GRAND TURK NATIVES WIN THE BODY SHOW TCI COMPETITIONS
Grand Turk natives Clay Seymour and Mauqueita Carter captured The Body Show’s contests over the weekend. The Body Show: Miss Body Beautiful & Mr Best Body TCI contests were a hit summer sensation with Carter capturing Miss Body Beautiful TCI 2013 and Seymour being sashed as the first Mr Best Body TCI at Brayton Hall in Provo, on Saturday July 27th.
Mauqueita Carter, a 22-year-old Fire Fighter stood out from her competitors with her presence, confident demeanor, dazzling smile, standout physique and charismatic stage presentation. No stranger to competition, Mauqueita won Little Miss Regatta 1997, Little Miss Summer Jam 1997 & 1998, Miss Regatta 2008, Miss Salt Cay 2008, and now Miss Body Beautiful TCI 2013.
The former track and field star said she came to Provo to take that crown back home, Grand Turk. Of her win, “I knew that I would be triumphant over the girls. I prepared well in advance, took the event seriously, took on board the advice and coaching provided, and went out on that stage with the knowledge that I am Miss Body Beautiful TCI 2013! And with my faith and the support of my family and close friends, I knew that crown was mine,” said a beaming Mauqueita.
Not only did Mauqueita, a mother of one - won the contest, but she was also successful at winning the ‘RTC Viewers Choice Award” (female) award with 286 votes, winning herself with an RTC plaque with her photo thereon and a spa treatment to Spa Sanay. What is more, owning to this, Radio Turks & Caicos (RTC) has invited bubbly Fire Fighter to do a forth-nightly show - live on air.
Clay Seymour holds the rank of First Dan Black Belt in the Japanese martial art of Aikido. He is also the owner of Aikido TCI, a martial arts teaching establishment that teaches the art and offers self-defense training. What is more, Seymour is professionally trained and qualified in the guest services sector of the hospitality industry as a supervisor in the Water Sports Department at the luxurious Seven Stars Resort on Grace Bay, Provo.
“Being the first of anything is great, and I’m happy, proud and honored that I am the first Mr Best Body TCI, said Clay. He went on to add: “I worked hard to achieve this goal; changing my diet, nutrition, upping my workout routine and being more regimented about the symmetry and tone of my physique. This was indeed a well deserved win, one that I will have to defend come next summer,” said the cycling enthusiast.
As part of the terms of The Body Show Miss Body Beautiful & Mr Best Body TCI contests, both contest winners are invited back to compete to retain their titles. This will give them the opportunity to further perfect their physique, fitness levels and stage presentation, as they will be competing against new persons vying for their titles.
Other winners of The Body Show included: Anya Panda-Pratt, First Runner’s Up – Miss Body Beautiful and Tory Deal, First Runner’s Up – Mr Best Body.
The Body Show saw the top two contestants in each division winning LIME advertisement campaigns, top of the line cellular phones with plans, along with consolation prizes. To cap that off, the winners of Miss Body Beautiful and Mr Best Body were each awarded USD$1,000 in Cash for a job well done!
The event was judged by a panel that included Alvin Parker, as Head Judge, former Director of Sports for the Turks & Caicos Government, now President of the South Caicos HOPE Foundation; Natasha Leybush, proprietor of Rock it Hot Fitness and a 25 year veteran of the fitness industry; Straudy Lightboune, a fitness advocate and Patient Administration Manager at both Interhealth Canada hospitals; and Joanne Missick, Corporate Account Manager with LIME (TCI) Limited, the event’s premier sponsor.
The ebullient Mrs Paula Arthur Rigby of ‘The Average Joe Show’ and the debonair Mr O’Brien Forbes, managing-director of Forbes Concierge, hosted the show which saw performances by Brentford Handfield, Levenia Hamilton, Cordero Cash, Donnicia Gardiner and Dreka Mayham.
2013’s The Body Show: Miss Body Beautiful & Mr Best Body was indeed a hit summer sensation and surely surpassed the hype and anticipation, giving the audience a lot more than they bargained for. The show returns next year, again at the end of July 2014 and will be another double header not be one to miss!
Prince Charles Says Prince George Will Be Called 'Georgie'
Prince Charles gave updates on his grandson Prince George as he visited the Whitstable Oyster Festival in Kent, England on Monday, July 29, with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. During the event, the first-time grandfather told locals that he liked the name George.
According to Prince Charles, George is a "very good name." However, he said that the little prince would be "known as Georgie in no time." Prince Charles' grandfather, King George VI, was called Georgie by his family.
Teacher Nicki Wray from Nottingham told Daily Mirror of her brief exchange with the prince, "I just caught his eye and said, 'congratulations grandad, you must be so pleased.' He said 'yes, we are, pleased as punch.' " Talking to other guests, Prince Charles said that his baby grandson was "very loud," but "wonderful."
Well-wishers showered Prince Charles and wife with gifts for Prince George. One of the presents was a yellow t-shirt with an oyster picture on the chest. Prince Charles and wife also received a red Welsh dragon toy.
Kate Middleton gave birth to Prince George on Monday, July 22 at the St. Mary's hospital in London. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge introduced their bundle of joy the next day as they left the hospital. More pictures of Prince George with his parents are expected to be released next week. The pictures probably will be taken in the Duchess family's house in Bucklebury, instead of Kensington Palace.
Selena looks Buju's way
American pop sensation Selena Gomez has sampled Buju Banton's 1995 hit song Champion for her latest single, Like a Champion.
The song is from Gomez' new album Stars Dance which was released this month.
The 21-year-old uses Banton's original lines, 'Walk like a champion/ talk like a champion/ ram-pa-pa-pam-pam' for her introduction and hook.
Banton, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence in the United States on drug-related charges, recorded Champion for producer Donovan Germain.
The song is from his seminal 1995 album 'Til Shiloh. Germain said he heard of the Gomez remix this week.
"I didn't hear about the track until Wednesday when someone sent me a YouTube link," he told Splash.
"All I can say is that it is a 'good look' for the industry. While we are busy trying to copy the pop stars, they are busy trying to copy reggae, a genre that some critics say is dying," he continued.
Germain says although he did not give permission for the song to be sampled, Universal Records, the company that owns publishing rights for 'Til Shiloh, has authority to do so.
This is not the first time that Champion has been sampled by an overseas act. In 1998, French hip-hop group Suprême NTM sampled it for their song Pose Ton Gun; that same year, American rapper Eve could not resist it on her Eve of Destruction; while British producer Sub Focus used it for Soundguy in 2004.
Gomez is among the most popular of the new wave American pop stars. She became a tabloid favourite through her romance with Canadian pop star Justin Bieber.
Her hit songs include Come and Get It and Love You Like a Love Song.
Source-Jamaica Observer
Beres, Flo Rida take Sumfest
BERES Hammond was in fine form at Reggae Sumfest's International Night I at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex in Montego Bay, St James, on Friday night.
Taking the stage at 2:48 am to loud cheers, the veteran singer's spirited, hour-long set was well-received by the thousands of fans who recited the lyrics to his songs in appreciation.
Opening his set with Can't Stop A Man, Hammond took time out to recognise incarcerated artiste Buju Banton. He dedicated his performance to him.
Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, was convicted in the United States on drug charges and is serving a 10-year sentence.
Hammond told the audience that Banton's message to him was "lick off them socks" and that he did.
He had the crowd mesmerised as they gobbled up everything he could serve. His set, which included Putting Up Resistance, She Loves Me Now, Double Trouble, and Tempted To Touch, went down well.
American hip-hop artiste Flo Rida gave a memorable Sumfest debut performance.
The Good Feeling singer infused new energy into the crowd.
During his performance of Where My Girls At, he gave out roses to female patrons close to the stage and threw the remaining ones in the audience. He even invited a few on stage for Low.
He created a stir later when he sent those closest to the stage scurrying for cover, as he sprayed two well-shaken bottles of champagne on them.
His high-energy set also saw his guitarist being lifted in the air by his bodyguard while not missing a note.
The Hands in the Ayer artiste paid tribute to slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin before performing Cry. Martin -- a 17-year-old African/American was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a mixed-race Hispanic in February 2012. The American court recently acquitted Zimmerman of any charges.
"There's a Jah above that makes me do all things, that keeps me going," he said.
Veteran reggae singer Barrington Levy, whose performance preceded Flo Rida's, could also do no wrong.
"Long time mi nuh perform fi unno. Are you ready fi dis?" he said, before delivering Living Dangerously.
Levy made up for lost time as he dished out Prison Oval Rock, Unda Mi Sensi, I Was Born A Man, and 21 Girls Salute.
"We don't need no auto smoke, no dancers. We real like dat," he said.
He also used the opportunity to address the current state of dancehall.
"Nothing is wrong with dancehall. It's just the lyrical content. We need to be more original and stop the 'follow' 'ting," he said.
He then went over his 45-minute time allotment to deliver Too Experienced, Murderer, and Teach The Youths.
"I can't sing 10 albums in 45 minutes," he said.
The evening also saw great sets from Tarrus Riley as well as up-and-coming artistes Kiarah, Droop Lion, Sophia Squire, Nature and Iba Mahr.
Reggae singer Jah Cure brought the curtains down on what was an evening of delightful performances.
Source-Jamaica Obsever
The Wolverine claws to top
The Wolverine slashed monsters and minions to debut atop the weekend box office.
The Fox film featuring Hugh Jackman's sixth turn as the claw-wielding superhero opened with US$55 million in North America, according to studio estimates yesterday.
Taiwanese President to visit St Kitts/Nevis
President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Ma Ying-jeou will pay a two-day State visit St Kitts and Nevis as part of a Latin America and the Caribbean tour next month.
A statement from the Taiwanese embassy in St Kitts said that President Ma will arrive here on August 18 as part of his 12-day visit to allies in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Ko said the main purpose of the trip is to attend the inauguration of Paraguayan President-elect Horacio Cartes on August 15.
President Ma will also visit Haiti, St Lucia and St Vincent.
Kamla, UNC’s future in doubt
The landslide victory of Jack Warner speaks to the demise of the UNC and could also signal a real possibility of the former national security minister becoming the country’s next prime minister, says former government minister Ralph Maraj. Maraj was among a television panel which also included journalist Sunity Maharaj, managing director of the Lloyd Best Institute of the West Indies, and political analyst Dr Winford James. Maraj described the victory as a “sad day” for the country, as someone who has been so discredited, locally and internationally could be elected. Examining what Warner’s win said about the national consciousness, Maraj added, “So-called validating elites in this country would tend to frown upon the emergence of somebody like Jack Warner and his possibility of becoming the prime minister, but clearly after tonight that is a very real possibility. “What does it say about our culture that somebody like Jack Warner could now emerge in this country as a possible candidate for prime ministership?”
Warner’s victory, Maraj said, also represented a much larger picture, one that questioned the future United National Congress (UNC). “Kamla Persad-Bissessar—under her leadership and under the influence of the cabal, the UNC continues to shrink back into that heartland, which in itself is shrinking, because younger people are growing up and the more professional class are moving out and moving into the urban areas. “If this election says anything to the UNC ,it is that it has to look at the leadership of Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the influence of the cabal,” he added.
The by-election race, Maharaj said, represented a “battle inside the UNC,” as Chaguanas West is a UNC constituency which has been divided into “UNC A and UNC B.” “What we have seen tonight is a tremendous division inside the UNC, and how is the UNC as a party going to deal with that? We are going to have to see what are the implications of a Warner victory on the UNC and the on the partnership,” Maharaj added.
Saying no one could deny that Warner is an “extraordinary man,” Maharaj said money also made him “even more extraordinary.” “The country is clearly searching for a way past the automatic voter connection to just ethnic politics. It wants to just try something,” Maharaj said. “There’s a huge vacuum now and for the moment he (Warner) is just filling it. It was clear very early on in this government that a vacuum was developing and the question is what new forces will be released in the political system.” On the issue of leadership of the UNC, James asked who was the potential replacement for Persad-Bissessar. “We hope that the result of this election is going to take us to a path which will not be reversed, and therefore the parties will clean themselves up and come up with a model of democracy or constitutional reform that does not take us back along the tribal rule,” James said.
After conceding defeat last night, Persad-Bissessar told supporters the UNC had not lost because the party was still in government. This however, James said, mirrored the unsuitability of Persad-Bissessar as prime minister. “Strange, incredible things continue to pour from the prime minister’s mouth. She is saying that the government has not lost because it is still in government, on the basis of the result of a by-election that could now put her out of power. “I find that really amazing. It captures the unsuitability of Mrs Bissessar and her Cabinet to run this country.”
Bandits kill man raising an alarm in TNT
Hours before voting began in the Chaguanas West by-election yesterday, a man was murdered by bandits in front of his home. But despite a suggestion to the contrary by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, the victim’s family do not believe the killing was linked to the election. Bhandath Ramkir, a 50-year old physically-challenged man, was shot around 2 am when he reportedly tried to stop thieves who were breaking into a relative’s car parked in front of his house. Relatives told the T&T Guardian the relative, who lives next door, had parked his Daewoo Cielo in front of Ramkir’s house and asked him to “watch” it. Around 2.30 am, however, Ramkir’s relatives were awakened by the sound of a gunshot and bawling. They found Ramkir lying in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to the right side of his chest.
Ramkir, who was unmarried and had no children, was described by villagers as a harmless, fun-loving man, fond of a drink. His killing came in the midst of reports of vandalism and threats of intimidation by people reported to have been brought into the area from “outside” in the build-up to the election. Relatives, the police and neighbours denied his killing was related to the election but said at the same time that they never had any crime like that in the area. Ramkir, whose hand was permanently injured, lived with relatives and when the T&T Guardian visited the house yesterday morning, they were being questioned by Assistant Supt Seemungal Rampersad of the San Fernando Homicide Bureau. Rampersad told the T&T Guardian the incident appeared to be a straight case of attempted robbery. He said while the car was not in perfect condition, it was fitted with “mag rims” on the wheels, which the bandits were probably looking at.
He said about $150 was stolen from the wallet of the owner’s wife, which was in the car, along with her bank card. “We are trying to piece it together,” Rampersad said. He noted, however, there was another robbery in Endeavour on Sunday night, in which a security guard was bound by bandits while they pillaged the place. The owner of the car and his wife, who were questioned by Rampersad, appeared distraught and were reluctant to talk to the media. Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, who visited the Petersfield house around 8 am yesterday, told the media Ramkir was a United National Congress (UNC) activist and his killing might have been linked to the election. The UNC, one of the parties in the coalition People’s Partnership Government, was one of the main contenders in the election race for its former stronghold. The UNC’s main political rival was former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, who resigned the seat and re-contested it under the banner of his newly-formed Independent Liberal Party.
But one of Ramkir’s relatives, Usha, dismissed any idea his murder was related to the election. “He never vote in his life. He supports everybody,” she said. “A relative ask him to watch the car and people pass and break into it.” Usha said the family lives on the side of the road that falls in the Couva North constituency and could not vote in the election. Neighbours said Ramkir was wearing an Independent Liberal Party jersey the day before he was killed. UNC Chaguanas West candidate Khadijah Ameen, who visited the home around 11 am, told the family the UNC would handle the funeral expenses. Shortly after Ramkir’s murder, which pushed the toll to 210 for the year, news also circulated in the village that a man had been knocked down near the polling station at the Felicity Presbyterian School.
Trinidad Guardian
Caribbean Climate Finance dialogue conference takes place
Second Latin American and Caribbean Dialogue on Climate Finance in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Second Dialogue is organized by the Government of El Salvador, with support from the EU through its EUROCLIMA programme, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE), the Latin American Development Bank (CAF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and among others.
Over 125 participants will attend from 20 Latin American and Caribbean Governments and 15 bilateral and multilateral agencies, civil society organizations and academia, along with international climate finance experts and climate finance experts from Asia-Pacific and Africa.
The Second Dialogue is to discuss: climate finance mechanisms and instruments; inter-institutional coordination on climate finance; potential of the private sector for climate finance; and assessing the impact of climate change on public expenditures. The Dialogue will be followed on 31 July by a meeting of the regional coordinators of EUROCLIMA.
The two day conference started Monday 29th at Hotel Sheraton Presidente in San Salvador, El Salvador.
St. Kitts & Nevis: Protesting the Prime Minister
It’s a twist rarely seen in Caribbean politics where party loyalties are fierce, but political tensions are high in St. Kitts and Nevis following the defection of two senior ministers from Prime Minister Denzil Douglas‘ ruling St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party.
The move has placed the government in a minority position in the country’s National Assembly, and the Prime Minister has not summoned Parliament in more than six months, presumably to avoid facing a vote of “No Confidence”. Meanwhile, the two ministers, Timothy Harris and Sam Condor, have formed a political party of their own, the People’s Labour Party.
Late last week, the opposition People’s Action Movement and the PLP led a protest march through the streets of the capital in an attempt to force the Prime Minister to either call an election or to step aside to allow the formation of a unity government.
Permission for the march was initially withheld by the police and was finally granted hours before the event. Prior to the march, there was a smaller protest, but quite curiously, only one blog – Barbados-based at that – took note. It reported on a press conference held before permission for the march was granted, in which the opposition leader laid out his justification for the march and for continued protests against the government:
The two elected members of PAM and partners in the CCM [Nevis-based Concerned Citizens Movement] and PLP have also written twice to the Governor General, confirming that all six of us, who make up the majority of the elected members of parliament, no longer have any confidence in the government and Dr. Douglas as Prime Minister. We have stated to the Governor General twice in letter that when the Motion of No Confidence is called, we will all vote in favour of it. We have also written twice to the Speaker of the National Assembly, echoing the same message that we communicated to the Governor General, and after six months, not one of these gentlemen has taken the appropriate constitutional action.
There were reactions to the march on the Facebook pages of some of the parties involved. On the People’s Action Movement’s page, Jacqueline Elliot felt that the march was not enough:
PAM and PLP the time has come to take our country back[...]instead of marching, everyone go down Church Street and do not move[...]you stay right there[...]close down St. Kitts. Marching last[s] a couple of hours[...]you need to stay down Church Street like they are doing [in] Egypt.
--Global Voices