Roleli Speaks

On the the eve of Christmas eve I decided to journey from Kingston to Montego Bay, the tourist capital of Jamaica. The Journey started in daylight about 5:00 p.m. and the usual three and half hour journey was progressing nicely. [As I came into town of Ocho Rios apart from the river/spring now running through Fern Gully, which will be to topic of another blog another time, it became obvious that the Lord had allowed a few showers of blessings to fall on the northern coast of Jamaica. This is nothing unusal so taking due care I jorurneyed along]. On reaching St. James it was clear that there had been a heavy downpour and a few rain drops splattered on my windscreen but what was about to befall me was beyond my wildest imagination. After passing through the flooded Rose Hall main road, it should have been a sign off trouble ahead. Maybe I should not have been worried as despite being the home of many of the luxurious hotels in Jamaica this roadway floods at the slightest drizzle, as wate...

Every now and then you get a useful e-mail that has been forwarded to you and opt to open it. I normally don't as those '>' then to be muliplied ten times over. This was a good one from a close friend of mine and I will share it with you and hope you choose to read it. SLOW DANCE Have you ever watched kids On a merry-go-round? Or listened to the rain Slapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight? Or gazed at the sun into the fading night? You better slow down. Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last. Do you run through each day On the fly? When you ask How are you? Do you hear the reply? When the day is done Do you lie in your bed With the next hundred chores Running through your head? You'd better slow down Don't dance so fast. Time is short. The music won't last. Ever told your child, We'll do it tomorrow? And in your haste, Not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch, Let a good friendship die Cause you never h...

On Wednesday I gave blood for the second time this year. It is a very simple procedure. All is needed is that you find a center where you can donate blood. If it is the first time at that center or locale you will need register otherwise they will just look up your file. In my case they could not find my file and that was the same story the last time. When I asked what about the computer system I was told that was down. In Jamaica the blood bank is a government run agency so what was I expecting. The next stage involves them sticking one of my fingers to get a few milliliters of my precious commodity and using it in determining what blood group I am. Well my blood group is A and based on that by blood type is A something. I neglected to ask the technician whether it was A- or A+. My girlfriend wasted no time in asking me why I did not ask. It just did not register. Yes it there is a slight difference between blood group and blood type. Blood group deals with the presence of certain pro...

On Tuesday evening one could almost say that angels came down to earth and sang beautiful songs. For the last 9 years the Bank of Jamaica has been sponsoring an annual evening of music with the University Singers entitled "Carols at Christmas". The UWI chapel was filled to capacity well before the scheduled 6:00 p.m. start. I did not see or hear any advertisement about the concert so I had to make some phonecalls to find out when. Worth every cent I have been attending this celebration of beautiful music and talent for the last three years. It has not mattered that last year I had to sit on the grass outside or in a tight bench this year as it was worth every cent. What am I saying? It was a free concert that I would have no problem paying to attend. The wonderful message of Christ's birth was delivered by arguably the best choir in Jamaica. Under the directorship of Heston Boothe, the choir presented each of their songs with immaculate precision and chimed through every ...

At the end of if not the most celebrated trial in Jamaica in recent times. SSP Adams and two colleaugues were freed after being on trial for the murder of four persons in Kraal Clarendon Jamaica. There were celebration in some quarters and morming in others. What really happened here? I present my views. I hope I don't die doing so. Justice in the Street Justice on the street is based on heresay and facts that might be brought to persons by the media, common knowlege on verdandahs and everyday communication on the streets. The verdict is clear. It is clear that the killing could have been avoided. It is also clear that an alleged gunman was on the verandah. The testimony of the little girl was so touching. In a murder case there needs to be motive(s). The motive in the case in my opinion is simple. After failing to shoot 'Chen Chen' an alleged gunman, the police were very upset and turned their wrath on those they alleged to have been harbouring criminal(s). Their thinking ...

Following the Kraal Trial here is my advice to the Commissioner of Police. Invite the officers in and thank them for the contribution. Then tell then however we are trying to move aaway from the controversial form of policing you have been associated with. If you can change and become part of this policing where we try and bring in the criminals for trial then I can invite you back pending psyschological assessment. If not, we would to have retire you in the public and your interest.

I am not able to write any blogs for the last 2 days but I will be in the coming hours. Sneak Preview 1) Justice: Street vs Court 2) Novices Become Professionals 3) Voices are Beautiful - This has been another interesting week in Jamaica.

The roads of Jamaica are especially dangerous. Already riddled with potholes, lack of signs and over grown bush, the roads cough out many challenges to motorists. There is also the problem of trucks that believe they own the road and those that fail to properly secure their contents especially sand, gravel and stones. However the greatest challenge and danger comes from the careless and reckless nature of other drivers. When you travel on the roads you really have to pray for journey mercies as the angel of death seems to be stalking. Despite the general decrease in road fatalities, the holiday "silly" season is here and we are already seeing the madness. Over the week-end I saw the results of one accident in person (where was my camera) and the other on the local television stations. The first accident was curious as it seems that two motor vehicles traveling in opposite directions towards each other collided with the impact being on the front right side of each vehicle. It...

It is with regret that I report that the Corporal Grantly Waite, a member of of the Jamaica Constable Force(JCF) beaten by colleagues has died. I wish to extend to his family my deepest condolences. I hope the Commissioner of Police, Mr Thomas, will be able to let us have the report that supports his utterances that this incident was blown out of proportion. The report on the result of the investigations is still not available to the public. Is this another Micheal Gayle case where we can not find anyone responsible? Micheal Gayle for those who don't know was beaten by a group of Police and Soldiers on Patrol until he vomited feaces and soon thereafter died. No one was held responsible. Unidentified victim I heard on a radio discussion on HOT 102 FM a policeman saying, based on information available to him, that sometime after Corporal Waite was beaten he was found suffering at the gate of the hospital by a security guard which happens to be beside the police station. The guard had...

In a letter to the editor published in the Jamaica Gleaner on December 15, 2005, a parent complains that her son is being taught about ancient computer activities, like how to create a directory via the Disk Operating System(DOS) prompt. I am not sure I can agree. I wonder why doctors still use stethoscopes? Isn't that outdated and been around for while? In my work with local and remote web servers, I would have to say that my understanding of those "old" DOS commands help me everyday. My understanding and appreciation of those basic and fundamental commands from the DOS days, of the late 80's and early 90's days, helped me grasp & use many of the similar Unix-based operating systems commands. As it turns out many of those DOS commands are actually borrowed from the UNIX operating system that was around from the late 60s, early 70s. The ability to do so many things with those basic commands is astonishing. This includes writing quick scripts to rename, move,...

It seems community disputes are everywhere. It also seems that the solution to every dispute is to block the road. Again another story in the gleaner. No it is not a community below Cross Roads in Kingston Jamaica or hotspots in Montego Bay but two it is well-to-do communities in the vicinity of the affluent Beverly Hills that have found themselves is dispute or as the Jamaica Gleaner puts it a feud. The Long Mountain Community is on the top of the hill while the Pines of Karachi lies at the foot of the hill. The problems are; * Too much traffic passing through, [Traffic problem everywhere] * Residents from one community dumping rubbish (and faeces) in the other, * Sewage from one community running into the other. So what is the solution? Simple. The residents of Pines of Karachi decided to block the others out. Once again, blame and allegations of broken promises are being placed at the feet of that ill-fated institution National Housing Development Company (NHDC) and the National Wat...

It is again another strange day in country where things have gone airily wrong. How else can you explain this? After weeks of supposedly missing , Mr. Danhai Williams returns to Jamaica and heads to court. He does not go to the Kraal case involving Supt. Adams but instead he returns to deal with his own court case, seeks and gets an extension of his bail despite the security forces claims of bail violation. The court has ordered that he surrender his travel documents and that he must seek permission in order to leave the island. Will the prosecution in the Kraal Case ask that their case be re-opened now that a key witness is back in the country and possibly available to testify on their behalf? How many of us could have the police saying for weeks that we have violated our bail conditions be lucky enough to have our bail extended? How many of us can have arrangements made for us to be arrested in the first place? It is not who you know but who knows you. Do you know me? For more detail...

There are times when statistics do not tell the whole story, there are times when statistics are used to tell a story and yes there are times when statistics are meaningless. Every now and then you see in our Jamaican daily papers or hear on the radio some politician or public officer saying that crime is down in Jamaica. When pressed for details they point out that murder is up but other crimes (robbery, rape, fraud,etc) are down. Fear & Under Reporting One thing we have to bear in mind is that the statistics can only talk to what has been officially reported and that the where the problem lies. It is my view that many crimes are just not reported. How many, threatened by thugs, just pack up and move out of a community? How many persons are victims of extortion who just simply pay the imposed taxes rather than report the matter to the police, seen to many as just uniformed criminals? How many are victims of sex abuse who refuse to report the matter because of the real or imagined ...

"PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Horace Peterkin, is calling on the National Works Agency (NWA) to fast-track repairs along the Flankers main road in Montego Bay, St. James." http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20051207/lead/lead9.html In less that 5 days after crying out for the need for the Flankers Main Road to be repaired, work is on the way if not completed by now. The road is not being patched. The road is being completlyd resurfaced and drains running beside it being cleaned. This monday morning those who have to use the road should be very happy at the transformation that occured over the past week-end. This road is the sole entry and exit point between the Montego Bay city centre plus the airport and big hotels such as Sandals Montego Bay, Half Moon and the Ritz-Carlton. You don't have to wonder that this could be the reason why the road is now being fixed. I am wondering though that now that the road that passes the community of...

Welfare warfare ... The title of this gleaner article http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20051206/lead/lead1.html. I hope the church is not thinking that they can win the hearts of residents with money. That is certainly not what I understand churchto be about. The church should be teach people about the love of God, love to fellow men and demonstrate this by helping people to help themselves. Handouts is not the way and would possibly only lead to "church donmanship". The church can not compete with the dons on material grounds. It is must be on spiritual grounds. What people need is oppurtunity and what the church must do is speak out against those that corruptly use our taxes and don't manage it widsely. They church needs to speak out against the injustices of the security forces you are suppose to protect the citizens of Jamaica not brutalize them. The truth is that generally there is no better to come because Satan is intent on destroying as many people as he can...