About Jamaica and stuff. 2 pound a weed in a napsack. new article
written by owen, published 2010-Dec-22, comment
Wow, year done already. Now is nothing but a steam roll to my next birth day. It has been a long year. Lots of people died and loved ones morn their loss. I could try to some up everything in the news but I can't bother. I'm just going to go to Mandeville and sleep. All the best for the new year and have a safe holiday!
written by owen, published 2010-Oct-06, comment
Now that the rains have subsided we can go back to arguing about politics and the life of crime and partying. Alas, not before we get to use this fuzzy new word called "BILLION". It seems like the politicians were itching for a reason to drop the B-bomb since - I don't know - the sell-my-jetta recession but there never quite was a good, believable reason to use it. Now they dropping B-Bombs left, right and center. Seems like regular millions can't do anything anymore. Give me a 100 million dollars and you won't hear from me again - you can count on that. Straight, Jeans....
If I can digress for a moment, I'd like to briefly mention that every time I hear the phrase Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, I start to sing it to the rhythm of Vybz Kartel's song: Straight-Jeans & Fitted. Who can do a quick remix?
Its like a couple months ago after the whole Dudus thing when they said they needed a BILLION dollars to fix the Coronation Market. A BILLION dollars? really? You need a billion dollars to fix a market where poor people have to toil day in and day out to sell their goods in order to "barely" send their kids to school? A BILLION DOLLARS? You would think that the market was hit by a missile or maybe it was rotting away over the years to the point of disrepair - I don't know. I stopped following that story when I heard a cell company jump up and say they donating money towards the project. It done yet? I think bright red is a nice color for a market.
Which brings us back to the title of this post. Now clearly Jamaica is in a much better position to deal with hurricanes than it was a couple years ago. Problem is hurricanes, usually come and go pretty quickly. Barring the people that live in dangerous locations (who either don't know better or can't do better) the country is usually able to bounce back.
The situation with Nicole now is a whole other different story (aka kettle of fish). First of all she kinda snook up on us all of a sudden ( like an angry ex with a knife) and the supermarkets never get to make any money off the millions of people rushing in to buy last minute supplies. Secondly she kinda stayed too, like that neighbour that came over you house to borrow sugar but stayed for a game of wii sports and snacks. Thirdly, everybody and them mother was still driving around in the rain helping the mash up the poor roads that neva build good in the first place. Mek unnu no tan a unnu yard when rain a fall?
If you look at the situation closely most of the road infrastructure simply was not designed to handle long periods of rain fall. Its not all Nicole's fault, in fact it takes 2 to tango, if you look at the Highway 2000, not a single puddle of water settle anywhere on that big ass expensive road. As for the rest of the roads? every pot hole turn into a crater or trench depending on various factors such as elevation, asphalt thickness, constituency, traffic and a number of other factors. I've seen potholes appear in the most unusual places like US citizens in the Jamaican government. I can't even spot them any more I just look for a trail of look gravel and I know that its there, somewhere, waiting, hiding below the water, ready to mashup my new Clarks.
Several people have died, others are homeless, river-less and their cliff-side home has fallen into the gully. The minister of Agriculture says there is nothing to worry about - all our chickens will arrive in time for Sunday dinner. Many people have more water than they can drink, so much so that them flood out of home and land. I guess the drought prayers from a couple months ago are now being answered. Where are we going to find all them billions? I don't know, all I'm saying is Nicole is not all at fault, some of these roads where bad from long time, the rain water just show it up. The Bog Walk Gorge flood every time it rain - why are people still surprised? There is this road in front of Portmore Community College that falls to pieces and develops pot holes EVERY TIME IT RAINS! I'm not defending a tropical depression with a very common name - I'm just saying. We are living in interesting times, excuses abound and new car season is around the corner - it sucks in case you neva KNO. That Touch not going to but itself pay your taxes! Walk good.
(Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of owensoft and its esteemed team of editors and directors)
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owen commented: One of my rare long posts. [laugh] ... read 6 more
written by owen, published 2010-Aug-04, comment
A video has surfaced on the national news of a man being beaten and shot by policemen in St. Ann last friday. The video was released after the CCN's made a press release about the incident. Critics argue that the video does not match up with the press release and this incident maybe typical.
The Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) had initially reported that Lloyd was shot dead after he attacked them with stones and attempted to stab a member of the team. Watch Video.
Human Rights Organisations are calling for the CCN to dismantled because it serves no purpose but to propogate Hearsay, misinformation and scripted police reports. Various human rights agencies in Jamaica have come out to say that his latest incident is a clear indication that the aforementioned CCN (Constabulary Communication Network ) body has out grown its usefulness to the public at large.
Relatives of the woman who was allegedly killed by the man who was killed by the police man have come out in defence of the police man on CVM TV. The daughter of dead woman quoted scripture "an eye for an eye" as she spoke in defence of the policemen involved in the killing.
The head of the CCN in its defence stated that it would be impractical to disolve the body over a single incident and further stated that measures have been put into place to prevent this incident from re-occuring. It was not disclosed what these measures are or how they were concieved/implemented so over a holiday weekend. Knee-Jerk Effect?
The video of the incident has now become a mainstay of the local news for the pass 3 days. The Jamaica Broadcasting Commission may not noticed it as yet so as to ban it from public viewing. International media seems to not have caught wind of the incident and hence it may not affect the tourism product.
It has also been reported that up to the time of this writing the police officers have yet to be charged for any crime. It maybe a interesting turn of events if the "60 day with out charge or reason" crime bill passed in parliment only applies to civilians, poor people and those who do not have access to lawyers and cheap tertiary education.
Reports have also surfaced that one of the suspected policemen is suffering from heart palputations and had to be hospitalized. Lawyers of the accused are saying that the showing of the video may have created a bias in the eyes of the public towards the policemen. Added to the fact that the policemen where so swiftly arrested upon the release of the video without proper investigation and consultation on the matter. These actions may make it hard for the jury to be fair and balanced towards the policemen.
It is too early to tell how this will all pan out. All we know are the facts. One man of possibly unsound mind, a murdered woman, a team of policemen, a crowd of individuals egging on the policemen to "light him up" and a cellphone video that has changed the lives of the people involved.
Article image attributed to alancleaver.
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owen commented: There is a link to watch the video in the second paragraph. Its highly likely that the man did kill the woman. ... read 3 more
written by owen, published 2010-Jul-20, comment
I have not started a war with my neighbor in roughly 2 months. Mostly because I keep getting stopped by police and soldiers on the road on my way to work. Resulting in me being all edgy almost like I have a warrant out for my arrest (or my name is on some kinda interesting list). I cannot wait for this state of emergency thing to be over so that I can return to my regular life of servitude and crime. Last week a few rogue soldiers decided to set up a road on Marcus Garvey Drive. A road block which caused the Portmore traffic to pile up all the way back to the Air Jamaica building aka Air Trinidad. Only God knows how much further it went by the time sun set. Its is a minor inconvenience hopefully they catch the people who are committing all those murders and that dude that cut me off in traffic this morning on the narrow toll road (that they fixing).
Freedom is a minor inconvenience. Thank god I don't look like a criminal or look like a pastor cause dog woulda nyam mi suppa. I saw the soldiers pull over a guy in a suit that looked like Reverent Al Miller. Obviously he wasn't a pastor because he was driving a Toyota. Maybe he was going to a wedding. Remind me not to wear a tie to work again. Dem did a pree everybody, I hope they find who they were looking for. Pray you car doesn't have on dark tint or you are going to get stopped and searched. It maybe a good time to take that vacation to the country that you have been planning for the last couple a years.
Its only a matter of time before they start house to house searches in your neighborhood. I don't know how people live in Tivoli, I wish I could relate, I can't. If anything you can say that the one good thing that came out of this state of emergency is the fact that JPS got to go into the community and set up new anti-theft meters. So it go. Free paper bun. This state of emergency is obviously for poor people but the reduction in crime is merely a temporary side effect. The devil will always find work for idle hands. You have to give us work or make the lotto easier to win. I hope somebody is happy cause I'm not.
Hopefully with the help of Contractor General, Jamaica can be return to the heights of glory that it was was pre-1970s. We can go back to good old tourism and sugar cane. All I want is to be left alone with my microwave oven, chicken steak and cinemax.
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Gods Child commented: only time can undo some of this damage. . . but time is money ... read 7 more
written by owen, published 2010-May-28, comment
I was listening to Mutty on the radio this morning. He is saying that this is the price we have to pay. Its not looking good for Jamaica at all. At some point we have to forget about tourism and worry about what really matters: the people of Jamaica.
The jokes are building up as fast as the rumors and the death count. The people who live outside of the danger zone have nothing to do but pray and coin new jokes about the situation that few of us have lived to experience. PEOPLE ARE THROWING STONES IN THE DAMN GLASS HOUSE.
The latest slogan I heard; Osama-Bin-Dudus. LOL, I myself take serious thing make joke but what else is there to do? The whole Tivoli Gardens thing is turning into a Bush-Sadman-WMD tragedy; 77 killed and 6 guns found? Something is definitely wrong with those number. I can't even link to all the news and rumors that is coming out, it is just too much and changing too rapid.
The whole thing also has a splash of Hitler in it IMHO, especially since people keep talking about "bombing" Tivoli aka genocide. Clearly these have never been to the community and are warm at home with their microwave ovens and FB. Tivoli itself is quiet a big place. Not to mention the concentration camp that is housing 500+ adult and young males at the National stadium which as being "processed". I can't remember the last time I was processed and I doubt I would like it very much.
Lets not talk about FB and twitter because everybody is either quoting somebody or spreading hearsay.
Others about mass graves in May Pen Cemetery and dead bodies being burnt/dumped. Mothers and daughter who may never be able to collect the bodies of relatives. I am not sure how long it takes a body to start decomposing but it seems to be hasty.
There is just too much news, pictures and rumors. Too many parallels to draw. Your opinion is as good as mine cause i'm not going down there to see for my self.
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RB commented: It is not an easy road. For years the people of Jamaica have taken second place to the importance of tourism, they still do especially with the current administration who is less likely to respond nationally when we have one of our periodic upraise in crime, and its a damn shame. It's mostly black poor people dying anyway so who cares right. I am ashamed and applauded at the extreme greed and selfishness of our business people and politicians. The ordinary Jamaican us are to escape blamed as well. I am a little angry and must vent but it is really time to look for solutions, real solutions and enough talking lets start the walk. By the way love Facebook and twitter the internet and social networking have changed Jamaica News hence politics and so-forth just as how it impact other places in the world, we are more connected and the truth is almost impossible to hide when we can share what we see and ponder ideas in the public domain, there will be speculations but even "official" media suck in this regard with their half truth and agendas. Bless ... read 3 more