Mahogany CoConut Blog

                                                                                         The Caribbean Is One Nation                                                                                                               Once again, the debate about decriminalizing marijuana in the Caribbean is raging high. Some leaders are coming around to the realization that those supporting such a call are rising in numbers. There is a belief that turning marijuana into a legal cash crop will be of benefit , to the region’s struggling small farmers- not so  screams the anti-marijuana lobby- they hold fast to their position that it will be disastrous to the region and increase drug use. As they see it, the weed, as it is popularly called, is an evil gateway drug, which if decriminalized or legalized, would turn us all into zombie like potheads. As always, we are following America’s lead and promoting the weed as a medicinal drug that has already proven its worth in combating some

                                                       The Caribbean Is One Nation                                                                            The Mahogany Coconut Group The current recession is wreaking havoc on the Caribbean middle class. This middle class emerged after the period of colonialism ended and the transformation from agricultural based economies, within the region, took root. The middle class is by nature easy to identify and difficult to define in the Caribbean. We are often left to wonder, whether it is grounded in financial/income considerations or its idiosyncrasies. We are of the opinion that many professions are deemed middle class more by their social standings than their earnings. It is not uncommon, for us to describe workers such as: artisans, mechanics, fruit vendors and other  small self-employed people as working class although their earnings may very well be higher than : bank workers(clerks), teachers, nurses, and police amon

                                             The Caribbean Is One Nation. Ravindra Ramrattan The news from Trinidad and Tobago, that a citizen of that country, was one of the fatalities of the mall bombing , by terrorists in Kenya, drives home the chilling fact  that Caribbean nationals in the Diaspora are subject to acts of violence that are not even remotely connected to the geopolitical actions of their home states. Indeed,  the brilliant young Trinidadian scholar, Ravindra Ramrattan was one of the many ambitious and positive Caribbean nation youth, who saw the world as his oyster. He therefore opted to explore other countries rather than remain in the Caribbean. We are aware of many children of Caribbean heritage, whose parents having raised them in large countries, often encourage them and rightly so, to embrace the world. However, we were made quite aware of the tentacles of terrorism, when the 9/11 act occurred in New York. It is believed that it touched the liv

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs.   Tomorrow Saturday 21 st . is International Peace day, which has been celebrated since 1982 by way of an United Nations resolution passed in 1981. The Mahogany Coconut Group is fundamentally opposed to war and settling conflicts by acts of aggression. We therefore promote non-violence because we strongly believe that violence breeds violence and leads to the loss of innocent lives.  We cannot support senseless and brutal destruction of people and then casually refer to them as collateral damage. We therefore call on all peace loving people and countries throughout the world, to end arms conflict and to settle differences by diplomacy and mutual compromise.  As we look around the world, there are too many children, suffering from lack of proper nutrition. Millions of people are unemployed and in dire need of housing, education and health services. The billions of dollars spent on war and the

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. Beautiful Trini smile NEW YORK, United States, Wednesday September 18, 2013  – When it comes to happiness, Trinidadians are smiles ahead of the rest of the Caribbean, according to the results of the latest World Happiness Report from the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The second edition of the report echoes the findings of the 2012 Gallup World Survey which ranked Trinidad as the fifth-happiest country on earth. In the 2013 UN study, the twin-island state placed 31st overall in the world, ahead of countries including oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as well as Spain, Thailand and South Korea. Six key variables factored into the study’s conclusions: “Real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption and generosity.” Employing data covering the three-year period from 2010 t

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. by Michael Headley History shows that some wars have been perpetrated through half truths  and outright lies so that the provocateurs of war could continue to satisfy their insatiable appetites for power, resources and wealth, the Military-Industrial complex being the greatest benefactor.  As far back as 1778, in order to get the British to go to war with Spain, the British Captain Robert Jenkins, Master of the brig Rebecca, claimed that a Spanish soldier had cut off his ear while searching his brig.  It was rumored that a pickled sow's ear was sent to the British subcommittee, investigating the claim, as proof of Jenkins' injury.  And modern research is doubtful if Jenkins even appeared before the committee.   However, the British attacked Spain in  1739.       As some United States officials flirted with the idea of bombing Syria, the British World War 1 era poet, Wilfred Owen's

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. " Today popular culture is under siege by US television networks and the current battle against US cultural penetration is even more formidable." Gregory Rebess- Popular media and Cultural Identity in the Caribbean. www.waccglobal.org During the late 1960’s and early 70’s, progressive Caribbean thinkers, were warning about cultural penetration and the effects it would have on the region. By the end of the 60’s, the most developed islands: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana and Barbados, had gained independence, and with this wave of nationalism, the expectations of the populations  grew. This wave toward nationalism and independence continued into the 70’s as more islands sought to be politically independent. With political independence, came the responsibility of fending for ourselves in the world of international diplomacy and trying our best to be recognized as ready for the w

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. As President Barack Obama dances around the issue of military engagement in Syria, astute observers are convinced that Americans are battle weary. Hence vacillation is replacing the eagerness once associated with the world’s most powerful country. Those who have followed, direct or indirect, American military expansionism since the end of the Second World War would simply say: it’s about time! While those who support America’s foreign policy, would claim that America has been busy “policing the world” and “spreading democracy”; we would argue that it has been busy engaging in toppling anti-American governments and leaders. Those who have fairly good memories would remember the turmoil that America engineered in Latin America, with the sole purpose of removing those leaders it considered to be leftists, socialists and communists. Closer to our region, we recall the invasion of Grenada and the elimi

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. Global changes and world politics and their effects on trade and economic policies are slowly but surely having negative fallout within the Caribbean region. With the exceptions of Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago,that have impressive natural resources, it is now very clear, that if regional leaders do not create, new models of economic development, the region may very well become the backwaters of the world and eventually be nothing more than playgrounds for the rich and leisure seekers. The region was very fortunate to have certain valves to, release pressure from under developed economies in the 50’s and 60’s due to emigration to England and the United States of America. When the British economy started to falter, America and Canada picked up the slack and we lived to fight another day or another four decades. However, economic recessions throughout the 70’s and 80 have made North America just

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. The genius of Richard Williams: Caribbean Leaders Should Follow By William Skinner Richard Williams  We are all spellbound by the feats of Serena Williams on the tennis court. She amazes and graces with her superior skills and is certainly one of the greatest Afro American women of the century and her era. Her sister Venus is of no lesser prominence although her dominance of the sport can no longer match Serena’s. While we accept that both of their parents have been instrumental to their achievements, it is known that their father Richard Williams is the great man behind these two extraordinary women. We in the Caribbean have seen genius at work in the form of Sir Garfield Sobers and Brian Lara in cricket. We are now seeing such genius in Usain Bolt, the great Jamaican athlete, who many are claiming is the greatest, in his field, which the world has ever seen. However, we believe th

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. Caribbean rum punch is perhaps the number one of most visitors' requests of alcoholic beverages in the islands. Each island / bartender has their own method of preparation. The result never changes: Very enjoyable but also very potent if consumed in large quantities. Enjoy ! Ingredients: Freshly Ground nutmeg 1 cup fresh lime juice 2 cups simple syrup 3 cups amber rum 4 cups orange juice 4 dashes bitters                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Directions: In a pitcher , combine lime juice simple syrup, rum and orange juice. Add a few dashes of bitters and some grated nutmeg to taste. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/caribbean-rum-punch/

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. Obama’s America is Hitler’s Germany of 2013 by Pachamama Map Of Syria Oh what a tangled web we weave, when once we practice to deceive  (Sir) Walter Scott  Even in the face of clear evidence that the Syrian government had nothing to do with the alleged use of chemical weapons (CW) in Ghouta around the 21th August 2013, the war party advances. Indeed, the evidence now points clearly at the Western backed, Takfiri, Al-Qaeda, heart eating, hand chopping, head severing terrorists supported by America and her allies that include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, UAE, France, UK and Qatar. Terrorists, who used CW in Syria 14 separate times, some of whom were caught with CW in Turkey, were responsible for the CW attack in Aleppo where 28 died and who have projected themselves on an endless number of YouTube videos testing chemical weapons. The feign moral pretense by John Kerry, Barrack Obam

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world Affairs Is the Caribbean on the auction block ? As the economic crisis lengthens, Caribbean governments strapped for foreign exchange and foreign investments have decided to sell citizenship in order to plug holes within their economies. We have already stated that we are being drawn into a whirlpool of global proportions that may very well, forever, change the image and direction of our island states. There are those who will argue and quite correctly that bigger and more economically powerful countries, including the United States of America, are already involved in such activity. Once again we are forced to ask: Why are we following others? Many of our people, who live in the Diaspora, have given up on returning home because of what they consider to be the high cost of living. While we do not support such positions, we are fully aware that those who have planted roots in other countries have many

We present and encourage progressive Caribbean views of Caribbean and world affairs. Caribbean Nation Flags The current recession is revealing tremendous fears within the Caribbean. We have almost magically survived recessions in the 70’s 80’s and 90’s but the current recession, is so huge and imposing that we have been jolted into reality. Our leaders are pretending that they did not see it coming. We are forced to ask why our central bankers and highly trained economists are so inept that they appear clueless. Astute economists have been posting that we are in a forty year downward spiral fuelled  by a world made smaller by  technological developments and the collapse of most socialists and communists economies and societies, driving us to a more capitalist based world economy. Concomitant with the wave of neo-capitalism , is a brutal consumerism that is rapidly inflicting change on traditional cultural norms throughout the world. It is in this all consuming and vicious v