Bill Cosby To Host Awards Gala Honoring Rap Moguls Russell Simmons, Diddy
Rap moguls Sean "Diddy" Combs and Russell Simmons will be honored by The Jackie Robinson Foundation next week during the non-profits awards dinner, which will be hosted by Bill Cosby.
On March 7th, Diddy, along with Ingrid Saunders Jones, Rev. Calvin Butts III and Joseph Perella, will be honored during the 2011 Robie Awards dinner to raise money for the foundation.
Combs, Simmons, Jones, Perella and others will be honored for embodying "the humanitarian ideals of Jackie Robinson" and for raising money for the foundation.
The Jackie Robinson Foundation was established in 1973 by legendary, groundbreaking baseball player Jackie Robinson.
The non-profit is one of the United States' premiere education and development programs, offering four-year college scholarships, grants, mentoring and other educational services.
Its ironic that Bill Cosby and Rev. Calvin Butts III will be hosting and being honored along with with Simmons and Combs.
Bill Cosby made headlines in 2004 when he criticized the parents of African-Americans.
"Your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 every day, it's cursing and calling each other [the N-word] as they're walking up and down the street. They think they're hip. They can't read. They can't write," Cosby said, sparking an intense debate about race and education.
The comments led the Cos to deny he was "anti-Hip-Hop" and he even dropped a critically acclaimed rap album titled Bill Cosby Presents the Cosnarati: State of Emergency, to make amends with the Hip-Hop community.
In the 1990's, Rev. Calvin Butts was one of gangsta rap's most outspoken critics.
In 1993, he infamously held a gathering and attempted to use a steamroller to destroy a pile of CD's.
Putting his rap beef aside, Butts has still been a champion for the rights of African-Americans.
In addition to leading the Abyssinian Baptist Church, he also heads up the Abyssinian Development Corporation.
The non-profit that has brought more than $300 million in retail development and low-cost housing to Harlem.
The 2011 Robie Awards take place on March 7th at the posh Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan, from 6-9PM.
Rapper Wiz Khalifa Up For Woodie of the Year Award
Rapper Wiz Khalifa has been tapped to headline the annual 2011 mtvU Woodie Awards set to talk place live on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU, from Austin, Texas.
Wiz will be joined by Sleigh Bells, Two Door Cinema Club and Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA) as performers during this year's Woodies.
The evening will pay homage to college students favorite emerging artists over the past year.
Wiz will battle it out with B.O.B., Arcade Fire, The Black Keys and LCD Soundsystem for the "Woodie of the Year" award, while Brooklyn's Sleigh Bells take on Northern Ireland band Two Door Cinema Club for the "Breaking Woodie" Award.
Rapper Lupe Fiasco, Dev, Chiddy Bang and Skylar Grey are among the presenters during the 2011 mtvU Woodie Awards.
The “2011 mtvU Woodie Awards” air live on Wednesday night, March 16 at 12am (Live ET/ Tape delayed PT) on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU.
CIMA AND TCI FORM UNION
The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) has formalized its cooperation regime with fellow dependant territory and neighbour, the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The authority recently signed a memorandum of understanding for the exchange of information and investigative assistance between CIMA and the Turks and Caicos Financial Services Commission (TCI FSC).
TCI FSC Managing Director Kevin Higgins, who signed on behalf of the Turks and Caicos Islands, said he welcomed the development. “The FSC looks forward to working more closely with one of the premier regulatory agencies in the Caribbean,” he added. CIMA’s MD Cindy Scotland said the MOU would reinforce Cayman’s international cooperation regime. This is the 19th deal of its kind that CIMA has signed.
"We are pleased to formalise methodologies of cooperation that has existed between CIMA and the Turks and Caicos Islands. We see this MOU as reinforcing our strong international cooperation regime and further demonstrating our commitment in this area," Scotland added as she outlined the types of assistance that can be requested and given by CIMA and the TCI FSC.
The MOU allows the provision, confirmation or verification of information and documents from other parties, discussing issues of mutual interest, arranging and/or conducting inspections of financial services providers, and permitting representatives of the requesting authority to participate in enquiries by or on behalf of the requested authority.
The MOU also outlines the procedure each regulator will use for making requests and how requests will be assessed to determine if the required assistance can be given.
The TCI FSC was established in 2001 as an independent statutory body responsible for the supervision of the islands’ financial services sector and is also responsible for the oversight of company formation and registration. Like CIMA, the commission is a member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), and Offshore Group of Insurance Supervisors (OGIS).
LIME and CARIFTA working together
LIME, the Caribbean’s leading full service telecommunications provider, today announced a US $400,000 investment in regional athletics with a two year sponsorship of the prestigious CARIFTA Games.
During a colourful ceremony held at the Cuddy’z Restaurant in Kingston, Jamaica, Grace Silvera, LIME’s Regional Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communications said: “We are extremely pleased to continue our investment with the North America Central America & Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) in sponsoring the annual CARIFTA Games, which is instrumental in talent discovery and the development of outstanding young athletes across the Caribbean.”
“Sport is dear to the hearts of the Caribbean and our athletic prowess greatly defines who we are as a people. This is more than a sponsorship, it’s an investment. LIME is therefore, very proud be sponsors of the games and to facilitate the regional broadcast of this exciting event to athletic fans and supporters across the region,” Ms. Silvera said.
Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, President of NACAC also thanked LIME for their longstanding contribution to sport, “CARIFTA is a breeding ground for the world stage and from these Games many stars are born, and world recognition is given to Caribbean nations, so LIME’s investment will help to develop young athletic talent across the region,” he said.
The 2011 CARIFTA Games is scheduled to be held in Montego Bay, Jamaica from April 22-24 and will attract over 800 athletes, their families, coaches and supporters to the island. During the three-day event more than 150 events will be staged including sprints, distance races, relays and field events.
PPC DAMAGES LIME’S FIBRE OPTIC CABLE
Severe damage to one of LIME’s fibre optic cables in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, has significantly impacted on that telecommunications company’s texting, faxing, BBM and internet facilities, while at the same time hampering the banking system of FirstCaribbean International Bank (FCIB) country-wide.
The damage to LIME’s cable was caused by Provo Power Company (PPC) which was in the process of upgrading a major feeder on the Leeward Highway in Providenciales to improve the reliability of service and make their network more robust and efficient. A press statement issued on Monday February 28th said the utilities companies had consulted each other when the work commenced but the fibre was damaged during the course of the work.
“This damaged fibre has affected most of LIME's data and voice services in the Turks & Caicos Islands. LIME's technicians are working arduously to repair and restore all affected services,” the press release said. “LIME and PPC are working together for the quickest possible resolution to this unfortunate outage. Periodic updates will be disseminated via text messages and radio advisories throughout the day.”
Drexwell Seymour, LIME’s Chief Executive in the Turks and Caicos Islands, said he would like to apologize for any inconvenience which customers experienced as a result of the damaged cable. Meantime, FCIB posted notices in its branches notifying customers about the disruption. Customers could not access bank statements and ATM machines were down. Several businesses throughout Providenciales were unable to process credit card payments because of the technical snag.
SAILROCK DEVELOPMENT LTD SPONSORS NEW YOUTH FOOTIE LEAGUE
The Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) has a new youth league on its roster. The league, sponsored by Sailrock Development Limited, will see an Under 11 Boys, Under 13 Boys and Under 13 Girls participate in a ten-week tournament.
Kicking things off was the U14 Girls on Saturday, February 26th – which saw 60 players forming five teams: Leeward Knights, Long Bay Revolution, Five Cays FC, Blue Hills Sharks and Bight United. The Boys leagues matches, commencing this Saturday, March 5th, will have four teams: Leeward Knights, Long Bay Revolution, Five Cays FC and Blue Hills Sharks. Well over 40 boys make up the U11 Boys, with around 30 boys in the U13 League.
The 10-week tournament will allow players to put into practice the skills they learned during their weekly Academy sessions, as well as prepare them for playing in the senior leagues. Following the tournament, individual and team trophies will be awarded in a presentation ceremony, with the results and photos posted on www.football.tc - TCIFA’s official website.
Sailrock Development Ltd, the leagues proud sponsor, is a low-density resort development that captures the true spirit of the Caribbean-outdoor oriented, informal, tranquil and welcoming environment. Based on South Caicos, the property embraces the culturally and historically significant town of Cockburn Harbour and maintains a strong focus of preserving the natural beauty of the Island through conservation of the native ecosystem.
Theodore Weldon, Principal in development at Sailrock said: “The partners of the Sailrock team have a strong to commitment to enriching the lives of children in the communities where we live. We believe that TCIFA is an incredible organization that provides the opportunity for children of TCI to learn not only the sport of football, but, more importantly, the valuable traits of sportsmanship, teamwork and cooperation that will help them grow into responsible adults.”
Of the tournament, Technical Director at the TCIFA Matthew Green said: "Football in our country is enjoying tremendous growth at the moment and organizations like Sailrock ensure that we can expose more young people to the sport. Our numbers are increasing all the time and we are now able to offer more opportunities for our players to implement the skills they learn in their academy sessions in a competitive league, something which will further enhance their development as football players.”
Caribbean International Marathon Grand Turk Cruise
The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board was happy to assists in the building of a niche market that is slowly being tapped by the TCI - sports tourism. As sports tourism marketing opportunities continue to become available, on Monday, February 21, 2011 the TCI Tourist Board teamed up with Caribbean Islands Marathon hosted by coaches John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield along with some 40 athletes, who traveled to the nation’s capital, Grand Turk aboard the Eurodam, Holland American.
The 6 ½ mile marathon got off to a quick start at about 9:00 am from the Grand Turk Lighthouse through the scenic and historic areas of Grand Turk. It was nothing but clear skies in forecast as some 40 athletes, ran and walked through the streets. In the end it was Charlie Leight in first place; Georgina Dodge in second and Ernst Steffen capping off the third place finish.
The Caribbean Islands Marathon is hosted by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield, and is the worlds only staged maritime marathon designed for runners and walkers alike. Each day, athletes run or walk a timed distance, on new terrain and enjoy new racing experiences in some of the Caribbean’s prettiest destinations.
Brian Been, the Tourist Board’s Senior Product Development Officer for Grand Turk said: “This event has become a hallmark in its third year, providing additional exposure for the Turks and Caicos Islands, especially with sports enthusiast bloggers. Additionally the timing is perfect as many cruise passengers are seeking additional activities beyond sun, sea and sand; and sports events are becoming a growing attraction. It is hoped that the TCI gets supplementary promotion amongst the sports or running enthusiasts targeted by the cruse line.”
Additionally, reports indicated that many of the runners, on completion of the race, rented bikes or took taxis to return to some of the sites along the route, confirming the value of the event as a promotional tool. It was especially heart warming to see that the organizers of the event made a donation to the Ona Glinton Primary School Rebuilding Fund, considering that hundreds or thousands of visitors come to our shores with a few taking time out to give to those they don’t know.
The Tourist Board feels that the event was a success and extends special thanks to the Grand Turk Cruise Center, The Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission, The Grand Turk Medical Department and Hospital Emergency Medical Services as well as the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force.
TCI CONFIRMS INTENTION TO ADOPT AUTOMATIC EXCHANGE OF TAX INFORMATION UNDER THE EUROPEAN UNION SAVINGS TAX DIRECTIVE
The Permanent Secretary, Finance, Delton Jones, briefed the Advisory Council at the session on Wednesday 23 February on the policy recommendation for the TCI to progress from the transitional withholding tax arrangement to an automatic exchange of information regime in line with provisions of the Directive and consistent with international standards and expectations on transparency and the exchange of information.
The Advisory Council, noting that in keeping with the objective of the TCI to match up to international standards of transparency as a means to enhance the reputation of the jurisdiction and provide a sound platform for future growth, accepted the recommendation and requested the Ministry of Finance to take the necessary steps to implement the policy as soon as practicable.
The EU Savings Tax Directive (EUSD) (Council Directive 2003/43/EC of 3rd June 2003) came into effect on 1st July 2005 and applies to all EU Members States as well as their Territories. The aim of the Directive was for all countries to freely disclose interest earned by a resident of an EU country in order to ensure that the interest was fully declared in his country of residence. It currently applies to bank interest, bond interest, and analogous income, such as income from bond funds, money-market funds, loans, and mortgages.
Many non-EU states and countries, including the UK’s Overseas Territories, agreed to introduce similar measures and the TCI implemented the Directive with the passing of the Retention Tax Ordinance 2005. Countries were able to choose whether to move straight away to full implementation of the information exchange provisions under the EUSD or whether to adopt transitional provisions which meant that a withholding tax would be levied on EU resident investors and passed to the appropriate tax authority in the country of residence. The TCI along with BVI opted for the transitional arrangements which required withholding tax to be applied at the following rates:
- 15% in the first three years, then 20% in the next three years, and 35% after January 2011
The BVI announced in December its intention to move away from the transitional arrangement and to implement automatic exchange of information under the EUSD by the end of 2011.
The Ministry of Finance, as the responsible body, will now lead on work to introduce the new policy and will be working alongside colleagues from the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Financial Services Commission.
Permanent Secretary Finance Delton Jones said: “The Advisory Council’s acceptance of this recommendation for a progression from the current transitional withholding tax method of compliance under the EU Savings Tax Directive to an automatic exchange of information regime is welcome news. This move will ensure the TCI is in line with the international trend, including among other UK Overseas Territories, and should enhance the country’s reputation as a well regulated financial centre.”
Lawyer Says Jay-Z Wants "Too Much" To Settle 40/40 Beef With David Ortiz
Jay-Z and Boston Red Sox' star David Ortiz could head to court this month over the use of the rap star's 40/40 brand name.
Jay-Z took Ortiz to court for allegedly stealing the name of the 40/40 Club and using it for a similar business located in the Dominican Republic.
According to The New York Post, representatives were locked in negotiations for three-hours yesterday, but could not reach an agreement.
Judge Richard Berman said the legal eagles attempting to resolve the name dispute did not have "the authority to settle" the matter.
David Ortiz' manager Mark Walker said the amount Jay-Z wanted to settle the amount was "way too much."
According to reports, Jay-Z, who filed the lawsuit in April of 2010, is seeking $5 million for trademark infringement.
The pair also attempted to settle the dispute in June of 2010 without success.
Golding may miss Manatt enquiry
PRIME Minister Bruce Golding is asking the Dudus/Manatt commission of enquiry to consider his ministerial and international obligations which may prevent him from giving evidence at the enquiry.
The prime minister, through his attorney at the commission, Hugh Small, asked for the understanding of the commission that his “obligation to attend to the business of the people of Jamaica and the machinery of Government” cannot be deferred.
Small said his client would only be available until the end of next week “if the commission is able to complete hearing of the evidence of the other witnesses”.
But when the commission chairman Emil George suggested that the prime minister give evidence immediately after former Jamaica Labour Party General Secretary Karl Samuda and Deputy Solicitor General Lackston Robinson complete theirs, Small strongly objected to the suggestion.
Small said that the prime minister cannot give evidence before Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne. Furthermore, Small said that Golding was set to be the last witness to give evidence.