Roleli Speaks

I invite you to read this article. What is going on in this country? Shhh! PM warns public sector workers to uphold secrecy law

Yesterday produced yet another example of how crime going down and how safe Jamaica is(according to that poll in March 2006) . The operators of www.yaadrides.com where to come to shocking reality at sometime after 2:30 p.m. on November 22, 2006 that the myth of a safe Jamaica is just that. For a long time, every time I see my car after waking up, going to work and after any function, I give thanks. Here it is, a teacher of a school in Kingston Jamaica who parks his old 1990 Nissan Sunny motor car under the same tree he has done for years. He goes to class as usual only to this time to return to see the spot. The security at the exit gate who know him well, can only say that they never knew it was not him who was driving out the car. Only a few weeks ago, another co-worker's father lost his Vitara to the hands to these crooks. You here crazy stories of a 2001 Mitsubishi Evolution being stolen on Ripon Road in Kingston Jamaica, then being found in Porus and taken to the Porus p...

The last time I wrote I was questioning who to vote for. I now have the answer and it is simple. Vote for a better situation. There is no point saying that you are not voting as that will not stand a chance of making things better. Everyone who wants better must vote and let their voice be heard. Every Vote Counts By not voting, nothing changes if that is what you want then that is good. I must tell you that in the last general election in Jamaica in 2002, a few more votes, less than 40,000, and it could have been the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in power and not the Peoples National Party (PNP). Simply put, if a few hundred more persons had voted for the JLP in some constituencies they would have won the last election. In the local government election in 2003 a few more votes, less than 20,000 as matter of fact, the PNP would have controlled the Parish Councils. Twenty thousand might sound like a big number but it is simply 20,000 multiples of one(1) The truth is every vote cou...

10 Golden Rules for staying happy with the One You Love 1. First and foremost, love each other. Realize how lucky you are to be in love with someone who loves you. Say, “I love you” often and in different ways. Surprise each other with gifts of praise to show your love. Remember that love grows in an atmosphere of freedom and trust, not from restraint and obligation. Do things to keep your love and romance new and alive. Don’t take love for granted, ever. It’s such a blessing. 2. Listen objectively to each other, as you would to a friend. Acceptance is a key to understanding and a buffer for tension and resentment. Don’t take things personally; give each other the right to have different opinions, the right to disagree. You don’t want anyone to control your feelings, so don’t try to own someone else’s, not even the feelings of the one you love. 3. Never stop treating each other like sweethearts. Talk to each other as sweethearts. Do things that sweethearts do. Work togeth...

Just weeks after the Trafigura Scandal that should have painted the Peoples National Party(PNP) red with shame and a pity to behold, comes reports that there are massive breaches in procurement procedures in the Jamaica Labour Party(JLP) controlled Parish Councils. True to form and not to be left out, a PNP Parish council is involved. The righteous Minister Dean Peart who obviously saw nothing wrong in the Trafigura Scandal, "yes it is immoral, unethical but not illegal", has called in the police. This country is simple corrupt to the bone. The infamous Renato Adams was once reported to have said that 70/75% of Jamaicans are involved in crime. Could he be right, or could it be "all in his mind"? I honestly believe the JLP is probably not the brightest party in the country. How could Bruce be allowing the Parish Councils to be running amok while he, Audley Shaw and Karl Samuda are out front shouting corruption and pointing fingers? This given the fact that an audit ...

A interesting review and commentary on a interview on CVM TV involving Milton Walker, Chris Tufton and Raymond Price "So if Dr Tufton and the Labour party want to belabour the point about Trafigura, or Whitehouse, or the cement crisis or undisclosed campaign financing or any other government activity that smacks of in-your-face corruption, waste, and mismanagement, just allow them. That transparency and accountability doesn't carry the swing right now, doesn't make it right. When a future leader, as young Pryce did, can excuse an "immoral and unethical action" because it was "not illegal," it makes you wonder what else they're capable of." Read the full article Immoral, unethical, but not illegal

Jamaica's National Pledge Before God and All mankind. I pledge the love and loyalty of my heart The wisdom and courage of my mind, The strength and vigour of my body in the service of my fellow citizens. I promise to stand up for justice, Brotherhood and Peace, to work diligently and creatively, To think generously and honestly, so that, Jamaica may, under God, increase in beauty, fellowship and prosperity, and play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race. National School Song - I Pleadge My Heart I pledge my heart forever To serve with humble pride This shining homeland, ever So long as earth abide I pedge my heart, this island As God and faith shall live My work, my strength, my love, and My loyalty to give. O green isle of the Indies, Jamaica, strong and free, Our vows and loyal promises, O heartland, 'tis to thee Jamaican National Anthem Eternal Father, Bless our Land, Guide us with thy mighty hand, Keep us free from evil powers, Be our light through count...

The Trafugura Issue has raised many questions. At this point I would like to put the following questions on the table. 1. SW Services (Team Jamaica) Who is SW services and who are the principals and what was their role in all of this? No one has bothered to look at this given that JMD $ 30 million of $31 million dollars was effectively transferred to this account from CCOC Associates account. 2. Why was the PNP Leaderships willing to defend the money without know the facts? 3. How the did the JLP get the information? Did the JLP do anything illegal in order to ferret out this information? Did the JLP act illegally by showcasing private confidential information in the public domain? 4. Campaign Financing Legislation Where do we go from here? 5. When will Media stop being Biased I have already said that Golding's method of disclosing the scandal was irresponsible and the media has hammered him for that . Now that the PNP chairman and especially the PNP Legal Advisor has been clea...

The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson-Miller, has finally spoken and given instructions that the JMD $31 million dollars be returned to Trefigura. In addition, news is now surfacing the Peoples National Party (PNP) General Secretary and Minister of Information, Collin Campbell, has resigned. Interestingly, we have also heard rumors, on HOT102 FM, that the PNP is seeking a JMD$45 million dollar settlement from the bank involved in the leak. I find this all a bit amusing. Return the money, ditch Collin Campbell as the fall guy, settle with with the $JMD 45 million dollars from the bank and Portia and the PNP will come out looking good and possibly with a profit. Already one apologist, has hailed the decision as correct and saying that the PNP could now rebound from the current scandal. Why CCOC - CC only charged (with responsibility)? Collin Campbell it must be noted was a key member in Portia Simpson-Miller's Team Jamaica. Was Collin Campbell the only one that knew abo...

It has been yet another interesting week in Jamaica, where confusion and war of words between the Peoples National Party(PNP), Jamiaca Labour Party(JLP),Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ), Jamaia Chambers of Commerce (JCC), Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) among others, is the order of the day. Donation or Payment? Confusion number one centers around was this money in the now closed CCOC Associates account at Frist Caribbean Bank a donation or part of a commercial agreement? We first heard from the PNP that is was a donation when they vehemently denied Bruce Golding's suggestions that there was something corrupt going on. Now we hear, reports supposedly backed up by fax and e-mail, that Trafigura has stated that it was not a donation but was a payment, part of a commercial agreement. The Sunday Herald in Jamaica has even claimed that their sources have said that there is an invoice, a claim the Minister does not deny. Now if it was a part of a commercial agreement, did the ...

The government of Jamaica is accused of using 'state revenues' to fund their annual party conference. It turns out that a Dutch firm, with which the country does business with, has donated about Jamaica thirty-one million dollars(JMD$31,000,000) to the governing political party, the Peoples National Party(PNP). This is the same Dutch firm that is accused of involvement in the oil for food scandal and the dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast. While the party admits receiving the payment, wired to a particular account, they claim nothing is shady or questionable and it is all above board. If the figures you hear are correct, this company would have donated to one political party, a figure equivalent to one-fifth of the revenue the country earned over the last five years from the deal, which revolves around reselling Nigerian oil on behalf of the state. There are some other interesting things about this. Although the named account is acknowledged to be a PNP account there...

I did not around to writing but I absolutely must say thanks to the Cable and Wireless technican K.E. for sorting out my phone service. After weeks without phone service and ADSL connection, it was good to finally have it back. This gentleman was very pleasant and professional, and unlike the foul-mouth technician that first turnup, went around systemaically eliminating the problems and final enabling the telephone service. Interestingly it turns out that he was the same gentleman that sort out the ADSL service at my parent's house. My parents had told him about this CW technician, how nice and professional he was and how he worked dilligently to ensure that when he left the problem was fixed. My brother had even suggested that it was a pity he did not get the gentleman's name and number to have him come and look at our problems. Well as it was to be, he did end up coming to my location and sorting out the phone service. It just goes to prove that while Cable and Wireless mi...

Now there is a toll road but the traffic problems between Portmore and Kingston remain. The Portmore toll users who fork out between $40-$60 a trip must be wondering where is the truth to what there were told. After all they were told no more sitting and ilding in traffic and the money spent on the toll would be quickly gained from savings on their gas bills. Well if the Television Jamaica reports are true, and seeing is believing, and the stories I have heard, nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing is worse that having your hopes for better being dashed and expecations turned to disappointments. Just like water flowing in and out a canal, the more exits or the larger the exits the faster it will flow. That is the problem facing the Portmore toll Road. Marcus Garvery and Hagley Park Road in their present condition simple can not take off the traffic fast enough off the Toll Road to ensure a smooth and quick flow of traffic. These issues were highlighted long ago by the...

Cable and Wireless never fails to amaze me. This time, I have received a bill with charges for rental, voice mail, other features and ADSL service for the period August 1 to August 31, 2006 During this period I have had no phone, no ADSL service but yet still I have received a bill. Then to add to my simmering fustration I called the "All our agents are still busy, pleace continue to hold" number only to have to wait again. I spoke to one customer service representative and then I am transferred to another. The other indicates to me she can't help and she can't transfer to the first section and I will have to call again. I call again and once again I must endure the agony of listening to Enya. I wonder if Cable and Wireless is paying Enya royalties for the music. Why isn't Flow in my area yet?

I applied to Cable and Wireless Jamaica(CWJ) for my telephone line to be transferred to my new residence some seven(7) weeks ago . They finally came and installed the phone line but there was no dial tone. The technician advised, that in two(2) days the line would be up and running, and everything would be ok. When this did not happen, the customer care department was contacted, and after some waiting and messages of "all our agents are (still)busy, please continue to hold", we were informed that there was a line fault and a problem with some box on the street and that they would try and sort it out. On Friday, August 25, I got a strange call from a CWJ agent asking me how my DSL service was performing. I nearly broke out in laughter, but contained myself and advised the agent that I have no telephone line service, much less DSL service at this time. He promised to send a technican to look at this problem but up to this point we have not seen or heard from them. Well not qu...

For all those who did not know, I would like to let you know I got married on July 2, 2006 to a long time friend of my mine, Karyl. She is a sweetheart and I am happy to be married to her. You can see pictures at http://jamaicagasprices.com.jm/2006_07_02/ for now. NB: I will begin regular blogging again and will comment soon on Paying to Pay Bills

Today May 1, the toll rates on Highway 2000 officially move up. It is very interesting how this was done. As stated in another blog as part of the contract or terms of agreement they are allow do so. The increase is interestingly based on the U.S. inflation rate and changes in the value of the Jamaican dollar the United States dollar. The Jamaican dollar has slipped from US$ 60:1 to US$65.50:1 over the last 2 years while inflation has run at over 20% over the last 2 years. However over that period, many motorists were shackled by the MOU between the government and the public sector workers. Also of interest is that by the end of June the Portmore residents should be paying the toll if the builders of the highway meet their stated deadline of June 2006.

Maxfield Bakery seems to be all sold on Buns at least on-line. I went to check the Maxfield Bakery web site, on Tuesday April 11, 2006, to look the prices of Easter Bun on-line. To my shock I was greeted by the notice below. It seems that Maxfield is doing extremely well with this on-line venture. For years they advertised and marketed this service on Go-Jamaica.com & Jamaica-Gleaner.com along with other sites. In later years they even added to the advertising mix online an audio advertising clip on or before the Power106 FM stream. This was a good case of advertising to a niche overseas of Jamaicans scattered around the world by using web sites, on-line properties, that they new their target market visited. It would be good if other Jamaican advertisers followed suit. nb: The actual URL http://www.maxfieldbakery.com/(hrisug55brvue1ubixfd4hel)/default1.aspx I suspect that the notice will be removed soon so I took a screenshot.

Well Flow , a new entrant in the internet Service Provider(ISP) market in Jamaica, is here and once again Cable and Wireless Jamaica(CWJ) find themselves challenged. Flow Jamaica is getting ready to roll out their Internet service bundled with landline and digital subscribe channels to residential customers for as low as US$10(J$650).The promised bandwidth sounds better that CWJ but seeing in Jamaica is believing. They have a big advantage over most of the other ISPs in Jamaica in that they have their own fibrelink out of the Island. I have heard it is 250 GB/s link. When Digicel came, with their hype and in reality better service, I stuck with my CWJ cell phone because honestly I was having no real problems so I never rushed and got a Digicel phone.That was despite the fact that nearly everyone I knew was getting on the supposed 'bigger better network'. I think though I might behave differently when it comes to internet Service. I started with Colis, in those BBS days, then to...

I have noticed with concern an increase in the number of incidents of disabled or broken down Jamaica Urban Transportation Company(JUTC) buses on the roads of Kingston & St. Andrew. It now seems like everyday I am likely to encounter one if not two cases. This must be taken in the context that I don't spend much time on the road. I mostly drive to work in the mornings and back home in the afternoons. Is the maintenance program at the JUTC not going to plan? Or is this part of the short-sighted 'cost saving' measures to delay the time between maintenance? Someone should investigate and find out what is going on at the JUTC as it relates to maintenance. I surely would not want to be a commuter on one of those buses when they break down. The JUTC is already facing stiff competition from the taxis, illegal and legal ,and an unreliable service certainly will not help their cause.

It is no surprise and it was expected, the cigar smoking cowboy lawyer has thrown in the towel. Given the cowboy taunts that were thrown the way of 'Sister P', it was coming. I was always thinking how was this well-spoken educated lawyer going to present his reports at a cabinet meeting. Imagine 'Sista P' stating something like can you give a report on your ministry but oh I need a written one. I am not sure he could take kindly to that. He would have found himself constantly trying to refrain from uttering a few 'choice jamaican words'. The Minister of Misinformation has also indicated that he too will be leaving. As the crowning of Sister P draws near, interesting days are ahead. We now wait to see who will step aside voluntarily and who will be pushed. Related Knight Leaving the Round Table

The police must be congratulated in working to change the missing person policy. Before the change it required that a person must be missing for more that 24 hours before a report could be made and the police could take action. The family of Jamie-lue Chin had who was killed in December knew something was wrong but they were told the police had to wait 24 hours. Now once the person is missing from a place(s) of frequency for more that an usual time and no contact has been made, the matter can be reported to the police who will now act. This is a definite step in the right direction. The police are asking that once persons show up though that the complainants t inform them of this so that those persons can be removed from the list. There were over 1500 missing persons in Jamaica in 2005. Related Missing policy change

It is good news as the director of Public Production in Jamaica has directed that a policeman is to be charged in connection to the death Corporal Grantly Waite. In November of 2005, Corporal Grantly Waite was badly beaten at a Police Station in Mount Salem, St James and later succumbed to his wounds in hospital. Happily this has not gone the way of the Micheal Gayle case. Someone will now have to answer for this gruesome crime. Related Cop Beaten Dies Cops Batter Cop

The operators of Highway 2000 have requested a toll increase of 12 1/2% on average for the different categories of motor vehicles. As part of the contract or terms of agreement they are allow do so. The increase is interestingly based on the U.S. inflation rate and changes in the value of the Jamaican dollar the United States dollar. Use of the toll road. On the week-ends, with my journeys to the north coast of Jamaica I have often opted to use the Mandela to Spanish Town leg of Highway 2000. What I noticed was that but for a few other motorists I was generally on my own. So one week-end on my way out of Kingston I decided to try the old route which is Mandela Highway (Ferry) through Central Village unto the Spanish Town Bypass then unto the Bog Walk Gorge. Interestingly I found that the old route indeed seems shorter and I will be checking the distance next time. Also the time I took was about the same if not less. Since then, I have not used the Highway to leave Kingston but I stil...

If you think statistics lie then I am convinced that some polls create lies. There is a country with a population of about 2,700,000 where 1670 people were murdered in 2005. In this same country well over 1500 persons were listed as missing in 2005 and many others violently injured with many coming close to death's door. In this country a pollster has returned results suggesting that most residents feel safe. 83% of Jamaicans to be exact feel safe reports a Jamaica Gleaner headline of March 15, 2006. It is either that the persons questioned just did not understand what feeling safe meant or I don't understand. The first thing about the headline is that it says most Jamaicans feel safe. This might be seen as misleading as when you read the article you recognize that it actually says most Jamaicans feel safe in their community. The second thing is that this number drops by roughly 20% to only 66%, feeling safe, when they have had to leave their communities to run errands, go to w...

There are times we feel the quality of customer service meted out especially to Jamaicans in Jamaica is oh so disappointing. This is not always the case as there are so many cases that highlight the opposite and make us proud but they are often not mentioned. At times they are buried in the inner pages of the newspapers and they don't make the home pages of websites. Here are two wonderful cases I would like to share with you. Excellent service in the Hospital The first case was to be found in the Gleaner's Hospitality Jamaica edition of February 22, 2006 in an article written by Janet Silvera. In the article she talked about the excellent customer service she had received not at a hotel, not at a restaurant, not at a big bank but at a hospital. So impressed was Ms. Silvera that she even referred to the hospital as a hotel and recommended hotel practitioners to take a lesson or two from this institution. She spared no effort in praising the doctors and the nurses for their fiv...

The PNP presidential race involved four trains, Prosperity, Solid as a Rock, 21st century and Team Portia. We will now review the performance of the teams. The prosperity train it turns out was simple on the wrong track. The prediction of the number of delegates that would vote for the prosperity train was so wrong that is was even worse than Dr. Davies's projections for economic growth and lower inflation over the last 13 years. The prosperity train failed to ignite any support from the delegates as they said it was prosperity not for many and asked unity in which community? Dr. Davis was left puzzled and clueless as to how come he only got 283 votes. The return on investment (ROI) of this campaign must have been very bad, what with radio, TV, newspaper and website expenditures. There was serious disconnect here with the delegates as while the economy is taking off into the air the delegates (and the country) seem to have missed the launch. The Solid as a Rock train was on the rig...

I knew the daughter of the slain SSP McDonald and I shared her grief as his murder was brutal and cold. Yesterday the man charged with his murder was set free after the judge upheld a no-case submission by the defence lawyers. The jurors were instructed to return a not-guilty verdict. The guilty man had been in detention since March 2004 and now 2 years later he was being set free. There has got to be something wrong in this case. The case depended on the word of two eye-witnesses. They had never seen the accused before but where able, in an area not known for wonderful light, to see him well enough to later positively identify him. When the defence lawyers made a noise about the poor identification in the case the judge was also not pleased and had no choice. Where was the additional evidence? Detention That is one thing, but the other is that this possibly truly innocent man has spent almost two years behind bars. He on one hand must feel relieved that justice has been served but on ...

As the PNP presidential race drags on the contest seems to becoming a two person race. There have been many interesting comments, statements and announcements. The overall puzzling ones have to do with how it seems that once they are set free, from the shackles of the present leader of Jamaica and the party, they are going to turn around Jamaica from the mess it is in. Where were all these plans and ideas in the last fifteen (15) years? Keep in mind that all four candidates have been influential members of the cabinet in those years. There have been other statements that have also caught my ears. A supporter of one candidate, who is also a member of the cabinet, was reported to say that you have to vote for a leader that does not always need a sheet of paper in hand every time they need to make a speech. That statement has been followed by another that went something to the effect that you need a leader who does not need to get the topic or questions on deep issues three hours before...

In a December blog I attempted to highlight the importance of giving blood. I also tried in a limited way to explain the differences in blood group and type and the significance. On Tuesday February 7, 2006, in a article in the Observer, Ken Chaplin shared his " No Blood close call " experience. It is an interesting read so if you missed it please take the time to look at it. It turns out that Ken Chaplin's blood type is A- which is a one of the rarer types and he was now in need. The Blood Bank in Jamaica generally has limited supplies of blood so it was no surprise that there was a problem providing the A- blood requested. The fact that Ken Chaplin was a blood donor was of no help as he found himself in a situation where he had to turn to the media to appeal to other blood donors to come forward in his time of need. To the credit of his friends and other Jamaicans they did. One such donor is a close of friend of mine who has the rare blood type O-. She can donate to a...

After reading an article by Senator Chris Tufton, I could understand why the learned Senator is puzzled but there is a possible explanation. I would like to provide that explanation and some analysis. Two quotes from the article read as follows. “SENATOR Christopher Tufton wants the Statistical Institute (STATIN) and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) to explain why official figures show that while unemployment is being reduced, the number of young people not seeking work continues to grow.” According to the Jamaica Observer Senator Chris Tufon said that of a population of over 665,000 people who are 14 years old and older, 325,000 were in the "did not want to work" category and placed outside the labour force. Please note I do not support or condone any of these professions I am about to outline as I am just presenting a case. When a field officer attempts to ask persons what they do, the responses cannot be noted or voiced due to their sometimes illegitimate or unacce...

I have been used to working late at my office for the last few years with no real fear. Lately though after much pleading from some of my close friends I have re-considered my position and since 2006 I have been making a conscious effort to leave early. Reasons The killing of the priests in 2005 where one bullet took snuffed out 2 lives shook me. I was at work that night and left after the shooting unaware of the tragedy that had occurred a few hundred feet from my office. I drive past that address most days after leaving work. Then there was the shooting of man on the same road. This was followed into this year an incident where a staff bus was hit by cross-fire and persons injured. There are also three incidents of bullets lodged in different windows of the building I work in. This fear drives people to want to leave work early, to think of leaving work quickly and sometimes to quite simply ask why am I working here. The fear generated by crime is a big problem. Although I believe in...

The Jamaican police are in the news again. It was announced a few days ago that murders in Jamaica for the month of January 2006 were down by 23% when compared to January 2005. That is good news. How much that has to do with the effort of the police another thing but it is still good news. Then comes the news that a female cop aided by civilians took it unto themselves to beat a male cop. The Observer reports that there was an accident involving a vehicle driven by the male cop and another in which the female cop appeared to be a passenger. Instead of trying to resolve the incident peacefully, the off duty male cop was dragged from his vehicle, abused and beaten by a civilian while at some point the female cop points her gun at him. What madness is this? The level of the madness increases based on the fact that he even attempted to identify himself to no avail. This happens to occur in the same parish, St. James, where a policeman, Coporal Grantly Waite, was beaten and subsequently ...

On Wednesday, January 22, 2006, I paid the price for not thinking. I had journeyed to downtown Kingston Jamaica, a place I hate because of the parking issue. After completing my first task of making a delivery at the Administrator General's Office I decided to sit down get something to eat and pen a few thoughts for a report I was preparing. I saw a spot by Burger King on King Street and decided that this must be a nice place to park. No "No Parking" signs, no curb painted yellow and the parking area looked similar to spots all along King Street on both sides of the road. So I parked my car and went inside Burger King where they ran me out because they were closed while asking me how did I get in? I pointed out that the door was open. They said they were locked and the door should have been locked. I decided to try Juici Patties instead just across the street. I am vegetarian but will have fish at times. I purchased my meal of 2 vegetable loaves and sat down and ate while...

A January 22, 2006, the Prime Minister of Jamaica at a Peoples National Party's NEC conference announced the date and place for the PNP's presidential elections. The election exercises he announced would be held at the National Arena on February 25, 2006. This was to be the beginning of the real drama. JBU Clash It turns out that this was again a pie in the sky announcement. It seems the Prime Minister kept the date and place close to his chest and any feeble attempts to see if the National Arena was really available was poor to say the least. The National Arena was booked by the Jamaica Baptist Union(JBU) for the Saturday February 25 and Sunday February 26, 2006. Although the JBU conference was to be on the Sunday, the JBU needed the Saturday to make preparations. In the days following the announcements we heard of meetings to see if the PNP and the JBU could broker a compromise. Eventually we heard of a possible compromise where the JBU would make preparations before, during ...

Amazing! Jamaicans no longer need a visa to travel to Columbia and even more amazing is that Colombians no longer need a visa to travel to Jamaica. This comes on the heels of a decision of the Jamaican government, in response to visa restrictions imposed on Jamaicans by the Cayman Islands (November 1, 2005), to impose visa requirements on Caymanians coming to Jamaica beginning December 1, 2005. Now with no hard feelings to the innocent people of Columbia, which country would you prefer having people being able to visit Jamaica without visas, Columbia or Cayman? Related Gleaner: Vistors from Cayman need Visa Observer: No Visa for Columbia

What could possess the general manager, manager and supervisors of one of the biggest supermarket chains in Jamaica to take the administration of justice into their own hands? To administer it in such a way by viciously beating two employees who they accused of having stolen or plotting to steal three cases of liquor. It is very puzzling. There are few questions running in my head 1) Were they tired & fed up of break-ins or stock problems so much so that when the caught the alleged culprits they lost it? 2) Was it that the police had failed to help them and protect the supermarket from robbery? 3) Was it that the courts deal cases so slow that they could not be bothered? 4) Was it that they were thinking like Dr. Peter Phillips that "severe, resolute and extreme measures" are needed to deal with this missing stock problem? Was this their modus operandi or an isolated incident? Is this possibly how they keep their heads(the supermarket chain) out of the extortionists jaws?...

On Wednesday evening, January 18, 2006, I listened to the TVJ news with interest and found something very troubling. The first three news items where about two incidents of police shootings that had occurred on that day and the other about the controversial Flankers killings of over two years ago. In the first case, in Brown's Town St. Ann, a man was shot because the police said he attacked them with a knife and that he had a ganja 'spliff'. Well the residents' response was to burn a garbage truck and hit a policewoman with a stone and of course to say nothing like that or in other terms in the Seaga coined phrase, "mash down that lie". In the other case, in Hannah Town Kingston, we not sure what the police said as I only heard the resident's side that he was shot dead in cold-blood. The police version would anyhow be the standard refrain. To the people in the community, he was known to all as the car-washer and also an easy going 'youth' that woul...

While speaking to a friend online today, I was telling her how my day was. I told her that many times, my days at work makes me feel like a fireman. I am just dealing with issues as they arise and not with the things I had planned to do. Then I told her I had a meeting. She remarked,"good heaven's man is that all u do at work?". To that I replied,"bowy jamaicans are so friendly they love to meet".

Here we go again. The Jamaica Observer blunders again. This time in this article on January 14, 2006 they state the following, "Less than five years ago, University of the West Indies' Guild of Undergraduate president Basil Waite, who later became a YO chairman, was in the headlines after the winner of a Mercedes Benz motor car was unable to collect his vehicle more than a year after the raffle." As it turns out this was not the case as in statement on January 15, 2006 the Jamaica Observer reports, "Mr Waite was not involved with the Guild at the time of the raffle - the year 2000 - as he had graduated from the UWI in 1998." Who is checking the facts before they print these things? Is it I think that is what I remember therefore it is so? I am sure the Jamaica Observer has an archive. If they don't, they probably should try the Jamaica Gleaner. Check the archives and get the facts and stop misleading people. Suppose I did not get the Sunday Observer. I wou...

The word reinstate means to restore to a previous condition or position. With that in mind, I am trying to understand the reports about the reinstatement or not of Renoto Adams. On Wednesday, January 11, 2006 the lead story in the Jamaica Gleaner stated the following, "THE SIX policemen recently acquitted of murder in the controversial Kraal case have been reinstated in the Jamaica Constabulary Force, police spokesperson Karl Angell said yesterday". On Thursday January 12, 2006 the Jamaica Observer stated the following, "SENIOR Superintendent Reneto Adams, freed of murder last month over the Crawle killings, remains off the job until the Police Services Commission (PSC) orders his reinstatement police chief Lucius Thomas said yesterday". Also on Thursday somewhere in the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper there was a brief stating that a letter requesting the reinstatement of the policemen had been sent to the PSC. What is going on? Is the media or persons within the media(w...

It has happened again. Given that nothing was done about the flooding the last time, the results of the heavy rain on January 10, 2006 was the same, just more flooding. I really wonder when somebody is going to really look at this problem and come up with a solution. Related The Gleaner Report Dry Weather Tourist Captital in Jamaica

In Jamaica we need justice for all, not justice for them and justice for us. We need to love our fellow Jamaicans, our neighbours. The Sunday Gleaner article " Justice for them and us " relates the sad state of Jamaica where people basically feel there are two systems of justice at work. For too long we have been deceiving ourselves. A man steals a loaf of bread from the supermarket and he is pretty sure to spend a couple months in jail while another receives a couple generators and he is given a suspended sentence and fined. The bible states the need to treat people around you as you would yourself. In the two references mention Jesus implores those listening to treat everyone better. "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.", (Matthew 7:12 KJV) and "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." (Luke 6:31 KJV) He expands this to and says ...

Now that I am slowing down and looking to enjoy the simplier things of life, this beautiful flower caught my eye. It is everwhere and so wonderful. Notice the shades of pink and Green.

This article in the Jamaica Gleaner captures how I feel about this fantasy island. It is an island where the economy is booming, un-employment is going down, crime is down , there is unity in the community and more prosperity to come. It is all a fantasy. Read and share you views on the article written by Raymond Forrest. Links The Gleaner Article

Sometimes when life gets rough we feel like giving up and not trying again. It is at those times that we must rally our efforts, keep trying and pushing towards our goals. "I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot . . . and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why . . . I succeed." That is a powerful statement from someone who many would consider very successful and the greatest basketball player of his time if not of all times. Success is not defined by the number of failures but is the result of many failures. I remember climbing to the Blue Mountain Peak once in Jamaica with a group from my Church. There was one fellow, who today is not doing too well, who after climbing most of the way could not go any further and gave up on the last bend of hike put his stuff down and slept there for the night. If he had only known that the ...

Everyday you get a good story and so I will share it with you. An Israeli doctor says "Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man,put it in another, and have him looking for work in six weeks." A German doctor says "That is nothing, we can take a lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in four weeks." A Russian doctor says "In my country, medicine is so advanced that we can take half a heart out of one person, put it in another, and have them both looking for work in two weeks." The Jamaican doctor, not to be outdone, says "You guys are way behind. We took a man with no brain out of Clarendon, put him in charge of the Ministry of Finance and now half the country is looking for work."

From time to time little things crop up in the media that leads you to question its credibility. The latest is at article entitled " Where are the good leaders? " in the Jamaica Observer. In the article the following is stated as fact. "Members of the congregation also observed the start of a new year by greeting each other at the stroke of midnight with wishes of 'Happy New Year'." This is as far from the truth as east is from the west. The members of the congregation did greet each other but not at the stroke of midnight. This greeting occurred sometime between 6-7 p.m. after the programme had ended and the sun had set. Shooting Incident This reminds me of another incident where a man was shot not far from my house at about 5:45 p.m. on the Saturday afternoon of May 15, 2004. Based on what I heard it sounded like about seven rounds of ammunition being fired followed by the sound of tyres peeling as a motor vehicle seem to speed away. I remember going to sc...