‘Jamaica has it!’ - Wendell Mottley

NCB Group Chairman Michael Lee-Chin with former Trinidad & Tobago Minister of Finance Wendell Mottley, now chief for emerging markets at Credit Suisse and Senator Don Wehby, Minister without portfolio in the Finance and Public Service Ministry.

by Jean Lowrie-Chin
Jamaica Observer 27 OCT 08

Like a self-conscious mail-order bride, Jamaica knows she will only get suitors if we send out snapshots of her better-looking side. Lucky for her, she does have a most beautiful side, in stark contrast to those warts of crime that we try to keep away from the flashbulbs of foreign direct investment.

We should be very aware but not afraid of this global financial turmoil. If our athletes had become overawed by their first-world competitors, we would have got no medals in Beijing. That being said, our Olympians told Observer writer Selena Deleon that the common factor of their training experience has been PAIN – which is exactly what we should expect before the resulting GAIN. Just as our runners submitted themselves to a grueling programme, so will Jamaica have to take a rigorous route to socio-economic stability.

An estimable group of business leaders brought together last week by NCB Chairman Michael Lee-Chin and his top team, did not mince words after they listened to presentations by Senator Don Wehby, Minister without portfolio in the Finance and Public Service Ministry, and former Trinidad & Tobago Minister of Finance Wendell Mottley, now chief for emerging markets at Credit Suisse.

Even as he assured us of the Government’s resolve to come to grips with our plight, Don Wehby gave us some sobering information: “Despite the wealth of potential our island possesses, our economy is underperforming compared to other regions and compared to some of our own Caribbean counterparts.”

He goes further – we, each of us, rich and poor, carry “a debt burden of $370,000”. Unfortunately, as we carry it, many of us cannot even count it; in the words of the Minister, “73% of employed persons haven’t had any formal training at all; 68% of employed persons have not passed any exams at the CXC level or above.”

Because of the large recurrent bills to pay down our debt, Minister Wehby sees foreign direct investment as “One key contributor to economic growth.” This was borne out by Wendell Mottley who recalled Trinidad’s tense situation in the 1990’s with the Muslimeen threatening a coup d’etat. “We embarked on twin programmes,” he told us, “a massive programme of macro-economic reform and the privatisation of the energy sector.”

There was no drawn-out, expansive discussion, said Mottley, “We had to act with deliberate speed… I could hear the crowd baying outside Parliament.” The country acted, and the danger abated: “Without heavy direct investment and the coordinated role of the state, Trinidad’s development would not have taken place.”

Perhaps we have not recognised the “baying” of our crowds, because they have not physically descended on Gordon House. Surely, we hear them in the horrific increase in all major crimes over last year. How can we even bear to hear that there was a decrease to an average of four murders per day last month?

Mottley has great memories of Jamaica, participating in the Commonwealth Games held here in the sixties, and later working at ICD and “learning at the feet of the Matalons.” He says in those days, “Jamaica was the prince of bauxite and alumina.”

“Jamaica has it,” says Mottley passionately. He urged us to develop our value propositions “to make a compelling case. You have a big problem so you must have a big solution.” Mottley said he took one look at the size of the Chinese Embassy in Jamaica and recognised that this must be part of their strategic plan.

He described the marked development in Freeport, Bahamas and asked, “Where is the casino legislation?” Mottley recommended offshore healthcare facilities, and suggested that with the excitement of Usain Bolt’s performance in Beijing, Jamaica should look at staging a trade mission to China.

Michael Lee-Chin who has followed through on his energetic investment and philanthropic commitments to Jamaica, told us of a recent conversation with one of his Canadian co-investors in Columbus/Flow, John Risley. He said he had called Risley to commiserate on a bad patch he was experiencing in a North American venture, and the Canadian commented that his investment in Jamaica was one of the most promising he had ever made.

Karl Hendrickson focused our minds wonderfully when he reminded us that this country had a great ability to plan and that there were already good plans that “need not much except determination.” In the case of agriculture, he said, “no one has taught us the art of agriculture – we can’t do it by simply talking about it.”

Later that very day, NCB announced winners of their first Nation Builders Awards, Omar Azan’s Boss Furniture Limited, Hamilton’s Industrial Machine Shop and my friend Michelle Smith’s Chocolate Dreams. Theirs were stories of diligence and commitment, resulting in the creation of jobs for scores of Jamaicans.

Last week also, The Observer launched its Institute of Business Leaders under the patronage of Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall, to be chaired by the excellent Ryland Campbell. Winning business leaders and nominees over the years will participate in training and mentorship programmes to give a hand up to aspiring Jamaicans. We need the generosity of these entrepreneurs to be matched by strong, swift government support.

Observer Chairman Butch Stewart summed up the importance of business: “Government should realise that Jamaica is a multiple of organisations and companies.” He said it was the business sector that provides funds to run the country, “so if you want the country to be prosperous, make sure that businesses are prosperous.” Stewart appealed to us to stop “bad-mouthing” and start “good-mouthing” each other – a superb and actionable idea!

Mutual affirmation is a great start for making to the world a compelling case for Jamaica.

Sr Mary Bernadette Little Scholarship

What a great morning at my alma mater, Alpha Academy! Our Alumnae Assn Florida Chapter led by the beautiful Patsy Lee (fab tennis player in our day)and the irrepressible Addy Chin launched the Sister Mary Bernadette Little Scholarship Fund with presentations to two recent graduates who are currently studying at the UWI. The thank yous were so heartfelt that there was not a dry eye in the room.

Sister Bernadette was as elegant and as inspiring as ever - and of course we all sat up straighter as we listened to her.

The local and Florida chapters also announced their participation in the Alpha mentorship programme. We heard encouraging reports from current mentors Lily (Hoo Ping Kong) Chen and Anne Marie (Talbot) Smith, and commendations from Alpha Board Chairman Joyce Archibald.

The presentation was preceded by a lovely Mass in the Chapel said by Father Ken Richards with readings by Rheta Chen and music by Sister Marie Chin.

We were delighted to hear that Velia Espeut was now the Religious Advisor at the school - and even moreso when she graced us with her song.

Among my contemporaries present were Gail Chung, Elsie (Lue) Lau, Helen Moss-Solomon (soon to return from Washington to invest in tourism), and Hermine (Lee Hing) Metcalfe. How refreshing to be back at Alpha and be with our classmates - better than any spa day!

NYT - Barack Obama for President

New York Times Editorial

Published: October 23, 2008
The United States is battered and drifting after eight years of President Bush’s failed leadership. He is saddling his successor with two wars, a scarred global image and a government systematically stripped of its ability to protect and help its citizens — whether they are fleeing a hurricane’s floodwaters, searching for affordable health care or struggling to hold on to their homes, jobs, savings and pensions in the midst of a financial crisis that was foretold and preventable.
As tough as the times are, the selection of a new president is easy. After nearly two years of a grueling and ugly campaign, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has proved that he is the right choice to be the 44th president of the United States.
Mr. Obama has met challenge after challenge, growing as a leader and putting real flesh on his early promises of hope and change. He has shown a cool head and sound judgment. We believe he has the will and the ability to forge the broad political consensus that is essential to finding solutions to this nation’s problems.
In the same time, Senator John McCain of Arizona has retreated farther and farther to the fringe of American politics, running a campaign on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism. His policies and worldview are mired in the past. His choice of a running mate so evidently unfit for the office was a final act of opportunism and bad judgment that eclipsed the accomplishments of 26 years in Congress.
Given the particularly ugly nature of Mr. McCain’s campaign, the urge to choose on the basis of raw emotion is strong. But there is a greater value in looking closely at the facts of life in America today and at the prescriptions the candidates offer. The differences are profound.
Mr. McCain offers more of the Republican every-man-for-himself ideology, now lying in shards on Wall Street and in Americans’ bank accounts. Mr. Obama has another vision of government’s role and responsibilities.
In his convention speech in Denver, Mr. Obama said, “Government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves: protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.”
Since the financial crisis, he has correctly identified the abject failure of government regulation that has brought the markets to the brink of collapse.

The Economy
The American financial system is the victim of decades of Republican deregulatory and anti-tax policies. Those ideas have been proved wrong at an unfathomable price, but Mr. McCain — a self-proclaimed “foot soldier in the Reagan revolution” — is still a believer.
Mr. Obama sees that far-reaching reforms will be needed to protect Americans and American business.
Mr. McCain talks about reform a lot, but his vision is pinched. His answer to any economic question is to eliminate pork-barrel spending — about $18 billion in a $3 trillion budget — cut taxes and wait for unfettered markets to solve the problem.
Mr. Obama is clear that the nation’s tax structure must be changed to make it fairer. That means the well-off Americans who have benefited disproportionately from Mr. Bush’s tax cuts will have to pay some more. Working Americans, who have seen their standard of living fall and their children’s options narrow, will benefit. Mr. Obama wants to raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation, restore a climate in which workers are able to organize unions if they wish and expand educational opportunities.
Mr. McCain, who once opposed President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy as fiscally irresponsible, now wants to make them permanent. And while he talks about keeping taxes low for everyone, his proposed cuts would overwhelmingly benefit the top 1 percent of Americans while digging the country into a deeper fiscal hole.

National Security
The American military — its people and equipment — is dangerously overstretched. Mr. Bush has neglected the necessary war in Afghanistan, which now threatens to spiral into defeat. The unnecessary and staggeringly costly war in Iraq must be ended as quickly and responsibly as possible.
While Iraq’s leaders insist on a swift drawdown of American troops and a deadline for the end of the occupation, Mr. McCain is still talking about some ill-defined “victory.” As a result, he has offered no real plan for extracting American troops and limiting any further damage to Iraq and its neighbors.
Mr. Obama was an early and thoughtful opponent of the war in Iraq, and he has presented a military and diplomatic plan for withdrawing American forces. Mr. Obama also has correctly warned that until the Pentagon starts pulling troops out of Iraq, there will not be enough troops to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Mr. McCain, like Mr. Bush, has only belatedly focused on Afghanistan’s dangerous unraveling and the threat that neighboring Pakistan may quickly follow.
Mr. Obama would have a learning curve on foreign affairs, but he has already showed sounder judgment than his opponent on these critical issues. His choice of Senator Joseph Biden — who has deep foreign-policy expertise — as his running mate is another sign of that sound judgment. Mr. McCain’s long interest in foreign policy and the many dangers this country now faces make his choice of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska more irresponsible.
Both presidential candidates talk about strengthening alliances in Europe and Asia, including NATO, and strongly support Israel. Both candidates talk about repairing America’s image in the world. But it seems clear to us that Mr. Obama is far more likely to do that — and not just because the first black president would present a new American face to the world.
Mr. Obama wants to reform the United Nations, while Mr. McCain wants to create a new entity, the League of Democracies — a move that would incite even fiercer anti-American furies around the world.
Unfortunately, Mr. McCain, like Mr. Bush, sees the world as divided into friends (like Georgia) and adversaries (like Russia). He proposed kicking Russia out of the Group of 8 industrialized nations even before the invasion of Georgia. We have no sympathy for Moscow’s bullying, but we also have no desire to replay the cold war. The United States must find a way to constrain the Russians’ worst impulses, while preserving the ability to work with them on arms control and other vital initiatives.
Both candidates talk tough on terrorism, and neither has ruled out military action to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program. But Mr. Obama has called for a serious effort to try to wean Tehran from its nuclear ambitions with more credible diplomatic overtures and tougher sanctions. Mr. McCain’s willingness to joke about bombing Iran was frightening.

The Constitution and the Rule of Law
Under Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the justice system and the separation of powers have come under relentless attack. Mr. Bush chose to exploit the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, the moment in which he looked like the president of a unified nation, to try to place himself above the law.
Mr. Bush has arrogated the power to imprison men without charges and browbeat Congress into granting an unfettered authority to spy on Americans. He has created untold numbers of “black” programs, including secret prisons and outsourced torture. The president has issued hundreds, if not thousands, of secret orders. We fear it will take years of forensic research to discover how many basic rights have been violated.
Both candidates have renounced torture and are committed to closing the prison camp in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
But Mr. Obama has gone beyond that, promising to identify and correct Mr. Bush’s attacks on the democratic system. Mr. McCain has been silent on the subject.
Mr. McCain improved protections for detainees. But then he helped the White House push through the appalling Military Commissions Act of 2006, which denied detainees the right to a hearing in a real court and put Washington in conflict with the Geneva Conventions, greatly increasing the risk to American troops.
The next president will have the chance to appoint one or more justices to a Supreme Court that is on the brink of being dominated by a radical right wing. Mr. Obama may appoint less liberal judges than some of his followers might like, but Mr. McCain is certain to pick rigid ideologues. He has said he would never appoint a judge who believes in women’s reproductive rights.

The Candidates
It will be an enormous challenge just to get the nation back to where it was before Mr. Bush, to begin to mend its image in the world and to restore its self-confidence and its self-respect. Doing all of that, and leading America forward, will require strength of will, character and intellect, sober judgment and a cool, steady hand.
Mr. Obama has those qualities in abundance. Watching him being tested in the campaign has long since erased the reservations that led us to endorse Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries. He has drawn in legions of new voters with powerful messages of hope and possibility and calls for shared sacrifice and social responsibility.
Mr. McCain, whom we chose as the best Republican nominee in the primaries, has spent the last coins of his reputation for principle and sound judgment to placate the limitless demands and narrow vision of the far-right wing. His righteous fury at being driven out of the 2000 primaries on a racist tide aimed at his adopted daughter has been replaced by a zealous embrace of those same win-at-all-costs tactics and tacticians.
He surrendered his standing as an independent thinker in his rush to embrace Mr. Bush’s misbegotten tax policies and to abandon his leadership position on climate change and immigration reform.
Mr. McCain could have seized the high ground on energy and the environment. Earlier in his career, he offered the first plausible bill to control America’s emissions of greenhouse gases. Now his positions are a caricature of that record: think Ms. Palin leading chants of “drill, baby, drill.”
Mr. Obama has endorsed some offshore drilling, but as part of a comprehensive strategy including big investments in new, clean technologies.
Mr. Obama has withstood some of the toughest campaign attacks ever mounted against a candidate. He’s been called un-American and accused of hiding a secret Islamic faith. The Republicans have linked him to domestic terrorists and questioned his wife’s love of her country. Ms. Palin has also questioned millions of Americans’ patriotism, calling Republican-leaning states “pro-America.”
This politics of fear, division and character assassination helped Mr. Bush drive Mr. McCain from the 2000 Republican primaries and defeat Senator John Kerry in 2004. It has been the dominant theme of his failed presidency.
The nation’s problems are simply too grave to be reduced to slashing “robo-calls” and negative ads. This country needs sensible leadership, compassionate leadership, honest leadership and strong leadership. Barack Obama has shown that he has all of those qualities.

A version of this article appeared in print on October 24, 2008, on page A30 of the New York edition.

Colin Powell endorses Obama

ALSO - CLICK ON TITLE TO SEE 'HOW OBAMA WON THE US ELECTIONS' BY SCOTT SIMON - the host of National Public Radio's election night coverage - Simon gives his view of Obama's campaign strategy.

Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama on NBC's Meet the Press this morning was measured and dignified. We remember that this is a man born in Harlem, New York, of Jamaican parents, Luther and Arie (nee McKoy) Powell.

In the tradition of Jamaica's National Heroes, Colin Powell has stepped out of his comfort zone to denounce the cynical tone of the McCain-Palin campaign, even as he reaffirmed his admiration and respect for fellow soldier, John McCain. Powell says he still considers himself a Republican.

In his autobiography, "My American Journey", we learn of the hardworking, decent parents who raised this exceptional man. Excerpts from his book and links to the NYT and CNN reports below.


[My father] was the second of nine children born to poor folk in Top Hill ... My mother was the eldest of her generation - of nine children - and came from a slightly more elevated social station ... She had a high school education which my father lacked.
... Mom was a staunch union supporter, a member of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. My father, the shipping room foreman [at Ginsburg's] considered himself a part of management.




http://m.cnn.com/cnn/lt_ne/lt_ne/detail/184229;jsessionid=0C5E6CE6987A9E6B7BD82231E80C459D

Ian's Tribute to Alton

A wonderful remembrance of Alton Ellis from my friend Ian Martin in New York.

Alton was truly a preacher of peace. His works (songs) such as Dance Crasher, Don't Trouble People, Cry Tough, and Big Bad Boy, to name a few speaks volumes of a man that had been cast in the mold of a peacemaker.

Incidentally, I learned of Alton's death while attending the Excelsior Alumni Association USA Inc 39th Annual Dinner Dance held here in New York last Saturday evening. Alton's song Dance Crasher is and will always be part of my Excelsior's experience as long as I am clothed in my rightful mind.

During my first and second forms days at Excelsior as soon as classes for the day were completed, my classmates and I would hastily make our way to the music room. The piano would come alive with Dance Crasher until the older boys arrived. In fact, often times the older boys would oblige my classmate who played the piano to complete the gig.

Ironically, my classmate that played the piano was also an "Alton" albeit surnamed Clarke. As a matter of fact, I used to call him Alton Ellis. As I write, I picture Alton (classmate) sitting at the piano biting on his lips and banging Dance Crasher on the piano keys. Another favorite back then and especially from the older boys was America soul singer, Barbara Lyn's "Letter to Mommy and Daddy".

Back to Alton Ellis, despite him being exploited by so-called the powers that be of the music world, Alton remained a true messenger of peace and love.

The circumstances surrounding his death really came as surprise to me, seeing that it is only this past June he performed and with such energy by newspaper account.

Deepest sympathy to Alton's family, friends, and relatives. May Alton's soul rest in peace.

Oh dance crasher, oh-oh -oh oh dance crasher
Oh no no, don't break it up
Please don't make a fuss
Don't use a knife
To take another fellow's life

You'll be sorry, you'll be so sorry
You'll be sorry, let me tell you, ba-oooo
For there's a death sentence, ba-oooo
And you won't stand a chance, ba-oooo
And that will be your last dance, ba-oooo

Oh dance crasher, oh-oh -oh oh dance crasher
Oh no no, don't break it up
Please don't make a fuss
Go to a gym
And get yourself a trim

Be a clean fighter
'Stead of a dance crasher
Let me tell you, ba-oooo
Be a gentleman, ba-oooo
You could be a champion, ba-oooo
Like Mr. Bunny Grant, ba-oooo

Oh dance crasher, oh-oh -oh oh dance crasher
Oh no no, don't break it up
Please don't make a fuss
Go to a gym
And get yourself a trim

Be a clean fighter - prize fighter
'Stead of a dance crasher
Let me tell you, ba-oooo
Be a gentleman, ba-oooo
You could be a champion, ba-oooo
Like Mr. Bunny Grant, ba-oooo

Thank you Ian!

Buckley booted for Obama boost

Christopher Buckley


By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 15, 2008; C01

Christopher Buckley knew he was venturing into treacherous territory when he endorsed Barack Obama: "It's a good thing my dear old mum and pup are no longer alive. They'd cut off my allowance," he wrote.

The penalty turned out to be more severe. William F. Buckley Jr.'s son said yesterday that he had lost his back-page column in National Review, the conservative bible founded by his father.

"Within hours, poor NR was being swamped with furious mail, 'Cancel my subscription, this is betrayal, Judas, Benedict Arnold,' " Buckley, 56, said in an interview. "I thought the decent thing to do would be to offer to resign the column. Well, they accepted it."

Buckley can't be completely disappeared; the Washington author owns one-seventh of National Review and serves on the magazine's board. But he is the latest right-leaning pundit to be slammed by his side for criticizing or breaking with John McCain.

National Review editor Rich Lowry, a Bill Buckley protege, told readers in a posting that the younger Buckley had been writing the column for several months on a trial basis, although Buckley believed it was permanent.

"Chris says that his Obama endorsement has generated a 'tsunami,' that e-mail at NRO [National Review Online] has been running 'oh, 700-to-1' against him, and that there's a debate about whether to boil him in oil or shoot him. Chris is either misinformed or exercising poetic license," Lowry writes. "We have gotten about 100 e-mails, if that [a tiny amount compared to our usual volume], and threats of cancellations in the single digits."

Buckley delivered his endorsement of the Democratic presidential nominee last Thursday in the cyberpages of the Daily Beast, a new, blog-heavy Web site launched by Tina Brown, the former editor of Vanity Fair and the New Yorker. "I went out of my way to spare NR from being associated with this endorsement," Buckley said.

In that piece, Buckley said that he has known McCain since 1982 and once wrote a speech for him but that the senator has changed, airing "mean-spirited and pointless" attack ads and -- "What on earth can he have been thinking?" -- picking Sarah Palin as his running mate. While the result was "genuinely saddening" and even "tragic" for the country, Buckley wrote, he had concluded that Obama has a "first-class temperament and a first-class intellect" and could be a great president. That is, "assuming anyone gives a fig" about his views.

Buckley noted that columnist Kathleen Parker, after a National Review Online piece declaring Palin unqualified to be vice president, had received 12,000 hostile e-mails. Parker, who is syndicated by The Washington Post Writers Group, described the reaction in her next column: "I am a traitor and an idiot. Also, my mother should have aborted me and left me in a dumpster, but since she didn't, I should 'off' myself."

In his embrace of Obama, Buckley quoted his father as saying, "You know, I've spent my entire lifetime separating the Right from the kooks."

That didn't sit especially well with Lowry, who declined to be interviewed. "No doubt part of what upset these readers was the dim view Chris expressed of them in his first Daily Beast post," he wrote. "So it goes. It's an intense election season and emotions are running high. We continue to have the highest regard for Chris's talent and wit, and extend to him warmest regards and understanding."

Buckley, who said his proffered resignation was "briskly" accepted by Lowry on Saturday, declined to criticize the magazine: "I'm very fond of NR and I'm sorry this happened." But as he wrote in a follow-up Beast essay, "It's pretty darned angry out there in Right Wing Land."

Buckley noted that his father was unpredictable, had endorsed such Democrats as Joe Lieberman and wrote in 1969 that it was time America had a black president. "He would let you say anything you wanted as long as it was argued."

Were his pup still alive, Buckley said, "what my dear old dad probably would have done is taken out two pages and had me roundly denounced, carcass tossed out on the sidewalk. It would have been journalism. It would have been interesting."

Alton Ellis now leading in Heaven’s choir

“Girl I’ve got a date!” sang Alton Ellis and everybody on the dance floor sang “aaaah –ah!” Alton Ellis flavoured our lives with his rich lyrics and voice. On Winford Williams’ CVM “Onstage” we learned that many of his songs were cris de coeur as he struggled with his tempestuous marriage. And so we were gifted with “I’m still in love (with you girl!)”, “Willow Tree” and “Muriel”. His was a voice appealing for peace as in “Dancecrasher”.

Below is a heart-rending comment from his also famous nephew Owen 'Blakka' Ellis as reported by Basil Walters in the Observer.


Alton Ellis hailed a musical icon

BY BASIL WALTERS Observer staff reporter waltersb@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, October 12, 2008

MEMBERS of the musical fraternity yesterday hailed the late Alton Ellis as a musical legend who will never be forgotten, even as they lauded him for his hard work over more than half a century.

"He always called me 'ska king'. And I always called him 'the great Mr Rock Steady'," said Derrick Morgan, one of Ellis' musical peers for more than 50 years. "A lot of shows, he and I performed in Europe together. The last show I remember he and I did was in June at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Jamaica."

Ellis, 64, lost the battle against cancer in a London hospital last Friday night.
Michael Barnett, who along with Keith Brown used to promote the longest running vintage show series called Startime, said Ellis had always been one of his biggest drawing cards.

"Alton was always a favourite artiste of the people from day one. The people just had a love affair with him," he said.

For Lloyd Parks, whose We the People band was the longest backing outfit for Startime, Ellis was a mentor. "I used to go to Studio One on Brentford Road just to look at Alton and Ken Boothe; and said 'I want to be like them'. It brought joy to me when I started backing them. That brought so much joy to me that when they started labelling me as a vintage band, I just didn't care - even though I back everybody. His passing touched me," said Parks sadly.

Minister of Information, Culture, Sports and Youth Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, for her part, extended condolences to his family, while lauding him as a reggae icon.
"Like thousands of other Jamaicans, I deeply mourned the passing of Jamaica's most famous exponent of rock steady, Alton Ellis," said Grange, adding that it was Ellis and keyboardist, the late Jackie Mittoo, who invented the rock steady beat in the mid-1960s.

One of Ellis' more enduring gems called 'Why' has been immortalised as he is said to have asked 'why' in his final moments. It is a reality that has deepened the sadness of at least one family member. "My cousin (Uncle Alton's son Clive) tell me that one of the last words he uttered was 'Why'," said Owen 'Blakka' Ellis, comedian and nephew of the trailblazing Jamaican singer. "And I'm asking the Almighty why, why so many good people have to die. I think I feel too numb to think. My heart full and my eyes too tired to cry. I was about to sleep but the news got me out of bed. Now, Uncle Alton's words are stuck in my head."

Legendary Alton Ellis passes on

published: Sunday Gleaner | October 12, 2008

ALTON ELLIS, the west Kingston balladeer who defined the lovers' rock genre, died Friday evening at age 70. The singer succumbed to a 10-month fight with lymphatic cancer.

Sandra Ellis, one of his children, told The Sunday Gleaner that her father passed away at the Hammersmith Hospital in London, where he had been receiving treatment for the past two weeks.

Ellis had been diagnosed with cancer of the lymph glands in December 2007.
No singer had more success on Jamaican charts during the 1960s than the Trench Town-born Ellis whose first hit song was Muriel, which was done with Eddie Perkins.
Throughout the 1960s, Ellis recorded a series of ska hits for rival producers Arthur 'Duke' Reid and Clement Dodd. These included Dancecrasher, Girl I've Got a Date, I'm Just a Guy and I'm Still in Love.

He immigrated to England in the early 1970s where he remained active musically. He enjoyed a career resurgence in the 1990s when there was a rocksteady revival in Jamaica and Europe.

In 2003, dancehall superstar Sean Paul and singer Sasha had a minor hit in the United States with their cover of I'm Still in Love.

Ellis, who last performed here in June, is survived by wife Judith and over 20 children.

Foaming-at-the-mouth Racism

Excerpt from a column By FRANK RICH
Published - New York Times: October 12, 2008

.... the country got conditioned to Obama appearing in large arenas without incident (though I confess that the first loud burst of fireworks at the end of his convention stadium speech gave me a start). In America, nothing does succeed like success. The fear receded.

Until now. At McCain-Palin rallies, the raucous and insistent cries of "Treason!" and "Terrorist!" and "Kill him!" and "Off with his head!" as well as the uninhibited slinging of racial epithets, are actually something new in a campaign that has seen almost every conceivable twist. They are alarms. Doing nothing is not an option.

....But it's not just the old Joe McCarthyesque guilt-by-association game, however spurious, that's going on [in the Republican campaign] . Don't for an instant believe the many mindlessly "even-handed" journalists who keep saying that the McCain campaign's use of Ayers is the moral or political equivalent of the Obama campaign's hammering on Charles Keating.

What makes them different, and what has pumped up the Weimar-like rage at McCain-Palin rallies, is the violent escalation in rhetoric, especially (though not exclusively) by Palin. Obama "launched his political career in the living room of a domestic terrorist." He is "palling around with terrorists" (note the plural noun). Obama is "not a man who sees America the way you and I see America." Wielding a wildly out-of-context Obama quote, Palin slurs him as an enemy of American troops. By the time McCain asks the crowd "Who is the real Barack Obama?" it's no surprise that someone cries out "Terrorist!"

The rhetorical conflation of Obama with terrorism is complete. It is stoked further by the repeated invocation of Obama's middle name by surrogates introducing McCain and Palin at these rallies. This sleight of hand at once synchronizes with the poisonous Obama-is-a-Muslim e-mail blasts and shifts the brand of terrorism from Ayers's Vietnam-era variety to the radical Islamic threats of today.

That's a far cry from simply accusing Obama of being a guilty-by-association radical leftist. Obama is being branded as a potential killer and an accessory to past attempts at murder. "Barack Obama's friend tried to kill my family" was how a McCain press release last week packaged the remembrance of a Weather Underground incident from 1970 - when Obama was 8. We all know what punishment fits the crime of murder, or even potential murder, if the security of post-9/11 America is at stake. We all know how self-appointed "patriotic" martyrs always justify taking the law into their own hands.

Obama can hardly be held accountable for Ayers's behavior 40 years ago, but at least McCain and Palin can try to take some responsibility for the behavior of their own supporters in 2008. What's troubling here is not only the candidates' loose inflammatory talk but also their refusal to step in promptly and strongly when someone responds to it with bloodthirsty threats in a crowded arena. Joe Biden had it exactly right when he expressed concern last week that "a leading American politician who might be vice president of the United States would not just stop midsentence and turn and condemn that." To stay silent is to pour gas on the fires.

It wasn't always thus with McCain. In February he loudly disassociated himself from a speaker who brayed "Barack Hussein Obama" when introducing him at a rally in Ohio. Now McCain either backpedals with tardy, pro forma expressions of respect for his opponent or lets second-tier campaign underlings release boilerplate disavowals after ugly incidents like the chilling Jim Crow-era flashback last week when a Florida sheriff ranted about "Barack Hussein Obama" at a Palin rally while in full uniform.

From the start, there have always been two separate but equal questions about race in this election. Is there still enough racism in America to prevent a black man from being elected president no matter what? And, will Republicans play the race card? The jury is out on the first question until Nov. 4. But we now have the unambiguous answer to the second: Yes.

McCain, who is no racist, turned to this desperate strategy only as Obama started to pull ahead. The tone was set at the Republican convention, with Rudy Giuliani's mocking dismissal of Obama as an "only in America" affirmative-action baby. We also learned then that the McCain campaign had recruited as a Palin handler none other than Tucker Eskew, the South Carolina consultant who had worked for George W. Bush in the notorious 2000 G.O.P. primary battle where the McCains and their adopted Bangladeshi daughter were slimed by vicious racist rumors.

No less disconcerting was a still-unexplained passage of Palin's convention speech: Her use of an unattributed quote praising small-town America (as opposed to, say, Chicago and its community organizers) from Westbrook Pegler, the mid-century Hearst columnist famous for his anti-Semitism, racism and violent rhetorical excess. After an assassin tried to kill F.D.R. at a Florida rally and murdered Chicago's mayor instead in 1933, Pegler wrote that it was "regrettable that Giuseppe Zangara shot the wrong man." In the '60s, Pegler had a wish for Bobby Kennedy: "Some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow falls."

This is the writer who found his way into a speech by a potential vice president at a national political convention. It's astonishing there's been no demand for a public accounting from the McCain campaign. Imagine if Obama had quoted a Black Panther or Louis Farrakhan - or William Ayers - in Denver.

The operatives who would have Palin quote Pegler have been at it ever since. A key indicator came two weeks after the convention, when the McCain campaign ran its first ad tying Obama to the mortgage giant Fannie Mae. Rather than make its case by using a legitimate link between Fannie and Obama (or other Democratic leaders), the McCain forces chose a former Fannie executive who had no real tie to Obama or his campaign but did have a black face that could dominate the ad's visuals. There are no black faces high in the McCain hierarchy to object to these tactics.

There hasn't been a single black Republican governor, senator or House member in six years. This is a campaign where Palin can repeatedly declare that Alaska is "a microcosm of America" without anyone even wondering how that might be so for a state whose tiny black and Hispanic populations are each roughly one-third the national average.

There are indeed so few people of color at McCain events that a black senior writer from The Tallahassee Democrat was mistakenly ejected by the Secret Service from a campaign rally in Panama City in August, even though he was standing with other reporters and showed his credentials. His only apparent infraction was to look glaringly out of place. Could the old racial politics still be determinative? I've long been skeptical of the incessant press prognostications (and liberal panic) that this election will be decided by racist white men in the Rust Belt. Now even the dimmest bloviators have figured out that Americans are riveted by the color green, not black - as in money, not energy. Voters are looking for a leader who might help rescue them, not a reckless gambler whose lurching responses to the economic meltdown (a campaign "suspension," a mortgage-buyout stunt that changes daily) are as unhinged as his wanderings around the debate stage.

To see how fast the tide is moving, just look at North Carolina. On July 4 this year - the day that the godfather of modern G.O.P. racial politics, Jesse Helms, died - The Charlotte Observer reported that strategists of both parties agreed Obama's chances to win the state fell "between slim and none." Today, as Charlotte reels from the implosion of Wachovia, the McCain-Obama race is a dead heat in North Carolina and Helms's Republican successor in the Senate, Elizabeth Dole, is looking like a goner.

But we're not at Election Day yet, and if voters are to have their final say, both America and Obama have to get there safely. The McCain campaign has crossed the line between tough negative campaigning and inciting vigilantism, and each day the mob howls louder.

The onus is on the man who says he puts his country first to call off the dogs, pit bulls and otherwise.

Sober up and save our children!

Ananda Dean's distraught mother after her mutilated body was discovered (Jamaica Observer photo)

My friend Errol Smith at HOT 102 called me in a temper after news broke about the horrible murder of a nine-month-old baby. The details of the report told of the depths to which our society had sunk. The mother of the child was a prisoner, and so the poor hapless child, who had been born in prison, was left by his approved guardian with a deranged relative. As we heard Ananda Dean’s grieving father appeal to the country to be more protective of our children, we are left to wonder why we have become such a dysfunctional society.

Errol related how a Jamaican student in Barbados was amazed at the level of order and development in that country, with the population of Portmore. One of Barbados’ distinguished sons, Sir Courtney Blackman, has long maintained that good governance had to be the foundation of nation building. So what has been standing in the way of the development of governance in our country? Everyone has a different answer: politics, selfishness, indiscipline, greed, poor parenting, sub-standard education, inadequate justice system. The answer is, all of the above, caused by all of us.

Unfortunately, the only group that has been working assiduously to raise the bar is the same derided, browbeaten Police. We long to hear all the various groups of churches, teachers, politicians and media announce their own charters, calling themselves to higher standards. The private sector is doing more than its fair share: providing employment, training workers in subjects they should have learned in school, paying taxes and sponsoring various community projects.

Well-meaning civic groups should widen their focus to look at all the other factors that are contributing to the anguish in our society. The police are a much easier target, because one always has a CCN release on which to base one’s criticisms. Our civic groups, our journalists could make a significant difference if they ask more probing questions and relentlessly pursue the answers.

But we also acknowledge that the buck has to stop somewhere: the people who put themselves up for public office must take responsibility for the state of the nation. Government and opposition members of Parliament are well-paid and equipped by the country. They need to give us the results. Former broadcaster Tony Laing used to remind us constantly that we are the shareholders in government and should demand to know what we are getting for the investment of our hard earned taxes.

We are seeing more love and loyalty for party over country and even as the news gets worse, so does the behaviour of some parliamentarians in the hearings on proposed crime-fighting amendments to our laws.

Police community head, ACP John McLean gave us a lesson from nature about cooperation. He said when geese fly in formation, the lead bird drops back when it gets tired and is replaced by another, without losing momentum. This has been the problem: too many want to be “lead-birds-for-life” instead of harmonizing and synergising our efforts. As we face this crisis in crime, and look to our leadership for solutions, we in the media should expose to the public who are just profilers and who are the real producers.

In addition to the USAID and UNDP, we have CIDA (Canada), IADB (Inter-American Development Bank), the European Union and DFID (UK) backing our security programmes. The daily headlines may have made us punch-drunk, but with these goodly folks in our corner, we had better sober up before they throw in the towel.

Ananda Dean - RIP

Nordia Campbell (left), mother of 11-year-old Ananda Dean, is consoled by a family friend after looking at the remains of a body believed to be that of her daughter. The body was found in Belvedere, St Andrew. (Photo: Karl McLarty)


Brutal murder
Headless body found in Red Hills believed to be that of missing 11-year-old girl
TANEISHA LEWIS, Observer staff reporter lewist@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, September 29, 2008

Nordia Campbell (left), mother of 11-year-old Ananda Dean, is consoled by a family friend after looking at the remains of a body believed to be that of her daughter. The body was found in Belvedere, St Andrew. (Photo: Karl McLarty)

SCREAMS of anguish bellowed throughout the community of Belvedere in Red Hills, St Andrew yesterday as firefighters removed a heavily decomposed body believed to be that of 11-year-old Ananda Dean from a steep precipice along Cypress Drive - miles away from where she was last seen after she went missing almost two weeks ago.

"A she, a she.. Oh God," Ananda's aunt, Tamika Campbell bawled, after viewing the headless remains and then falling to the ground seconds later. Upon hearing the news, Nordia Campbell, Ananda's mother, also fainted at the thought that her daughter may have been brutally murdered.


In memory of Ananda from Dr Lucien Jones

"Knowing doctrine is not the same as knowing God. Knowing God is not possible without knowing Him through Jesus" - Chris Tiegen. " I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering becoming like him in his death..." Phil. 3:1O-11. Only this kind of faith can rescue our nation.

US Ambassador Brenda LaGrange Johnson bats for Jamaica

In her activities and associations, Ambassador La Grange Johnson believes in putting people ahead of politics - no wonder her friends call her "every Democrat's favourite Republican".

by Jean Lowrie-Chin - Jamaica Observer - Mon 29 Sept 08

"The first thing Barbara Walters said to me when she heard I was US Ambassador to Jamaica was, 'Congratulations on Bolt'," relates Brenda LaGrange Johnson. She was seated at the same table with the media veteran for the Tennis Hall of Fame Dinner in New York City earlier this month. "Usain Bolt is a superstar," Mrs La Grange Johnson enthused. "My eight-year-old grandson has been begging me to get him to visit his school."

She feels very blessed to be on assignment in Jamaica for this dynamic phase of our country's history: "Imagine, Jamaica has had eight prime ministers and I have worked with three." She also oversaw the completion of and smooth transition to the new US Embassy buildings in Liguanea, St Andrew, started by her predecessor the legendary Ambassador Sue Cobb.

Braving the initial controversy over the location, Mrs LaGrange Johnson and her predecessor can be proud of this 107,000-square foot complex that is the most impressive modern building in Jamaica. It combines structural strength with environmental aesthetics that have silenced even the most vocal critics. Indeed, the acoustics in the Embassy Atrium have made it a favourite of Jamaica's singers and musicians.

It helps to have a sense of humour. "Here I am, a Republican," says the charming ambassador, "serving in a country and working in a State Department where many are pro-Democrat." She has had 20 years to get used to it: her partner Merle in their New York-based business BrenMer, was a staunch Democrat, yet they continue to be the best of friends.

Admiring her philanthropic spirit as she served causes for the arts, social development and health, Mrs LaGrange Johnson's friends had long known that she would make a fine ambassador. However, various circumstances kept her from applying until 2005, and she relates amazingly that the very day she went to the White House to make her formal application was the day Ambassador Cobb advised of her impending retirement. When offered the post she immediately accepted, recalling fond memories of her honeymoon trip to Jamaica with her husband Howard in 1968. (They have four children and six grandchildren.)

Not only does Mrs LaGrange Johnson know Senator John McCain, he was actually the person, along with Senator Susan Collins, who had introduced her to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The chairman of that committee happens to be Democratic senator and Barack Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, who she recalls was very gracious at the hearing. McCain gave Mrs LaGrange Johnson such a glowing introduction that her son joked to his siblings, "He couldn't be talking about our mother!"

Although she has never met Obama or Palin, the ambassador admires the four candidates. "They are all sacrificing their privacy, putting their lives on the line for their country," she remarks. "I say thank you to these public servants and indeed to those here in Jamaica. I don't think I could do it - I am too sensitive to weather the harsh criticisms directed at political candidates."

Mrs LaGrange Johnson has been enthusiastically working with local inner-city upliftment and education programmes. The USAID-funded Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (CETT) has been making strides and as a former teacher in her native New York, the ambassador is dedicated to its mission. She has been collaborating with the Prince's Trust on the Rose Town project and at a dinner with Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace this year, assured him that she would continue to participate even after her tour of duty ends.

The US ambassador has also represented Jamaica strongly and positively on the world stage. Last year, just a month after Jamaica was reeling from the blows of Hurricane Dean and a hectic general election, she batted for us in New York City at the prestigious 500 Club annual event.

She assured investors that Jamaica was open for business, quoting from the Doing Business Report that "Jamaica ranked 11 out of 178 nations in ease of starting a business". She cited the examples of "our friend Chris Blackwell who has never stopped investing", Digicel and Joe Lewis of the Tavistock Group who are bullish on Jamaica.

"There is a lot of money to be made in Jamaica," the ambassador told the audience. "You can make a lot of money in Jamaica. A prime sector for big returns is high-end, niche tourism, in specialty areas like retirement, health care and attractions. Wouldn't it be great to re-create the world famous town of Port Royal into a premier cruise destination? Real estate development, financial services, and telecoms are other areas of real promise. The time to invest is now... The early entrants will not only make the biggest difference, but also take home the most profit."

The ambassador told them that Prime Minister Bruce Golding was "the reformist, whom I refer to as the Sarkozy of the Caribbean. He has emphasised an inclusive Jamaican government, in support of the rule of law and checks and balances."

She is impressed by "his amazing ability as a speaker" recalling his address at last year's Caribbean HIV-AIDS conference just a few weeks after he had been sworn in, where he used few notes and "had every statistic".

Mrs LaGrange Johnson dearly wants to see a reduction in crime and expressed respect for National Security Minister Colonel Trevor MacMillan and Commissioner of Police Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin. National security programmes of successive administrations have received substantial support from her government.

She is entranced by the country's natural beauty, especially the north coast, our mountains and, just a stone's throw from the embassy, Hope Gardens. The Ambassador and her supportive husband are continually "selling" Jamaica. They have chosen north coast hotels for a large reunion while their daughter will be hosting over 100 guests here for her birthday party.

In her activities and associations, Ambassador La Grange Johnson believes in putting people ahead of politics - no wonder her friends call her "every Democrat's favourite Republican".

'Let's all calm down'

by Jean Lowrie-Chin
Jamaica Observer - Monday, September 22, 2008

The PNP race is over now, and it is a cold-cold Monday morning for the loser. This column went to press before the results were known. I will not hazard a guess since, while the Don Anderson polls were heavily favouring the incumbent Portia Simpson Miller, Mark Wignall's intelligence on the ground was giving the victory to Peter Phillips. The theft of $3 million cash from the vehicle of Mrs Simpson Miller's campaigner Alston Stewart on Thursday was described as "a blow" to her campaign and caused some interesting speculation.

For Bruce Golding, however, the surprisingly strident campaign gave him a bit of a breather and we heard positive feedback about his tackling of various issues. There were glowing reviews of his update to a real estate audience on his plans to reduce the bureaucracy for building approvals, as well as for his speech to police officers last Thursday on his proposed anti-crime legislation. What was refreshing was his candour about the human rights groups that had been objecting to some of the measures. He said in effect that we should expect such objections and that while he was resolute that the current crime situation warranted a tough response, human rights groups were important to an orderly, law-abiding society.

We have to face the fact, that since the beginning of the year over 1,100 people have been murdered, 147 in August alone. It is a national cruelty that even as our athletes were taking Jamaica higher, criminals stayed low and lethal. Clearly, there has to be tougher legislation to deal with these hardened thugs.

We were on hand to hear the prime minister give an update on post-Gustav reconstruction: "We have major challenges - with all the battering from the global recession, oil prices and food shortages, we could have done without this." But he said he was not losing faith. "I believe Jamaica is special in God's mind and heart," said PM Golding as he thanked corporate donors, "and indeed, He is already providing a way out."

His is a dignified voice, contrasting with the aggressive campaigning on the airwaves. Whether one is a JLP sympathiser or not, we should agree that Jamaica has too many challenges to be distracted, and lucky for us, we have a prime minister who is diligently going about the nation's business - his colleagues wonder if he ever sleeps!

It would be ludicrous to blame the current (that's a pun) hardships on the Golding government after one short year in office. Encountering the silt that just a couple of hours of rain had brought down on our street a few days ago, I can only imagine the destruction in our eastern parishes. Add to that the challenges of every single ministry and we get a good idea of what this government faces.

The Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill came together last week to shore up US banks after the disappearance of two venerable giants, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, and a multi-billion bailout of AIG, the biggest provider of commercial insurance and life assurance in the US. In spite of the heated retorts on the campaign platforms, the two political parties were of one mind that their country's economy had to be pulled back from the brink. As CNN's John King commented, "They are saying, 'Let's all calm down, quiet down and figure what we have to do.'"
Can we depend on the Opposition PNP to realise that this is the only way out of our problems? In the past four decades, Jamaica has been stretched between our two parties like a frayed rope in an unending tug of war. We have been subjected to ridiculous grandstanding in our House of Parliament while the nation's business gets dragged out and unnecessarily politicised.

Let us admit that in the one short year since it has taken office, the Bruce Golding-led government has made some significant initiatives: free tuition for high school students and free health care, the reduction of red tape and the fast-tracking of education, transportation, agricultural and tourism projects. There has not been the level of dislocation of lead persons in government agencies that usually happens when there is a change of administration. Just as Huntley Medley, former press secretary for Prime Minister PJ Patterson, has been performing admirably as executive director of JIS, Marcia Forbes is a solid professional who will not allow politics to interfere with her responsibilities as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Mining and Telecommunications.

We should also never forget that it was a PNP government which established the important offices of the contractor general and the public defender, and facilitated wide-ranging amendments to the Representation of the People Act, giving us a gold-standard electoral system. Unfortunately, politicians continuously devalue the achievements of opposing sides, creating dangerous extremists in their camps.

We the people must now tell our politicians, "No more!" Stop the bickering over your little two-by-two square of power and get to work on what the taxpayer expects you to do: find and implement solutions for food, energy and our environment. Stop trucking your supporters to squat on dangerous gully banks and squalid areas to swell your votes. We are looking to you, government and Opposition, to lead us forward, not backward.

So on whatever side the coin fell for the PNP leadership, let that leadership be reminded that they are being paid to see to the needs of their constituents, not to be seen on television every night. The taxpayers who can barely find the means for energy, water, shelter and food are paying you very handsomely to find ways to improve their standard of living. They are suffering while you are profiling.

The visit of Usain Bolt last Thursday to his Digicel "family" was like a sweet respite from the strife around us. It was great to see grown professional men and women transformed into frenetic autograph-seeking "nuh-lingering" fans. This is the pure joy that comes from our drug-free hard-working athletes. We are capable of so much when we come together with clear minds and clean hands.

- lowriechin@aim.com

Rebuttal of CERN's safety arguments

Response to my previous blog:

The Origins of the Universe: A Crash Course by Brian Greene in the New York Times

JTankers said...

Brian Green's article is well written and compelling, but it may not be correct. The safety opposition alleges that CERN is misrepresenting the certainty of safety.

A small number of scientists have analyzed CERN's safety arguments in detail and written papers in support or in rebuttal.

Some of the papers were written at the request of CERN and some were written independently. The independently written papers tend to have a common theme, safety is not known.

Most recent papers reviewing Hawking Radiation conclude that black hole evaporation is fundamentally flawed conjecture. For example anti-matter is energy not anti-energy as Dr. Hawking argued more than 30 years ago.

CERN's particle physicists (micro physics) also use astrophysics (macro physics) to conjecture that cosmic rays of higher energy than the LHC prove safety.

But at least one astrophysicist, senior German Physics PHD Dr. Rainer Plaga argues that CERN's safety conjecture does not prove safety.

Another senior German visiting professor of Physics, Dr. Otto Rössler, author of Chao's theories Rössler Attractor and founder of Endophysics, argues that if the Large Hadron Collider creates slow moving micro black holes they may grow rapidly and pose a threat to Earth in years, decades or centuries.

Former cosmic ray researcher, California math champion and Nuclear Safety Officer Walter L. Wagner first discovered flaws with CERN's cosmic ray safety arguments, he filed suit in US Federal Court to require proof of safety before high energy collisions begin.

The flaw with CERN's original safety argument is that micro black holes created by cosmic rays would all pass through Earth and into space at nearly the speed of light.

Micro black holes created from head-on collisions in particle colliders would travel too slowly for all to escape Earth's gravity.

CERN's LHC Safety Assessment Group acknowledged this fact in March 2008, but changed their theory in the disputed 2008 safety report.

A European lawsuit alleging potential danger from the Large Hadron Collider is also pending.

Support the effort to require a safety conference before high energy collisions might begin in weeks or months at LHCDefense.org.

Learn more at LHCFacts.org
September 12, 2008 7:17 PM

The Origins of the Universe: A Crash Course

By BRIAN GREENE
Published New York Times: September 11, 2008

THREE hundred feet below the outskirts of Geneva lies part of a 17-mile-long tubular track, circling its way across the French border and back again, whose interior is so pristine and whose nearly 10,000 surrounding magnets so frigid, that it’s one of the emptiest and coldest regions of space in the solar system.

The track is part of the Large Hadron Collider, a technological marvel built by physicists and engineers, and described alternatively as heralding the next revolution in our understanding of the universe or, less felicitously, as a doomsday machine that may destroy the planet.

After more than a decade of development and construction, involving thousands of scientists from dozens of countries at a cost of some $8 billion, the “on” switch for the collider was thrown this week. So what we can expect?

The collider’s workings are straightforward: at full power, trillions of protons will be injected into the otherwise empty track and set racing in opposite directions at speeds exceeding 99.999999 percent of the speed of light — fast enough so that every second the protons will cycle the entire track more than 11,000 times and engage in more than half a billion head-on collisions.

The raison d’être for creating this microscopic maelstrom derives from Einstein’s famous formula, E = mc2, which declares that much like euros and dollars, energy (“E”) and matter or mass (“m”) are convertible currencies (with “c” — the speed of light — specifying the fixed conversion rate). By accelerating the protons to fantastically high speeds, their collisions provide a momentary reservoir of tremendous energy, which can then quickly convert to a broad spectrum of other particles.

It is through such energy-matter conversion that physicists hope to create particles that would have been commonplace just after the big bang, but which for the most part have long since disintegrated.

Here’s a brief roundup of the sort of long-lost particles the collisions might produce and the mysteries they may help unravel.

Higgs Particles

One of the mysteries that continues to stump physicists is the origin of mass. We can measure with fantastic accuracy the mass of an electron, a quark and most every other particle, but where does mass itself come from?

More than 40 years ago, a number of researchers, including Peter Higgs, an English physicist, suggested an answer: perhaps space is pervaded by a field, much like the electromagnetic fields generated by cellphones and radio broadcasts, that acts like invisible molasses.

When we push something in the effort to make it move faster, the Higgs molasses would exert a drag force — and it’s this resistance, as the Higgs theory goes, that we commonly call the object’s mass. Scientists have incorporated this idea as a centerpiece of the so-called standard model — a refined mathematical edifice, viewed by many as the crowning achievement of particle physics, that since the 1970s has described the behavior of nature’s basic constituents with unprecedented accuracy.

The one component of the standard model that remains stubbornly unconfirmed is the very notion of the Higgs’ “molasses” field. However, collisions at the Large Hadron Collider should be able to chip off little chunks of the ubiquitous Higgs field (if it exists), creating what are known as Higgs bosons or Higgs particles. If these particles are found, the standard model, more than a quarter-century after its articulation, will finally be complete.

Supersymmetric Particles

In the early 1970s, mathematical studies of string theory revealed a striking step toward Einstein’s unfulfilled dream of a unified theory — a single theory embracing all forces and all matter. Supersymmetry, as the insight is called, is mathematically complex but has a physical implication of central relevance to the Large Hadron Collider.

For every known species of particle (electrons, quarks, neutrinos, etc.), supersymmetry implies the existence of a partner species (called, with physicists’ inimitable linguistic flair, selectrons, squarks, sneutrinos, etc.) that to date has never been observed.

Physicists believe these “sparticles” have so far evaded detection because they’re a good deal more massive than their known counterparts, thus requiring more powerful collisions for their copious production.

A wealth of calculations strongly suggests that the collider will have that power.

The discovery of sparticles would be a monumental achievement, taking us far beyond Einstein by establishing a deep link between nature’s forces and the particles of matter. Such a discovery also has the potential to advance our understanding of dark matter — the abundant matter that permeates space but does not give off light and hence is known only through its gravitational influence. Many researchers suspect that dark matter is composed of sparticles.

Transdimensional Particles

A tantalizing idea considered since the early part of the last century is that the universe might have more than the three spatial dimensions of common experience.

In addition to the familiar left/right, back/forth and up/down, physicists have contemplated additional directions that are curled up to such a small size that they’ve so far eluded discovery.

For many years Einstein was a strong proponent of this idea. He had already shown that gravity was nothing but warps and curves in the familiar dimensions of space (and time); the new idea posited that nature’s other forces (for example, the electromagnetic force) amounted to warps and curves in additional, as yet unknown, spatial dimensions. Difficulties in applying the idea mathematically resulted in Einstein ultimately losing interest. But decades later, string theory revived it: the mathematics of string theory not only requires extra dimensions but has shown how to resolve the issues that flummoxed Einstein.

And now, remarkably, there’s a chance — albeit a small one — that the collider may find evidence for the extra dimensions. Calculations show that some of the debris produced by the proton collisions may be ejected out of our familiar spatial dimensions and crammed into the others, a process we’d detect by an apparent loss of the energy the debris would carry.

The unknown is just how powerful the collisions need to be for this process to happen, a number itself determined by another unknown: just how small the extra dimensions, if they exist, actually are. The more tightly they’re curled, the harder it would be to cram anything in them and so the more energetic the required collisions.

Should the Large Hadron Collider have the power necessary to reveal extra dimensions of space — to overturn our belief that length, width and height are all there is — that would rank as one of the greatest upheavals in our understanding of the universe.

Micro Black Holes

Now for the possibility that’s generated the fuss.

Recent work in string theory has suggested that the collider might produce black holes, providing physicists with a spectacular opportunity to study them in a laboratory.

The common conception is that black holes are fantastically massive astrophysical bodies with enormous gravitational fields. But in reality, a black hole can have any mass. Take an orange and squeeze it to a sufficiently small size (about a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a meter across) and you’d have a black hole — with the mass of an orange.

Physicists have realized that the collider’s proton-proton collisions might momentarily pack so much energy into such a small volume that exceedingly tiny black holes may form — black holes even lighter than the one theoretically created by the orange, but black holes nevertheless.

Why might one worry that this would be a problem? Because black holes have a reputation for rapacity. If a black hole is produced under Geneva, might it swallow Switzerland and continue on a ravenous rampage until the earth is devoured?

It’s a reasonable question with a definite answer: no.

Work that made Stephen Hawking famous establishes that tiny black holes would disintegrate in a minuscule fraction of a second, long enough for physicists to reap the benefits of having produced them, but short enough to avoid their wreacking any havoc.

Even so, some have worried further that maybe Dr. Hawking was wrong and such black holes don’t disintegrate. Are we willing to bet the fate of the planet on an untested insight? And that question takes us to the crux of the matter: the collisions at the Large Hadron Collider have never before occurred under laboratory settings, but they’ve been taking place throughout the universe — even here on earth — for billions of years.

Cosmic rays — particles wafting through space — constantly rain down on the earth, the other planets and the wealth of stars scattered throughout the galaxy, with energies far in excess of those attainable by the Large Hadron Collider. And since these more powerful collisions haven’t resulted in astrophysical calamities, the collider’s comparatively tame collisions most assuredly won’t either.

Should any of the particles described above be produced at the Large Hadron Collider, from Higgs particles to black holes, corks will rightly pop in physics departments worldwide. But the most exciting prospect of all is that the experiments will reveal something completely unanticipated, something that forces us to rethink our most cherished explanations.

Confirming an idea is always gratifying. But finding what you don’t expect opens new vistas on the nature of reality. And that’s what humans, including those of us who happen to be physicists, live for.

Brian Greene, a professor of math and physics at Columbia, is the author, most recently, of “Icarus at the Edge of Time.”

Physicist: Bolt could have run 9.55 in Beijing

Jamaican set record in Olympics despite showboating for last part of it

updated 10:58 a.m. ET, Fri., Sept. 12, 2008

OSLO, Norway - A physicist has done the math, and says Usain Bolt could have run the 100-meter Olympic final in 9.55 seconds if he had not slowed down to showboat.
“We estimate that he could have finished the race in a time between 9.55 and 9.61,” Norwegian physicist Hans Eriksen said Friday in a telephone interview.

Bolt won the final at the Beijing Olympics last month in 9.69 seconds, shaving 0.03 seconds off the record he set in May.

Eriksen, a physicist at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo, said he got the idea to examine just how quick Bolt could have gone after hearing his coach say that the Jamaican could have run 9.52 seconds.

“We saw the final on television and then spent the whole weekend researching,” Eriksen said. “It was fun. We’ve done more serious research work, but this one got far more attention.”

Eriksen and his colleagues analyzed TV footage of the race, focusing on Bolt’s position, speed and acceleration, as well as that of runner-up Richard Thompson.
Both sprinters slowed before the finish line, but Bolt’s chest-beating celebration some 20 meters before the line cut his speed more.

“We don’t mean to say that this is the final and ultimate result,” Eriksen was quoted as saying in New Scientist magazine. “Instead, it’s a fun application and simple physics.”

Bolt to di worl'! - Ja Observer

Fans squeal in excitement as they reach out to touch the BMW carrying Olympic champion Usain Bolt on Mountain View Avenue in east Kingston yesterday. Bolt, who broke the 100 and 200 m world records at the 29th Olympiad in Beijing last month, came home to a hero's welcome yesterday. Members of Government, including Prime Minister Bruce Golding and minister of sport Olivia 'Babsy' Grange met him on the tarmac at the Norman Manley International Airport and escorted him to the Jamaica Pegasus where he was the subject of press conference. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)



Double Olympic champion and World Record holder in the 100m and 200m Usain Bolt gives his now trademark pose after exiting the Virgin Atlantic aircraft on his arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston yesterday. At left is Sports Minister Olivia Grange. Bolt received a hero's welcome from excited Jamaicans along the route from the airport to the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. (Photos: Bryan Cummings and Collin Reid)Crowds brave rain to welcome home Olympic champion





BY KIMONE THOMPSON
Jamaica Observer senior reporter thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, September 09, 2008

The heavy rains that pelted the island yesterday were not enough to dampen the spirit of hundreds of Jamaicans who lined the streets of Kingston to welcome home Olympic champion Usain Bolt who broke two world records and had a hand in a third at the Beijing Olympics last month.

The skies were black, signalling the fury to be unleashed, but fans were undaunted. For the entire stretch of road between the Norman Manley International Airport and the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston, housewives, grandmothers, pregnant women, professionals, schoolchildren, men, boys and girls stood in the pouring rain, singing Bolt's praises.
Double Olympic champion and World Record holder in the 100m and 200m Usain Bolt gives his now trademark pose after exiting the Virgin Atlantic aircraft on his arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston yesterday. At left is Sports Minister Olivia Grange. Bolt received a hero's welcome from excited Jamaicans along the route from the airport to the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. (Photos: Bryan Cummings and Collin Reid)

Others crowded the corridors and sidewalks outside their offices, congregated on low roof tops or peered through the windows of high rise buildings.

They took time off from work, paused household chores, delayed taking the children home from school and put off their homework. They faced the slanting rain, waded in water which was at times ankle-deep, and many of them trekked all the way from the Palisadoes road to the Pegasus.

"I feel like ah dog wid ten tails," said Jenny Jamieson as she stood at the Harbour View round-a-bout yesterday.

"Mi ah tek mi lunch time now cause mi haffi deh yah so. Mi love Usain Bolt. Him mek Jamaica proud and di way mi proud ah him mi haffi come show mi love," she added, as she paid for a green, black and gold wrist band and a Jamaican flag.
Unlike Jamieson, who took time off work, Joyce Allen, an elderly woman from Yallahs, St Thomas, was home with nothing doing.

"Me hear it on the 12 o' clock news and mi just jump in mi car and come down here," she said. "He's a hero. I have heard so much about him and I just want to see him in person."
And as much as the occasion drew hundreds of fans, it also drew peddlers who made quick cash from the sale of flags, buttons, bracelets, wristbands and even shoes and school bags in the black, green and gold.

"Cho, look how di place black up man. Ah hope him come before the rain enuh," a woman in the growing crowd was overheard saying. She did not have her wish however, as within a matter of minutes, heavy drops sent fans scurrying for cover. Where they did not have rain coats, or where umbrellas where made useless by gusty winds, people used cardboard boxes and pieces of carton or plastic bags.

Then there were others who, apparently caught up in Beenie Man's Heart Attack and Mavado's On The Rock blaring from two vehicles parked nearby, just let the rain soak them.
When at 1:55 pm a van coming from the direction of the airport announced via loud speaker that Bolt's plane had landed, the crowd became ignited, screaming, dancing, shouting. Eager to get the first glimpse of the lankly sprinter, they wandered out into the road blocking traffic from the airport.

By the time the deep burgundy BMW with the word 'Digicel' emblazoned on the hood and back windshield appeared, the crowd was in such a frenzy that the convoy could barely make it through. Fans grabbed onto the sides and jumped onto the hood, trying to get Bolt's attention. Although his car was a convertible, he had to satisfy himself with just an open window since it was pouring.

"Usain, Usain, Usain" chanted a group of students from Donald Quarrie High School.

"To di worl'", others shouted. "Bolt to di worl'".

Buoyed by excitement, the more avid of the fans decided to make the trek to the Jamaica Pegasus where Bolt was to be the subject of a press conference. Some drove, some hitch-hiked, others walked. And all along the route - via Rockfort, Mountain View Avenue, Arthur Wint Drive, Tom Redcam Avenue and Oxford Road - more kept joining.

The Observer caught up with a young man in the vicinity of Excelsior High School on Mountain View Avenue who said he had been following the convoy from the time it left the airport. His white T-shirt, blue jeans and black sneakers were drenched but he didn't seem to mind.

"It more than worth it, baby. It more than worth it," he told this reporter.

Maurice Taylor, an employee of the Companies Office of Jamaica, agreed.

"I wouldn't care if [my bosses are upset that I am out here]. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This don't happen everyday," he said standing at the corner of Oxford Road and Knutsford Boulevard.

He worked through lunch, he said, so that he could leave early and see history unfold. At 4:30 pm it did.

"This is the second greatest day in history," he exclaimed. "The first was when he broke the 100m record... I woulda like fi bottle da day yah and tek ah sip ah it when mi down," he said, before racing to get "better shots" of Bolt.

GLEANER PHOTOS OF BOLT'S RETURN TO JA

Welcome home Usain!!

Welcome home Usain! As I write, the press conference is underway at the Pegasus. There is Usain, sitting beside Prime Minister Golding. He has just enjoyed a tribute from Mavado, moving from his official place to drop a few dance moves and shake the singer's hand.

Now the wonderful Howard Aris, JAAA President is addressing the group. We see the presence of various brands, happy to be associated - the choir Apex in Digicel shirts, Usain in Puma and a welcome sign from Pegasus.

Aris is congratulating Coach Glen Mills - he is mentioning World Champs in Berlin next year, and Korea in two years. "Learning as a nation to pull together to unite" - thank sponsors, Government and media, parents, families, JAAA.

While waiting for the conference the TV stations treated us to footage of the victories in Beijing - so very moving.

Now JOA Pres Mike Fennell is speaking - "created history in so many different ways ...filled with pride as a Jamaican ... in the midst ... Jamaica shone as she had never shone before ... Usain not only an outstanding athlete, but a superb entertainer ... brought the crowd alive ... created a sparkle ... can feel proud of the image of Ja ... no negative, only positive ... all other athletes ... wonderful team effort ... Usain - we're looking for more - you haven't peaked yet."

Minister Grange introduced Mr and Mrs Bolt, manager Norman Peart. Special recognition of Glen Mills and Mark Linehan, Digicel CEO.

Don Anderson: of the 205 Chefs de Missions in Beijing, I am the proudest. Privileged - finest bunch of athletes in terms of discipline, focus - ambassadors - stage was set by Usain - 100m - 2nd night of Track & Field - set the stage - every other athlete wanted to emulate - Usain, you were the catalyst - every 50 years, an athlete emerges - a phenomenon - Usain is a phenomenal athlete. Glen Mills "one of the finest coaches in the world". Silk Market - couple of years ago - people didn't know - but now evening before departure - where are you from - Jamaica - Number One! Capture that and take full advantage. Supremely confident individual - 350 journalists - handled himself well - true diplomat.

PM Golding - Want to say to you - don't need to say how happy, how much joy, excitement, pride you have brought to the people of Ja - not for a long time have the Ja people have been as enraptured, excited - you saw it for yourself this afternoon. What you saw was not organised - didn't plan - real event - Oct 3 - said to the media "a little motorcade" - you have captured the hearts of the Ja people - commanded their love -- banging on the window in love and admiration -- not just that you performed well - you did - Carl Lewis broke now record - 1936 - Jesse Owens - never won an individual - power of Trelawny yam - Jamaica is proud of you - not only are we capable but we ARE the best in the world - started putting together the plans to celebrate - won 7 combined - wish Herb McKenley was in that front row - great pioneers who blazed that trail - smiling with pride.

PM Golding continues ... October - massive salute at Stadium - each Olympian spending time in their own communities - not just a four-day celebration - find a meaningful, enduring way to commemorate our success - institutional dev of athlet in particu but sports in general.

PM: Asafa - we have to honour him too - Usain - you are the best in the world - we are proud of the excitement you have brought - when you win - you have earned the right - whether you want to do "Nuh Linger" or "Gully Creeper" - you have earned it - you have brought that spirit alive - Jamaicans are looking to you - send a message, a signal to our young people - they have dreams but fearful they will not materialise - do everything you can to inspire them - will look at a new generation of energy and purposefulness - tribute to coach Glen Mills - if we have the fastest man in the world coached by a Jamaican, we have the best coach in the world - tribute to parents and family - there is a foundation that was laid - parents - love they have shown - success that all of us can claim - many countries in the world that would want to boast about this - Jamaica has it - God Bless You!

Artist Delroy Haye presents a painting of Bold striding on track.

Babsy's request of Usain - "we want the spikes" -

Bolt speaks: "To the world!" Thank you - can't explain how I feel - glad I came home first - thank everybody - continue to keep Ja on top - working hard to keep the country proud - gave his "Lightning Bolt" move

Q&A - USAIN - re criticism - doesn't matter what people say - I go out there and perform for the people. Word to the gunmen - heard [violence]has slowed down - unity right now - keep positive - work hard - find another way - don't resort to violence - didn't come overnight - takes time to get to the top - take time and you'll get there - two best - Tyson and Asafa "I'm looking forward to it - I'm ready - they're looking forward and I am looking forward - they're coming faster - I have a lot more in me - so I'm looking forward to it . Chilling - just happy to be home. Thank my Coach - You're the Greatest!

Labour shortage? Bring in the Jamaicans

Dudley Reid, who worked as an automotive painter in Jamaica, puts his knowledge into practice at Fender's Autobody & Paint in Kelowna, B.C.
(Jeff Bassett for The Globe and Mail)


An agreement between Okanagan College and the island nation is giving students the opportunity to work in high-demand trades

WENCY LEUNG
From Globe and Mail

September 8, 2008 at 9:47 AM EDT
VANCOUVER — As a newcomer to Kelowna, B.C., Dudley Reid often gets asked by curious locals where he's from. When he tells them he's from Kingston, Jamaica, more questions usually follow.

"Tell us about Jamaica," they ask him, since it's a rare occurrence in the city to encounter anyone from the distant island country.

Or at least until now.

Mr. Reid, 38, is among the first of hundreds of Jamaican students to attend Kelowna's Okanagan College, recruited to help fill a shortage of skilled workers in the Okanagan and the rest of the province.

Under an experimental, "interprovincial refresher" program, the college expects to train and find job placements for between 300 and 400 Jamaican students this school year in high-demand trades such as culinary arts, automotive collision repair and carpentry.

The sudden influx of students from Jamaica is bringing cultural diversity to the campus and local work force, which has never before had a significant Caribbean population.

"It's definitely changing the cultural landscape," Okanagan College president Jim Hamilton said. "Certainly as you go around the community, we see many more people of Caribbean origin than we ever did before."

About 16 months ago, the college, which has a full-time student population of more than 7,000, didn't have one Jamaican student, he said.

But since it began recruiting students from Jamaica, a country where skilled labour is high but jobs are scarce, the Jamaican population on campus has started to swell.
The unusual relationship between Okanagan College and Jamaica was initiated by Michael Patterson, a Jamaican-born marketing professor at the college.

Seeing an opportunity to fill the needs of both local employers and tradespeople in his native country, Prof. Patterson believed the college could help bridge that gap.
"It's a win-win," he said, adding that the college is selecting only highly skilled students who will adjust well to life in Canada. "When you take people in with no skill, people who are desperate ... that is where you get problems, and we're looking for a particular type of people coming in."

In June, the college began training the first group of 37 Jamaican students under the program, including Mr. Reid. Two weeks ago, it started training a second group of 40.

Students in the program are screened by the Jamaican government and the college before they can enroll, ensuring that they have at least six years of experience in the field they intend to study. They then attend 16 weeks of instruction at Okanagan College, broken up by 16 weeks of paid work in the field.

At the end of the training, students take a test to earn their Red Seal certification, which qualifies them as journeymen in Canada. They then have the option of applying to become permanent Canadian residents through a provincial program that accelerates immigration for qualified skilled workers.

Mr. Reid, who worked as an automotive painter in Jamaica, has already completed his first eight weeks of in-class instruction in collision repairs. He is now putting that knowledge into practise at Fender's Autobody & Paint in Kelowna.

"It was just phenomenal the training that went on at the college," Mr. Reid said, explaining that he enrolled in the program to further his skills. "I wanted to expand on my own knowledge of what I do, get some formal training and also see how things are done in a [developed] country."

Although living costs are much higher here, Mr. Reid said his current wage of $23 an hour is "quite a bit more" than what he would earn at home.

Like many of the students, he aims to seek permanent residence when he is finished the program, and apply for his wife and eight-year-old son to join him.
His employer, Norm Cross, said he's happy with his trainee as well.

"It's worked out awesome. He's good at what he does for us, and he filled that void of trying to find people," Mr. Cross said. "There's just not a lot of journeymen tradespeople out there."

In the nearby city of Penticton, auto repair shop owner Ray Steinke said he has also found some relief by employing three of the college's Jamaican students.
Mr. Steinke said he had been looking for three years for skilled employees to work at his shop, without luck.

The Jamaican students have jumped right in, performing major collision repairs, painting and just about every other job that other employees do.
There are, however, some minor cultural differences that the students and their employers have had to work through. Most notably, Mr. Steinke said the Jamaicans use different trade terminology, such as "chassis" to describe the frame of a vehicle or "running board" instead of rocker panel.

Meanwhile, the students have had to adjust to the change in climate and lifestyle in the Okanagan.

"I normally love soccer, but where I'm living there's not much of that going on," said one of Mr. Steinke's student workers, Eric Pickett, 28. "Canadians seem to like volleyball and hockey."

Mr. Reid added, laughing: "I'm not getting enough reggae music."

Cultural differences aside, the community has welcomed the fresh pool of foreign students, Mr. Hamilton said.

And the college is already looking to expand the interprovincial refresher program to other Caribbean locales, including Trinidad, Guyana and Antigua, in the coming years.

And Prof. Patterson, who is also an honorary consular of Jamaica, does not foresee any problems assimilating the inrush. He sees Kelowna as merely a hub from which students will disperse to other parts of the province as they enter the work force, avoiding the creation of what he calls "ethnic ghettos" in the Okanagan.

Besides, he added, the students are eager to adapt to life in Canada. "They love it here," he said. "They think this is paradise. They're willing to work hard."