It’s always been difficult to make an accurate judgment of our educational system. It turns out tens of thousands of B.A.’s and M.A.’s, nurses and teachers, doctors and lawyers. Most of them then proceed to lucrative careers and comfortable lives in the U.S. and U.K. This suggests that our education system is in good shape.

On the other hand our education system also turns out of hundreds of thousands of people who go to school for 12 years, yet can only be described as “semi-literate” or “semi-educated”. This suggests that the system is a disaster, and fails the majority of Jamaicans not born into the middle class….

This week’s Ministry of Education debacle is the failure to release/publish this year’s Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) results. Results were expected two weeks ago, but as of Friday evening the results are not out and the Ministry and the Minister are silent……

Minister Henry-Wilson
Rumours abound as usual (cheating, computer problems, huge numbers of children with top scores, misallocation of thousands of children to a few schools).

Unfortunately, it looks as if Education Minister Maxine Henry -Wilson is imitating her Cabinet colleagues, Ministers Paulwell and Pickersgill, and has decided to make more than 50,000 children and their parents wait in ignorance until she is good and ready to tell them what is going on (or not going on)……… For the past few Fridays, residents of Portmore have waited in vain to hear from Minister Pickersgill what will be the toll they will have to pay for using the (new) Causeway to get to their jobs and schools in Kingston……. Just as builders, contractors, hardware stores, developers and householders waited week after week for Minister Paulwell to decide to allow the importation of cement……….

Ministers Pickersgill and Paulwell
However, Minister Henry-Wilson should recall that Jamaican women (in this case, the Prime Minister) tend to judge other women more harshly than they judge men, especially nice-talking, rock-solid “Team Portia” gentlemen like Messrs. Paulwell and Pickersgill.

So although Maxine is making a strong bid for the title of “Worst Performing Minister of 2006” she should not expect to be rewarded with any powerful positions (Deputy PM-to-be Pickersgill) or any increased responsibilities (Super Minister Paulwell)….

In fact, she should be very, very careful about how she resolves this little matter affecting the future of 51,000 Jamaican school children lest she find herself in a nice comfortable seat on one of the back benches…..perhaps one where she can admire the neckback of solid-as-a-rock, round-as-a-football Minister Peter Phillips, another gentleman who is not going anywhere……

Geof Brown and Don Anderson discover why Portia was elected !

Geof Brown’s column today cites a speech given by Don Anderson, the market researcher who used to do polls for the Gleaner before they found someone with some experience and expertise (Bill Johnson).

Don (and Geof concurs completely) has found out that people vote for politicians that they like ! As opposed to voting for politicians that they don’t like ! Apparently, Geof and Don thought that people voted for politicians based on some sort of rational analysis !!

And, what’s more it is not only Jamaican voters who vote for politicians that they like ! This practice is common in the United States as well !!! Check out President Bush today at Elvis Presley’s home with President Koizumi of Japan, reminding everyone of the only reason he (Bush) was elected : how can you not like a President who takes another President, on a state visit, to visit the home of his favourite singer, who just happens to be Elvis ?

(AP)

Oh well, next thing, I suppose Geof and Don will be telling us that this is the reason Seaga lost four General Elections in a row ! The voters never like him……

Ms Popular with Mr Seaga
Geof and Don have already realized how this analysis (people vote for politicians they like) could affect next elections. They are predicting a landslide for Portia (unless of course Bruce starts to walk with icy mints, patties, cold beer etc – I don’t think he should try the hug and kiss thing ’cause in Jamaica that is strictly woman business)….

The Bible, the church, the researchers…..

All of us who know our Bible know it is the universal book, because between the Old and the New Testament, almost anyone can find evidence to support almost any position.

Because of this the established churches (Catholics, Methodists, Seventh Day Adventists, Baptists, you name it..) reserve to themselves the right to interpret the Bible for their members.

When we join a particular church, we are accepting that particular church’s interpretation of the Bible.

However, science continually presents all Christians (and Muslims, Hindus etc) with dilemmas, and it’s always interesting (and sometimes terrifying) to observe how the various churches deal with these.

This week Catholic scientists who do embryonic stem cell research were excommunicated. As you probably know, any Catholic who has, participates in or supports abortion is automatically excommunicated, (that is unless you are a very important Catholic such as John Kerry, candidate in the 2004 Presidential elections, in which case saying that you are “Pro-Choice” does not constitute supporting abortion, and you are therefore NOT excommunicated).

In trying to defend itself (and us, of course) from scientific research, the Catholic Church is probably trying to forestall another semi-inevitable scientific discovery – that homosexuals are born, not made. This week, another study was published which suggests that gay men are that way from birth.

Luckily for those who will have to make big changes in their treatment of homosexuals if it turns out that they are born that way, this study only explains why some men are gay – hostile conditions in their mother’s womb.

However, it is likely just a matter of time until scientists come up with comprehensive explanation for homosexuality. Animal researchers have already shown that homosexuality occurs in wild and domesticated animals (orangutans, penguins, sheep, fruit bats etc) contrary to what I was always told in church – that animals don’t do it, it’s strictly a human behavior etc…

If, and when, that time comes, won’t there be a weeping and a wailing and a gnashing of teeth from all those Christians who are just getting used to the idea that homosexuals are human, much less are among God’s children?!!!

Remember to check out this week’s Washington Post piece on being a black gay man to find out how the black American community is almost as scared of gay men as we are in Jamaica (remember I said “almost” – they don’t go in for the burning and killing)

And now for something completely different….

One of my favourite singers (sorry, Elvis) Della Manley, has a new album out.

I’m rushing out to get my copy and urge you to do the same. Remember you’ll have at least two hours to kill between the Portugual-England match and the main event, Brazil- France.

“Futebol: Sound of Brazilian Football” (Various Artists)

“Football & Samba Groove Association” (Jorge Ben Jor)

“We Are the Champions: Great Football Hit” (Various Artists)

“Jamaica: Football Reggae” (Various Artists)

“It’s Only a Game: Hits & Misses From the Crazy World of British Football” (Various Artists)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: corruption, education, Jamaica, Portmore toll, cement crisis

Home match : Tourists 1, Turtles 0

Justice Sykes decides that the Pinero Group’s hotel at Pear Tree Bottom can go ahead. He blames the government environmental agencies (NEPA and NRCA) for not following their own procedures, but excuses the privately owned Environmental Solutions (who did the Environmental Impact Assessment) because they claim to have done EIA on “short notice”.

Justice Sykes reckons that the Pinero Group were ambushed by JET and the NJCA (the 2 conservation groups that asked him to halt construction) as they weren’t told that a suit was being filed.

Diana Macaulay of JET made a gracious concession speech yesterday, saying that she thought the judgment was “fair to all parties”.

Now, what could she possibly mean by that ?

My guess:-
(1)The Government of Jamaica has received a slap on the wrist for their determined ignoring of procedure in order to fast track projects for PJ cronies. Their willful defiance of principle and good governance is, of course, a matter for God, and the Jamaican electorate…..

(2) The procedure for approving massive construction projects has been exposed to the public eye. The way it works, we discover, is that the project owner/principal pays for an EIA to be done and this is submitted to the so-called regulatory authorities.

Hmmm…I wonder how much work Environmental Solutions would get if they produced EIA’s demonstrating that any project would have a detrimental impact on the environment…..Just wondering…..

(3) There’s no way that Justice Sykes could ignore the fact that the hotel is 85% complete and that whatever damage the hotel is going to do to reefs and turtles has already been done.

Now, who wants to lay bets on when the Bahia Principe Hotel will first close “for repairs” ( ala the Ritz-Carlton) due to rivers of mud, flooding, sea turtles in the lobby or other “Acts of God” ? 2007 ? 2008 ? 2009 ?

“The Naked Truth about Hedonism II: A Totally Unauthorized, Naughty But Nice Guide to Jamaica’s Very Adult Resort, 2nd Edition” (Chris Santilli)

“Best Designed Wellness Hotels II: North and South America, Caribbean, Mexico” (Martin Nicholas Kunz)

Home match: Blowhards 0 Powers-that-be 1

Norman DaCosta of the National Workers Union spent much of last week issuing threats against the bauxite company WINDALCO who said they were making more than 100 workers redundant.

WINDALCO, in a cute move which is sure to be emulated by others having problems with Mr. DaCosta, issued a press release divulging an embarrassing detail regarding NWU’s 445 members at WINDALCO. Apparently, Mr. DaCosta’s members, whose rights he has been so vociferously defending, have flatly refused to pay the 100% increase in union dues which the NWU expects management to deduct from worker’s salaries.

What’s more, WINDALCO went ahead and made more than 120 workers redundant yesterday.

The referee (otherwise known as the Ministry of Labour) has not yet decided whether Mr. DaCosta scored an own goal……

“Shifting Fortunes : The Rise and Decline of American Labor, from the 1820s to the Present (American Ways Series)” (Daniel Nelson)

Home match: JLP vs. Government of Jamaica (match abandoned because GoJ didn’t show up)

Senior members of the JLP (notably Karl Samuda) must be nursing sore throats after spending the week repeatedly issuing warnings and ultimatums to the Government of Jamaica, namely :

(1) Stop hugging up Hugo Chavez

(2) Fire Phillip Paulwell (Minister of Commerce, Industry, most other things…)

(3) Make Alston Stewart (PJ crony and project manager for the construction of Sandals Whitehouse) pay back the US$40 million he made disappear during construction (and which the Jamaican taxpayers are now going to have to pay for – remember the moment when Omar Davis admitted he had looted the PetroCaribe fund for the “cost overruns” money )…..

Hey, Mr. Samuda, Leader Golding, Senator Shirley Williams. Just a few tips :-

We, the Jamaican people, are noticing your sterling efforts to expose the corruption and incompetence of the PJ Patterson (plus cronies) administration…Screaming and stamping your feet doesn’t really get you that much extra attention, and it does make you look…well…childish…..

Know when to stop flogging a dead horse (aka Paulwell). My phone bill is less than it was last year, and consumers in the USA can’t say the same.

Issuing ultimatums when you have no power to follow them through is a waste of breath, paper, air time….. Sue them already ! (Remember that your erstwhile leader Seaga buried the Caribbean Court of Justice by doggedly taking the matter all the way to the Privy Council.)

If you want to win the next General Election you need to make the charges of corruption stick to PM Portia. Right now, we’re all pretty much in agreement that PJ was/is corrupt. What will win you the next election is showing that Portia can-do-no-wrong-in-the-eyes-of-my-people Simpson Miller is/was just as corrupt……

“We Want Justice: Jamaica and the Caribbean Court of Justice” (Ian Randle Publishers)

Away match: U.S. immigrants 0 Anti-immigrants 1

Bad news for immigrants from the U.S Supreme Court. They’re sending an illegal immigrant back to Mexico despite his 20 years in the U.S.A.

This guy was clearly a scofflaw – he kept being deported and he kept re-entering the U.S. illegally. Now if the Supreme Court had let him stay, they would have been telling the U.S. Border Patrol to turn in their badges and go look for work picking lettuces, and obviously they couldn’t do that. But it is still bad news for Jamaicans. Although most of us are “overstayers” rather than out-and-out illegal immigrants, this case shows which way the wind is blowing….

Thought for optimists : some Jamaicans who have already made their money might come home and help us get things running right……

Away match: Jamaican men 0 Black American men 1

Jamaican men took a bashing this week (nothing new, some will say) as the Jamaican Senate, Amnesty International and Betty-Ann Blaine took issue with them on the matter of some of them abusing, raping and killing Jamaican women and children.

In addition to hearing that they are not protectors of, but abusers of, their women and children, Jamaican men were also told that they can’t drive. Most collisions (81%) and deaths (326 last year) on the road here are caused by male drivers. This, according to the study conducted by PAHO and WHO, is not all that surprising since 71% of Jamaican drivers (mostly men) bought their license.…..

The Washington Post, in their continuing series on black men in America, has a wonderful piece about 2 high schoolers who attended one of D.C.’s worst high schools, and succeeded (however temporarily) in improving the school for other black males. They have now graduated and gone on to the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts (quite a few distinguished Jamaicans have gone there).

Anything we Jamaicans can learn from these kids ? Well, one thing seems to be that men and boys do best when they take responsibility, rather than when other people, especially women, try to give them responsibility…..

“The Jamaican Crime Scene: A Perspective” (Bernard Headley)

“Bad Men Driving” (John Sheppard)

“Sex, Men, and Babies: Stories of Awareness and Responsibility” (William Marsiglio, Sally Hutchinson)

Away match : Windies 1 Soca Warriors 0

The West Indies cricket team having managed two very creditable draws in their first two Test matches against India, are bidding for our attention as they play the Third Test this weekend in St. Kitts. They are 581 runs all out in their first innings !!

The Soca Warriors are back home. In drawing one match (with Sweden), the Soca Warriors did well, but are home nevertheless and, as usual, we will have to look to Brazil and Ronaldo to boost the pride of all us non-Europeans…..

“Liberation Cricket: West Indies Cricket Culture (Sport, Society, and Politics)” (Hilary Beckles)

“A Spirit of Dominance: Cricket and Nationalism in the West Indies; Essays in Honour of ‘Viv’” (University Press of the West Indies)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: corruption, cricket, crime, human rights, Jamaica, Jamaicans for Justice, cricket, environment

While you were watching the World Cup:-

(1) “Scandals Whitehouse” is back on the front pages as the JLP discovers that the contractor, Alston Stewart (PJ crony and formerly Chairman of the National Solid Waste Management Agency ), is a bigger thief than they had previously thought possible

(2) water supply has been locked off across the island as 1,700 National Water Commission employees have gone on strike. (For you, this may only mean no shower and drinking your Red Stripe from the bottle instead of a glass, but pity the schoolchildren taking end-of-term exams….)

(3) Gleaner columnist, Kevin O’Brien Chang discovered that Jamaican women don’t care if their baby fathers’ names are on their children’s birth certificates or not…..er…Kevin ?…I think it’s the fathers that are supposed to care…..and do something about it….

(4) The Anglican (Episcopal) Church in America chose a female as its leader. The ensuing fuss proves that not enough people are concentrating on The Greatest Show on Earth…..Don’t they even care if the U.S. makes it to the next round ?!!!

(5) Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, whisks a 3% increase in Value Added Tax
(like our GCT) through the Upper House of Parliament – apparently the biggest tax increase in German history – but, hey, nobody noticed… (and nobody will notice until July 10th…..)

“The World Cup : The Ultimate Guide to the Greatest Sports Spectacle in the World” (Fernando Fiore)

“The World Cup’s Strangest Moments : Oddball Characters and Memorable Matches from over 75 Years of Football’s Greatest Tournament (The Strangest Series)” (Peter Seddon)

“German Football: History, Culture, Society and the World Cup 2006” (Routledge)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: corruption, Jamaica, Jamaicans for Justice, corruption

This week’s “Believe It or Not…..”

President Bush surprised everyone yesterday by creating a huge national monument/wildlife preserve (140,000 sq.miles) out of a string of uninhabited Pacific islands which are legally part of the U.S. state of Hawaii.

Not only does the marine reserve come into existence right away (because he’s made it a National Monument) but it will be a true natural refuge i.e. no humans, and therefore no hotels, boats, scuba divers, fishing boats, etc….

So what does Greenpeace (the world’s best known environmental lobby group) have to say about this ?

“President Bush has been a disaster for the environment ever since his inauguration. While this is a great first step, he has a long way to go before he will be known as a friend of the environment.”

So there.

What I really like about this story is that President Bush apparently decided to create the new marine reserve/monument after a watching a movie about it made by Jean-Michel Cousteau (son of Jacques). Now if that’s not the real all-American way to do things, I don’t know what is.

Clearly the next step is to get the President to watch movies on other urgent matters…..(e.g. Iraq, immigration, hurricane preparedness)

“Jean Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Adventures” (Jean Michel Cousteaus Ocean Adventures)

“Jacques Cousteau – Pacific Explorations” (Joe Thompson (III), Philippe Cousteau, Jack Kaufman)

Karl Blythe decides to stop going, and go

Having obviously received the divine guidance he has been publicly seeking since losing the Presidential election last February, former Water and Housing Minister Karl Blythe has said he will leave representational politics.

United States visas

This week everyone had an opinion on the withdrawal of U.S. and Canadian visas from SSP not-convicted-for-Crawle-killings Reneto Adams and his not-convicted-for-Crawle-killings colleagues.

The only person with anything mildly intelligent to say was Dr. Carolyn Gomes :

the American government reserves the right to grant or deny visas that facilitate entry into its country. “They turn down decent human beings all the time … it is not a (human) rights issue,”

Dr. Gomes apart, it became rather tedious listening to the self-righteous rants of some who have “discovered” that the U.S. is now the sole superpower in the world.

Whenever I hear this argument, I wonder which other of the likely candidates would be preferable to the U.S. as “sole superpower”. China ? Russia ? The European Union ?

It’s possible that the EU might not be all that bad, except if you consider their stunning indifference to the genocidal and expansionist tendencies of Milosevic in their own backyard in the 90’s. And if you consider whether, if it was up to the EU, Milosevic’s massacres wouldn’t still be going on… (Bill Clinton’s problems with Monica led to the bombing of Belgrade and the eventual collapse of the Milosevic regime)…….

“Citizenship (Do It Yourself Immigration Series)” (American Immigration Center)

A Good Man is Hard to Find

Some of the parents of boys at St. George’s College are upset at the prospect that the next Principal of this Jesuit founded, Catholic run, once all-boys school will be female.
They think that a woman cannot be a good role model for boys…… perhaps because in 1994, Pope John Paul II, definitively closed the door on the ordination of women . However, despite keeping women out, the Catholic Church has had no success in keeping men in.

Parents with boys attending St. George’s should appreciate the Church’s dilemma. They should forget all about that other Catholic boys school up the road that has always been run by women (you know, the one with Sister Ignatius and the famous band….. )

They should continue to demand a male Principal, and they should rest assured that the Church of the late Pope John Paul II and the current Pope Benedict XVI would never, ever, ever consider appointing a woman as Principal of a Catholic boy’s school unless there was really NO alternative…….

“Spiritual Revolution : Why Religion Is Giving Way to Spirituality (Religion in the Modern World)” (Paul Heelas, Linda Woodhead, Benjamin Seel, Bronislaw Szerszynski, Karin Tusting)

“Adam Where Are You?: Why Most Black Men Don’t Go to Church” (Jawanza Kunjufu)

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories” (Flannery O’Connor)

Living-in-foreign

The Jamaican Diaspora Conference is underway here in Kingston. Many nice things are being said by, and about, the hard-working Jamaicans whose remittances (exceeding tourism revenues at last count) are keeping the country afloat.

One of the things that is not being said (but will certainly be a problem) is that black and brown Jamaicans living in white-majority countries are nationalistic in a way that few Jamaicans “on island” are.

It no longer stirs the souls of those “on island” and under-40, to hear rants about racism, discrimination, imperialism, colonialism in the U.S., Britain, Canada etc. Especially when most Jamaicans here want to be able to become part of the diaspora as soon as possible……

Both Jamaicans in the diaspora, and Jamaicans who “choose” to live here, want a thriving local economy, and crime and corruption dealt with now (or preferably yesterday).

But, unlike their exiled brethren, Jamaica-based-Jamaicans tend to think that if controlling crime takes white British policemen in our local police force, and boosting the economy takes white Americans and Europeans swarming on our beaches and Trinis, Chinese and Indians investing in our businesses, well, that’s what it takes……..

“One Love – The Bob Marley All-Star Tribute” (Palm Pictures / Umvd)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: crime, human rights, Jamaica, Jamaicans for Justice

Today on his Time magazine blog, Andrew Sullivan is reminding us that July 19, 2006 will be one year since the Iranian regime hung 2 teenagers for the crime of being gay….(so much for Jamaica being the most homophobic place on the planet….)

Go and read his blog, and then let’s reflect and recall that despite the hysteria of some regarding “the homosexual lifestyle”, it is clearly and unequivocally “the Jamaican heterosexual lifestyle” that is implicated in our violent culture.

It is heterosexual, not homosexual, men who rape and murder women and female children. It is heterosexual, not homosexual, women who are having children they can neither feed nor love…..

And when the Prime Minister is calling the church to arms as she did again last week, she’s talking about the need for the moral rejuvenation, not of gays, but of those who have sex with the opposite sex…..

“Why Men Hate Going to Church” (David Murrow)

“Awakening with the Enemy : The Origin and End of Male/Female Conflict” (Mark Dillof)

“Crowns : Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats” (Michael Cunningham, Craig Marberry)

“Ten Lies the Church Tells Women: How the Bible Has Been Misused to Keep Women in Spiritual Bondage” (J. Lee Grady)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: gay men, Jamaica, Jamaicans for Justice, Portia Simpson Miller, human rights

Today on his Time magazine blog, Andrew Sullivan is reminding us that July 19, 2006 will be one year since the Iranian regime hung 2 teenagers for the crime of being gay….(so much for Jamaica being the most homophobic place on the planet….)

Go and read his blog, and then let’s reflect and recall that despite the hysteria of some regarding “the homosexual lifestyle”, it is clearly and unequivocally “the Jamaican heterosexual lifestyle” that is implicated in our violent culture.

It is heterosexual, not homosexual, men who rape and murder women and female children. It is heterosexual, not homosexual, women who are having children they can neither feed nor love…..

And when the Prime Minister is calling the church to arms as she did again last week, she’s talking about the need for the moral rejuvenation, not of gays, but of those who have sex with the opposite sex…..

“Why Men Hate Going to Church” (David Murrow)

“Awakening with the Enemy : The Origin and End of Male/Female Conflict” (Mark Dillof)

“Crowns : Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats” (Michael Cunningham, Craig Marberry)

“Ten Lies the Church Tells Women: How the Bible Has Been Misused to Keep Women in Spiritual Bondage” (J. Lee Grady)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: gay men, Jamaica, Jamaicans for Justice, Portia Simpson Miller, human rights

Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile, made a 6 hour stop in Jamaica today to discuss trade issues with our Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.

President Bachelet

Unfortunately, Bachelet, who is a pediatrician by profession, did not meet with Jamaica's most famous pediatrician, Dr. Carolyn Gomes, head of local human rights group, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ).

Bachelet is a survivor of Pinochet's reign of terror and knows a thing or two about human rights and their importance in a functioning democracy. (She and her mother were imprisoned, beaten and tortured by the Pinochet regime. Their crime ? Being the daughter and wife respectively of an Air Force General who had opposed Pinochet's overthrow of elected socialist President Salvador Allende…..)

Hence Bachelet would likely appreciate Dr. Gomes' concern with the indifference of the Jamaican Government to the murders of innocent citizens by the state security forces.

In recent years JFJ has won compensation for the mother of Michael Gayle, a mentally retarded man beaten to death by a soldier on the streets of Kingston. This week, by way of rejecting JFJ's appeal on behalf of Janice Allen (13 years old, female, murdered at her gate in Trench Town by a policeman for no apparent reason), the Government of Jamaica announced that it intends to bring in new laws to allow defendants freed by the courts to be retried if evidence can be presented to show that the verdict in first trial was perverted by fraud, lying or intimidation of witnesses.

Janice Allen was killed more than 6 years ago. Thanks to Dr. Gomes and the unflagging efforts of Jamaicans for Justice and attorney Richard Small, Janice Allen has not been forgotten, even if the Attorney General, the shamefully irrelevant A.J. Nicholson, has made every effort to pretend that she never existed. Her killer (this is not disputed) Rohan Allen, was not prosecuted because the Government said that another policeman who was the key witness in the case had left the island. This turned out not to be true.

It is possible, and perhaps even likely (given the well-known refusal of Jamaicans for Justice to throw up their hands and despair), that the Government of Jamaica may in fact bring in the legislation and future killers may eventually be brought to justice, even if they "get 'way" the first time.

But it would have been nice, and perhaps even helpful, if Dr. Gomes could have been invited to sit down with Dr. Bachelet. Maybe they could have persuaded Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller of the importance of putting human rights and justice high on her agenda (even if they are nowhere on A.J. Nicholson's )…….You know, trade is good, but man does not live by bread alone..

"Shantytown Protest in Pinochet's Chile" (Cathy Lisa Schneider)

"Fear in Chile: Lives Under Pinochet" (Patricia Politzer)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: Chile, human rights, Michelle Bachelet, Portia Simpson Miller, Jamaicans for Justice, Jamaica

Murder rate down again ! Yes !!!

The police announce that the murder rate has fallen for the 5th month in the row.

Now that we have gotten used to the idea that crime can be/will be brought under control we should remember how far we have to go.

Our murder rate is so high (579 murders for January-May 2006 down from 722 murders between January-May 2005) that right now we are talking a drop from 4-5 murders per day to 3-4 murders per day… Not all that much to celebrate now we think about it, but we're on the right track, and all kudos to the Minister, the Commissioner and the Brits.

We need to support the police and each other, even if all of us can't quite manage this.

The role of the family and the government in preventing young men from becoming gunmen continues to preoccupy our local pundits. I think its important to remember that only a small number of Jamaican men are unemployed (about 7%) and, while creating jobs is always a good idea, many of those who become gunmen would not likely take jobs paying them less than they "earn" from being "shottas."

And remember, becoming a gunman is about instant status. It is about choosing to live as an outlaw regardless (remember Bernard Provenzano, Italy's most wanted mafioso, was living in a barn when he was caught…not exactly the lifestyle of the rich and famous…..) and the shotta life appeals to those who have no chance of being 50 Cent (media outlaw) much less Don Crawford of Century National Bank (white collar outlaw)…..

"Killing Pablo : The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw" (Mark Bowden)

"Wanted! The Outlaws" (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Coulter, Tompall Glaser)

Meanwhile, in his contribution to the 25th anniversary of HIV/AIDS, the Pope announces that contraception is still banned (for Catholics) and, check this out, there is still NO occasion on which the use of condoms is permitted. Wow !

So all you Catholic wives out there ? You get to forgive your husband for straying and getting HIV/AIDS, and then you get your Mother Theresa moment when you allow him his conjugal rights without using a condom, get infected yourself, and if you get pregnant, also bear a child with HIV/AIDS !!!! With all due respect to the Pope, I don't think this is going to bring any sinners into the Church…….

Up north, President Bush decides that banning gay marriage will improve things (war in Iraq, inflation, gas prices etc). What is upsetting for Jamaicans is that President Bush is supporting the reform in immigration laws that most of us would like to see ( a route to citizenship for those already in the States), but he is so unpopular that it is difficult to imagine anything that he supports getting passed right now….or maybe ever….

The Washington Post is running a series on black men. Nothing new here. Like Jamaican men, black men in America have a perception problem (they are perceived as likely criminals, DJ's, basketball players), a "goat mouth" problem (whites say they're baaad, and, whoops, they are bad) and a woman problem (they like the women more than the women like them…)

"Mister Gumbo : Down and Dirty with Black Men on Life, Sex, and Relationships" (Ursula Inga Kindred, Mirranda Guerin-Williams)

"The Scorecard : How to Fix Your Man in One Year or Less" (Julie Bell, Donna Brown, Judith Newman)

The By- Election

Luther Buchanan and the Prime Minister
On by-election day in Eastern Westmoreland, the PNP emerge victorious. No surprise and no change there. Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson is succeeded by Luther Buchanan in a safe PNP seat.

[posted with ecto]

Murder rate down again ! Yes !!!

The police announce that the murder rate has fallen for the 5th month in the row.

Now that we have gotten used to the idea that crime can be/will be brought under control we should remember how far we have to go.

Our murder rate is so high (579 murders for January-May 2006 down from 722 murders between January-May 2005) that right now we are talking a drop from 4-5 murders per day to 3-4 murders per day… Not all that much to celebrate now we think about it, but we're on the right track, and all kudos to the Minister, the Commissioner and the Brits.

We need to support the police and each other, even if all of us can't quite manage this.

The role of the family and the government in preventing young men from becoming gunmen continues to preoccupy our local pundits. I think its important to remember that only a small number of Jamaican men are unemployed (about 7%) and, while creating jobs is always a good idea, many of those who become gunmen would not likely take jobs paying them less than they "earn" from being "shottas."

And remember, becoming a gunman is about instant status. It is about choosing to live as an outlaw regardless (remember Bernard Provenzano, Italy's most wanted mafioso, was living in a barn when he was caught…not exactly the lifestyle of the rich and famous…..) and the shotta life appeals to those who have no chance of being 50 Cent (media outlaw) much less Don Crawford of Century National Bank (white collar outlaw)…..

"Killing Pablo : The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw" (Mark Bowden)

"Wanted! The Outlaws" (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Coulter, Tompall Glaser)

Meanwhile, in his contribution to the 25th anniversary of HIV/AIDS, the Pope announces that contraception is still banned (for Catholics) and, check this out, there is still NO occasion on which the use of condoms is permitted. Wow !

So all you Catholic wives out there ? You get to forgive your husband for straying and getting HIV/AIDS, and then you get your Mother Theresa moment when you allow him his conjugal rights without using a condom, get infected yourself, and if you get pregnant, also bear a child with HIV/AIDS !!!! With all due respect to the Pope, I don't think this is going to bring any sinners into the Church…….

Up north, President Bush decides that banning gay marriage will improve things (war in Iraq, inflation, gas prices etc). What is upsetting for Jamaicans is that President Bush is supporting the reform in immigration laws that most of us would like to see ( a route to citizenship for those already in the States), but he is so unpopular that it is difficult to imagine anything that he supports getting passed right now….or maybe ever….

The Washington Post is running a series on black men. Nothing new here. Like Jamaican men, black men in America have a perception problem (they are perceived as likely criminals, DJ's, basketball players), a "goat mouth" problem (whites say they're baaad, and, whoops, they are bad) and a woman problem (they like the women more than the women like them…)

"Mister Gumbo : Down and Dirty with Black Men on Life, Sex, and Relationships" (Ursula Inga Kindred, Mirranda Guerin-Williams)

"The Scorecard : How to Fix Your Man in One Year or Less" (Julie Bell, Donna Brown, Judith Newman)

The By- Election

Luther Buchanan and the Prime Minister
On by-election day in Eastern Westmoreland, the PNP emerge victorious. No surprise and no change there. Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson is succeeded by Luther Buchanan in a safe PNP seat.

[posted with ecto]

Resident aliens

On reading the names of terror suspects arrested in Canada, I heaved a sigh of relief. No Jermaines, no Delroys, no one obviously Jamaican…..But according to the Trinidad Express there are Trinis and Jamaicans among those arrested.

So now it appears that there is almost no area of the world in which young men of Jamaican origin are not embittered and disaffected enough to join a radical Islamist cause. But should we believe that these men are somehow different than the young men who rob and kill on the streets of Jamaica ? More religious, albeit Muslims ? More educated ? Or should we believe that they are not much different – young men who feel that the world disrespects them and look forward to making the world respect them….

“The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason” (Sam Harris)

“Holy Terrors : Thinking about Religion after September 11” (Bruce Lincoln)

Jamaica's religiosity

Tomorrow, 6/6/06, is likely to be a thrilling day for the 65% of Jamaicans who, according to a recent poll, believe that the Bible is literally true.

As many of you doubtless know, Revelation 13:18 says:

Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six. (American Standard Version)

This means that many will spend the day waiting for (1) the apocalypse (2) people walking around with the mark of the beast. If this is one of your preoccupations, I strongly suggest not going to work and spending the day in prayer and repentance – even if the world doesn't end you will still have spent the day usefully and well.

Meanwhile, in Hell, Michigan, the residents are hoping to sell lots of souvenirs and alcohol to tourists from nearby Detroit…..

For myself, I shall be reflecting upon Yogi Berra's wise words:

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.

“The Mark: The Beast Rules the World (Left Behind No. 8)” (Tim F. LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins)

“The Truth Behind Left Behind : A Biblical View of the End Times” (Mark Hitchcock, Thomas Ice)

“The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in The Book of Revelation” (Barbara R. Rossing)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: crime, Jamaica, Jamaican, terror

Resident aliens

On reading the names of terror suspects arrested in Canada, I heaved a sigh of relief. No Jermaines, no Delroys, no one obviously Jamaican…..But according to the Trinidad Express there are Trinis and Jamaicans among those arrested.

So now it appears that there is almost no area of the world in which young men of Jamaican origin are not embittered and disaffected enough to join a radical Islamist cause. But should we believe that these men are somehow different than the young men who rob and kill on the streets of Jamaica ? More religious, albeit Muslims ? More educated ? Or should we believe that they are not much different – young men who feel that the world disrespects them and look forward to making the world respect them….

“The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason” (Sam Harris)

“Holy Terrors : Thinking about Religion after September 11” (Bruce Lincoln)

Jamaica's religiosity

Tomorrow, 6/6/06, is likely to be a thrilling day for the 65% of Jamaicans who, according to a recent poll, believe that the Bible is literally true.

As many of you doubtless know, Revelation 13:18 says:

Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six. (American Standard Version)

This means that many will spend the day waiting for (1) the apocalypse (2) people walking around with the mark of the beast. If this is one of your preoccupations, I strongly suggest not going to work and spending the day in prayer and repentance – even if the world doesn't end you will still have spent the day usefully and well.

Meanwhile, in Hell, Michigan, the residents are hoping to sell lots of souvenirs and alcohol to tourists from nearby Detroit…..

For myself, I shall be reflecting upon Yogi Berra's wise words:

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.

“The Mark: The Beast Rules the World (Left Behind No. 8)” (Tim F. LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins)

“The Truth Behind Left Behind : A Biblical View of the End Times” (Mark Hitchcock, Thomas Ice)

“The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in The Book of Revelation” (Barbara R. Rossing)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: crime, Jamaica, Jamaican, terror

National Security

Minister of National Security Peter Phillips

The week got off to a good start with the sentencing of Zekes, and the Minister of National Security taking a bow for the fall in the number of murders (Scotland Yard's ACP Les Green was on The Breakfast Club this morning saying that there were 50 fewer murders in May 2006 than in May 2005).

The usual numerous plans and policies for boosting the security forces were announced, but the only one of even mild interest is the proposal to psychologically screen applicants to the police force. (This sounds like a plan to keep future Renato Adams types out. Couldn't agree more etc.).

The future of SSP Adams is undecided as of today June 2, 2006. I'm still going with the idea of exporting him to deal with terrorists in Iraq….. in Haditha some U.S. Marines seem to have used the same techniques that SSP Adams employs in the performance of his duties….

Economic security

Audley Shaw, Opposition spokeman on Finance

Audley Shaw responded to Don Robotham's not-at-all-informed-nor-in-the-least-bit-welcome rants on the economy. I wish Mr Shaw had not done this as we were then subjected to Mr Robotham attempting to justify his stance ad nauseam on morning radio. Audley, while understanding your annoyance, remember: Answer fools with silence. – Iranian Proverb

Economic security II

The Government and the unions signed a second Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on salaries and benefits. The rejoicing was muted by the awkward fact that 2 of the biggest unions, the nurses and the teachers, did not sign. Both these unions are more than 80% female and will be expecting better things from Sister P, now PM Portia….. Not to be outdone, Peter Phillips promptly announced that the police would not be bound by the MOU..

Edith Allwood-Anderson, President of the Nurses Association of Jamaica

I would be happier if the willingness of the unions to sign a second MOU did not mean that the Government continues to employ many more people than it needs. The Minister of Finance himself (recklessly flinging stones around in his glass house) confirmed that the MOU is an excellent illustration of P.J. O'Rourke's saying:

“It is a popular delusion that the government wastes vast amounts of money through inefficiency and sloth. Enormous effort and elaborate planning are required to waste this much money. ”

Social security

The usual

bad news this week on HIV/AIDS as we're told that it is now the leading cause of death in the Caribbean. Of course, if you're a young Jamaican man I think it is still possible to be murdered long before you get a chance to die of AIDS……

Please note that 51% of people with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean are female. That means that Caribbean men and women need to stop kidding themselves that it is a gay disease, and that they don't need to use a condom if they are “having sex with the opposite sex”….

Also this week I found a funny response to those who think murdering gays Leviticus-style is a more important statement of morality than New Testament style love and not casting the first stone……. This amusing “letter” to Dr. Laura reminds us that Leviticus also forbids lots of other things beloved of the Jamaican populace…..

The idea that Jamaicans are great churchgoers received another blow this week. Bill Johnson's poll for the Gleaner shows that only 28% of us attend church regularly. May be a surprise to some people.

Marriage and security

USA Today has

an article on a new study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control. The study, dauntingly titled “Fertility, Contraception, and Fatherhood: Data on Men and Women from the National Survey of Family Growth”, surveyed 12,000 men and women in the U.S.. The shocking finding ? More men than women (66% of men to 51% of women) think marriage is better than staying single.

I guess this gives Jamaican women another reason to migrate to the U.S. as quickly as possible. For those of you that aren't great at math, this study suggests that there will be a very substantial number of American men (15%) who will want to get married and won't be able to find any American women to marry them…..

Job security : Office of the Prime Minister

Much is being made of the fact that

the PNP suddenly has lots of candidates who want to run for office, and that this will certainly mean that people who thought that they were shoo-ins for particular constituencies are going to be very unhappy about all the new competition.

Portia on victory night, Feb 2006

Of course, Portia's supporters are being blamed for trying to push out Peter Phillip's supporters. Portia is being blamed for:-

(1) NOT ASSERTING HER AUTHORITY by kicking out the Peter Phillips people and putting her own people in place…..

(2) FOR ASSERTING HER AUTHORITY and running her supporters in crucial seats……

Look for it all to get very amusing over the long hot summer (unless, of course, we have a really devastating hurricane which always manages to concentrate our minds wonderfully…)

“How to Pass the New Police Selection System” (Harry Tolley, Catherine Tolley, Billy Hodge)

“The Essays of Warren Buffett : Lessons for Corporate America” (Warren E. Buffett)

“How to Love a Black Man” (Ronn Elmore)

“The Personal Security Handbook: How to Keep Yourself and Your Family Safe from Crime” (D. G. Conway)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: Corruption, crime, Jamaica, Jamaican, national security, Portia Simpson Miller

National Security

Minister of National Security Peter Phillips

The week got off to a good start with the sentencing of Zekes, and the Minister of National Security taking a bow for the fall in the number of murders (Scotland Yard's ACP Les Green was on The Breakfast Club this morning saying that there were 50 fewer murders in May 2006 than in May 2005).

The usual numerous plans and policies for boosting the security forces were announced, but the only one of even mild interest is the proposal to psychologically screen applicants to the police force. (This sounds like a plan to keep future Renato Adams types out. Couldn't agree more etc.).

The future of SSP Adams is undecided as of today June 2, 2006. I'm still going with the idea of exporting him to deal with terrorists in Iraq….. in Haditha some U.S. Marines seem to have used the same techniques that SSP Adams employs in the performance of his duties….

Economic security

Audley Shaw, Opposition spokeman on Finance

Audley Shaw responded to Don Robotham's not-at-all-informed-nor-in-the-least-bit-welcome rants on the economy. I wish Mr Shaw had not done this as we were then subjected to Mr Robotham attempting to justify his stance ad nauseam on morning radio. Audley, while understanding your annoyance, remember: Answer fools with silence. – Iranian Proverb

Economic security II

The Government and the unions signed a second Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on salaries and benefits. The rejoicing was muted by the awkward fact that 2 of the biggest unions, the nurses and the teachers, did not sign. Both these unions are more than 80% female and will be expecting better things from Sister P, now PM Portia….. Not to be outdone, Peter Phillips promptly announced that the police would not be bound by the MOU..

Edith Allwood-Anderson, President of the Nurses Association of Jamaica

I would be happier if the willingness of the unions to sign a second MOU did not mean that the Government continues to employ many more people than it needs. The Minister of Finance himself (recklessly flinging stones around in his glass house) confirmed that the MOU is an excellent illustration of P.J. O'Rourke's saying:

“It is a popular delusion that the government wastes vast amounts of money through inefficiency and sloth. Enormous effort and elaborate planning are required to waste this much money. ”

Social security

The usual

bad news this week on HIV/AIDS as we're told that it is now the leading cause of death in the Caribbean. Of course, if you're a young Jamaican man I think it is still possible to be murdered long before you get a chance to die of AIDS……

Please note that 51% of people with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean are female. That means that Caribbean men and women need to stop kidding themselves that it is a gay disease, and that they don't need to use a condom if they are “having sex with the opposite sex”….

Also this week I found a funny response to those who think murdering gays Leviticus-style is a more important statement of morality than New Testament style love and not casting the first stone……. This amusing “letter” to Dr. Laura reminds us that Leviticus also forbids lots of other things beloved of the Jamaican populace…..

The idea that Jamaicans are great churchgoers received another blow this week. Bill Johnson's poll for the Gleaner shows that only 28% of us attend church regularly. May be a surprise to some people.

Marriage and security

USA Today has

an article on a new study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control. The study, dauntingly titled “Fertility, Contraception, and Fatherhood: Data on Men and Women from the National Survey of Family Growth”, surveyed 12,000 men and women in the U.S.. The shocking finding ? More men than women (66% of men to 51% of women) think marriage is better than staying single.

I guess this gives Jamaican women another reason to migrate to the U.S. as quickly as possible. For those of you that aren't great at math, this study suggests that there will be a very substantial number of American men (15%) who will want to get married and won't be able to find any American women to marry them…..

Job security : Office of the Prime Minister

Much is being made of the fact that

the PNP suddenly has lots of candidates who want to run for office, and that this will certainly mean that people who thought that they were shoo-ins for particular constituencies are going to be very unhappy about all the new competition.

Portia on victory night, Feb 2006

Of course, Portia's supporters are being blamed for trying to push out Peter Phillip's supporters. Portia is being blamed for:-

(1) NOT ASSERTING HER AUTHORITY by kicking out the Peter Phillips people and putting her own people in place…..

(2) FOR ASSERTING HER AUTHORITY and running her supporters in crucial seats……

Look for it all to get very amusing over the long hot summer (unless, of course, we have a really devastating hurricane which always manages to concentrate our minds wonderfully…)

“How to Pass the New Police Selection System” (Harry Tolley, Catherine Tolley, Billy Hodge)

“The Essays of Warren Buffett : Lessons for Corporate America” (Warren E. Buffett)

“How to Love a Black Man” (Ronn Elmore)

“The Personal Security Handbook: How to Keep Yourself and Your Family Safe from Crime” (D. G. Conway)

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: Corruption, crime, Jamaica, Jamaican, national security, Portia Simpson Miller