Is Bigger Better? . . . Ask Saint Kitts.

At 104 square miles Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest Caribbean country and is the 8th smallest in the world. With a population of about 45,000, it is also has the least residents in the Caribbean. Few Caribbean's actually realize that the country consists of two islands that are separated by about 2 miles of water (the island of Saint Kitts and the island of Nevis). Many times they are both referred to as just Saint Kitts, which is the larger of the two islands. In fact there has been attempts to establish the two islands as separate states.

Although Saint Kitts. . . and Nevis are very small, they have a significant history. A few interesting facts are:

- Saint Kitts was the first British and French colony in the West Indies. The British established it as a colony in 1624, and then became the first French colony when they claimed it in in 1625. The island was used as a base to settle the rest of the new world. -Alexander Hamilton, was born in Nevis then later became the the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. (It's ironic how hard it is for Caribbean's to access America when many of their founding fathers are from the islands) - Due to sugar cane exports and tourism, Saint Kitts and Nevis generates revenue (GDP) for its population. It has one of the highest highest per capita incomes in the Caribbean.

What is the Commonwealth & How does it affect Caribbean?

Its safe to bet $1,000,000 that most people do not know anything about the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth of Nations or better known as The Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent and sovereign states. 51 of the 53 Commonwealths are former colonies of the United Kingdom. The other two are Mozambique, which was a Portuguese colony and lastly, the United Kingdom (UK) itself. The UK which is also known as Great Britain, includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Inside the Commonwealth, there is the 16 Commonwealth Realms which is where several Caribbean countries fall. The 16 Realms are:

Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
The Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Canada
Grenada
Jamaica
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Solomon Islands
Tuvalu
United Kingdom

What is the difference between the Realm and the rest of the Commonwealth? Other than letting the rest of the world know that we are cooler than them (just kidding), the above nations recognize the British monarchy. Therefore, none of the above countries are republics. They are all constitutional monarchies. As head of state for the Commonwealth Realms and the UK, Queen Elizabeth II has no real power but, her presence is mostly symbolic. In each Realm she is represented by a Governors-General who briefs her about the country’s affairs. Since the Commonwealth is not a political union, UK can not exercise any power over the affairs of the organization’s other members. However, the UK does promote economic growth and democracy.

Another, cool thing about being a member of the Commonwealth is the Commonwealth Games. Every four years the 53 Commonwealth members celebrate by holding the games. This is the world's second-largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games. So . . . that covers the basics. If you would like more information about the Commonwealth please visit www.thecommonwealth.org.

Riddims

Hopefully, everyone knows what a riddim is. If not, riddim is patois for rhythm. Although riddims are created by many producers and released by several labels, VP's line of compilation albums has become the definition of riddim. These albums have many tracks featuring a certain rhythm / beat. Several artists are given the opportunity to create a hit using the riddim. Several riddims have seen mainstream sucess in songs such such as Lumidee’s “Never Leave”, Sean Paul’s “Temperature” and many more big hits. VP comes out with several each year. They can be purchased at various stores and online at www.VPrecords.com. Here is a list of Riddims I came across:

• 2007
"Pepper Spray", "Z-March", "Gangsta Sittn", "Dreaming", "Mad Thing", "Drumline", "Heathen", "3 Star ", "Battlefield (Scatta Version)", "Battlefield", "Bright Beam", "Bullet", "Gardener", "Canary Diamonds", "Raging Bull", "Guardian Angel", "Serengeti", "Untouchable", "Spain Town", "Takeover", "Pimp Juice", "Mouth Badman", "Bellevue", "Cheerful"Clapz Riddim,Stock Track Riddim

• 2006
"Bullet Proof Vest", "Poison Gas", "Show Off", "Loud Disturbance", "Mad Indian", "Ridin' Dirty", "Power Cut", "Stick It Up", "Hot Wuk", "Quick Draw", "Top Class Bullet", "Ghetto Whiskey", "Sidewalk University", "Inspector", "Dem time Deh", "Wipe Out" (based on the surf music classic "Wipe Out" by The Surfaris), "High Altitude", "Sweat", "Smash", "Gangsta Rock", "Hard Slam", "Gully Slime", "Stage Show", "Baddis Ting", "World Cup", "Bulletproof Vest", "Cashley", "Limbo", "Full Draw", "Breaking News", "Cross Breed", "Bill Back", "Redbull & Guinness", "After Dark", "Higher Octane", "Eighty Five", "Supernatural", "XXL", "Yardstep", "Womba", "War Time", "Warzone", "Wildfire", "Tyrant", "Tropical Storm", "Solution"

• 2005
"12 Gauge", "Seasons", "Jonkanoo", "Sweet Sop", "Applause", "Cry Baby", "Bubble Up", "State Of Emergency", "Global", "Strivers", "Bionic Ras", "Lion Paw", "Istanbul", "Ganja Farmer", "Rose Apple", "Bounce", "Ice Breaka", "Yellow Tape", "World Jam" (it actually is an old riddim from the 80s but it was brought back by Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley with his hit song "Welcome to Jamrock") , "Throwback Giggy", "Jump Off", "Siren", "X-Factor", "Sleepy Dog", "Tsunami"

• 2004
"Mad Instruments", "Hot Gyal", "Hard Times", "Rah Rah", "Clear", "Chakka Chakka", "Kopa", "Father Jungle Rock", "Stepz", "Dancehall Rock", "Scoobay", "Military", "Check It Back", "Tunda Clap", "Strip Tease", "Drop Leaf", "Seasons", "Bad Gal", "Gallop", "Double Barrel", "French Vanilla", "Summer Bounce", "Sunshine"

• 2003
"Lime Key", "Ching Chong", "Hindu Storm", "Panty Raid", "Dreamweaver", "Masterpiece", "Clappas", "Krazy", "C-4", "Egyptian", "Good To Go", "Coolie Dance", "Salsa", "Scream", "Forensic", "All Out", "Sexy Lady Explosion"

• 2002
"Diwali", "Mad Ants", "Bad Kalic", "Mexican", "Bollywood", "Engine", "Hard Drive", "Rematch", "Tabla", "Thai Chi", "The Violin", "Time Bomb", "Wash Out", "White Liva", "Zero Tolerance", "Famine", "Battery", "Liquid"

• 2001
"Unstoppable", "Top-A-Top", "The Rock", "The Buzz", "Run", "Rice And Peas", "Mento", "Martial Arts", "Itch", "Hennessey", "Heavyweight", "Glue", "Fire Glare", "Fiesta", "Energy", "Dun Dem", "Candle Wax"

• 2000
"Lightning", "Yard Bounce", "Virus", "Quban", "Blazing", "Advice", "F-150", "Heat Wave", "G-Spot", "Joker", "Volume", "Orgasm", "Chiney Gal", "Full Moon", "Hurricane", "You Should Have Known", "Tixx", "Bad Weather", "Filthy"

• 1999
"All Purpose", "Bada Bada", "Street Sweeper", "Grass Cyaat", "Sail Away", "Unda Wata", "Bellyass", "Bug/Clone", "Bitter Blood", "Haunted"

Which Caribbean Country has the Strongest Currency?

How far can $1 go? Obviously currency is not worth the same everywhere. Exchange rates change by the hour but this will give you a general idea of how much a US Dollar (USD) goes for back home. The values below were calculated on March 19, 2007. Remember 1 British Pound (GBP) is about 1.95 USD so if you want to get an idea of how much your pound is worth you can double the figures below

COUNTRY ANGUILLA ANTIGUA & BARBUDA ANTILLES ARUBA BARBADOS BELIZE CAYMAN ISL. CUBA DOMINICA GRENADA HAITI HAITI JAMAICA MARTINIQUE MONTSERRAT ST KITTS - NEVIS ST LUCIA ST VINCENT & GRENADINES TRINIDAD & TOBAGO TURKS & CAICOS ISL. VIRGIN ISL. (BRITISH) VIRGIN ISL. (U.S.)

CURRENCY E.C. Dollar E.C. Dollar Guilder Florin Dollar Dollar Dollar Peso E.C. Dollar E.C. Dollar Gourde Dollar Dollar Franc E.C. Dollar E.C. Dollar E.C. Dollar E.C. Dollar Dollar Dollar Dollar Dollar

ISO XCD XCD ANG AWG BBD BZD KYD CUP XCD XCD HTG USD JMD FRF XCD XCD XCD XCD TTD USD USD USD

1 USD = 2.69 2.69 1.78 1.77 2.00 2.00 0.83 1.00 2.69 2.69 35.95 1.00 61.32 4.93 2.69 2.69 2.69 2.69 6.14 1.00 1.00 1.00

*For current exchange rates please visit Exchangerate.com