One has this impression that retailers were just waiting for the turkey bones and left over stuffing to be cleared so that they could launch their sale initiative and capture the dollars that evaded them since January. Even before Thanksgiving Day, major newspapers, including those in South Florida, had grown bulky with retailers’ advertising – some of which were like magazines. All this grand advertising was for one reason: to attract mass buyers, to open the holiday shopping season on “Black Friday,” when all retailers sought to make a profit – to be ‘in the black’.

No one can fault the retailers for wanting to be profitable, especially as this year has been particularly rough and consumers’ disposable income shrank in light of rising gas and food prices. However, consumers must be cautioned not to get caught up in the shopping craze, and put themselves into a debt trap. Not only are retailers engaged in a phenomenally attractive advertising campaign but their promotions are also very impressive. Consumers are being enticed to purchase almost every item one can think of at unbelievable discounts, averaging 30 percent off the normal sales price. This is particularly so on electronic items like GSP (satellite driving direction guides), plasma TVs and computers; as well as clothing. The combination of the advertising and the promotions is so attractive and tempting that it is very easy for people to pull out the money set aside for the mortgage, rent, and the car payment, and go purchase what they certainly do not need.

At this season we urge the community to really think carefully, apply good sense, before getting caught up in the sales trap. One lesson that migrants to America must have learned by now is that the dollar disappears very quickly. It takes very little time for $1,000 to vanish in a retail shop. It’s not too bad if this money was saved for this particular purpose, but, very few people have the ability, or the resources, to save significant amounts to spend at this time. So, it is not unusual for some people to request credit card increases, take out loans, or defer major payments like their rent and mortgage just to have spending cash at Christmas. To do this is irresponsible. Consumers, especially those with very limited disposable income must follow one basic rule over this shopping season: do not exceed shopping budget. And, don’t try to please loved ones with gifts you cannot afford. Real loved ones will still love you if they only receive a greeting card. There is no use in spending what you don’t have in December, then worry in January and February about how the bills you ignored will be paid.

The conviction and sentencing to jail time for former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne might come as a surprise to several people in South Florida’s Caribbean community. They might wonder how someone who had aspirations to be governor of the state and a respected leader in the region’s law enforcement sector could be sentenced to serve time. It’s simple: he broke the law.

A major concern is that there are those in the community that cannot even understand why Jenne was charged in the first place, for the laws he was found quality of breaking. That is because they have not come to grips with the implications of the many laws and regulations that make up the American system.

Back in the Caribbean, with its relatively laid-back system, people tend to play hard and fast with some laws, without even contemplating that there could be serious consequences. Or, in the cases where people are in fact caught breaking the law, it is not unusual for them to seek out persons of influence to get the related charges dropped, or pay their way out of the their problems. That is not to say that the system in the U.S. is flawless, and that people haven’t bribed their way out of trouble. However, some Caribbean migrants find themselves in deep legal holes when they try to beat the system, which they often do, and discover that it is not as simple as back home.

Take the filing of taxes. This is an area with which people in our community try to play dangerous games. Instead of the objective being to pay taxes as they are due, it is to get as big a refund as possible from adopted Uncle Sam. It is not unusual for people to deliberately file false information to achieve this or seek out either incompetent or unscrupulous tax preparers who entice them with promises of large refunds, only to get surprising responses from the IRS after filing their tax returns that they in effect owe money to the IRS, or, worse, are subject to an IRS audit.

People must not take filing taxes with the IRS for granted and as a means for getting unwarranted large sums from the government. To do this is to commit tax fraud, the very crime for which the once popular and influential Broward sheriff was convicted. It is much better to negotiate with the IRS and pay them in installments if necessary than trying to play hard and fast with the rules, to avoid paying the debt. Moreover, professional tax accountants should be sought out to prepare tax returns if there is a problem or if people are not sufficiently knowledgeable in that area.

It is the time of year when many ponder about it out loud in disbelief.

Sometimes it is posed as a rhetorical question to a friend, relative or associate, not really wanting an answer, but seeking some confirmation that their observation is correct. Did this year really go by faster than last year? A resounding ‘yes’ or nod of the head in the affirmative always supports the observation.

Really though, did the past 12 months go by any faster? Did the earth pick up speed in its rotation around its axis and cause us to have shorter days. Are our days now 23 hours long? To many it may appear that way, and maybe it might need further investigation. With global warming and all the various changes to our environment, we might just be off in the time measuring department as well.

Here is a quick refresher course on what we learnt in geography back in school. The earth rotates at a uniform rate on its axis once every 24 hours. Turning in an eastward direction the sun "rises" in the east and seemingly "travels" toward the west during the day. The sun isn't actually moving; it's the eastward rotation towards the morning sun that makes it appear that way. This exposure to the sun creates daylight hours and depending on the time of year, certain parts of the earth is exposed to more daylight hours, but still within the 24 hours of complete rotation.

Once every 365 ¼ days the earth revolves around the sun. For convenience, the quarter day is added as an extra day in February to create a leap year and make up for lost time, so to speak. The constant movement of the earth around its axis and around the sun is what gives us day and night; spring, summer, autumn and winter and other seasonal changes as the world turns. Any slight deviation from this would throw the whole solar system out of sync and create major changes in weather patterns and the environment as a whole here on earth.

Victory by the Patrick Manning led People’s National Movement (PNM) in Trinidad is not surprising. Although there were speculations that the new third party in Trinidad, the Congress of the People (COP) led by former Bank of Trinidad Governor, Winston Dookeran, could pull off an upset, this wasn’t really on the cards. In the history of the Caribbean, wherever there are two long standing political parties like the PNM and the United National Conference (UNC) in Trinidad, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for a third party to intervene and be victorious at the polls.

Evidence of this was stark in Jamaica some years ago when the current prime minister and leader of the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) left to form a third party, the National Democratic Movement (NDM). Like in Trinidad, there was speculation that this third party led by a renowned politician, and consisting of other popular politicians would have fared well in elections held in 1997, but like Dookeran and the COP, never won one seat, and it wasn’t too long that the NDM became irrelevant in Jamaican politics.

It can be safely said that until a third party that really can present a platform that indicates that it can present a significant, realistic and positive alternative to the status quo, third parties will hardly make a difference to the two-party system that exists in most Caribbean countries.

In the Trinidadian elections, the UNC jointly lead by former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday and international football executive, Jack Warner, surprised many by winning 15 of the 41 seats contested. One wonders, as so many Trinidadian national and political analysts had claimed, that if Dookeran had been able to come to terms with Panday, would the UNC been able to win the additional 6 seats and win the elections? As the elections are further analyzed a clear answer to this question should be revealed.

As it is now Patrick Manning has been given a clear mandate to run the affairs of Trinidad for the next fie years. He has broken a growing trend in the Caribbean, seen in recent elections, where the opposition parties have been defeating incumbent government parties. Manning’s victory should auger well for CARICOM, as with the ruling committee of that regional body consisting of the leaders of each Caribbean nation, frequent changes in these countries leadership will tend to place challenges on the smooth continuity of the policies of the organization.

It is ironic that coinciding with the opening of the (Caribbean) Regional Conference on Crime and Security at the University of the West Indies, Mona, on Monday, it was announced that Jamaica’s crime rate has exceeded 1100, and that on that day four more people died violently in a controversial shootout involving the police.

Violent crime is rampant in almost every Caribbean country, and is seriously impacting on the region’s socio-economic health. Some reports indicate that the region is losing between 4 to 6 percent of potential tourism revenue as a result of crime. The issue of crime is perplexing leaders in the Caribbean and none have yet developed a successful solution.

There are two glaring facts that characterize crime in the Caribbean. One is that it is concentrated in the inner city communities, and two, an increasing number of youth is involved in violent crimes. These two characteristics show that there is a strong correlation between poverty and crime. Youth in inner city communities are usually poor, have very little reason to hope, and see violent criminal activities as both the way to earn some quick dollars, and obliterate the frustration that is associated with living in the inner cities. In short, there is a major problem existing in Caribbean inner cities not very different than the problems that affect the inner cities of America.

Another characteristic associated with crime that we must examine is the quick-solution approach taken by various regional governments to solve crime. This method is a reactive one that calls for governments to enhance the capabilities of their police force with more personnel, vehicles, and better weapons than that of the criminals. This is not the approach to turn back crime, but rather, unfortunately, it begets more crime, as it influences the already frustrated youth to react with even more violence widening the gap between inner city residents and these forces.

We certainly support the statement made by Dr. Jorge Lamas, of the Inter-American Development Bank, who in a presentation at the regional crime meeting said that, "Violence requires a multifaceted approach and trying to deal with these issues with a quick solution or one solution only leads to ineffective implementation of those solutions."