Britain imposes direct rule of Turks and Caicos isles

(CNN) -- Britain says it has suspended the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands and imposed direct rule after allegations of systemic corruption and "serious dishonesty".

Former Turks and Caicos Islands Premier Michael Misick, shown here with his wife, LisaRaye, could be investigated.
British Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant said he instructed the British governor of the island territory to suspend the ministerial government and the House of Assembly for as long as two years.

Bryant said his order also suspends the constitutional right to trial by jury in the Turks and Caicos.

"This is a serious constitutional step which the UK government has not taken lightly, but these measures are essential in order to restore good governance and sound financial management," Bryant said in a statement.

"It remains our intentions that elections should be held by July 2011, if not sooner. It is also important that the people of Turks and Caicos Islands continue to have a voice in the interim and the order puts in place an advisory council and consultative forum to make sure this happens."

The move follows allegations of corruption in the Turks and Caicos, a British Overseas Territory of eight major islands and numerous uninhabited keys, 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast of Miami, Florida.

The British government set up a commission of inquiry in July 2008 to look into possible corruption or other serious dishonesty in recent years of past and present elected members of the legislature.

The commission's report, delivered May 31, found "information in abundance pointing to a high probability of systemic corruption and/or serious dishonesty" in the Turks and Caicos, the Foreign Office said.

"This, together with clear signs of political amorality and immaturity and of general administrative incompetence, demonstrated a need for urgent suspension in whole or in part of the constitution and for other legislative and administrative reforms," the Foreign Office said.

The report also recommends criminal investigations into former Premier Michael Misick and four of his former Cabinet ministers.

"This is not a 'British takeover,'" said Gordon Wetherell, governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands. "Public services will continue to be run by people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, as indeed they should be. But I hope we can now begin to run them better."

Queen Elizabeth is the head of state of the British territory, and the governor is her official representative.

The governor is responsible for defense; external affairs; internal security, including the islands' police force; and the appointment of some public officials, but he is normally required to act on the advice of the Cabinet.

The islands' ministerial system includes the premier and six other ministers who must act according to Cabinet policies.

Are Black women promoting obesity with their big booties!

AS A CURVACEOUS,CARIBBEAN WOMAN, I was actually taken aback by what I read online in a article. I have included some of the article, as well as some of my thoughts.
ENJOY....

But it’s the reporter who’s the biggest ass. The tagline of the article hints at things to come: “Many blacks love big women, but having a rump the size of Buffie the Body’s can put women at risk for disease.” And it only gets better:(THIS IS TAKEN FROM THE ARTICLE.....

Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder and need not justify itself. I love (non-steroidal) body builders’ physiques and, pre-kids, I know people that are hardcore gym rats. My own mother found my buff body distasteful, though it would have taken Gitmo to make her admit it (my family deputized a representative to ask me if I was gay). So, my issue is not with a butt fetish per se. Fetishizing large rumps (though “large” doesn’t tell you the half of it without the pix) is, of course, no better or worse than fetishizing plastic blimp-breasts, except that the latter could be considered safer. Their supply can be halted, surgeons are regulated, patients are monitored and, of course, the bearers themselves can have the implants removed. But the best way to get a gargantuan ass of urban-lad-mag size is to be obese; this is also the path to ill health and early death for black women, as Buffie’s lifestyle amply demonstrates.

Yes, you read that right: It is healthier to undergo surgery where a doctor slices your breasts open and stuffs two saline-filled baggies into your chest than it is to have a naturally big ass.


Recent press reports show why black women should be alarmed: More than half of us are obese — 78 percent are considered overweight. And, according to the American Obesity Association, the pounds are not coming off easily, due to “cultural factors related to diet, exercise and weight among African-Americans.” The Centers for Disease Control finds that rates of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer and premature death are higher among black women, and when we get these diseases, we’re sicker than white women. But here’s the kicker: Womenshealth.gov reports that “compared with overweight white Americans, overweight black Americans are two to three times more likely to say their weight is average — even after they’ve been told they are overweight or obese by a doctor (emphasis added). It’s one thing not to “see” that you need to lose weight. It’s quite another to reject that knowledge from the medical professional you sought out.

She’s right that we should be alarmed about disproportionate obesity rates in certain communities — but instead of examining the complex causes of obesity rates, she defaults to victim-blaming. Women of color are more likely to be poor than white women. They are less likely to have adequate health care access. When you’re poor, you’re going to buy food that you can afford, and things like fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and fish aren’t exactly cheap — or even available in many communities. If most of your shopping is done at the corner bodega, you’re not going to be walking out with a nice salmon fillet for dinner — you’re going to get the frozen fish sticks. If you have $20 to spend on food for your family, you’re going to buy the 10-for-$1 Top Ramen, not the $1.50-each organic apples. Government subsidies make high-fructose corn syrup incredibly cheap, further compromising the healthiness of processed food. Healthy, high-quality food is pricey, and out of reach for many people. Not to mention the fact that busy parents who work all day don’t have time to prepare complicated, health-centered meals. Plus there’s the fact that exercise is expensive — gyms cost money, athletic shoes and gear cost money, sports teams cost money, and on and on.

But instead of dealing with the hard issues — poverty, lack of health care access — the author would rather just fat-shame, and encourage men to reject fat women:

To the degree that this black fat preference is simply a determination to pooh-pooh anything “white,” blacks need to grow up. If it’s simply ignorance, well, now we know and when you know better you’re supposed to do better. Sorry, brothers, but just as I learned to reject “hard bodies” that are the result of steroids, y’all need to reject “lard bodies” that are, at least in part, the result of slow suicide to please you. Just as other cultures have had to discourage certain customs — bound feet, corsets and hoop skirts — blacks have to learn to see a seriously overweight sister not just as freewheeling and “down” enough to enjoy her fried pork chops but as a woman who might be putting her health at risk. Sisters, there ain’t nobody to blame but yourself when you Southern fry yourself, complete with coveted ass, into Forest Lawn while your kids are still in elementary school. MeMe Roth’s anti-obesity campaign may be seriously askew, but so is sacrificing your health to blimp yourself into a Buffie.


We’ll conveniently ignore the fact that men are more likely to be obese than women. They’re dudes, though, and we’re talking about self-involved bitches who will (and should) change their bodies to suit the preferences of men

CLEARLY THE WRITER OF THIS ARTICLE IS NOT CLEAR ON THEIR FACTS. Their are not just curvy "(or as they put it obese)"black women . They now come in all colors, races, and ethnic backgrounds. I dont know i'm really apalled by these two authors....WHAT DO YOU THINK?