Tower Of Babel

Today has been pretty quiet (so far). Not that I’m complaining. I had some soup for lunch and went out on the back patio where my fish tank is to watch them swim in their little aquatic world. I don’t know how many of you keep fish, but I have been since I was a child. I find it very relaxing to watch them. I noticed that one of my Red Cap Orandas (basically a sort of white goldfish with a red spot on their head….very pretty) was looking a bit poorly, just sitting at the bottom with his fins all clamped. So, knowing that this is not a sign of a healthy fish, I took a closer look to see what a gwaan wid him….I hate it when my fish get sick…long before I became a doctor. Well, close inspection revealed some fine white spots on his fins! Him have ick to rass! Looking around at some of the others who were swimming quite happily I realize that a few of them have become afflicted as well! So, when I go down the road likkle later, I will have to stop at the pet shop as I don’t have any ick medicine….it has been a while since any of my fish got dat shit!

Anyway, I continued to watch the others swimming around and fed them too. Next thing I knew, post prandial alkaline tide (oddawise known as nagaritis…..no offense to anyone intended either) set een and I fell alseep out there and actually started to dream. (I did say that I find watching them relaxing…. plus the sound of the water trickling into the tank from my power filter is also very soothing.) Very strange dream too.

Apparently some major mishap was occurring in the airline industry and this resulted in planes being diverted to the skies over the Caribbean, as this was the only place in this part of the world where it was safe to fly. So, there I was standing on the driveway watching in amazement as whole heap o planes were flying (quite low too) in the airspace above my area and circling as they waited on clearance to land. All sorts of airlines that I recognized and others that I had never heard of. Quite a spectacle.

I woke up a bit startled and began to think how odd the dream was. What it could mean. In addition, there was a problem. Where de rass would we be able to accomodate this vast amount of aircraft? Anyway, in dreams anything can happen, so why worry over trivial things eh? Any dream interpreters or Miss Cleos out there? (Remember she? Caaal me nuh!)

I watched a little National Geographic TV later and saw a very good story about how much our weather and the ocean currents are affected by the ice caps and icebergs from Antarctica. It related that due to global warming, larger icebergs were breaking away from the ice there. In fact, they reported that the largest iceberg on record, broke away from Antarctica last year. If I remember correctly they called it B15 or suppem like dat. Guess what? They showed the size of the iceberg……it is the size of my country…Jamaica! Dat big nuh rass people. Jamaica is by no means a small island….we are over 4,400 square miles. The documentary also said that B15 holds water (though frozen) equivalent to FOUR years flow of the Mississippi River in the US. Mind boggling isn’t it? They are fearful as to what will happen when it starts to melt, as it could cause sea levels to rise and drown lowlying countries. We do live in a wondrous world, don’t we? (I know some of you may not care a fart about my scribble here, but I find this stuff interesting.)

Went down the road in the evening to do some errands and get a haircut….not quite as short as my last mark you. Picked up my ick medicine and then came back home. Went walking…just under an hour I might add (feeling quite proud o miself) and came here to blog after.

In reading the Gleaner on line. I came across an article by Tony Deyal. He is a Trini who contributes articles to the Gleaner regularly. If you hail from the Caribbean, you will find the article a good read (as most of his writings usually are). So, if you want to get a little peice of home and are in some far away land where it is still cold and grey, give him a read. I rather liked the article and endorse what he tried to impart about the way folks from Belize speak. Trus me, Belizeans are pretty cool and laid back people. (Wah you a seh Pete? You done de bokkle o VX yet?)

Last but not least, everyone has a sleepless night every now and then. Not a nice thing really. When last did you get kept awake on account of the neighbours mekking noise while getting Vit S?? That’s about what I have to share today. Tek it cool nuh.

Tuesday night when I was driving home, I saw a bright flash across the night sky lasting no more than two seconds at most. It was a comet. I thought for a moment….some piece of stone or debris from space entered our atmosphere and just burst into flames resulting in the flash of light.

Like I have said here before, I have an interest in astronomy and have always been fascinated with the planets and so on. After seeing the comet I thought for a while, about my departed Mother, what she was up to and others close to me who have left us here in this life. I also made a wish that God could help to right some of the unfortunate events happening in the world today. Yeah, I can hear some saying that simply rapping with the Almighty about serious issues is a way of adopting a ‘hands off’ approach. But, for those of us who believe, when we have things on our minds that are of concern to us, we do pray or talk to Him about it.

I hope that if you have issues that are of concern to you and yours now, that you will find a way in which to resolve them.

It is Friday and a work day heralding the weekend. When last have you seen a beautiful comet?

On a slightly different theme, the word rass is used here every now and again. I’m not going to elaborate…it would take away from the link. If you rass want to know how to use the word, Mad Bull has a good little tutorial on how versatile dat rass is! Have a good Friday nuh.

Isn’t that simply beautiful? I think it is! Supposedly its a picture taken by the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia. Wouldn’t you like to think that your children’s children will be able to go scuba diving and see something like that? Apparently this is not a sure thing by any means!

Apparently the water’s temperature is rising too fast (global warming, caused by the activities of man). Also, water pollution and over-fishing are contributory factors which led researchers from Queensland University’s Centre for Marine Studies to conclude that the Reef will be largely destroyed by 2050!

I read a post at ‘This, That, Whatever‘ where Titilayo gives us a view as to what the future may hold, and while the picture posted above is pretty, the view Titilayo described nuh pretty at all!

Read what she has to say and think on it! Maybe if more people become concerned, something can be done to avert the impending disaster from occurring…

Apparently, despite the sweet football match we witnessed ‘gainst Uruguay here one week ago and came out victorious, it seems all was not well at the Stadium. I read this article in the Jamaica Observer which reports that there were irregualrities taking place at the gates….. mainly in the bleachers, resulting in a loss of about $4 million in revenue to the JFF. And, to add insult to injury, the JFF was reported a few days before the match, to be in the red to the tune of thirty odd million. Damn shame to rahtid. I hope that those responsible will be dealt with accordingly if they find out who they are.

…here today. Ash Wednesday. As it is a religious holiday… marking the start of Lent, I always have remembered it to be a fairly quiet day. So far this one has been no different. Not having to go to work today and hitting the sack after 1 this morn, I got up a bit later than usual….almost 9 o’clock. Maybe that was my body speaking to me and saying, “I’m tired and need rest!”

Had my cup of tea and did some scrambled eggs with bacon and cheese for brekki. That is a big breakfast for a weekday. Spent a little time watching the fish in my tank on the back patio and fell asleep out there in my usual ‘at home attire’….boxers of course. I read through the Gleaner and Yahoo Oddly Enough not too long ago, but nothing really grabbed me that was worthy of a blog post.

Don’t know what’s up, but recently I had said to Mad Bull, that I was looking around for a topic to get a lot of comments on…..little did I know that someone was lurking out there in cyberspace ready to sink a Samurai sword into by abdomen and disembowel me in my last post. Well, hear wah? Me still deh ’bout. And thanks to those readers of mine who came to intercept the Patriot missiles that were being launched in my direction. Respec due.

I suppose it teaches something that I came to realize long ago since I started this thing. Don’t rate your posts. Fine, if you like a particluar post, by all means you’re free to do so. But, one is never really sure how a single word or sentence out of a whole post can affect the way in which a reader is going to comment.

Well, as you may surmise, I have really not got a topic for today. So, before someone out there decides that the intergalactic holocaust of words must continue, mek me shut mi rass mout’ and say, enjoy the rest of your Ash Wednesday. Easy nuh.

What is it with those of us who believe it is their duty to judge everyone else?!

I just read THE DOCTOR IS IN site, where he was accosted… and I do not believe that that is too strong a word….by a reader because he said that he was going to spend some of his hard earned dollars on a V/X for himself (and co-incidentally his friend too)! The reader thought he should be spending this money on helping his fellowman…this is Dr. D. who spends his days working in a public hospital.

Don’t go looking for a link…I can just about manage to blog and pass through other sites…Ask Mad Bull…I am hopeless at the technical side of things to do with computers!

This reader went onto chastize Dr. D. for his views on women and his medical confidentiality. Seeming to suggest that Dr. D. is an ungrateful, fickle human being who is reaping his riches of the back of the poor of Jamaica. All the while the reader was listing the number of places that he/she had visited recently…including India…Is that not a VERY expensive trip to make, just in air fare alone.

To say that I was annoyed at reading his/her “RANT” is putting it most mildly. It brings to mind a situation that has been raring it’s head directly in my path recently.

I know of a teacher and a pro-lifer who tells her 12/13 year old students about ins and outs of abortions OFTEN. She tells them that they should throw away certain candies, because there is a childrens help line no. on the box. She does not stand for the anthem because abortions are legal in Canada. These are just a few of the things that I have been told that she tells her students. Yes, it is a catholic school, but I really do not think that she has the right to be trying to sway these rather YOUNG children so blatantly!

My son, who is a student in her class, comes home daily with more of these “teacher says” items each day. I have nothing against her having these views. I don’t even care if the students are told (once or twice) about them. They should be made aware of all sides of every situation. But for it to be so very blatantly one sided has me a bit concerned.

For heaven sakes…the children’s help line is there to….HELP children who are feeling unsafe or overwhelmed, who are being abused, emotionally or physically. My answer to my son has become, that for someone who is supposed to be setting an example of christian charity she is rather narrow minded, judgemental and actually seemingly full of hate!

Otherwise, she seems to be a good academic teacher….why can we not stick to that…

I sent him to a catholic school because he was having a hard time in the public school system with bullies etc. and I was hoping that he would also get some religious education along the way too. I am not pleased with indoctrination however.

Fortunately for me, my children do come home and talk to me about their day at school, so I am able put a more balanced (at least I think it is more balanced) light on some of these things. But what about the kid who does not feel he/she can discuss these things with his/her parents. They either become fanatical or live a great portion of their lives thinking that they are wicked to the bone!

I believe that we are all have our own talents, strengths and gifts….that God, Jehovah, Allah, Budda..whatever you’d like to call the supreme being..gave us each different gifts so that the world would in the end be a better place. If only we could find it in ourselves to share our gifts without looking down at another person’s gift….with out judging others…without feeling slighted if things do not go our way. And WITHOUT TRYING TO CHANGE EVERYONE ELSE TO OUR POINT OF VIEW…let us respect each other’s individuality not try to squash it!

PEACE AND GOOD WILL!

Let’s try that for a change.

Well, I’m in a pretty good mood. Why? The Accounts Department at work informed me that we were paid from last week Thursday when I called this morning to ask when payday was. I had no idea. However, what is even better is that GRATUITY was paid! AND, when I collected the pay advice, the gratuity was MORE THAN I HAD EXPECTED! So, I’m quite the Cheshire cat at the moment. I guess that since I’m very generous, Mad Bull can hold a VX outta it!

I scanned through the Gleaner a while ago and saw that there was a fire in one of the hotels in Negril last night. The poor property owner probably just wasn’t able to afford to insure the place against fire with what insurance premiums cost today. I feel for him. What annoys me though, is to realize that a tourist town like Negril has no fire station of its own. Makes me get upset again and ask what the fassyholes in government are doing with public funds? Then again, it should not surprise me as I know what the situation at the hospital is. Aaah bwoy. Let me not put it on mi head, I am supposed to be feeling alright.

I saw another article that I’m going to link. Now, if you haven’t heard that ‘ruption a gwaan inna Haiti, then you must be living under some boulder (or not give a fart ’bout Caribbean news.) Nevertheless, I have a slight understanding of what is happening there, but by no means proclaim to be fully conversant with what is going on in the French speaking country. This Gleaner article entitled, “Why is Haiti cursed?” is a pretty enlightening read IMHO. Now, I can’t vouch for the correctness of what this woman has written, but it does sound pretty convincing. Give it a read and continue to pray for the return of calm to the place.

I suppose that everything in life is relative eh. I know someone who has been there and did mention how barren their landscape was due to the cutting down of trees. He told me that Jamaica was God blessed compared to Haiti. I think that despite the fact that you may hear me lamenting that all is not well in the “Land of wood and water” that we still have to count our blessings.

Finally, I’m going to end with a joke that I received on e-mail. But you’ll have to click on MORE to get it.
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You know, one thing I must say is true. Even though I live in Jamaica, there is still much that I don’t know about my island home. As they say, we live and we learn. Anyway, so as not to get too long winded, let me get to the meat of the post.

Yesterday, I was driving off the hospital compound in order to get lunch at at fast food Chinese place down in Liguanea. I had curried shrimp which was good indeed. (I actually did not feel like going back to the clinic after, but that is life I suppose.) While driving back up to the hospital, I decided to tune in to some news on the car radio. Now, I often don’t listen to news or talk shows when driving as I find that the stories frequently only add to your stress level. Its bad enough that we have to watch out for the raases on the road who ‘bad drive’ you and think nutten of it. Indeed, everyone here does NOT obey the road code. I prefer to listen to CDs or the stations that play music…it helps to take my mind off the stressful events of life.

Anyway, I’m still rambling. I’m listening to the news and hear an article about a PORRIDGE VENDOR that was killed. Now, I knitted my brow, as I had not known before yesterday that people cook and sell porridge on the roadside in order to make a living. Call me sheltered if you like. I just didn’t know this.

For those of you who don’t live here, many people sell all manner of consumer goods as roadside vendors in Jamaica. Clothes, shoes, food, dry goods, water coconuts, soup and cooked food like jerked chicken or pork are amongst the wares to be had. Now, I HATE porridge, and though I did on occasion eat rice porridge when I was a child, I always hated cornmeal porridge….especially when it got a bit cold and that sort of layer formed on top of it. YUCK!!!

Now, the news item continues to report that this porridge vendor had apparently set up shop in the morning as usual, providing customers with their breakfast. Along comes a man who wishes to have some, but apparently does not have any money. The vendor refuses to give the man the porridge because he has no funds, and as a consequence, a fracas ensues. A weapon (if I remember correctly, a knife) comes into play and the poor vendor is stabbed rahtid DEAD by the man!!! Killed over a bowl of porridge!! Can you believe it?? What the rass has our country come to?

Now, perhaps you might say that the man was hungry and the vendor could have sympathised with him and given him the porridge. True. But, you also have to see with the vendor as well. This is how he makes his living. Suppose everyone who came along gave a hard luck story of being broke and hungry? At the end of the day he would have nutten to carry to him yard. No funds to turn over to make another day’s worth of porridge to sell. It seems so senseless to me though. To lose one’s life in a dispute over a simple bowl of porridge.

I tried to find the article in our newspapers but I didn’t see it. I wonder if it made the Friday Star? God help the people of Jamaica land we love!

Well, morning all….beautiful one I might add. Cool, blue skies and the house is really quiet as its early Saturday. Just finished my cuppa tea, so I feel more awake and like any typical male having an early AM hot beverage, my contribution to the natural gas supply is being made ad lib. (Too much detail eh?) Pardon me female readers. Males…well, you know how it go.

I thought I would do a post (though I don’t have much to discuss, sorry if you find it boring) before I get involved in the happenings for the day to come which include passing through the hospital (my first port of call today).

I suppose that many of you may have heard about the mayhem that is taking place in Haiti, one of the poorest nations in the world. Over fifty people have died in the melee of things there. As in any country where things get out of hand, some of the people flee in order to try to find refuge in nearby territiories. Well, so far about thirty Haitians have landed here in Portland (home to Frenchman’s Cove….one of my favourite chilling spots). Actually, they really were hoping to land in Florida, but somehow their craft must have been set off course. People have been chatting about what we should do with these people as it is no secret that our economy has been shafted…..big time! Trus me, we have our fair share of homeless people. Every now and again while driving you can encounter a male who may not be clothed with him big hood in view for all to see! (Actually, to make fun out of a serious thing, many people here say that you can’t become a ‘Mad Man’ in Jamaica unless you have a big tool!) Back on track.

Anyway, despite the fact that our country is financially deprived, it seems that the government has taken a decision to offer some sort of humanitarian aid to those Haitians who have already arrived here. I suppose that I can’t knock them for that. Looking at it from the point of view that we could find ourselves in a similar situation sometime. The question that I think needs to be considered though, is what if hundreds more land here? Will we be able to accomodate a infinite number of refugees? I doubt it. Like Mad Bull mentioned, CARICOM needs to do suppem. I’m not so sure that Bushy is going to do anything as he has taken a lot of flack for Iraq and you done know seh election campaign tekking place in the US now.

Mention has also been made about sending some of our armed forces in to Haiti to maintain order. Now, I don’t think we could take this task on single handedly, as I don’t know that we have enough men to do the job alone. Wah yu seh Solja Bwoy? Looks like you had better ready yourself still as they say that we will send some of our boys down, but they are not sure when.

Seems that Haitians living in Florida have mixed views about what a gwaan still. A clip on CNN Headline News last night said that a poll amongst 600 Haitians living in Florida revealed that over 50% thought that Jean Bertrand Aristide should continue to rule the country, about 15% were undecided and 30 odd percent thought he should step down. All I can say is that I sympathize with them and I hope that some sort of calm can be returned to their country. Strange how life is don’t you think, that this country which is not far from us is in such turmoil at the moment, yet still, I can sit here in front of my PC on Saturday morning making a blog post about it in relative peace and tranquility.

To end, I’m going to link to an article from a favourite watering hole of mine on the net. Yahoo’s Oddly Enough of course. Now, it is no secret that lots of men watch the occasional porn flick, some more frequently than others. However, I think the norm for those of us that do, is to prips porn in the comfort of home…..probably late at night too. Well, it seems that the guy in this article couldn’t wait ’till he got home as he was watching his favourite flick while driving! Well, it seems he ‘revved up his engine’ only to get charged for it. Watch the stuff at home rude bwoy.

I’m off to work now. Have a good weekend (even if part of it is passed watching porn), and remember Haiti in your thoughts and supplications to the Almighty.

While surfing yesterday, I came across this bit of info! AIDS is the number one killer in Barbados in the age group 25-49!

Wow! I knew that the West Indies is said to have the highest incidence of HIV infections behind Southern Africa, but the fact that its the Number One killer is a bit startling!

I wonder what the number one killer in that age group is here in Jamaica? Probably the gun, to rass!

Whats especially troubling about that statistic is that I’m sure that HIV is bubbling along right behind the murder rate and road deaths!

So anyway, almost immediately after reading that, I was driving home through Grants Pen, sitting in the evening traffic, when I noticed a billboard which was advertising Barbados as a tourist destination. “Its Lime Time!”, the sign proclaimed. “Barbados! Never a dull moment!”

Eeeehhhmmmm… I don’t think so…

Then again, if you really don’t plan to sample the local wares, you should be alright, I guess. Still, reading the article about how AIDS ruled as the number one killer right before coming across that billboard sure dampened any vibes I might have felt about liming in Barbados, boy…