On April 2, the world’s major economic powers will be in London to coordinate efforts towards solving the global economic woes. However, who will represent the concerns of Jamaica?
Well before the G20,there was the G2 .
Working his way through the protesters, and with some key contacts, our hero managed to arrange a meeting with the newest leader of this august body to represent the concerns of Jamaica. Due to the heighten security, the meeting got off to a rough start. Let’s see what our hidden microphone is picking up.
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Bolt: Mr. President, please tell your guys to let me go! I was not trying to throw my sneakers at you, but give it you a copy of the sneakers I wore for my historic run as a token from my country.
Obama: Guys, please let him proceed. Welcome Mr. Bolt! Congratulations on your terrific Olympics. You really took it to our boys!
Bolt: Thank you sir. Here is another gift for the wife, Michelle.
Obama: Thanks! I have heard a lot about your Trelawny yams. Maybe Michelle can plant a piece in our summer garden..
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Bolt: I watched your town hall meeting last week, and noticed the weed question was very prevalent. Take it from me, it is worth the fight to not legalize that stuff. Seems as if the Caribbean Islands are getting on top of this issue and Mexico is your major problem.
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. Obama: I know. May be we can engage the island that this drug balloon does not pop back big time in the Islands. .
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Bolt: We know you have you hands full with working the enormous issues within America. Please do not limit the scope as we are truly faced with a global meltdown.
Obama: Any suggestions you want me to consider?
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Bolt: Mr. President, the Chinese, Russians, and Chavez are calling for a new global currency, and it did not help that your secretary Geithner did not seem to appreciate the implication of the US dollar’s critical role. Tell you what, why don’t you offer the Jamaican dollar as an option. After the laughter subside, they will agree to stay with your dollar. Obama: You sure your leaders won’t be upset and think we are taking a cheap shot at the Jamaican currency?
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Bolt: Well, you could take your large entourage after this trip and go apologize and leave some of that stimulus monies. I bet all would be forgiven quickly.
Obama: Hmmm.
Bolt: Seriously Mr. President, I hope you will join Gordon Brown and support his commitment to increase the development aid fund at the World Bank.
Obama: Anything else?
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Bolt: Well, it seems as if you were a good Monopoly player as a kid?
Obama: What would make you say that?
Bolt: Maybe the banks, AIG, GM, and Chysler dealings would have something to do with that conclusion.
Obama: I see!
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Bolt: Also, trade is very important in reviving the global economy. Hopefully, you guys can knock down and agree to eliminate any protectionist sentiment.
Obama: I do agree!
Bolt: Please remember the world’s most vulnerable. Our government is trying its best to balance our debt situation with the growing human needs we face.
Obama: We have to.
Bolt: I know you will be away from the children for 8 days. I know you will miss them. Here is a few token for them. For Sasha , there is a book - “Little Lion Goes for Gold ” that was inspired by my Summer success, and for Malia , a CD entitled
“Come Dance With Me”from the Alpha Boys, a world renown boys band.
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Obama: Thank you! I know they will enjoy these.
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I know it’s April fool’s day. We can use this day to dream big! If you had an opportunity to engage the US president about Jamaica, what would you tell him?
On last Saturday, even the New York skies rained tears as we said good bye to my dear Uncle C.
Uncle Cyrilexpired early on St Patty’s day in the hospital after surgery. Death is like an earthquake, an emotional earthquake that jolts us from our normal daily routines as we unite in our grieving, and sort out our emotions.
The suddenness and shock have different reverberation measure on our personal Richter scales.
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Thank goodness for rituals that help us channel our emotions and allow us to continue to function and regain our equilibrium.
We reflect on our loss, and on our personal mortality. For an oasis in tender time, the important come to the fore and the minor to the periphery.
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Being in Diasporia, weddings and class reunions do bring us together, but these are usually planned events. A funeral forces upon us a torrent of decisions to make in a brief time frame. For a funeral in Diaspora, some unique elements may come in to play.
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When in Diasporia, deciding on final internment can become a major issue. That haunting song, “Green, Green Grass of Home” made famous by Tom Jones in the late sixties came rummaging through my mind around this issue. Being buried in a strange land can have an emotional disconnectiveness to some. This song captures the sentiments of a prisoner awaiting his death, and he will only return home when he is dead and buried: “Yes, they’ll all come to see me in the shade of that old oak tree, as they lay me ‘neath the green, green grass of home.”
Have you given much thought to the geography of your final resting place?
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Another of the other major cluster of decisions has to do with the details of the funeral service. Being in Diaspora lends itself to the adoption of a wider berth of cultural and religious values. Family members with different faith perspectives may want their deep convictions to be represented at this life engaging ceremony. This could bring differences into sharp contrast if the departed had not shared instructions or was not a traditional church attendee.
Have you considered detailing final instructions regarding these issues?
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We will truly miss our loved ones, but if you are a person of Christian faith, please remember, we do not weep as those without hope. We have a hope that burn within our hearts, a confidence that one day we will be re-united.
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Can you imagine the day when death and its gang members will be history?
Let us remember that death and disease can wound, but their claws and thuggery are limited to this side of eternity, and even so:
They cannot cripple the love we experienced from our loved one.
They cannot erode our faith in their solid decency.
They cannot destroy our confidence in their strength.
They cannot kill the rich friendships that bonded us to them.
They cannot erase the warm memories of them that continue to live within our hearts.
They cannot silence the courage we witness in their many actions.
They cannot lessen the power of the resurrection that will enable the grand reunion someday.
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So let our loved one take their rest. Morning will soon come, and they will awaken to an eternal glorious day.
Like our alluring spices, the Jamaican pop culture has embedded its savor in some surprising places.
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A few weeks back, I was pleasantly surprised when a Vietnamese colleague whipped out his Iphone and showed me album covers of his rich collection of Reggae artists.He then started humming, and bopping like a rude boy to the tune of:
Dennis Brown’s “Money in my pocket, but I just can’t get no love”
How is this possible?
The Jamaican brand remains very strong.
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It did not just happen out of thin air, but conscious development and maintenance by entrepreneurs called promoters.These cultural diplomats provide forums for the stars to shine, and also protect the value of the brand.
I recently had the privilege to share a few moments with one of our premier promoters, Mr. Ephraim M. Martin. Ephraim is an entrepreneur, publisher and TV personality, hailing from Chicago.
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His many accomplishments include: Being the founder of:
The Chicago Music Awards (CMA)
The International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA),
The International Festival of Life (IFOL)
The Caribbean Festival/Jamaica Independence Celebration (CAF/JIC).
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In 1989, he established Martin’s International Culture, a not-for-profit arts organization to promote African/Caribbean music arts, and culture.
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His fine efforts have been duly recognized.
Mr. Martin was the 2006 recipient of the prestigious Black Heritage Image Award.
He was named among the top ten “People Who Rock Chicago” by New City, a weekly newspaper.
He was honored among the top fifteen African-American “Men Who Lead” at the Afrique Magazine Awards.
I recently got into an email dustup with a dear cousin of mine. It had to do with age, our not wanting to be called old. Some friend had share one of those list that would tax the aged challenged. Let me share a sample of the list.
As a Jamaican you know you are getting old if:
You had an exercise book with Queen Elizabeth and her husband on it (instead of a ring binder).
You used to listen to Redifussion.
You wore Bata crepe to school, and bought Asham at the gate.
(Extra credit if you know what Asham was made of)
You remember that the Miss Lou and Maas Ranny show used to come on at 7:00 PM on a Sunday.
You still call Norman Manley airport ‘Palisadoes Airport’.
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Well, I made the mistake of calling this cousin Methuselah, and that’s when the email fireworks began.
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We live in a world where seasoned experience (a nice way of saying old) is given a short shrift. Old is out and smart is in. Really?
One of the advantages of age is that you have the fortune of seeing things and patterns over time and may have learned from such episodes. For instance, Bernie Madoff may be history’s biggest con man, but he is not the first.
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A term that I have not heard since my childhood is “confidence man“. For you youngsters, a confidence man is simply the” grand daddy” of a Bernie Madoff, a ginal who used the gift of his silver tongue to bilk many out of their few pennies.
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I usually pay close attention to the introductions that leaders at whatever level receive. The one that seem to be the clincher for most folks is how smart they are or what title they carry behind their name. Well, education and achievement are very fine, but they by themselves do not address the worst deficit. The greatest deficit is the trust deficit!
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You do not believe me? Well, explain to me the blow torch out pouring of anger regarding the AIG bonuses. The global all stars of Bernie Madoff or Stanford did not generate a single candle power heat compared to the mega watt searing anger of the bonus issue.
First, let us explore of thinking about trust as summarized in this chart. This is from one of my favorite books - “The Speed of Trust“ by Stephen Covey
The most telling point for me is trust goes beyond smart competence. Character is the other vital ingredient to be examined before confidence is invested.
As we go about rebuilding our lives and releasing the grips of fear and distrust, we need to use old time tested principles to provide guidance.
For those of you from another galaxy, this is the annual event of the determining the best college basketball team in the USA from a field of 65. It is equivalent to the fervor of the world cup on steroids. This ritual affects the work life as many folks soak up precious work bandwidth watching the games (using work your computer to watch the games- a habit that could spike your unemployment rate) during the work day. I heard of a new software routine called boss button that at the touch of a single key brings up an Excel spreadsheet to mimic real work. You better be into accounting!
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I am a football man myself, and can’t wait till draft day, and then the July pre-season. Till then, I have to live with anticipation, but I will probably watch the championship game.
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Another term that will become a part of our vocabulary for the next few weeks will be Cinderella teams, and giant killers. This takes us back to our kindergarten days of wishing and hoping when teams compete against the number one seeds on a hope and a prayer. Sure Chattanooga will beat North Carolina. My snide response would be -” David and Goliath happened once”. Well, enough trash talking.
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Permit me to take you away from the madness, to a urban monastic setting; to a place where nuns, not coaches are molding lives. For 129 years, these nuns have dedicated themselves to taking boys without life direction and turn them into men on a positive life mission. I am speaking about the nuns of the Alpha school for Boys in Kingston.
Sister Mary Ignatius Davies (1921 - 2003)
became the embodiment of the spirit of dedicating one’s life to a cause, much bigger than the NCAA trophy. In fact, when you check out the many famous musicians that got their start at Alpha, you will be amazed, and will agree that Alpha played a major role in the development of Reggae. It would not be far fetched to call Sister Ignatius the Mother Theresa of Reggae.
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In February, the USA PBS show Frontline featured this great institution.
Let me not steal the program’s thunder, but simply re-state the principle of sowing - whatever we sow, we will reap. The nuns of Alpha school dedicated their lives to sowing seeds of worth, value, and vision in these young men, and we today, reap the harvest of pride in a world renowned music program, and musicians. This music program is just icing on the cake of giving these young men vocational, and life skills.
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I have been told that the toughest arithmetic to master is one that enables us to count our blessings. We can count our blessings by remembering how others invested in us, and we can invest in some life that will afford others to taste of the bounties of such a future harvest.
Here is an idea -why not take your winnings from your March madness pool and make a donation or purchase, even to/from the Alpha Boys School?
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P.S. The human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. Become a pioneer!
With a surname like Daley, you better have an affinity to St. Patrick’s Day!
Well, I’m in trouble.
No green beer
No beads
No parade
No Corned beef
and other St. Patrick’s Day traditions
Okay,here is a shamrock!
Let me share some life wisdom to bless you on this St Patty’s day. It won’t get you in the party spirit, but may it’s deep insight bless you with riches more precious than a pot of gold.
“Any day I’m vertical is a good day” …that’s what I always say.
If you ask me, “How are you?”
I’ll answer, “GREAT!” because in saying so, I make it so.
When Life gives me dark clouds and rain, I appreciate the moisture that brings a soft curl to my hair.
When Life gives me sunshine, I gratefully turn my face up to feel its warmth on my cheeks.
When Life brings fog, I hug my sweater around me and give thanks for the cool shroud of mystery that makes the familiar seem different and intriguing.
When Life brings snow, I dash outside to catch the first flakes on my tongue, relishing the icy miracle that is a snowflake.
Life’s events and experiences are like the weather - they come and go, no matter what my preference.
So, what the heck?! I might as well decide to enjoy them.
For indeed, there IS a time for every purpose under Heaven.
Have you noticed the commercials of credit card companies lately?
The usual taglines of:
“Don’t leave home without it”
“What’s in your wallet”.
are as popular as Bernie Madoff in New York.
More people are now singing the jingle of freecreditreport.com instead.
We consumers are leaving home with credit card-lite wallets!
In addition, the card companines are discouraging credit expenditure by cutting credit line limits without warning!
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Would you believe that you the consumer sent a powerful message to the credit card financial institutions by paying down credit card debt by $6B from November to December of last year!
Even with this pay down, the economic tsunami is still wreaking havoc as credit card delinquency grew by 5.9% in January after the Christmas season.
Even the gold standard of credit cards, American Express has seen 11% quarterly loss.
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What’s in are debit cards, being promoted heavily by Visa and MasterCard. Both these companies are doing quite well, growing nearly 30% in income in the last quarter. Why, they make monies for each transaction you make as they are really middlemen (toll collector function in the financial highway) between you and the bank who owns the debt, banks such as Citi, Chase, etc.
Look to experience commercials from these institutions on how they are helping us “outsmart these tough times”.
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Here is the latest snapshot on how US consumers are paying for our transactions.
Debit cards 37%
Cash 29%
Credit cards 22%
Checks 12%
* I thank Beth Bulik of Adage for the research data.
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As Easter approaches, my mind goes back to many moons prior, a time where I went with mom in January to the department store to pick out my next coat. Come Springtime with eagerness, we made a second trip, to pick up that new item. Yes, mom used lay-away!
How are you living “the pay as you go” life style?
In these tough economic times, it is good to sense the pulse of how our Jamaican businesses are faring.
In ordinary economic times, only 2 of 10 start up business last more than 1 year. The many business closing signs we see give us pause about future business successes.
However, there is something special with the immigrant entrepreneur.
The latest stats (US State department) tell us that:
Immigrant women are 57% more likely than the native born woman to start a business.
Immigrant men are 71% more likely than the native born man to start a business.
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Usually, we come with a deeper sense of perseverance, coming from countries with limited social safety net, so, the swell of the indomitable human spirit takes hold of us, and drive our desire for success. We also see more clearly the opportunity of the USA. These motivating factors have led to a higher rate of success.
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It is my privilege to introduce you to a superb Jamaican entrepreneur who is celebrating 30 years of successful entrepreneurial activity.
I had the distinct privilege to interview Mr. Earl Chinn, president of Negril Eatery, a restaurant chain in the Washington DC metro region. Earl will be the first of other business folks I hope to profile and use this blog as a learning tool. It is my hope that those with great business aspirations, but may not have a mentor or a model to guide you will find these conversations helpful.
The U.S. track team is challenging Usain Bolt to a series of races.
Doug Logan, the CEO of USA Track and Field, has proposed a home-and-home track series this year between sprinters from America and Jamaica—the home of the world-record holder in the 100 and 200 meters. The US is looking to create a redeem team of sprinters, and the Jamaican team is the only obstacle.
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The Bolt handlers have declined the offer as of this post.
Track fans were really goosed by the athletic dominance and personality of Bolt at last year’s Olympics.
Do we have to wait till 2012 for a rematch?
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Heavens no!
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Saying yes to this challenge would be a great stimulus jolt to the Jamaican economy.
It would have Bolt spanking these guys again, giving the local folks a look see at a local hero.
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This reminds me so much of the Ali/Frazier/Foreman events during the golden age of boxing. These guys captivated the world and catapulted them to the rank of legends. It was also the coming of Don King, with his engaging personality and dealing style.
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If track and field is going to capture the imagination and loyalty of a world wide audience, these types of events are a must.
If there is a phrase that resonates throughout the world regarding the state of Jamaica’s happiness, the above statement would indicate our world class position. Well, so I thought!
We own the area code of bliss!
Really?
When I saw the headline of the survey, The World’s Happiest Countries, I just figured we would be getting a Bolt-like jolt of new recognition.
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The study was conducted by the University of Michigan, one of my alumnus school. I just figured the stars were all aligned! Boy do we need some good news to change it up, given our global economic circumstances!
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You can then imagine my horror when we did not even place or show!
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This genius group measures the happiness of individuals by two different means.
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The first is to simply ask them how “happy” they are.
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The second is to ask them how “happy” they are, and also how “satisfied” they are.
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The results are then combined to arrive at a measure of their “subjective well-being,” a term generally considered synonymous with happiness.
Now for the results:
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Ranking of the World’ Happiest Countries
1. Nigeria
2. Mexico
3. Venezuela
4. El Salvador
5. Puerto Rico
Here is a summary statement I took from their website.
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“Happiness is not only important to our personal and societal lives, it is important to our global community. Unhappiness breeds wars and terrorism. Countries who unjustly attack other countries are doing so because they are not happy with certain international realities. Terrorists who attack individuals and populations are deeply dissatisfied with various social, political, religious and/or economic realities. Very happy countries would not wage unjust wars. Very happy individuals would not commit acts of terror.
Why is happiness so important?
As individuals and as societies, happiness is both our highest goal and an extremely effective means of achieving many of our other cherished goals. Both as individuals and as a planet, happiness is our ultimate reason for living. Happiness is really all there is and all there ever will be; all else is only a means to happiness.”
Well, having more than one study may help to give some balance. Here is a report from a British study completed in 2006 that created the first world happiness map.
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