Four Eastern Caribbean science teachers to participate in the Junior Foreign Faculty Enhancement seminar

Two science teachers, Kim Newton of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in St. Lucia; and Peter Hensley Noel of the T.A. Marryshow Community College in Grenada recently visited the Embassy in Bridgetown.  Ms. Newton and Mr. Noel will go to Harvard Summer School in late June in order to participate in the Junior Foreign Faculty Enhancement Seminar.  They will be joined by Ms. Kelly Hill, a science teacher at the Antigua State College and Mr. Cecil Diamond, a science teacher at the C.F. Bryant College in St. Kitts.

America.Gov Town Hall Meeting

Join us

Wednesday, May 13, 2009: You are invited to a unique presentation which will outline new U.S. approaches to the Americas.    This morning, the Department of State, in partnership with the Council of the Americas, will host the 39th Washington Conference on the Americas:  “Renewing the Promise of Prosperity.”

To give you access to this event, we are arranging for the presentations by the Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs to be streamed live over the Internet so that you and others from the region can watch on any computer. 

Please join us for this exclusive live event at:  http://townhall.america.gov/  

• 8:45-9:15 AM EDT: Thomas Shannon, Assistant Secretary of State, Western Hemisphere Affairs, United States
• 11:15-11:45 AM EDT: James B. Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State, United States
  

USNS Comfort begins its mission Antigua and Barbuda

Local citizens seek assistance from Comfort crew

May 6, 2009 - An opening ceremony was held in Antigua today to celebrate the arrival of hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) and its crew as part of Continuing Promise 2009 (CP09).

“It is with great honor and friendship that the men and women of the USNS COMFORT are here in Antigua and Barbuda for CONTINUING PROMISE 2009.” said CP09 Mission Commander, Navy Capt. Bob Lineberry.

This is Comfort’s third stop on its four month humanitarian and civic assistance mission. The ship’s crew will offer a variety of services to Antigua and Barbuda. ” (full text)

• Photo Gallery
• Surgery
• USNS Comfort arrives in Antigua and Barbuda

Barack Obama: A time for global action

The following op-ed by President Obama on the urgent need for global economic cooperation ran in more than thirty papers around the world today. (March 24, 2009)

"...No one can deny the urgency of action. A crisis in credit and confidence has swept across borders, with consequences for every corner of the world. For the first time in a generation, the global economy is contracting and trade is shrinking." (full text)

Warden Message: 2009 H1N1 Influenza and the Eastern Caribbean

This Warden Message alerts U.S. citizens to the latest information regarding human cases of 2009-H1N1 Influenza, sometimes referred to as swine flu.  While no travel restrictions have been implemented in the region, it is possible that precautions may be taken to ensure the virus is not spread by travelers coming from 2009 H1N1-affected areas.  Visitors arriving from affected countries, such as the U.S., may undergo additional scrutiny upon arrival at ports of entry in the Eastern Caribbean.  No confirmed cases of 2009-H1N1 influenza have been reported in the Eastern Caribbean, and the Embassy is not aware of any formal travel restrictions.  (full text)

Humanitarian Assistance Simulation Exercises Prepare Regional Experts for Real Life Scenarios

Co-Directors Col. Patrick Wallace, Commander of St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force, and Col. Ehrich Rose, G-10, U.S. Army South

Over 100 military and civilian officials from Canada to Chile met in St. Kitts to participate in the culmination of Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias (FAHUM), a two-week disaster preparedness exercise that was executed in five countries of the Caribbean and Central America.

This year’s FAHUM scenarios included an earthquake in Antigua and Barbuda; a Tsunami in Grenada; collapsed structures as a result of extensive flooding and riverine search and rescue missions in flooded coastal areas in Costa Rica; and massive mud slides caused by hurricanes and flash floods in Honduras.  Working together with disaster assistance experts from neighboring countries, locals worked to save lives during simulation exercises that have real-life applications throughout the Caribbean and Central America. (full story)

Fulbright U.S. Student Enhancement Seminar

From April 20 to April 24, the U.S. Embassy at Bridgetown hosted a Fulbright Enhancement seminar for thirteen American Fulbright students who are currently studying or conducting research in Antigua, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.  The students presented papers, and were addressed by two Barbadian scholars.

Even though it was a short seminar we believe that the students were able to further the goals of mutual understanding through their encounters with their Bajan hosts.  Just as importantly they were able to pick up on conversations they started with fellow grantees last summer, and to interact with them in order to build and strengthen their personal and professional networks.  We believe that this broadened the reach of the larger Fulbright family, of which they are all a part, a family that now numbers more than two hundred and fifty thousand scholars and students who’ve earned the right to call themselves Fulbrighters since the program’s inception more than 60 years ago.

Remarks by Secretary Clinton at Digital Town Hall of the Americas

"...whether we are from North America, Central America, South America or the Caribbean, we are all Americans, and we are of the Americas. We may speak different languages and have some different customs. We have different historical experiences. But we share this home, this hemisphere, and a future that will be what we decide to make it."

"In Port of Spain, President Obama and I will share that the United States is eager to listen to the ideas and concerns of our friends, partners and allies. But we are committed to working with you to keep our people safe and secure, to protect and harness our natural resources, and to widen opportunity and prosperity. To achieve the shared prosperity we seek, we must integrate our commitment to democracy and open markets with an equal commitment to social inclusion." April 17, 2009 (more)

US Embassy and Government of Barbados Hosts Reception

Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Brent Hardt and the Minister of Tourism for Barbados, the Honorable Richard Sealy welcomed approximately 250 Summit support staff to Barbados during an evening reception at the Crane Resort on Monday April 13.

The event, hosted by the hotel and Government of Barbados, included local music and performers.  Dr. Hardt thanked the hosts for the kind welcome and praised the Government of Barbados for their efforts to support the Summit of the Americas.  The Summit will take place in Trinidad and Tobago, April 17-19.

Denton Humanitarian Shipment to Grenada

Humanitarian assistance being offloaded from C-5 at Point Salines international Airport, St. George’s, Grenada

U.S. Air Force Reserve members from the State of Maryland flew five pallets of privately donated humanitarian assistance collected by Good News, destined for the Catholic Diocese of Grenada to Grenada on Sunday, April 5. 

The U.S. Government’s Denton Program arranges military airlift to deliver privately collected humanitarian assistance to countries around the world. 

Bishop Vincent Darius of the Catholic Diocese and members of his staff received the delivery. 

The Chargé d’Affaires from Embassy Grenada and representatives from both the USAID office and the Military Liaison Office in Barbados were also on hand. 

The Bishop thanked both Good News and the U.S. Government for making the donation possible.  The donated items will be distributed to various parishes around the tri-island state of Grenada.

Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Competition

Melanie-Anne Holder receiving her prize from Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Brent Hardt as Roxanne Gibbs of the Nation Newspaper looks on

Seventeen-year-old Melanie-Anne Holder has been adjudged the winner of the first Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Competition offered by the Embassy of the United States of America to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean in conjunction with the Nation Publishing Company.

In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., Day and Black History Month, the US Embassy invited local students between the ages of 14 and 17 to write an essay on the topic “Beyond Dr. King’s Dream: Advancing King’s Message of Equality and Harmony among People of all Races.”

In a brief address to all the participating students, parents and principals gathered, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Brent Hardt praised the students for their entries. He noted that many of their essays offered “remarkable ways to continue Dr. King’s dream. (more)

Barbadians benefit from exposure to United States Culture through International Visitor Leadership Programs

Stacia Howard and Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., D. Brent Hardt

Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., D. Brent Hardt and Reissa Galt

International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participants Stacia Howard, an Economist with the Central Bank of Barbados and Reissa Galt, a Teacher was debriefed by Charge Brent Hardt. Ms. Howard's program - Accountability in Government and Business, covered such areas as transparency and anti-corruption in the United States; Accountability in State and Local Government; Community Advocacy; Ethics Training; Best Practice in Banking and Ethics Practice in Trade. Reissa Galt's program - Elementary and Secondary School Education Issues covered areas such as Teach for America; Behaviour Management; Religious Education and hands on classroom sessions. Both participants gave high praise for the program, and commended the administrative organisation of their programs, that provided them a vast knowledge of the American system.

One of the main goals of this U.S. Embassy Program is to expose the region to American culture and there is no better way to do this than through this program where participants are exposed to the diverse cultures of the United States of America. This program allows them to experience the American way of life; enhancing future endeavors and building strong relationships with U.S. and other participants in the process.

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Launch of the Barbados DNA Project, Barbados Museum and Historical Society

Chargé d’Affaires D. Brent Hardt delivering remarks at the launch of the Barbados DNA Project, Barbados Museum and Historical Society

The United States Embassy in Bridgetown is very pleased to have been able to support Dr. Spencer Wells' public lecture this evening, "Deep Ancestry:  Inside the Genographic Project," by facilitating his travel to Barbados.

This project is, at the end of the day, about the human journey, how we are all related and how we arrived where we are today.  These are questions that continue to fascinate.  And it is one reason why there has been such a high degree of interest in this project on every continent, with over 300,000 participants. (more)

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U.S. and nine Caribbean islands sign agreement to help trace illegal guns

Participants at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Nine Caribbean islands yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a United States law enforcement agency which will greatly enhance their ability to track and fight firearms trafficking and illegal possession in the region.

eTrace is a paperless firearm trace submission system that is accessible through a secure connection to the World Wide Web.  This Internet application provides the necessary utilities for submitting, retrieving, storing and querying firearms trace-related information and allowing for the systematic tracing of firearms recovered from crime scenes. (full text)