Usain Bolt: The World's Fastest Man

Gi Dem Donkey Lents Usain




On Sunday Morning I awoke to the great news. Usain Bolt is now the fastest man in the world. Wow! It made my heart swell with pride. Usain accomplished this mighty feat in what was essentially a preparation race for his better events, the 200 and 400m. This means he wasn’t even trying to set a record, yet he did. That makes it phenomenal.

My pride was even larger when I realized that another Jamaican champion, Osafa Powell, was the previously fastest man last year. We are producers of athletic champions - Drug and hormone free. We are unrivaled in this prodigiousness. Who can test?

I was not totally surprised because I had read of his achievement at the Jamaica Invitational earlier. I thought then that he had it in him to do great things, but I was thinking Olympic gold medal and apparently so was he. In his modest tone, he stated that while it feels good to be the world’s fastest man, he is mindful of the fleeting nature of that glory. True, as he says, his record can be broken at any time. He is looking to the more lasting memorial of Olympic gold. I appreciate his reasoning. All the world watches the Olympics and your name is written in the history books for posterity. I hope he achieves this, but for now I will bask in the reflection off his glow and feel good about being a Jamaican.

People are excited and of course many now hope that he will do the 100 at the Olympics too. I hope he makes a wise decision and does the events he feels most comfortable with.

Congratulations Bolt. I am now even more excited for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Tyson Gay our boys going to whoop your ass. Watch Out!

No Place for Gay Men

A few days ago PM Golding declared to the world, via the BBC in England, that he would never allow a gay person to sit in his Cabinet. This opinion was widely hailed in Jamaica as a true show of strength and leadership by the PM. He was lauded for sticking to it the cultural imperialist who want to impose their views on Jamaica. Of course Jamaica, being a God fearing country, would have none of this.

My Opinion? I disagree. Bruce Golding represents the people of Jamaica and should encourage legislation and government that represents the interest of all its citizens. The laws in Jamaica prohibit discrimination. Golding by these words has just expressed a disregard for the law of the land even while touting the law that says that buggery is illegal. True it is illegal, but like so many other politically inconvenient issues the law being used as an excuse for inertia. Former PM Patterson infamously stated that the law is not a shackle, and then went on to declare an impromptu National Holiday to celebrate the Reggae Boyz success in their World Cup march. Patterson is right. The law is not a shackle it is a tool to be judiciously and justly to the benefit of the citizens of a country, and if the Reggae Boyz and Jamaica could enjoy the fluidity of the law so too can this segment of the population. From where I sit gay rights are human rights as surely as women, children and black people have rights. I always hasten to remind people that not too long the law allowed slavery, treated women and children as property and denied the vote to everyone including white people unless you were a white male of a certain amount of property value. The law changed. These anti-gay laws can change too. The law is not a shackle.

However, in order to change laws politicians must be able to take unpopular positions and demonstrate leadership. It also requires the expense of some political capital. In these days of political pandering no politician is going to show such leadership or expend such capital, and causes that that are definitely unpopular will go nowhere. I would hope that we could have more politicians in Jamaica that are willing to buck the populist trend and institute reforms that gives more protection to their gay and lesbian citizens. These men and women work as hard as anyone else and their money is just as green. They contribute to the economy, their families and the country. They should have some protection and equality under the law. I find it strange that in Jamaica’s bible thumping society, so bent upholding the ways of the bible, that criminals can murder people in front of large crowds and walk away without being fingered, but a gay man can’t walk down the street without fear of being beaten to death by a mob. I find it strange that the music glorifies gunmen, dons and bad boys but denigrates gay individuals with threats against their lives and property. The masses sing and dance and extol the bad man tunes, lifting their figurative guns to the air as they big up the scourges most often identified as the biggest sources of problem in Jamaica, the bad man. They also do the same when the selector asks them to voice their disapproval of gays. No, they must never be allowed to walk in the dance, and you should never associate with people of that kind. But I wonder when the schools are closed down from violence, and mothers hold their head and cry from losing a son or daughter to crime, when people run in the night from their burning houses in the midst of rival gang warfare, when grandmothers are killed on their doorstep and children cower under their beds hiding from men running through the backyard who the culprits are. I’ve never heard of any gay going on a crime rampage. Still we big up the gunman and denigrate the gays. I find this incompatible with my religious views about the sanctity of life.

When I had this discussion with my friend in Barbados she said I had been living in the US for too long. Funny. I worked in DuPont circle for a while and that is one of the gayest places you could ever set foot in. During my lunch breaks on warm spring days I would eat lunch in the park. There, milling about openly and unashamedly, were all kinds of gay couples - Men, Women, Transsexuals, Black, White and Asians. At first it was a shock to sit on a park bench and see too men holding hands and sharing a salad but after awhile I didn’t even notice. In Tallahassee, there were many female cross dressers who I couldn’t even tell until after careful consideration that they were women. I was the target of some of their pick up attempts and I know people who cry bloody murder for this kind of thing but after the shock of it I just didn’t care. I know I’m not gay and they could never turn me gay so who cares. It’s just someone else to turn down. I don’t think my friend was right though, it’s not that I’ve become desensitized, it’s just that their lifestyle doesn’t affect me. I think my energies are better spent on things that matter and those who would do real harm to society.

Now here in the US California has legalized gay marriage and America continues to discuss where they want to go on the issue. I don’t support gay marriage. Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman. I support civil unions and the rights of gays in those relationships. That's not US desensitization, it’s just my view of human rights.

Additionally, I am one of those of the opinion that being gay is not uniformly a lifestyle choice. I understand the biology of how gender and sexual preference is determined and understand from science that people occupy a wide spectrum along this path. People may have fully functional and developed male genitalia but have genetic codes mixing male and female. Hormones released during pregnancy could cause an excessive amount of exposure to a biological female that makes her more like man in personality and sexual preference. It’s a fact of life, these things happen. I could no more discriminate against someone because of their skin colour, or their sickle cell condition, both caused by genes, than I could someone who is gay.

My mom, little sister and I had a discussion on these very same issues and she told me of her recent visit to a department store. MY little sis pointed out a male cross dresser to her. Uncertain but curious they trailed this man around the store so they could get a good look. When the man turned and they got their look they ran off bewildered. My sister, she fell on the floor laughing. My mom, a very conservative woman who has never before witnessed any of this kind of thing, was bewildered. She ended bent over laughing and crying at the same time. She felt pity for someone who would make himself look so appalling to go out in public. We both asked why anyone would choose a life of such suffering if they could help it. She supports Bruce Golding and his Cabinet policy. However, after our discussion of the legal, human rights, biblical and cultural aspects and biological science of the matter she acknowledged her agreement with me that most of these people need sympathy and understanding.

A Pastor friend of mine discussed the apparent biological and biblical conflict of gayness. I asked him why God would allow anyone to be made/ born gay and then have to spend their whole lives as condemned beings, fighting their biological natures. He reminded me that God gives us all challenges to bear and overcome in our lives, being gay is one of them. He says that not because you are gay (and God gave you these genetic predispositions) means you have to succumb to these impulses. He says we have freedom of choice and can exercise control over these desires through prayer and a relationship with God. My relationship with God is complicated right now, so I still am thinking about that one.

Health Care Reform - Freeness, Quality and Equity

It has been a long while since I have updated my blog. It’s not there haven’t been things of interest occurring in my life and the world; it’s just been that I have been a bit lazy and distracted. This post may have already been blogged to death, but here is my 2 cents worth on health care reform.

I recently watched a very interesting documentary called “Sick Around the World” on PBS. It compared the Healthcare system of the US to the developed countries of Japan, Germany, Taiwan, Switzerland and the UK. You may view the summary of findings here. The healthcare debate is raging here in the US Presidential elections as Americans clamor for a reformed system that is more affordable and responsive. Despite the broken system, most Americans abhor the idea of “socialized medicine” as practiced in Europe. The candidates have put forward their suggestion and unsurprisingly, the Republican John McCain is still advocating the continuation of a failed market based system. The democrats are somewhat better in their proposals, and despite the fear of “socialized medicine” propose plans drawing on features practiced in Europe. Hillary Clinton supports government mandated “Universal Health Care” where Americans will be required to purchase health insurance, facilitated by lower prices, with penalties that might include garnishing of wages for those who don’t. Barack Obama, supports lowering premium costs to allow more person to purchase portable insurance and access care in a system with reduced costs and improved services. He asserts that only those who don’t want to purchase health insurance would not have it. He essentially sees the issue as a problem of costs, not of will, and therefore would not institute a government mandate. In reality there is very little difference in the details between the democrats’ plans. They essentially share the same goals and strategies but seem to differ mainly on the issue of the mandate.

From the documentary I learned that US ranked highest amongst the countries in patient satisfaction but still had the most expensive system. It also appeared to have the most inequitable system of the industrialized countries. Among other things the costs are high and represent a significant and rising share of wages, patients with pre-existing conditions are routinely denied care and health insurance is not portable thus leaving or losing a job means you are without insurance. It is not uncommon for people to go bankrupt over healthcare costs. All the other countries basically found the notion of people going bankrupt to pay for health care ridiculous and alien. Starting from the point of view that health care is a fundamental human right that a government is obligated to provide to its citizens, these countries have designed various systems that guarantee affordable and access to quality care. The overarching features appear to be government set prices aimed at affordability not profitability. The ways people pay into the system vary from universal taxation managed by the government in the UK, to buying into non-profit “sickness funds” in Germany – home of socialized healthcare, and mandated health insurance purchase in Japan. In these countries those who can’t afford to pay are subsidized by the government. At the end of the day all the citizens have access to medicines, doctors and medical procedures. Additionally, the administrative costs are lower, record keeping is comprehensive and few have gate keepers in the form of doctors who must refer you to specialist before you can access those services. Gate keepers tend to raise the delivery cost and I find them to be a waste of time. In Japan you can go to any specialist as often as you like. This is good but there is no comprehensive medical history. In Britain, they reduce costs by encouraging preventative medicine. However, they are paid from the National Health System, not the individual patient as in the US. Switzerland has “frilly stuff” like massage therapy and spa treatments. But if it sounds frivolous just consider that the citizens of Switzerland and these other countries also have a longer life expectancy than the US and no doubt Jamaica.

These systems aren’t without their problems though. The doctors, highly trained specialist, do not feel adequately compensated and do not enjoy the rich lifestyles of their counterparts in the US. In Germany doctors were protesting the wages and a few in Japan complained that their businesses were unable to turn a profit because of prices being set by the government. The price of medicine, equipment and insurance were not reflective of the market situation. They are set by the government to eliminate competitive pricing and keep the system “affordable”. I wondered why doctors would continue to practice under such a system and although the documentary did not directly address this, there were references to a few individuals seeking more lucrative opportunities elsewhere. My own naïve opinion is that some people just continue out of love and duty. I couldn’t think of anything else.

Meanwhile, Jamaica has moved ahead with its plan of offering free healthcare to all its citizens. I commend Jamaica for its bold stance on providing healthcare as matter of human right and its acknowledgement of the role this plays in human development. I expect that if properly managed, this will undoubtedly contribute to our national development. However, I wonder about the efficacy of the new system. Worthy of note is that all these other developed countries commissioned studies to look at the best of the best systems around the world. They took the good, left out the bad and adopted it to their countries needs and abilities to produce a system that worked for them. I have not heard of any such thing in the Jamaican system and while I hope that this is just due to poor media reporting I seriously doubt that that is the case. The news of budget scrambling and tax increases that had to be enacted to pay for the system seems to bear this out. This does not sound like the most efficient and sustainable way to carry out of reform such a large magnitude and importance.

The Jamaican system was, and is still, seriously broken. The abolition of the user fees benefits the poorest in the Jamaican society and, according to The Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI), because it contributed little to the overall Health budget the government can make up the shortfall elsewhere. That might be true but CaPRI, the other experts, practitioners in the field and me all agree that we need to consider is that what we need is a system that is not only “free” but efficient and of a high quality. Free access to hospitals with insufficient nurses, doctors, beds and medical supplies is not really a substantial improvement in healthcare delivery. The two, healthcare quality and access, must work together if the overall system is to improve and people are to truly benefit. Until then Jamaica will continue to have a dual system of the haves of the have-nots. Those who can afford to will continue to use the private option, and those who can’t, will endure the inefficient government system. Truly, it is better than nothing, but this duality has no place in a society where everyone is equal and should be treated as such. The least fortunate in our society should have care as good as the most fortunate. That’s how human rights work – everyone is equal.

I advocate that Jamaica does the prudent thing and examine the systems of other countries to determine what works and what doesn’t. We don’t need to reinvent a non-functioning wheel, laboring stupidly over a broken system with hodgepodge solutions instead of implementing sensible tested solutions. I haven’t heard anything of bringing more payers into the system to spread the cost burden. There is no word of using technology to reduce administrative costs through information linkage, storage and sharing systems. The shortage of doctor’s in an open market system like Jamaica’s leads to higher prices, poor care and overworked doctors. The government has plans to recruit and train more doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. This should increase access and reduce costs. This is a long term plan though, and the government must seriously consider training these professionals while absorbing some of the costs and compensating through bonding them to public service, somewhat like they did for nurses. Additionally, I don’t necessarily advocate price setting but a review of costs for medical services should be conducted to ensure that they are fairly priced. Generally, facilities need to be improved, machinery installed and specialized services expanded. I am no healthcare policy professional but free healthcare is just a start and Jamaica needs to seriously consider how to improve the entire system.

At the end of the documentary it was noted that the US has a disjointed system, offering “separate systems for separate classes of people”. Jamaica faces a similar dilemma. It also notes that while the plans of the US Presidential candidates represent some improvement they are not comprehensive enough, and they need to contemplate more seriously the successful examples of other countries. I agree with the documentary and believe that both countries need a system that serves everyone equally, fairly and cheaply.

Garrisons of the mind - USA and Jamaica

It’s campaign silly season again and the candidates are busy trying to do as much damage to each other as possible. I am personally fatigued by the bickering over the minutiae and the media’s perpetuation of these inconsequential matters while acting as if they are valid news stories – Hillary’s beer and whiskey shots, Obama’s bowling etc. These stories are supposed to give an insight to the soul of the candidates and help voters gain a personal understanding of these people. None of these gets us any closer to seeing how they lead. The last election all of America voted on who they wanted to “have a beer with” and got George Bush as President. Now they probably wouldn’t even want to share a table in the bar with the guy. His beer drinking facility spoke nothing about his leadership abilities. This politics of personality is petty, and can be destructive, as it distracts the focus from genuine issues. However, some of these non-issue stories reveal character traits and can give us a glimpse into how they would lead. Cindy McCain’s plagiarizing of Food Network recipes and Hillary’s lying about Bosnia is dishonest. Hillary as a Candidate did herself damage by showing she has no problem bending the truth to serve her own purposes. She appropriately paid the price by the dip in the polls of her trustworthiness ratings.

Now Obama has gone and messed up his sweet ride by lumping together bitterness, God, guns, anti-immigration sentiment etc. The media is making a big hoopla over the story but has once again missed the point. The statement was made in response to a question of how race factors into his difficulty getting working class whites to vote for him. He was in essence defending these people by saying it was not race related but due to the fact that people don’t always vote their economic interests. They instead vote on issues where they feel they will get some results like religious and gun issues as opposed to one’s where they would be neglected – economic issues. This is nothing new. I learned of this phenomenon watching shows like Chris Matthews Hardball and Joe Scarborough’s Morning Joe. They have often referred to poor people voting against their economic issues to support republicans because of these other issues – God and guns. It’s a well known phenomenon. Obama stated it inarticulately and he has apologized but defends his sentiment. The media pretends to have no clue of what he meant and his rivals call him elitist. They do not mention that he was denying accusations of racism in his inability to get white voters and that he was trying to get people to realize that poor people are angry over a lack of government responsiveness on economic issues over the last 25 years.

The upshot of all of this is that both Clinton and McCain have said that they do not believe he is an elitist but is statement is. His defense is that he and his wife has working class roots, dragged themselves up from the circumstances of their birth and fought hard to acquire the things they now have. Now all the candidates vie to prove the same record of working class roots and I believe they all have validity. Some, like Obama, stayed in this class longer than others, while other like McCain and the Clinton’s moved up a while ago. All of them did this through hard work and sacrifice. However, elitism is not only an affliction of the wealthy, because as a philosophy on government and social organization, anyone holding those views, even with middle class or working class status, can be elitist. So this “I am rich, but once was poor defense” is inconsequential.

According to www.dictionary.com elitism is:

1. Practice of or belief in rule by an elite.
2. Consciousness of or pride in belonging to a select or favored group.
and
1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.
2.
a. The sense of entitlement enjoyed by such a group or class.
b. Control, rule, or domination by such a group or class.

Is Obama an elitist? No. Was his statement elitist? No. I do not see, based on these definitions, how such conclusions can be drawn from Obama’s statement or subsequent explanation. How can a statement defending working class poor that encourages them to consider their economic interests in choosing a leader be seen as elitist? I really don’t know. If Clinton and McCain don’t believe he is elitist why accuse him of this then. The simple answer - political expediency. They cater to the simplest base instincts of people, telling them what to feel, what to think and how to interpret these “complex” issues. They do not trust the electorate to consider these issues and draw their own conclusions. They make sure they know they should be outraged. Even if they do not believe the charges, they will make them because they know they can gain political mileage.

This theory of winning by all means is even more disturbing to me coming from Hillary Clinton because as it stands she has no real path to winning the nomination except through the super delegates. She is willing to tear down Obama and damage her party to acquire power. She trails in elected delegates and says these party officials have no obligation to follow the will of the voters. The super delegates, on whom she is banking to hand her the nomination despite the popular vote, know better than the ordinary voter what is best for the country, and that is her. She is behind in number of states won, and calls the small ones she hasn’t won “boutique” states. What does that mean? The people in these states are mere decorative trinkets in the democratic process. She has a lead, albeit dwindling, among the super delegates, the true party elites, whom she has an inside track to because of her years in Washington. Her supporter James Carville was so upset at Bill Richardson’s support for Obama he called the Governor “Judas”. How dare he go against the Clinton’s who had given him so much? Doesn’t he owe his allegiance to this dynasty? He had no right as an elected official and servant of the people to think in the interest of those he represents only to give loyalty to the former and aspiring dynastic rulers. These things are by definition elitist. They reflect a belief that she is part of the ruling class and that the will of the people can be ignored as necessary to get her to the seat of her power, the White House.

Someone should call her on this, but the media has abdicated its role as an unbiased provider of information to the masses and is now an entertainment source providing “witty” sound bites taken out context and the shallowest most sensationalized analysis. The 24 hour news channels are perhaps the worst things to happen to democracy, they crave ratings so much that they dare not do their job for fear of upsetting their advertisers and losing their economic lifeline viewers. They underestimate their viewer’s intelligence and pander, like the politicians, to the lowest instincts. It is this failure which allowed the government to go unchallenged into Iraq. No one dared asked the hard questions. At the onset of the Iraq war they focused on “Shock and Awe” and put up eye-catching graphics while reporting from the dessert, excited about the sensationalism of being on the battles frontlines. No one asked where were the WMDs or how the country could prove they didn’t have it (How can you prove a negative?). In 2000 they all wanted to know who would Americans most like to have a beer with. Now they act all outraged over the Iraq war and amazed at Bush’s failures but still refuse to make real probing news. Now the media is more concerned about Obama’s “bitter” comments, how they are being interpreted, and how they affect his ratings instead of putting the comment in the appropriate context and discussing the validity, or invalidity, of his assertion. In this election can we move beyond the bar shots, bowling alleys and cow farm bottle feedings please?

I hate when politicians and media speak condescendingly and patronizingly to people. When we are not properly informed we are unable to make decisions in our best interest. Knowledge is power and perhaps some of these characters enjoy keeping us in the dark, distracted, and upset over trivialities so we don’t have enough time to focus on the real issues affecting us. I use to think America had no garrisons, but apparently I was wrong. If you are trapped into a purely politically biased stream of thought so that you cannot rationally consider other alternatives then you are in a mental garrison. It is as much a state of mind here as it is for the people in Rema and Tivoli. No one kills each other over the politics but they operate on the same narrow minded levels. Apparently politicians and media are the same the world over.

I really hope one day to be able to start a Political and Economic think tank in Jamaica that caters to Jamaican people, particularly those in garrison communities and other ghetto areas. It would be non-political but educational, giving people information in an unbiased way to be able to assess economic, political and social issues independently. I know many people have the foundations of this through life experiences but people with formal education they are better equipped through wider and deeper exposure. I hope to give more people the tools to be able to do this. How they vote after that is their business. I just wish they would think.

P.S. – This was written before the last debate in Pennsylvania. That debate raised new distractions and resurrected some old ones. However, the constants of questionable media behavior and inordinate focus on issues of no value to voters remain. I’m so over it and apparently so is most of America.

Spring and Cherry Blossoms in DC

This weekend was the Annual Cherry Blossom Street Festival/ Sakura Matsuri in Washington, DC. This is the largest Japanese festival in the USA. It featured Japanese and Asian cuisine; a Japanese beer garden; exhibits of Japanese arts and crafts; Japanese and Asian products; the new “J-POP Land” highlighting Japan’s modern youthful society; martial arts demonstrations; and live performances of both traditional and popular Japanese culture. What started as a rainy day, with threats of storms, turned out to be a pretty cool day to be out and about. This was my birthday present to myself and I enjoyed it. I could not find any one to go with me to the event but did not miss the company really.

I got there just in time to see the second staging of the acts and they were great. The Imajin Taiko Drummers, an act from Okinawa could be heard far down Pennsylvania Ave. and people moved quickly, but orderly, to the stage. I jumped up on a street side planter and got some good pictures before the cop came and told me to get down. Those guys had attitude and charm. I like Japanese boys and always think they are cute. Those guys were no exception. The Imajin Nix Hamaya Karate Daiko groups which perform martial arts with the Taiko were too tired from their earlier from performances to do the afternoon show. I was disappointed. Other acts in the dance and drum vein followed and were entertaining. Happy Fun Smile, a group of performers from New York that includes a couple of white guys, a Brazilian and Japanese girls were very good. They gave a performance of traditional Japanese street music and Japanese rock. I loved their costumes and believe their name is really appropriate. The last act Mitsumassyu was exceptionally cute. The lead singer had a good voice and I think I got the gist of her songs despite not speaking any Japanese. These two groups had the audience rocking.

Unfortunately, because of my hesitation to go out in the bad weather I missed a lot of the activities including the Cos play fashion show. That would easily have been the highlight of my day. At day’s end I bought myself a family crane origami piece. It expressed the sentiments of my birthday wish: family, love, success and peace.

As for my trip to Japan the latest is that I was not placed for May as the company had promised. I was disappointed but still I am still hopeful that an August date is possible. Om March 31, I received an email addressed to Adam about a placement in Yokohama for the end of May. I wrote back, trying to confirm if this was meant for me. At the same time, I became distracted by a family situation and lost focus. I did not follow up, even as I waited on the response and none came. Yesterday, 15 days later, I realized I had not checked my junk mail for a while. This shocked me because I had made a habit of doing so but I guess I just slacked off. There on April 1 was the response from my recruiter that the email was meant for me and I had a placement for May. What?!! After emails back and forth I learned the placement is no longer available but we will still be working for August.

This brings me to Jamaica and my dream job there. I was bitterly disappointed in March when I was looking forward to going home for the interview to be told casually by the same HR person that the interviews were conducted in December and people were already placed. WTF! I was mad, bitter, hurt and disappointed. My friends and family warned me of my folly and now said “see I told you so, so you shouldn’t be surprised”. They all thought that this woman had her own agenda and people who she wanted to get this job because she thought, me as a foreigner wouldn’t be interested in the small pay and life in Jamaica. It hurt because I had agonized over my choices and decided I was willing to take the small pay and make the sacrifices as part of my goal of serving my country through the civil service. I decided this despite the advice of friends of family, save a very few. It hurt because this HR person made unfounded judgments about me and my intentions. It hurt because once again the system of cronyism and inefficiency in Jamaica had beaten me. I know that if I was well connected enough she would have moved mountains and cleared paths to make it possible. I know this because I worked with this Ministry and was one of those bottom dwellers who moved mountains and cleared paths for the well connected. I asked her why she never told me about the interviews and she said she that didn’t think I could make it to the interview. She never asked me, despite the fact that in each email and call, of which there were several, I reiterated my interest in the post and availability for the interview. After going through the grieving it really makes me wonder what I am fighting for. Life can be easier elsewhere and with encouragement from people like her it’s no wonder people choose the easier way. If I do get to go Japan, it won’t be my dream job, but I won’t have to deal with this from my own people.

Here are some videos from the festival:

Light Bulbs and Darkness in Jamaica

I am pleased to see the steps being taken by the judicial system to sort out the mess that is the “Cuban Light Bulb Scandal”. It shows that the country is on a new path of accountability, and those who put themselves up to serve the interests of the public must not only enjoy the power of the position but also bear the responsibility.

However, I am surprised that no comment has been forthcoming about the PNPs earlier investigation in the matter shortly after the news broke. Today they have proclaimed themselves to be firmly against corruption but just a few short weeks ago thought it entirely appropriate to establish a panel to investigate the matter themselves. It was like setting the cat to guard the milk. The panel itself was of dubious expertise and unsurprisingly found that there was nothing of an illegal nature to cause concern but merely some mishandling on the part of their Minister and his Junior Minister. Such a result, viewed in the light of what has since transpired, is telling. It tells us that we cannot trust our leaders who claim to have no tolerance for corruption.

The scandal ridden 18 ½ years PNP administration has much to answer for. I do not subscribe to the view of this being a witch hunt. It is simply a matter of matter of accountability in government. Accountability of our public servants to those whom they have pledged to serve - the Jamaican people. I believe that if Jamaica gets used to this idea of accountability we will be on the road to solving many of the issues of governance that we face and be better able to address the negative fallout from its poor practice. This is not a political issue, and I advise Jamaicans to put down their party mantle in this battle and put on the armor of justice for the cause of Jamaica. I for one expect proper governance from any party who is going to serve me.

Additionally, to those who would seek to dismiss all this as a matter of “inefficiency and deficiency” I say Come on! Such thinking is just darkness. How long we can excuse such poor handling of the people’s business while the people toil under the economic fallout of the consequences? The child in that inner city school with dreams of being a doctor but having no proper lab equipment to learn with deserves better. The patients who go the KPH and can’t be accommodated in a comfortable facility in their time of illness and distress deserve better. All of us who rely on government services deserve the proper use and administration of our resources. We worked hard for it and we simply deserve better than it being squandered by inefficient government officers who live their lives removed from the very hassles of these concerns because of their privileged positions.

This is Jamaica, my Jamaica, the land of my birth. Going Home with Anthony Bourdain.

I waited excitedly for weeks to view the Travel Channel program No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain: Jamaica. I am a regular viewer of the Travel Channel and Bourdain’s No Reservations program is a favorite. I love his unfiltered and more than slightly jaded view of the world. I was looking forward to Jamaica getting the same treatment. Bourdain held no punches and I was not disappointed when he opened his show at Helshire Beach, my favorite hang out spot in Jamaica. It was sufficient to remind me of those impulsive Sunday trips to the beach for some sun, sand and the best fish and festival anywhere in the world. As he said, food always tastes better with bare feet. He reminded viewers that if they wanted the “One Love” Jamaica from the TV commercials that that is there too, but in essence this is the real Jamaica that the people know and live with on a daily basis. I was proud to see this but I’m sure there are those who would be disturbed by the unveiling of the pretentious veneer.

In my US experience, as soon as someone knows you are from Jamaica they automatically continue into the “How beautiful it is” speech. They want to go there one day or they went there and thought it was paradise. I smile and go along with the conversation… so where did you visit? It’s usually one of the tourist meccas - Ocho Rios, Montego Bay or Negril. They all had a great time at the hotels, drank some run and coconut water, ate some spicy chicken (Jerk?) and ate something that looked like scrambled eggs with fried bananas and some other things they can’t remember or can’t quite describe (ackee and saltfish with fried plantains and dumplings or boiled bananas with some other cooked food). Yeah, I feel happy that they had such a good time and of course very pleased when they want to go back. I enjoy the conversation and enjoy sharing my knowledge of the island, its people and culture. But underneath all this pleasant talk is the thought that that is not the real Jamaica. It’s just the public face we share with the world to keep earning those tourist dollars and keep the economy moving. I appreciate this as a fact of life for the way Jamaica must be packaged and marketed. Those commercials make me nostalgic for my vacation days in Negril and Ocho Rios too.

Yet again there are those people, few...but they are out there, who will want to have conversations about the other Jamaica I know. The one I lived when not on vacation. The Jamaica where people are hard working but struggle to make a living, where violence, crime and corruption are issues that threaten to tear the society apart, where dancehall is king and street dances like Passa Passa are the people’s party. I like talking about this Jamaica too and almost feel like I’ve found a kindred soul in my “secret” Jamaica Club.

Well, Bourdain got right into the nitty gritty showing this latter side of Jamaica – Coronation market with its fresh local produce where you can get every and anything, officially run by the government but practically controlled by the criminal elements. Run down shacks and strewn garbage where people eke out a tough living while trying to avoid being the next victims of crime in the country with the highest murder rate in the world. Passa Passa street dances where the ubiquitous young DJ’s try to get a buss and dance crews vie for supremacy and worldwide fame. Beef patties and chicken foot soup eaten on the run. Helshire, the local peoples Sunday beach and the entrepreneurs who make a living there frying fish, giving horse rides, selling oysters and carving out tourist trinkets. The Jerk chicken man on Red Hills road and the disorderly consumers who stop traffic trying to complete their purchase of the weekend treat. It was real and not very pretty, but still I loved it. This was home.

As I say, and as Bourdain confirms, Jamaica is a land of glaring contradictions. It more often shows the tourist paradise side of this contradiction to the world, but the other side also exists and occasionally gets its time in the sun. You wouldn’t be mistaken to think of Jamaica as either one of the contrasting notions, but to really know Jamaica, you must know both. Good job Bourdain, I was not disappointed.

P.S. That cave was a hell hole and even for a place “off the beaten path” that was too much for anyone except those cave loving explorers. I feared for his health.

I loved how that young kid at the blue mountain could explain so eloquently about the ackee. Well done kid.

The other sections can be found on you tube at: http://youtube.com/results?search_query=BOURDAIN+JAMAICA&search_type=

The picture on my Blog Header was taken at Helshire Beach on my last visit home.

The Half Way Tree Transportation Centre - A fi wi! We mus tek care ah it.

I am a bit late on this note but must commend the Jamaican government, both current and previous for the new Transportation Centre in Half Way Tree. The $4.7-billion, double-level centre has passenger holding areas and several bus bays. The facility also boasts 17 commercial shops; a 900-foot food court; four commercial kiosks; 17 public toilets with two equipped for the disabled; an office building to accommodate staff from the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, and an office for officials from the Port Authority of Jamaica, which will be managing the terminal. I am also very pleased to hear of their plans to construct a similar centre Downtown.

The centre sounds beautiful and the service appears to be online to meeting some very high standards. I sincerely, hope that this high quality in both the physical appearance and service is maintained. Yet the challenge of this has already begun less than a week after its opening. The ubiquitous sidewalk vendors are already encroaching on the premises. We all know what this type of unregulated commerce can do to a place and it should not be tolerated. I remember when Mandela Park was opened in Half Way Tree. It was beautiful with the fountain and cool shaded spots in the park. It was a pleasure to walk through the park on my way to school at St. Andrew High, just down the road. My cousins and I spent many evenings and Christmas eves hanging out there and it was clean and safe. Not too long after vendors took up residence and the criminal elements soon followed. The park reeked with garbage, urine, criminals and bothersome vendors. The one retreat for young people like myself was lost. We should not allow that to happen again. Jamaica, this is what your money bought you. It is ours, take care of it and help the authorities to enforce the no-vending regulations by boycotting these undisciplined individuals.

My other concern is why weren’t the concessionary stands opened at the same time as the center? I think some foresight and diligence in planning would have avoided the center being opened and operating at a loss with subsequent subsidies in revenue by government. Get your act together Jamaica. We can’t afford to keep funding inefficient operations. Air Jamaica, JUTC and the Sugar Industry are already too much.

On a nostalgic and optimistic note I hope the Mandela Park green space and the park Downtown will also be returned to their former glory as part of the effort of urban renewal and development. I think green spaces like these parks and public services like the transportation centre contribute to a more peaceful country by providing outlets for stress reduction and removing hassles in the conduct of what should be routine business. These are worthy investments.

Thinking of going home. I am Legend, Marley and Garvey.

So here I am on a lazy Sunday afternoon just relaxing and trying to get my blog up and going. The stated purpose of this blog is really a statement of intention as to what I would like do once I get home. Yep… that’s right I’m not home yet. I’m Washington D.C. mulling over my choices – Japan versus Jamaica. Each has its pros and cons to be sure, but as of now I’m leaning heavily towards going home.

It’s been about 6 years since I’ve really lived in Jamaica. I came here for graduate school and have continued to stay since that time. It’s hard making up mind to go home when you hear such depressing news about crime, employment and prices. My sister, living in Jamaica says there are serial killers everywhere but I don’t think she really gets the idea of the difficult choice. Nonetheless, she may be right. I miss my home, family, friends and easy lifestyle of Jamaica. Jamaica is home I’m tired of the struggles of making my way in the US. We’ll see how this goes and I’ll keep you updated on my thoughts as the process develops.


On another note I just watched I am Legend yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed the many Marley references. It was a good movie, but the music and story of Bob Marley made it that much more enjoyable. It was particularly interesting to hear the reference to the famous Smile Jamaica Peace Concert and the determination of the Legend, Bob Marley, to carry out his mission to be an advocate for peace even in the face of the most difficult circumstances. It was equally heartbreaking to be reminded that this piece of Jamaican history may be lost forever to thievery, inefficiency and poor government regulation as we recently learned that the original recordings of the musical masters, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, were removed from the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation Archives. Garvey said that “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots” and we are now literally losing our history. Shocked at this news crawling across the bottom of the CNN screen I tuned into Wilmot “Mutty” Perkins on Power106 expecting an avalanche of outraged callers. I was instead greeted by an uncaring silence on the issue. Really? Really! No one cares? How long can this tree survive?

Anyways, I felt proud leaving the movie theatre singing out the words of Redemption Song. At least someone appreciates great history.