,
Ramirez was identified as
the suspect in a shooting
across town. Morrison was
aware of that information
and had been searching
for Ramirez with other officers, testimony showed.
Brewer and Snider
said Ramirez was known
to them as a methamphetamine user, which Snider
said can make suspects violent and uncontrollable.
Wednesday 7th January 2015
caribtimes.com
15
Florida could become Deep South’s
prime gay wedding destination
YULEE, Fla. (AP) –
With gay marriage now
legal in Florida, same-sex
couples from around the
Deep South crossed the
border Tuesday as the Sunshine State became a prime
regional destination for
gay and lesbian weddings
still banned back home.
Out-of-state couples
lined up outside county
courthouses early Tuesday in the Panhandle and
northern Florida counties.
Some drove for hours to
get marriage licenses at the
first opportunity.
“As soon as we heard
about the ruling we pretty
much decided on a whim
to come yesterday,” said
Scott Singletary, 22. “We
wanted to make sure to do
it as soon as possible, in
case (the law) changed.”
On that point, Florida’s
gay and lesbian weddings
seem more secure than the
first same-sex nuptials held
years ago in other states.
The U.S. Supreme
Court refused to hear a
request by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to maintain the state’s
marriage ban until a final
resolution. After she was
sworn in to a second term
on Tuesday, Bondi said her
top attorneys are reviewing whether to continue
the state’s appeal.
Singletary and Dustyn
Batten, 23, of Waycross,
Georgia, woke before
dawn to make the nearly two-hour drive into
Florida’s Nassau County.
They had been planning
a commitment ceremony
in Jacksonville, but were
thrilled to learn they could
actually get married now
that Florida’s gay marriage
ban was lifted.
Walt Disney World
and other top Florida destinations have offered
commitment
ceremony
packages for years, but
wedding planners, and hotels and resorts are sensing
a new tourism boom with
more couples wanting
weddings.
“I’ve been fielding
a ton of calls from out of
state,” said Rachel McMurray, a licensed wedding officiant who married
a lesbian couple on Jacksonville’s courthouse steps
Tuesday. “Even if their
state doesn’t recognize the
marriage, it gives them a
sense of legitimacy.”
“My phone’s been
blowing up,” said Shanie
McCowen, who owns
Rainbow Bells, a wedding planning company
in Boca Raton. She said
she normally gets four or
five wedding inquiries a
week, but fielded about 30
on Sunday and Monday
alone, and now expects
more business from Georgia and Alabama.
County tourism boards
have already changed their
advertising: “Finally we
all do” is the headline on
Broward’s tourism home
page, over a picture of a
gay couple in wedding attire on the beach.
Thirty-six states, including 70 percent of the
nation’s population, now
allow gay marriage. From
South Carolina up the East
Coast, court rulings and
legislatures have gradually
opened the door to samesex weddings.
Not so in the rest of the
South: Gays and lesbians
are still denied marriage
rights in a swath of states
from Texas to Georgia as
well as Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee.
16 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 7th January 2015
Tuesday’s Sudoku Solution
SUDOKU
C R O S S WO R D
Across
1. Ham operator’s letter
6. Calf exposure?
10. Greeting from Gleason’s
bartender
14. Standoffish
15. Latin quarters, perhaps
16. They may get you the upper hand
17. Source of problems
19. Greek letter
20. Seamy matter
21. Fuzzy fruit
22. Porker’s haunch
24. Clapper’s place
25. Located the source of
29. Cyclops feature
32. Actor’s love, perhaps
34. ‘’Shepherd Moons’’ Grammy winner
35. Tierra del ___
36. ‘’Who, me?’’
37. What things may be as
much fun as
41. ‘’. . . boy ___ girl?’’
42. Prepares for washing
43. ‘’How now! ___?’’ (Hamlet)
44. Vichyssoise base
46. Utterances of disapproval
48. Gotland’s land
49. Not petit
50. ‘’Get your hands off me!’’
51. Melville’s curmudgeon
52. Notable 1860s nickname
55. Benefit
58. King novel
61. The Munsters’ pet bat
62. Currier’s partner
63. Finds favorable
64. Yup’s counterpart
65. Something to feather
66. Bring up?
Down
1. Folded tortilla
2. Banned McIntosh application
3. Word for the wiser
4. Schmaltz
5. How Alfalfa sings
6. Nasty frown
7. Suborder of gulls
8. An end to sex?
9. The Pequod’s harpooner
10. Ecological disaster team
11. Block in a restaurant?
12. ‘’Are we there ___?’’
13. Busy ___ bee
18. Crafty Coyote
23. Felonious flames
24. Withstand
26. Land development?
27. ‘’The Sweet Hereafter’’
director
28. Believers, kinda
29. Dances to jazz
30. Lined up
31. Spin around
32. Clumps
33. Skirt’s outskirts
35. Cry while holding an iron?
38. Cosmetologist Lauder
39. Booby hatch
40. ‘’Get Smart’’ enemy org.
45. Stay attached to
46. International Tennis Hall
of Fame inductee
47. Unruly crowd
49. Phantom
51. Grows old gracefully
52. ‘’Puppy Love’’ singer
53. Sugar source
54. Latin being
55. Fall from grace
56. Way back when
57. Keystone player
59. Forum greeting
60. Black gold
Wednesday 7th January 2015
caribtimes.com
17
DEAR LADY X HOROSCOPE
I am a 25-year-old woman. My parents divorced
when I was young. I kept in
contact with my father until
he dropped out of my life
when I was around 11.
I came across Dad again
on Facebook recently. He’s
now in a domestic partnership with another man.
It wasn’t a shock because
Mom had told me some
time ago she had suspected
he was gay.
What upset me were
several posts he made about
wanting a happy family
with his partner. I know the
family he made with Mom
may not have been his ideal,
but my sister and I are his
family. I feel like we were
tossed aside for this idea of
a new family, which seems
cold and callous. I haven’t
mentioned it to my sister
because I think she’d find it
upsetting.
I want to confront Dad,
but also think it might be best
to just leave it alone. Any
advice? -- UNCOUNTED
DEAR UNCOUNTED:
I think you should contact
your father, start a dialogue
with him and ask why he
dropped out of your life. His
reason may be that he was
made to feel that his presence in your life was unwelcome, or a fear that you
would not be able to accept
his sexual orientation.
It seems strange to me
that he would leave his
daughters behind for no
reason. If you would like to
re-establish a relationship,
tell him so. He may need to
hear it from you before he
can move forward and reconnect with you and your
sister.
Tuesday’s Crossword Solution
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
Take creative risks, but not
financial ones. Don’t believe
what you hear from a salesperson: “Be like the 1 percent.”
Check the terms and conditions
before you sign.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You
don’t have to settle. If you dare
to hold out for something grand
— something resembling the
books you have read and the
fantasy life of your daydreams
— you won’t be disappointed
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
Keep going — you’re headed for a milestone. Someone
is watching you and learning
from your methods. Tonight,
negotiate the fine line between rushing and doing things
quickly.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).
Though you have a wealth of
experience in the world, there
are ways in which you are still
innocent. It will be apparent
to you how much you have to
learn, and the day will bring a
good teacher, too.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
You’ll act in accordance with
your clothes. Use this power
to your advantage today, and
dress the way you want yourself to behave. There’s a large
chunk of work to be done and a
small amount of time in which
to do it.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec.
21). The holidays were great
for your spirits, but not for your
bank balance. It’s an excellent
time to do some financial planning for the year ahead. You
will make your goals quietly
and let your actions speak to
them.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
Counterintuitive
methods
could be very effective. It’s one
of those times when you may
have to lose to win or drop out
in order to gain ground. A certain someone is proving to be a
friend, dear and true.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Make a game out of the
more tedious aspects of work.
Because you are so good at
creating fun, people want to
be around you. There will be
someone you need to forgive
tonight.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Practice positive thinking. A sunny attitude will reduce your
overall stress level and help
you stay focused on your top
priorities. The afternoon will
bring a nifty professional development.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18). Someone who has taken
a ride on the roller coaster of
love will be able to appreciate your impressive emotional
evenness as you overlook minor grievances in favor of the
big picture.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
Dive in and do the hard work.
As you focus on your career,
things will automatically get
better in your relationships,
too. Tonight, you’ll gain the
upper hand in a situation that
felt out of control.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20).
You’ll put in more work than
the others on your team. It’s
not fair, but it’s what’s necessary for the group win. Note:
Gossip will be harmful. Stay
away from it if you can. You
won’t be able to trust what you
hear.
18 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 7th January 2015
All members of the Antigua and Barbuda Ex-Servicemen
Association are notified that the Annual General Meeting
will be held on Saturday 10 January 2015 at 3 pm and the
monthly Executive Meeting will be held on Tuesday 20 January 5 pm. Both meetings will be held at the Association`s
Headquarters on Prime Minister`s Drive.
The Antigua & Barbuda Red Cross in collaboration with the
American Red Cross has a First Aid App to launch. The Antigua & Barbuda Red Cross wants the residents of Antigua to
know the importance of the App and the long term benefits
to our Society. What you can do in case of an emergency or
life threatening condition. It also has the Red Cross history,
activities, sponsors, and quizzes. We would like the general public to be aware of the App and feel free to download
same, if you have an android device such as a phone or a
tablet kindly use the Android link and you can use the iOS
link for your iPhone device.
iOS devices: 3cu.be/shareatg
Android devices: 3cu.be/shareatg
If you have any questions contact Mr.Martin 723-7258 or
email redcross@candw.ag or todtom27@yahoo.com
Thank you for your attention and I look forward to your continued support.
cont’d from pg 20
Benn and seamer Jerome
Taylor hit their lengths
early on.
Elgar, who unbeaten
on five overnight, pulled
Taylor for four in front of
square to break the shackles but South Africa were
content to be cautious as
the Windies bowling remained accurate.
Fast bowler Jason
Holder twice cut du Plessis in half with deliveries
that jagged back off the
seam, took the inside edge
and went for fours but the
tourists failed to find an
early breakthrough.
Once again, Elgar lifted the pressure by clearing
long on with Benn on the
bowler’s ninth over before
hammering Holder to the
mid-wicket boundary a
few overs later.
Benn was eventually rewarded for his persistence when he got one
to jump for a length and
take the shoulder of du
Plessis’s bat, for Blackwood to run around from
second slip and claim the
catch at 51 for two.
However, that was to
be the Windies’ last success. Elgar reached his
half-century by gloving
a pull over wicketkeeper
Denesh Ramdin’s head
for four as South Africa
moved to 86 for two and
with all hope diminished
for West Indies, Amla then
upped the scoring to add
further misery.
Employment
Driver needed; must have experience. Heavy Vehicle License & Police Record required. Apply in person @ The
Furniture Gallery, Airport Road. 462-1452
Service
Barbuda Express is sailing everyday except Mondays &
Wednesdays. Tours available 4 days a week, For more
info and reservation, please call 764-2291. You may also
visit our website http://www.barbudaexpress.com.
“The life you save could be someone you know”
Antigua & Barbuda Red Cross Is Offering Certified FIRST
AID/CPR Training Course Mondays and Thursdays 5:00pm
to 8:00pm Starting on Thursday January 12th, 2015 For Further Information: Call Tel # 462 0800/ 771-8253
“The Inter-School Recycling Competition starts again in
January 2015! Interested schools may contact the Environment Division at 562-2568 by January 10th, 2015. Remember Recycling is a good habit! Pick it up!”If you have any
questions please feel free to contact me at 464-8157.
Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla embrace as they secure victory.
In fact, 24 runs came
from the last 16 balls of
the game, and it was Amla
who fittingly took South
Africa over the line, hammering off-spinner Marlon Samuels through point
for four.
caribtimes.com
Wednesday 7th January 2015
19
Empire joins Bullets at the top of ABFA
First Division Standings with 36 points
By Vanroy Burnes
The 13 times ABFA
Premier division former champions Cool &
Smooth Empire are making a serious bid to return to the top division
for next season, the Men
from grays farm community now joins Sani-Pro
Bullets as Joint Leaders
in the first Division but
played a match less.
Playing against Willikies on Tuesday at King
George, Empire won 2
goals to nil. Kenny Upper level Morgan scored
in the 30th minute and
Omar Henry in the 38th
minute.
The win lifted Empire to 36 points from
18 matches the same as
Sani-Pro Bullets who
could only manage a
draw in their encounter
th
7 January 2015
against Potters Tigers.
Willikies they remain
on 19 points from their 18
matches. Sani-Pro Bullets could only manage a
one all draw against Potters Tigers at Piggott’s.
Lloyd Jeremy scored
for Potters tigers in the
6th minute of play while
Karim Smith scored for
Bullets in the 11th minute. Bullets move to 36
points from 19 matches, while Potters Tigers
moves to 28 points also
from 19 matches.
Seven Seas, Natural
Construction All Saints
United beat Lion Hill
by a goal to nil at Mock
Pond in All Saints. The
Lone goal was scored by
Jamaul Lewis in the 70th
minute.
All Saints United
move to 25 points from
17 matches, while Lion
Hill remains on 18 points
from 18 matches.
Meanwhile in second division on Monday, Leaders of Zone A
Harney Motors Tryum
suffers their first defeat
for the season 2 goals to
1 by Golden Grove , but
still remains on top with
43 points, while Golden Grove move up to 23
points.
Craig Parker and Kirk
Francis scored a goal
each for Golden Grove
in 68th and 11th minute
respectively, while Kino
Bartley scored for Tryum
in the 56th minute.
Leaders of Zone
B, Freemans Ville and
Young Warriors played
to a goalless draw at
John Hughes.
Freemans Ville who
Until 10 January 2015
still remains on top is on
43 points, while Young
Warriors move to 17
points.
Black Panthers beat
Hatton Stars 2 goals to 1
at Johnsons.
Trevorn
Anthony
scored the goal for Hatton Stars, while Hayden
Adams and Keron Maximim scored a goal each
for Black Panthers.
There was no play in
the match between Police and Bendals due to
an unprepared field. In
the lone second division
match played on Tuesday, Bolans beat 5PS 4
goals to nil at Bolans.
Jermaine
Browne
scored twice in the 18th
and 59th minute, Marley
Martin in the 50th minute
and Garrick Richards in
the 77th minute.
12 January 2015
20 c a r i b t i m e s . c o m
Wednesday 7th January 2015
Woeful Windies drop third test
CAPE TOWN, South
Africa, CMC – West Indies predictably slumped
to their seventh straight
series loss to South Africa
when they went down by
eight wickets on the final
morning of the third Test
at Newlands here Tuesday.
Needing a miracle to
prevent South Africa from
reaching a paltry victory
target of 124, West Indies
never found such grace
and the hosts strolled to a
comfortable win ten minutes before lunch, to complete their fourth consecutive series win over their
opponents on home soil.
The Proteas have now
won 12 of the last 15 Tests
against West Indies at
home.
Opener Dean Elgar
guided the Proteas home
in the face of a disciplined
West Indies bowling effort, top scoring with an
Dean Elgar punches the air.
unbeaten 60 while captain
Hashim Amla finished on
38 not out.
The pair put on 73 in
an unbroken third wicket
stand.
Left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn took both
wickets to fall in the innings to finish with two
for 24 from 17 overs.
Resuming the day on
nine for one, South Africa
lost Faf du Plessis for 14
on the stroke of the first
hour, caught at short backward point by Jermaine
Blackwood.
However, Elgar and
Amla ensured there were
no further hiccups, with a
solid stand that took any
potential surprises out of
the game.
Elgar faced 103 balls
in just under 2-1/2 hours at
the crease and struck seven fours and a six while
Amla, predictably voted
Man-of-the-Series, struck
six fours off 49 balls.
Amla finished the series with 342 runs at an
average of 114.
West Indies started
the day strongly, keeping
South Africa scoreless for
seven straight overs as
cont’d on pg 18
Caribbean Times is printed and published at Woods Estate /Friars Hill Road By Kimon Drigo who is also the Editor and resides at
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