Mahogany CoConut Blog

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. Obama – The Case for War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity by  Pachamama President Barack Obama The failure of Saudi intelligence chief, Bandar Bush, to convince President Putin to withdraw political and other support from Syria in a visit to Moscow over two weeks ago was the trigger for the Western-back false flag operation that may have led to the deaths of over 1400 Syrians in eastern Damascus. This is the same Bandar Bush who spent all day on 9/11 in the company of his brother George Bush, as POTUS. Bandar has been working surreptitiously for the past two years to topple the government of President Assad. This work was not unlike the skulduggery of 9/11, but grander. This time one of the PNAC objectives that inspired the self-inflicted wound was at work in the MENA countries known as the Clean Break Strategy. Bandar’s offer to Putin for economic and political concessions and corp...

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. China-Taiwan issue trumps Caribbean co-operation AUGUST 25, 2013  By Sir Ronald Sanders China may still be classified as a “developing” country because of its per capita income, but that is as far as the description is pertinent. In almost every other way, China is in the league of developed nations. The World Bank gives China’s per capita income in 2012 as US$6,091.  By comparison, with the exception of Haiti (US$771), Guyana (US$3,584), Belize (US$4,577) and Jamaica (US$5,472), the per capita incomes of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are greater than China’s.  Even so, it is difficult to regard China as a “developing” country in the common understanding of that term. China continues to define itself as “developing” because of its need for diplomatic support from developing countries for the issues that are important to it in the international community.  T...

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs Best party in cricket By Carla Bridglal carla.bridglal@trinidadexpress.com Story Created: Aug 25, 2013 at 10:59 PM ECT Story Updated: Aug 25, 2013 at 10:59 PM ECT  Victorious Jamaica Tallawahs  CPL Champions OF all the islands in this lovely archipelago called the West Indies, there really is only one party island. And the organisers of the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL) seemed well aware of this when they chose the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, to host the semi-final and final matches.  On Saturday night, after almost a month of riveting Twenty20 cricket action throughout the major grounds in the region—Kensing­ton Oval in Barbados; Beausejour in St Lucia; the Antigua Cricket Ground; Sabina Park in Jamaica; and Providence in Guyana—the CPL organisers saved the best for last, with probably the best party in cricket happening at that illustrious venue fon...

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. The Mahogany Coconut Group is dedicated to honoring those in the Caribbean and Diaspora, who represent the excellence of our Caribbean Nation. Slinger Francisco, The Mighty Sparrow is a true Dr. Slinger Francisco, The Mighty Sparrow Caribbean Nation icon. Slinger Francisco , better known as The Mighty Sparrow, affectionately dubbed, The Birdie is the unrivaled Calypso King of the World, with a career that spans over 40 years and counting. This artist par excellence has earned his rightful place as "King of the Calypso World" by defeating every other competitor/pretender to his throne. He has entertained audiences across the globe, including, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, to name but a few. Sparrow's roots are in Gran Roi, a rural fishing village in Grenada. He was born to a poor working class family. They migrated to his adopted homeland,...

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. We join our Afro American brothers and sisters in celebrating the historic march on Washington.  Fifty years ago Dr. Martin Luther King, made one of the greatest modern day speeches, commonly called: I have A Dream. It is safe to say that no other speech made since then on behalf of Afro Americans comes close to his fine oratory and certainly none has captured the picture of the America that he wanted for all Americans. We have no doubt that Dr King would be proud of the nation’s first black president. We have no doubt that he would be equally proud of all the progress made by the African Americans. Unfortunately, we are also certain that he would be saddened by some other realities. The statistics in relation to Afro Americans in prison would be one of his concerns. He would ask himself why fifty years later, why so many black men are in prison, some for no other reason than the color of t...

  From the Past : First published 8/21/13   UPDATED We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. As the Caribbean continues the battle against COVID-19, the MCG, encourages all Caribbean citizens at home and in the Diaspora to grow and eat more fruits.  Breadfruit Mango Barbadian Cherry Pomegranate Plums Soursop                                                                               Ackee  Jamaica Mammy apple Sugar apple  Golden Apple in Barbados/Pommycythere in Trinidad and Tobago Guinep Jamaica / Akee Barbados

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs Barbados National Flag We are saddened to report that another violent act of domestic violence, has led to the death of another Barbadian woman. This time, the cruel act was executed in full public view at the Fisheries Complex situated mere minutes from the capital city of Bridgetown. We will continue to call for progressive legislation to deal with crimes against our women and children. Many are of the view that this problem is “cultural” stemming from a long history of perpetrators going unpunished. While the Mahogany Coconut Group has long posited that many of our problems are cultural, we beg to suggest that there is no culture that embraces the right to inflict violence on our women and children. We see this more as a failure of successive governments to protect our women and children from such horrendous acts. Allowing ourselves to dismiss this disrespect for human life under some fa...

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. Trinidad and Tobago Flag Once again the carnage in Trinidad and Tobago has returned. For the past two weeks, there has been an alarming jump in violent acts resulting in several murders. Reports indicate that one crime lord now has an “army” of over 600 “soldiers” under his command. Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar has appealed to Opposition Leader, Dr.Keith Rowley, to join her in the fight against the criminal elements now wreaking havoc within the society. Many Trinidadians living in the Diaspora are seriously considering whether to return to their native land. Our philosophy is grounded in one Caribbean nation hence we see the rise in crime in Trinidad and Tobago as a rise in crime in the Caribbean. We therefore welcome the decision of the Prime Minster to include the Leader of the Opposition, as her government makes yet another attempt to reduce crime in the society. For thirty ...

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs.                Guyana Ginger  Beer Recipe Ginger INGREDIENTS: 1 oz. fresh ginger root 4 tablespoons lime juice Peel from 1 lime 1/2/ lb. (white) sugar 1 teaspoon active dry yeast. DIRECTIONS: Peel the ginger root and crush it lightly with the flat side of a cleaver. Combine the ginger, lime juice, peel and sugar in a large bowl, and pour the boiling water over them Put the yeast into a small bowl with 3 tablespoons lukewarm water and let it stand for a few minutes, then stir to dissolve it completely. Let it stand in a warm, draught-free place for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to bubble. Add it to the ginger mixture, and stir thoroughly. Cover the bowl and leave in a warm, draught-free place for a week, stirring every second day. Strain through a fine sieve, bottle (in sterilized bottles), and let the beer stand at room temperature for 3 o...

           We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. Caribbean Nations Flags In a movie, involving a family trip, one of the children kept asking: Are we there yet?  We see the Caribbean as one nation but we are aware of the deep idiosyncrasies of our individual island states. We recognize the void of leadership; the betrayal by our intellectuals; the current attempts to marginalize the trade union movement. We suggest that the current hopelessness that is enveloping the region can be traced to our collective failure to engineer and embrace models of development designed to propel us into a new era of prosperity. However, it is obvious that as the current economic crisis deepens, the underlying mental realities of our past and the injection of self doubt and mistrust that were the results of slavery and colonialism remain psychological threats to our true independence. Unless we find ways to arres...

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs.  Flag Person Justin Peleon Photo credit, Nationnews Paper,Nigel Browne The Mahogany Coconut Group will guard against anti-gay sentiment and the early signs of violence and hate crimes directed at the gay community, as witnessed during the recently concluded Crop Over festivities. We expect criminal charges to be brought against those deviants who engage in such violence against our gay citizens. We will not and cannot oppose the democratic rights of citizens and those in the public eye, to openly demonstrate their anti-gay positions. However, when such attempts are littered with inaccuracies, we as a responsible group of citizens would endeavor to expose some of the myths and inconsistencies. First, we want to inform the Prime Minister of Barbados, that it has been clearly established that homosexuality is a natural (nature) way of life for those who realize from very young, that they ...

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. President Carmona , Trinidad and Tobago " We are impressed by his first utterances in office, especially his calling on all the citizens, to be accountable to this wonderful country. Too often, we in this region, leave everything on the door step of those whom we elect to govern us. However, as President Carmona said, both those who govern and those who are governed should demand of each other, the highest levels of accountability." Mahogany Coconut 3/19/13 President Carmona of Trinidad and Tobago will learn very quickly that those who cheer you in the morning can jeer you in the evening. By calling on the need for higher standards  in the Trinidad and Tobago parliament and chastising the members of parliament for the poor level of debate, he would have no doubt, mashed a few corns and crashed a few egos. However, his most decisive act to date, was revoking the appointment of four ...

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. What is Reality? by Pachamama Future  Royal Rulers of Barbados: Is this our reality? ' There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.' Harold Pinter (1958)  In philosophy there is a branch of thinkers who consider themselves as critical realists. Critical realism seeks to separate what is real from what is false. At the same time we live in a world where many people have been labeled as ‘conspiracy theorists’, for decades, even after they have been proved correct by the passage of time, studies, official admissions and insider exposures. However, this term persist as a potent weapon of disparagement. We now have clear proofs that the FBI invented the term ‘conspiracy theorist’, in the early 1960’s, as a devise to deflect critici...