Black Immigrant Daily News
Als je een nieuweling in de branche bent, wil je een sterke eerste indruk maken. Die kunst bezit de 36-jarige
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Black Immigrant Daily News
G.M.
Vendredi 26 Août 2022 – 13h58
Devant la mairie, de gauche à droite, le maire Germain Duton, Yvette Félcitié 4ème maire adjointe en charge du projet et Christian Constantin 1er maire adjoint, les élus présentent les cartes postales offertes par le syndicat d’initiative du Prêcheur. (Olivier Dubois) – G.M.
Yvette Félicité, 4ème maire adjointe du Prêcheur en charge du tourisme a lancé le projet « une carte postale pour la libération d’Olivier Dubois ». Le comité « #FreeOlivierDubois » est en veille permanente et à l’affut de toutes actions qui pourraient aider à la libération de l’otage.
Déjà plus de 500 jours qu’Olivier Dubois est en captivité, faisant craindre le pire à ses proches. À cette occasion, la famille de l’otage martiniquais avait appelé la population à envoyer une carte postale à Emmanuel Macron pour demander sa libération.
Depuis quelques jours, un certain frémissement se sent dans la commune du Prêcheur, cela est dû au fait de la municipalité préchotine qui, sur proposition de la maire adjointe en charge du tourisme, a proposé de participer à l’action « une carte postale pour Olivier Dubois ». La mise en place du projet a été confiée au service « Animation, Culture, Communication » de la commune. Le syndicat d’initiative du Prêcheur participe activement à l’opération en fournissant des centaines de cartes postales qui sont distribuée gratuitement à toute la population. Le service « Animation, Culture, Communication » a pris le soin d’apposer l’adresse de l’Élysée sur toutes ces cartes qui seront adressées au président de la République Française. Tous les préchotains ont été invités à participer à cette élan de solidarité, les églises, adventiste, catholique évangélique ont été sollicitées afin d’informer leurs fidèles et propager l’action dans tous les cins de la commune. Certains préchotains ont invité leurs amis de communes voisines à prendre part à cette action.
Pour marquer ce dynamisme de solidarité, le maire Alain Duton invite tous les détenteurs de cartes à venir ls déposer dans la boite aux lettre de la poste du Prêcheur le mardi 30 août 2022 à 10h.
Les actions de solidarité pour la libération d’Olivier Dubois se multiplient. Le journaliste indépendant, qui vit et travaille au Mali depuis 2015, avait lui-même annoncé son enlèvement dans une vidéo diffusée sur les réseaux sociaux le 5 mai 2021. Il y expliquait avoir été kidnappé le 8 avril à Gao, dans le nord du Mali, par le Groupe de soutien à l’islam et aux musulmans (GSIM), principale alliance jihadiste au Sahel, liée à Al-Qaïda.
Les cartes postales sont mises à disposition de la population, elles ont déjà l’adresse de l’Élysée. (Olivier Dubois)
– G.M.
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Universités LME : une journée sur …
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Black Immigrant Daily News
Accueillir des milliers de visiteurs sans saccager le site de la pointe Faula : c’est la démarche des organisateurs du Baccha Festival. En partenariat avec ceux-ci, l’association vauclinoise Hommes et Territoire mobilisera 90 salariés pour enlever les sargasses échouées sur la plage et les déchets laissés par les festivaliers.
Organiser un événement de grande envergure sur un site naturel tout en minimisant son impact environnemental : c’est l’objectif pour le moins ambitieux que se sont donné les organisateurs du Baccha Festival 2022. Le pari est osé, car il s’agit du plus grand festival organisé en Martinique, avec 15 000 visiteurs par jour attendus samedi et dimanche sur la plage de la pointe Faula. Cela représente le double de la population du Vauclin sur un espace de 2,5 hectares situé en bord de mer. Des…
France-Antilles Martinique
1133 mots – 11.08.2022
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Black Immigrant Daily News
For weeknight cooking, we love seared fish since it usually cooks in half the time as chicken or other proteins. But it’s a fine line between cooked and completely dried out.
So for this recipe from our book Milk Street Tuesday Nights, which limits recipes to 45 minutes or less, we made three choices to ensure succulent seafood every time.
First, the choice of fish. Salmon is our go-to because its richness makes it more forgiving in a skillet than most white fish, which can overcook quickly and flake apart.
Then we take a two-step approach to ensure it stays moist, basting it in butter as it cooks and then serving it with a luscious but bright sauce.
For the sauce, we borrow from Colombia’s take on guacamole — spiked with both lime juice and vinegar as well as fresh chillies — to create an easy, no-cook sauce for the fillets.
A fresh tomato-cilantro salsa finishes the dish, adding a bright, acidic note to balance the rich, savoury fish.
This recipe calls for an Anaheim chilli and a habanero. Though that might sound too spicy, the habanero’s fruity flavour pairs perfectly with the avocado and the richness of the salmon keeps the heat in check. Just make sure to seed both chillies.
Seared Salmon with Avocado Sauce and Tomato-Cilantro Salsa
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, roughly chopped
5 tbsps lime juice, divided, plus lime wedges, to serve
Kosher salt
2 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 Anaheim chilli, stemmed, seeded, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
1 habanero chilli, stemmed and seeded
2 tbsps white vinegar
1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro, divided
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and chopped
Four 6-oz centre-cut salmon fillets (each 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick), patted dry
1 tbsp grapeseed or other neutral oil
2 tbsps salted butter
Method
In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of lime juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside. In a blender, combine the scallions, chillies, vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add 3/4 cup of the cilantro and the avocado. With the blender running, stream in 3 tablespoons water and blend until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute, scraping the blender jar as needed; if needed, add up to 1 tablespoon more water to achieve the correct consistency. Set aside.
Season the salmon on both sides with salt. In a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the fillets flesh side down, reduce to medium and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Using a wide metal spatula, flip the fillets, add the butter and increase to medium-high. Once the butter stops foaming, spoon it over the fillets, adjusting the heat to prevent the butter from burning. Cook and baste the fish until the thickest parts reach 115?F to 120?F, or are nearly opaque when cut into, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice into the pan and baste the fillets once or twice more.
With a wide metal spatula, transfer the fillets to individual plates. Spoon about 2 tablespoons avocado sauce over each fillet. Add the remaining 3/4 cup cilantro to the tomatoes and toss, then spoon over the salmon. Serve the remaining avocado sauce on the side, along with lime wedges.
By Christopher Kimball
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
The first full resumption of face-to-face classes in the same general format as in the pre-COVID era is just days away, and it is no surprise that anticipation is high, as well as scepticism, over how smooth the first day on September 5 will progress, given the myriad of challenges facing the sector.
Among those challenges are issues relative to teacher migration, teacher compensation, public transportation, school infrastructure, and the mandatory Sixth Form Pathway Programme.
In fact, on Monday, the Ministry of Education and Youth, led by Portfolio Minister Fayval Williams, hosted a press conference to outline strategies to mitigate any potential falling out from the mass migration of teachers.
Willimas said 964 specialist teachers who recently completed their studies, are now available for employment in the national school system.
This was after the minister earlier confirmed that 167 teachers had resigned from their positions in the public school system over the past two months, and on Friday, the highly sought after Campion College indicated that 16 teachers had resigned from the institution approaching the new school year.
Of the 964 teacher graduates, Williams said there were significant numbers of mathematics and science teachers.
“We have some 29 English double majors, we have 140 mathematics double majors… we have some physical education teachers as well.
“We’re seeing primary education teachers, 259 of those, and we’re seeing social studies, Spanish, and French for a total of 964 teachers with specialisation who would have graduated from our teacher education institutions this year, and I am sure many of those would be taking up appointments in our schools,” she outlined.
Fayval Williams
Other strategies have also been employed, such as the hiring of retired teachers and persons with first degrees in relevant subject areas without teaching degrees.
The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) had put forward its own strategies to address teacher migration a week before Williams’ press conference, including a call for persons without teaching diplomas to be trained and placed in classrooms.
Though some of the approaches have been implemented by the ministry, one of the island’s daily newspapers has been bombarded with several schools seeking teachers to fill vacant and part-time spots just days before the start of the new school year.
A prominent St Ann school in particular, advertised nine clear vacancies at the institution, including two chemistry teachers and one teacher each for biology, Spanish, visual arts, computer science and agriculture science.
And, amid those strategies employed by the Education Ministry to curb the teacher shortage, the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) – through data gathered from 140 schools across the island a week before its 58th annual conference earlier this week – said an estimated 600 teachers will not be returning to schools nationally come September 5.
Newly installed JTA President, La Sonja Harrison, who was speaking to the media, said the statistics revealed that of that number, 43 per cent of the teachers are resigning, 44 per cent are on leave, and 13 per cent have retired.
Another issue affecting teachers going into the new academic year that could demotivate educators is the vexed-issue of their compensation review.
Harrison told teachers that the JTA is not satisfied with the pace of the review, and has described it as being “shrouded” in secrecy. She also blasted the Government for taking a “hostage” approach to the wage negotiations.
“Is this indicative of that which is to come? Elimination of the bargaining process? I want our leaders to allay the fears of our teachers that this is not the case; even with their current bid to roll most of our negotiated allowances into basic salary — all to be taxed,” Harrison stated.
The transportation sector is also being closely monitored ahead of the first full physical engagement of students for a new school year in two years.
Widely described as being not adequate, the transportation system has been riddled with illegal operators jostling for fares along with the legal public transport operators.
The cost for rural students to access transportation is also seen as being astronomical, given the distances some children from deep rural Jamaica have to travel from to and from schools.
In Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR), which includes much of St Catherine, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) has come under sharp scrutiny from Opposition Spokesman on Transport and Works, Mikael Phillips.
Mikael Phillips
In warning of a pending crisis and severe chaos in the movement of commuters for the start of the new school year, Phillips said the JUTC is now dispatching just over 100 units per day. This, he said, is instead of the 260 buses that are required for the summer schedule.
He also said the effective transit demand in the KMTR for the school term is more than 450 buses.
The statements by Phillips prompted the President of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS), Egeton Newman, to also express concern about the state of public transportation approaching the new school year.
Newman called on the Ministry of Transport to say how licensed private transport operators can help to pick up some of the shortfalls that are expected in the transport sector, especially within the KMTR.
“Most of them don’t know where they are supposed to operate and whether they should be allowed to carry students or, with the present situation with the JUTC, if they would be targets of the police and Transport Authority inspectors.
Egeton Newman
“We are calling on the Minister of Transport and Mining to meet with private operators now to see how best we can work out any challenges for the new school year,” said Newman.
He added that there are spaces within the KMTR in which some 5,600 taxis are operated unofficially, and the operators are desirous of operating officially.
Newman said those units could very well take some of the pressure off the state-owned bus company.
But the JUTC responded, specifically to Phillips, and rejected any suggestion that it will not be ready for the new school year.
According to Managing Director of the JUTC, Paul Abrahams, the company is in “back-to-school mode right now and our preparations are ongoing”.
Added Abrahams in a media interview: “We’ve done back-to-school umpteen times”.
While he could not speak to the exact number of buses to be rolled out for September, the JUTC boss said the fleet will include rehabilitated buses.
He admitted, however, that “operations are looking at rationalising routes”, as the JUTC does not have all the resources and is in the business of using the resources as best as it possibly can.
Issues relative to the infrastructure of schools ahead of the new school year have also dominated headlines.
Two weeks ago, Opposition Spokesman on Education and Training, Senator Damion Crawford, called for immediate investment in the upgrading of school staffrooms to create an adequate and comfortable environment for teachers to work from.
Damion Crawford
In addition, he called for the ministry to address the poor and insufficient infrastructure at several schools across the island.
In a rare political move, Education and Youth Minister, Fayval Williams, agreed with Crawford and the Opposition for improvements to be made to school infrastructure.
“I have no quarrel at all with any call for is (at the Education Ministry) to upgrade the staff facilities at schools, and we will continue to do that within the constraints of the budget that we have,” said Williams on Monday at the Education Ministry’s press conference.
Speaking at the JTA’s annual conference on Wednesday, Williams said the ministry has allocated $210 million for critical repairs to schools across the island, with each of the seven regions within the ministry receiving $30 million.
She said so far, 97 schools have been identified for critical repairs.
The minister indicated that major upgrades to schools’ administrative blocks will be undertaken as part of plans to provide better working conditions for teachers and administrators.
“The objective of the ministry is to have an administrative block, properly configured, especially in our largest schools, and outfitted for the benefit of our teachers and administrators…
“We have to move more aggressively to create proper working spaces for our teachers; there is no disagreement on that. On the infrastructure front, that was the reason for having the sessions with our principals to talk about what we’re doing,” said Williams.
While plans are afoot to address the infrastructural problems at schools, there is a new cry for further classroom space from some principals to fill the gap based on requirements for the mandatory Sixth Form Pathways Programme.
Already, some 17,000 students have registered for the programme, according to Williams, who received a resounding “no” from teachers at the JTA conference to her call for an “amen” to the additional two years for the island’s students in the high school system.
That “no” from the teachers could be borne out of the reality that several schools are without the additional classrooms and educators for the programme to be successful.
The intention of the new sixth form programme is to offer students who completed grade 11 an opportunity to enrol and engage in skills-based or other academic-related courses alongside the traditional sixth form curriculum where the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) is offered.
Students have the the option of leaving the programme with an occupational associate degree, certificate or diploma, or an accredited associate degree through the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ) or University Council of Jamaica (UCJ).
Linton Weir, the Principal of the St Catherine-based Old Harbour High School, in a radio interview, said he is faced with the challenge of finding more space to accommodate the students applying for the programme.
Additionally, he lamented that additional teachers are required for the programme.
“We will not be able to absorb them (the students) because we don’t have the space to absorb them and, two, we don’t have the teacher personnel to absorb them,” Weir informed.
Raymon Treasure, Principal of York Castle High School in St Ann, also said in the same radio interview, that he would not be able to absorb all the grade 11 students who graduated to the new sixth form programme.
Numerically, he said his school can only facilitate 150 of the 225 graduates under the Sixth Form Pathways Programme.
Treasure, without providing statistics, claimed that community colleges are experiencing reduced enrolment due to the sixth form programme.
This, he said, is against the reality that most high schools “don’t have the capacity to offer the programme in a meaningful way”, as the infrastructure and teachers are lacking.
However, the Principal of Mona High, Kevin Jones, is welcoming the Sixth Form Pathways Programme, despite the myriad of challenges some school administrators have highlighted.
Instead of complaining, Jones is encouraging his counterparts to implement the programme and monitor and document its progress. Thereafter, they should provide feedback to the Education Ministry, which can make any necessary adjustments in the years to come, he suggested.
“It is what we will have to do at this point in time,” Jones said, adding that the opportunity is to be welcomed, as many students leave grade 11 without the relevant skills or subjects.
When schools reopen on September 5, the level of learning loss and whether students are prepared to transition to new classes will also be closely monitored by their parents and teachers.
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Black Immigrant Daily News
It’s time to stop thinking about the difference between sweet and savoury spices. Many cooks around the world don’t make such a distinction.
In Greece and Turkey, for example, tomato sauce comes spiked with cinnamon, and in Mexico, fruit salad is sprinkled with cayenne pepper.
In both cases, the spice is subtle but adds just enough contrast to make each bite more interesting.
We kept that in mind while searching for an easy way to enliven a simple summer berry compote.
In this recipe from our book COOKish, which limits recipes to just six ingredients without sacrificing flavour, we tried black pepper and chilli powder, a blend that can include not only spicy cayenne but also cumin, garlic and onion powder.
The combination of sweet strawberries and savoury spices was a hit, the perfect topping for vanilla ice cream or yoghurt.
A single teaspoon sufficed for a pound of sweet strawberries, half of which we cooked with a relatively small amount of sugar and lime zest.
We lightly mashed the cooked berries and poured them over fresh ones, which softened with the compote’s heat.
Substituting garam masala, an Indian spice blend that includes warming spices like cinnamon and clove but also black pepper, mustard and coriander, was just as good with the citrus zest and berries, though with a different flavour profile.
Citrus and Spice Strawberry Compote
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
1 lb strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 tbsps white sugar, divided
Grated zest of 1 lime OR 1 lemon OR 1/2 medium orange
1 tsp chili powder OR garam masala
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Pinch of kosher salt
Method
In a medium bowl, toss two-thirds of the berries with 1 tablespoon of sugar and the zest; set aside. In a small saucepan, toast the chilli powder, stirring, until fragrant; add the remaining berries, the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, the pepper, salt and 1/4 cup water. Simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes, then mash the berries to break them down. Cook, stirring, until jammy. Immediately pour over the berries in the bowl and stir. Let stand for 10 minutes.
By Christopher Kimball
NewsAmericasNow.com
Black Immigrant Daily News
Tyrese Dial – Photo courtesy TTPS
The police are asking for assistance to find two teenage girls and two missing men.
Police said Angelina Francois, 16, of of Third Street, Barataria, was last seen at 12.30 am, on Thursday. The teen was reported missing at the Morvant Police Station on August 25.
She was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt, a pair of black 3⁄4 pants and a pair blue slippers. Francois is of African descent, five feet, four inches tall, with a slim build and brown complexion.
Angelina Francois – Photo courtesy TTPS
In the other incident involving a teenage girl, police said Chelsea Balgobin, 15, of South Central Street, Point Fortin, was last seen on August 22 and was reported missing to the Point Fortin Police Station on the same day she was last seen.
Balgobin is of East Indian descent, slim built with a brown complexion. She was last seen wearing a pair of black pants and a white t-shirt.
Chelsea Balgobin – Photo courtesy TTPS
The third missing person is Tyrese Dial, 21, of El Carmen Road. Dial was last seen on August 19 and was reported missing on Wednesday to the Sangre Grande Police Station.
Dial who is of African descent is brown in complexion, slim built, approximately 130 pounds, five feet, ten inches tall, crossed eyed and has a tattoo of ‘TYRESE’ on his chest.
He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, brown pants and black sandals.
The other missing man is Deodath Ramkissoon, 32, of Orange Grove Trace, Pasea, Tunapuna. Ramkissoon was last seen on August 25. Police did not identify what he was last seen wearing or any of his physical features.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the four are asked to contact the nearest police station or 999, 555, 911, 800-TIPS and use the police service app.
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Black Immigrant Daily News
Digicel on Thursday announced the appointment of John Townsend as chief financial officer (CFO).
Immediately prior to joining Digicel, John was CFO — Business Group at Verizon and also served in the CFO capacity across various areas of the business for roughly the past 10 years.
He also worked as CFO for Vodafone Europe, UK and Australia and earned his BA (Econ) Hons in accounting and business finance from The University of Manchester.
Over the span of his career as a CFO, Townsend gained experience in business and consumer operations, wireless, wireline, enterprise solutions, supply chain management and logistics, carrier relations and new business models, making him an all-rounder when it comes to the business of telecommunications, according to a release from Digicel.
Townsend will replace David Lomas as Digicel’s Chief Financial Officer.
Oliver Coughlan, Digicel Group CEO said: “We are happy to have John joining the team and I know that he will receive a warm Digicel welcome. John has worked at two of the world’s largest telecommunications companies — Verizon and Vodafone — with responsibility for billions of dollars in revenue, so his financial background, coupled with his extensive experience in telecoms, will serve him well as he gets to know our business and the Caribbean, and we expect that his fresh perspective will serve us well in turn.
“And as David leaves us, we also want to thank him for the work done over the last three and a half years and to wish him all the best going forward.”
Commenting on his appointment as CFO, Townsend said: “For over 20 years, Digicel has been delivering quality service in the Caribbean, keeping the region connected to the people and things they love most.
“I am excited to be joining the team and look forward to the great work we will do together.”
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Black Immigrant Daily News
Rédaction web
Vendredi 26 Août 2022 – 16h50
Retour au vert. – Equipe web FA
Météo-France lève la vigilance, un flux d’alizés plus sec s’installant et ne justifiant pas son maintien.
Le sillage humide et instable de l’onde tropicale s’évacue en mer des Caraïbes. Un flux d’alizés temporairement plus sec s’installe à l’arrière sur notre île ne justifiant plus le maintien de la vigilance.
Au début de l’épisode, ce sont surtout les communes du nord qui ont enregistré de forts cumuls, le sud a ensuite été plus impacté. Météo-France relève : 109 mm à Ducos ; 101 mm aux Trois-Ilets dont 68 mm en 3 heures ; 90 mm à Sainte-Luce dont 53 mm en 3 heures ; 76 mm au Diamant ; 65 mm à Fond-Denis-2Choux ; 64 mm au Saint-Esprit.
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Onde tropicale : la vigilance Jaune …
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Chaguanas East MP Vandana Mohit. –
CHAGUANAS East MP Vandana Mohit criticised Social Development and Family Services Minister Donna Cox for comments Cox made about assistance for scrap-iron workers and parenting.
Mohit made her criticisms in separate statements on Thursday.
In one statement, she slammed Cox for saying workers affected by Government’s decision to ban scrap-iron exports for six months could apply to her ministry for grants.
“Again, the PNM government embarks on deceit and aims to hoodwink the population by their and her public pronouncements.”
Mohit claimed none of the people affected by the industry’s six-month closure would be” eligible for the grants.” She said any such assistance would not come in time before the reopening of school next month.
“The government must immediately develop a mechanism to assist struggling families affected by this unwarranted closure, in order to school and feed their children.”
In a second statement, Mohit wondered if Cox was trying to find scapegoats when she spoke about a “parenting crisis” at the recent launch of her ministry’s parenting workshop.
“It seems that she has just woken up from her slumber and now realises there is cause for concern.”
Mohit agreed that there are some circumstances where parents are responsible for their children’s gravitating to a life of crime and/or illicit behaviour.
But she claimed Cox did not provide any data to support her arguments about this.
“It is quite intriguing and disingenuous for the minister to lay blame for government failures at the feet of parents.”
Mohit described comments made by acting Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob at the same event as “a mere statement to compensate for the inability by the police service to address the rampant and escalating crime wave engulfing the nation.”
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