1

N E W S M A G A Z I N EN E W S M A G A Z I N EN E W S M A G A Z I N EN E W S M A G A Z I N EN E W S M A G A Z I N E

FREE

TTTTT he Heads of CaribbeanOrganizat ions o f f i -c ially launched their

new logo this month. The logowas designed by Katiana Mar-celin and symbolizes the unityof the Caribbean Community.

This comes as the Heads alignsitself with the CaribbeanAmerican Chamber of Com-merce of Florida and preparesto organize a grand celebra-tion of Caribbean AmericanHeritage Month this June. TheHeads of Caribbean Organiza-tions is a group of CaribbeanAssociations that share infor-mation about the culturalwork of the associations inCentral Florida. It is open toany and every group in theCentral Florida Communitythat wants to share it’s infor-mation about upcomingevents and that has an inter-est in promoting CaribbeanCulture in Central Florida.

In a recent statement, SamuelRoberts head of the Organiz-ing Committee, said “Themonth of June is designatedCaribbean American HeritageMonth and we will be work-ing as a group of CaribbeanPeople to ensure that we fillthat month with the beautyand diversity of CaribbeanCulture, Music and Food.We’re currently working withthe City of Orlando and Or-ange County and we’d like toinvite all Caribbean Associa-tions and Cultural groups toparticipate to ensure that ourtrue diversity as a Caribbeanis showcased.”

Breakout Author Sukree Boodram with Mayor of Ocoee Mayor Scott Vandergrift at CAP’s Launch Event

Caribbean AmericanCaribbean AmericanCaribbean AmericanCaribbean AmericanCaribbean AmericanPassport officially launchedPassport officially launchedPassport officially launchedPassport officially launchedPassport officially launched

See Story on page 16

Marcia Miller, Dahlia Hayles and Bernie DeCastro with Mayor Scott of Ocoee

2

L I F E S T Y L E Guenet Gittens-Roberts,

Publisher/Editor

GGR Marketing & Public Relations1969 Alafaya Trail, Suite 133 • Orlando, Fl 32828

407.421.8118 • guenetroberts@yahoo.com

Publisher/Editor ................................................ Guenet Gittens-RobertsContributing Writers: ................................................. Samuel Roberts

............................................... Natasha Gittens

............................................. Jackie Rampergas

................................................... Mark Lindsay

...................................................Dahlia Hayles

................................................... Sasha Watson

.................................... Guenet Gittens-RobertsContributing Photographers ................................. Yvette Ramkissoon

Copyright (C) 2010 GGR Marketing & Public Relations All rights reserved.

Ready or Not - 2011 is here! Here are the most popularNew Year Resolutions broken down by category with mythoughts on how I view them. For some people, the New

Year may prompt them to take stock of all they’ve accomplished(or not accomplished) during the previous year. Others use theholiday to think about all the things they hope to accomplishin the months ahead. The New Year symbolizes rebirth andrenewal for some - an aspiration to be a better person It’salways hard to keep resolutions but at least the effort to reworkyour life and to make it better a little at a time has to havevalue. So here’s to trying...I hope that something sticks so thatlittle by little we improve our lives and make ourselves into thebest version of us that we can. This quote from former Presi-dent Benjamin Franklin summarizes it well: “Be always at warwith your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let eachnew year find you a better man.”

1. Get in shape - It isn’t much of a surprise that this is the mostcommon New Year’s resolution. It seems to be the most typi-cally set and failed resolution that people make. I have learnedby failing to keepresolutions - that Ineed to make verysmall changes, in-stead of a major,rash one. Ratherthan setting a goalto start working outevery day, I set agoal to at least workout once a week. Once I successfully reach that milestone, then Iwork up to two days a week and so on. For me, this seems to bethe only way to make life changes. As a friend of mine recentlypointed out “of course I can eat an elephant...just not in one bite”- don’t give up on a huge task, just pace yourself and remaincommitted. Exercising keeps you fit and healthy and it doesn’tcost you anything to go for a walk or bike ride or even skip rope inthe backyard. To rest your body you don’t need to go to a day spayou can simply slide into the tub at home and relax.

2. Eat healthier - Last year Dr. Thompson, of New Hope Chiro-practic, told me a phrase she coined that has stayed with me -Are you Healthy or just not sick? I quickly realized that I hadbeen falsely thinking that I was “healthy”. I didn’t try to changeall of my habits at once, but rather focused on making onesmall change at a time. The result- I am eating a lot morevegetables and thinking about my food choices, instead of justmaking do as the day goes along. By eating better you will feelbetter and if you start your own vegetable patch for exampleyou will be able to save at the supermarket and will be eatingbetter at the same time.

3. Get out of Debt - I wonder how many copies of Dave Ramsey’s“The Total Money Makeover” sells right at the New Year. How-ever we’ve got our own local Money Gurus Financial Solutionswith Dahlia and Sandra, every Wednesday on 1680 am from2pm -3pm giving you tips and strategies to save and earn moremoney. Listen and get great tips to help you in 2011. Or visitwww.credability.org where the loan counselors will help youwith everything from Bankruptcy Education, Debt ManagementPlans, Foreclosure Prevention, Reverse Mortgage Information,Budget & Credit Counseling. Best of all they are a non-profitand offer these services for free.

4. Stop Smoking- This is one of the best things you can do foryour health. My kids and I heard a commercial where a guytalked about the reasons for quitting smoking - he listed theparts of his wife’s body that she lost because of smoking. Itwas scary...and I’ve never smoked. If you’re a smoker, ac-knowledge that it’s an addiction and get help to kick the habit

once and for all. If you have resolved to make this the yearthat you stamp out your smoking habit, over-the-counter avail-ability of nicotine replacement therapy now provides easieraccess to proven quit smoking aids. Even if you’ve tried to quitbefore and failed, don’t let it get you down. On average, smok-ers try about four times before they quit for good.

5. Start Budgeting- I hate those words. Sam and I spent thefirst five years of our life in America on a budget. Every time Iwanted to buy or do something I heard him say budget, bud-get, budget (I’m sure you get a sense of how deep my pain is).However, the rational part of my brain knows that it’s not aform of torture. We were able to save a lot of money that wewould have otherwise frittered away. I actually learnt this af-ter going through the post budget period of the lovely real es-tate days and then moving back to the budget days that fol-lowed. Oh if only I had been on a budget during the boomtimes is the lament I, yes I make. So lesson learnt...budgetduring good and bad times. Who is the wealthiest? The onewho has more or the one who needs the least?

6. Get a new Job/Start a Business - Ifyou need extra in-come - think aboutstarting a business,keep your expensesdown by workingfrom home and getall the wonderful

write offs that come with owning a business while you earnsome extra cash as well. The simplest way is to turn your hobbyor passion into an income stream.

7. Spend more time with family and friends - When I startedthis newspaper my father told me how much he liked it butalso warned me that a good mother is worth more than a greatbusinesswoman any day. I don’t want to spark a war withthose words, so let me explain what he meant so that we’reclear...Sometimes we get caught up in our own dreams andaspirations and we work very hard to build a business or putfood on the table, BUT, if you have children they should comefirst. Children get one childhood, and at that time they likeyou and they want to spend time with you. Don’t wait untilit’s too late to enjoy their company. I believe that children area gift given to you but they’re really only yours for a limitedtime and then they move on to have their own lives...enjoythem while you can. Make time for your family, make time foryour friends, plan to meet up for an evening of comaraderie ata favorite Caribbean restaurant or take the family to one ofthe popular tourist spots in Orlando. Act like a tourist for a

“I am running into a new year and the old years blow back like a wind that Icatch in my hair like strong fingers like all my old promises and it will behard to let go of what I said to myself about myself when I was sixteen andtwenty-six and thirty-six but I am running into a new year and I beg what Ilove and I leave to forgive me.” — Lucille Clifton

— Continued on page 4 —

3

By Betsy Werley

Passion is on centerstage in the 21st cen-tury. Why? Because

passion is the key ingredientof a satisfying life. It’s thestarting point for career dis-cussions, and is so popularthat Amazon offers over 500books about combiningwork and passion.

Passion is energizing andwill unleash your creativity,helping you achieve thingsyou thought were impos-sible. It gets you out of bedin the morning. As a kid, Icouldn’t sell a box of GirlScout cookies to save mylife...but as Executive Direc-tor of The Transition Net-work, an organization thatI’m passionate about, I happily asked dozens of people, “Doyou know of any free office space in New York City?”

When I grew up in the 1970s, passion was the subject of teen-age dreams and mid-life crises, not everyday life. Fast-for-ward to today. The boundaries of work and life are blurring,and we naturally want to bring inspiration into both parts ofour lives. Boomers and pre-Boomers are also thinking abouttheir legacies - which definitely requires passion. We’re drawnto passionate people because they are so interesting, whetherthey’re 25 or 75. Age doesn’t matter.

The sooner you tap into your passions, the more they have apositive influence on your life. In a world where we’ll be work-ing for at least 40 years, your passion can start as a sidelineand become a fulltime job or business in later years.

So, how do you get started? First, take your pulse on the pas-sion meter:

• If you know what lights you up - congratulations! You’reready to move to the next level.

• If your passion is a buried treasure - start digging! Devote afew hours to reconnecting with your inner child. What didyou love to do when no one was telling you to do it? Music,

How to find your passion to unleashHow to find your passion to unleashHow to find your passion to unleashHow to find your passion to unleashHow to find your passion to unleashyour creativityyour creativityyour creativityyour creativityyour creativity

pets, helping older people...Ask friends and family to tellyou what they see.

• If you have a passion deficit - get going and be strategic!Pick two things you think you’re interested in and try them.Join the board of a nonprofit...help a friend with a startupbusiness...take a class in a new subject. Herminia Ibarra’sWorking Identity offers stories and steps for that journey.

Once you’ve tapped into your passion, you can bring it intoyour life in three ways:

• Front and center—Go after the paying job you really want. Di-vinity schools are full of career changers following a call to serveothers. Transition programs for would-be teachers are booming.

• Part of the mix—Volunteer - that’s how I got started. Dur-ing my law/corporate career, I made a strategic decisionto join the board of a women’s networking organization,and became its President. That “off the job training” mademe realize that I wanted to work fulltime on women’s is-sues - and gave me the experience to get hired. MarcFreedman’s Encore—Finding Work that Matters in the Sec-ond Half of Life and the www.encore.org website are ex-cellent resources for those who want to work in nonprofitsor government.

• Moonlight: the path cho-sen by my friend JoanCukous. Joan got hooked onartisanal chocolate duringher days as a banker. Shetook courses, experimentedin her tiny kitchen, and af-ter several years launchedChocolate Moderne, now athriving business. She waspractical enough to keep herday job until she laid thefoundation for her secondact. Marci Alboher’s OnePerson, Multiple Careers de-scribes this new concept of“slash” careers, each feedingthe other: jazz musician/computer consultant; psy-chotherapist/violin maker.

Feed your passion to achieve true happiness and harmony inyour life. Passion is the ultimate renewable resource. Invest infinding YOUR passion, anchor it in your life and let it take youplaces you never dreamed you’d go.

6488 Currin Drive, Orlando, Fl. 32835

4

Serving Orlando &Central Florida

Property Management

We provide propertymanagement

solutions for homes,businesses and

vacation rentals.

Renters!we have

homes available.

Contact Sam for more details:407-810-6435.

Roberts & RobertsProperty Management Services

day, you live in the city that people love to come to. Workshouldn’t always come first!

8. Organize your Life - I’m not the best organized person inthe world. Time Management has always been hard for me. Ihave made the steps towards getting it under wraps, but I’m aprocrastinator, I work well under pressure. I have all of thebooks but I haven’t figured out how to solve this one as yet.However, I find that clearing clutter away helps me to thinkclearly and operate effectively. Whether you want your homeorganized enough that you can invite someone over on a whim,or your office organized enough that you can find the staplerwhen you need it, reducing the clutter in your life can helpyou to find peace in your life.

9. Help Others! Give More! Volunteer! - I love interacting withpeople, building relationships and this is a great way to meetthe people in your community. Volunteerism is a very popu-lar, New Year’s resolution and can take many forms. Whetheryou choose to spend time helping out at your local library,mentoring a child, or building a house, there are many non-profit volunteer organizations that could really use your help.If you’re new to this area and not aware of the many Non-Profit Caribbean Associations then contact this paper for a listof the associations here in Central Florida. Or if your time isin short supply, you can at least donate the furniture, clothingand other household items that you no longer need, ratherthan leaving them out by the curb to fill up our landfills.

10. Enjoy Life More - Learn Something New. Given the hectic,stressful lifestyles we lead, it is no wonder that “enjoying lifemore” has become a popular resolution in recent years. It’s animportant step to a happier and healthier you! Just get out andtry something new! Take up a new hobby or try your hand at anew sport. Florida offers a wealth of artistic and recreationalactivities to meet just about anyone’s wishes. The diversity ofthe Caribbean Community in Orlando allows us to experienceeach other’s culture - a lot of times we could do it for free.

Have you vowed to make this year the year to learn somethingnew? Perhaps you are considering a career change, want tolearn a new language, or just how to fix your computer?Whether you take a course or read a book, you’ll find educa-tion to be one of the easiest, most motivating New Year’s reso-lutions to keep. The Community Colleges, local YMCA’s andSenior Centers offer great recreational training for beginnersof all ages. Most local colleges and universities offer distanceand adult education programs. Or if the arts are more yourthing, there are great classes available through these channelsas well. Enjoy 2011.

—New Year Resolutions, continued from page 2——New Year Resolutions, continued from page 2——New Year Resolutions, continued from page 2——New Year Resolutions, continued from page 2——New Year Resolutions, continued from page 2—Remembering HaitiRemembering HaitiRemembering HaitiRemembering HaitiRemembering Haiti1 year later after1 year later after1 year later after1 year later after1 year later afterthe earthquakethe earthquakethe earthquakethe earthquakethe earthquake

School & Hygiene Supplies Drive for HAITISchool & Hygiene Supplies Drive for HAITISchool & Hygiene Supplies Drive for HAITISchool & Hygiene Supplies Drive for HAITISchool & Hygiene Supplies Drive for HAITIHygiene Supplies: School Supplies:

• Toothpaste • Spiral Notebook• Deodorant • Pencils• Soap • Pens (blue ink)• Shampoo • Computer Paper• Lotion • Tissue Paper• Baby Powder • Staplers, Calculators• Baby wipes • Glitter• Adult diapers • Science Experiment Kits

Supplies will be shipped to HAITI to benefit thechildren at the following Homes & Schools:

St. Joseph Home for Boys, Port au Prince, HaitiWings of Hope, Fermathe, Haiti

Trinity House, Jacmel, Haiti

DROP-OFF LOCATIONS:Entire Month of January, 2011

Attorney Gail Seeram1013 N. Pine Hills Road, Orlando, FL (407.292.7730)

St. Stephen Lutheran Church2140 W. State Rd 434, Longwood, FL (407.869.0491)

Ask us about Child SponsorshipQuestions: Call Gail Seeram 407-292-7730.

5

How to eat healthyHow to eat healthyHow to eat healthyHow to eat healthyHow to eat healthyat a partyat a partyat a partyat a partyat a party

Make it a game to beat the foodMake it a game to beat the foodMake it a game to beat the foodMake it a game to beat the foodMake it a game to beat the food

Parties can trigger overeating for several reasons - maybeyou like to have your hand on food because you’re ner-vous. Maybe they’re serving food you rarely eat because

you pick healthy choices or maybe, it’s the simplest answerthat you didn’t get a chance to grab a snack prior and you’revery hungry. It’s hard when there is lots of food, readily avail-able and sometimes even a waiter that has a large serving plat-ter at eye level with a napkin and a welcoming gesture.

Here are a few tips to help you get through the party:

• The food usually isn’t that good.Most party planners know that the food really isn’t that good.It’s hard to make large quanities of fabulous food so very fewplaces do. Before you partake in the tray favorites of “friedgoat cheese” or “stuffed mushrooms” keep in mind that it’sjust filler food and it’s usually drenched in butter just to makeit taste passable.

• Camp out at the fruit bowl.Almost every party has a fruit table or a vegetable table. Ifyou’re the nervous type, keep a glass of perrier in one handand chunks of fruit in your other hand at all time. If you “binge”on fruit all night, you’ll be getting some much needed nutri-ents and some cleansing of the system.

• If you’re going to drink alcohol, stick with the non-creamy,non-fruity drinks.Not only does the cream and fruity mixes have a lot of calories,they are loaded with sugar almost certain to give you a muchworse hangover. Stick with white wine or the “clear” choices.

• As with dinners, skip the bread basket and follow the 3bite rule for dessert.Stay away from the bread, which is usually easier to do at aparty because you can walk around and find the other choices.When the dessert comes out, have three bites and throw yournapkin across the plate as soon as bite number three happens.Then, get up and go dance or chat with someone you haven’tseen in a while. Parties are great places to chat - it doesn’t haveto be all about the food. Make it about the connections anddrink a large glass of water when you get home. You’ll feelbetter in the morning.

Good Health Starts withGood Health Starts withGood Health Starts withGood Health Starts withGood Health Starts withOmega-3Omega-3Omega-3Omega-3Omega-3

As we embark on a newyear, many people fo-cus their resolutions on

improving their overall health. Al-though exercise and a healthy dietare two key components, nature’sown beauty secret, Omega-3, pro-vides valuable health benefits,both inside and out.

Cod liver oil products, such asthose supplied by Seven Seas, are one of nature’s richest sourcesof Omega-3. It is now known that the benefits of these prod-ucts are largely due to the concentration of Omega-3 essentialfatty acids found in cod liver oil. Studies have proven that theEPA and DHA found in Omega-3 have many benefits to ouroverall wellness, including the following:

• DHA is the most prominent essential nutrient found in thebrain, forming from as much as 25%- 40% of the brain.Omega-3 supplementation may help improve memory, con-centration and learning in both children and adults.

• Exercise, obesity and aging can take a toll on our joints.Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, help to reduce in-flammation and joint pain.

• Regular use of Omega-3 cod liver oil has shown the poten-tial to reduce both the progression of cardiovascular dis-ease and related mortality, including sudden cardiac death.

• Omega-3 cod liver oil also improves the condition andmoisture of hair, skin and nails, keeping them supple andsoft. In addition, cod liver oil has also been shown to im-prove the appearance of wrinkles in mature skin.

When choosing an Omega-3 supplement, it is important toselect a quality product. A trusted tradition in the Caribbeanand U.K. for over seventy-five years, Seven Seas Cod Liver Oil isavailable in convenient capsules and liquids. Only Seven SeasCod Liver Oil is ultra-purified using the patented Ocean Gold(r)method, a breakthrough in cod liver oil refining that guaran-tees the purest product available.

Information/Tickets: Rita 407-299-8316,Val 321-303-9345 or John 407-521-7730

6

NOTE FROMNOTE FROMNOTE FROMNOTE FROMNOTE FROMSaturday morning ...

and i t ’s c leaningday again. As I look a-round my dining room,remove the candles fromthe table and get readyto spray it with “Pledge.”I remember my child-hood and our Saturdaycleaning day, I grew upin London as the first gen-eration of Jamaican par-ents, with my auntiesand uncles and they hadrules that you followedlike boot camp.

The chores were always the same - on Friday nights yousoaked your school clothes, washed them Saturday morn-ing and rinsed them in “Blue.” If you don’t know what blueis as a noun, let me explain -before we had modern laundrydetergents with brighteners, there was a mysterious blue bagor tablet, which was stirred around in the final rinse water onwashday. This was laundry bluing or blue. It disguised anyhint of yellow and helped the household linen look whiterthan white.

Saturday afternoon, I ironed for four straight hours. Yes, fourhours of ironing, we ironed everything - handkerchiefs, table-cloths, clothes, even under wear. When you ironed, you hadto leave creases in your clothes. I didn’t have starch to helpme. I had to spray with water, leave for a few minutes whileattending to other clothes them back to the damp clothes.

After that it was on to the cleaning. Every week, I had to cleanfurniture that was never used. Dining room tables and chairsthat were never sat on, glasses no one drank from, carpetsthat were never walked on and unused rooms, which youvacuumed your way out of. Living Rooms with plastic kepton the furniture, so that you sweated when you sat down.The worst part of my boot camp Saturday, was cleaning thelittle ornaments in the house. To this day I don’t buy or ownany of these things because I had to clean an entire cabinetfilled with them every weekend - I remember cleaning thewall bird (Why would you need a bird on the wall?)

Then Sunday - we had to get up early, have breakfast andstart working on dinner because you might end up being atchurch until after 3.00pm. After church, we had to clean ourshoes for school next day and put out our school clothes.By the way you never, ever, mixed clothes - church clothesnever got worn outside to play, you changed your clothesafter school, and party clothes were not the same as churchclothes. It sounds confusing but it worked.

Now twenty years later, it’s Saturday morning, I’ve just fin-ished soaking peas for our Sunday dinner of rice and peasand chicken, I’m cleaning down-stairs while my kids cleantheir rooms and their bathrooms. The seven year old is vacu-uming the stairs, the oldest changing the sheets on thebeds, before we move on to the car and the garage. Thehouse has to be clean before we go out for the day.

As I look around my house I find myself thinking, have Iever really eaten at this dining-room table that I boughtmore than two years ago...it’s in a dining room that sees thevacuum more than it sees people. I now have dishes I havenever used, and cleaned areas of the home I hardly everwalk on weekly. Have I turned into my mother? I guess thetradition continues!

St. Lucia Association of Central Florida

Lakeland, Tampa and all surrounding areas1st annual SLACF St. Lucia Independence Celebration.

Bring the family and come join us to celebrate32 years of independence.

Sunquest Hall1044 Plaza Dr. • Kissimmee, FL 34743

Saturday, February 19, 2010 • 2:00pm-2:00amFor more information, contact:

Jacquie: (352) 406-1637 or Agnes: (407) 346-2306

Directions: Osceola Parkway to Boggy Creek Rd.Make a right. Go to Plaza Drive and make a right.

It’s behind the 7-Eleven gas station.

7

It has been a long and winding 40-year journey and nowthe little piece of Jamaica that flies is back. Two strong brands,Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines, are now joined together

in one airline to serve Jamaica and the Caribbean. On January14, 2011, Caribbean Airlines re-launched the Air Jamaica brandwith a ceremony at Kingston’s Norman Manley InternationalAirport with the arrival of the newest aircraft in the Air Jamaicafleet. This Boeing 737, wrapped in Air Jamaica’s new livery fea-turing the airline’s iconic signature colors and Doctor Bird pairedwith the Caribbean Airlines logo and the Hummingbird, pre-sented a vibrant demonstration of this new partnership.

“As Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines began the transitiontowards one Caribbean airline, it became clear that even asthe outward signs of Air Jamaica were phased out in the mar-ketplace, loyal passengers remained confident in the signa-ture travel experience it delivered,” says George Michael Nicho-las III, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Caribbean AirlinesLimited. “Caribbean Airlines believes in the brand value of AirJamaica and we are very excited about revitalizing and rein-troducing this historic brand. We are committed to the workahead to ensure a performance-driven future and to restartingthe conversation with our customers to let them know that AirJamaica is back.”

One Caribbean airline, two brands: How will it work?

Air Jamaica will be dedicated to flying routes into and out ofMontego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica to New York (JFK), Philadel-phia, Toronto, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami in North America andNassau, The Bahamas. Caribbean Airlines with its hub in Port ofSpain Trinidad flies to New York (JFK), Philadelphia, Toronto, Ft.Lauderdale and Miami in North America; St. Maarten, Antigua,Barbados Grenada, Tobago and Kingston in the Caribbean;Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela in South America.

As a national airline, Air Jamaica gained a strong loyalty fromJamaicans and on the flip side, cultivated an exotic quality withvacationers signaling a start to their vacation when they cameaboard. The new Air Jamaica promises to deliver the servicethey love and more for the best value and amenities with nonickel and diming. Vacationers can pack their bags - two in fact.The free baggage allowance in effect for all passengers at alltimes is two checked bags and one carry-on, with a 70lbs weightlimit for each bag in Lovebird Executive Class and 50lbs each inLovebird Economy Class. There are no additional fees for book-ing online; tickets can also be purchased at Air Jamaica countersat its destination airports. A solid frequent flyer base will con-tinue to benefit from the 7th Heaven Rewards program offeringliberal upgrades, free tickets and more. Passengers experienceAir Jamaica’s famous Lovebird hospitality from the moment theyboard, whether they are on vacation or heading home.

After cost-cutting measures that allowed Air Jamaica to weatherchallenges in the marketplace, management has singled outareas that will both save and deliver improvements. Savingswill accrue with economies of scale, most visible in the dualbranding and common staff at shared airline check-in counters,and their collective uniforms differentiated by a vivid and rec-ognizable branded scarf or tie. A new fleet of Boeing 737-800aircraft is on the horizon scheduled to be in operation by theend of April 2011 improving on-time performance as well asthe overall passenger flight experience. Future developmentsinclude new code share agreements and new routes with Lon-don already under consideration.A new advertising campaign with the tagline Air Jamaica-Ev-erything You Love and More is underway, with the new liveryon the tail at the roundabout at Norman Manley InternationalAirport a welcome sight.

The Rebirth of AirThe Rebirth of AirThe Rebirth of AirThe Rebirth of AirThe Rebirth of AirJamaicaJamaicaJamaicaJamaicaJamaica

Everything You Love and MoreEverything You Love and MoreEverything You Love and MoreEverything You Love and MoreEverything You Love and More

Orlando basedOrlando basedOrlando basedOrlando basedOrlando basedGuyanese honoured forGuyanese honoured forGuyanese honoured forGuyanese honoured forGuyanese honoured forcontribution to medicinecontribution to medicinecontribution to medicinecontribution to medicinecontribution to medicine

Guyanese-born physician, Dr. Victor Boodhoo, was re-cently honoured with a lifetime achievement awardfor his outstanding contribution to the field of medi-

cine and to the University of the West Indies at the 10th UWIMedical Alumni Association reunion conference held in De-cember in Barbados.

The UWI has pro-duced over 7000 doc-tors since its incep-tion in 1948.

Dr. Boodhoo, who at-tended Queen’s Col-lege, graduated as adoctor from UWI in1966. He practiced inJamaica for sevenyears before migratingto the USA , where hehas been practicing inTitusville , Florida formore than 30 years.

He is a specialist in the fields of Family Medicine and Geriatrics.Dr. Boodhoo has served as the Chief-of-Staff at Jess Parrish Hos-pital in Titusville , Florida , and as Chairman of ContinuingMedical Education of the Florida Academy of Family physicians.

He also served two terms as Chairman of the InternationalBoard of Directors of the UWI Medical Alumni Association, andwas the co-founder of the 1948 Society, which is the MedicalFoundation of UWI.

Since 2006, Dr. Boodhoo has been selected every year as one of‘ America ‘s Top Family Doctors’ by the Consumer ResearchCouncil. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of FamilyPhysicians and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Asignificant amount of Caribbean artists, including thelate great Gregory Isaacs, are among this year’s Grammynominees. Isaacs Meets Isaac, a collaboration between

the late Gregory Isaacs and his son King, has been nominatedin the Reggae category this year. Also vying for the ReggaeGrammy is accused drug dealer, singer Buju Banton, who is upfor the award for the second straight year. Lee “Scratch” Perry,Bob Sinclair, Sly & Robbie and Andrew Tosh are also up for theaward in this category.

Also among this year’s nominees is Jamaican, Sean Kingston,who is up for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical for IslandQueen and Trinidad-born rapper, Nicki Minaj, for Best RapPerformance By A Duo Or Group for her collaboration withLudacris on “My Chick Bad.”

However, it is Bajan singer Rihanna who is leading the Carib-bean group in terms of nominations. Rihanna has been nomi-nated in five categories this year. She is also up for Record ofthe Year for her duet with “Love The Way You Lie” WithEminem. The song has also been nominated for Song of theYear, Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Andher “Only Girl (In The World)” is up for Best Dance Recording.

Tune in to the Grammy Awards on February13th, 2011.

Dr Boodhoo, left, receiving his awardat the UWI caucus

Caribbean GrammyCaribbean GrammyCaribbean GrammyCaribbean GrammyCaribbean Grammynomineesnomineesnomineesnomineesnominees

8

Newly-elected Governor of Florida, Mr. Rick Scott (center) meeting withmembers of the Florida House of Representatives and Diplomatic Corpwho were present at his Inauguration Ceremony recently (Jan. 4)at theState Capitol in Tallahassee. Posing with Governor Scott are from leftFlorida State Representative Daphne Campbell , Jamaica’s Consul Generalto the Southeast USA, Sandra Grant Griffiths, Florida StateRepresentative, (Jamaican born) Hazelle Rogers and Mrs. Scott, theGovernor’s wife.

CARIBBEAN WOMEN AT THE HELM IN FLORIDA:Three Caribbean women in leadership in Florida sharing the spotlight atthe recent Inauguration of the newly elected Governor, Rick Scott andhis Lieutenant Governor, Mrs. Jennifer Carroll (center) of Trinidad descent.From left are Jamaican born, Florida State Representative Hazelle Rogers,and Jamaica’s Consul General to the Southeast USA, Sandra GrantGriffiths. The Inauguration ceremony was held at the Florida State Capitolin Tallahassee (Jan. 4).

Presenters: Dan Gracia - Biz Hub Club & Guenet Gittens-Roberts - GGR Marketing & PR

Break Away Moments’ 6th Business Break Away BreakfastBreak Away Moments’ 6th Business Break Away BreakfastBreak Away Moments’ 6th Business Break Away BreakfastBreak Away Moments’ 6th Business Break Away BreakfastBreak Away Moments’ 6th Business Break Away Breakfastat Negril’s Flavors of Jamaicaat Negril’s Flavors of Jamaicaat Negril’s Flavors of Jamaicaat Negril’s Flavors of Jamaicaat Negril’s Flavors of Jamaica

The event took place at Silver Cove Apartment Club house on Saturday December 18th . It attracted kids from 4 -16 years. This location offerskarate to it’s residents as part of their sport activities. Bassai Karate Dojo has been operating at schools and churches in Central Florida since2007 and is under the direction of Trinidadian Born Sensei Darryl Williams, 6th Dan. Sponsors were: Laparkan Shipping, Silver Cove Apartments,Publix Supermarket-Store #405, and Caribbean Sunshine Bakery.

Karate school hosted sucessful board breaking eventKarate school hosted sucessful board breaking eventKarate school hosted sucessful board breaking eventKarate school hosted sucessful board breaking eventKarate school hosted sucessful board breaking event

9

Executive Members of the Caribbean Bar Association, Central Florida Chapter

Caribbean Bar Association, Central Florida ChapterCaribbean Bar Association, Central Florida ChapterCaribbean Bar Association, Central Florida ChapterCaribbean Bar Association, Central Florida ChapterCaribbean Bar Association, Central Florida ChapterChristmas PartyChristmas PartyChristmas PartyChristmas PartyChristmas Party

St. LuciaSt. LuciaSt. LuciaSt. LuciaSt. LuciaAssociation’sAssociation’sAssociation’sAssociation’sAssociation’s

ChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasPartyPartyPartyPartyParty

10

Once again StoneFace from The Faisty Squad, had another successful birthday event weekend to close out 2010. StoneFace always keeps at least 3events to celebrate his birthday & this year was no different. Friday Dec. 17th was the Uptown Links Downtown party at The Royal Santa Fe Banquet Hall.Saturday Dec. 18th was The 3rd Annual Masqueraders Ball at Club Limelite & on Sunday Stoneface always closes out the weekend with a charity drive forthe needy with his food & toy drive. Faisty Squad Sound was started in 2006 & has been on a fast track since then. The sound is made up of 4 membersStoneface, DJ Snake, DJ Kareem & Trigga Kid. Faisty Squad is a new sound but all the members are from previous sounds and have more than 10 years ofexperience. The sound has a wide range of talent and do events at clubs, weddings, stage shows, radio, & even talk shows. Each member on the sound hasthere own unique style and personality which makes it easy for the sound as a whole to be very versatile. In a very short time Faisty Squad has received manyawards, trophies, & recognition. They are unique and talented and taking their sounds to new heights of entertainment. Catch Faisty Squad Live onCaribMixRadio from (8pm - 11pm) on Mondays, Club Limelite on Saturdays for Island Saturdays and Club Rain on Sundays for Paradise Sundays.

Annual Masqueraders BallAnnual Masqueraders BallAnnual Masqueraders BallAnnual Masqueraders BallAnnual Masqueraders Ball

11

ParangParangParangParangParangTrinidad and Tobago is best recognized as the land of Calypso and Steelpan, but Parang is also a popular folk music originating out of Trinidad andTobago, it is part of the Island’s Hispanic heritage that originated from over 400 years ago during Spanish rule via Venezuela. The word is derivedfrom two Spanish words:’Parranda’, meaning ‘a spree or fête’ and ‘Parar’ meaning ‘to stop’.

In the past, it was traditional for parang serenaders to pay nocturnal visits to the homes of family and friends, where part of the fun was waking theinhabitants of the household from their beds. The traditional lyrics of parang which was sung in Spanish were mainly Religious and Christian songs.Today, a new form of parang, soca parang, has emerged. Soca parang is a combination of soca and parang.

Christmas Caribbean Style with Parang at "The VenueChristmas Caribbean Style with Parang at "The VenueChristmas Caribbean Style with Parang at "The VenueChristmas Caribbean Style with Parang at "The VenueChristmas Caribbean Style with Parang at "The Venue

Kayham Hosien, Leon Coldero, & Roland Ramkissoon akaDj Roland of Powerline Sounds HD

Tricia Kidopchand, and Yvette Ramkissoon ofPowerline Sounds HD

Leon Coldero performing onstage

Narine and Indra SagarCaribbean American Passport team with Yvette of PowerlineSounds, Maya Trotz, and Bunny Scantlebury in the back

Julia and Noel and others performing for the crowd.Photos by Yvette Ramkissoon

10% OFFANY PURCHASE

ENJOY TENDERSTUESDAY

ANY DAY OFTHE WEEK

Cannot be combined. Must presentcoupon. Expires 2/20/11.

Valid for up to 4 persons per couponper day. Cannot be combined. Mustpresent coupon. Expires 2/20/11.

100% Halal!100% Halal!

ROTI Available!ROTI Available!

12

Nirvana Music School’sNirvana Music School’sNirvana Music School’sNirvana Music School’sNirvana Music School’s5th Annual Mehefil &5th Annual Mehefil &5th Annual Mehefil &5th Annual Mehefil &5th Annual Mehefil &Graduation ProgramGraduation ProgramGraduation ProgramGraduation ProgramGraduation Program

The Guyanese American Cultural Association of Central Florida donated gifts as part of their Annual Angel Christmas Tree project in Decemberto the residents of The Orlando Health & Rehabiliation Center

Completed Guyana Association’s Christmas Angel Tree

GACACF’S Christmas Angel Tree GiftsGACACF’S Christmas Angel Tree GiftsGACACF’S Christmas Angel Tree GiftsGACACF’S Christmas Angel Tree GiftsGACACF’S Christmas Angel Tree Gifts

Subscribe to Caribbean American News Magazine andSupport a Community Newsmagazine that’s showcasing

the Caribbean Community in Central Florida.

Support us so that we can support the CommunityGroups as they keep Caribbean Culture alive in Orlando.

Subscriptions are $50.00 Annually.You’ll receive a free copy of the Newsmagazine

mailed to you monthly.Discounted admission to select events

throughout the year.Coupons for access to special deals

mailed throughout the year.

Tel: 407-421-8118www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com

Join us monthly on Facebook to read andpost your photos of events around town.

13

There’s a new association coming to Orlando - The Ja-maican Cultural Connection is an association foundedby Claudette Bailey of Orlando, Florida in October 2010.

The organization was started based on a need for Jamaicansto come together and help the poor and the destitute both hereand in their native land. Pending a 501 (c) (3), the associationis organized exclusively for charitable, religious and educa-tional purposes. The slogan for the Jamaican Cultural Con-nection is: “Where Together We Build On Heritage.”

The mission of the Jamaican Cultural Connection is to em-power Jamaicans to come together in cultural unity and con-nectivity to educate, train and build the Jamaican commu-nity; connecting them together physically, mentally and spiri-tually as one people working together for the good of all. Aspart of its mission, the association will also seek to aide thepoor and the destitute. Connecting in education, health, so-cial, business and community outreach programs will be astrong emphasis of the association.

Additionally, the vision is to connect skilled Jamaican person-nel to other Jamaicans seeking training in specific areas, tosupport and help promote existing Jamaican owned businesses,to educate and train Jamaicans through workshops and semi-nars, as well as, show the love of God; to put back the pride ofa proud people by giving without demeaning through knowl-edge, unity and love.

As Claudette Bailey, founder and president, of the JamaicanCultural Connection said, “Much need exists back home inJamaica and it is the intent of the Jamaican Cultural Connec-tion to render support to various programs whereby those inneed will positively benefit.”

The first meeting will be on Sunday, January 30, 2011 from5:00pm - 6:30pm in the Conference Room of Life Worth LivingPharmacy, located at 6488 Currin Drive , Orlando , Fl. 32835.Meetings will be held the last Sunday of every month.

For more information please contact Claudette Bailey, Presidentof Jamaican Cultural Connection. Email: cbaileyjcc@gmail.comor Tel: (321) 213-9173.

New Jamaican CulturalNew Jamaican CulturalNew Jamaican CulturalNew Jamaican CulturalNew Jamaican CulturalConnection AssociationConnection AssociationConnection AssociationConnection AssociationConnection Association

in Orlandoin Orlandoin Orlandoin Orlandoin Orlando

Reminder: Deadline of January 31st,2011 for the G.A.I.L. Scholarship,given by Attorney Gail Seeram.

This $500.00 scholarship will be awarded to a student attend-ing college who is pursuing legal or international studies.

This scholarship is only open to former Guyanese nationals(born in Guyana) or a child of Guyanese parents or

grandchild of Guyanese grandparents

The scholarship will be presented on Saturday, February 19,2011 at 7:00pm at the 2011 Guyanese American Cultural

Association of Central Florida Republic Ball at the Ballroomat Church Street in Orlando, Florida. The winner will

receive a complementary ticket to this dinner.

14

Q&A with Carol Singh Chamber PresidentQ&A with Carol Singh Chamber PresidentQ&A with Carol Singh Chamber PresidentQ&A with Carol Singh Chamber PresidentQ&A with Carol Singh Chamber PresidentCaribbeanCaribbeanCaribbeanCaribbeanCaribbeanChamberChamberChamberChamberChamber

CAP NewsMagazine: Let’s talk about the chamber and its general focus/objective?

The Caribbean American Cham-ber of Commerce of Florida(CACCF) is tasked with helping ourlocal Caribbean business commu-nity with promoting their busi-nesses and enabling them to dobusiness more effectively and effi-ciently. We do this in several ways.

1: Monthly Business After Hoursevents are held at the Caribbeanowned businesses in order to high-light that specific business and

help direct more traffic through its doors. This activity hasbeen very successful this past year largely due to the efforts ofKash Ramnarain one of our Board members who actually runsthe Business After Hours.

2: We have built and/or strengthen alliances with groups andorganizations that can help our members take their businessesto the next level. Some of these groups are BBIF ( Black Busi-ness Investment Fund) SBA ( Small Business Administration,FMSDC ( Florida Minority Supplier Development Council)Through these groups and others, we are able to offer work-shops and seminars on many aspects of Business. Access toFunding is also made available as well as help with Businessplans, advice and guidance for businesses. We also get infor-mation on many of the contract opportunities available as wellas the steps to qualify to bid for these contracts.

3: We participate in Trade shows, expos as well as the manyCaribbean events on the Central Florida Calendar in order to pro-mote the Chamber and encourage our business people to utilizethe many services we are working to make available to them.

CAP NewsMagazine: Can you highlight the chamber’s role in termsof providing support to the Caribbean Community in the CentralFlorida area?

The Chamber makes its services available to all in the localCaribbean community rather than a specific group. We offerto organize Grand Openings for new Business through Pressreleases, Email blasts and invitations to generate traffic andawareness of the new business. We also do this for Anniversa-ries such as the 1, 5 or 10 year Business anniversary.

CAP NewsMagazine: Do you only provide assistance to the CentralFlorida businesses? And if that is yes, would you extend to includethose Caribbean businesses in other states?

One of the plans for 2010 that is still a work in progress isrevamping the website. Part of that new look is to post a Cal-endar of Events for all the Caribbean-American activities inthe Central Florida Area. Once this is in place we may con-sider also listing out of State events as well.

The website is also planned to have information on setting upa business in Central Florida as well as links to many other

useful websites as well as those of SBA and others in order tohave that information readily available to all.

Bear in mind that the Chamber is a volunteer organization andworks with funds derived from Membership dues. This of courselimits the services we are able to offer. We have not actuallyconsidered extending ourselves beyond the Central Florida area,but as we grow this may be an interesting idea to pursue.

CAP NewsMagazine: What was your focus for last year; and haveyou managed to achieve it; and what are the challenges you’re fac-ing this year?

The focus last year was to build alliances to enable us to offermore services to our members. We also are working on addingmore value to Chamber membership . We are using technol-ogy to better disseminate information throughout the com-munity, as well as working more closely with the other Carib-bean organizations to ensure we develop a strong and unitedfront to the wider society. This will enable us to better show ournumbers and strength of our community and be seen as a seri-ous voting block.

We signed a Memorandum of Agreement with SBA last yearand have been working closely with them to promote infor-mational workshops. This success was largely the work of an-other Board Member Sandra Fatmi who is our contact personwith the SBA.

We published our Business Resources Directory and also madeit available on our website. This is largely due to the efforts ofGuenet Gittens-Roberts.

CAP NewsMagazine: What are the plans for 2011?

To continue building those alliances.

To become affiliated with Disney Minority Supplier Develop-ment Council as well as the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

We are in the planning stages of a series of panel discussionsin areas of interest of our Business Community.

And we are part of the Caribbean Heritage Month Project whichis managed by Sam Roberts another Board Member. ThatProject is a month long series of events in June 2011 to cel-ebrate Caribbean Heritage Month as well as showcase the di-versity and richness of the culture to the wider society.

We have many of the Caribbean organizations participatingas well as the local county and city governments. We are veryexcited at participating in this project and anticipate it willprovide many opportunities for our local businesses

CAP NewsMagazine: Do you do any work with businesses in theCaribbean, at all?

Not at this point but we are willing to work with any busi-nesses in an effort to promote trade opportunities for every-one. Our Business Resources Handbook has a section on use-ful contacts for doing business with several of the CaribbeanIslands. Closer ties would be welcomed.

Carol Singh

15New Site, New Look. Post your Events & your Business for Free on CaribbeanFinder.com

The last radio show for 2010 was great, I had the pleasureof having Guenet as a co-host and we discussed ways foreveryone to improve their finances in the New Year and

Resolutions that small business owners should make for 2011.Some of the resolutions were:

• I will budget by the year• I will protect my privacy• I will get rid of junk mail• I will become a better cook

However with all of the resolutions that we make at the start ofthe New Year, one stands out as one that people continuouslymake year after year.

• I will get my will and living will done or updated

A recent article on cnbc.com says “If you don’t straighten outwhat you’re leaving to your spouse or children, it will cost thema big headache trying to get what’s rightly theirs - not to men-tion a lot of money in legal costs and potential tax penalties.”

Everyone needs a Will, whether they are single, married, withor without children. If you have children, it is even more im-portant because without a will naming a guardian for them inthe event of your death, their futures can be decided by thestate. We emphasized this on the radio show because we both

Resolve to GET YOUR WILL DONE IN 2011Resolve to GET YOUR WILL DONE IN 2011Resolve to GET YOUR WILL DONE IN 2011Resolve to GET YOUR WILL DONE IN 2011Resolve to GET YOUR WILL DONE IN 2011

By Dahlia Hayles

know many people who have children, who have not yet writ-ten their wills. Guenet also mentioned that she was so happythat she got her will and living will done using the FamilyLegal Service plan provided by Pre-Paid Legal Services, morethan four years ago.

Writing a will is something you can do on your own. Somepeople choose to get it done with a friend’s help, some down-load a free version from the internet, or buy one from the localoffice supply store. Some people use an attorney to help be-cause it can offer more peace of mind and save money too.If you go online, some attorneys have the will and living willpackage costing $300. Other websites such as www.nolo.comcan help you prepare a will for $40 or more. While these op-tions may work for some people they may not be adequate foreveryone’s situation. According to Kiplinger.com, “They don’taddress as many what-ifs as if you had an attorney with you.”If you already have a will, it should be reviewed and updatedevery year. If any major changes happen in your life such asmarriage, divorce, birth of a child or the death of a loved, it’simportant to get it revised.

Preparing a Living Will that spells out what you want donein catastrophic situations is also very important. A LivingWill and Health Care Power of Attorney will allow you to des-ignate what sort of treatments you’d like, and who should bein charge of your medical care, if you can’t make medicaldecisions for yourself.

In 2011, evaluate your options and choose wisely when get-ting a will and living will done. Join us on Tuesday January25, 2011 from 6-7 pm at the Marks Street Recreational Com-plex located at 99 East St. Marks Avenue, Orlando, FL as wepresent “Financial Solutions for 2011.”

Dahlia Hayles is an Independent Associate with Pre Paid Legal. Youcan find more information about preparing a will atwww.darrplans.com or www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/sandrafatmi.Dahlia can also be heard on “Financial Solutions with Dahlia andSandra” Wednesdays 2-3 pm at ww.wokbradio.com or 1680AM.

The Entrepreneur classHow to Start your Business

Open to the Public at New Destiny Christian CenterThis class will last nine weeks, meeting every

Monday evening, From: 7:00pm-8:30pm

How to Start Your Business classes will begin onMonday, January 24th, 2011New Destiny Christian Center

505 East McCormick Rd, Apopka Fl 32707, Room3E in the Youth Building

For questions and to enroll, please e-mailDestinybusiness@ndcc.tv Tel: 407 925-1652.

16

Caribbean American Passport news magazine officiallylaunched in December of 2010, we welcome 2011 and we lookforward to working with the community this year to bring newsand events in the community to the public.

Our first issue launched in Septem-ber of this year and we have printed5000 copies monthly. We make aneffort to ensure we have great pic-ture quality, great stories, a free cal-endar of events, our content is fo-cused on the Caribbean Commu-nity in Central Florida, and boy doyou love seeing pictures of your-selves and your friends. After onlyfour issues we were voted Best Ja-maican/Caribbean News Outlet inOrlando on www.jamaicans.com.

We’re now distributed in over 35Caribbean Restaurants and Busi-nesses in Central Florida. We takean active part in the events of the Caribbean Associations inCentral Florida and we ensure that they are supplied with news-

papers at their events throughout themonth. Every month 10 copies of Carib-bean American Passport are sent to thevarious Caribbean Consul Generals andEmbassies in the United States. We alsoemail a link of the newspaper out to a da-tabase of 3000 Caribbean American peopleliving in Florida as well as posting it onFacebook, and publishing it online.

Many Thanks to Banks Beer, Seven Seas,Wellcare, Life Worth Living Pharmacy,Aunty Etta’s Rum Cake, DJ Andy King andthe incomparable Ephraim Adams and

Rhythm Trail Steel Band for making our lauch in December awonderful event. This month, we’ve added two new PassportTeam Members, Seta Singh Hasain who will be one of our Com-munity Ambassadors and Audrey Johnson, a native ofTrelawny, Jamaica who recently relocated to Orlando from Riv-erside, CA. In Jamaica, Audrey was formerly employed by theJamaican Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) for several years asa news reporter; covering all aspects of Jamaican life. Audreywill be joining us as an Editor. Thanks to the many peoplewho worked tremendously hard to ensure the growth of thisNewsMagazine, we look forward to making you proud in 2011.

Guenet Gittens-Roberts

CaribbeanCaribbeanCaribbeanCaribbeanCaribbeanAmerican PassportAmerican PassportAmerican PassportAmerican PassportAmerican Passportofficially launchedofficially launchedofficially launchedofficially launchedofficially launched

— Continued from page 1 —

Seta Singh-Hasain

Audrey Johnson, new editor forCaribbean American Passport

Rhythm Trail Steel Band played wonderful Steel pan music andDj Andy King had the guests rocking throughout the afternoon.

By Lauretta Hannon

Procrastination is, hands down, our favorite form of self-sabotage.- Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby

Hello, my name is Lauretta, and I am a procrastinator.Hello, my name is Lauretta, and I am a procrastinator.Hello, my name is Lauretta, and I am a procrastinator.Hello, my name is Lauretta, and I am a procrastinator.Hello, my name is Lauretta, and I am a procrastinator.

I have put off things big and small from pursuing my dreamof being a writer to taking the clothes out of the dryer to

writing this post. I have told myself that I worked better underpressure — that I was more creative when I waited until thelast frantic minute. But years later I realized my life was goingin circles. That’s when I got real and got moving in the direc-tion of my dreams.

That doesn’t mean I don’t backslide. In fact, I alternate be-tween periods of super-productivity and abject procrastination.It is still a struggle. The difference is that I recognize the dan-ger in not getting things done. Twenty-percent of Americansidentify themselves as chronic procrastinators, but I wonderhow many of us understand the extent to which we under-mine our own success, happiness, and purpose.

Before I could break its spell over my life, I had to stop makingexcuses. “I’ll do that when I have more time” was my preferredcop-out. I had to finally accept that I’d never have more timebecause I already had all the time there was. I was just wastingit instead of making the most of it.

Don’t bury your dreams in the grave of procrastination. I hopeyou will unearth them, dust them off, and get to work.

6 Tips for Procrastinators6 Tips for Procrastinators6 Tips for Procrastinators6 Tips for Procrastinators6 Tips for Procrastinators

1. Small Victories Lead To Bigger Ones

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, tackle a small task. See howgood it feels to complete it. This will empower you to do more.The cure is always in the doing, so do something now.

2. No More Excuses

Excuses diminish your power and your purpose. Stop usingthem and discourage friends, family, and colleagues from ut-tering them in your presence. Remind yourself that excusespoison your progress.

3. A Little Lollygagging Is Okay

A modest amount of lollygagging is fine. Go ahead and checkyour email and Facebook, just don’t check them 20 times aday. Allow yourself to daydream and play; those activities, inmoderation, actually increase your productivity.

4. Time May Not Be On Your Side

It sounds trite, but what would you get done if you knew yourtime was limited? Act as if it is. Days and resources will notlast forever. Or as Martin Luther said, “How soon not nowbecomes never.”

5. It is Not Just Your Problem

When you avoid doing something, you often shift the burdenonto others. This destroys teamwork at home, the office, andeverywhere else. Be mindful of how your procrastination mightbe affecting your loved ones and your relationships.

6. A Woman’s Intuition

Have you ever been puzzled about why you’re putting some-thing off? If so, look at what might be behind your behav-ior. Perhaps your intuition is trying to steer you onto a bet-ter course.

When you’ve finished reading this newsmagazine (it’s ownform of procrastination), get up - and take care of at leastone of those things - big or small - that you’ve been mean-ing to do.

Procrastination:Procrastination:Procrastination:Procrastination:Procrastination:How to Finish What You’ve StartedHow to Finish What You’ve StartedHow to Finish What You’ve StartedHow to Finish What You’ve StartedHow to Finish What You’ve Started

17

Balancing your 2011 budgetBalancing your 2011 budgetBalancing your 2011 budgetBalancing your 2011 budgetBalancing your 2011 budgetStep 1

Track Your Spending

Writing down every purchase can grow tiresome. Simplify theprocess by paying all your bills online through your checkingaccount and making the rest of your purchases with a debit orcredit card. Do this for 3 months.

Step 2

Analyze Your Expenses

At the end of 3 months, take a look at where your money went.You can do it the old-fashioned way, with a notepad and yourdebit- and credit-card statements. Or you can sync your cardwith Quicken or Mint.com. “Not all budgets are the same,”says J.J. Burns, President of the wealth-management firm. “Theyvary according to lifestyle.” So find your economic status be-low, and compare your spending.

Step 3

Build Your Budget

Now that you know how much you’re spending-and should

be spending-you can build your budget accordingly. The easi-est approach is to create an Excel spreadsheet with columnsfor budgeted and actual expenses in each category you wantto track. A lot of people go crazy with this, trying to trackevery last item (lunch, beer, concerts). That’s tedious. Ouradvice: Use the five categories below and within these cat-egories list all the expenses you pay online from your check-ing account (so your rent or mortgage payment falls underhousing, cable television bill under pleasure/personal, andso on).

Also, under living expenses and pleasure/personal, add a linefor cash. Or use only your debit and credit cards for living ex-penses and track accordingly.

Step 4

Run Your Business

Congratulations! The hard part is over. Now all you have todo is enter your expenses on your budget spreadsheet eachmonth, and you’ll see if you’re running a tight (or sinking)ship. The course corrections you make to stay on track arekey, says Burns. “If your lifestyle changes, your budget needsto as well,” he says. “If your plan stays stagnant, so will yourfinancial growth.”

18

Top Tax Prep Mistakes to Avoid

The income tax filing season has be-gun and important tax documentsshould start arriving soon. Eventhough your return is not due untilApril, getting an early start is vital tomaking your filing much easier.

Here are some of the most commonfiling errors to avoid:

Don’t Procrastinate. Resist the temptation to put off doingyour taxes until the last minute. While missing the April 18thdeadline is not the worst mistake you could make... unlessyou also forget to file for an extension, you are more likely tomake a mistake if you put off preparing your tax return untilthe last minute. (Due to holidays this year the deadline forfiling your 2010 tax return and paying any tax due is Mon-day, April 18) .An extension gives you an additional 6 monthsto file your return.

List All Jobs/ Report all Income. If you worked in more thanone job during the year, you need to make sure that you listthem all on your tax return. Almost all income is taxable -even if your employer or financial institution did not send youa tax form reporting that income. If you’re not sure if moneyyou earned or received is taxable, consult IRS Publication 525,Taxable and Nontaxable Income.

Take only Deductions to which entitled. A common mistake,is for small business owners to claim deductions for businessexpenses that the IRS does not allow. If you’re not sure if anexpense is tax deductible, read IRS Publication 535, Business

Expenses, or consult a tax professional.

Right Filing Status. You can only choose one filing status -single, married filing separately or married filing jointly. Whatdetermines your filing status is your marital status as of year’send (either single or married). If you are married, it’s your pref-erence whether to file separately or jointly. You and your spousewill need to agree on the filing status.

Claiming “Dependents.” If you want to claim a dependenton your taxes, but you aren’t sure if the person fits the defini-tion, make sure you visit the IRS Web site or ask a professionaltax preparer. The IRS site has a really good tutorial on the insand outs of who counts as a dependent.The Bottom Line You can reduce the likelihood of making er-rors by filing electronically through the IRS website or by usingtax preparation software. Consulting a tax professional is ad-visable when it would be more efficient to do so. The IRS claimsthat the average tax return self-prepared will take an individual21 1/2 hours to complete. This includes information gather-ing, understanding and preparing the return.

Lindsay Tax & Financial SolutionsMark Lindsay, CPAPhone (407) 435-2583mark@lindsaytax.comwww.lindsaytax.com

At Lindsay Tax & Financial Solutions we provide quality, personal-ized financial guidance to individuals and businesses including TaxPreparation and Planning Services. Mark Lindsay, CPA has over 20years of valuable experience assisting professionals with their finan-cial and accounting needs. Feel free to contact us, we provide acomplementary initial consultation.

A Little Taxing. . . .A Little Taxing. . . .A Little Taxing. . . .A Little Taxing. . . .A Little Taxing. . . .It’s that time again! Tax Season is upon us.It’s that time again! Tax Season is upon us.It’s that time again! Tax Season is upon us.It’s that time again! Tax Season is upon us.It’s that time again! Tax Season is upon us.

19

20% Below any WrittenEstimate for Painting& Restoration Work

Fully Licensed and Insured

No Job too Small or too Large!

By Sasha A. Watson, Esq.

Conveyancing is the term com- monly used throughout the

Caribbean to refer to real estate trans-actions. More specifically, conveyanc-ing is the transfer of legal title of prop-erty from one person to another, or thegranting of an encumbrance, such asa mortgage, easement or a lien.

As a result of stringent fiscal and lend-ing policies, the Caribbean real estate market has remainedrelatively stable, and has not suffered considerably from theUS housing problems and mortgage meltdown that has initi-ated the global financial crises. Housing prices throughout theregion have remained steady and inventory, though on therise, remains at a manageable level by most economic fore-casts. Accordingly, the region remains attractive, not just forits beautiful beaches and warm climate but for its lucrativeinvestment opportunities in the real estate sector.

Though the US and Caribbean property transfer systems aim toachieve a similar result, the procedures and mechanisms by whichthat result is achieved is quite dissimilar. The divergence is prima-rily due to the English jurisprudence from which the legal systemsof the region are derived as well as the mechanism developed forthe validation and recording of title to property.

Caribbean real estate transactions are more complex in na-ture as a result of the predominance of unregistered title toland, nuances in the conveyancing laws, and the completeabsence of any title insurance scheme in most countries. As aconsequence, all conveyancing contracts require the assistanceof competent and ethical attorney. Unlike the US, the use of anattorney for a conveyancing transaction is not merely an op-tion but a requirement.

Transaction BasicsTransaction BasicsTransaction BasicsTransaction BasicsTransaction Basics

Agreement for Sale (AFS) - after the initial negotiations haveconcluded and both parties are in agreement to the sale price,the AFS, or contract, usually commences the transaction be-tween the parties. The AFS is prepared by the seller’s attorneyand is typically signed in duplicate by the buyer. The seller isexpected to deliver the signed AFS along with a deposit of 10%-15% of the purchase price to the seller’s attorney for the trans-action to be processed. The vendor will then execute the AFSand send a duly executed copy to the buyer’s attorney.

Title Search / Investigation - the purchaser’s attorney has theresponsibility of conducting a title search, through the localland title agency, to ensure that the seller has good and war-rantable title to the property, i.e. no encumbrances, such asmortgages, liens, easements, unpaid taxes or utilities, or out-standing judgments.

Closing - the seller’s attorney will prepare the deed to conveytitle to the property. The buyer will pay the remainder of thepurchase price in exchange for the properly executed deed.

Costs - the costs included in a typical conveyancing transac-tion (e.g. Jamaica) include transfer costs of 4%; attorney’s feesbetween 2% and 5%; stamp duty - 3%; registration fee - 0.5%;costs for preparation of forms and documents betweenUS$1000-$1500; and general consumption tax. Some of thefees such as stamp duty and registration fee are split betweenthe seller and buyer.

Time - the time between the agreement for sale and closing ison average about three (3) months.

Private TreatyPrivate TreatyPrivate TreatyPrivate TreatyPrivate Treaty

Despite the stability of the Caribbean real estate environment,there has been a steady increase in private treaty listings, specu-latively as a result of the unfolding of many of the forex “getrich schemes” of the last two to three years. Many readers maybe unfamiliar with the term, however, Private Treaty propertyis what is commonly referred to in the US as bank-owned orforeclosed property.

A Private Treaty Sale is one of the methods used by financialinstitutions to legally recover outstanding mortgage loans indefault, and which are secured by properties such as residen-tial homes. This mechanism offers the lending institution theability to recover its debts or a portion of it, while the buyer isoften able to secure property at deeply discounted prices. Theprocess is considered private as it is achieved through confi-dential negotiations between the financial institution and thepurchaser. The purchaser is required to conduct his/her duediligence to ascertain the value of the property and submit agood faith bid to the property owner as the value of propertiesbeing sold by private treaty is not disclosed to prospective pur-chasers, and no price is set until a bid is accepted. Persons de-siring to purchase a home through the private treaty processare generally only given the property address, volume and fo-lio number, and in some cases, a brief description of property.The down payment for private treaty sales is also slightly higherat about twenty-five percent (25%).

Private Treaty sales offer investors competitive prices and haveallowed individuals to break into markets that they would oth-erwise be unable. Most Caribbean financial institutions withmortgage portfolios maintain Private Treaty listings.

Sasha Watson of Hylton, Adamson, Watson & Moore is licensed to prac-tice in Jamaica and is available to provide advice on these type transac-tions from our offices in Florida. As such, you will be able execute thenecessary documents for your Caribbean home purchase or sale withoutleaving Florida, an invaluable convenience that allows for immediatecost savings. Additionally, we can connect you to experienced and effec-tive realtors both in Florida and throughout the Caribbean.

Caribbean Real Estate Conveyancing:Caribbean Real Estate Conveyancing:Caribbean Real Estate Conveyancing:Caribbean Real Estate Conveyancing:Caribbean Real Estate Conveyancing:The Private TreatyThe Private TreatyThe Private TreatyThe Private TreatyThe Private Treaty

20