Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Francis 'Paco' Kennedy elected JCC President
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| Francis 'Paco' Kennedy with his daughter Cathrine - Gleaner photo |
Francis ‘Paco’ Kennedy, retired executive of the conglomerate GraceKennedy, has been elected president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC).
Kennedy, who has been first vice president for the past two years, replaces Milton Samuda who has served as president for the past three years.
Others elected were Warren McDonald, first vice president; Paul B. Scott, second vice president; Cathrine Kennedy, third vice president; Oliver Chen, fourth vice president, and Wilbert Spence, honorary treasurer.
Seven directors were either elected or re-elected to the board. The current board now comprises:
• Lazarus Bucknor (BAPCO),
• Jacqueline Simmonds (JPSCo.),
• Anthony Gomes (HD Hopwood),
• Laurence Heffes (Heffes Sales),
• Dennis Valdez (Newport Fersan),
• Phillip Ramson (Chas. E. Ramson),
• Richard Pandohie (Carreras),
• Edward Khoury (ATL Group),
• Michael G. Ammar (Ammar’s & Azar’s),
• Lloyd Distant Jr. (LIME),
• Keith Collister (Orbus Technologies),
• Marguerite Cremin (Diageo/Red Stripe),
• Marjorie Seeberan (NCB),
• Glen Christian (Cari-Med)
• Grace Burnett (Allied Insurance Brokers).
Other members of the association’s leadership team include past presidents and committee chairpersons.
Nominate somenone - CVSS Hall of Fame and Volunteer Awards
Nominate someone you know for an award.
The Council of Voluntary Social Services is calling for nominations for the CVSS' Hall of Fame & Volunteer Awards 2012, which will be presented to individual volunteers and organizations/companies for their contributions to community development and the achievement of the Vision 2030 and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
A selection Committee will review the nominations and select the eight (8) awardees.
The awardees will be announced at the CVSS' Hall of Fame & Awards Ceremony on December 4, 2012.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
The award will be given to INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS and ORGANIZATIONS/COMPANIES/COMMITTEES OR CLUBS, who have demonstrated experience in community development for at least 3 years.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the award is to recognize and celebrate volunteers' contributions towards achieving the Vision 2030 and MDGs, to showcase the many ways in which volunteers can strengthen the capacities of organizations and impact community development.
The CVSS' Hall of Fame & Volunteer Awards presents an opportunity for both, volunteers and organizations, to bring their volunteering experiences and good practices to the attention of a national audience.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
CVSS/NATIONAL VOLUNTEER CENTRE2D Camp Road, Kingston
Tel:9060065 Fax: 9060020 Email: volregistry@yahoo.com
| This album has 1 photo and will be available on SkyDrive until 12/6/2012. |
Anti-Violence March in MoBay Fri 28 Sept
Received from Janet Silvera in Montego Bay:
Based on the recent disturbing acts that took place in Irwin, St. James regarding the raping of the 5 females; there will be a solidarity gathering in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay. This group of persons will include the Government and Opposition, Women's Inc, the CDA and other non-governmental organization. With this in mind the you are being asked to come out dressed in black to support this cause, on Friday, September 28, 2012, at 10:00am.
The motoring public will be asked to honk their horns and flash their lights in solidarity against this beastly and cowardly act.
Based on the recent disturbing acts that took place in Irwin, St. James regarding the raping of the 5 females; there will be a solidarity gathering in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay. This group of persons will include the Government and Opposition, Women's Inc, the CDA and other non-governmental organization. With this in mind the you are being asked to come out dressed in black to support this cause, on Friday, September 28, 2012, at 10:00am.
The motoring public will be asked to honk their horns and flash their lights in solidarity against this beastly and cowardly act.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
How to keep your business going
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| Important to keep learning. We're lucky that my husband and business partner Hubie is such a quick study and willing teacher in IT! |
Having run PROComm for over three decades, let me share some of the guidelines that have kept us going:
*Ensure good governance, especially in financial management - seek advice from expert, independent thinkers.
*Give excellent service and get feedback to sharpen your offerings.
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| We celebrate every birthday with a cake! It's a tradition that helps us remember how precious every individual is. We also have annual Fun Days for staff and their families as well as Back-To-School grants for each new school year. |
*Make the welfare of your team a priority - they are the heartbeat of your company.
*Be a learning organisation, especially in IT.
*Promote productivity through prompt communication and strict timelines.
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| Our hard work has been graciously acknowledged by our valued clients. Here ECJ Chairman Hon Prof Errol Miller and former Director of Elections Danville Walker gave us a great photo op after they presented PROComm with a Citation of Appreciation for our work with the ECJ since 1996. |
*Promote positivity, respect and accountability in the conduct of your business.
*Setbacks must be expected - learn from them and move on.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
FRIDAY 21 SEPT - UN Int'l Day of Prayer
The Jamaica Council of Churches’ Message
International Day of Prayer for Peace, 2012
“PRAYING FOR
CEASEFIRE”
Friday, 21 September 2012 is
dedicated as International Day of Prayer for Peace as proposed by the United
Nations. The theme this year is “Praying
for Ceasefire,” a most relevant theme when one listens to reports of the many
never-ending conflicts that take place in several parts of the world at varying
scales: Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, parts of Nigeria (Christian/Moslem
conflicts),and in our own native land, Jamaica.
Would that there could be a universal ceasefire so that true patriotism
and rational thinking could prevail and gain centre stage long enough for us to
realize that peace is our ultimate aim and the means to true happiness.
In his Letter to the Philippians,
the Apostle Paul appeals to two members of that Christian community to come to
some amicable agreement. Their aim ought
to be the acquisition of that “peace of God that surpasses all understanding,”
and which will regulate “their hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus.” Paul reminds them (and us) that peace is a
gift from God—a given in the first instance—but which we must work to maintain
by being positive and by filling our minds with “everything that is good and
pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be virtuous
or worthy of praise.” He then concludes:
“Then the God of peace will be with you” [cf. Phil.4: 2-9].
Clearly, it is not just a matter
of praying for a ceasefire that will bring about God’s peace, but it also
entails the application of self in terms of intentionally fostering those
attitudes and values whose aim is to bring about just and wholesome
relationships that result in a sense of oneness within one’s own being. It is that sense of oneness from within that
transforms broken families and ultimately radiates throughout our immediate
communities, as well as our churches and the nation. It is that very sense of
oneness for which we Jamaicans yearn that will bring about a reduction in
rabid, divisive partisan political behaviour which impedes a unity of purpose
for the good of country and productivity. It is that oneness for which we dream
that will eradicate gang warfare which results in senseless murders, mayhem,
abuses and rapes.
In other words, the ceasefire we
desire in our world and nation—and God knows we need it—has a marvelous
correlation with the spiritual and emotional “ceasefire” that we allow God to
effect in us through his Spirit. Peace is God’s gift, but as collaborators with
God, we pay heed to Christ’s call to happiness: “Happy are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called children of God” [Matt 5:9]. Let the Prayer of St. Francis reverberate in
our very being in this quest for a ceasefire:
Lord,
make me an instrument of your peace,
Where
there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where
there is injury, pardon;
Where
there is doubt, faith;
Where
there is despair, hope;
And
where there is darkness, light.
+Donald
J. Reece (Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus)
President,
Jamaica Council of Churches
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Usain Bolt adds 4M on Facebook and Twitter!
Go there Usain!
:) Jean Anita
From Carole Beckford:
Usain Bolt has added just over 2.4 million fans on Facebook since May 2012 (4 months) and has added 1.6 million followers on Twitter in the same period
Usain's run in the 200 metres, saw his name being tweeted at 80,000 per minute when he retained the 200 metres title at the London Games – Thursday, August 9 (Source: Twitter)
Carole Beckford
Publicist
(876) 927 6302
(876) 364 1871
(954) 703 5087
carole.beckford@usainbolt.com
www.usainbolt.com
Twitter: @ubpublicist
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Sunday, September 16, 2012
7 Money Mindset Myths That Are Keeping You Poor
Change your mind and change your numbers. This sounds simple, but it works.
Money Mindset Myth #1 – A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned
Not losing that penny by saving it is helpful, but it takes so much more than not giving that penny to the cashier to create meaningful wealth. In addition to saving, you must also multiply that those cents that you are saving to truly feel the effects. Even if the adage is accurate, it is also incomplete, and certainly not something you can base your future fortune around. Saving pennies is good, but you also need to earn more.Money Mindset Myth #2 – I Don’t Need Money Help
Paying for people to coach you in precision pilates is a want, but if you have zero experience straightening your finances, then shooting from the hip while going solo will likely only set you right back where you started from.Investing in a money coach will lead you down a safer road lined with superior choices, better decisions, and ultimately a finish line you’ll likely never reach alone.
Invest in a coach and train for financial success.
Money Mindset Myth #3 – Budgeting Saves Me Money
As noble as that might be, it isn’t accurate. Write everything you earn, subtract everything you spend, and allot a certain amount toward your saving. Then you’re gold, right?No, not really. You can record your pluses and minuses all day, but if you’re not acting on what you wrote, your budget means nothing.
Carefully plot and plan, then follow through by making improvements to see optimum success.
Money Mindset Myth #4 – If I Earn More, I Can Spend More
You worked 60 hours last week. Dog tired, you came home and collapsed into bed. The exhaustion is fine, at least your paycheck will be fat.When it’s time to reap the rewards, you happily head out, paycheck in hand to shop.
“Look at all this overtime! I deserve a ‘little’ something for working so hard!”
That’s why you’ll stay right where you are in your finances.
That “little” something extra is called overtime pay, and THAT is your reward. Stick all your “extra” earnings in a special fund or savings account, then leave it there so you can watch it grow, rather than disappear.
Money Mindset Myth #5 – If I Don’t Risk It, I Can’t Lose It
Playing a smart financial game means taking intelligent risks. You will never make a mint if you don’t make smart investments. Fail to take SMART risks with your money, and you will keep the blooms from blossoming on the branches of your money tree.Stock valuations are volatile, but individual investors can still profit on the expansion of the economy by buying into a broadly diversified index fund that tracks the total market as long as they have a long term vision.
Know a good investment when you see it, and be smart enough to make it.
Money Mindset Myth #6 – I Make Enough
You bring home your check every two weeks. Your house payment is always made on time. And your bills are current. Yet, you have nothing left for savings, and little if any for life’s extras. You might make enough, but you’ll never reach financial independence if you can’t get ahead. You don’t want to be 50 without any retirement assets.Assets determine your worth, and if you want to grow your financial portfolio, you must find a way to start saving while you invest to increase your assets at the same time.
Money Mindset Myth #7 – My Today Is Taken Care Of
Too many people live in the moment. In today’s economy, it’s difficult to look past now to see the promise of tomorrow. Yet, right now is when it’s essential to plan ahead. What will your reserves be like as you head into retirement? Not putting away what you can now is a near guarantee that you’ll not have enough when you need it in the future.Start saving into a retirement fund today so you can start planning for future success.
What money mindsets are holding you back?
- July 2, 2012 at 10:54 pm
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Yea, having a money coach can defintely be a good investment if you’re inexperienced. And very true that too many people live in the moment and don’t think about tomorrow. I can’t even rest in the present unless I know I have some sort of plan for the future.
-Jean
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July 3, 2012 at 11:37 am
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Where does one find a money coach (in Belgium)? I already have a Financial Administrator who manages my pension, gives me a weekly allowance and decides on major expenditure. He gets 3% of my yearly income. He acts as a brake on impulse buys – a topic you could cover – but doesn’t really teach/coach me on money matters. At least I have a house but am paying off bank loans – now interest-free as a kind friend paid the bank off and I pay her monthly. I love spending, and I find the only way to stop is to stay home.
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July 3, 2012 at 12:37 pm
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Nice tips, financial tips and tricks don’t always work. I try to use the role of 4ths, 1 to rent, one to food and entertainment, one to bills, and one to savings.
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July 5, 2012 at 4:05 am
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I’m actually thinking of starting to have a retirement plan next year when I finish all my loan repayment. 25 years before retiring is, I guess, not too late to start.
Thanks for the reminder. Nice tips!
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July 5, 2012 at 7:59 am
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Several good advice, but a well balanced budget over a month, half a year ahead and a long term budget over several years together allows you to save money the best way.
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July 5, 2012 at 8:08 am
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Don’t go to stores. If you don’t go, you don’t buy.
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July 6, 2012 at 12:02 pm
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Overtime pay… the list of exemptions for overtime pay is long, and rules out basically everyone salaried, using a computer, or in seasonal work.
http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/minwage.htm
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July 11, 2012 at 12:14 pm
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Why have fear of our future? Who knows his future? A good daily plan is for me enough as it has positive impact on the future. Think positive, react positive and everything will simply be better.
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August 16, 2012 at 7:12 am
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I always believed that I would die young like the rest of my family so that’s how I lived. Or I would die in a plane or car crash because I traveled so much. I never saved a penny for retirement because I never believed I’d see such a day. Well people, I’m now 54 and healthy! Now I see my future as one of these little old ladies living on the street pushing a grocery cart! I better move somewhere warm!
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August 16, 2012 at 3:34 pm
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Always live expending the half you earn.
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August 19, 2012 at 4:51 pm
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Actually, a penny saved is more like (est.) 1.4 pennies earned, since you have to earn 1.4 pennies then have an after tax income of 1 penny to spend a penny.
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August 21, 2012 at 5:24 pm
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For me, this is the best solution “change your mind and change your numbers”. In this way, we can live a life we want.
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August 24, 2012 at 5:10 pm
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We scrimped, saved, went without holidays to pay Insurances, Endowment Mortgages, we had kept updated so we would not be caught in the not enough to pay mortgages, also a second Endowment to pay our daughters uni bills and buy starter flat, my husband lost his IT contracting business during the last recession. With the recession and paying our Endowments we had to use savings, which was for a while keeping us afloat and paying off Inland revenue debts and mortgage payments we lost all our Endowments. But we could not continue paying them, when our savings ran out.
We also paid income Insurance to be told when he became unemployed that he was not eligible for payout as he was a Consultant, working for his own Ltd Company. We were not told that when we were sold it.
Whatever we did to be self sufficient and have a few holidays when we had some time and money after retirement it has been stolen off us.
So we are unable to have holidays or days out, or even recarpet rooms that have carpets that are twenty years old!
So enjoy life while you have the wherewithal to do so as you will find it impossible to stay one step ahead of the Institues and Government who will bring in a new way of getting their hands on it.
We also paid into a small pension all his working life to find that we are now not eligable for government help or respite care without we pay with all our joint pension. So a very bitter couple say go on those holidays and treat yourself as we have been ripped off all along the way.
lost all our Endowment
Policies which we had kept updated so we would not be caught in the not enough to pay mortgage
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August 25, 2012 at 2:11 pm
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to Sally “…who will bring in a new way of getting their hands on it.” –
it’s true. but theres no way to control the situation; even if we are very committed to fairness …fairness seldom happen. just hope the honest (those who work, every day, like myself) can have food and shelter to the day i die..
robbers in the past used to come with masked veils, creep around and takes action deep into the night. once reported, gets harsh and stern treatment from law enforcers.
these days robbers wear suits, puts on a tie, comes with ‘legal backing’ and walks through your house, clean you of every penny. ruling parties bow to them, open their doors, and deem them as nonoffenders.
There is no safe place in the world. everyone honest is doomed to suffering. there is no place to rest. i dont think i’ll ever have children. why bring them to term? these times are cursed. they will only suffer.
no one,
NO one
is fair.
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August 31, 2012 at 10:08 pm
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Move to Scandinavia. You will be taxed 60% of your income but you will never be “one of these little old ladies living on the street pushing a grocery cart”.
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September 13, 2012 at 11:24 am
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Not 60%. Only 40% but then all helth-insurance costs are included.
Free Hospitals. Free education. If you get unemployed you can get up till 2 years unemploymentsupport. (approx 1800 USD after tax a month)
I sometimes smile at you americans calling europeans communist. We are not, but we build up a society where the stronger ones help the weaker ones. Even the rich people in europe support this way of organizing a society
Thomas Prahl
Denmark
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September 11, 2012 at 8:05 am
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Most people want to be fair, or at least consider themselves to be fair. The trouble is, most people are egotists, thus have difficulty seeing what is fair, or don’t care.
Sounds like you haven’t learned the #1 Money Rule: You Don’t Get What You Deserve – You Get What You Negotiate. Unfortunately, negotiation is not taught in grade schools, nor in most colleges. Scions of the old rich may have learned it through formal training, or from their parents. Nouveau riche learn negotiation from the Hard Knocks School of Life. Even if you are a naturally savvy negotiator, there are still fine points to learn.
Most of us, who aren’t driven by greed and the desire to screw other people as much as possible, will never get rich unless we manage to invest well, or at least learn some rudimentary negotiation skills. Think about your biggest purchases. For most people, those are homes and vehicles. Chances are you were an amateur up against professional sales people. How did you do? How many thousands, tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars does your instinct tell you were lost due to being hustled by the sales pros?
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August 29, 2012 at 9:28 am
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“…individual investors can still profit on the expansion of the economy”
Bwahahahahahahahaahhaa!
Buy gold or forget it…
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Home Thoughts by Claude McKay
Happy Birthday to our Great Jamaican Poet
(born Festus Claudius McKay) (September 15, 1889 – May 22, 1948)
Oh something just now must be happening there! That suddenly and quiveringly here,
Amid the city's noises, I must think
Of mangoes leaning o'er the river's brink,
And dexterous Davie climbing high above,
The gold fruits ebon-speckled to remove,
And toss them quickly in the tangled mass
Of wis-wis twisted round the guinea grass;
And Cyril coming through the bramble-track
A prize bunch of bananas on his back;
And Georgie--none could ever dive like him--
Throwing his scanty clothes off for a swim;
And schoolboys, from Bridge-tunnel going home,
Watching the waters downward dash and foam.
This is no daytime dream, there's something in it,
Oh something's happening there this very minute!
Claude McKay
Friday, September 14, 2012
This woman was born in 1937
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/09/this-woman-was-born-in-1937/
This radiant, smiling athlete could and should inspire half our nation, half her age, to maintain our physical well-being with more fidelity as our years advance.
"Ernestine Shepherd, age 75, wakes up at 3 a.m. every day to meditate, and then clocks up runs totalling 10 mi (16 km) before lunch. In 2010 and 2011 she was recognised by Guinness as oldest competitive female body-builder in the world."
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Here's MP Damion Crawford's 3-2-1 Plan!
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| Damion Crawford encourages reading at a recent Book Festival - Rudolph Brown photo from The Gleaner |
By Jean Lowrie-Chin
(Excerpt from Observer column - Mon 18 June 2012)
Food for the Poor board member William Mahfood, related how excited he
was to learn about an extensive education programme being undertaken by
Damion Crawford who had actually begun this initiative with colleagues at UWI before
he was elected Member of Parliament.
It was only two weeks ago that this column was bemoaning the lack of
passion in our leaders, so you can imagine how transfixed I was to listen to Crawford describing his 3-2-1 approach for his constituency:
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3 CXC
subjects per household after 5 years
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2 CAPE subjects per household after 10 years
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1
University Degree per household after 15 years
He has 4,017 students registered in the programme from areas in all 97
polling divisions. Welfare assistance to families is tied to this project. Parents or guardians must be active in the
PTA, certified by a letter from the schools’ principals. If they cannot pay some of the fees required
by the school, a barter system is in place where goods and services can be
offered in lieu of cash. (This took me
back to the days of our childhood when my mother would barter groceries from
her shop and her sewing skills to send us to the Catholic prep school in
Sav-la-mar.)
There is a HOPE reading club (Helping Our People Excel), Verandah Basic
for all age groups, adult classes where soup is offered, and an upcoming GSAT
camp at UWI for 212 children about to enter grade six. Crawford’s team has bought GO-GSAT modules
for the camp, which will provide meals and accommodation. A total of 47 volunteers are on board to
teach and counsel.
There are plans to buy books wholesale for CSEC students, to set up an IT
learning centre in Bull
Bay and to continue with
a comprehensive after school programme in which all 22 schools have homework
centres from 4 to 6 pm.
William wants us to support
this model and have it replicated across Jamaica – what a mighty wave that
would be!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Libyan Ambassador: 'One of the saddest days of my life'
Click on:
http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/12/libyan-ambassador-one-of-the-saddest-days-in-my-life/
http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/12/libyan-ambassador-one-of-the-saddest-days-in-my-life/
By Christiane Amanpour
The grenade assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi Tuesday was originally thought to have been sparked by rage over an anti-Muslim film made in the U.S.
But U.S sources now tell CNN that the operation was planned by an al-Qaeda offshoot that may have used the angry protest outside as a diversion.
The attack killed the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, 52-year-old Christopher Stevens, as well as three of his colleagues.
Libya's Ambassador to the U.S., Ali Suleiman Aujali, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that he had lost a personal friend in the attack.
"This is one of the saddest days in my life," Aujali said. "He is a man who knows Libya very well, before and after [the revolution]. He was the man who stood by the Libyan people. He was the right man, in the right place, at the right time. It is a great loss for the Libyan people."
Stevens played a key role during Libya's revolution last year. He began his job as ambassador only a few months ago.
The Libyan government quickly denounced Tuesday's attack and promised to bring the killers to justice.
Mohammed Al-Megaryef, the head of the ruling GNC party said, "We apologize to the U.S., and to the American people and to the government, and to the rest of the world for what happened yesterday."
The majority of Libyans, 54%, actually approve of U.S. leadership, one of the highest approval ratings Gallup has ever recorded in the Arab World.
Libya has vowed to hunt down the killers and President Obama has insisted they be brought to justice.
Aujali said he's confident that Libya can deliver.
"In the last few weeks there were also car bombs in Tripoli, and we have been able to capture some of the people responsible for that. And that was a line to lead to us to [the people] responsible and to the financial support they get from overseas."
Aujali said that it's imperative Libya find the group that carried out the attack, not just for the sake of the relationship with the U.S., but also for the very stability of the country.
"We must know these cells working in Libya do destabilize Libya – to destabilize our relations with friendly countries."
A somber U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly condemned the attack.
"Today many Americans are asking — indeed I asked myself — how could this happen? How could this happen in a country we helped liberate, in a city we helped save from destruction? This question reflects just how complicated — and at times, how confounding — the world can be. But we must be clear eyed, even in our grief. This was an attack by a small and savage group, not the people or government of Libya."
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder and CEO of the Cordoba Initiative, told Amanpour, "The Quran states explicitly that no soul shall be responsible for the sins or the crimes of another. And while this film is indeed offensive, and those who have done this have done this deliberately to offend Muslims, we should not kill innocent people."
James Rubin, former assistant secretary of state under president Clinton – and Amanpour's husband – said of the U.S., "We are a country where the word 'tolerance' is built deeply into our system, and we have to make that true both through law enforcement, through education."
Rubin added, "We can defend somebody's right to speak but that doesn't mean we can't condemn what they say. And we have to be very clear on that. And we can't let the Arab Spring be hijacked by the extremists and remember that it's a good news story – a positive development for the people of the Middle East."
- Christiane Amanpour (linked @camanpour)
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Story of a Jamaica 50 journey
Observer column published MON 6
August 2012
by Jean Lowrie-Chin
Hubie’s family had lived our history in their grocery shop on Victoria Street in Franklin Town, when Alexander Bustamante would sit with them to discuss national happenings, and celebrate his party’s victory as he prepared to lead Jamaica into Independence.
From my early days in Westmoreland, Norman Manley was our family favourite. My father told us he had sacrificed much to develop Jamaica and was disappointed that he had lost the Federation referendum.
As a wedding gift in 1973 my Daily News colleague Livingston McLaren did a cartoon of us: Hubie giving the JLP “V” and me with my fist in the air. You can imagine those arguments we had as newlyweds in the 70s! Michael Manley for me was the answer to Jamaica’s dreams and as Hubie saw one family member after another packing up to leave the island, Michael Manley became his nightmare. Much later, we actually shared positive feelings about the Bruce Golding-led NDM.
One evening the emigration papers arrived for us from Canada and my beloved tore them up after I told him I just could not tear myself away from Jamaica. He opened his Kingstonian heart to the rural experiences that had so riveted my soul to this rich country. Soon my grandmother’s curried crayfish and road-trip delights had him cornered.
The Chin family stayed close to the Bustamantes. I met Sir Alexander very late in his life and was thrilled when this lion in winter, by then visually impaired, ran his hand over my face and declared me “beautiful”. I was bowled over by the iconic Jamaican, Lady Bustamante whom we fondly called “Lady B”.
It was when I did theatre reviews for the now defunct Daily News that I met one of my most inspiring mentors, the late Wycliffe Bennett, a man who had always given credit to Edward Seaga for the development of the Festival movement. He offered me a job at Carifesta 76, working with such notables as Merrick Needham, the late Eric Coverley, Ancile Gloudon, Pearl Wright, Vilma McDonald, Lorna Goodison, Brian Meeks, Harold Brady and the late Sam Hillary and Mortimo Planno.
Wycliffe Bennett pulled off one of the greatest shows this country had ever seen – how exciting it was to sit in those intense meetings, some attended by Prime Minister Michael Manley himself. I still have his gracious post-Carifesta letter, beginning “Beverley and I would like to thank you…”.
I had to travel with Arnold “Scree” Bertram, then minister of information and culture, to England to promote the event. A charming lady, Pam Beshoff from the Jamaican High Commission, came to collect me at the hotel and declared inadequate the sandwich I had for dinner. I told her I just didn’t have the heart to order any of the high-priced entrees – I knew I was spending taxpayers’ money. I remain conscious of the value of taxpayers’ money because I was one of the lucky ones who had paid peanuts for my fine UWI education. I am not sure if Mr Manley had envisioned that he was creating a crop of passionate, grateful Jamaicans when he so heavily subsidised our fees.
In 1979, when I started our agency on barter with the Jamaica Pegasus, the late George Abrahams, sales manager of J Wray & Nephew, Jamaica’s oldest company, called to offer us work. Thirty-three years later, here we are, handling the PR for the company’s Jamaica 50 events which have certainly added lustre to our national celebrations.
We have served the Electoral Commission /Electoral Office of Jamaica; while there have been changes in leadership and membership of the two organisations, the high level of collaboration and patriotism have been constant. I remember the vigorous discussions of such leaders as the PNP’s Maxine Henry-Wilson and the late Ryan Peralto Sr of the JLP, followed by the cheerful sharing of hugs and jokes! Jamaica emerged the winner with an electoral system that is respected worldwide.
My engineer husband decided to join the business in 1988, just in time to break down IT’s mysteries and coach our team. By the time Digicel contracted us in 2000, we were equipped to support this fast-paced investor who fell passionately in love with the country, empowering poor Jamaicans, backing various projects and individuals, including an emerging athlete named Usain Bolt.
We serve Food for the Poor, established in Jamaica and now the largest international charity in the US, thanks to the generosity of the Mahfood family and their dedicated team. We are inspired by National Road Safety Council leaders Dr Lucien Jones and Paula Fletcher whose work has seen a trending down of dreaded road fatalities.
We have seen the expansion of local media and bright journalists like Christene King, Owen James and Cliff Hughes blossom into media entrepreneurs. Our precocious social media have invaded our consciousness and we are connected as never before to our Olympic campaign and Jamaica 50 events with myriad images of patriotism. One such is that of David and Kathryn Mullings holding a Jamaica 50 birthday card which they managed to get signed by President Barack Obama!
And so, as we mark our 50th Anniversary of Independence and our Olympic triumphs, we salute our dedicated fellow Jamaicans who serve this land we love. A blessed Jamaica 50 to all!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
STGC Old Boys Support Lawrence Burke Building
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Grandparents Groove on 30 September
The Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) will be celebrating the little known Grandparents’ Day on Sunday September 30, with a unique event for fun-loving seniors and their friends.
This Jamaica 50 function will take the form of a “Groovy Grandparents” party at The Deck, 14 Trafalgar Road, from 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm. Contributions have been kept to a minimum thanks to part sponsorship by BCIC and its Diamond Max policy for seniors. BCIC will also have a surprise gift for every guest at the event.
The amazing Recycled Teenagers group will perform dance items, and patrons will take to the floor with popular oldies. The menu will feature traditional Jamaican fare and there will be a prize for the Best Outfit in Jamaican colours. There will also be Jamaican delicacies to be enjoyed.
Tickets are available at CCRP, hosted by PROComm at 6 Kingsway, Kingston 10; telephone 926-6740.
While many Jamaicans have been unaware of Grandparents’ Day, the event has been gaining popularity around the world in recent years, with a variety of dates for its celebration. A quick Internet search reveals that this year US and UK grandparents will be feted on September 9, Australian grannies on September 28 and Italians on October 2. Canada and Estonia celebrate grandparents on the second Sunday of September each year.
In some European countries the event is earlier in the year: the fourth Sunday in January for Poland and the first Sunday in March for grandmothers in France. The prize for the most thoughtful date selection goes to Taiwan, whose people fete grandparents on the last Sunday in August, just before the grandchildren end their summer holidays!
Contact: Dorett Linton
CCRP Coordinator, 926-6740
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
WEConnect International to launch Jamaica Chapter
by R. Christene King
Major
limitations to the economic empowerment of women in the Caribbean, including Jamaica, are
limited access to global markets and networks.
WEConnect
International provides a solution to these challenges by connecting women to
global markets, providing the resources, tools and certification needed to
access these markets and win contracts, and connect women to a global network
of other women in business.
Based
in Washington, D.C.,
WEConnect International has since 2009 provided certification, resources,
mentoring and peer/corporate connections to businesses based outside the United States
that are at least 51 per cent owned, managed and controlled by one or more
women.
WEConnect
Jamaica will be launched in Jamaica
in the first quarter of 2013, and will provide a unique opportunity for
Jamaican women to access global markets for their goods and services.
Spearheaded by local
entrepreneurs, Yaneek Page and Ethnie Miller-Simpson, the partnership
arose from their participation at the Caribbean Women Entrepreneurs Forum,
which took place in Washington
DC in March 2012 and was coordinated
by the US Department of State.
Page and
Miller-Simpson were introduced to WEConnect International during the forum and
later convinced Elizabeth Vazquez, WEConnect CEO and co-founder, to expand the organization to the Caribbean
region, starting with Jamaica.
Though the formal launch of
WEConnect Jamaica
will take place in the first quarter of 2013, the partnership agreement has
already been executed and interested women may begin self registering now at http://www.weconnectinternational.org/join-our-network/women-business-owners-get-self-registered
WEConnect International is the first
organization to certify and register women-owned businesses in developed and
emerging markets.
“WEConnect International is committed to working with our
partners to empower women business owners in Jamaica,” said WEConnect CEO and co-founder
Elizabeth Vazquez, “because if we expect women to play a more powerful role in
building sustainable economies, women entrepreneurs must find success in larger
markets.”
The
WEConnect International network has expanded worldwide to include partners in Canada, UK,
Australia, China, India
and Peru,
where women business owners have been afforded the resources and networks
required to successfully compete on an international basis.
WEConnect
corporate members include Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Scotiabank, IBM,
HP, Apple, RBC, RIM, Microsoft, Walmart, Ernst & Young, Marriott,
Accenture, Mastercard and many others.
__________________________________________________________
Contact: Yaneek Page,
Managing Director, Future Services International Ltd
Tel: (876) 960-9554, (876)
906-9553 Cel: (876) 818-0879
E-mail:
yaneek.page@futureservicesja.com
Ethnie Miller Simpson, CEO,
Zinergy International
Tel.: (876) 906-6632; (876)
381-5844
R Christene King
Journalist, editor,
publisher
Pure Class
6 Evans Avenue
Kingston 8
Tel: +1876-969-6341 (o)
+1876-361-0331
(c)
Email: chrisking@flowja.com
August 31, 2012
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