Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Only a Jamaican .....

Only real Jamaicans call the entire leg: foot
and the entire arm: hand.
Only real Jamaicans put crazy baby powder pon  dem pickney neck after dem bathe dem!  fresh wi seh!
Only real Jamaicans say headtop, footbottom, neck back.

Only real Jamaicans live in another country for 50 years and never lose their accent.

Only real Jamaicans will say that gas is the reason for any pain and tea is the cure. "mi foot a hot me!", "drink tea... a gyas."

Only real Jamaicans turn up @ a party at 1 a.m. an know seh it a done 2am an den cuss bout wah kinda *rude word* dat, an dem jus reach…

Only Real Jamaicans have friends weh name "BIGGZ" "POOCHIE" "BROWN MAN" "MR CHIN" "MACHIZ " "BLACKS" "DRIVER" "JUICEY" "CREAMY" "BIG HEAD" "MANGO" etc 
Wray and Nephew 
Only real Jamaicans rub on white rum while sick.

Only real Jamaicans can have phone  conversations with sound effects like " Ehheeeeeh , mhhm , ehhh ! , yuh tuh lie ! awoah,  mi nuh believe yu. 

Only real Jamaicans know that 'soon come' means anytime in the future.

Only real Jamaicans know that "foreign" is just one country .... maybe two

Only real Jamaicans call pomegranate, ponganot.

Only real Jamaicans are NEVER done talking when we say, "mi done talk!"

Only real Jamaicans "Put it pon youchube"

Only real Jamaicans, alphabet --Hay, B, C, D, He, Hef, Gee, Hayitch, Hi, J, K , Hel, Hem, Hen, Ho, Pe, Q, Har, Hes, T, Hugh, V,W, Hex, Hwhy, Zed

With thanks from Patsy Lee :)

Cannabis excitement - a Jamaica opportunity?


The Late Prof The Hon Manley West OM

by Jean Lowrie-Chin | excerpt for column - Jamaica Observer - 27 Jan 2014
I recall the address by the late Prof Hon Manley West when our agency handled the launch of Canasol in the eighties for Federated Pharmaceutical.  He was effusive in his praise of the security forces who allowed him to have possession of ganja, as he and his colleagues created the amazing drug which is said to be one of the most effective treatments for glaucoma.  Subsequently the team also developed the drug ‘Asthmasol’ from the plant, and the manufacture continues to this day, under the leadership of Dr West’s partner, Dr Albert Lockhart.
Dr Henry Lowe and wife Janet at the launch of his company Medicanja last year
 Last December our trailblazing Jamaican scientist Dr Henry Lowe launched a new company to promote the medicinal compounds in ganja, pointing out that in developing Canasol, Jamaica became the first country in the world to have created a commercial product from ganja.  He said it would be unfortunate if our country did not grasp the opportunities offered by “a booming multi-billion dollar industry in Europe, Canada and the United States.” He noted that Canada's hemp industry is valued at over US$2billion yearly.

Recreational marijuana is now big business in Colorado - Huffington Post photo
Since then, the state of Colorado in the US has legalized the recreational use of marijuana and we notice several foreigners “knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door” – Jamaica that is – we are told this is the home of the finest.  The authorities have been making positive statements and we hope that the ordinary Jamaican will be able to benefit from a properly regulated market for the product.
It seems we no longer have to fear the disapproval of the US. Reuters reporter David Ingram wrote last week: “U.S. treasury and law enforcement agencies will soon issue regulations opening banking services to state-sanctioned marijuana businesses even though cannabis remains classified an illegal narcotic under federal law, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Thursday.”

"You don't want just huge amounts of cash in these places," Mr Holder is quoted as saying.  "They want to be able to use the banking system. And so we will be issuing some regulations I think very soon to deal with that issue." The report advised that “Washington state is slated to launch its own marijuana retail network later this year, and several other states, including California, Oregon and Alaska, are expected to consider legalizing recreational weed in 2014.”

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Sidjae on 'Learning Agility'

I love this piece from Sidjae Walia ... so important for this challenging New Year ...

Good day leaders, Happy New Year to all!
 
One of the indicators that a leader is likely to be successful is his/her level of learning agility. Learning agility is behaviour-based, and is visible in individuals who are curious, actively seeking new challenges and feedback, managing conflicts skillfully, resourceful, and demonstrating expansive ways of thinking through the creativity of their solutions. Leaders who are 'learning agile' are prepared for current and future realities. They are the best individuals to deal with ambiguous, complex and unfamiliar situations. Rather than applying historical solutions that may have worked brilliantly in another situation, they examine the current situation with a critical and open mind; listen attentively to and garner resources from the involved parties; and adapt responses according to changing needs. The 'learning agile' leader starts the day with an attitude of "What will I learn today?", knowing that learning from new experiences lays the foundation for successfully manoeuvring unfamiliar territories.

How would you rate yourself as a 'learning agile' leader? What evidence supports your rating? Are the persons in your line of succession 'learning agile'? How can you help them develop this skill?    

To Your Unlimited Possibilities,
Sidjae 
--
Sidjae Walia
Founder/CEO
UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES
Training that expands your mind and life
"The mind, once expanded to dimensions of bigger ideas, never returns to its original size" - Oliver Wendell Holmes
Twitter ID: http://twitter.com/SidjaeWalia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/upthenextlevel
Website: www.upthenextlevel.com
(647) 927 9289

*Certified to administer the MBTI for individuals and groups. Give me a call if you are interested in learning how your personality impacts your work, team, and personal life.*
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A heroine for our time


By Jean Lowrie-Chin | Excerpts from Observer column for MON 27 Jan 2014

(L-R) JACKSON-THOMAS... I am looking for the Nakeia Jackson Act. ELLINGTON... I am Commissioner for all Jamaica
The TV news report was about an ambitious young man from Orange Villa, Orange Street who was shot dead allegedly by the police at his cook shop last Monday.  We saw a young lady step up to the microphone – Shakelia Jackson-Thomas spoke in grieving but measured words about the tragic death of her brother Nakeia Jackson.
The next day, we heard the articulate young woman on Nationwide news calling on the police to show respect to all Jamaicans.  Remaining calm, she repeated this on Cliff Hughes’ ‘Impact’, joining via video a discussion with Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington. 
Shakelia said she had a choice of where she could live, and uses her downtown address with no apologies. “I am a product of the area and I am still proud to live there,” she stated.  “I am looking for the Nakeia Jackson Act,” said The Alpha ‘Convent of Mercy’ High and UWI graduate, calling for innocent young men to be protected. She spoke of her hard working father who set an example to her brother, “someone who worked for honest bread”.
She said that Police should show respect no matter the community in which they were working. The Commissioner assured her “I am Commissioner for all Jamaica.”  He said that INDECOM’s investigations had the full backing of the JCF.  He spoke of the training in citizen interaction conducted for his officers and that there was no excuse for them to be disrespectful to anyone. 
Commissioner Ellington noted that there was a trending down of crime in recent times, but he did not want to dwell on this, as gangsters tend to view such announcements as a challenge to escalate their evil activities.
On the same programme, UTECH Security head Bobby Smith remarked on the brazenness of criminals – his metaphor of them as roaches that no longer hid from the light, but had ‘taken over the kitchen’ was jolting indeed.  Then former senior police officer Renato Adams analysed our crime problem as the result of poor leadership over the past 40 years “unable to direct, control the people coming up.”
We were relieved that the programme ended on a positive note, with Bobby Smith suggesting that the authorities work to educate their ‘captive audience’ as they could actually shorten their prison terms if they obtained four CSEC passes including Mathematics and English.

Unfortunate ‘naming’ of schools
Anyone involved in the education system will tell you that bad behaviour is found at every school, sometimes in children from so-called ‘good families’.  It was therefore unfortunate that certain schools were described as ‘breeding grounds’ for criminals based on a survey. Since the majority of criminals in Jamaica have not been brought to justice, and there are some notorious characters who have attended schools that were not on the list, we could even extrapolate that many of those now behind bars locally are the less hardened criminals!  This would make for a rather interesting piece of investigative journalism.
We empathise with the distressed principals and teachers of the listed schools, many of whom have to be providing far more than education to their students who come from sadly dysfunctional homes and communities. One police officer told me how a grandmother had begged him to take her grandson into the Police Youth Club “to keep him away from bad company”.  The child had neither mother nor father in his life. 
I would encourage the faculties of those “named” schools to join together and help create measures to promote greater parental accountability in the raising of children.  I am sure that the Ministry of Education, still one of our most dynamic ministries, would embrace this approach.



Monday, January 27, 2014

IPI calls on T&T to support defamation bill

Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister and chairperson of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Kamla Persad-Bissessar (R) addresses a media conference alongside Haitian President Michel Martelly at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann's, on the outskirts of the capital Port-of-Spain, Nov 26, 2013.

Statement by the Executive Director of the IPI
It is with great esteem that, as executive director of the International Press Institute, I congratulate the Trinidad and Tobago House of Representatives for passing legislation to partially repeal criminal defamatory libel offences. It is a monumental step in the right direction we don't take lightly.
But while the international community celebrates this accomplishment, we remain concerned about arguments advanced by some members of the House of Representatives against what we believe to be a  progressive Libel and Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2013.
Trinidad and Tobago is a leading member of the Caribbean Community and is obliged to uphold its commitment as a signatory to the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, inclusive of Article 19 which holds that "everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions with interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
Criminal defamation has no place in a democracy. It is not a legislated provision that is intended only to punish the media and other purveyors of information, analysis and opinion. It is a law that impacts every citizen in every corner of the nation. What it means is that anyone – anyone – can be jailed for publishing or broadcasting defamatory material, even if that material is published inadvertently.
While IPI believes that every citizen should, indeed – must, have a right to his or her reputation, we believe that right is secured in the civil courts and that action against a journalist, or any other person, should be brought in civil court.
Trinidad and Tobago should remain in its rightful place at the top of the list of democratic countries that not only boast of, but encourage, a free and empowered media. A media that informs, investigates and analyzes; that keeps track of legislators and legislation; that investigates corruption and praises advancement.
Today, on the eve of the Senate's vote on the Libel and Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2013, IPI and the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) encourage political organisations to put aside their differences and to uphold the spirit of new measures we hope will eventually lead to the eventual decriminalization of all forms of expression.
Please reply to - acmmail@gmail.com
President: Clive Bacchus
First Vice President - Peter Richards
Second Vice President - Dr Canute James
General Secretary - Wesley Gibbings
Asst General Secretary - Martina Johnson
Floor Member - Jabari Fraser
Floor Member - Onel Belle


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The kindness of Canadians

I am impressed by the kindness of Canadians. In addition to this inspiring story sent by Sister Regine Isaacs RSM, I recall the perseverance of Canadian human rights activists in proving the innocence of American boxer Rubin 'The Hurricane' Carter,  and the risks they took in protecting Americans as shown in the movie 'Argo'.

God bless them ... and their American friends who showed such tangible appreciation!
Jerry Brown Delta Flight 15... (true story)
Here is an  amazing story from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15, written following  9-11-01:
On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5  hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic.
All of a  sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately,  to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that  "All Business" look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message.  It was from  Delta's main office in Atlanta and simply read, "All airways over  the  Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP  at the nearest airport. Advise your destination."
No one said a word  about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed  to find terra firma quickly. The  captain determined that the nearest airport  was 400 miles behind us in Gander, Newfoundland.
He requested  approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval  was granted immediately -- no  questions asked.
We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in
approving  our request.
While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in  about the hijackings.
We decided to LIE to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem  and  that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander, Newfoundland,  to have it checked out.
We promised to give more information after landing in Gander. There was much grumbling among the passengers, but that's nothing new!
Forty minutes later, we landed in Gander. Local time at Gander was 12:30 PM! .... that's 11:00 AM EST.
There were already  about 20 other airplanes on the ground from all over the world that had taken this detour on their to the  U.S.
After we parked on the ramp, the captain made the following announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, you must  be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument  problem as we have.
The reality is that we are here for another reason." Then  he went on to explain the little bit we knew about the situation in the U.S. There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief.
The captain  informed passengers that Ground control in Gander told us to stay  put. The Canadian Government was in charge of our situation and no one  was allowed to get off the aircraft. No one on the ground was allowed to come  near any of the aircrafts. Only airport police would come around periodically, look us over and go on to the next airplane.  In the next hour  or so more planes landed and Gander ended up with 53 airplanes from all over the world, 27 of which were U.S.  commercial jets.
Meanwhile, bits of news started to come in over the aircraft radio and for the first time we learned  that airplanes were flown  into the
World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon in DC.  People were trying to use their cell phones, but were unable to connect due to a different cell system in Canada. Some did get through, but  were only able to get to the Canadian operator who would tell  them that the lines to the U.S. were either blocked or  jammed.
Sometime in the evening the news filtered to us that the World Trade Center buildings had collapsed and that a fourth hijacking  had resulted in a crash. By now the passengers were emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention frightened, but everyone stayed amazingly calm. We had only to look out the window at the 52 other stranded aircraft to realize that we were not the only ones in  this predicament.
We had been told earlier that they would be allowing people off the planes one plane at a time. At 6 PM, Gander airport told us  that our turn to deplane would be 11 am the next morning. Passengers were not happy, but they simply resigned themselves to this news  without much noise and started to prepare themselves to spend the night on the airplane.
Gander had promised us medical attention, if needed, water, and lavatory servicing. And they were true to their word.
Fortunately we had no medical situations to worry about. We did  have a young lady who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy. We took REALLY good  care of her. The night passed without incident despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.
About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th a convoy  of school buses showed up. We got off the plane and were taken to the terminal where we went through Immigration and Customs and then had to register with the Red Cross.
After that we (the crew) were separated from the passengers and were taken in vans to a small hotel. We had no idea where our passengers were going. We learned from the Red Cross that the town of Gander has a population of 10,400 people and they had about 10,500 passengers to take care of from all the airplanes that were forced into
Gander! We were told to just relax at the hotel and we would be contacted when the U.S. airports opened again, but not to expect that call for a while.
We found out the total scope of the terror back home only. after getting to our hotel and turning on the TV, 24 hours after it all started.
Meanwhile, we had lots of time on our hands and found that the people of Gander were extremely friendly. They started calling us the "plane people." We enjoyed their hospitality, explored the town of Gander and ended up having a pretty good time.
Two days later, we  got that call and were taken back to the Gander airport. Back on the plane, we were reunited with the  passengers and found out what they had been doing  for the past two days.
What we found out was incredible. Gander and  all the surrounding communities (within MATCH about a 75 Kilometre radius)  had closed all high schools, meeting halls,
lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to mass lodging areas for all the stranded travellers.
Some had cots set up, some had mats with  sleeping bags and pillows set up.
ALL the high school students were  required to volunteer their time to take care of the "guests." Our 218  passengers ended up in  a town called Lewisporte, about 45 kilometers from  Gander where they were put up in a high school. If any women wanted to  be in a women-only  facility, that was arranged. Families were kept together.  All the elderly passengers were taken to private homes.
Remember that  young pregnant lady? She was put up in a private home right across the street from a 24-hour Urgent Care facility. There was a dentist on call and both male and female nurses remained with the crowd for the duration.
Phone  calls and e-mails to the U.S. and around the world were available to everyone once a day. During the day, passengers were  offered "Excursion" trips. Some people went on boat cruises of the lakes and harbours. Some went for hikes in  the local forests. Local  bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests.
Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to  the schools.  People were driven to restaurants of their choice and  offered wonderful meals. Everyone was given tokens for local laundry mats to wash their clothes, since luggage was still on the aircraft. In other words, every single need was met for those stranded travelers.
Passengers were crying while telling us these stories. Finally,
when they were told that U.S. airports had reopened, they were delivered to the airport right on time and without a single passenger missing
or late. The local Red Cross had all the information about the whereabouts of each and every passenger and knew which plane they  needed
to be on and when all the planes were leaving. They coordinated  everything beautifully.
It was absolutely incredible.
When  passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise.  Everyone knew each other by name. They were swapping  stories of their stay,  impressing each other with who had the better time. Our flight back to Atlanta looked like a chartered party flight. The  crew just stayed out of  their way. It was mind-boggling.
Passengers had totally bonded and were  calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers, addresses,  and email addresses.
And then a very unusual thing happened.
One of our passengers approached me and asked if he could make  an announcement over the PA system. We never, ever allow that. But this  time was different. I said "of course" and handed him the  mike.
He picked up the PA and reminded everyone about what they had just gone through in the last few days. He reminded them of the hospitality they had  received at the hands of total strangers. He continued by
saying that he  would like to do something in return for the good  folks of Lewisporte.
"He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name  of DELTA 15 (our flight number). The purpose of the trust fund is to  provide college scholarships for the high school students of Lewisporte.
He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. When the paper with donations got back to us with the amounts,  names, phone numbers and addresses, the total was for more than $14,000!
"The gentleman, a MD from Virginia, promised to match the donations and to start the administrative work on the scholarship.  He also said that he would forward this proposal to Delta Corporate and  ask them to donate as well.
As I write this account, the trust fund is at more  than $1.5 million and has assisted 134 students in college education.
"I just wanted to share this story because we need good. stories right now. It gives me a little bit of hope to know that some people in a faraway place were kind to some strangers who literally dropped in on them.
It reminds me how much good there is in the  world."
"In spite of all the rotten things we see going on in today's world this story confirms that there are still a lot of good and  Godly people in the world and when things get bad, they will come forward.
"God Bless America... and God Bless the  Canadians."


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Nice Negril weekend

Scenes from this weekend - starting with a perfect piña colada and ending with a beautiful Mass at Mary Gate Of Heaven Catholic Church. Thank God for our beautiful Jamaica!


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Saturday, January 25, 2014

Convent of Mercy Alpha - 120th Anniv Reunion


See you May 23 to May 30 as we give thanks for the love and leadership of the wonderful Sisters of Mercy and other amazing educators!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

The Greatest Ever

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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Hope springs for 2014



Observer column for Mon 20 Jan 2013 | by Jean Lowrie-Chin
 
Governor General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen (2nd right); Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (left); Custos of St. Andrew, Hon. Marigold Harding (right); and Chairman, National Leadership Prayer Breakfast (NLPB) Committee, Rev. Dr. Stevenson Samuels, hold hands in prayer, at the NLPB held this morning (January 16), at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston.
Governor General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen (2nd right); Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (left); Custos of St. Andrew, Hon. Marigold Harding (right); and Chairman, National Leadership Prayer Breakfast (NLPB) Committee, Rev. Dr. Stevenson Samuels, hold hands in prayer, at the NLPB held this morning (January 16), at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston. - JIS photo
There were so many moving moments over the past week, giving us hope for the New Year. We heard our beloved Governor General Sir Patrick Allen appealing to the nation at our National Prayer Breakfast for peace in our nation. “We must live in comfort and peace in Jamaica. Let us get together and defeat this crime monster," he urged.  

Bishop Dr. Delford Davis who delivered the key message at the event challenged those who vie for political power to make not only party, but also country, the winner: “This is now high time for Jamaica to win. Jamaica must win for all Jamaicans, and not for a select few." His bringing up on stage the leaders of our two major political parties and holding their hands in prayer harked back to that Peace Concert in 1978 at the National Stadium when Bob Marley did the same with Michael Manley and Edward Seaga.

The engaging PM Simpson Miller
PM Simpson Miller has a lively conversation with (left to right) Digicel Foundation CEO Samantha Chantrelle, Digicel Regional CEO Andy Thorburn and Digicel Foundation Chair Lisa Lewis at the organisation's Launch of their 10th Anniversary activities
 Gathered under a tent in Grant’s Pen last week, we felt the connection that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller makes with her people at the launch of Digicel Foundation’s 10th anniversary programme. Commenting on the great work of humble Jamaicans who had partnered with the organisation, she engaged us as she declared: “Together, let us give diligent, ambitious Jamaicans an opportunity to shine…Let us not leave them to those who are only too willing to recruit them for their evil intents.”

The PM continued: “I commend the Digicel Foundation for partnering with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to work island-wide to provide special needs assistance to those on the PATH programme. … Your partnership with PATH complements the efforts of the government, which has allocated $4.1 billion dollars to the PATH programme in this current fiscal year.  In April this year, for the financial year 2014/15, this will move to 5 Billion dollars.”

As the elderly struggle to pay basic living expenses and students to pay fees, we welcomed this from her: “We have increased PATH benefits for the elderly by as much as 67% and provided $100 million dollars in scholarships to 1,000 tertiary level students from PATH households.”

So far, the Digicel Foundation has funded 437 projects in the areas of education, special needs and community development to the tune of US$19 million or J$1.9 billion, impacting the lives of over 400,000 persons.

PJ Patterson’s lively history lesson
Former prime minister, P.J. Patterson, who was the guest speaker, has the attention of (from left) Hilary Jardine, Barry O'Brien, Digicel CEO, and his wife, Ruth, at the 53rd RJR National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year 2013 Awards Ceremony, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, on Friday night. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Former prime minister, P.J. Patterson, who was the guest speaker, has the attention of (from left) Hilary Jardine, Barry O'Brien, Digicel CEO, and his wife, Ruth, at the 53rd RJR National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year 2013 Awards Ceremony, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, on Friday night. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer - Gleaner
At the recent RJR National Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year Awards, former PM P.J. Patterson gave us a lively sports history lesson. “There is no other country of comparable size and population that has produced the very best in so many areas of sport over such a long time,” he declared. 
As social media became crowded with positive comments on the address, Mr Patterson took us through decades of excellence. He said our legendary cricketer George Headley was dubbed ‘Atlas’ for his exploits at a time when we were “struggling against the dogma of racial supremacy.” He noted that he had heard the arguments about the variant of the African gene that contributes to “high-twitch” muscles and the effect of yam and green bananas, but argued “other countries have access to that also.” Rather, he believes, “It has to do with the Jamaican’s sense of self and refusal to be typecast.” 
Mr Patterson said the “remarkable achievement of Tessanne Chin” was an example of our “irrepressible fighting spirit that has pushed us into other spheres of endeavour – bobsled, skiing, dog-sledding in in the Arctic.”
As he spoke of outstanding individuals, we agreed when he declared, “Nothing can prevent us from lauding Veronica Campbell-Brown.” While reminding us that he could not say too much, Mr Patterson remarked that as the performance of Jamaicans stayed extraordinary from Beijing to London, “it went from ‘enough is enough’ to plainly ‘just too much’, attracting the envy of detractors.” He said that cheating cannot be tolerated, and therefore everyone must be held to the same high standards.  “Those who hold high office should know that our athletes are precious and should have access to the best available defence.”
The acceptance speeches of our international as well as now local athletes of the year Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price and Usain Bolt made us proud of these articulate superstars.  Best of all, their roots remind every Jamaican that with training, mentoring and discipline any talented Jamaican can make it big.

The Bold Ones of Manufacturing
 
NATIONAL BAKERY'S BOLD ONES:  Continental/National Bakery Chairman Gary 'Butch' Hendrickson (front, centre) stands with the new ‘National Bakery Bold Ones of Manufacturing’ and guests at a press launch of the 2014 programme on Tuesday at the Jamaica Pegasus.  From left are (back row): Mrs. Sandra McLeish - Springvale Enterprises; Howard Coxe - Journey's End Wine Co. Ltd; Grace Foster-Reid – Eco Farms Jamaica; Dorrette Ubanks - D'Nex Step Sandals & Accessories; Devon Williams - Lifespan Co. Ltd; Racquell Brown - Irie Rock Ltd; Lincoln Gordon - Lincoln Gordon & Sons; (front row) Christopher Zacca - PSOJ President; Brian Pengelley - JMA President; Mr. Hendrickson; Nayana Williams of Lifespan; Lacey Bartley of Bartley's All in Wood; Ann-Marie Walter-Allen - National Bakery Marketing Manager; and Stephen Sykes - Director of Operations, National Bakery.
- Gleaner photo
Even as some wring their hands in despair, others are stepping up to the challenge and providing employment for others.  Eight such companies were named ‘The Bold Ones of Manufacturing’, and awarded with marketing and promotional packages by National Bakery.  Brainchild of Chair Gary ‘Butch’ Hendrickson, the company is sponsoring this multi-million programme for the third time since 2010. 
Previous ‘Bold Ones’ Michelle Smith of Chocolate Dreams and Dennis Hawkins of Spur Tree Spices said the boost from National Bakery helped them on a path to success, with both expanding and entering the export market.  They warned however that no one who is afraid of hard work should go into manufacturing. 
JMA President Brian Pengelley who was guest speaker at the presentation also gave us an education on the challenges facing manufacturing and called on the authorities for: tax reform – widening the tax net instead of the near-harassment of current tax payers; removal of bureaucracy and facilitating a business and investment climate; a stable dollar and an adequate supply of foreign exchange.
It was heartening to see the well-finished products on display by ‘Bold Ones’  Springvale Enterprises, Lincoln Gordon and Sons, EcoFarms Jamaica Limited, Lifespan Company, Irie Rock Limited, Journey’s End Wine Company, Bartley’s All in Wood and D’Nex Step Sandals and Accessories.
“It is true that we at National Baking get a lot of compliments about this programme,” said Butch Hendrickson, “but I can assure you that, as the whole programme unfolds and we learn more about these outstanding Jamaicans, we also draw a lot of inspiration from them.”