Grenada in Turmoil May 21, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Grenada is an island country and sovereign state consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Grenada is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its size is 344 km², with an estimated population of 110,000. Its capital is St. George’s. The national bird of Grenada is the critically endangered Grenada Dove. The recorded history of Grenada begins in 1498. At the time the indigenous Island Caribs (Kalinago) who lived there called it Camahogne. The Spaniards did not permanently settle on Camahogne. Later the English failed their first settlement attempts, but the French fought and conquered Grenada from the Caribs circa 1650. The French conquest resulted in the genocide of 17th century Caribs from present-day Grenada. Warfare also existed between the Caribs of present day Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines with the French invaders. The French took control of Camahogne and named the new French colony La Grenade. La Grenade prospered as a wealthy French colony; its main export was sugar. The French established a capital known as Fort Royal in 1650 as ordered by Cardinal Richelieu. To wait out harsh hurricanes, the French navy would shelter in the capital’s natural harbour. No other French colony had a natural harbour to even compare with that of Fort Royal (later renamed St. George’s). The colony was ceded to the United Kingdom in 1763 by the Treaty of Paris. A century later, in 1877 Grenada was made a Crown Colony. The island was a province of the short-lived West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962.In 1967, Grenada attained the status of “Associated State of the United Kingdom”, which meant that Grenada was now responsible for her own internal affairs Free iPhone9, and the UK was responsible for her defence and foreign affairs. Independence was granted in 1974 under the leadership of the then Premier, Sir Eric Matthew Gairy, who became the first Prime Minister of Grenada.Civil conflict gradually broke out between Eric Gairy’s government and some opposition parties including the New Jewel Movement (NJM). Gairy’s party won elections in 1976 but the opposition did not accept the result, accusing it of fraudulence. In 1979, the New Jewel Movement under Maurice Bishop colon cleanse launched a paramilitary attack on the government resulting in its overthrow.The constitution was suspended and Bishop’s government ruled subsequently by decree. Cuban presence was welcomed and heavily invested in civic assistance (doctors, teachers, and technicians in the fields of health, literacy, agriculture, and agro-industries) during the ensuing era. Agrarian reforms started by the Gairy government were continued and greatly expanded under the revolutionary government of Maurice Bishop. The Invasion of Grenada, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, was a 1983 U.S.-led invasion of Grenada, a Caribbean island nation with a population of just over 100,000 located 100 miles (160 km) north of Venezuela. It was triggered by a military coup which ousted a brief revolutionary government. The successful invasion led to a change of government but was controversial due to charges of American imperialism, Cold War politics, the involvement of Cuba, the unstable state of the Grenadian government, and Grenada’s status as a Commonwealth realm.Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1974, but a 1979 revolution by the Marxist-Leninist New Jewel Movement roofing contractors suspended the constitution. After a 1983 internal power struggle ended with the deposition and execution of Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, the invasion began on October 25, 1983. A combined force of about 7.600 troops from the United States, Jamaica and members of the Regional Security System (RSS) defeated Grenadian resistance coffee pods and the military government of Hudson Austin was deposed. The invasion was criticized by the United Kingdom, Canada and the United Nations General Assembly, which condemned it as “a flagrant violation of international law”. It enjoyed broad public support in the United States as well as in some sectors in Grenada who viewed loan the post-coup regime as illegitimate. October 25 is a national holiday in Grenada, called Thanksgiving Day, to commemorate this event. Additionally, on 29 May 2009, the Point Salines International Airport was officially renamed in honour of the slain pre-coup leader Maurice Bishop by the Government of Grenada.The American invasion of Grenada was the sole case in the history of the Cold War of a Communist state successfully rolled back into a Democratic Capitalist nation Tignanello Handbags before the Revolutions of 1989. Sir Eric Gairy had led Grenada to independence from the United Kingdom in 1974. His term in office coincided with civil strife in Grenada. The political environment was highly charged and although Gairy – head of the Grenada United Labour Party backlink checker – claimed victory in the general election of 1976, the opposition did not accept the result as legitimate. The civil strife took the form of street violence between government supporters and gangs organized by the New Jewel Movement. In the late 1970s, the NJM began planning to overthrow the government. Party members began to receive military training outside of Grenada (Related: backlinks, short hair styles, campervan hire australia, accountants essex, jeff paul, wealthy affiliate, Albuquerque Homes for Sale, best gaming mouse, gas pressure washer, mortgage modification, computer consultant, salsa classes london, playstation2 video games, ideal weight for women, small business ideas). On March 13, 1979 while Gairy was out of the country, the NJM – led by Maurice Bishop – launched an armed revolution and overthrew Gairy’s government, establishing the People’s Revolutionary Government. Bishop then suspended the constitution and the New Jewel Movement ruled the country by decree, as Prime Minister of Grenada, until 1983. All other political parties were banned and no elections were to be held. Internationally, the government quickly aligned itself with Cuba kids furniture and other communist governments.On October 13, 1983, a party faction led by Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard seized power . Bishop was placed under house arrest. Mass protests against the action led to Bishop escaping detention and reasserting his authority as the head of the government. Bishop was eventually captured and murdered along with several government officials loyal to him. The army under Hudson Austin then stepped in and formed a military council how to get rid of love handles to rule the country. The Governor-General of Grenada, Paul Scoon, was placed under house arrest. The army announced a four-day total curfew where anyone seen on the streets would be subject to summary execution.After the United States invaded, Cuba released a series of official documents to the press. According to these documents, when the murder of Maurice Bishop was reported on October 20, the government of Cuba weight loss tips declared that it was “deeply embittered” by the murder and rendered “deep tribute” to the assassinated leader. The same official statement reported instructions to Cubans in Grenada that “they should abstain absolutely from any involvement in the internal affairs of the Party and of Grenada,” while attempting to maintain the “technical and economic collaboration that could affect essential services and vital economic assistance for the Grenadian people.” The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), then chaired by Eugenia Charles, the Prime Minister of Dominica roofing contractors; as well as the nations of Barbados, and Jamaica appealed to the United States for assistance. According to a reporter for the The New York Times, this formal appeal was at the behest of the US government, which had already decided to take military action. US officials cited the murder of Bishop and general political instability in a country near US borders, as well as the presence of US medical students at St. George’s University on Grenada, as reasons for military action. Sivapalan also claimed that the latter reason was cited in order to gain public support.On October 22, 1983, Fidel Castro sent a public message to “Cuban workers” in Grenada, stressing that they should take no action in the event of a US invasion unless they were “directly attacked.” Referring to the Point Salines International Airport, the message ordered, if US forces “land on the runway section near the university or on its surroundings to evacuate their citizens,” Cubans were “to fully refrain from interfering.” On October 26, Alma Guillermoprieto reported in The Washington Post that at a “post-midnight news conference” with “almost 100 foreign and local journalists,” Castro “released texts of what he said were diplomatic communications among Cuba, Grenada, christening gift ideas and the United States,” giving the essential facts. U.S. sources “confirmed the exchange of messages,” she added, but said they could not respond to Cuba at once because the telephone lines of the U.S. interest section in Havana wedding favors were down from the evening of October 23 to late at night on October 24.Reagan administration spokesman, Larry Speakes, said that “the U.S. disregarded Cuban and Grenadian assurances that U.S. citizens in Grenada would be safe because, ‘it was a floating craps game and we didn’t know who was in charge’.” The same issue was reported by Alan Berger in The Boston Globe on the same day.The Bishop government began constructing the Point Salines International Airport with the help of Britain, Cuba, Libya, Algeria, and other nations.The airport had been first proposed by the British government in 1954, when Grenada was still a British colony. It had been designed by Canadians, underwritten by the British government, and partly built by a London firm. The US government accused Grenada of constructing facilities to aid a Soviet-Cuban military build-up in the Caribbean, and to assist the Soviet and Cuban transportation of weapons to Central American insurgents . Bishop’s government claimed that the airport was built to accommodate commercial aircraft carrying tourists iPhone deals, pointing out that such jets could not land at the existing airport on the island’s north. Neither could the existing airport, itself, be expanded as its runway abutted a mountain.In 1982, then-Member of the United States House of Representatives Ron Dellums, traveled to Grenada on a fact-finding mission, having been invited by the country’s Prime Minister. Dellums described his findings before Congress lawyers based on my personal observations, discussion and analysis of the new international airport under construction in Grenada, it is my conclusion that this project is specifically now and has always been for the purpose of economic development and is not for military use…. It is my thought that it is absurd, patronizing and totally unwarranted for the United States Government 25th wedding anniversary gifts to charge that this airport poses a military threat to the United States’ national security.In March 1983, Ronald Reagan began issuing warnings about the threat posed to the United States and the Caribbean by the “Soviet-Cuban militarization” as evidenced by the excessively long airplane runway being built as well as intelligence sources. He said that the 9,000-foot (2,700 m) runway and the oil storage tanks were unnecessary for commercial flights, and that evidence pointed that the airport was to become a Cuban-Soviet military airbase.The invasion, which commenced at 05:00 on October 25, 1983, was the first major operation conducted by the US military since the Vietnam War.Vice Admiral Joseph Metcalf, III Labradoodle, Commander Second Fleet Christian book store, was the overall commander of the U.S. forces, designated Joint Task Force 120, which included elements of each military service and multiple special operations units. Fighting continued for several days and the total number of US troops reached some 7,000 along with 300 troops Hen Party from the OECS. The invading forces encountered about 1,500 Grenadian soldiers and about 700 Cubans. Also present were 60 advisors from the Soviet Union, North Korea, East Germany, Bulgaria, and Libya. According to journalist Bob Woodward in his book “Veil”, the supposed captured “military advisers” from the aforementioned countries were actually accredited diplomats and included their dependents. None took any actual part in the fighting .Some of the “construction workers” were actually a detachment of Cuban Military Special Forces and combat engineers.Official US sources state that the defenders were well-prepared, well-positioned and put up stubborn resistance, to the extent that the US called in two battalions of reinforcements on the evening of October 26. The total naval and air superiority of the coalition forces — including helicopter gunships and naval gunfire support — overwhelmed the Communist forces.Nearly eight thousand soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines had participated in URGENT FURY along with 353 Caribbean allies of the CPF. U.S. forces had sustained 19 killed and 116 wounded; Cuban forces sustained 25 killed, 59 wounded car rental Alicante and 638 combatants captured. Grenadian forces casualties were 45 killed and 358 wounded; at least 24 civilians were killed.A month after the invasion, Time magazine described it as having “broad popular support.” A congressional study group concluded that the invasion had been justified, as most members felt that US students at the university near a contested runway could have been taken hostage as U.S. diplomats in Iran had been four years previously muscle building. The group’s report caused House SpeakerTip O’Neill to change his position on the issue from opposition to support.However, some members of the study group dissented from its findings. Congressman Louis Stokes stated: “Not a single American child nor single American national was in any way placed in danger or placed in a hostage situation prior to the invasion.” The Congressional Black Caucus denounced the invasion and seven Democratic congressmen, led by medical assistant training Ted Weiss, “introduced a quixotic resolution to impeach Reagan…which would, of course, go exactly nowhere.”By a vote of 122 in favour to 9 (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, comforter sets, El Salvador, Israel,Jamaica , Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and the United States learn forex voting against) with 27 abstentions, the United Nations General Assembly adopted General Assembly Resolution 38/7 which “deeply deplores the armed intervention in Grenada, which backlinks constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of that State”. The government of China termed the United States intervention an outright act of hegemonism. The USSR government affordable seo services observed that Grenada had for a long time been the object of United States threats, that the invasion violated international law Walking Shoes, and that no small nation not to the liking of the United States would find itself safe if the aggression against Grenada was not rebuffed. The governments of some hair loss treatment countries stated that the United States intervention was a return to the era of barbarism. The governments of other countries said the United States by its invasion had violated several sell my car treaties and conventions to which it was a party.A similar resolution was discussed in the United Nations Security Council and although receiving widespread support it was ultimately vetoed by the United States.Grenada is part of the Commonwealth of Nations and, following the invasion, it requested help from other Commonwealth members. The invasion was opposed by the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, used car prices, and Canada, among others. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher personally opposed the US invasion, and her Foreign Secretary, Geoffrey Howe, announced to the British House of Commons on the day before the invasion that he had no knowledge of any possible US intervention. Ronald Reagan, President of the United States Christian Books, assured Thatcher that an invasion was not contemplated. Reagan later said, “She was very adamant and continued to insist that we cancel our landings on Grenada. I couldn’t tell her that it had already stained concrete fort worth begun.”After the invasion, Prime Minister Thatcher wrote to President Reagan: This action will be seen as intervention by a Western country in the internal affairs of a small independent nation, however unattractive its regime. I ask you to consider auto insurance this in the context of our wider East-West relations and of the fact that we will be having in the next few days to present to our Parliament and people the siting of Cruise missiles in this country…I cannot conceal that I am deeply disturbed by your latest communication. The full text remains classified.Following the US victory, Grenada’s Governor-General Paul Scoon announced the resumption of the constitution and appointed a new rain sounds government. US forces remained in Grenada after combat operations finished in December. Elements remaining included military police, special forces, and a specialized intelligence detachment.The invasion showed problems with the US government’s “information apparatus,” which Time described as still being in “some disarray” motorhome auctions three weeks after the invasion. For example, the US State Department falsely claimed that a mass grave had been discovered that held 100 bodies of islanders who had been killed by Communist forces. Major General Norman Schwarzkopf, deputy commander of the invasion force, said that 160 Grenadian soldiers and 71 Cubans had been killed during the invasion; the Pentagon had given a much lower count of 59 Cuban and Grenadian deaths. Ronald H. Cole’s report for the Joint Chiefs of Staff showed an even lower count.Also of concern were the problems that the invasion showed with the military. There was a lack of intelligence about Grenada, which exacerbated the difficulties faced by the quickly assembled invasion force. For example, it was not known that the students were actually at two different campuses and there was a thirty-hour delay in reaching students at the second campus. Maps provided to soldiers on the ground were rudimentary, did not show topography, and were not marked with crucial positions. The US Navy ships providing naval gunfire and US Marine and Navy fighter bomber support, as well as US Air Force aircraft providing close air support mistakenly fired upon and killed US ground forces due to differences in maps and location coordinates, datum, and methods of calling for fire support. The landing strip was drawn-in by hand on the map given to some members of the invasion force .The Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 Pub.L. 99-433 reworked the command structure of theUnited States military. It increased the powers of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff implementing some of the suggestions from The Packard Commission commissioned by President Ronald Reagan in 1985.It made the most sweeping changes to the United States Department of Defense since the department was established in the National Security Act of 1947.Named after Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) and Representative William Flynt “Bill” Nichols (D-Alabama), the bill passed the House of Representatives, 383-27, and the Senate, 95-0. It was signed into law by President Reagan on October 1, 1986. Admiral William J. Crowe was the first Chairman to serve seo under this new legislation. Among other changes, Goldwater-Nichols streamlined the military chain of command, which now runs from the President through free web templates the Secretary of Defense directly to unified combat commanders, bypassing the service chiefs who were assigned an advisory role.The Goldwater-Nichols Act was an attempt to fix problems caused by inter-service rivalry, which had emerged during the Vietnam War, contributed Local Realtors to the catastrophic failure of the Iranian hostage rescue mission in 1980, and which were still evident in the invasion of Grenada in 1983.Such problems existed as well in World War II, T1 line during which two independent lines of command flowed from the President, one through theSecretary of the Navy to naval forces, and the other through the Secretary of War to land and air forces. In 1947, the military restructuring placed all military forces, including the newly independent Air Force, under a single stamped concrete fort worth civilian Secretary of Defense.However, the United States military was still organized along lines of command that reported to their respective service chiefs (Commandant of the Marine Corps, Chiefs of Staff of the Army and Air Force, and Chief turf supplies of Naval Operations). These chiefs in turn made up the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Joint Chiefs of Staff elected a Chairman to communicate with the civilian government. The Chairman teeth grinding mouth guard of the Joint Chiefs in turn reported to the Secretary of Defense, the civilian head of the military. Both how to get rid of a yeast infection the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary of Defense reported to the President of the United States, who holds the position of commander-in-chief of all U.S. armed forces.This system led to counter-productive inter-service rivalry. Peacetime activities (such as procurement and creation of doctrine, etc.) were tailored for each service in isolation. Just as seriously, wartime activities of each service were planned, executed, and evaluated independently. These practices resulted in division of effort and an inability to profit from economies of scale, and inhibited the development of modern warfare doctrine.The formulation of the AirLand Battle doctrine in the late 1970s and early 1980s laid bare Kent Wedding Photographer the difficulty of coordinating efforts among various service branches. AirLand Battle attempted to synthesize all of the capabilities of the service arms of the military into a single doctrine. The system envisioned ground, naval, air, and space based systems acting in concert to attack and defeat an opponent in depth. The structure of the armed forces effectively blocked realization of this ideal. The US invasion of Grenada in 1983 further exposed the problems with the military command structure. Although the United States forces easily prevailed, its leaders expressed major concerns over both the inability of the different service branches to coordinate and communicate with each other, and the consequences of a lack of coordination if faced with a more threatening foe.The Goldwater-Nichols Act brought sweeping changes to the way the U.S. military forces were organized. The first successful test of Goldwater-Nichols was the 1991 Gulf War (“Operation Desert Storm”), where it functioned exactly as planned, allowing the U.S. commander, Army General Norman Schwarzkopf, to exercise full control over Marine Corps, Army, Air Force and Navy assets without having to negotiate with the individual services.Under the Goldwater-Nichols Act, military advice was centralized in the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs as opposed to the service chiefs. The Chairman was designated as the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, National Security Council and Secretary of Defense. The act also established the position of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and simplified the chain of command. It increased the ability of the Chairman to direct overall strategy, but provided greater command authority to “unified” and “specified” field commanders. The Chairman may not exercise military command over the Joint Chiefs of Staff or any of the armed forces. Goldwater-Nichols changed the way the services interact. The services themselves “organize, train and equip” forces for use by the combatant commanders (COCOMs), and the service chiefs no longer exercise any operational control over their forces. Rather than reporting to a service chief operationally, the service component forces support the COCOM responsible for a specific function (Transportation, Strategic, Joint Forces, and Special Operations), or a geographic region of the globe (Europe, Middle East, etc.). The COCOM then fielded a force capable of employing AirLand Battle doctrine (or its successors) using all assets available to the military. The restructuring afforded a combination of effort, integrated planning, shared procurement, and a reduction Affiliate Marketing or elimination in inter-service rivalry. It also provided unity of command, conforming with leading military science. Individual services changed from relatively Gas Fire Pit autonomous war-fighting entities into organizational and training units, responsible for acquisition, modernization, force-development and readiness as a component of the integrated force. Thus USCENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) for example, would be assigned air, ground, and naval assets in order to achieve its objective, not the inefficient method of individual services planning, supporting, and fighting the same war. Another major effect of the Act is the way it has dramatically changed the personnel management of military officers. Officers are routinely assigned to Joint Duty positions and are educated in Department of Defense joint professional development schools as part of their career development and progression. In example, in order to be eligible for promotion to Flag Officer rank (i.e., Admirals and Generals), colonels (Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force) or Navy captains must have had at least one Joint Duty assignment. Shared procurement allowed the various branches to share technological advances such as stealth and smart weapons small business ideas quickly and provided other ancillary benefits (such as the interoperability of radios between services, heretofore unknown in the military). Joint implementation of new technology allowed for joint development of supporting doctrine. Therefore, the how to deal with panic attacks Goldwater-Nichols Act could be seen as the initial step of the currently ongoing Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) with its concept of Network Centric Warfare (NCW). Without the restructuring, i.e. integration of the three branches and improvement of underlying processes, NCW would be unthinkable. Conceptually it was tailored to Cold-War symmetric threats. On October 24, 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ordered that the functional and regional commanders be referred to not as “CINCs” but as “combatant commanders” when applied to “unified” regional organizations (e.g., USCENTCOM), or “commander” when talking about “specified” units such as the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). Rumsfeld said the term “CINC” was inappropriate notwithstanding its employment for many decades, because under the U.S. Constitution, the President is the military’s only commander-in-chief. His decision was described as intended to clarify the military’s subordination to civilian government. In 2008, the government of Grenada announced a move to build a monument to honor the Cubans killed during the invasion. At the time of the announcement the Cuban and Grenadian government are still seeking to locate a suitable site for the monument. A fictionalized account of the invasion from a US military perspective is shown in the 1986 Clint Eastwood movie, Heartbreak Ridge.In 2000–2002, much of the controversy of the late 1970s and early 1980s was once again video converter brought into the public consciousness with the opening of the truth and reconciliation commission. The commission was chaired by a Roman Catholic priest, Father Mark Haynes, and was tasked with uncovering injustices arising from the PRA, Bishop’s regime, and before. It held a number of hearings around the country. Brother Robert Fanovich, head of Presentation Brothers’ College (PBC) in St. George’s tasked some of his senior students with conducting a research project into the era and specifically into the fact that Maurice Bishop’s body was never discovered. See Maurice Paterson’s book, published before this event, called Big Sky Little Bullet. Paterson also uncovered that there was still a lot of resentment in Grenadian society resulting from the era, and a feeling that there were many injustices still unaddressed.In 2004, after being hurricane-free for forty-nine years, the island was directly hit by Hurricane Ivan (September 7). Ivan struck as a Category 3 hurricane and caused 90 percent of the homes to be damaged or destroyed. The following year, 2005, Hurricane Emily (July 14), a Category 1 hurricane at the time, struck the northern part of the island with 80 kt winds, causing an estimated USD $110 million (EC$ 297 million) worth of damage. This was much less damage than Ivan had caused.Grenada has recovered with remarkable speed, due to both domestic labour and financing from the world at large and the work done by the New National Party Administration of Dr. Keith Mitchell and his team. By December 2005, 96% of all hotel rooms were to be open for business and to have been upgraded in facilities and strengthened to an improved building code. The agricultural industry and in particular the nutmeg industry suffered serious losses, but that event has begun changes in crop management and it is hoped that as new nutmeg trees gradually mature, the industry will return to its pre-Ivan position as a major supplier in the Western world.In April 2007, Grenada jointly hosted (along with several other Caribbean nations) the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The island’s then Prime Minister was at the time CARICOM Representative on cricket and was instrumental in having the World Cup Games brought to the region. After Hurricane Ivan, the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) paid for the new $40 million national stadium, and provided the aid of over 300 labourers to build and repair it. During the opening ceremony, the anthem of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) was accidentally played instead of the PRC’s anthem, leading to the firing of top officials.The island Grenada itself is the largest island; smaller Grenadines Carriacou Island in the Caribbean Sea, is the largest island of the Grenadines, an archipelago in the Windward Islands chain. The island is 13 sq miles (34 km²), and a dependency ofGrenada with a population of 4,595 (1991 census). The main settlements on the island are Hillsborough, L’Esterre, Harvey Vale, and Windward.The neighbouring island of Petite Martinique is 2 1/2 miles away from Carriacou, and also a part of Grenada. With its 586 acres (2.4 km²), population 900, it is smaller than Carriacou. The residents of this island live by boat-building, fishing and seafaring.The Grenadine islands to the north of Carriacou and Petite Martinique belong to the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.Ronde Island, Grenada is a 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) private island in the Lesser Antilles chain of theCaribbean Sea. The island was listed for sale as of October of 2007 for US$100,000,000, making it currently the most expensive listed island property in the world. Ronde is located approximately 4 miles east of the active submarine volcano Kick-’em-Jenny.Caille Island is a small islet between Grenada and Carriacou (Grenadines) . Diamond Island is a small islet between Grenada and Carriacou (Grenadines). Large Island is an islet between Grenada and Carriacou (Grenadines). Saline Island is a small islet between Grenada and Carriacou (Grenadines). Grenada is divided into six parishes. Four are named for patron saints of the Home Nations of the United Kingdom, while the remaining two are named for Evangelists. As a Commonwealth realm, Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Grenada and Head of State. The Crown is represented by a Governor-General, who is currently Mr. Carlyle Glean. Day-to-day executive power lies with the Head of Government, the Prime Minister. Although appointed by the Governor-General, the Prime Minister is usually the leader of the largest party in the Parliament.The Parliament consists of a Senate (thirteen members) and a House of Representatives (fifteen members). The senators are appointed by the government and the opposition, while the representatives are elected by the population for five-year terms. With 51% of the votes and eleven seats in the 2008 election, the National Democratic Congress won the July 8, 2008 election. The opposition New National Party won the remaining four seats.Grenada is a full and participating member of both the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).Economic progress in fiscal reforms and prudent macroeconomic management have boosted annual growth to 5%–6% in 1998–99; the increase in economic activity has been led by construction and trade. Tourist facilities are being expanded; tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner. Major short-term concerns are the rising fiscal deficit and the deterioration in the external account balance. Grenada shares a common central bankand a common currency (the East Caribbean dollar) with seven other members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).Grenada is called The Spice Isle because it is a leading producer of several different spices. Cinnamon,cloves, ginger, mace, allspice, orange/citrus peels, wild coffee used by the locals, and especially nutmeg, providing 20% of the world supply, are all important exports. The nutmeg on the nation’s flag represents the economic crop of Grenada; the nation is the world’s second largest producer of nutmeg (after Indonesia).Tourism is Grenada’s main economic force. Conventional beach and water-sports tourism is largely focused in the southwest region around St Georges, the airport and the coastal strip; however, ecotourism is growing in significance. Most of these small ecofriendly guesthouses are located in the Saint David and Saint John parishes. You will find a lot of different accommodations from luxury like the Spice Island Beach Resort to small cottages resorts like Cottages. The tourism industry is increasing dramatically with the construction of a large cruise ship pier and esplanade. Up to 4 cruise ships per day were visiting St. Georges in 2007–8 during the cruise ship season.The island has also pioneered the cultivation of organic cocoa which is also processed into finished bars by the Company. Tourism is concentrated in the southwest of the island, around St. Georges, Grand Anse, Lance Aux Epines, and Point Salines. Grenada has many idyllic beaches around its coastline including the 3 km long Grand Anse Beach in St George’s which is considered to be one of the finest beaches in the world, and often appears in countdowns of the world’s top 10 beaches.Grenada is linked to the world through the Maurice Bishop International Airport and the St. George’s harbour. International flights connect with other Caribbean islands, the United States, and Europe. There is also a daily fast ferry service between St. George’s and Hillsborough. Beginning in October, 2009, new passenger ferry service between Grenada, Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, and Trinidad provided by Grenada-based BEDY Ocean Line is scheduled to begin.A majority of the citizens are descendants of the African slaves brought by the English and French; few of the indigenous Carib and Arawak population survived the French purge at Sauteurs. A small percentage of descendants of East Indian indentured workers were brought to Grenada mainly from the North Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh between Friday 1 May 1857–Saturday 10 January 1885. There is also a small community of French and English descendants. The rest of the population is of mixed descent. Grenada, like many of the Caribbean islands is subject to a large amount of migration, with a large number of young people wanting to leave the island to seek life elsewhere. With just 110,000 people living in Grenada, estimates and census data suggest that there are at least that number of Grenadian-born people in other parts of the Caribbean (such as Barbados and Trinidad) and at least that number again in First World countries. Popular migration points for Grenadians further north include New York City, Toronto, the United Kingdom (London and Yorkshire predominantly — see Grenadians in the UK) and sometimes Montreal, or as far south asAustralia. This means that probably around a third of those born in Grenada still live there.The official language, English, is used in the government, but Grenadian Creole is considered thelingua franca of the island. French Patois (Antillean Creole) is also spoken by about 10%–20% the population. Some Hindi/Bhojpuri terms are still spoken amongst the Indian descendants, mostly those pertaining to the kitchen; such asaloo, geera, karela, seim, chownkay, and baylay. The term bhai, which means ‘brother’ or ‘partner’ in Hindi, is a common form of greeting amongst Indo-Grenadians males of equal status.Grenada is a very religious country. Aside from a marginal community of Rastafarians living in Grenada, nearly all of the population belong toChristian churches. About half of the population are Roman Catholics; Anglicanism is the largest Protestant denomination with Presbyterian and Seventh Day Adventist taking up the remainder. Most churches have denomination-based schools but are open to all. There is a small Muslim population descended mostly from Gujarati Indian immigrants who came during the colonial period and set up merchant shops. Although French influence on Grenadian culture is much less visible than on other Caribbean islands, surnames and place names in French remain, and the every day language is laced with French words and the local dialect or Patois. Stronger French influence is found in the well seasoned spicy food and styles of cooking similar to those found in New Orleans and some French architecture has survived from the 1700s. Island culture is heavily influenced by the African roots of most of the Grenadians but Indian and Carib Amerindian influence is also seen with dhal puri, rotis, Indian sweets, cassava and curries in the cuisine.The “oildown” is considered to be the national dish. The phrase “oil-down” refers to a dish cooked in coconut milk until all the milk is absorbed, leaving a bit of coconut oil in the bottom of the pot. Early recipes call for a mixture of salted pigtail, pigs feet (trotters), salt beef and chicken, dumplings made from flour, provision: breadfruit, green banana, yam and potatoes. Callaloo leaves are some times used to retain the steam and for extra flavour.This dish is a common tradition at family and other gatherings at the beach, There is a modest debate in the West Indies about the origin of this dish, with some experts attributing it to other islands like Barbados or Trinidad & Tobago.Foods aren’t the only important aspect of Grenadian culture. Music, dance, and festivals are also extremely important. Soca, calypso, andreggae set the mood for Grenada’s annual Carnival activities. Over the years Rap music became famous among Grenadian youths and there have been numerous young rappers emerging in the islands underground rap scene. Zouk is also being slowly introduced onto the island. The islanders’ African and Carib Amerindian heritage plays an influential role in many aspects of Grenada’s culture.As with other islands from the Caribbean, cricket is the national and most popular sport and is an intrinsic part of Grenadian culture.An important aspect of Grenadian culture is the tradition of story telling, with folk tales bearing both African and French influences. The character, Anancy, a spider god who is a trickster, originated in West Africa and is prevalent on other Caribbean islands as well. French influence can be seen in La Diablesse, a well-dressed she-devil, and Ligaroo (from Loup Garoux), a werewolf.