JAMAICAN MP CALLS FOR OUTLAWING LOCAL GLBT ADVOCATE GROUP J-FLAG...AND HE HAS A VALID POINT (?!)

Those sex-crazed Jamaicans are at it again! This time the latest attacks are cumming from Member of Parliament Ernest Smith for the island's south-west constituency in the parish of St Ann's. Smith, in previous remarks made during a presentation in parliament at Gordon House, expressed what has been keeping him awake at nights: man-on-man action:

"I am very concerned at the extent to which homosexual activities seem to have overtaken this country… I am very concerned that homosexuals in Jamaica have become so brazen, they've formed themselves into organisations and are abusive, violent and something that the Ministry of National Security must look into is why is it that so many homosexuals are licensed firearm holders…

There was a report recently which has never been challenged that our security forces, particularly the Jamaican Constabulary Force, have been overrun by homosexuals … there was a front page report in one of our daily newspapers, which has never been challenged."

Although the ruling Jamaica Labour Party has distanced themselves from MP Smith and his remarks and has advised the island's constabulary force not to be distracted from such remarks, MP Smith continued his attacks telling the island's local newspaper The Gleaner:

"They should be outlawed! How can you legitimise an organisation that is formed for the purpose of committing criminal offences?" Smith declared.

Smith told The Gleaner that the group's continued existence, which he argued was illegal, could lead to other persons forming similar illegal organisations, such as paedophiles and ganja smokers' associations.

I HATE TO ADMIT IT BUT THE MAN HAS A VALID POINT.

UGH.

Homosexuality IS ILLEGAL in Jamaica and you (theoretically) can NOT endorse a group that is promoting activities that are still deemed punishable in the law books of the island (although the only solution to removing those laws is to form organizations that will march and protest for the removal of those laws, but such organizations are illegal...it's a perfect 'Catch-22'!)

Those ancient laws about buggery and the such SHOULD BE removed.....and good luck with that!

The bleedin' churches would have a RELIGIOUS MELTDOWN....

JAMAICA: WHY SURPRISED AT QUESTIONABLE BUSINESS TACTICS BY SPANISH HOTEL COMPANIES?

Headline from today's Jamaica Observer:

ROYAL NO-SHOW
Did stolen sand lawsuit force King and Queen of Spain to call off state visit to Ja?

The article goes on about the case involving sand being stolen from a prime beachfront property and used to bolster the beaches of at least two Spanish-owned tourist resorts in the North Coast of Jamaica. This comes on the heels of other controversial and questionable business practices of Spanish run hotel chains in Jamaica.

And we are surprised by the Spanish disregard for rules and regulations because...?

Remember, this is the European power that decimated the presence of Carib Indians and made extinct the peaceful Arawak Indians of the Caribbean region through slavery and imprisonment in the 1500s, led the charge of the Spanish Inquisition, invaded Mexico, etc.

Do I need to repeat the story of the scorpion and the frog?

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

King Juan Carlos I & Queen Sophia

THE King and Queen of Spain have cancelled their December state visit to Jamaica, immediately setting off speculation that the decision was triggered by a lawsuit against two Spanish-owned hotels being sued over the alleged theft of an estimated 500 truckloads of sand.

High level government sources confirmed last night that the December 2 to 4 visit by King Juan Carlos and his wife had been scrapped, but no official reasons were given, and the telephones at the Spanish embassy rang without answer.

But it was expected that the Royal couple would have attended functions at two of the Spanish hotels named in the suit, as part of their itinerary.

The state-run Jamaica Information Service (JIS) which was handling the media accreditation for the state visit, plans to call off the process officially today, a spokesperson said.

"The feeling at the palace is that the timing of the visit may be bad because the royal couple could be embarrassed if they landed in the middle of a controversial lawsuit," a well placed Observer source said.

News of the cancellation coincided with the filing of the US$8-million claim on November 17 by Fecilitas Limited, owners of the Coral Spring property in Trelawny from which the sand mysteriously disappeared in July.

Three hotels - two of them, Spanish-owned Riu Jamaicotel and Felicitas Jamaica - were named in the lawsuit filed by former solicitor-general Anthony Hylton on behalf of Felicitas. The third is Palmyra Resort and Spa. A company called Bedrock Building and Aggregates Limited was named as the fourth defendant in the Felicitas claim.

Felicitas is a consortium of 15 of Jamaica's most successful young entrepreneurs who shared a common dream of transforming a prime 64-acre property at Coral Spring near Duncans into an $8-billion beachfront development, featuring 36 six-star, luxury villas with spa, restaurant, amphitheatre and marina in phase one, that would serve as a catalyst for undeveloped Trelawny. The beach was to be the centrepiece of the attraction.

The owners are contending that between June and July 2008, the defendants' servants or agents unlawfully and without consent removed a large quantity of sand from its property at Coral Springs and delivered it to properties owned by Fiesta, Riu and Palmyra.

They are seeking damages for trespass; conversion; or alternatively delivery up of the sand taken from their property; costs; interest at commercial rates and "such further or other relief as the court may deem appropriate". Felicitas estimates its losses at US$8.13 million

The developers are staking their claim on forensic tests carried out by the Marine Geology Unit at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies and the Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering at Queen's University, Ontario, Canada which "support a conclusion that samples of sand taken from the defendant hotels' properties are very likely to have come from the Coral Springs property".

The theft of the sand marked one of the few low points, up to this year's US economic fallout, in the local tourism industry where a dramatic boom in hotel construction in Jamaica over the past five years brought new entrants, mainly from Spanish companies such as RIU, Iberostar and The Pinero Group.

The Riu Hotel chain which was involved in another controversy over building breaches near Montego Bay, invested US$250 million in Jamaica during the period.
The cancellation of the Royal visit also coincided with a follow-up call from the Opposition Spokesman on Tourism, Dr Wykeham McNeill yesterday on the Office of the Prime Minister and the security forces to break their silence on the issue of the stolen sand.

"In August, a month after the theft, the country was informed that a report had gone to Cabinet and was being forwarded to the police, but since then there has been a deafening silence on the matter," McNeill complained in a release.

"I am again warning the Government that the longer this silence continues, there will be more rumours and speculation of a cover-up. We the Opposition will not rest until we get an answer as to who was behind the theft of the sand, and why it is taking so long to resolve this case," he added.

THEORIES WHY JAMAICAN SPRINTERS ARE SO FAST

Reading reports on the Internet buzzing with excitement surrounding the prominence of Jamaican athletes in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the one question that keeps popping up is, "What's the secret to their speed and agility? How do they do it?"

I thought about this and have my own theories:

1. Could it be the cuisine? Jamaicans LOVE their spicy meats from various parts of various animals, boiled or fried in generous quantities of oil and smothered with copious amounts of savory greasy gravy. And cooking isn't cooking without a some dosage of Scotch Bonnet pepper! Most Jamaicans are also addicted to eating "food", otherwise known as ground provisions. These starchy items range from yams (white and yellow), Irish potatoes, dasheen, cocoa, green bananas, plantain, etc. Jamaicans also have a love affair with boiled flour in the form of boiled dumplings or 'spinners'. Our food is so well known that some spices in supermarkets worldwide are identified by the adjective "Jamaican" e.g Jamaican curry - specially mixed and categorized from other kinds of curry powder, Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, etc.

2. Or is it the weather? Professional athletes and trainers know that muscles perform better when warmed up - and God knows that it pretty warm in Jamaica. Could that be it? Muscles grown in such balmy weather work better? Is that the secret?

3. What about the music? It's stimulating, inspirational, it's the spirit and the soul of the Jamaican people. It's in our blood from birth, stirring up our passion and zest for life. And we're not only talking about reggae music - there's pocco music, goatskin drums, the bass, soca and calypso, gospel......

4. Maybe it's the physical territory of Jamaica? The famous Blue Mountains, the white sand beaches, the grassy plains? The land is rich with resources: Jamaica has one of the world's largest deposit of the aluminum ore bauxite, and is a major contributor to the sugar industry. They're coffee is ranked the best in the world, and the rum is excellence par none. Maybe the land also has a direct effect on the people living on it.

5. Or is it the ethnic mix of the people? Jamaicans comprise a hardy crew, derived from a combination of races and nations: English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, African, Indian, Chinese, German, Lebanese, Spanish, Dutch. But first and foremost - they're Jamaican: cut them and they bleed black/green/gold.

Personally I think it's all of this...and none of these, that makes us special.

It's just good, reliable, authentic, indigenous "Jamaican magic" that from birth we feel, sense, know and embrace.

And that magic has the world under our spell.

NBC's BOB COSTAS DEMONSTRATES POOR SPORTSMANSHIP

Tonight, while plodding along on the treadmill at my gym and watching the lead into tonight's NBC coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics I was insulted at comments (alleged) sportscaster Bob Costas made regarding Usain Bolts win of the 100m race.

Below is a copy of an email sent to NBC headquarters:

TO: THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING CORPORATION (NBC)

Sirs,

I am appalled at the comments Mr. Costas made during the opening segment of tonight's coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics (7 pm CDT 8/18/08). His remarks regarding Usain Bolt's actions upon winning the 100m race were un-called for, and demonstrates his ignorance and poor sportsmanship. His consistent use of the word 'freak' to describe Mr. Bolt's performance WAS in fact (contrary to his attempt to dismiss) seen as derogatory, and a poorly disguised jab at a Jamaican sportsman during his best performance.

Mr. Bolt was celebrating in his cultural way his joy on winning a gold medal for his country. His actions are akin to those seen on a daily basis by his compatriots in Jamaica who gesticulate in similar fashion on personal achievements. More importantly what Mr. Bolt did in no way impeded the results of the other runners, and was not a distraction nor obstacle to the other athletes participating. Neither was it outside of known sports decorum.

Mr. Costas is demonstrating his disappointment and poor sportsmanship that an "all-important-American" did NOT win the coveted spot of athletics.

Just to clarify: Jamaica is number one in the world per capita with regards to sprinting; please advise Mr. Costas to familiarize himself with the above fact and move on.

Any further disparaging remarks by Mr. Costas will be seen as an attack on the character and sportsmanship of the Jamaican people. Also, he seems to be attempting the start of a campaign to smear a victory treasured by Jamaicans - and can be interpreted as borderline bigotry.

I trust you shall govern yourselves accordingly.

I am,

(name and address)

P.S. Pardon my lack of use of the phrases 'Yah, mon!" and "No problem mon!!"; contrary to popular ignorance - Jamaicans do not stereotypically speak in this manner.

Lesbian avoids deportation to Jamaica

In an article from 'The Miami Herald' a Jamaican immigrant tells her side of the story on the difficulties she has faced being Jamaican and gay. Her deportation to Jamaica for drug-related offenses has been temporarily halted due to the fact that the homophobic climate that currently pervades in Jamaica is seen as detrimental to the defendant.

''The general atmosphere in Jamaica is a feeling of no tolerance towards homosexuals in general, and as such, . . . the respondent's life is definitely at risk,'' Immigration Judge Irma Lopez-Defillo said, according to court documents.

The person in question, however, may still be be deported to another country,

To read the full article in 'The Miami Herald' click here.

WAIT A MINUTE?! REGGAE ARTISTS ADVERTISING ON BATTY-MAN TV?!

While watching a show pre-recorded from the LOGO channel on my DVR (Real Momentum: Bear Run) I came across an ad for 'Tropical Thunder' CD featuring many of today's hot reggae artists such as Sean-Paul, Beenie-Man, Elephant-Man, Shaggy, etc.. "What?!", I thought, "do they really know that their music is being promoted to the target of their songs?! Have they really come around?" I think not! Just goes to show - you don't know WHO you're going to bed with when you sign a music contract...!!!!!!

WHOA, BRUCIE, WHOA! SOMEBODY BAD-DRIVE YOU GOING TO VALE ROYAL? Rumors of immediate jail detention if caught driving without license....

An article in today's Jamaica Observer hinted that the current JLP administration is looking into possibly implementing harsher rules regarding police detention. The proposed changes are raising cause for alarm for some human rights groups.

According to the report, the police force may be granted greater powers to more readily detain civilians. Example: any person found driving without immediate possession of their driver's license would result in sending them immediately to jail without any grace period to produce the license. Other elements of the proposed measure includes: extending detention from 48 hours to 42 days for persons suspected of in cases of rape, murder, firearm offences, and arson.

Mr. Golding - exactly how is detaining a forgetful St. Andrew housewife rushing out to pick up her children from prep school and placing her in the company of gruff men and women going to solve the criminal problem in Jamaica?

Will your administration treat members of your administration equally if THEY are caught in violation?

Do you have the jail space for this proposed solution?

How are you going to deal with vengeful women who cry "Rape!" just because their baby-father pissed them off that day, or think "mi a go get dat deh battyman 'oo nah pay mi nu min' so mi a go fix fi 'im business, watch mi now..."

What about members of the police force with an axe to grind with "Mr. Chin 'oo chase mi out a di grocery shop when mi was a bwoy..."?

While I understand the government's frustration at trying to curb the current violence in Jamaica, this is placing too much power in the hands of a corrupt police force that's easily influenced by monetary gain. The public will never fully trust, respect and obey members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force until they are properly compensated and corruption driven out. Any measure at this time granting them more power of detention may only serve to aggravate the problem and create even more disruption in society rather than appease it.

Mr. Golding, let's re-think this proposition, shall we?