And Still I Rise

Kamal Wood is the top CXC student regionally. Well done Kamal And SVGS. On another note Congrats to Luke Browne (also of SVGS) Windwards u19 player for being one of this year's Island Scholars.

Kamal

The Champions Trophy has thrown up a series of predictable results in the pool fixtures to date: this much we know. But on the outskirts of the concrete jungle that is The Oval, a Champions Trophy of a quite different kind is being played out.
Within the uninviting corridor of uncertainty that runs an ugly ring around the outside of the spectator stands, where food stalls, beer tents and other vending points are housed, national pride is at stake. And it is to be won or lost not on the flip of a coin, but at the ring of a till. This is the Champions Trophy of cricket clothing, where pounds replace runs - and the organisers are just praying for some close contests.
Let's get straight to the action, with an update on play so far. Some T-shirt minnows - Zimbabwe and USA - are still in the fight, although their luck could run out soon. India and Sri Lanka all returned surprisingly poor results: not many cotton items on sale for them. Australia, however, are looking confident in their big and bold primary-yellow tones, and are playing up their chances of selling success. They are currently second in the tournament for official country T-shirt sales. Meanwhile Kenya, Bangladesh and, surprisingly, Pakistan were not even invited to play as they were thought to be too unpopular.
Sales of England regalia made a bright start, before a mid-innings slump which required a thumping allrounder to rescue them. Enter not one, but two - and the chance to resolve a burning issue, finally: is Freddie Flintoff really the new Ian Botham? And it would appear that he is, although the result wasn't arrived at without a close contest. An oversight in ordering meant that Flintoff shirts missed the first Champions Trophy match at The Oval, allowing the old-timer Beefy to steal a march on the young pretender. But as soon as Flintoff entered the attack, he plundered many pockets and has now just crept ahead of Botham. Sales of Freddie T-shirts have been rocketing, although in fairness Beefy has done well in his retirement.
Dickie Bird was drafted into the England squad for a cameo - but it turned out to be a risky choice for the selectors, who will be kicking themselves as he is yet to get off the mark.
But today's big Oval battle concerned South African and West Indies, with the Windies upsetting the formbook and outselling their opponents five to one. The West Indies largely had the legend of Viv Richards, living on through the medium of 100% cotton, to thank. In fact King Viv, with his evocation of West Indies in their heyday, has helped his team top the table to date as the top-scorer for all teams in the T-shirt competition. Brian Lara, the other Caribbean representative, has proved distinctly unpopular, perhaps reflecting the fans' current disaffection with their team.
But they still came out in support of their nation today in numbers, although maroon blobs were only sporadically dotted around the ground among the green-and-gold ones. And, of course, the fans were not obliged to buy their caps, flags and T-shirts within the ground: many had come ready-prepared. And if West Indies fans were outnumbered, they sought to maximise their presence by blowing horns loudly and regularly, particularly in the members' section where, while they were busy tootling away unchecked, one poor chap using his mobile phone discreetly was asked to be quiet. Well, the sign did read "No mobile phones" and not "No horn-blowing".
This crowd, while spirited and enjoying good-natured banter, may have lacked the rowdy raucousness of Thursday's throng at The Oval after Australia had knocked New Zealand out of the trophy, but, given the injuries to some of the stewards then, this was perhaps no bad thing. Meanwhile, back on the outskirts of the ground it's like the good old days: King Viv reigns supreme.
Jenny Thompson is assistant editor of Wisden Cricinfo.
© Wisden Cricinfo Ltd

How would you like to have to deal with four storms one after the other in such relatively short time? First Charley,followed by Frances, Ivan and now Jeanne.These people must be wondering when the elements are going to ease up on them. It must be very disheartening to be settling into a sort of calm only to have pack up and move again as yet another hurricane threatens.

Now is not the time to focus on the US govt policies or the arrogance of Americans and all the other rhetoric. Nature does not discriminate as it does not recognize the artificial barriers of Less Developed and More Developed that we set up.If that were so then the US and Cayman Islands with their wealth would have been spared. At the end of the day it is the lives of humans that are lost,displaced and have to start all over again.

It is Monday, am in Kingstown and all the talk is the win on Saturday.Everybody had their own unique reaction. The office attendant at work spoke of being unable to sit in her home. Instead she paced the yard nervously alternating between asking her children for updates and requesting that they turn off the television. Her neighbour who was as much a nervous wreck prayed and was in tears by the time the winning run was hit.Understandably, most of the talk is centred around Browne the man we love to hate. Almost to a man all agreed that for the moment at least he is exempted from criticism.

On the other side one of my friends lost his bet that England would win.So his stance is the umpire should be thanked for giving Browne a life as he was plumb lbw. Earlier he had collected on his bet that Shaoib would knock down Lara so he is ruing the oportunity of going two for two.

One thing though most people although still somewhat euphoric are aware that there is still much to be done. As one of my friends said to me it is not the WC and the team is still no 8 in the Test rankings but for the moment it is a welcome respite from blows.

What is it about sportsmen that make them want to continue even when they are past their best? Is it that they are addicted to the spotlight and find it hard to move out of the public eye? Or is it a case of needing money? Whatever it is it is pathetic to watch these great athletes continuously being humiliated simply because they are reluctant to call it quits. First it was Tyson being knocked out in the same Memphis and Holyfield getting KOed (i think) by James Toney

Last night as I watched Roy Jones jnr undeniably one of the greats being battered all over the ring I felt saddenned. I know he is brash, arrogant even, but I don't think anyone who acknowledges his greatness would have felt happy to see him lying motionless for so long. I would hope getting KOed in two consecutives fights would drive home the message to him that it is time to hang up the gloves.

Thanks for the memories Roy but to preserve your legacy it is time to go. Nobody, I think wants to see you further humiliated

Today is one of those days when I have a lot to say but I would rather not say anything. At least I do not want to say it here. I could talk about how my work week was filled and how much my head hurt this week. Thankfully no migraines. I could talk about how the ICC tourney has been surprising but I don't feel like talking any thing cricket. I could tell you all that I made some enemies this week but I don't think any of my readers interested in hearing that.

What I want to talk about though is that there is a possibilty I can be an auntie. I am loving it if only for one reason...my brother is pissed at me cos am thrilled. Apparently am traitorous to not have the same feelings like him..lol. So I told him to hang up and let us restart the conversation and give me an opportunity to give the required responses. Needless to say he did hang up. Should his fears/nightmare become real there are more laughs around the corner for me. Seeing my mother's reaction will be priceless(grandmother is like a stake in a vampire heart) So am the only happy camper here, its rare and did I say how much am loving the moment?

Tomorrow I will console my bro but tonight I must laugh and yeah I will hope for his sake that he not going to be a daddy. But I want to be an auntie:)

Before I go into my subject matter let me say that this is my blog to write what I want, when I want and how I want.I reserve the right to be as opinionated,frank and even as downright silly as I choose. Finally, if my posts are not your world view then simply lose the address. Clear enough?

Now onto my topic of Homosexuality:

This is one word that is guaranteed to incite passionate arguments in any gathering. For most Caribbean people homosexuals are the scum of the earth and should be exterminated or ostracised. Homophobia is alive and well and manifests itself in various ways. Where for example do people get the idea that homosexual men are any more likely to be sexual predators of the young than heterosexual men? I would think that studies which show that cases of child molestation and incest by heteros which out number similar cases by homosexuals would have put that myth to rest by now.

In condemnation of homosexuals most people would quote scriptures but I always find it to be a bit hypocritical seeing that the same scriptures are equally condemnatory of many practices that we engage in without batting an eyelid. Yet we are able to justify and rationalise our actions on the pretext that our sins are lesser as after all we are men and women who were ordained for each other. Of course we ignore that the same Bible we quote expresses conditions under which the sex act should be performed. Others are simply repulsed at the thought of men being sexually attracted to men instead of the softer female. This I suppose is the moral viewpoint.

I adopt the live and let live theory because I realise it takes all kinds to make up a world.Our differences are vast ranging from our political view point, our race, our religion and the trick here is for all of us to coexist while respecting the other's right to be different. So that excludes for me gay bashing and random acts of physical violence. For the life of me I cannot see why a man would willingly choose a lifestyle that means he is going to be ostracised, ridiculed and looked upon with scorn.It kind of makes me want to give some credence to the "it is not a choice" theory. Despite the upswing in gay rights homosexuality is still not the norm and when people deviate from the norm they face a lot more opposition.I tend to believe that for a significant majority it was a struggle to come to terms with their sexuality. I don't think it is by accident that men try to cover up their true sexuality and in many cases go through the pretence of being heterosexual(had a friend admit to me that he was tired of living a lie).

Let me say that am not suggesting that people necessarily approve of the lifestyle but instead open their minds to allow tolerance. Hate the act if you must but realise the person is as much a human being as you are.People of other persuasions have their contribution to make and should be allowed to do so.

Rory slept with Dean end of last season. One problem though is that Dean is married and now after Rory has slept with him she is waking up to the reality that Dean goes home to a wife and a marriage he told her was over.

Couple lessons here that can be applied to real life.

1)Stay away from OPP..especially married OPP

2)Sure his marriage sucks but he is still there.So let him make a decision before you jump in

3)Once your emotions get involved you not likely to be satisfied with being the other woman.Blame it on our socialisation if you want to but the majority of women still want security.

Probably sounds idealistic and I know life is not always black and white but I can't think of better ways to safeguard one's emotional wellbeing. I mean relationships are hard enough without the added complications of having a third person in the picture to whom the object of your desire is legally and otherwise committed to. Who needs all this drama in their lives? It all boils down to you making a conscious decision not to place your self in situations where you end up getting the short end of the stick

And why is it that married men seeking affairs choose single women? I don't have any statistics but based on what I see happening around me it seems to be the norm. Seems to me that having an affair with a married woman is less complicated. For one there should be no expectations,you act out your fantasy ,go home to your partner and everyone is happy.

The child gives because the body can, and the mind of the violator cannot. Maya Angelou in "I know why the caged bird sings" . I heard on the local news about an eight year old girl who was sodomised by a 17 year old and subsequently contracted a venereal disease. And once again am disgusted and saddened that the trust of a child can be used against them to cause such pain. A person's home is supposed to be a sanctity but too often it is in these homes that children fall victim to sexual crimes becoming a prisoner in their own homes and quickly learning the language of silence.

The effects of abuse manifests itself in so many different ways. The child forced to grow up too fast lives with guilt, feels dirty, unlovable and self esteem plunges.In some cases they exhibit regressive behaviours like bed wetting, thumb sucking and school work suffers.In short the life of the child is literally changed overnight. Then because the child rarely receives any counselling to help them to go on with their lives they grow up with a host of unresolved issues which affect their adult lives. Feelings of no self worth means they often put themselves in situations that are damaging and the cycle keeps being repeated.

Parents have to be more alert than ever to arrest this crime against children. A hard task indeed but educating children to the dangers is the most powerful avenue there is. Since most abuse takes place in homes and is perpetuated by persons known to the children parents must stress less the belief that children are more in danger from strangers. So the thrust has to be one of letting the child know what constitutes inappropriate touching and that family and friends are not exempt. The environment must also be such that the child feels at ease to tell their parents what is going on. The silence must be broken.

A man and a woman can never really be friends..sooner or later sex comes into the picture.This is a paraphrased quote from the movie when Harry met Sally and I must admit there is a lot of truth to it.When I was in high school all my male friends would come on to me eventually. I grew up and the same thing kept happening. You start out being friends with a guy and somewhere down the road they start making passes at you even though they know you are a friend of their girlfriend or they are a friend of your boyfriend.

Now I have this excellent friendship with this guy and everybody thinks there is more to it than just friendship.He has a girfriend(2 actually) and in the 3 years I have known him he has never come on to me sexually and I like it exactly like that.He is my proof that men and women can indeed be friends. But a tiny part of me expects him to maybe because I have grown to believe what my friends and society tell me.However, should he do it I would be very disappointed because I still want to believe it is possible for men and women to be friends.

This is a much talked about and debated term.It has been misused in many ways and is rejected by both men and women who see it as a tag, a label for women who they call too extreme, too assertive, too independent.There is also a certain amount of fear for some women to be called and be identified as feminists as it casts them in a tainted light.

To me feminism is about being part of a movement that seeks total equality between men and women.It calls for an integrated approach towards dealing with women's issues where men and women alike are involved in doing away with the inequalities existing in the society.I think its important for young women to learn about the movement as it offers an opportunity to learn a lot about women's rights which are essentially human rights.

I must say how proud I am of my Vincentian people. The response to the Grenada crisis has been tremendous as evidenced by the 3 hr radiothon on Sunday and the foodstuff, clothing and building materials that have been flooding NEMO daily. The topic of every conversation is Grenada and ways we can help. Take a bow Vincentians.

One thing that I find a little worrying though is the emphasis on how blessed we are as if by implication Grenada is cursed. True, in many ways we are blessed in that we seem to avoid the major natural disasters that afflict our sister islands.But I don't think its any indication that somehow we are better people and therefore protected. If we were to examine our selves closely we would see that the island is fast becoming lawless and violent crimes are increasing. Added to that the instances of incest and child molestation are becoming more and more frequent. So lets not get carried away thinking we are somehow morally better people. And I will go further and say the scenarios I outlined can easily be representative of most if not all of these islands.

So while we breathe a huge sigh of relief at having been spared Ivan's wrath its time for stocktaking. Had we been hit directly would the damage be as severe or would we even have taken the necessary precautions? Sure we stock up on food and candles but many of us do not board up windows etc. I hope we would have at least learnt from Grenada's experience that we should react quickly to storm warnings because at the end of the day its better to be prepared than underprepared.

Richards was really the first true leader from the working class, the first leader to emerge from among the plebs to captain a West Indian Cricket Team conceived and shaped by the rich and powerful class, the landed class and the gentry, and the educated and the cultural elites. The master craftsman was neither schooled within the formal walls which nurtured and cultured the rich and famous, nor was he privileged to have social intercourse with the class who would control the direction of the economy on the basis of his heritage. He was nevertheless well trained in the issues that affected his people and his race; he was well prepared to represent that collective cause.

The "King" lifted West Indies cricket to a higher plane, bringing it to maturity, and establishing it at the pinnacle of international cricket. He took the institution to a third heaven, following the first elevation by George Headley in the 1930's and the revival by Lawrence Rowe in the early 1970's. Headley's genius and exploits were compared with Don Bradman, and he was often referred to as the black Bradman. Rowe's artistry and mystic earned him the title 'Lawrence of Jamaica'. Richards's genius and domination earned him the the undisputed titles 'The King'; 'De Bull' and 'The Master Blaster'

The designations are significant as each represents a stage of development of West Indies cricket, the relative position of West Indies Cricket in international cricket, and the international recognition of the institution in each period.Headley brought West Indies cricket to international recognition, but the artform was was recognised as a product of the white world, and secondary, to that established by the white world. Lawrence Rowe carved out a place in the international scheme of things for West Indies cricket by establishing the artform as a product of the Caribbean.His cricket was a product of Jamaica and the Caribbean, and was accepted as such. it was no longer a product of England or the white world,it was West Indies cricket. By the 1980's, Viv had matured with West Indies cricket. The matchles beauty, the attractiveness, the splendor and the grandeur of the artform were internationally recognised; in some cases it was coveted.

West Indies cricket was established as an institution. By then many were seeking to understand the artform and were painstakingly attempting to use its science to improve their game. To the international public therefore West Indies cricket was no longer perceived as an imitation of white orthodoxy, but as a 'master'artform and a science. These were the ideas loaded in the title of 'Master Blaster'attributed to Vivian richards. You see, Richards represented the unfolding of the boundaries of the human potential, and the unfolding of the potential of the West indian people

Peter Adrien in Cricket and Development

And believe me at times like these its a burden that I absolutely hate. Why is it that women and blood have to be so intimately linked? All because Miss Eve had to go eat an apple I have to pay for her sins. Oh yeah something about that is so fair, right? In my next life am coming back as a boy where life is so much easier.Ok, I not so sure about that because being woman does have some nice rewards but at least I can dream about life as another gender.

Well SVG escaped a direct hit yet again so I suppose the blessed theory will gain new life.Unfortunately our Grenadian neighbours were not fortunate to escape the full force. Been trying to call Grenada all last night but no luck..I hope my friends are fine.

It was kinda frustrating waiting on Ivan because we had expected to be getting bad weather from Mon night but nothing happened. It was kinda eerie too with the place still and hot and all the uncertainty. It got to a point where you just wanted to get hit and get it over with.Then we heard from 8 am Tuesday morning we would start feeling the effects. We never started feeling anything until about midday(at least in my area). I was surprised by how little rain fell and the absence of thunder and lightening . There were a few strong gusts of wind but nothing scary at all. Surprisingly, the water stayed on but then the rain was not much so I guess that explains why they left it on throughout.Power went around midday Tues and it was about 11.15 that I realised it was back.The place was eerily dark though without the accustomed streetlights and because I was warned about keeping candles on I just did not bother lighting any.

From what I gather the damage here was not too bad. The Southern Grenadines took a pounding with Palm Island And Mayreau having their jetties destroyed. So effectively they marooned. The damge was mainly in coastal areas because of the storm surges so areas like Argyle, Georgetown etc would have been affected. Still, we are grateful because it could have been so much worse especially in the light of what happened in Barbados and Grenada.

Am tired of the violence pervading our society. Something that seemingly has become so normative that we simply keep on going without blinking an eye at incidents of extreme violence. And I wonder about this and the effects this has on our states of being.

Recently the types of crimes committed here have been very very gruesome. In 2001 the nation mourned the death of 12 year old Lokisha Nanton whose nude body was found hanging from a tree, brutally raped, sodomised and then hung with her own clothing. It seems like since her death the society has become numb. Last week two young men were shot and killed execution style in two different villages and we shrugged and went about our ways.Its becoming a way of life unfortunately

So how do we arrest this development? Is it just a case of throwing up our hands and praying that those we love remain untouched? Recently, the Govt had a gun amnesty but hundreds of illegal weapons still remain on the street. I confess to feeling powerless and yes frustrated as I watch my island being consumed by all this violence.

And I wonder about the bigger picture that fuels the crime..the unemployment, the economic differences, the drug trade, differences among people. And I wonder who is going to have the will to try to bring about change.

Meantime SVG bracing for Ivan which is supposed to pass directly over us sometime tomorrow morning. It has been years since this place was hit directly by a hurricane and most of us have grown up feeling immune. After all we are Hairoun..land of the blessed. Well we going to need all the blessings we can get to ride through this if the path remains the same. Somehow am more worried about my relatives in Barbados but hopefully all will be well

Seems like everytime I turn on the tv something horrible is happening in Russia. This week was the planes crashing, a suicide bomber and then all those children held hostage. Yesterday I was horrified by the images of children and teens emerging from that building half dressed and looking so shellshocked.Yet another rescue mission gone horribly wrong following on the disaster in the theatre.

I feel for the parents of those dead children. How horrible it must be to bury your child. It is so against the natural order of things as children are supposed to bury parents not the other way around. And how does the family go on after such a tragic event? There is probably so much blame that goes around at times like these.

And how do the survivors continue with their lives? True, children are resilient but going through that kind of ordeal is bound to leave some scars. I can only hope that they will get the necessary help that is needed to help them to move on.

That's the new directive coming from the Ministry of Education. In other words children are not to repeat classes anymore so whether or not they have an acceptable grade we are going to pass them through the school system. The thinking and I use that word sparingly is to fulfill the give every child a secondary education plan. So all students or close to all who wrote Common Entrance are supposedly guaranteed a placement.Bear in mind that the passes are not exactly spectacular with less than 45% passing annually. The question then is what kind of person will we be turning out at the end of 5 years? It is bad enough that so may people are walking around functionally illiterate and here we are adding to the numbers. I took a look at some the new entrants to my school and children are entering with percentages in the teens! How are we supposed to be motivated knowing that these children are assured of promotion regardless of performance? Word from the Ministry is that the children are not aware of the ruling. But, this is SVG and nothing is a secret.

I also think it is a waste of resources because education is not heavily subsidized by govt.Yes,there is a book loan scheme but what about transportation and uniforms,lunch and other incidentals associated with school. It seems a pretty expensive way to babysit children while they for the most part are not learning anything meaningful.

The other new directive is that no more children are to be suspended or expelled. It is felt that there were some instances where children were suspended for what can be looked as trivial matters. But how do we deal with the instances of weapons in schools? There have been instances where kids brought guns to school and knives etc.Ever so often at my school there are fights with bottles and other available weapons. What then is our course of action? I really do not like this new dispensation.

Am so not looking forward to Sept 6th to July 1st 2005. Anyway it is anticipated that there will be some sort of review because most teachers are quite disgruntled.

C is back from his studies in Cuba. Am I happy to see him. It got me thinking about how good it would be if your first love was your only love. But it really does not work like that too often in the real world. People come and go and take a part of your heart with them leaving some pleasant or not so pleasant memories.

Everytime I see C am reminded of a time when life was so much simpler and so much more innocent.How I wish I could go back to those days.Back then nothing was more important that talking on the phone at least 6 or 7 times daily when school was on break, walking down from school, church activities, school fairs. So many memories.

I remember how much I missed him when I went to NJ. There was nobody to call up and complain to about how much I hated what was going on around me. Nobody who could make me feel like everything was going to be alright as long as I stuck it out. I never realised how much an important part of my life he was until then.

We are grown up now and our lives have taken different paths but he always going to have a special place in my heart.

Never thought I'd be so happy to see rain. But the past few days were so unbearably hot that I was getting very irritable. It didn't help that the last two days I had to be walking up and down in the sun paying bills and getting organised for school. So today its raining and am ecstatic. The place is so much cooler and my mood has lightened considerably. I hope it rains for the rest of the week