Need extra holiday cash?

Visit these sites:

·         www.Focuscope.com

·         www.Mturk.com

·         www.Fieldwork.com

·         www.Uber.com

·         www.US.testwiththebest.com  

10 reasons people know you are Jamaican if..........

1. You have another pot you called dutch pot.

2. When someone sympathizes with you, you comment “Yuh tink seh it easy?"

3. You point with your lips.

4. You can't say "three" or "thing" ... you say "tree" and "ting".

5. You say words like Heg (instead of Egg); Hingland (instead of England)

6. You give directions with your hands, even if it is in another state.

7. You show disapproval by sucking your teeth.

8. You nod your head upwards to greet someone.

9. You always find yourself standing next to plenty of luggage and boxes at the airport.

10. When you travel home, you bring an extra suitcase going down, it has none of your clothes; returning it has food. 

Change For Jamaica

Written by Elder Robert Jackson

Jamaica the wickedest city on earth,, 300 400 years Port Royal Jamaica was know as the wickedest city on earth.  Late 17^th century

Excerpt from Wikipedia: 

In 2005, Jamaica had 1,674 murders for a murder rate of 58 per 100,000 people.^[4] That year, Jamaica had the highest murder rate in the world.^[2] In November 2008, the Jamaican Parliament voted to retain the death penalty, which is performed by hanging.^[5]
There were 1,682 reported murders in 2009 and 1,428 in 2010. Since 2011 the murder rate has continued to fall following the downward trend started in 2010, with increases in police patrols, curfews and more effective anti-gang activities.^[6]

How on earth have we maintained that title for so long?  We have the fastest man on earth.  We have the most beautiful women on earth.  We have some of greatest criminals on earth.

Ours is a country of extremists.  We only celebrate 2^nd or 3^rd place, if we came 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd.

Oh that we would become extremely righteous; extremely peaceful.  Our extreme righteousness would precipitate extreme prosperity in Jamaica.  If Jamaica were the most righteous nation on earth rather than the wicked, it would be a magnet for the wealth of the world.  Jamaica, if a righteous nation, would be more expensive than Manhattan. Jamaica is the most beautiful island on earth.  In my twenties I had the privilege of traversing the Island seeking Lumber.  I saw some of the most beautiful places.   Places not listed as attractions, mind bogglingly beautiful places.  God is an artist, and He has used Jamaica as a canvas for some of his best work.  When I get to paradise and if it looks like Jamaica, I will not be disappointed.

Jamaica- the world over is viewed as the greatest island, next to paradise if not for the violence.  As a boy growing up in Jamaica, the bad man is celebrated, respected. 

Hence, Malvo.   A crop of Malvos have died, but a new crop of malvos are being cultivated.  Renato Adams once uttered his famous quote “You have to kill the alligator when it young”. 

He was not wrong.   We have to kill our evil sons with righteousness.  We have to seek to be the most righteous nation on earth; consequently I am suggesting we erect electronic billboards throughout the Island reading the Bible. Two thirds of the screen should show the bible, and 1/3 the sponsor.   Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand of Self Interest cannot be ignored.   Free Software to do that is available at Listenbible.com

Instead of killing our young with bullets, let us raise our young with a culture of peace.  The bad man instead of being deified, should be vilified, the bad man should be synonymous with the village idiot.

My dream for Jamaica is to change it from the Wickedest City on earth to the Most Holy Nation on earth.  The surprise though is if we were the Most Holy Nation on earth, we would be the richest nation on earth which is the very thing the Wickedest nation on earth seeks!

The Paradigm Shift

By Janice Maxwell

Whether you are on the island or in the diaspora, employment opportunities are restrictive. With such rapid changes that are occurring in the job climate, one has to be prepared. Here are four common mistakes to avoid:

1)    Complacency

The thing for sure is change. You may be in a company for 5 years; you are vested in the company’s retirement plan and your boss likes you. Then one morning you come to work and learned that your boss died over the weekend and the replacement boss does not like you, so now what?

2)    Professional Neglect

Office protocol has changed over the years. No one faxes that much or send the large brown envelop around the office with correspondences. Did you learn how to email or text yet? Have you heard of Facebook or Twitter? Do you have such accounts? Did you take advantage of the free classes the company offered?

3)    Tighten up your inner circle

Just because someone is by your side does not mean they are on your side. Eliminate the energy drainers and manipulators in your life. They will feed into you self dought and stifle your growth.

4)    Over talking yourself out of a job

The stars aligned and you did get that interview. Don’t tell the HR person something negative unless there in a learning lesson you want to impart. Inform them in a tactful manner of possibilities, flex abilities and how you will be an assent for the company.

Finally, here are some income ideas for the entrepreneurs, who don’t want a 9-5 job.

·         www.MiNeed.com

·         www.TaskRabbit.com

·         www.Odesk.com

·         www.InBoxDollars.com

·         www.MySuvey.com

·         www.Redbubble.com

·         www.UserTesting.com

·         www.AmazonMechanicalTurk.com

·         www.Concepttesting.com

Here are some positive thoughts

1.    Change your mindset.

2.    Invest in your health

3.    Put a value on your talent.

4.    Stay original and create your own blueprint.

5.    Stop waiting, just make it happen.

6.    Stop worrying.

The Fabric of Jamaican Culture intertwined in the World

Written by Alicia Fleming

As a Jamaican living in the US for many years, almost 2/3 of my life, there is always that underlined pressure to assimilate and forget all things Jamaican or put all traces of your Jamaican heritage in that basket underground called "I want to be like everybody else- everything American" Fortunately for me that has not been the case. However, for many Jamaicans (in their misguided sense of assimilation), to identify with their culture is to stick out like a sore thumb. However, thank God for those of us who wear our new found American pride simultaneously with our cultural rich Jamaican pride. Being a person that likes to travel and meet different people, I am truly overjoyed when I travel to some destination and I meet a fellow Jamaican.

This past summer, I traveled to Strasbourg, France. One day, on a break from classes and utilizing our time to explore the town of Strasbourg, my friends and I met a young man from Senegal, who told me that one of his good friends was a Jamaican named Lance who had arrived in Strasbourg about 3 months before. I thought to myself "Wow! Even in a little town like Strasbourg, I am able to find a Jamaican!" When I met Lance, he proudly informed me that the summer before there had been 5 Jamaican teaching students in Strasbourg on a teacher exchange program. He said that they were part of a bigger group of 112 Jamaicans who were in France for this teacher exchange program. Jamaicans have this innate ability to transform whatever atmosphere or environment they find themselves in. As I explored Strasbourg, whether I was the only Jamaican or with Lance and my fellow students, the Francophones from countries such as Morocco, Senegal or Ivory Coast, were always drawn to us with such camaraderie more so than my white counterparts. As a Jamaican, I had the cultural flavor that reminded them of their own flavor and cultural heritage existing in the European community.

Barrel Kids: Unhealed Scars

By Dr. Karlene Richardson

www.DrKarleneRichardson.com

Many people know Jamaica either from being born there, through an acquaintance, or the many stories told; Stories of Bob Marley and The Wailers, or stories of the perfect lined shores, warm temperatures, or the food that many refer to as ‘flavorful’. There is another side to Jamaica not often explored. This is one of the many things that thread its similarities not just to other Caribbean countries, but to countries in general.

Jamaica’s population varies, including Caucasians, Indians, Africans, even Chinese. There is another population that is often ignored: The Barrel Kids. While this unique population is diverse, the similarity is the definition of the population: children abandoned or left alone by parents who have migrated seeking a better life. These children are often times left with families, friends, and at times, even strangers. As the name implies, parents migrating to other countries in hopes of finding a better life, sends barrels of products such as clothing and food, in exchange for their absence.

Too often, these parents are oblivious of the impact of their absence. In addition, these parents are sometimes delusional of the fact that sending barrels each year will never equate to the absence of their love. These children are left to fend for themselves, raise themselves, and find replacement love. The outcome is usually resentment, of which these parents term, ungratefulness. Relationships are strained. Families are torn apart, and the future for these children becomes ‘a hit or miss.’

Even when some Barrel Kids are rescued, relationships sometimes are never healed. As in the case of Karlene Robinson, the author of From Gutter to Glory, who found her mother had moved on with another family. This is often the case. Barrel Kids walk into the realization of feelings of being replaced. Issues go unresolved for years. Resentments linger for decades. Everyone involved assumes a role, and scars not healed, everyone pretending nothing ever happened except the Barrel Kids.  

Jamaica Is………

Jamaica is 'Rum and Red Stripe.'

Jamaica is 'Kola Champagne , Manish Water.'

Jamaica is 'Jerk Pork, Scotch Bonnet, Hardough Bread.

Jamaica is 'FryFish & Bammy, Coco Bread & Patty.

Jamaica is 'Irie, Nyabingi, Boogooyaga, Legobeast.

Jamaica is 'Cornmeal Dumplin, Dasheen, Yam, Coco .'

Jamaica is 'Pimento, Ackee & SaltFish, Black Mango, Star Apple.'

Jamaica is 'Miss Lou'

Jamaica is 'Anancy and Big Boy stories.'

Jamaica is 'Jackfruit, Juneplum, Naseberry, Ginep and hogplum.'

Jamaica is 'Busta, Icy Mint, and Paradise plum.'

Jamaica is 'Tinking toe, Drops, Gizzada, and Grater cake.'

Jamaica is 'Bun and cheese , and Sorrel and Rum cake.'

Jamaica is 'GRANDMARKET NIGHT!'

Jamaica is 'Doouckun u, Dip and Fall Back, Run-down.'

Jamaica is 'Bulla, Totoe , Festival and SaltFish Fritters.

Jamaica is 'Peppa shrimps, blue draws, Roast breadfruit and corned pork.'

Jamaica is 'Chalice, splif, sensi and lambs bread.'

Jamaica is 'Cool runnings, cease and settle, haul and pull up and nuff respect'

Jamaica is 'Reggae Boyz. '

Jamaica is 'Ital stew, Strong Back, Irish Moss, Circey Tea.'

Jamaica is 'Kin-Puppa-Lick!, Blouse and skirt!, Gouzum!'

Jamaica is 'Rhattid!, Blough-wow!, Geeze-u-wiz !!

Jamaica is 'Boonoonoonous'

Jamaica is 'Suck-suck and sky-juice.'

Jamaica is 'Wi likkle but wi tal-a-wa!'

Jamaica is 'Wey yu a sey?, What a gwan? & How it a go dung?'

Jamaica is 'bull-buck & duppy conqueror'

Jamaica is 'Zinc fence and gully water.'

Jamaica is 'Escoviche fish, Julie mango, Oxtail, Tripe and beans.'

Jamaica is 'Icy mint an bus-mi-jaw.'

Jamaica is 'Stop de cow bawlng eena de place.'

Jamaica is 'Anyting wha sweet yu gwine sour yu.'

Jamaica is Weh yu 'kibba yu mout'

Jamaica is 'Dandy Shandy'

Jamaica is 'A hell an powdah house dung ya tiday.'

Jamaica is 'Nu mek mi spit, an it dry up before yu cum back'

Jamaica is 'Blouse an' skirt', and 'Kiss mi neck back'.

JAMAICA IS EVERYTHING WE ARE AND MUCH MORE...

JAMAICA LAND WE LOVE! IF YOU LOOK AT THIS LIST AND YOUR HEART SMILES, YOU'RE DEFINITELY JAMAICAN.

Tirade of a social liability of a footprint

By Carol Lawton

I sometimes think randomly and write on impulse as the intangible of my brain needs the tangible of the pen. While both are real it means nothing unless it is created in hard form. For months they sometimes stay still not even a vowel to create by this marriage. But in time, the partnership of brain and pen bears fruit with gushes of words, sentences and nonsensical logic. So too it is with the relationship of all of us who are true capitalist as ideas become market commodities. Hence the capitalist cannot ignore and must understand the environment as this is a real waste and not a imagine waste. Environmental protection is not in the mind of the capitalist anymore it is real in terms of dollars and sense for those who doubt it is the partner that will sustain the very market that pushes return on investment (ROI).A simple profit analysis yield s that revenue minus expense equal profit should settle that. NO ONE CAN DEBATE THAT even the socialist. It is hard wired into all activity of the market. Why then should the capitalist break this wedlock which binds us forever with the environment?

The carbon footprint of our actions seems to missing from the bottom line of our accounting statements. There are few businesses much less one official or government willing to see how critical it is to make these adjustments as it will increase economic growth and efficiencies. It will create work via new career paths for all strata which will drive services. Capital investment will be created with the sales of hard purchases over a long term as these as not quick fixes or one time fixes. It ties in the lifecycle management and merges scientific management with the liberal arts. An El Greco is just a painting but its value is priceless so too is the environment as it’s just a beach but its value is priceless. So pity the fool who destroys our beaches in Jamaica under the guise of development, GDP and political brownie points because they are thieves of our present and future. This value is nothing to them because they place no value on it and will wreck it just for a back door cut of the projects slated. Lets us just be real about how it really works. So short term gains are traded off for exponential ROI gains. Is that a fair tradeoff Are you willing to trade these off?

A move to make adjustment could see new technologies and concepts of debt financing between Jamaica and its donor agencies who belong to the countries producing the most waste ,if we should think outside the box while inside the reality of Jamaica. Jamaica is a box open out flat. THIS IS ALSO A FACT AS SO FAR NORTH, SOUTH EAST OR WEST THEN WATER. Investment could be use to convert energy into numerous by products of which Red Stripe is doing with its cogen plant. One of the more forward think companies I must add. But it would also affect the social including crime, education, health and even the direct and indirect customers of those who leave a carbon foot print. But then again I have yet to hear anyone speak of the matter in Parliament so it is not on their radar. How can an economy exist with being in an environment? The intangible and the tangible must blend in this age as we exist with the technology to convert ideas into reality. Hence what did not exist now becomes tangible and what exist become an intangible making it obsolete and irrelevant. So too is social responsibility to the act of business and government.

We complain about JPS and the cost associated but have we ever seen the real accounts for the carbon waste that JPS produces to gain profits? Yet they speak of some people wanting something for nothing. Is it actively planting tree and upgrading its system fast enough to ensure that the cost are mitigated? How many tons of emission does it produce and what is the real value of the cost of the pollutants? JPS is not the only one I might add all business produce a carbon footprint . It just that JPS is the beating stick which is the easiest to pick on as an example. Our air quality is invisible but it has a value to me. Do you value the air you breathe? Is this a negative ROI for those who are trying to say clean but still forced to breathe because life s everything?

In some forward thinking countries debt can be written off for their pollution waste. Countries trade this at time for debt as well in their trade negotiations for well over two decades. What a concept air is a tangle commodity even across border that can attract a monetary ROI! Companies are given tax breaks for buying new equipment and reducing Carbon output. How novel! Yet the world has been doing this for years. This is not only about climate change but how do we put value to the intangibles of environmental protection to be socially responsible to both internal and external stake holders hence increasing equity.

I am a capitalist and the environment does have a price on it. It carries revenue and expenses with ties into the primary law that runs our head which is profits. Without profits no taxes and increase in social liabilities on the human side. Losses normally just give us headaches. Since the laws of economic bonds the environment, it is rightful that we look at it as capital and protect it and try to expand its worth and value. Two projects will harm it that are slated as mega projects which I believe in which makes it hard to resolve. But I will choose the environment at all times especially since these project involve the sea, beaches and water. The logistics hub and Port Royal development are these two projects. They will affect me directly on all fronts hence they are an interest to me as well. It is at this point I look more at government as the largest business and ignorer of its social responsibility and the footprint it makes in our lives past present and future. The government feels it holds no responsibility to us for the environment yet we are required as active investors in taxes and fees to support its action blindly. Our waters are polluted and watershed damaged. Do you like clean drinking water?

Legislation is hinder under the pretense of the process but the government makes up the majority in Parliament and is sure of a win when it wants it. So is it they lack the will to look out for our interest? The use of the state’s power forces us to hold a negative business with disregard to our environmental laws. Why create laws if they do not apply to the maker? An environmental impact study must determine the cost in real dollars and cents to the society and economy. Yet they are mostly words. Show me the money is all I have to say to the cost. What are the financials behind the environmental cost? I hear the emotions but I want to see the numbers and what the resource are valued at by the government. This is what is expect to be responsible to us in our generation, Government of Jamaica. Do you think the government is being responsible here by holding back information? More questions than answers as it concerns my interest and what I value.

1.    What will happen to the annual turtle migration nesting sites along the Palisadoes Strip?

2.    What will happen to the crocodiles in the mangroves when your mega projects go up?

3.    How to you project to maintain the estuaries and mangroves which are breeding ground for the fish?

4.    Will we have access to beaches?

5.    Will we be able to afford to go to Port Royal to relax?

6.    How is it right that my friends in Port Royal cant build a home because of historic landmarks and environmental limitation but this project will go ahead? Is the government beyond the law as the stake holders are the government agencies in the project?

7.    The government sells energy to JPS and runs the only refinery. How many tons of CO2 is pumped into our air and how much more will be added with this new build out for the logistics hub and the traffic it creates?

You cheat us Government of Jamaica with withholding key information and holding phony accounting books on the environment and its cost. If future cost can be access and liabilities, state your case for the short term gains and long term gains. How we can mitigate the liabilities of your forced decisions on the environment. The government and the true capitalist must review the balance sheet and ensure that the cost of doing business includes the environment. Plant a Tree and don’t step on your social responsibility to us with a footprint and a news headline saying it was a missed step.

Save The Goat Islands in Jamaica

www.savegoatislands.org

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP SAVE GOAT ISLANDS

Share the Petition with your friends using this link: 

http://chn.ge/1ecZdCO

Little Goat Island along with Great Goat Island are the cays that make up the Goat Islands, located less than a mile off the coast of Jamaica, southwest of the Hellshire Hills. It is part of Saint Catherine Parish. Little Goat Island is adjacent to the northwest portion of Great Goat Island, and both are within the Portland Bight Protected Area. Until the 1940s, these cays were home to a population of Jamaican Iguana. However, as with most mainland populations, the Little Goat Island population was thought to have become extinct, mainly due to predation by introduced small Indian mongooses and habitat alteration by feral goats. These areas are of high conservation value due to the numbers of vulnerable and endemic species that live there.

The Government of Jamaica is engaged in negotiations with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to establish a large transshipment port in the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA) in the vicinity of the Goat Islands. The Portland Bight Protected Area contains significant environmental assets. The coastline includes the largest mangrove system in Jamaica (about 2/3 of all Jamaica’s mangroves, according to land use 1998) which together with extensive sea‐grass beds and coral reefs, likely contains the largest nursery area for fish and shellfish on the island.

Coral reefs are found mainly in the shallow waters surrounding the nine small islands or cays within the PBPA. The PBPA includes some of the most extensive areas of coral reef in Jamaican waters, and although, like reefs island wide, they are under stress, in 2003, hard coral cover at six reef sites surveyed ranged from 5.8 to 33.4 percent and “fish counts were generally higher than at other Jamaican sites surveyed using Reef Check method”. The Galleon Harbour area, in particular, is a major nursery and critical habitat area for fishable species of all types, including snapper, grunt, lobster, shrimp, and oysters. Beaches in the PBPA and on its cays are considered the most important nesting areas for sea turtles in Jamaica, with at least four species of globally endangered sea turtles nesting there. The beaches of the PBPA are valuable to local communities as fishing beaches and for recreation.

March is Women History in the USA

I Matter © 2007

Written by Janice K. Maxwell

www.JamaicanDiaspora.com

You might not want me here but I am and plan to stay.

No, I won’t shut up and accept what has been

ascribed,

prescribed

and described about me to make you feel comfortable, less threated or superior.

For many reasons, I matter.

I breathe air and life is still in me.

My soul has traveled far, so I matter.

I have survived the middle passage,

endured the cane fields

media stereotypes,

sneers

and slights.

I am not going away

head down

or defeated.

I am here to stay.

The voiceless has spoken

And

will continue to speak

against  injustice

ignorance

and insensitivity.

Yes,

oh yes,

I matter.

February is Black History Month in the USA

February is Black History Month in the USA

IN THE BLACKNESS

In the Blackness

As we reclined together

I heard your whisper

Take the breath from my lips

And let us breathe as one

If only for a night

Let time Stand still

Let it wait to be summoned

By the future

But for us, now

Only the present matter

In the Blackness

You’ll find my light

It shines

Just for you

By Anthony Jules

PORTLAND: THE OTHER JAMAICA

 

By Ken Roueche

www.PortlandtheotherJamaica.com

 

PORTLAND: THE OTHER JAMAICA offers a glimpse into the history of this most beautiful parish, stretching from Buff Bay to Hector's River and up the many river valleys to the Blue Mountains. Portland has been home to some remarkable people, including more than a few dreamers, schemers and crusaders. Shaped by the heavy hand of Mother Nature Portland is blessed with outstanding beauty and challenged by remarkable geography, which provided a perfect homeland for the Windward Maroons as they fled the terror of colonial oppression under the spiritual leadership Nanny. The 1739 Maroon Treaty was followed by the invasion of British planters with their toxic mix of slavery, violence and sugar.

The end of slavery opened up abandoned plantations and mountain villages to modest opportunities for liberated slaves. Within a generation their sons and daughters were enterprising banana farmers responding to the call from Captain Baker to grow banana for the world. Portland soon became the "Banana Capital of the World". This was followed by the arrival of the railway which spurred even more banana production and helped launch the tourist industry and the building of the Titchfield Hotel.

Many of the world's major events have shaped Portland's history, including Port Antonio's strategic location during the Spanish American War and the loss of so many young men during the Great War. The Parish has also been blessed with great leaders including Captain Quao, Ken Jones, Sir Harold Allan and many others. In recent years Portland has also attracted the attention of Hollywood stars, starting with Errol Flynn and followed by Queens, Princes, Princesses, Barons, Captains of Industry and more movie stars. And today the dreamers and schemers are still coming to Portland.