Antigua Native Confirmed as United States Federal Judge in Brooklyn
Antiguan-born Margo Kitsy Brodie was confirmed on Monday as a Federal District Court Judge in Brooklyn, making her the first Afro-Caribbean-born jurist to sit in a US District Court.
Judge Brodie was confirmed by an 86 to 2 vote in the Senate, after being nominated by the White House in June.
“With Margo Brodie’s confirmation, we are making history,” Schumer said following the vote. “Ms Brodie’s career and achievements embody everything this court strives to uphold, and I am honoured that she has been confirmed as its newest member.”
Senatte Judiicary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy had called Brodie a “highly-qualified, consensus nominee” to the bench.
Brodie, a 12-year federal prosecutor, is a former Assistant US Attorney. She was recommended for the post by Schumer.
She received her bachelor’s degree from St Francis College in Brooklyn and her JD from the University of Pennsylvania.
Brodie gained American citizenship in 1996.
Antigua Native Confirmed as United States Federal Judge in Brooklyn courtesy of Caribjournal.com
In remembrance of Heavy D’s life and musical legacy, Centric will air Be Inspired: The Life of Heavy D, a one-hour original documentary that chronicles his life and career. Vintage interviews and performances will be intertwined with personal reflections from family and celebrity friends including, Will Smith,Mary J. Blige, Eddie F., Anthony Hamilton, Queen Latifah and Kim Fields.
The documentary will also feature emotional coverage of his funeral services in his native Mount Vernon, NY, off set by an original score by acclaimed musician and composer George Duke.
An avid user of Twitter, on the day of his death, November 8, the 44 year old performer left what would be his last tweet: “Be Inspired.”—words that would ring true for the world of hip-hop, and the new generation of music listeners discovering his music for the first time.
Heavy D Documentary Airs Tonight On Centric courtesy of Centrictv.com
Love People Sound Love Almanac Reggae Mix is a nice break from the heavy dosage of Soca mixes we have been providing these past few weeks. We cooling down the pace with this one.
Marley The Life, Music and Legacy of Bob Marley Directed by Kevin MacDonald
Bob Marley’s universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. MARLEY is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best.
From Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) comes the story of a towering figure of musical history, whose music and message has transcended different cultures, languages and creeds to resonate around the world today as powerfully as when he was alive.
MARLEY will make its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this month followed by its North American premiere at SXSW. Magnolia Pictures will release theatrically and on VOD on Friday, April 20th.
The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.
NASSAU, Bahamas — An overview of the data collected by the Department of Statistics on births in The Bahamas over the last 40 years shows that women, domestic and foreign-born, are having far fewer children.
The data in the births report, collated from 1970 through 2010, show that with a population of about 170,000 in 1970, there were 4,894 live births recorded. Juxtapose those numbers against the 5,362 live births recorded among a population of more than 340,000 in 2010, and the downward shift is apparent.
The report also shows that the birth rate fell almost 50 percent, from 28.8 births per 1,000 persons to 15.8 births per 1,000 persons from 1970 through 2010.
The conclusion: Women between the ages of 15 and 49 were having an average of four children during the course of their lives in 1970. By 2010, women were only having an average of two children.
The data do not indicate why birth rates have dropped so dramatically, but a scrutiny of the numbers does uncover some interesting trends among particular groups of women.
Births by foreign women have dropped in the past four decades, from about 30 percent in 1970 to about 18 percent in 2010.
However, an unavoidable fact – as pointed out by The Nassau Guardian several days ago – is that the birth rate among Haitian women in The Bahamas has nearly doubled in the past 40 years.
“The number of births grew from 7.2 percent in 1970, to an average of 13.7 percent by 2010,” the report noted. “In contrast, births to women of Jamaican ethnicity declined by some 50 percent. For females from countries outside the Caribbean, the numbers of births plunged, especially since 2008 to (nearly zero) from 12.1 in 1970.”Read the rest of this entry »
Damian Marley Affairs Of The Heart official video has been released. Yes we have been in Carnival overdrive lately, however the sweet groove on this is a nice way to work our way back into listening to other genres from the region.
Coca-Cola has released the second official Coca-Cola Rhythm in time for Carnival 2012. The rhythm features an all star line up on a groovy soca beat developed by Kernal Roberts for Rama Studios.
Coca-Cola has always been a refreshing delight to people all across the globe since 1886. The 2012 Coca-Cola Rhythm builds on the optimistic refreshment platform which embodies Coke’s Open Happiness mantra.
This new rhythm features an amazing group of artistes including: Benjai, Lil Bitts, Umi Marcano, Screws and Devon Matthews. Their talent brought to life the Rhythm objective – to share happiness, build excitement and really enjoy Carnival as Trinbangonians do with Soca Music.
According to Franchise Brand Manager, Mr. Roberto Lapeira, “Coca-Cola is pleased to have to opportunity to share its second Carnival Rhythm with Trinidad and Tobago. We are always trying to find innovative ways to really connect with the public and with the success of the last rhythm, we knew we had to bring something even more amazing this year. Kernal Roberts took the challenge and brought a fantastic, new groovy soca sound that includes our trademark Coca-Cola five tones and makes you want to dance in the street this Carnival.”
The Carnival 2012 Coca-Cola Rhythm Music will be available for download at www.coca-cola.com.tt
Hypa Baje Trinidad Official 2012 Soca Mix will have to suffice for those of us who didn’t make it down to Trinidad for Carnival this year. You definitely want to add this to your arsenal of mixes for 2012.
You can stream Hypa Baje’s Soca mix courtesy of themixfeed.com below or download the mix before and after the tracklisting.
Jamaica Begins Talks on Severing Ties with British Monarchy
Jamaica has begun talks concerning the country’s transition into a republic, according to Information Minister Sandrea Falconer.
The Justice Ministry and the Attorney General’s department are leading the talks, spearheaded by a Ministerial Committee, which will make recommendations to cabinet before talks begin with the opposition.
Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller signaled in her inauguration speech that her government would seek to withdraw from the Crown and become a republic.
Last month, Foreign Minister Sen. AJ Nicholson told Caribbean Journal that becoming a republic with a president as head of state could be important as the country celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence.
“If we have our own indigenous head of state, that is something that we can galvanize our forces around in this 50th year of our independence,” he told Caribbean Journalat the UK-Caribbean Forum in Grenada. “Since we have traveled a certain route in the past 50 years, we want to try something new.”
The same Ministerial Committee is also leading discussions on withdrawing from the UK Privy Council and having the Caribbean Court of Justice become the country’s highest court of appeal.
Falconer said that it had been advised to keep the matters separate, however.
Jamaica Begins Talks on Severing Ties with British Monarchy courtesy of Caribjournal.com
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Hottest Pepper In The World
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — There are super-hot chile varieties. And then there’s the sweat-inducing, tear-generating, mouth-on-fire Trinidad Moruga Scorpion.
With a name like that, it’s not surprising that months of research by the experts at New Mexico State University’s Chile Pepper Institute have identified the variety as the new hottest pepper on the planet.
The golf ball-sized pepper scored the highest among a handful of chile breeds reputed to be among the hottest in the world. Its mean heat topped more than 1.2 million units on the Scoville heat scale, while fruits from some individual plants reached 2 million heat units.
“You take a bite. It doesn’t seem so bad, and then it builds and it builds and it builds. So it is quite nasty,” Paul Bosland, a renowned pepper expert and director of the chile institute, said of the pepper’s heat.
The team planted about 125 plants of each variety – the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, the Trinidad Scorpion, the 7-pot, the Chocolate 7-pot and the Bhut Jolokia, which was a previous record-holder identified by the institute and certified by Guinness World Records in 2007.
Randomly selected mature fruits from several plants within each variety were harvested, dried and ground to powder. The compounds that produce heat sensation – the capsaicinoids – were then extracted and examined.
During harvesting, senior research specialist Danise Coon said she and the two students who were picking the peppers went through about four pairs of latex gloves.
“The capsaicin kept penetrating the latex and soaking into the skin on our hands. That has never happened to me before,” she said.
Chile peppers of the same variety can vary in heat depending on environmental conditions. More stress on a plant – hotter temperatures or less water, for example – will result in hotter fruit.
The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion’s new notoriety is already making waves in the industry and among those who love their hot, spicy foods.
“As with all the previous record holders, there will be a run on seeds and plants,” said Jim Duffy, a grower in San Diego who supplied the university with seeds for four of the super-hot varieties. “Like Cabbage Patch dolls right before Christmas or Beanie Babies, it’s like the hot item.”
Not even Duffy or the researchers would dare to pop a whole Trinidad Moruga Scorpion in their mouths, but there are plenty of videos on social networking sites where heat-loving daredevils have tried.
The blood flow increases and the endorphins start flowing. Their faces turn red, the sweat starts rolling, their eyes and noses water and there’s a fiery sensation that spreads across their tongues and down their throats.
“People actually get a crack-like rush,” Duffy said. “I know the people who will eat the hottest stuff to get this rush, but they’ve got to go through the pain.”
“You can make a barbeque sauce or a hot sauce at a mild to medium level using small amounts of these peppers and it will be so darn addictive that you won’t want to put your spoon down,” he said. “You’ll want to eat and eat and eat.”
Nadia Batson On The Cover Of Caribbean Belle Magazine and Shiver No Pressure Official Video
Nadia Batson is one of the Caribbean’s premier entertainers: a “Trini” sweetheart, and an A-list songwriterand singer. I caught up with “Miss B” at Bally’s Woodbrook salon, where she was being primed for this issue’s photo shoot.
She was certainly in good hands. A team of experts, including Kirk Thomas, lead make-up artist at the Hyatt Regency’s Spa Essencia, and Ashvin Bally, were immersed in creating her sexy, sultry, editorial look.
During the beehive of activity she mentions the launch of her all-girl band, called Nadia Batson with Sass, and about how she’s reinventing her look. “I’m going a little more daring,” she says. “Taking a little break from the sweet Caribbean girl image.”
Nadia is perhaps best known for her behind-the-scenes work, penning a string of chart-topping and title-winning singles in the last few years. These include Jumping Up for Young Marcel, which won the teenage performer the Junior Soca Monarch crown in 2002, and Bridging The Gap, which took him to the Soca Monarch finals in 2003.
Nadia’s Running Red won Marcel his second Junior Soca Monarch title in 2007. She has written and co-produced the now-classic hit Go Ahead (And Do Dat) for Soca diva Michelle Sylvester, who became a household name after that smash, and went on to win the International Soca Queen and International Groovy Soca Monarch titles.
Nadia has since moved from backstage into the spotlight. Since her singing debut, with the 2006 Zouk-tinged single One Island, she has been going strong, performing hit after hit. One recalls “Miss B” and “Caribbean Girl.” Nadia has also been a front-liner for Kes the Band, over the six years since the band’s inception.
As the photo shoot begins, she’s wearing red pumps and a beautiful cowl-necked top by Peter Elias. The photographers are clicking away. During an interlude, we relax in the outdoor courtyard, and chat about her music, inspiration, most recent music video, and the new band.
Antiguan-born Margo Kitsy Brodie was confirmed on Monday as a Federal District Court Judge in Brooklyn, making her the first Afro-Caribbean-born jurist to sit in a US District Court.
