This hardscrabble harbor town on Jamaica’s southern coast seems an unlikely contender in an emerging regional competition over the shipping routes that carry global trade. But as Jamaica joins a rush to lure the bigger, deeper-drafting ships expected to cross an expanded Panama Canal by mid-2015, political leaders and civic boosters envision the Old Harbor … Continue reading Jamaica May Revive Economy with Port Hub on Goat Islands
I had an interesting trip to Hellshire beach in Jamaica the other day. There is so much happening there! You may go for the fish and to swim (I for one most certainly won’t swim in that water though) but you get so much more than that. There are persons walking around selling everything you … Continue reading Jamaican Lifestyle: Hellshire…More Than Just Fish and Festival
12 Years a Slave
Reblogged from Dr. Tammy Haynes: Opinions of a Clinical Psychologist in Jamaica
Know this – I am very pleased that 12 Years a Slave received the accolades heaped upon it. It was a good movie and in my opinion closely captures the inhumanity that is slavery.
However, I have a few words I would like to share regarding the movie, slavery and the perpetuation of horror and disease that still exists today.
I watched the movie in a Jamaican cinema ( which is an experience you should definitely try, if only for the ongoing commentary from the audience) and I was awestruck by the raw unadulterated images and injustice portrayed in the movie. The movie did not have any trappings of a fairytale finish, nor did it attempt to gloss over the absolute terror of slavery.
From a psychological point of view, I saw fear as masquerading anger, contempt and jealousy. I also saw the psychopathology inherent in slavery, not only from the slave side but also in the slave master. During the viewing I was struck by the revelation that slavery enslaved/enslaves not only the slave but also the slavemaster/backra/overser/planation owner. Complicit are all the people who worked around and in the business of slavery. The mind of people who enslave invariably became more riddled with obtuse justification and rage the longer the terms of their incarceration. Indeed, from a survival point of view the mind of a slave could and did become more addled enduring their terms of fate.
12 Years a Slave precursor to whipping scene with Lupita Nyong’o
I remember Lupita Nyong’o’s performance and recalled thinking she was doing an excellent job of portraying one of the kinds of despondencies one would have to become to adapt, to survive that horror. The slightly crazed and disconnected dance she performed (in the presence of the rest of the slaves and the master and mistress of the plantation) was possibly one of the most bizarre scenes I have seen to date.
The long and short of it was that the movie was good at portraying as close to possible the spittle ridden worm that slavery was and still is. However, as gritty as it got, the movie only told a a small part of the torture, of even the true story it was telling, much less the far more wretched aspects of slavery. The real story of Solomon Northrup tells an even squalid tale, especially of the beating scene of Lupita’s character, including the fact that he (Solomon) was forced to splay her naked body on the ground pinned by stakes and give her 100 lashes. But I suppose that scene shot exactly the way it happened may have given it a different rating.
Other atrocities in first hand slave accounts of the day include being tied naked to an ant nest and covered with molasses. The masters would watch as the person writhed in agony. Or the other first hand account of being systematically raped by the plantation owner. Or the first hand plantation owner account of raping and murdering people who were slaves detailed in technicolour and horror in their daily journal. This accepted behavior in slavery today reeks of psychopathology outdone only by cannibalism. In my mind Slavery was made up of these and other atrocities and stands as examples of the depth that greed and groupthink can enact when given time and space.
The effects of slavery including the racism, skin bleaching, nose straightening, mindless self-loathing continues today. Although people are no longer allowed to physically squeeze the life out of a person with rope or hands for the color of their skin, in some places on earth people are allowed to kill other people only for instilling a rising fear in the mind of the murderer. People are still allowed to spit contemptuous verbal lynchings and every now and then people are still allowed to hang effigies of their own president for the color of his skin…well thats the land of the free for you. Indeed, slavery and the loathing of person’s for the color of their skin pervades our world’s consciousness in some absurd and pathological ways, too many to mention here.
12 Years a Slave collage
The total disconnect of the ravages of slavery is so entrenched that even today some people (thanks to the twitterverse) voice that slaves were happy in their slavery and frolicked in the sunlight of the plantations.
Lost is the knowledge that slavery is not and will not ever be normal regardless of who is enslaved. Lost is the knowledge that slavery enslaves the slave as well as the master.
So my exalt to you is, understand not merely know the true history of humankind so you may never repeat it. Understand that slavery and racism is another example of a diseased mind. Here is an except of the New York Times original posting in 1853 of the story of Solomon Northrup, enjoy!:
Know this – I am very pleased that 12 Years a Slave received the accolades heaped upon it. It was a good movie and in my opinion closely captures the inhumanity that is slavery.
However, I have a few words I would like to share regarding the movie, slavery and the perpetuation of horror and disease that still exists today.
I watched the movie in a Jamaican cinema ( which is an experience you should definitely try, if only for the ongoing commentary from the audience) and I was awestruck by the raw unadulterated images and injustice portrayed in the movie. The movie did not have any trappings of a fairytale finish, nor did it attempt to gloss over the absolute terror of slavery.
From a psychological point of view, I saw fear as masquerading anger, contempt and jealousy. I also saw the psychopathology inherent in slavery, not only from…
View original post 649 more words
Yesterday I went on a road trip with a load of the 4th year medics I’d met on A&E at UWI. An amazing day out, we hired a minibus and went to The Blue Hole near Ocho Rios. These stunning freshwater waterfalls and azure pools are a relatively hidden gem and certainly a far cry from the tourist trap of the nearby Dunn’s River Falls.
The journey from Kingston was spectacular in itself, traversing up the gorge of the Rio Cobre (and stopping to look at a local highlight – a rock formation resembling female genitalia known affectionately as Pum Pum Rock) and across Mount Diablo. Then, whizzing round blind corners, we drove through Fern Gully which is a marvel of unspoilt tropical vegetation.
Spent a good few hours at the waterfalls themselves.
There are various jumping points into the deep blue pools, some more adrenaline pumping than others, or you can just chill in the cool water with the sunlight dappling through the trees. Most of us also climbed clambered and waded our way up the waterfalls to reach the topmost pools, partly for the view up there and partly for the hell of it.
There’s really nothing better than chilling in a little piece of paradise with good company and a rum and soda in hand. Understandably the bus journey back was a little more spirited than on the way out… Thoroughly enjoyed the party bus!
Yesterday I went on a road trip with a load of the 4th year medics I’d met on A&E at UWI. An amazing day out, we hired a minibus and went to The Blue Hole near Ocho Rios. These stunning freshwater waterfalls and azure pools are a relatively hidden gem and certainly a far cry from the tourist trap of the nearby Dunn’s River Falls.
The journey from Kingston was spectacular in itself, traversing up the gorge of the Rio Cobre (and stopping to look at a local highlight – a rock formation resembling female genitalia known affectionately as Pum Pum Rock) and across Mount Diablo. Then, whizzing round blind corners, we drove through Fern Gully which is a marvel of unspoilt tropical vegetation.
Spent a good few hours at the waterfalls themselves.
There are various jumping points into the deep blue pools, some more adrenaline pumping than others, or you…
View original post 91 more words
In his article “Pot Growers Association Launched in Jamaica,” David McFadden writes that a group of influential Jamaicans gathered last Saturday to launch an association of future Marijuana cultivators as momentum builds toward loosening laws prohibiting pot on the Caribbean island. Some 300 people, including a few medical Marijuana entrepreneurs from Canada and the U.S. … Continue reading Marijuana Growers Association Launched in Jamaica
The Bob Marley museum in central Kingston was Barack Obama's first stop after landing in Jamaica. Barack Obama has taken a tour of the Bob Marley museum in Jamaica after becoming the first US president to visit the country since 1982.
The Bob Marley museum in central Kingston was Barack Obama's first stop after landing in Jamaica Barack Obama has taken a tour of the Bob Marley museum in Jamaica after becoming the first US president to visit the country since 1982. To the strains of the late reggae star's One Love, Mr Obama was shown … Continue reading Obama in Jamaica pays tribute to Bob Marley – BBC News
Globally we have witnessed a reggaematic revolution and while the hedonism that is dancehall / bashment may have prevailed in recent times the Rastafari laid down a solid foundation based on equal rights and justice!
Since Big Ben struck midnight on New Year’s eve and the South Bank lit up large in anticipation of the Olympics on the East-side, it seems that Jamaica has thrown up a daily dose of evocative bass-ical vibrations into this scribe’s regime. To tell the truth, I’ve been on a mission with regards to 50 years of Jamaican Independence for a good while now and and while a couple of very sweet ideas have sadly failed to manifest, right now, a bunch of projects are fast become a reality. From Punch Records to Dune Music to British Underground at SxSW… Jamaica 50 is happening.
Firstly, I have to say that since the early Seventies, reggae music has underpinned a good portion of my life. It has shaped me as the person I am. Reggae confronts us with history, mystery and prophesy. It forces us to think, to evaluate our past…
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To bring a little perspective on how destructive child prostitution is to the girls forced into it, I have heard, in a rare radio piece about this issue, that the life expectancy for many of these girls is just 22 years. So, death, at a very early age, is what awaits them after they have been forced to have sex with as many as ten to fifteen “customers” per 24 hour period for several days each week.
As Americans have a proclivity for lecturing the rest of the world on the subject of human rights, to avoid hypocrisy and to do the right thing, we need to act to eliminate the gross violation of these girls’ and young women’s human rights and of their dignity as human beings.
Regrettably, the demand for child prostitution remains high in our society. This is in itself a (damning) indictment of our culture. Let’s stiffen the penalties for the consumers of child prostitution, and more vigorously pursue and bring to justice the suppliers of it (organized criminals).
This is another guest post from my friend Larry Z’s blog. He is new to blogging and I am reposting his blog onto mine. I suggest that you go on over and sign up for his blog for an articulate thinking man’s blog. Here is the link
http://larrysmusings.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/why-are-we-tolerating-child-prostittution-and-forced-prostitution-in-the-united-states-2/
JUNE 15, 2012
Why are we tolerating child prostitution and forced prostitution in the United States?
Okay, this is not a news item in the sense that this appalling evil is not new in the US. What is news – or ought to be news – on the TV, radio, Internet, etc. is that there still has not been much reduction, not to mention eradication, of child prostitution and forced prostitution in the United States here in 2012. In recent months, I have heard of news stories about this ongoing atrocious injustice in Atlanta and in Las Vegas. It is widely known to be a chronic problem in the immigration depots of New York City and San Francisco. Forced…
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When I was diagnosed with cancer almost two years ago, at first I was sure, I’m going to die soon.
And I ask myself: “How this all happen?” And the answer was very simple: “To much stress and bad diet”.
So, I knew right there, that with the doctors help, healthy diet and less stress I should be able to beat this awful disease. And from that day on I started reading about cancer, searching for healthy foods, cooking my healthy soups and drinking “Ensure”.
During my treatment: 8 weeks (5 times a week radiation and once a week chemo) I was able to keep my steady weight (+, – 3 LBS). I spend most of my days trying to figure out which food is healthier, what I can swallow, and most important, what I can keep in my stomach.
And about year ago my Oncologist told me, that I’m O.K., “CURED”, but I have to come back in three months for more tests, to see if the cancer is not coming back……….
DIAGNOSIS: CANCER. DEAD SENTENCE OR JUST THE WEAK-UP CALL?
When I was diagnosed with cancer almost two years ago, at first I was sure, I’m going to die soon.
And I ask myself: “How this all happen?” And the answer was very simple: “To much stress and bad diet”.
So, I knew right there, that with the doctors help, healthy diet and less stress I should be able to beat this awful disease. And from that day on I started reading about cancer, searching for healthy foods, cooking my healthy soups and drinking “Ensure”.
During my treatment: 8 weeks (5 times a week radiation and once a week chemo) I was able to keep my steady weight (+, – 3 LBS). I spend most of my days trying to figure out which food is healthier, what I can swallow, and most important, what I can keep in my stomach.
View original post 1,096 more words
Jamaica Pen Publishers 