CALYPSO: TIME TO MOVE FROM CONTROVERSY TO PARADIGM

Is it a paradox to claim that the more Soca “degenerates”, the better Calypso becomes? Are the degenerate underground versions of “Twanche” Soca art forms anyway? Whatever it is, ‘twas a time when there was a popular perception that Soca was “overtaking” Calypso, to the extent that some pundits even thought that the former might have had a significantly deleterious effect on the later. Perhaps, it did! Perhaps, it did not!

There is no doubt that Soca - because of its infectious and appealing “African-inspired” rhythm - is more marketable and even more sustainable than Calypso. It is played in dancehalls almost all year round; it has more international appeal; it is superlatively more entertaining; and indeed, it seems very user-friendly to the thousands of tourists visiting our shores every year. Hence, it is tenable to claim that it is potentially a better promotional and marketing tool for the Caribbean islands.

MIGHTY ARROW

Take, for example, the late Mighty Arrow from Montserrat; despite coming from one of the smallest Caribbean islands, his “Hot, Hot, Hot” selection took the world by storm and became a universal “Soca anthem”. (Incidentally, that tune still brings significant posthumous honour and reward to Arrow’s estate.)

ED WATSON

Also, who can forget Ed Watson’s “Hot Soca” and the string of hits by “Burning Flames” from Dominica, “Becket” from St. Vincent, to name a few. Those songs were so “hot” and “juked so hard” that they would perhaps even make Queen Elizabeth and Pope Paul want to shake their “bamsy”. Papa Vader’s “Walk and Wine” also followed in those footsteps but it didn’t quite achieve the monumental success of Arrow’s “Hot, Hot, Hot”. Later on, Rootsy’s explosive “Riding West” offered great potential; but in the last analysis, it remained largely confined to the St. Lucian diaspora.

ST. LUCIA'S PAPA VADER

It is noteworthy that there was one defining attribute about all the songs cited above: Quite apart from being hot and their “universal appeal”, they were generally suitable for all public audiences, irrespective of class, age, race and religion; and we must applaud the artistes/composers for that achievement.

KING OF SPOOGE: DRAYTON 2

Nowadays, despite the qualitative and quantitative improvements to Soca music and widespread local and regional popularity, it is beginning to look like its universal impact has (with age) become less. And the question is: Is Soca facing a downward spiral from the position it was, despite the proliferation and seeming “commercial success” of the art form? Does it potentially face the same fate as some of its predecessors (like Bajan Spooge, Dominican Cadencelypso and Guyanese Lopi) which all had sweet/hot rhythms (like Soca) and yet suffered at the hands of obsolescence?

Undoubtedly, the commercial potential of Soca cannot be over-emphasised; but, in my own opinion, it is still an experiment with calypso - just as dancehall is an experiment with reggae. In my own view, one of the things that attest to that is its “open source”, computer-generated, studio-type musical improvisations without a clearly defined musical ethos and still in search of integrity and even “identity” – in the way that an adolescent is in search for his/her identity. In fact, some versions (in my view again) are like “Stonelove dub-plates” fetching a buyer from the sound system industry but they are so crude and pappyshow-like, that few persons buy them; so they are relegated to underground status. And in the absence of an identity and integrity, I fear they may be subject to a high degree of vulnerability.

I have an uncanny feeling that as soon as the urge for “the jump and wave”, “raise the flag” and “are you ready to go” refrains die, then the music will begin to face an “irreversible decrement”, especially if it does not structurally reconfigure itself.

On the other hand, despite its “lower profile”, Calypso (like reggae) is an established and original art form with a distinct identity and permanence about it; and pari passu (I will argue) there is a reciprocal “transience” with Soca that has not passed the test of time.

In spite of its progress, I have to admit though that calypso has not achieved the magnitude of success and marketing penetration attributable to Soca. I guess one of the underlying reasons may be that Calypso is less musically infectious; too lyrically-loaded and message-driven; too politically-inspired; and so it tends to be too idiosyncratic, if not too “caviare” to achieve universal appeal.

In that context, we can in a sense describe Calypso as “religious”; and Soca as “agnostic”. In my opinion, Calypso may be compared to earliest-century “Roman Catholicism” and Soca as the emerging new “faith-based” and “non-faith-based” organisations.

Let me try put Calypso and Soca into some sort of theoretical framework to give context to the discussion. I will contend that Soca is a strand of Calypso with two sub-strands: mainstream and underground. The “mainstream” sub-strand is the dominant and “universal” form. It is what was/is courted by reputable artistes and it is the force that drove the progress of the art form to international heights. Also, it is/was the Soca performed by Arrow, Invader, Ed Watson, Burning Flames and the like. The “underground” sub-strand is the equivalent of the Lucian “Twanche” (a daggering version of Soca) and it has – in its various forms - worked itself into our broadcast media and hence, has been ascribed “mainstream status”. I would have to include Ricky T, Yardie, Mad Elle, Exodus, Gros Islet etc in that category.

DAGGERING

Lucian “Twanche” bears much resemblance to “daggering”, which became so problematic in Jamaica that it had to be compulsorily regulated. Some of us who are old enough will remember the varying strands of Reggae/Ska ranging from the “ridiculous to the sublime” permeated the Jamaican musical landscape at any given time. The ridiculous was always unfit for airplay. Daggering incidentally falls under the category of the ridiculous!

MORE DAGGERING

In St. Lucia, some of our radio DJs do not seem to have developed the faculty to differentiate, and there seems to be no censorship policy to assist in that regard. They unconscionably and indiscriminately blast “lewd music” on the airwaves at will and at all times. In fact, they have made the extreme underground Soca the dominant type of Soca music hitting the airwaves and we seem to be very comfortable with that.

But amidst all the skirmishes and other challenges, Lucian Kaiso deserves a round of applause for maintaining a progressive curve. When it comes to lyrics, word craft and melody, I believe our local calypso is perhaps “toe to toe” with Trini Calypso and may even at this point in time have an edge over it.

A special round of applause to “Papa” this year for his three superb compositions: “Congratulations”, “Shhh” and the pulsating “For-A-Cut”. All three pieces are superbly crafted. “Congratulations” is a qualitatively superior piece of double entendre, superbly interwoven with a tinge of quadrille/kweyol music: “Congratulations to all women in positions; they like their post”. “Shhh” is another masterpiece of prototypic calypso: “Anytime Stephenson talking . . . ‘SHHH’ . . . Hush your mouth”. And “For-A-Cut” gives us a pungent account of a “for cut” society.

Although it is still early days (for we haven’t heard from “Ambassadors” and “Take Over Tent (TOT)” yet), I’m very encouraged by the initial menu of calypsos. AG Simpson’s “For Love of Country” is a very good calypso improvisation. AG seems to have finally found his calypso groove with that song and I believe the song has potential to go places. He must be credited for bringing in a uniqueness which has added a distinctive richness to Lucian Calypso. This is well-deserved “value-added”!

Notwithstanding much improvement in the art form, many critical issues remain unresolved. For example, are mission and vision driven? Do we need a new Calypso/Soca paradigm which would enable us to define and redefine Soca and Calypso? Specifically, do we have a clear road map of where we want our music to go? How do define or even demarcate creativity in the context of the road map? Should we subscribe to explicitly lewd vocal and physical expressions as acceptable manifestations of creativity? Where do we draw the demarcation line of integrity in our lyrics and performance? In the name of creativity, is there “space” for the profoundly negative underground Soca and if so, how much? In fact, is underground Soca relevant and what are the policies that should shape its development and regulate its preponderance of lewdness?

I understand very well that a vital element of any art form is creativity; but calypso is not all creativity. It’s also about production, engineering, policy framework, management and national development among other things! All are important variables in the calypso equation.

St. Lucia may well be making progress but is it enough?

I think the time is now right to step up to the plate, to give clarity and definition to some of these issues, to move from controversy to paradigm.

Perhaps, the controversy may well be a indicator that point to the need for a more structured “music” paradigm; one that will not only encourage growth but also a sense dignified identity. And perhaps, the establishment of the new “creative industries” ministry may well be our Sputnik moment to reconfigure our music industry in a progressive way.

BE VERY CAREFUL HON EMMA HIPPOLYTE!

HON EMMA HIPPOLYTE

The Spam email from Emma was not the first of its kind. It was headed: “Terrible Situation......Please i need your help” (see Textbook 2). A similar email was dispatched from Dedan “Gilo” Jn Baptiste (Blog Editor for Choiseul-on-the Move) on the same day (See Textbox 1). I didn't know of the Minister's whereabouts; but I knew for a fact that Gilo was in Roblot, Choiseul and that there was no way he could be stranded in Godliman Street, London, as the email suggested. 

TEXT BOX 1: GILO'S SPAM EMAIL

Previously, a similar spam caused Dr Tennyson Joseph much embarrassment to the point where he had to abandon his hacked email account.

Many high profile public and private figures have been victims/subjects of that type of attempted cyber-fraud and malice.

TEXTBOOK 2: EMMA'S SPAM EMAIL

Two questions are: (1) How is it possible that those Spams can happen? And why would a service provider allow their embarrassing proliferation which can potentially bring so much psychological harm to the victims? 

This time around, the Powerhouse decided to do a little bit of investigative cyber-journalism. Our Telecommunications consultant was commissioned to look into Emma’s email and provide us with some insight and feedback on what could have possibly happened.

UWI LECTURER: DR TENNYSON JOSEPH

The consultant reported: “These emails almost always originate from Nigeria. In this case the email was sent from an IP address linked to an African domain (does not necessarily mean the person is from that part of the world).”

He further reported: “Someone may be running an open mail relay on his server/PC. Anyone (anywhere) can connect to these and pretend the traffic came from there.)”

DEDAN GRIFFITH "GILO" JN BAPTISTE

An open mail relay (OMR) is an SMTP server configured in such a way that it allows anyone on the Internet to send e-mail through it, not just mail destined to or originating from known users. OMR was the default configuration in many mail servers. In fact, it was the way the Internet was initially set up; but OMRs have become unpopular they are generally exploited by spammers and worms – as apparently was the case of an organisation propagating those unfortunate Spam emails in the names of unsuspecting victims. Consequently, many relays were closed, or were placed on blacklists by other servers.

The PowerHouse consultant went on to identify the name of the company where the email originated, namely the African & Indian Ocean Internet Registry (AfriNIC - http://www.afrinic.net). He gave us the email address (abusepoc@afrinic.net) and telephone number (+230 4666616) and suggested that the company would have to be contacted for further details.

We learned from the AfriNIC Website (http://www.afrinic.net) that “AfriNIC is a web-based portal designed for AfriNIC members to manage their contact information, resources, billing and support requests through a simple, graphical, user-friendly interface”.

The operations of the company are run by a board of directors. It seems to be a pretty reputable organization.

The question is: why would a seemingly reputable organization allow itself to be embroiled in that mess?

In our attempt to get to the bottom of the matter, we took the advice of our consultant and placed a call to the AfriNIC. In our first attempt, we got a voicemail. So we tried again next day!

This time, Bingo! We got through! The lady who answered categorically denied any such knowledge and involvement of her company. She then asked for my name and telephone number and said she would put me onto someone who could assist me. When the call apparently didn’t go through, she promised to call back.

Davina Armon
Member Services Liaison

Yes! Indeed she returned the call almost immediately. She said she was calling from Mauritius and her name was Davina Armon. Among other things, she requested the IP address of the Spammer! She always requested that the email (with the complete header) be forwarded to her (at hostmaster @afrinic.net) and promised that her company would investigate fully.

I have already received an acknowledgement of the email sent to Afrinet and they promised to reply within one day.

Meanwhile, we implore the victims (or potential victims) of that type of Spam to be extra careful, for even when we know those emails are Spam, we are also aware of the consequences, especially for people like Minister Emma Hippolyte. Among other things, we implore internet users to always logoff from their email account, especially when they use a public computer and be careful of suspicious emails or websites.

We will keep you posted on our findings!

A PLEA FOR THE POOR AND THE INDIGENT

The Park Estate youth embraced Lorne fully during the campaign

I unreservedly subscribe to a “sociological school of thought” that life in Park Estate has been circumscribed by perennial poverty since the days of slavery; and naturally, I will also subscribe to a belief in certain circles that Park inhabitants have continued to toil under harsh “plantation” conditions, even when slavery was formally abolished since 1838. In short, I will play historian and boldly state that “slavery” seemed to have never been abolished in Park Estate!

Around Xmas time, the Park Estate boys make their own toys

The school of thought that the present day conditions in Park may be similar to conditions during the days of slavery is not totally unfounded. At least, it provides a partial framework which helps to explain the widespread poverty and indigence that grips that micro-community. In addition, it is a claim supported by the empirical data.

The table below presents data from the 2010 Housing and Population Census.

Table Comparing Park Estate, Fond Campeche and Cap Estate

	Parc Estate	Choiseul/ Saltibus	St. Lucia	Fond Campeche	Cap Estate/ Gros Islet
No of persons	99	8533	*146,016	74	432
BasicNeeds Index	10.84	13.25	14.83	9.16	29.82
UnemploymentRate	31	21.63	20.8	37.50	5.00
No of household	28	2,766	49,707	22	157
Overcrowding	1.35	1.28	1.31	1.94	0.85
No unemployed	15	882	15,661	12	11
No employed	34	3018	59,624	20	227

Park Estate receiving Lorne

According to the table, Park Estate is a small community with only 28 households and a population of 99 persons.

With a very low “basic needs index” of 10.84, it is ranked the poorest community in the Choiseul/Saltibus constituency and 18^th poorest in the nation. (The average basic needs index for the constituency is 13.25 and the average for the entire island is 14.83. So you can see that conditions in Park are both below the constituency average and the nation’s average.)

Getting to Park Estate on a rainy day can be nightmare

About one-half (n=50) of the inhabitants of Park Estate is economically inactive. Those 50 persons include children, housewives, retired and disable persons.  The unemployment rate is 31%, with 34 persons employed, and 15 unemployed. The average unemployment rate for the constituency of Choiseul/Saltibus is 21.63%.

The conditions in Park do not seem vastly different from those in Fond Campeche (both fall below the 10^th percentile). In fact, there may not be a significant statistical difference between the two communities.

An Historical Masterpiece on the way to Park

I wish to call on the government and the relevant social agencies to urgently consider designing and implementing community renewal/poverty reduction initiatives targeting the very poor communities (especially Park Estate) to free them from the jaws of indigence! Even with large amounts of Taiwanese funds at its disposal, the last administration did a terrible job with its poverty reduction programmes.

To say the least, it was cruel in the way that SSDF implemented “social transformation” and “community empowerment” programmes. It is clear that the lion’s share of the allocations for poverty reduction was directed to "Pork Barrel" projects and the wealthy areas of the North, while Fond Campeche, Baron’s Drive, Roseau and Park Estate languished in conditions of poverty. 

Perhaps, the Government should begin to consider the commissioning of a forensic audit into the operations of the SSDF to find out why those "poorest of the poor" communities did not receive the attention they deserved.

WEST INDIES CRICKET SUFFERING MUCH COLLATERAL DAMAGE

Christopher Gayle’s re-entry and Ernest Hilaire’s imminent exit from West Indies Cricket may be worthy of profound reflection, partly because of the limitations these two "monster" gladiators have imposed on our progress in the game.

And indeed two questions merit reflection and analysis: (1) Are Chris Gayle and Ernest Hilaire the biggest failures in contemporary West Indies cricket? (2) Has WI cricket suffered irretrievable collateral damage in the struggle between these two warring gladiators?

While Gayle - a product seeking the highest bidder - brought much honour and glory to himself in the DLF/IPL T20 format of the game, he may equally have also jeopardized his own legacy in West Indies cricket. No amount of money earned can erase or reverse that legacy.

Comparatively speaking, despite Gayle’s formidability with the bat – earning the reputation as a hard-hitting colossus - and his overwhelming success at the IPL level, Gayle must be regarded as a colossal failure in West Indies cricket; and given the circumstances that circumscribe international test cricket, he may well continue this trend of failure, despite being an IPL multi-millionaire.

When Hilaire assumed the position of CEO, many of us had high expectations of him. We thought he was bringing a “calculus” to the table for helping WI out of the black holes of vandettas and skirmishes that crippled our progress in cricket; only to discover that he too fell into those same holes and might have even augmented them.

The reality is WIPA soon recognized Hilaire’s leadership weaknesses and exploited them mercilessly. In that sense, Hilaire typified the contemporary West Indian batsman, constantly falling into the “bowling traps” that WIPA set for him. Amidst all this, the sorry story of collateral damage to west Indies cricket continued unabated.

It is against that background that that Professor Beckles article “Cricket, Cash and Country” – despite being WICB-centric - is relevant. It is a brilliant academic treatise on contemporary WI cricket and it has far-reaching significance.

The thesis underpinning the Professor’s article is our cricket is now driven by a sense of self-seeking materialism, and not necessarily by patriotism. That view was underscored by Gayle’s irresistible performances in the recently concluded DFL/IPL. His recording-setting knock of 128 (not out) for the RCB on same day that West Indies team was reeling at 243 for 9 against England at Lords was more than a symbolic representation of where Gayle was headed.

Even if RCB didn’t make it to the semifinal and final knockout stages, Gayle’s batting aggregate of over 750 runs was insurmountable at the end of the DLF/IPL series.

A few questions therefore emerge:

(1) Does Gayle only perform in proportion to magnitude of the monetary rewards?

(2) Can he transfer his mastery and consistency in T20 cricket to Test Cricket? 

(3) Has he now matured and is only now ready for the game?

Now that he has been called back into the team, we should soon know the answers to those questions. And whatever the answers, we will agree that it’s unfortunate that he has not brought that quality of batsmanship to test cricket, especially when it was most needed during his stint as captain of the WI team.

Indeed, Professor Beckles article provided us with a model to rationalise Gayle’s “transition” from average performances in international Test cricket to sheer brilliance and unbelievable consistency in the DLF-IPL T20 version of the game. In that regard, I want to pay tribute to Dr Beckles seeming “gut” feelings of honesty and seeming sense of patriotism.

On the other hand, Dr Beckles article also suggests that the Board may be in “a state of siege” and are looking for something to hang on! After all, we haven’t savoured victory for a long time now and any straw would be welcomed!

One such straw was the untenable attribution of a “Walcott-type captaincy” to Sammy. Yes, Sammy has shown some significant improvement!  But despite those (which include a maiden test century against the world’s top ranked team); but that attribution is largely hypothetical and perhaps too premature.  Sammy has had a few performance spikes; but tis much too early to award Sammy with any “Walcott-type” honour just yet!

The ultimate question is: Will the return of Gayle and the exit of Hilaire make a difference? Will it lay the framework for a better West Indies cricket? If Gayle’s propensity for power-hitting can terrorized his adversaries on the field of play, then it may well bring some short-term gain to the WI; but I must confess that the future lies not with Gayle, but with the younger generation (Sammy, Bravo (Darren), Samuels, Ramdin, Narine, Roach and Rampaul); once these young guys can overcome the psychological hurdles and begin to bat and bowl with a sense of patriotism, courage and purpose, then we are well on our way!

With the warmongers getting out and the potential for the collateral damage minimized, there is perhaps no better time to begin to make a mark. 

All I can say is "Let us pray"!

MISCHIEVOUS NEWS SPINNERS: FROM ROCHAMEL I TO ROCHAMEL II:

No matter how much he tries to camouflage it, the political affiliation of NEWS SPIN Boss has apparently overcome his mental faculties! His Newsspin programme on Wednesday amply evidenced that.

When the News Spin Boss best  political friend (and comedian from Dennery) called to make a case for the impeachment of Kenny in the Grynberg matter, he allowed him unlimited latitude; there was hardly an attempt to bring him in check. In fact, I got a veiled impression that the intercourse between them was by and large stage-managed!

My view was substantiated when the next two callers (who were far more impartial and less passionate) phoned in to rebuff the comedian; the Boss immediately went rabid and “in the full view” of public’s ear nakedly attempted to dishonorably discredit them.  

According to Boss, the subject was “twas caviary to the general” for a restaurateur and Taxi driver to partake. He promptly dismissed them as “conceptually incapable” of making a contribution to the discussion because they were not lawyers he claimed. (What a position by a journalist whose verified competencies continue to remain a mystery!)

The Boss constantly proclaims to be a “believer” in facts; and he generally demands facts from his listeners to corroborate their claims. Unfortunately, he is highly selective in the application of his own principle; and does not seem to generally subscribe to it.

His apparent attempt to re-frame Grynberg into a “Rochamel II” – after “Rochamel I” self-destruct(ed) - is a case in point. It is apparent that he has not taken time to thoroughly ground himself in the facts and the law surrounding Rochamel II; so he continues to play games with his listeners and in the process blissfully courts potentially lethal legal claims “skirting the issue”, as was the case with his comedian from Dennery.

The fact is, based on the Interpretation Act of 2001, the PM did have the authority to sign the “Rochamel II” contract and I’ll soon provide the evidence; but let us first look at what the Minerals Vesting Act (2001) says, with reference to granting licences:

   

4.       Prohibition of prospecting and mining except by licence (1)     A person shall not prospect for or mine any minerals except by authority of a licence granted by the Governor General and in accordance with the terms and conditions specified in the licence. (2)     Any person who contravenes the provisions of subsection (1) of this section commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 and to a further fine not exceeding $50 for each day during which the contravention continues. (3)     This section shall not be taken as authorising the prospecting for or mining of any minerals in, on or upon any land except with the consent of the owner or occupier of the land.

Under The Mineral vesting Act, it is categorically clear that the authority to grant a mining license “devolves” on the Government General; and the penalties for violation thereof are clearly stated in the Act.

However, we also have the “counter-intuitive” Interpretation Act of 2001 which guides the “interpretation” and “application” of the Mineral Vesting Act. Let's have a look at the specific and relevant provision(s):

42.     Signification of Governor GENERAL (1)     Where a function of the Governor General under an enactment is to be exercised in accordance with the advice of Cabinet, any instrument required to be issued in the exercise of that function, other than a Proclamation, warrant or instrument to be issued under the Public Seal, may be signified under the hand of the Secretary to the Cabinet, and such signification is sufficient for all purposes. (2)     Where a function of the Governor General under any enactment is to be exercised in accordance with the advice of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet, any instrument required to be issued in the exercise of that function, other than a Proclamation, warrant, or instrument to be issued under the Public Seal may be signified under the hand of the Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet, and such signification is sufficient for all purposes.

The Interpretation Act is a set of laws which makes provision for the interpretation of Acts of Parliament; hence, all legislation is interpreted/applied within the context of that frame of reference. Specifically, it provides rules of interpretation relating to the form, commencement and application of legislation; defining words and expressions in general legislative use, thereby reducing uncertainty. We might even want to call it the “Arbiter Act” for all legislation.

Under St. Lucia’s interpretation Act (Chapter 42), the power to sign agreements is delegated to two persons: the PM and the Cabinet secretary.

Martinus Francois must therefore be careful here. He must take time to understand the relationship in law between devolution and delegation, especially where the application of legislation is concerned.

But Martinus is hard of hearing. He believes that he is about to launch his new legal Sputnik: a monumental challenge to the violation of the Minerals (vesting) Act of 2001 by a sitting PM who is also a legal luminary; and he deludes himself by thinking that he has struck gold. But as I said, he must be extra careful that he is not orchestrating a “Rochamel II” with potentially even more disastrous legal implications than “Rochamel I”.

The fact is anyone can spin the facts and even the law; but in the last analysis, it is the decision of a court of law which matters – as was the case with “Rochamel I”

If I were Martinus, I would allow Tim and Rick to spin as much as they desire; they have to do so to sell their wares. It’s a journalistic investment. The most I would do in the circumstances would be provide them with a measure of legal counsel and perhaps they need it – along “human rights” lines; but  “taking the high legal ground” would be my preferred option - unless he wanted to continue from where Doddy left off!

Gayle formally recalled to West Indies squad

Daniel Brettig

June 5, 2012

Chris Gayle's 15-month international exile is over after he was formally recalled to the West Indies ODI squad for the forthcoming series against England, starting in Southampton on June 16.

In keeping with the fractious and drawn out nature of the dispute that kept Gayle out of the team, his recall was confirmed after a meeting of more political than selection nature in St Vincent. Gayle and his agent Michael Hall spoke with an array of political and cricket figures including the island's prime minister Ralph Gonsalves, Antigua and Barbuda prime minister Baldwin Spencer, WICB president Julian Hunte, WICB director Elson Crick and the WICB's legal officer Alanna Medford.

The meeting, devised to smooth over any "residual matters" between Gayle and the WICB, was followed by the announcement of the squad for the limited-overs segment of the England tour, with Gayle returning to the ranks for the first time since the 2011 World Cup.

"Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board recently met by teleconference and are pleased that consistent with his previous commitment Mr Chris Gayle has made himself available for selection to the West Indies team," a WICB statement had said of the meeting. "The board believes that Mr Gayle's stated commitment to West Indies cricket will be an asset to the team and looks forward to his contributions in that regard."

Gayle's recall was first mooted during West Indies' earlier home series against Australia, when he met with WICB officials to repair a relationship that had deteriorated around the emergence of Twenty20 and the rise of the Indian Premier League. It then dissolved entirely when the former captain criticised the coach Ottis Gibson and the WICB during a radio interview last year.

In England the mood for Gayle's return has gathered strength, pushed along by the words of Kevin Pietersen, who said it would be "brilliant for the game" if he was recalled, while the former West Indies fast bowler and widely respected commentator Michael Holding effectively challenged the WICB to stop delaying Gayle's rehabilitation as an international player.

Lendl Simmons is the other notable recall to the ODI team after he missed the home matches against Australia. Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell also return to the team for limited-overs matches after completing their IPL duties.

West Indies' ODI squad

Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy (capt), Dwayne Smith, Andre Russell, Tino Best, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine.

source: 

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-v-west-indies-2012/content/story/567294.html

Hurricane season forecast upped

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Monday June 4, 2012 – While still predicting a below average hurricane season, Colorado State University researchers have raised their forecast for the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season to 13 tropical storms, with five hurricanes and two major hurricanes.

Dr William Gray said "Nothing to worry about'

In April they forecast 10 tropical storms, with four strengthening into hurricanes and two becoming major hurricanes with winds of at least 111 miles per hour during the six-month season that began on June 1.

The revised numbers would still be slightly below average for hurricanes in the region that includes the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, the pioneering forecast team said.

An average season brings about 12 tropical storms, with six hurricanes and three major hurricanes ranking at Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale.

The CSU forecast includes the two Atlantic tropical storms that sprang up in May before the official start of the season. Tropical Storm Alberto formed and then fizzled off the South Carolina coast, while Tropical Storm Beryl came ashore near Jacksonville Beach, Florida, on Monday.

However, famed hurricane expert William Gray, who founded the Colorado State University forecasting team almost three decades ago, has said that two early storms are nothing to be alarmed about. "Historically, pre-1 June activity has very little bearing on the rest of the hurricane season," he said

Gray’s protégé and lead author of the forecasts, Phil Klotzbach, has said the revised forecast accounts for the El Nino factor. "We have increased our numbers slightly from our early April forecast, due largely to our uncertainty as to whether an El Nino will develop later this summer as well as somewhat marginal Atlantic basin conditions," he said,.

The El Nino weather pattern, marked by a warming of the tropical Pacific, tends to bring shearing winds that deter hurricane formation in the Atlantic. Several forecast groups have predicted El Nino would form by late summer, when the Atlantic hurricane season moves into its busiest period.

Source: http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/barbados_news/582418.html#ixzz1wuzTXEiP