'Doctor Bird' promotes healthy Jamaican eating and struts his/her stuff with Agriculture Minister Dr Chris Tufton at the Coronation Market where the 'Eat Jamaican' campaign was recently launched.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Eat Jamaica's Doctor Bird is groooovy!
'Doctor Bird' promotes healthy Jamaican eating and struts his/her stuff with Agriculture Minister Dr Chris Tufton at the Coronation Market where the 'Eat Jamaican' campaign was recently launched.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Jamaica and the Irish
Message from 'Backyard Labrish'
St. Patrick's Day is upon us and as the world celebrates, Jamaicans will join in the celebration,
and not just because we love a good party, we do.
We will be celebrating the Irish and their contribution
To Jamaica's History and diverse culture.
As we learn from Jamaica's 'Pieces of the Past'
by Dr. Rebecca Tortello, in the mid 1600's the first
group of Irish Indentured Servants arrived on the
Island. Many came directly from Ireland and others
from Barbados, the then British Colony.
Join us this week as we continue to unravel
Jamaica's Motto "Out of Many One People"
with a look at the interesting details of the Irish and their many contributions.
Backyards continues to: Celebrate, Enlighten & Preserve the rich diverse culture of Jamaica: Land We Love!
To Join the Labrish and share your stories call
718-766-4558
Wednesday 3/16/11 at 8:00PM EST or
Listen in By clicking the link Below:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Backyard-Labrish-.
To set a reminder: GO NOW to this link & click on the Remind Me button Join the labrish!
Marshall Marshall
Producer & Host
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
St. Patrick's Day is upon us and as the world celebrates, Jamaicans will join in the celebration,
and not just because we love a good party, we do.
We will be celebrating the Irish and their contribution
To Jamaica's History and diverse culture.
As we learn from Jamaica's 'Pieces of the Past'
by Dr. Rebecca Tortello, in the mid 1600's the first
group of Irish Indentured Servants arrived on the
Island. Many came directly from Ireland and others
from Barbados, the then British Colony.
Join us this week as we continue to unravel
Jamaica's Motto "Out of Many One People"
with a look at the interesting details of the Irish and their many contributions.
Backyards continues to: Celebrate, Enlighten & Preserve the rich diverse culture of Jamaica: Land We Love!
To Join the Labrish and share your stories call
718-766-4558
Wednesday 3/16/11 at 8:00PM EST or
Listen in By clicking the link Below:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Backyard-Labrish-.
To set a reminder: GO NOW to this link & click on the Remind Me button Join the labrish!
Marshall Marshall
Producer & Host
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Sunday, March 13, 2011
WOMEN'S DAY by Michael Abrahams
- Bryan Cummings photo
Message and Poem by Dr Michael Abrahams
To: Sunday Herald Managing Director R. Christene King:
Christene,
These assaults on our journalists and the misogynistic behaviour of our leaders have to be addressed. They need to be held accountable for their actions.
I wrote this poem in response to Warmington's crass behaviour. Feel free to distribute it among your colleagues and to publish it in your newspaper if you desire.
I support you all 100%.
WOMEN'S DAY by Michael Abrahams
On International Women's Day
A politician did handle a woman a way
It did tek place near the beginning of the nightly 8 o'clock news
Me did tune in to hear wha a gwaan and to listen to people's views
When over dual citizenship this minister give up him seat
And the male anchor ask if it was unethical fi tek so long fi dweet
But the word "unethical" upset the man and rub him bad the wrong way
And him mek up noise and cuss an' ting and create the most ray ray
Then the female anchor ask what word she should use, in a gentle tone
But the man go bawl out "Go to Hell" and then hang up the phone
Me seh, me frighten when me hear the man go bawl out "Go to Hell"
What a bootu, what a cruff, what a big skettel
For me hear interview with bad man like Ninja and Kartel
But me never hear them raise them voice and diss woman and yell
If our leader them tan so vulgar, so nasty, crass and crude
Who are they to reprimand our youths when they are being rude?
And if them deal with our women in ways that are so misogynistic
Is expecting any better from our young men really being realistic?
On International Women's Day
A politician did handle a woman a way
Thursday, March 10, 2011
BLACK GERMAN HOLOCAUST VICTIMS
Received this in an email from Neville Hoo
So much of our history is lost to us because we often do not write the history books, do not film the documentaries, or do not pass the accounts down from generation to generation.
One documentary now touring the film festival circuit, telling us to "Always Remember" is "Black Survivors of the Holocaust" (1997).
Outside the U.S., the film is entitled "Hitler's Forgotten Victims" (Afro-Wisdom Productions). It codifies another dimension to the "Never Forget" Holocaust story - our dimension.
Did you know that in the 1920's, there were 24,000 Blacks living in Germany? Neither did I. Here's how it happened, and how many of them were eventually caught unawares by the events of the Holocaust.
Like most West European nations, Germany established colonies in Africa in the late 1800's in what later became Togo, Cameroon, Namibia , and Tanzania. German genetic experiments began there, most notably involving prisoners taken from the 1904 Heroro Massacre that left 60,000 Africans dead, following a 4-year revolt against German colonization. After the shellacking Germany received in World War I, it was stripped of its African colonies in 1918.
As a spoil of war, the French were allowed to occupy Germany in the Rhineland - a bitter piece of real estate that has gone back and forth between the two nations for centuries. The French willfully deployed their own colonized African soldiers as the occupying force. Germans viewed this as the final insult of World War I, and, soon thereafter, 92% of them voted in the Nazi party.
Hundreds of the African Rhineland-based soldiers intermarried with German women and raised their children as Black Germans. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote about his plans for these "Rhineland Bastards". When he came to power, one of his first directive was aimed at these mixed-race children. Underscoring Hitler's obsession with racial purity, by 1937, every identified mixed-race child in the Rhineland had been forcibly sterilized, in order to prevent further "race polluting" as Hitler termed it.
Hans Hauck, a Black Holocaust survivor and a victim of Hitler's mandatory sterilization programme, explained in the film "Hitler's Forgotten Victims" that, when he was forced to undergo sterilization as a teenager, he was given no anesthetic. Once he received his sterilization certificate, he was "free to go" so long as he agreed to have no sexual relations whatsoever with Germans.
Although most Black Germans attempted to escape their fatherland, heading for France where people like Josephine Baker were steadily aiding and supporting the French Underground, many still encountered problems elsewhere. Nations shut their doors to Germans, including the Black ones.
Some Black Germans were able to eke out a living during Hitler's reign of terror by performing in Vaudeville shows; but many Blacks, steadfast in their belief that they were German first, Black second, opted to remain in Germany. Some fought with the Nazis (a few even became Lut Waffe pilots!) Unfortunately, many Black Germans were arrested, charged with treason, and shipped in cattle cars to concentration camps. Often these trains were so packed with people and (equipped with no bathroom facilities or food), that, after the four-day journey, box car doors were opened to piles of the dead and dying.
Once inside the concentration camps, Blacks were given the worst jobs conceivable. Some Black American soldiers, who were captured and held as
prisoners of war, recounted that, while they were being starved and forced into dangerous labor (violating the Geneva Convention), they were still better off than Black German concentration camp detainees, who were forced to do the unthinkable--man the crematoriums and work in labs where genetic experiments were being conducted. As a final sacrifice, these Blacks were killed every three months so that they would never be able to reveal the inner workings of the "Final Solution".
In every story of Black oppression, no matter how we were enslaved, shackled, or beaten, we always found a way to survive and to rescue others. As a case in
point; consider Johnny Voste, a Belgian resistance fighter who was arrested in
1942 for alleged sabotage and then shipped to Dachau. One of his jobs was stacking vitamin crates. Risking his own life, he distributed hundreds of vitamins to camp detainees, which saved the lives of many who were starving, weak, and ill--conditions exacerbated by extreme vitamin deficiencies. His motto was "No, you can't have my life; I will fight for it".
According to Essex University's Delroy Constantine-Simms, there were Black Germans who resisted Nazi Germany, such as Lari Gilges, who founded the Northwest Rann --an organization of entertainers that fought the Nazis in his home town of Dusseldorf--and who was murdered by the SS in 1933, the year that Hitler came into power.
Little information remains about the numbers of Black Germans held in the camps or killed under the Nazi regime. Some victims of the Nazi sterilization project and Black survivors of the Holocaust are still alive and telling their story in films such as "Black Survivors of the Nazi Holocaust", but they must also speak out for justice, not just history.
Unlike Jews (in Israel and in Germany ), Black Germans receive no war reparations because their German citizenship was revoked (even though they were German-born). The only pension they get is from those of us who are willing to tell the world their stories and continue their battle for recognition and compensation.
After the war, scores of Blacks who had somehow managed to survive the Nazi regime, were rounded up and tried as war criminals. Talk about the final insult!
There are thousands of Black Holocaust stories, from the triangle trade, to
slavery in America, and to the gas ovens in Germany. We often shy away from hearing about our historical past because so much of it is painful; however, we are in this struggle together for rights, dignity, and, yes, reparations for wrongs done to us through the centuries. We need to always remember so that we can take steps to ensure that these atrocities never happen again.
For further information, read: Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany, by Hans J. Massaquoi.
Sent from my BlackBerry device from Digicel
So much of our history is lost to us because we often do not write the history books, do not film the documentaries, or do not pass the accounts down from generation to generation.
One documentary now touring the film festival circuit, telling us to "Always Remember" is "Black Survivors of the Holocaust" (1997).
Outside the U.S., the film is entitled "Hitler's Forgotten Victims" (Afro-Wisdom Productions). It codifies another dimension to the "Never Forget" Holocaust story - our dimension.
Did you know that in the 1920's, there were 24,000 Blacks living in Germany? Neither did I. Here's how it happened, and how many of them were eventually caught unawares by the events of the Holocaust.
Like most West European nations, Germany established colonies in Africa in the late 1800's in what later became Togo, Cameroon, Namibia , and Tanzania. German genetic experiments began there, most notably involving prisoners taken from the 1904 Heroro Massacre that left 60,000 Africans dead, following a 4-year revolt against German colonization. After the shellacking Germany received in World War I, it was stripped of its African colonies in 1918.
As a spoil of war, the French were allowed to occupy Germany in the Rhineland - a bitter piece of real estate that has gone back and forth between the two nations for centuries. The French willfully deployed their own colonized African soldiers as the occupying force. Germans viewed this as the final insult of World War I, and, soon thereafter, 92% of them voted in the Nazi party.
Hundreds of the African Rhineland-based soldiers intermarried with German women and raised their children as Black Germans. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote about his plans for these "Rhineland Bastards". When he came to power, one of his first directive was aimed at these mixed-race children. Underscoring Hitler's obsession with racial purity, by 1937, every identified mixed-race child in the Rhineland had been forcibly sterilized, in order to prevent further "race polluting" as Hitler termed it.
Hans Hauck, a Black Holocaust survivor and a victim of Hitler's mandatory sterilization programme, explained in the film "Hitler's Forgotten Victims" that, when he was forced to undergo sterilization as a teenager, he was given no anesthetic. Once he received his sterilization certificate, he was "free to go" so long as he agreed to have no sexual relations whatsoever with Germans.
Although most Black Germans attempted to escape their fatherland, heading for France where people like Josephine Baker were steadily aiding and supporting the French Underground, many still encountered problems elsewhere. Nations shut their doors to Germans, including the Black ones.
Some Black Germans were able to eke out a living during Hitler's reign of terror by performing in Vaudeville shows; but many Blacks, steadfast in their belief that they were German first, Black second, opted to remain in Germany. Some fought with the Nazis (a few even became Lut Waffe pilots!) Unfortunately, many Black Germans were arrested, charged with treason, and shipped in cattle cars to concentration camps. Often these trains were so packed with people and (equipped with no bathroom facilities or food), that, after the four-day journey, box car doors were opened to piles of the dead and dying.
Once inside the concentration camps, Blacks were given the worst jobs conceivable. Some Black American soldiers, who were captured and held as
prisoners of war, recounted that, while they were being starved and forced into dangerous labor (violating the Geneva Convention), they were still better off than Black German concentration camp detainees, who were forced to do the unthinkable--man the crematoriums and work in labs where genetic experiments were being conducted. As a final sacrifice, these Blacks were killed every three months so that they would never be able to reveal the inner workings of the "Final Solution".
In every story of Black oppression, no matter how we were enslaved, shackled, or beaten, we always found a way to survive and to rescue others. As a case in
point; consider Johnny Voste, a Belgian resistance fighter who was arrested in
1942 for alleged sabotage and then shipped to Dachau. One of his jobs was stacking vitamin crates. Risking his own life, he distributed hundreds of vitamins to camp detainees, which saved the lives of many who were starving, weak, and ill--conditions exacerbated by extreme vitamin deficiencies. His motto was "No, you can't have my life; I will fight for it".
According to Essex University's Delroy Constantine-Simms, there were Black Germans who resisted Nazi Germany, such as Lari Gilges, who founded the Northwest Rann --an organization of entertainers that fought the Nazis in his home town of Dusseldorf--and who was murdered by the SS in 1933, the year that Hitler came into power.
Little information remains about the numbers of Black Germans held in the camps or killed under the Nazi regime. Some victims of the Nazi sterilization project and Black survivors of the Holocaust are still alive and telling their story in films such as "Black Survivors of the Nazi Holocaust", but they must also speak out for justice, not just history.
Unlike Jews (in Israel and in Germany ), Black Germans receive no war reparations because their German citizenship was revoked (even though they were German-born). The only pension they get is from those of us who are willing to tell the world their stories and continue their battle for recognition and compensation.
After the war, scores of Blacks who had somehow managed to survive the Nazi regime, were rounded up and tried as war criminals. Talk about the final insult!
There are thousands of Black Holocaust stories, from the triangle trade, to
slavery in America, and to the gas ovens in Germany. We often shy away from hearing about our historical past because so much of it is painful; however, we are in this struggle together for rights, dignity, and, yes, reparations for wrongs done to us through the centuries. We need to always remember so that we can take steps to ensure that these atrocities never happen again.
For further information, read: Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany, by Hans J. Massaquoi.
Sent from my BlackBerry device from Digicel
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Forbes: The Richest People in the World 2011
Click on title for full story
Mar 9th 2011 at 5:15PM
by Luisa Kroll and Kerry A. Dolan, Forbes.com
The 10 Richest People in the World
No. 1: Carlos Slim Helú & family
$74 billion | Telecom | Mexico
No. 2: Bill Gates
$56 billion | Microsoft | U.S.
No. 3: Warren Buffett
$50 billion | Berkshire Hathaway| U.S.
No. 4: Bernard Arnault
$41 billion | LVMH | France
No. 5: Larry Ellison
$39.5 billion | Oracle | U.S.
No. 6: Lakshmi Mittal
$31.1 billion | Steel | India
No. 7: Amancio Ortega
$31 billion | Zara | Spain
No. 8: Eike Batista
$30 billion | Mining, Oil | Brazil
No. 9: Mukesh Ambani
$27 billion | Petrochemicals | India
No. 10: Christy Walton & family
$26.5 billion | Wal-Mart | U.S.
Mar 9th 2011 at 5:15PM
by Luisa Kroll and Kerry A. Dolan, Forbes.com
The 10 Richest People in the World
No. 1: Carlos Slim Helú & family
$74 billion | Telecom | Mexico
No. 2: Bill Gates
$56 billion | Microsoft | U.S.
No. 3: Warren Buffett
$50 billion | Berkshire Hathaway| U.S.
No. 4: Bernard Arnault
$41 billion | LVMH | France
No. 5: Larry Ellison
$39.5 billion | Oracle | U.S.
No. 6: Lakshmi Mittal
$31.1 billion | Steel | India
No. 7: Amancio Ortega
$31 billion | Zara | Spain
No. 8: Eike Batista
$30 billion | Mining, Oil | Brazil
No. 9: Mukesh Ambani
$27 billion | Petrochemicals | India
No. 10: Christy Walton & family
$26.5 billion | Wal-Mart | U.S.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Let's get creative - and be all right
 |
| Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell show Gold Medal support for the Eat Jamaican Campaign as they commend Coronation Market vendor Angela Jarrett on her great Jamaican produce. |
At Coronation Market in downtown Kingston, our team could not stop exclaiming over the freshness of the produce, the warmth of the vendors, and the attractiveness of the layout.
Manager of the market Sandra Bullock is an organised lady who turned up at every planning meeting on time to help us implement a rousing launch at 'Curry' for a campaign urging Jamaicans to 'Grow what we eat and eat what we grow.'
After I posted the event on Facebook, my friend Tracy Fischer from Buffalo wrote, "Why would Jamaica import food? You have everything!" She had visited Jamaica for the first time four years ago and enjoyed the delightful difference in the flavours of our fruit and vegetables. I remember another overseas visitor sampling a chilled, creamy custard apple and exclaiming, "This tastes like vanilla ice cream -- only better!"
What better testimony to the benefits of our foods than our home-grown Olympic gold medallists who were on hand at Coronation to support the campaign? Melaine Walker, Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell, as well as World Champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton made us proud as we saw the courtesy they extended to vendors and diplomats alike.
European Union Ambassador to Jamaica Marco Mazzocchi-Alemanni commended Digicel for rebuilding the market, dubbing the company the second biggest donor to Jamaica after the EU. He said that he and his wife were delighted to discover our foods, and asked why our tasty callaloo and naseberries could not be found in European supermarkets.
Eating Jamaican means eating healthy. The ambassador does well to choose callaloo, which is rich in iron, vitamin C, flavonoids, calcium and vitamin A. It has more than four times the calcium and more than twice the iron compared to broccoli and other vegetables.
Our flavours are a boon for agro-processors. Last Thursday, Mohan Jagnarine and Dennis Hawkins of Spur Tree Spices launched a spicy oxtail seasoning, masterfully blending Scotch bonnet, escallion, pimento and various herbs. We joined JMA executive members at their Duke Street headquarters for a memorable lunch made with this new product.
At the event, I gleaned some useful information from that treasure of a Jamaican, Paulette Rhoden. She said that we don't have to go as far as Europe or the US to export our wonderful foods, pointing out that there is a market of 35 million from Bermuda in the north to Suriname in the south, hankering for our excellent foods. "Antigua grows very little because their soil is mostly shale," she commented. "Barbados' soil is full of sand or clay. They don't grow much in the Turks & Caicos or in Cayman."
We have farmers with a glut of crops who are intimidated because they may not have the trailer loads or because of the stringent regulations of the larger markets. Paulette advised that our Caribbean neighbours are not as strict and a farmer can simply call such companies as Fedex, DHL or Laparkan to get assistance in shipping boxes, not necessarily large containers.
We have the benefits of strong leadership from Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, generous support from the EU Food Facility and professional administration from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a respected UN body. If we can just tear ourselves away from our sofas long enough, we could even grow foods in flowerpots and old tyres to reduce our spend at the supermarket.
Jamaican people, the name of your country gives you one of the coolest brands in the world. Let us get creative to ensure that our food supply is safe and earning us valuable foreign exchange.
The truth about our 'Yute'
National Baking Company's Gary 'Butch' Hendrickson passed on a powerful speech given last Thursday at a Kingston Rotary Club Luncheon by Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon.
The founder of Mustard Seed Communities has challenged our spirit-numbing status quo. He wants our bright MBAs to be less involved in pushing paper and more involved in productive activities that will create jobs. He would like them to tithe not just money but time in community outreach.
"At the moment, there are some 510,300 youths between the ages 14 and 24 years (circa 20 per cent of the population)," he said "Of these 26 per cent between the ages of 20 and 24 years are unemployed. And 38 per cent of all young adults living in the inner city are unemployed. The national unemployment rate stands at roughly 12 per cent. All told, 70 per cent of young adults are unemployable. Please note that 75 per cent of all crimes in Jamaica are committed by persons under the age of 30 years (taken from [PSOJ] YUTE survey - 2010)."
"It is no surprise then," he observed, "that a deadly combination of lewdness, bad manners, illiteracy, drugs and all the negative aspects of the so-called dancehall culture are threatening to overcome us."
Ramkissoon wants Government to look before they spend on inner-city projects as "unless there is proper prep work I am afraid that will be a bottomless pit for dumping the proverbial 'pork'. At least 20 per cent of all inner-city investments by the Government should be put into the social infrastructure - eg sanitation, play areas, caring for the aged and the disabled."
Here is a suggestion that should be taken onboard by the Social Development Commission: "No economic project should be put into place until all the players are given a three-month course in different aspects of 'life-skills development' — concerning the family, community, self-worth, discipline, ethics and volunteerism."
As Butch Hendrickson pointed out, Monsignor Ramkissoon is an authority on social development, having lived and worked in inner-city communities for over 25 years, serving the poorest of the poor. Father HoLung has also made a similar call for greater responsibility and compassion. The full script of the speech, which also challenges our clergy, is on my blog. Those who have ears, let them hear.
lowriechin@aim.com
www.lowrie-chin.blogspot.com
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Nita's Otaheite Apple Tart
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Stop griping and do something for the poor
Msgr GREGORY RAMKISSOON |Sunday, March 06, 2011 | Jamaica Observer
An address by the Very Rev Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon on March 3, 2011 to the Rotary Club of Kingston.
FROM the start, let me say that I do not wish to stay too long on the negatives -- for we all know what they are -- (crime and violence, topmost on our minds), but to point us in a direction which may help us reflect on our own level of awareness about what surrounds us and what we, in our own little way can do to make a positive impact.
"The fish only knows that it lives in the water, after it is already on the riverbank. Without our awareness of another world out there, it would never occur to us to change."
At the moment, there are some 510,300 youths between the ages 14 and 24 years (circa 20 per cent of the population). Of these 26 per cent between the ages of 20-24 years are unemployed. And, 38 per cent of all young adults living in the inner-city are unemployed. The national unemployment rate stands at roughly 12 per cent. All told, 70 per cent of young adults are unemployable. Please note that 75 per cent of all crimes in Jamaica are committed by persons under the age of 30 yrs. (taken from YUTE survey - 2010). It is no surprise then, that a deadly combination of lewdness, bad manners, illiteracy, drugs and all the negative aspects of the so-called dancehall culture are threatening to overcome us.
Looking at some other stats; last year, and this has been a trend for some time now, almost 20 per cent of all babies born in Jamaica were born to teenage girls. Just last week a 10-year old girl was sent to one of our homes because she is in her eighth month of pregnancy. Of course, there are many more cases of neglect and abuse around us -- what to do!!! We cannot give up hope. We are too rich to be rendered impotent in the face of all the negative things around us.
"Intuitively, anecdotally, and empirically, we all know that a well-educated population and a stable, investment-friendly environment produce greater national wealth than is possible in undereducated and unstable societies. Thus, national policy discussions as well as appropriation debates focus on allocation of resources to achieve the desired well-educated populace and stable environment. But what tools are available to policy makers to buttress analysis of allocation of resources?
In this extremely intriguing study (produced in 2005 based on millennium year data), the researchers quantified the three major contributors to the total wealth of nations: natural, produced, and intangible capital.
Natural capital includes the sum of non-renewable resources (oil, gas, minerals, etc) and fertile land, forests, protected areas and aquifers. Produced capital includes factories, machines, equipment, products, industrial and urban infrastructure. Intangible capital includes all a nation's assets that are neither natural nor produced.
We learn after subtracting the total of all of the world's natural resources and all produced capital, that intangible capital is 80 per cent of the total wealth of rich countries and 60 per cent of the wealth of poor countries. The bottom line is not a surprise: the bank finds that "rich countries are largely rich because of the skills of their populations and the quality of the institutions supporting economic activity", ie, because of intangible capital.
So the intangible capital residual component of national wealth is worth understanding. The economists sub-divide intangible capital into two major categories: 'education' (consisting of human capital, including raw labour plus the sum of knowledge, skills and know how of the population); and 'social capital' (represented by beliefs, levels of trust, attitudes, behaviours and the quality of formal and informal institutional infrastructure -- including stability, transparency and other elements).
Social capital is measured by the "rule of law index -- a tool utilised to measure the quality of governance and institutions. Education (human capital) is measured through schooling years per capita.
Parsing the education component further, the study points to prior research, suggesting that investment in primary education in low-income countries produces the biggest bang for the buck. That is, in a low-income country $1 spent on primary school provides a higher return than $1 spent on higher education.
Rather dramatically, a one-year increase in the mean level of schooling in a low-income country increases that country's intangible capital by $838 per person. Returns on investment, the data show, decline with the level of schooling and per capita income.
In the end, the research fundamentally and quite convincingly demonstrates that it is years and quality of schooling, along with the quality of the nation's formal and informal institutions that are the determining factors in creating the wealth of nations. Policymakers can be reasonably confident that investments in education and efficient and responsible institutions are viable means of increasing the intangible capital residual of a nation's total wealth."
("Where is the Wealth of Nations? Measuring Capital for the 21st Century" may be viewed in its entirety at www.worldbank.org). The above taken from a speech by Ambassador Sue Cobb.
The Private Sector
We have fallen into a despairing position and are giving up too easily, while others are coming in and taking our rejects and making things happen. Let us stop griping and see things as they are and cut our appetites to suit our pockets. Business has a social responsibility and we have to see that we must participate in the fullest possible way in the evolution of the society. There has to be hope, otherwise we might as well pack up and commit hari-kari.
All businesses should tithe, not just in money, but in time. Put aside at least 2.4 hours a day to give back to the poorest of the poor. Encourage your employees to do the same. You are needed more than the money you can give. We need role models and an interaction that will bring about understanding and growth among the well-to-do and the poor.
If we are asking the government to do more, we have to take on more responsibility for our own sake and for the sake of our children and our children's children. We cannot sit by and allow the politicians and others to do what they wish, while all we do is complain and gossip. Many of us contribute to the political parties and many of us should call them to 'book' to account for their stewardship. We have to have successful and responsible (pay taxes!) enterprises.
For businesses to be philanthropic, they have to make profits; to make profits they have to invest and run 'tight ships'. We all know that government has a part to play, but in many cases outsiders are investing here and we are sitting back.
Last year (Jan-Oct) we imported 15 per cent less capital goods into the country. What is that saying for our business community? Oil and food imports accounted for nearly 50 per cent of all imports. Should we roll up our sleeves and invest much more in the agri-business sector? Just a note -- the value of imported cars jumped by 11 per cent!
We also notice a lot of young, bright MBAs moving into the private sector -- rightfully so! But are they being more productive and are they really creating jobs? One gets the impression that they are finding many new ways of 'pushing paper', mainly in the financial sector.
We need to see more of their time and talent invested in our inner-city communities. Maybe it will be a good idea if some of the companies making billions in after-tax profits set aside at least five per cent (for starters) in real job-creation investment. That will put our money where our mouth is.
There has to be an engagement of our business and professional lives, not just in raising funds, but in interaction with others in the society who need to see disciplined and responsible people at work, at play, at worship, in good times and in bad.
Let me say that for us to have any hope in the future of the society here in Jamaica, we must be able to care for the marginalised and the abandoned among us. A society that does not care for the vulnerable does not care for itself in the end.
To start to become organised we must be concerned in a prioritised way about these members of our society. If peace is the daughter of justice, then the mother of justice is caring. We cannot have justice and peace without compassion.
The Government
I understand that the government is going to spend billions of dollars in the inner-city and that many in society are sure that if investment comes to the inner-city, all will be well... Look out... unless there is proper prep work I am afraid that will be a bottomless pit for dumping the proverbial 'pork'. At least 20 per cent of all inner-city investment by the government should be put into the social infrastructure, eg sanitation, play areas, caring for the aged and the disabled.
No economic project should be put into place until all the players are given a three-month course in different aspects of "life-skills development" concerning the family, community, self-worth, discipline, ethics and volunteerism. In these 'classes', which should be done in the nearby schools in the downtime, members of the local police unit should be present as either teacher or student or sometimes both.
The government should help all NGOs looking after the disabled and the very poor with at least 75 per cent of their budget. At present we are given approximately only about a quarter of the cost of maintaining the child at a reasonable level of existence. Also, there should be a special rate on utilities on all institutions looking after the needs of the very poor children and adults. In addition, statutory payments to employees should be borne by the government, for these institutions.
The Police
The police must also be part of the 'life-skills' programme with the community (as mentioned above). They should be evaluated frequently and made to understand that they have a responsibility to the community and not only to themselves. They should be promoted on how well they perform at the community level. The Police Youth Clubs are not enough to encourage a new breath of confidence in the police.
Sad to say, the social capital of the inner-city communities is steadily being eroded by the inaction of the police regarding the Noise Abatement Act. Night after night (and I have been living in the inner-city for the past 25 years) the sound systems go on until 5:00 am.
Whatever is banned on the air by the Broadcasting Commission has free run at these 'sessions'. In the wee hours of the morning parents and children have to listen (in a rough radius of half-a-mile) to all the details of the sexual act. Is that the road we wish to travel?
How can these adults go to work the next day or how can the children be truly productive and ready for school? No wonder then, that a recent survey tells us that almost 40 per cent of our population is experiencing some form of mental illness.
The Media
There should be some 'contract' with the society by the heads of the media houses that they will not give time, either in print or air -- any time that degrades women, incites violence (like some 'burn them' lyrics) or illegality in any way, form or fashion. The media have a responsibility not only to reflect what comes to it from society, but also in these times, especially to enlighten, educate and help in the shaping of the positive values of the society.
If this is not done, then we should not support the respective media house with ads or sponsorship. We cannot allow our entertainers who have no regard for decency and good taste to lull us into submission.
The Church
We have to be much more proactive as a body of people who aspire to the spiritual life. The Jamaica Council of Churches is like a guard at the gate who has fallen asleep -- a tiger without teeth. The same for the many evangelicals, etc who are all bark and no bite. The church collects money, resources, etc from here and abroad and should be made to account for the disposal of these resources.
We are long on verbiage and all sorts of pomposity and very short on being a voice to the voiceless and a defender of the poor and the marginalised against corruption and injustice. We are not effective as agents of change, even in our own schools and communities. We spend a lot of time in rituals and rites and hardly any time in counselling (both rich and poor) and educating: yet keep griping about the hard times and get lost in the insularity of our own shortsightedness. We need to wake up if we see ourselves as the 'guardians' of the people of Jamaica.
In short, we have let down the flock, they are like a people 'without a shepherd'. There is so much more we can do if only we would take seriously the mandate of the people to walk with them in the spirit of Anthony de Mello's cautionary words:
"These things will destroy the human race: politics without principle, progress without compassion, wealth without work, learning without silence, religion without fearlessness and worship without awareness. (Anthony de Mello)
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Asafa, Brigitte, Melaine, Nesta, Michael love JA Food!
Melaine Walker, Michael Frater, Nesta Carter, Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Asafa Powell admire the fresh produce at the well-stocked stall of Angela Jarrett. They were on hand at Coronation Market for the launch of the Eat Jamaican campaign last Tuesday.
Why do our home-grown athletes look so great? Here are some nutrition facts:
Watermelon
The dietary fibre in watermelon improves digestive health.
Minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, etc. from watermelon strengthen the cells in the body. Potassium helps lower high blood pressure and prevents kidney stones and strokes while calcium helps build strong bones.
Banana
Bananas contain vitamin C, potassium and dietary fibre. Bananas assist with the normal functioning of the nervous system.
Bananas are rich in vitamin C and are a good source of energy.
Bananas do not contain sodium, fat or cholesterol.
Coconut
Coconut, in most of its forms, was used by the indigenous people to help build strength, especially in malnourished individuals.
Coconut being rich in dietary fibre, milk and tender pieces can relieve constipation and other bowel-related conditions.
A direct application of coconut milk on skin infections, actually helps to heal it. Coconut oil is used regularly to cure and heal eczema and psoriasis scars.
Grapefruit
The grapefruit has no saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is rich in vitamin A, various B vitamins and vitamin C.
Pregnant mothers should consume grapefruit as folate from grapefruit helps in the production and maintenance of new cells.
Grapefruit also provides minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, copper, magnesium and zinc. It is thus packed with antioxidants, which help prevent various diseases including cancer.
Grapefruit calories are so low that it is referred to as negative calorie food.
Guava
Guavas are one of the best fruits available, high in fibre. They are sodium free, plus low in fat and calories.
The edible rind of a guava contains 5 times more vitamin C than an orange.
Guava contains key nutrients like: vitamin C, carotenoids, folate, potassium, fibre, calcium and iron. Calcium is typically not found in high amounts in many fruits.
Jackfruit
Jackfruits are rich in carbohydrates, and a good source of energy.
Jackfruits also contain a good amount of the antioxidant, flavonoids and provide protection from cancer and heart problems.
Jackfruits also contain potassium, which helps control heart rate and blood pressure.
June Plum
June plum is a good source of iron.
Unripe June plum (Jamaican Jewish plum) contains a high amount of protein.
Friday, March 4, 2011
US law firm says Jamaica is perfect for investment
From Radio Jamaica (RJR)
US law firm says Jamaica is perfect for investment
US law firm says Jamaica is perfect for investment
Efforts by the Government of Jamaica to create an enabling legislative and fiscal framework to attract investors have received strong support from one of the largest United States-based law firms, Baker and McKenzie.
Simon P. Beck, Principal Partner who is responsible for global wealth management at Baker and McKenzie, commended the Government for its bold moves to position Jamaica at the forefront of investment destinations.
Mr. Beck said Jamaica 's legislative and fiscal initiatives will make many of their clients say, "that's the location, that's where we should establish ourselves, because it's absolutely perfect" for investment.
He was speaking at a reception hosted by the firm at its Washington D.C. headquarters on Tuesday, which is to honour Jamaica 's Ambassador to the United States , Audrey P. Marks.
Tax & investment treaties almost second to none
He touted Jamaica 's tax and investment treaties as "almost second to none in the Caribbean," stressing that "most importantly, the Government is very much behind positioning Jamaica " as an investment centre.
Among Jamaica 's advantages, which he identified, is the country's "wonderful location, the most wonderful geography, wonderful infrastructure, and one of the highest educated populations in all of the Caribbean ."
He also noted that the Government's support and commitment to encouraging multinationals, executives, academics, and high net-worth families to establish a base in the country.
Services sector a critical platform for JA's reconstruction efforts
Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, who was the keynote speaker, told the more than 175 movers and shakers who attended the reception, in the American capital, that legislation to reposition the financial service sector will be in place within the next 12 months.
"We are positioning ourselves in terms of redefining our own processes. We're looking at how we can achieve growth, and how we can restructure ourselves," said Mr. Bartlett.
He added that focus will be given to the services sector "as a critical platform for our own reconstruction efforts," with tourism at the centre of that endeavour.
Invest
Mr. Bartlett invited the business leaders to invest in Jamaica , stressing, "we've been looking at how can we bring people, how can we bring capital into Jamaica , and at how can we bring more entrepreneurs into Jamaica to energize our own efforts, and to bring wider knowledge and greater expertise to intermingle with ours."
Stating that he was excited at the prospect of attracting more tourists from the Washington area, Mr. Bartlett further disclosed that Air Jamaica would soon be resuming daily flights from Baltimore .
Praises for Ambassador Marks
He also paid tribute to Ambassador Marks for her tremendous effort in representing Jamaican interests in the United States .
He described her as "a brilliant mind and a really outstanding entrepreneur from Jamaica , who understands business and diplomacy."
In her response, Ambassador Marks said she was honoured and privileged to be representing her nation at this critical juncture in its development.
She underscored her main areas of focus as strengthening Jamaica-US relations; increasing trade and investment; and engaging the Diaspora to look at the investment opportunities available in their homeland.
http://rjrnewsonline.com/business/us-law-firm-says-ja-perfect-investment
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
GROW WHAT YOU EAT - EAT WHAT YOU GROW
World and Olympics Champions Melaine Walker, Asafa Powell, Michael Frater, Nesta Carter, and Brigitte Foster admire the great Jamaican produce being sold by Maxine Jarrett at the Coronation Market today where they supported the 'Eat Jamaican' Launch. Looking on are Akhter Hamid, FAO Project Manager for the EU Food Facility, sponsors of the Project and Dr Jerome Thomas, FAO Representative for Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas.
GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES NATIONAL EAT JAMAICAN CAMPAIGN SUPPORTED BY FAO - EU FOOD FACILITY
KINGSTON, Jamaica: The Government is placing agriculture on the public agenda with the launch of a national "Eat Jamaican" campaign aimed at increasing local production and encouraging consumers to make healthy choices by eating local produce, fruits and vegetables.
Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton, who launched the campaign at the Coronation Market, downtown Kingston this morning has long been an advocate of the consumption of local foods. The Agriculture Minister unveiled details of the programme funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
Minister Tufton said the three-month campaign valued at J$17.2M will entail a series of road shows across Jamaica. The road shows will feature singing competitions, food exhibition/tasting, and hotel cook-offs, he said. As part of consumer education, the campaign will seek to get consumers united behind the theme "grow what we eat, eat what we grow," in support of farmers, retailers, agro-processors and distributors, Minister Tufton added.
The Minister has also welcomed the endorsement of the “Eat Jamaican” message by six Jamaican World and Olympic Champions: Shelly Ann Fraser, Brigitte Foster Hylton, Melaine Walker, Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, and former World Record Holder Asafa Powell.
Dr. Tufton commented: “As we take this concrete step to achieve food security in our country, we are extremely grateful that the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have partnered with us in funding this campaign to the tune of $17.2 million...”
“I am convinced that we have the potential to feed ourselves and dramatically reduce our food import bill. The Statistical Institute of Jamaica, STATIN, reports that up to the end of October 2010, Jamaica’s imports totaled US$661 million compared to US$667 million for the corresponding period in 2009. This is a decline of 1 percent and follows a decline of 7.4 percent achieved in 2009 over 2008...”
“Jamaica must increase domestic food production and substitute local foodstuffs for these increasingly costly imported items…”
“The performance of the agricultural sector from which the majority of rural folk earn their livelihood is directly linked to the quality of life and the state of the country’s development. Our farmers are indeed the cornerstones of rural life and the guardians of our traditions in villages spread across the country. We must ensure that they can continue to contribute to the vitality of the rural areas...”
Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi-Alemanni of the European Union to Jamaica, who are sponsors of the programme through the EU Food Facility commented on the excellent quality of Jamaican crops. “I am from Italy,” he said, “and we are very conscious about the flavour of foods. I was delighted to discover that Jamaica has such wonderful food…we have a Jamaican chef at home and my wife and I enjoy Jamaican dishes”. He commended Jamaica’s farmers for their diligence and the vendors at Coronation Market for bringing Jamaica’s crops to the public.
Other speakers were Dr. Jerome Thomas, Representative for Jamaica, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO); Mr. Roger Clarke, Opposition Spokesman on Agriculture and Mr Glendon Harris, President, Jamaica Agricultural Society. The prayer was said by Rev. Dr. Roy Henry, Pastor, East Queen Street Circuit of Baptist Churches.
The gathering was treated to an amusing performance by the Eat Jamaican mascot ‘Doctor Bird’, and beloved comedic duo, Ity & Fancy Cat, who will be appearing on the Eat Jamaican Road Shows.
Backyard gardening is another strong component of the campaign with the Rural Agricultural Development Agency (RADA) making available vital information to householders and institutions which may want to start an agricultural project and embrace the message of making healthy food choices.
The campaign will also be backed by ongoing updates on a number of social media networks so that consumers, especially the young people, can keep abreast of the pace of the campaign and make their own contributions.
Collaboration is a huge part of this Eat Jamaican campaign and stakeholders such as the Jamaica Agricultural Society, RADA and the tourism industry have endorsed the programme which will ultimately bring local foods from the fields to the table.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Give to live
Give strength, give thought, give deed, give wealth; Give love, give tears, and give thyself. Give,Give, be always giving, Who gives not is not living.
THE MORE YOU GIVE, THE MORE YOU LIVE.
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Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Road crash - up close and personal
Jean Lowrie-Chin | Observer column | Monday, February 14, 2011
Two Saturdays ago, my friend Jan was driving us in her SUV on Shortwood Road, when suddenly a car emerged from an apartment complex directly in front of us. Jan swerved to avoid the vehicle, but its bumper connected with the front tyre on my side, puncturing it, sending us into a spin, and then "bang!" head-on into a high wall.
It is no picnic to see in slowmotion a wall coming at you, to feel that sickening impact, the crunch of metal, the cracking of the windshield, though thankfully it did not shatter. I felt an excruciating pain in my chest and froze in fear while Jan emerged from the vehicle shaking like a leaf. Neither of us could see properly as our glasses had flown off our faces.
I heard a voice saying to her, "Don't worry, I will stay with you until help comes." The Good Samaritan had stopped to check on two strangers out of pure kindness. It was Rebecca Tulloch Issa who rushed over to my side, opened the door and tried to help me out. Only then did she recognise me. I was afraid to move but she pointed out that there was smoke coming from a vent. She sped me off to the hospital, promising to return to my friend. What a compassionate young woman!
We are now both at home recovering, thanks to the staff at Andrews Memorial, the extraordinary Dr Lucien Jones, convener of the National Road Safety Council , and his distinguished colleagues. We have not been able to go to work all of last week, have been spending time at the doctor, in therapy, giving reports to the police and the insurance company. I was lucky to have just two cracked ribs and my friend no serious injury, though lots of aches. The driver of the other vehicle accepted liability after the police arrived on the scene and convinced her that she was unquestionably at fault.
If my friend Jan had not obeyed the speed limit, if we had not been wearing our seat belts, I probably would not be writing this column today. The advice that you have to drive not only for yourself, but for the other person, should be taken very seriously. Jan and I have been asking each other, "What the heck was the woman doing? Was she on the phone? Was she searching for something in her car?" We are totally mystified because it was 9 am on a sunny morning and we were in a very visible white vehicle. Bystanders expressed the same bewilderment. The driver of the sedan looked like a responsible, middle-aged person.
We welcome a Motion moved by Central Kingston MP Ronald Thwaites last week, "seeking amendments to the Road Traffic Act, to prescribe mandatory re-education of traffic offenders and obligatory re-certification of licensees, at 15-year intervals", according to a JIS release. We are heartened by the response from Prime Minister Bruce Golding, the committed chairman of the NRSC, that there will be "significant changes" to the Road Traffic Act. JIS reported that areas being looked at include: "expanding the network of closed-circuit surveillance cameras at critical points and enactment of legislation to curtail the use of cellphones by persons while driving".
Pedestrian safety needs special attention. This was the only category to show increased road fatalities last year. We had always been concerned about the lack of sidewalks on Negril's West End main road, now renamed "One Love Boulevard", and are sad to learn that a pedestrian was killed by a speeding vehicle recently. The busy Trafalgar Road-Hope Road intersection shows not a shred of respect for pedestrians - among the many phases of traffic signals, there is not one that allows for safe crossing and no pedestrian crossing.
Click on title for full column
Monday, February 14, 2011
Anita's Valentine Napoleon
My daughter the chef! :)
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Sunday, February 13, 2011
A long way from Egypt
Excerpt from Observer column | Monday 7 Feb 2011
by Jean Lowrie-Chin
In the very rare event that anyone "roughs up" a Jamaican journalist, physically or verbally, there is general condemnation. The children of Garvey will not take bullying from any quarter. What horror we feel as we watch local and overseas journalists being attacked on the streets of Cairo. On Thursday night we saw CNN's Anderson Cooper reporting on this violent turn by pro-Mubarak thugs. He showed earlier footage of a truck driving at full speed through a crowd of protestors, injuring several, and then a speeding fire truck running over a demonstrator - horrible!
Commentator Halani Gorani, holed up with Cooper in an undisclosed location, opined, "If democracy takes hold in Egypt, it will change the entire region." We saw Katie Couric of CBS and ABC's Christiane Amanpour being jostled.
"If I resign now, there would be chaos," Mubarak told Amanpour in an interview last week. So was he saying that the scenes being beamed around the world are not chaotic? There are suggestions that there may be extremists participating in the anti-government rally but the peaceful scenes of the earlier days of the protests showed intelligent, resolute people. The hotheads later emerged but they were carrying a pro-government line.
Photojournalist Andrew Burton reported that it was "sincerely frightening" when he was set upon by the pro-government agitators. About six peaceful demonstrators surrounded him to protect him. "They saved my life," he said. "They took many more blows and punches than I did."
We are changing channels from our comparatively less ominous news reports to these harrowing accounts and giving thanks that we already have what the Egyptians are fighting for: democracy. What we now need to look at are the opportunities that this democracy affords us.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/A-long-way-from-Egypt_8335040#ixzz1DsNcbsAQ
by Jean Lowrie-Chin
In the very rare event that anyone "roughs up" a Jamaican journalist, physically or verbally, there is general condemnation. The children of Garvey will not take bullying from any quarter. What horror we feel as we watch local and overseas journalists being attacked on the streets of Cairo. On Thursday night we saw CNN's Anderson Cooper reporting on this violent turn by pro-Mubarak thugs. He showed earlier footage of a truck driving at full speed through a crowd of protestors, injuring several, and then a speeding fire truck running over a demonstrator - horrible!
Commentator Halani Gorani, holed up with Cooper in an undisclosed location, opined, "If democracy takes hold in Egypt, it will change the entire region." We saw Katie Couric of CBS and ABC's Christiane Amanpour being jostled.
"If I resign now, there would be chaos," Mubarak told Amanpour in an interview last week. So was he saying that the scenes being beamed around the world are not chaotic? There are suggestions that there may be extremists participating in the anti-government rally but the peaceful scenes of the earlier days of the protests showed intelligent, resolute people. The hotheads later emerged but they were carrying a pro-government line.
Photojournalist Andrew Burton reported that it was "sincerely frightening" when he was set upon by the pro-government agitators. About six peaceful demonstrators surrounded him to protect him. "They saved my life," he said. "They took many more blows and punches than I did."
We are changing channels from our comparatively less ominous news reports to these harrowing accounts and giving thanks that we already have what the Egyptians are fighting for: democracy. What we now need to look at are the opportunities that this democracy affords us.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/A-long-way-from-Egypt_8335040#ixzz1DsNcbsAQ
Friday, February 11, 2011
Google's top 9 Jamaica sites
#1
Jamaica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 234 kilometres (145 mi) in length and as much as 80 kilometres (50 mi) in width, and amounts to 10990 ...
History - Government and politics - Geography - Demographics
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica - Cached - Similar
#2
Jamaica
Jamaica online takes a real look at Jamaica and Jamaican culture with recipes guides to patois, reggae, how to be a tourist, Negril, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, ...
www.jamaicans.com/ - Cached - Similar
#3
Visit Jamaica
Visit Jamaica is a travel and tourism site that provides all the information, photographs and tools you need to plan and purchase your ideal Jamaica ...
www.visitjamaica.com/ - Cached - Similar
#4
Jamaica Gleaner News Online
Jamaica Gleaner News at every turn seven days a week featuring Jamaican Sports, Island Business, Health, Education,Entertainment, Commentary, Letters.
jamaica-gleaner.com/ - Cached
#5
Jamaica Information Service (JIS) - Government of Jamaica
The Jamaica Information Service (JIS) is the multifaceted information agency of the Government of Jamaica that gathers and disseminates information on ...
www.jis.gov.jm/ - Cached - Similar
#6
Jamaica Observer: Jamaica's Best Newspaper, Jamaican News Online ...
JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM, the most concise and in-depth website for news coverage on Jamaica and the Caribbean. Updated daily 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
www.jamaicaobserver.com/ - Cached - Similar
#7
CIA World Factbook: Jamaica
20 Jan 2011 ... Features map and brief descriptions of the geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military and ...
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world.../jm.html - Cached - Similar
#8
Jamaica - Discover Jamaica ! - Resorts & Vacation in Negril, Ocho ...
A visit to Jamaica starts with discovering facts about Jamaica's culture, reggae music, food, people and sports. The ultimate information on Jamaica's birds ...
www.discoverjamaica.com/ - Cached - Similar
#9
Images for jamaica
Jamaica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 234 kilometres (145 mi) in length and as much as 80 kilometres (50 mi) in width, and amounts to 10990 ...
History - Government and politics - Geography - Demographics
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica - Cached - Similar
#2
Jamaica
Jamaica online takes a real look at Jamaica and Jamaican culture with recipes guides to patois, reggae, how to be a tourist, Negril, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, ...
www.jamaicans.com/ - Cached - Similar
#3
Visit Jamaica
Visit Jamaica is a travel and tourism site that provides all the information, photographs and tools you need to plan and purchase your ideal Jamaica ...
www.visitjamaica.com/ - Cached - Similar
#4
Jamaica Gleaner News Online
Jamaica Gleaner News at every turn seven days a week featuring Jamaican Sports, Island Business, Health, Education,Entertainment, Commentary, Letters.
jamaica-gleaner.com/ - Cached
#5
Jamaica Information Service (JIS) - Government of Jamaica
The Jamaica Information Service (JIS) is the multifaceted information agency of the Government of Jamaica that gathers and disseminates information on ...
www.jis.gov.jm/ - Cached - Similar
#6
Jamaica Observer: Jamaica's Best Newspaper, Jamaican News Online ...
JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM, the most concise and in-depth website for news coverage on Jamaica and the Caribbean. Updated daily 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
www.jamaicaobserver.com/ - Cached - Similar
#7
CIA World Factbook: Jamaica
20 Jan 2011 ... Features map and brief descriptions of the geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military and ...
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world.../jm.html - Cached - Similar
#8
Jamaica - Discover Jamaica ! - Resorts & Vacation in Negril, Ocho ...
A visit to Jamaica starts with discovering facts about Jamaica's culture, reggae music, food, people and sports. The ultimate information on Jamaica's birds ...
www.discoverjamaica.com/ - Cached - Similar
#9
Images for jamaica
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Merlene Ottey – “100 per cent Jamaican”
2010 Sportswoman of the Year Veronica Campbell-Brown (centre) poses with Lifetime Achievement awardees Merlene Ottey (left) and Mike McCallum at the RJR Sports Foundation ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Friday. (Jamaica Observer Photo: Bryan Cummings)
It was special to be in the same room as that living legend, Merlene Ottey, when she was honoured recently by the RJR Sports Foundation with a Lifetime Achievement Award. At 50, Ottey continues to compete and is eyeing the London 2012 Olympics. She declared herself “100 per cent Jamaican” and described the joy she has felt watching Jamaica's brilliant crop of athletes dominating the Olympics and World Championships. One has to resurrect clichés to describe the inimitable Ottey ¬– she looks half her age, and is the closest anyone has ever come to being poetry in motion. Last July, she became the oldest athlete to compete in the European Championships in Barcelona, and declared that she was looking forward to competing in this year's World Championship in Daegu, South Korea.
The other Lifetime honoree, Michael McCallum, our most successful boxer who has held three world titles, credited Bunny Grant with inspiring him as a young boy to take up boxing. Many years ago I interviewed McCallum, who said that although he lived in an inner-city community, his parents were vigilant about his every move and schooling and nutrition. He proudly introduced his mother at the event.
Kudos to Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year Veronica Campbell-Brown and Chris Gayle. Our beloved “VCB” was radiant and articulate – she may well be on her way to becoming another legend like her long-time idol, Merlene.
Main Speaker Dr Edwin Moses said he was thankful for “solid Jamaican no-nonsense advice” from the likes of Herb McKenley, Donald Quarrie and Lennox Miller. He said Dr George Rhoden had fitted him with the first inserts for his running shoes as he was flat-footed – and we know where those took him.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Donisha - Bob Marley's Granddaughter
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Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Time-Out for affirmation
Ambassador Audrey Marks with General Colin Powell when he visited her last Monday at the Jamaican Embassy in Washington DC
by Jean Lowrie-Chin | Jamaica Observer column| 31 January 2011
Jamaicans have made black history so much the richer, Ambassador Audrey Marks reminded me last week. As our Ambassador to the USA, she spent 10 weeks in the final quarter of last year meeting members of the diaspora and has been researching the history of Jamaican immigration to the US.
“Jamaicans have been emigrating to the US for over 200 years,” she explained. “The second black person in America to earn a university degree was a Jamaican, John Brown Russworm. He also started the first black newspaper, called Freedom's Journal and was later appointed the colonial secretary of Liberia.” Russworm was born in Port Antonio in 1799, the son of a white planter and a slave.
Our diaspora includes brilliant professionals and educators. “Jamaica has one of the highest numbers per capita of Ivy League graduates and persons with second degrees in the US,” said the Ambassador.
Last week she met with General Colin Powell, also a son of Jamaica, who told her that he considered himself lucky to have grown up in the US with Jamaican parents. “He said that they made him feel confident and empowered,” she reported.
Civil rights activists of the 20th century, led by Dr Martin Luther King Jr, have repeatedly acknowledged the influence of Jamaica's first National Hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, in their struggle for equal rights.
Ambassador Marks says that with all our fine accomplishments, it is a pity that we tend to broadcast only the negative news from Jamaica. “All Caribbean countries have their struggles with crime but also give front page to positive news,” she remarked. “We need to do likewise.”
Audrey Marks says she is aware of major projects in the pipeline that will “directly and positively impact the lives of Jamaicans”. She recently attended the presentation of President Obama's State of the Union Address which she describes as “a memorable occasion which underpins what makes America a great country … one that demands accountability from its leaders.” She said it was also “an excellent networking opportunity with every single US lawmaker in one place”.
As we have noticed from the reports, Audrey Marks is a dynamic ambassador providing representation not only with the US, but also with the Organisation of American States. The young entrepreneur who founded the ubiquitous Paymaster is constantly reading and sharing her nuggets of wisdom.
“I have been practising the “Four Agreements with Yourself” as recommended by author Dan Ruiz,” she says. They are:
* Be impeccable in your word and action
* Don't make assumptions
* Don't take anything personally
* Always be the best you can be.
Audrey says that making assumptions can be dangerous: “When you assume, you may take the mind on a journey on a totally false premise and seriously damage your perception of a person or a situation, so draw no conclusion from mere appearance. Make sure you get the facts.” She says it is important not to take anything personally: “I have found this to be a most powerful tool. It allows us to be more rational and measured in our responses.”
Cobb lecture
I was also in the company of another exceptional ambassador last week, the ever-supportive Honourable Sue Cobb, whose family sponsors the annual Cobb lecture series which promotes research and healthy debate, and is featured as a UWI Research Day event. Dr Wendel Abel gave a provocative presentation on “Ganja: Legalise or not Legalise”. Abel noted a worldwide trend to decriminalise the use of cannabis, with the state of California being the most recent, while warning that ganja has been shown to worsen the condition of patients suffering from schizophrenia and was harmful to users under the age of 15. Ambassador Cobb is Chairman of the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), a philanthropic organisation that has donated millions to many worthy causes in Jamaica.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Christine Craig shines in "All Things Bright"
January 24, 2011
Book Review: "All Things Bright" by Christine Craig
(from www.geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com)
Reviewed by By: Heather Russell, Ph.D.
Florida International University
Christine Craig, daughter of the Jamaican dust, reminds us in her collection, All Things Bright, why she remains one of our most talented, powerful, and relevant poets. The poems in this collection travel. Some demanding, some coercing, some entreating, some coyly teasing us -- Craig's poems take us on journeys deep, deep into the realms of national belonging, nation language, memory, history, myth, tradition, family, culture, exile, life, pain, injustice, and too, in the best possible sense of the word, into righteousness.
Moving dynamically and evocatively across geographies of nation, place, and time, nostalgic African "ancestral roamings" commingle with and ground in evocative ways, contemporary Kingston's dread realities of unemployment, struggle, exploitation, resistance. "We weep" for "women on the streets of Kingston" and with and for her children, even as we sway to the rhythms of gospel, reggae, blues, and stop short at the sharp, abrupt, familiarity of dominos, banging -- urgent reminders of our rituals of survival, and of our cultural wealth.
In her collection, Craig pays homage to the literary forbearers that help to shape our understandings of ourselves, even as she presents this her latest installment reminding us of how much we have missed her own poetic wisdom. Resisting simplified, nostalgic portraitures of home, the poems are infused with the laughter, philosophy, resilience, and complexity of everyday folk -- a cultural grounding as it were for those of us who often feel we have traveled too far away.
And yet, there is nostalgia here too -- as in the poignant recurrence of the phrase: "we should not have been allowed to leave." Here however, the painful reality of exilic existence is given full expression and nuanced articulation as nostalgia quickly gives over to the wonderment of standing at the U.S.'s southernmost point -- the Florida Keys -- the poet contemplating if this is "the end of America," or "her beginning." Migration is a beginning too, a beginning albeit marked by the painful legacies of slavery, indenture, colonialism, but a beginning nonetheless of the possibility and promise that is diaspora community.
In the end, All Things Bright achieves the promise its title portends, to give poetic voice to the great, the small, the wise, the wonderful, to creation…and it is…beautiful!
***
About Heather Russell
Dr. Heather Russell's research interests examine narrative form and its relationship to configurations of national/racial identities. Her latest book, Legba's Crossing: Narratology in the African Atlantic, was published by the University of of Georgia Press. She has also published inAfrican American Review; Contours; The Massachusetts Review; and American Literature and has essays in a collection on John Edgar Wideman, Jacqueline Bishop's, My Mother Who is Me, and Donna Aza Weir-Soley and Opal Palmer Adisa's Caribbean Erotic.
At the undergraduate level, Dr. Russell regularly teaches C19th and C20th African American Literatures; Major Caribbean Writers; Black Citizenships and Black History and the Fictive Imagination. For the graduate curriculum, she teaches African Diaspora Women Writers andNarratives of Enslavement and Resistance.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Christopher Barnes is Gleaner's new Managing Director
The Hon. John Issa, OJ, LLD, Deputy Chairman of The Gleaner Company, is pleased to announce the following changes effective at the end of January 2011.
Mr. Christopher N. Barnes becomes Managing Director and will have responsibilty for all activities of The Gleaner Group. He will report to the board through Chairman Hon. Oliver F. Clarke, OJ, LLD.
Christopher, 37, joined The Gleaner in 2007 and has served for three years as deputy managing director. Prior to joining the Gleaner, he worked for 10 years with Alcan Inc. (now Rio Tinto Alcan) in Canada, USA and Europe.
Christopher, currently a member of the executive committee of Media Association Jamaica Limited, also serves on the Economic Policy Committee of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and the board of Ocho Rios Beach Limited. His academic background includes a Master of Business Administration from McGill University, Canada, and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, USA. He is married with one son.
The Hon Oliver F. Clarke OJ, LLD remains as chairman of the Gleaner Board with a range of specific executive responsibilities, and transits from being a full-time to a part-time executive.
The Gleaner Board is confident that the future management and direction of Gleaner operations remain in competent hands.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Call for action - Improve the accountability and transparency in Jamaica today for better business ethics.
Jane had this on her Facebook page - I had to share - we MUST do better!
by Jane Branding on Friday, January 21, 2011 at 11:13am
As a US business owner I often champion new ventures, I was eager to promote the premiere of the Jamaican Blog Awards, which I felt was a great Tech initiative. I pushed the venture to many of my clients as "a great Jamaican project". Pegasus,LIME and NCB had sponsored so I believed it had integrity. My excitement and anticipation soon morphed into perplexity and then anger at the way a potentially worthy International boost seems to have been turned into an insular self aggrandizing and palm greasing for small coteries.
This letter is a call to action to Jamaica professionals to make changes and demand accountability. At the Top 5 reveal show (1/3/2011), the process has been fraught with discrepancies and anomalies. One category had only four, and no explanation was given for this. One category ended up with two blogs by the same person in the Top 5, giving that individual twice the opportunity of competing blogs. If entries were limited, that would be another matter, but with over 276 blogs initially presented, it simply should not be the case.
This obvious lack of screening was compounded when at the Top 5 Reveal, it was announced that the public would then be subjected to a second round of voting, both online and via text, presumably to allow sponsor LIME the opportunity to recoup funds (text votes cost J$25 a pop). This ran counter to the previously posted procedure on the Jamaica Blog awards site, which did not specify that more than one round of public voting would ensue. Many of the globally popular sites like www.jamaicansmusic.com lost. Even though they collected over 40 million hits on their blog over the past 6 months and boasts roughly 250,000 fans on their Facebook page. The feedback was also off the charts racking up over 600 likes, tweets and comments on their voting page, on their first day of promotion. Interesting? (FYI I am not a blogger nor do I have a vested interest in any of the blog in the competition).
January 16, the awards were presented without any summary from the Judges, without the public having any idea who the judges were and without any idea of the final tally of votes. One winner taking the podium smarmily thanked the “Old Girls Association” of her high school alma mater for, in her words, “ensuring that the votes got in.”
Further, the person with two blogs in one Top5 category not only won the category, but went on to take the night’s top honour – Blog of the Year overall. In light of the above, the following questions are unavoidable:-
On what basis were the Judges given an assurance of anonymity and why - especially since the JBA had earlier offered, via its Facebook page, to post a list of the Judges?
Why could they not have been presented at the awards ceremony, with the results presumably sealed from public scrutiny prior to announcement? To a foreign investor this is highly suspect, is it because these judges had conflicting interests in the outcome? Is it that they were also sponsors’ representatives and didn’t want their own personal choices to be made public? In virtually all such contests - whether film awards, like Cannes or the Golden Globes, but especially in a new contest, where a qualitative analysis has been done (with or without public vote), a Judges report is a standard procedure. Staid, empty press releases, and constant removal of questions posted from their Facebook page are not helping your cause.
If this awards programme is indeed your concept, you would do well to take the appropriate decisions to salvage credibility:
- Publish the full list of Judges;
- Publish the final tally of online and text votes in each category;
- Declare any conflicting positions among either judges or sponsors and issue a full apology for same;
- Rescind the awards where such conflicts have been identified;it’s time for Jamaicans to stop this mockery in business now the nation is on the global tech stage.
This is a great opportunity for Jamaican talent to shine and attract revenue this is not the time to for amateur night – major corporations, including the nation’s largest bank and one of the biggest telecoms providers, are involved. As an outside investor, I'm most ashamed to have championed this Jamaican business to my US clients.
I had posted my concerns on the JBA Facebook page which they continually remove.
In order for Jamaica to have a credible silicon valley and revenue (not a self appointed coterie, but people with true global tech authority and experience ) there needs to be transparency, integrity and above all a break down in corruption and nepotism. I believe in Jamaica and the talent of it's people but such issues are holding everyone back from global revenue.
stooshpr.com
New York, NY January,2011
by Jane Branding on Friday, January 21, 2011 at 11:13am
As a US business owner I often champion new ventures, I was eager to promote the premiere of the Jamaican Blog Awards, which I felt was a great Tech initiative. I pushed the venture to many of my clients as "a great Jamaican project". Pegasus,LIME and NCB had sponsored so I believed it had integrity. My excitement and anticipation soon morphed into perplexity and then anger at the way a potentially worthy International boost seems to have been turned into an insular self aggrandizing and palm greasing for small coteries.
This letter is a call to action to Jamaica professionals to make changes and demand accountability. At the Top 5 reveal show (1/3/2011), the process has been fraught with discrepancies and anomalies. One category had only four, and no explanation was given for this. One category ended up with two blogs by the same person in the Top 5, giving that individual twice the opportunity of competing blogs. If entries were limited, that would be another matter, but with over 276 blogs initially presented, it simply should not be the case.
This obvious lack of screening was compounded when at the Top 5 Reveal, it was announced that the public would then be subjected to a second round of voting, both online and via text, presumably to allow sponsor LIME the opportunity to recoup funds (text votes cost J$25 a pop). This ran counter to the previously posted procedure on the Jamaica Blog awards site, which did not specify that more than one round of public voting would ensue. Many of the globally popular sites like www.jamaicansmusic.com lost. Even though they collected over 40 million hits on their blog over the past 6 months and boasts roughly 250,000 fans on their Facebook page. The feedback was also off the charts racking up over 600 likes, tweets and comments on their voting page, on their first day of promotion. Interesting? (FYI I am not a blogger nor do I have a vested interest in any of the blog in the competition).
January 16, the awards were presented without any summary from the Judges, without the public having any idea who the judges were and without any idea of the final tally of votes. One winner taking the podium smarmily thanked the “Old Girls Association” of her high school alma mater for, in her words, “ensuring that the votes got in.”
Further, the person with two blogs in one Top5 category not only won the category, but went on to take the night’s top honour – Blog of the Year overall. In light of the above, the following questions are unavoidable:-
On what basis were the Judges given an assurance of anonymity and why - especially since the JBA had earlier offered, via its Facebook page, to post a list of the Judges?
Why could they not have been presented at the awards ceremony, with the results presumably sealed from public scrutiny prior to announcement? To a foreign investor this is highly suspect, is it because these judges had conflicting interests in the outcome? Is it that they were also sponsors’ representatives and didn’t want their own personal choices to be made public? In virtually all such contests - whether film awards, like Cannes or the Golden Globes, but especially in a new contest, where a qualitative analysis has been done (with or without public vote), a Judges report is a standard procedure. Staid, empty press releases, and constant removal of questions posted from their Facebook page are not helping your cause.
If this awards programme is indeed your concept, you would do well to take the appropriate decisions to salvage credibility:
- Publish the full list of Judges;
- Publish the final tally of online and text votes in each category;
- Declare any conflicting positions among either judges or sponsors and issue a full apology for same;
- Rescind the awards where such conflicts have been identified;it’s time for Jamaicans to stop this mockery in business now the nation is on the global tech stage.
This is a great opportunity for Jamaican talent to shine and attract revenue this is not the time to for amateur night – major corporations, including the nation’s largest bank and one of the biggest telecoms providers, are involved. As an outside investor, I'm most ashamed to have championed this Jamaican business to my US clients.
I had posted my concerns on the JBA Facebook page which they continually remove.
In order for Jamaica to have a credible silicon valley and revenue (not a self appointed coterie, but people with true global tech authority and experience ) there needs to be transparency, integrity and above all a break down in corruption and nepotism. I believe in Jamaica and the talent of it's people but such issues are holding everyone back from global revenue.
stooshpr.com
New York, NY January,2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Man Owned & Drove Same Car for 82 Years
Can you imagine having the same car for 82 years! I guess it was no longer under warranty...
Mr. Allen Swift ( Springfield , MA.) received this 1928 Rolls-Royce Picadilly P1 Roadster from his father, brand new - as a graduation gift in 1928. He drove it up until his death last year.....at the age of 102 !!!
He was the oldest living owner of a car from new. Just thought you'd like to see it. He donated it to a Springfield museum after his death.
It has 170,000 miles on it, still runs like a Swiss watch, dead silent at any speed and is in perfect cosmetic condition. (82 years). That's approximately 2000 miles per year.
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Easy 'fried' plantain
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Friday, January 21, 2011
On the road
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Another beautiful Negril day!
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Gelato in Negril
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
POST SCRIPT:
So a few months later I return to get more gelato at this picturesque spot on Negril's West End, only to hear that the Feds came for the charming gelato guy! I tell you ... it takes all types!!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
NO ROYAL SNUB TO OBAMAS
The tabloid suggestion that the Royals are snubbing the Obamas is baseless. Click on the headline above to read the whole thing!
Make Jamaica ‘a nice place to live’
by Jean Lowrie-Chin | Jamaica Observer | 17 January 2011
'What a nice place to live - Sweet Jamdown!' - Tony Rebel
News from abroad should make us stop and think. Relatives up north are battling heavy snow. One friend barely made it home after a heavy snowstorm and was thrilled to turn on to his street – only to see the white stuff piled high against his front door, his shovel securely locked away behind it. “Next time, I'll travel with my shovel,” he said wryly.
There is violence in the Middle East and in the drug-torn communities of Mexico. We admire the many achievements of the US but they too are facing difficult issues. In a Tucson suburb, yet another 'troubled youth' turned his high-powered weapon on a gathering called 'Congress on the Corner'. Six people, including a nine-year-old, were killed and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot point-blank in the head – thankfully, doctors are optimistic about her recovery.
The 23-year-old gunman, who had been rejected by the US Army, was able to buy a high-powered weapon after an “instant background check”, and then proceeded to Wal-Mart where he bought bullets for 22 cents each. It must be a no-brainer that US gun laws are making deadly weapons too easily available to those with evil intent. Today's observation of the Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr, who was assassinated in 1968, makes us wonder, “How long, O Lord, how long?”
In several Middle Eastern and African countries, Christians are being attacked. Even in relatively peaceful India a 24-year-old Catholic Priest is threatened for starting a children's home in a poor district and wakes up in time to rescue the children from a fire set by intolerant extremists. My sister's church in Maryland is helping him to rebuild.
Night after night on the news, we see the arid landscape of Afghanistan where terrorists live in caves and suicide bombers wire up themselves for their pass to paradise.
The more we think of these situations, the more we understand why Jamaicans spontaneously break into applause when their flight touches down at Norman Manley Airport. Now I know it is true that the dip in crime here is still not significant enough, and that some of our drivers should be featured every night on Keith Olbermann's “Worst Persons in the World”, but these are problems that our small country can fix if we apply ourselves honestly and diligently.
This blessed Jamaica would be so very rich, were it not for the “Big G” – the raw greed for money and power that is driving us to ignore the very basic needs of our humble, trusting Jamaicans. One of Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is “First Things First”. A hard-working Jamaican entrepreneur said he could not believe that his taxes were going into so many vain projects while farmers had such horrible roads to drive on, and people were still carrying water on their heads. “Imagine how desperately we need good schools,” he opined. “And the Trelawny Stadium is sitting there empty!”
A Jamaican couple abroad wrote me about the difficulty they are encountering in adopting a baby here. I would like to refer the authorities to a fast-track adoption process created by Melanie Scheetz, executive director of the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition in St Louis, Missouri – read about them at http://www.foster-adopt.org/ForProfessionals/ExtremeRecruitment.aspx. She got the idea from watching the Extreme Makeover programme for HGTV, where a large group of people literally transformed a home in 24 hours. “Why can't we do that too in finding homes for kids?” she asked herself, and decided to action the idea by pulling together a focused, professional team who would ensure that every step was expedited.
Unlike Ms Scheetz, we bombard the talk shows with questions about why certain things are not done, but do not turn our minds to taking the action to getting them done. I know I knock politicians pretty hard, but there are well-educated, well-off Jamaicans who can do much more for their country. It is enlightened self-interest to contribute to scholarship funds, to support training, to provide employment. We applaud the PSOJ's recently announced programme to promote job creation for our young people and to make them more employable.
There are several opportunities staring us in the face. Take this glut of vegetables in St Elizabeth. HEART training schools could be sourcing equipment to transform those beautiful tomatoes into salsa, sauces and juices and those fine carrots into other products. Householders who are constantly complaining about their supermarket bills could be buying these $20 per pound carrots and freezing them to last through the next bounce in prices. Our last mango season saw the bounty of fruit left to rot on the ground, while hotels were serving imported Haagen Daz mango sorbet. We delighted visiting relatives this Christmas with mango sorbet made months ago from some “common” mangoes, and kept in the freezer for our “rainy day”.
The best thing about the latest international news is that Jamaica is not a part of those scary headlines. Let us take that as our cue to make this little piece of paradise safer and more productive.
Leila Thomas
The late Jamaica Library Service pioneer Leila Thomas deserves all the kudos she has been getting, even if somewhat belated. Alpha alumnae are proud to claim her as ours, nurtured with a passion for service by our beloved Sisters of Mercy. The brilliant and generous Leila Thomas was honoured as an Alpha Academy Woman of Excellence several years ago. On your next visit to the library, spare a thought for the lady whose vision and hard work made books accessible and the library experience pleasant for generations of Jamaicans past and to come.
Danny Buchanan
Danny Buchanan was not amused when he heard me planning an event and suggesting that no politicians be invited. He proceeded to explain that in his constituency, when no one else could be found in a crisis, he was available, day or night. He described how he pounded the pavement to get services from various agencies for his constituents and how his entire family had to get involved. As a member of the Electoral Advisory Committee, he participated actively in the process of electoral reform, which would herald a new day for our democratic system. William Chin See who was then chairman of the EAC said, “Danny argued hard but he never held a grudge. He certainly made his mark.” Ah yes, after that incident when he dressed me down properly, he was as cordial as ever. He served Jamaica well. Rest in Peace, Danny Buchanan.
lowriechin@aim.com
'What a nice place to live - Sweet Jamdown!' - Tony Rebel
News from abroad should make us stop and think. Relatives up north are battling heavy snow. One friend barely made it home after a heavy snowstorm and was thrilled to turn on to his street – only to see the white stuff piled high against his front door, his shovel securely locked away behind it. “Next time, I'll travel with my shovel,” he said wryly.
There is violence in the Middle East and in the drug-torn communities of Mexico. We admire the many achievements of the US but they too are facing difficult issues. In a Tucson suburb, yet another 'troubled youth' turned his high-powered weapon on a gathering called 'Congress on the Corner'. Six people, including a nine-year-old, were killed and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot point-blank in the head – thankfully, doctors are optimistic about her recovery.
The 23-year-old gunman, who had been rejected by the US Army, was able to buy a high-powered weapon after an “instant background check”, and then proceeded to Wal-Mart where he bought bullets for 22 cents each. It must be a no-brainer that US gun laws are making deadly weapons too easily available to those with evil intent. Today's observation of the Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr, who was assassinated in 1968, makes us wonder, “How long, O Lord, how long?”
In several Middle Eastern and African countries, Christians are being attacked. Even in relatively peaceful India a 24-year-old Catholic Priest is threatened for starting a children's home in a poor district and wakes up in time to rescue the children from a fire set by intolerant extremists. My sister's church in Maryland is helping him to rebuild.
Night after night on the news, we see the arid landscape of Afghanistan where terrorists live in caves and suicide bombers wire up themselves for their pass to paradise.
The more we think of these situations, the more we understand why Jamaicans spontaneously break into applause when their flight touches down at Norman Manley Airport. Now I know it is true that the dip in crime here is still not significant enough, and that some of our drivers should be featured every night on Keith Olbermann's “Worst Persons in the World”, but these are problems that our small country can fix if we apply ourselves honestly and diligently.
This blessed Jamaica would be so very rich, were it not for the “Big G” – the raw greed for money and power that is driving us to ignore the very basic needs of our humble, trusting Jamaicans. One of Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is “First Things First”. A hard-working Jamaican entrepreneur said he could not believe that his taxes were going into so many vain projects while farmers had such horrible roads to drive on, and people were still carrying water on their heads. “Imagine how desperately we need good schools,” he opined. “And the Trelawny Stadium is sitting there empty!”
A Jamaican couple abroad wrote me about the difficulty they are encountering in adopting a baby here. I would like to refer the authorities to a fast-track adoption process created by Melanie Scheetz, executive director of the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition in St Louis, Missouri – read about them at http://www.foster-adopt.org/ForProfessionals/ExtremeRecruitment.aspx. She got the idea from watching the Extreme Makeover programme for HGTV, where a large group of people literally transformed a home in 24 hours. “Why can't we do that too in finding homes for kids?” she asked herself, and decided to action the idea by pulling together a focused, professional team who would ensure that every step was expedited.
Unlike Ms Scheetz, we bombard the talk shows with questions about why certain things are not done, but do not turn our minds to taking the action to getting them done. I know I knock politicians pretty hard, but there are well-educated, well-off Jamaicans who can do much more for their country. It is enlightened self-interest to contribute to scholarship funds, to support training, to provide employment. We applaud the PSOJ's recently announced programme to promote job creation for our young people and to make them more employable.
There are several opportunities staring us in the face. Take this glut of vegetables in St Elizabeth. HEART training schools could be sourcing equipment to transform those beautiful tomatoes into salsa, sauces and juices and those fine carrots into other products. Householders who are constantly complaining about their supermarket bills could be buying these $20 per pound carrots and freezing them to last through the next bounce in prices. Our last mango season saw the bounty of fruit left to rot on the ground, while hotels were serving imported Haagen Daz mango sorbet. We delighted visiting relatives this Christmas with mango sorbet made months ago from some “common” mangoes, and kept in the freezer for our “rainy day”.
The best thing about the latest international news is that Jamaica is not a part of those scary headlines. Let us take that as our cue to make this little piece of paradise safer and more productive.
Leila Thomas
The late Jamaica Library Service pioneer Leila Thomas deserves all the kudos she has been getting, even if somewhat belated. Alpha alumnae are proud to claim her as ours, nurtured with a passion for service by our beloved Sisters of Mercy. The brilliant and generous Leila Thomas was honoured as an Alpha Academy Woman of Excellence several years ago. On your next visit to the library, spare a thought for the lady whose vision and hard work made books accessible and the library experience pleasant for generations of Jamaicans past and to come.
Danny Buchanan
Danny Buchanan was not amused when he heard me planning an event and suggesting that no politicians be invited. He proceeded to explain that in his constituency, when no one else could be found in a crisis, he was available, day or night. He described how he pounded the pavement to get services from various agencies for his constituents and how his entire family had to get involved. As a member of the Electoral Advisory Committee, he participated actively in the process of electoral reform, which would herald a new day for our democratic system. William Chin See who was then chairman of the EAC said, “Danny argued hard but he never held a grudge. He certainly made his mark.” Ah yes, after that incident when he dressed me down properly, he was as cordial as ever. He served Jamaica well. Rest in Peace, Danny Buchanan.
lowriechin@aim.com
Sunday, January 16, 2011
AFJ/Cobb Family Lecture Wed 26 January
This message is from Angella Harvey, Cultural Affairs Specialist, U.S. Embassy/Kingston
Subject: The American Friends of Jamaica/Cobb Family Lecture Series, in association with UWI Mona, the Jamaica Fulbright-Humphrey Alumni Assn. (JFHAA) & PAS/U.S. Embassy
Dear friends:
I am extending an invitation to you to attend
The American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ)/Cobb Family Lecture Series on Thursday, January 27 at 5:30 p.m. at the Undercroft of the Senate Building on the campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus.
This annual event is being held in association with UWI, the Jamaica Fulbright-Humphrey Alumni Association (JFHAA) and the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kingston.
This lecture will be presented by Jamaican Humphrey Fellow Dr. Wendel Abel, Department of Community Health and Psychiatry at UWI Mona.
TOPIC:
Ganja: Legalize or Not Legalize?
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED.
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Subject: The American Friends of Jamaica/Cobb Family Lecture Series, in association with UWI Mona, the Jamaica Fulbright-Humphrey Alumni Assn. (JFHAA) & PAS/U.S. Embassy
Dear friends:
I am extending an invitation to you to attend
The American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ)/Cobb Family Lecture Series on Thursday, January 27 at 5:30 p.m. at the Undercroft of the Senate Building on the campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus.
This annual event is being held in association with UWI, the Jamaica Fulbright-Humphrey Alumni Association (JFHAA) and the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kingston.
This lecture will be presented by Jamaican Humphrey Fellow Dr. Wendel Abel, Department of Community Health and Psychiatry at UWI Mona.
TOPIC:
Ganja: Legalize or Not Legalize?
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED.
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
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