And Still I Rise

I was supposed to blog about this last week after watching NBC's documentary but I just did not get around to it.Coming out of the documentary was the high level of sexual involvement of teens.Parents watching must have been scared out of their wits as most parents do not like to think that their kids are sexually active.It is really hard being a teenager in today's world though.For starters,you get bombarded daily with countless messages promoting sex.Everywhere the message is being sold subtly and not so subtly.

Of course your parents tell you about the facts of life and how you should conduct yourself.But,still there is the pressure to conform because if everybody is doing it then you want to fit in.Added to that the society sort of tells you that virginity is outdated so teenagers find themselves making decisions about sex before they are fully ready.

I can't say I was shocked at some of the explicit details that came out especially with respect to oral sex.Back when I was in 4th or 5th form I used to get invitations from students to take part in sex parties.In my classrooms even the first formers have some pretty explicit language and some stories of their own.So,am not in denial about what is really happening with young people and the multiple partners that they have.

What then do parents tell children? A lot of parents think that telling their children about contraceptives is encouraging them to get sexually involved.But,knowing that a lot of them are going to do it you may as well educate them about contraceptives.Parents also need to help their children foster a good sense of self esteem because when that is missing they are prone to making foolish decisions.And instead of just telling teens not to have sex educate them about the responsibilty that comes with it.That may just get better results than the flat out orders that do not take into consideration that teens struggle with decisions about sex.

Last night's show featured Steel Pulse and Michele Henderson of Dominica along with supporting local artistes.The show was really good and I was pleasantly surprised by the local acts especially Expressions.One problem I had with the show was the length of the breaks between acts which just spoilt the flow.After each act they had to have this break with the DJ's playing some foolish music.The organisers got to do better next year and please a MC that is at least entertaining.


Was really impressed with Michele Henderson.A very tiny young woman with a voice that you won't believe is coming from her body.She had the audience enthralled as she demonstrated her versatility,moving from jazz to reggae,creole,R and B and an instrumental solo.Check out her music,you won't regret it.

Steel Pulse,the main act did not disappoint at all.From the moment they were announced persons started getting up from their chairs.So by the time they started their opening song the crowd was already dancing and singing along with them.They played for about an hr straight moving from their older songs to the newer ones.I must say I was impressed at the way they sounded live,very clean and crisp.Rally round the Flag and Bodyguard seemed to be the crowd favourites.

A lot of us missed their entire performance because afther they sang for about an hour they went off the stage.Most people thought it was the end and headed for the carpark.While we there trying to get out the lot we realised that the Band had restarted.At that point it was not possible to get back in so we missed the last 40 mins or so.Still,we were satisfied with what we got so not much complaints.

As I posted previously last year had a high of 28 murders.As it turns out there was a 29th and possibly one of the most gruesome ones.The parents of a 1 yr old baby have been charged with causing its death which happened on Christmas Eve.The mother is 20,pregnant and has a 2 or 3yr old,the father is 22.

The baby had a fractured skull,spinal cord damage,broken ribs and its eyes were bulging.Am thinking maybe they strangled it as well.Apparently,they have been beating this child for a long time because the reports say the child's body showed evidence of older injuries.How sick eh! Babies are so innocent,why would anyone want to hurt them? It won't be right but I can kinda understand being frustrated and maybe shaking the child and hurting it.But,this kind of beating I just cannot understand.I not even going to talk about young people making babies without being prepared to look after them because that is a whole nother blog.

Anyway,I hope the authorities do the sensible thing and ensure that the other children do not have to ever live with them again.I think they better off without parents like those.

Enjoy the weekend peeps.

Best Motion Picture Of The Year:
The Aviator
Finding Neverland
Million Dollar Baby
Ray
Sideways

Interesting lineup here.Black films don't get much justice so probably Million Dollar baby or Aviator will win.


Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role:
Don Cheadle - Hotel Rwanda
Johnny Depp - Finding Neverland
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Aviator
Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby
Jamie Foxx - Ray

Good to see two black men nominated here.I would like either of them to win but I got a feeling Dicaprio will get it.All these biographical movies remind me of when Denzel was robbed for Malcolm x and Hurricane.

Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role:
Alan Alda - The Aviator
Thomas Haden Church - Sideways
Jamie Foxx - Collateral
Morgan Freeman - Million Dollar Baby
Clive Owen - Closer

Want Morgan Freeman to win so bad.Thomas Haden Church I think will win though.

Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role:
Annette Bening - Being Julia
Catalina Sandino Moreno - Maria Full Of Grace
Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake
Hilary Swank - Million Dollar Baby
Kate Winslet - Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Hilary Swank is my pick

Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role:
Cate Blanchett - The Aviator
Laura Linney - Kinsey
Virginia Madsen - Sideways
Sophie Okonedo - Hotel Rwanda
Natalie Portman - Closer

Probably Natalie Portman or Virginia Madsen

Achievement In Directing:
Martin Scorsese - The Aviator
Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby
Taylor Hackford - Ray
Alexander Payne - Sideways
Mike Leigh - Vera Drake

Scorcese,I think


Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced Or Published:
Before Sunset - Screenplay by Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke; Story by Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan
Finding Neverland - Screenplay by David Magee
Million Dollar Baby - Screenplay by Paul Haggis
The Motorcycle Diaries - Screenplay by José Rivera
Sideways - Screenplay by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor
undecided

Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen:
The Aviator - Written by John Logan
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman; Story by Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry & Pierre Bismuth
Hotel Rwanda - Written by Keir Pearson & Terry George
The Incredibles - Written by Brad Bird
Vera Drake - Written by Mike Leigh
undecided

On another note Halle Berry got a well deserved raspberry for Catwoman.What a silly movie!

SpongeBob out the closet?

Poor SpongeBob,he must be wondering how Ernie and Bert escape the gay tag.Err,they lived together and always had some kind of argument.Sounds a lot like sexual tension to me.Anybody remember the episode where Bert was in the tub singing about rubber ducky and all the Sesame Street people were in there too?I don't remember Sesame Street having any girls! Lol,am just joking here but Ernie and Bert would be a lot more believable.

That is the best way to describe what is currently passing for Regional Cricket.Can you imagine teams are struggling to post scores of 200? A look at some of the scorecards show teams being 26/7,6/4,35/5,103/6 and other utterly ridiculous figures.In a manner reminiscent of the senior team the bowlers are unable to finish off the opponents after they have removed the top order.When you take into consideration that these players on show are next in line for senior duty,you know something is fundamentally wrong.

So while some rejoice,the reality is that West Indies Cricket continues to die before our very eyes.There is absolutely no strong cricket territory in the West Indies despite what fans may tell themselves.If that was the case the West Indies team would not have been languishing where it is.

Someone asked me if am not embarrassed about Windwards cricket.But I can't be embarrassed about Windwards cricket without feeling the same emotion for West Indies cricket. The truth is Windwards cricket reflects everything that is wrong with cricket on a broader scale.Everyone knows what should be done but yet it remains undone.I say we should all hang our heads in shame for everything that passes as cricket in this region.

Bush is back for 4 more years and in his honor here are some of his memorable quotes

'We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile.'

'Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness.'

'This case has had full analyzation and has been looked at a lot. I understand the emotionality of death penalty cases.'

'The benefits of helping somebody is beneficial.'

'[We will] use our technology to enhance uncertainty abroad.'

'The senator has got to understand if he's going to have - he can't have it both ways. He can't take the high horse and then claim the low road

...more and more of our imports are coming from overseas.'

'If the terriers and bariffs are torn down, this economy will grow.'

'I want to thank the astronauts who are with us, the courageous spacial entrepreneurs who set such a wonderful example for the young of our country.'

'I had the opportunity to go out to Goree Island and talk about what slavery meant to America. It's very interesting when you think about it, the slaves who left here to go to America, because of their steadfast and their religion and their belief in freedom, helped change America. America is what it is today because of what went on in the past.'

'The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case.'

Courtesy www.msn.handbag.com. Gotta love George!

Lately,I have been observing a pattern with some of my friends.They only seem to remember am alive when they have some needs that they want met.Hence,they would never take the initiative to call me to see how am doing and if I ask them to do something for me,well it is not a given they would.

But,the minute something is wrong with them am expected to fall in and fix it.When money is needed for something related to the child,or you happen to fall behind with the bills,or just plain broke, or some relationship trouble,am way up on the list of friends.I suppose I should be flattered because it is probably a backhanded compliment.But am annoyed rather than flattered because it seems to me am being taken for granted.

Friends are supposed to be there for friends.And really I don't have a problem helping if I can. But,if only one person is giving then somebody else obviously did not get the memo.So,even though it may mean loss of friendships(and I use the word loosely here)am going to tell them the way I feel.It is about time they start being a friend to me and stop acting as if it is all about them.

This is a word that enthralls and yet fills one with fear,especially when you are a small child.For example,my 7 year old neighbour usually sleeps at my house but the last few nights she did not show claiming because of jumbies she was scared to come by herself.Many superstitious beliefs have been passed down through the years from one generation to another and at the centre of these is the jumbie which has shaped the attitudes and lives of many.The Jumbie and Jumbie stories are common features of Caribbean life. However,the telling of Jumbie stories is fast becoming another lost art as too many other things are vying for attention.For my non Caribbean readers a jumbie is the spirit of a dead person who can be either evil or good.

Jumbies have a host of colourful names like jack o lantern which is supposed to be this ball of fire that one sees moving in the night.Then there is the soucouyant or heg whose mission is to suck the blood of its victims.As legend goes the soucayant takes off its skin to perform this act and a sure fire way of catching one is to put pepper or salt on the removed skin.

In areas where there is an absence of street lighting and little vehicular traffic it is said that jumbies abound,and it would take more than an average brave person to get home after midnight without company. The older folks use this to explain why the younger folk don't encounter as many jumbies as they did in times gone by.I knew there had to be a reason.Older folks also claim that in their many encounters with jumbies, there are certain things that jumbies don't do.

For example,Jumbies don't go over cliffs.So if you are being chased by a Jumbie then you should run over a cliff. Never mind that running over the cliff can result in your death.Jumbies do not cross a river.But no victims of a Jumbie chase ever stopped on the other side to verify this claim.One should not throw water out of a window lest he or she wets a jumbie.It is said that a wet Jumbie is a very angry jumbie.A child should not cry at night or it may lose its voice to a Jumbie.And of course there are the stories of being ridden by a Jumbie.When this is happening one becomes helpless unable to even move or call out for help.

There are still a lot of people who believe in jumbies and will swear that they realy do exist.Some claim to have seen them and insist on backing into their doorways so that umbies would not follow them inside.On the flip side,many accidents have been blamed on the poor Jumbies.For instance Jumbies have pushed many a drunk over cliffs.No doubt at all that the alcoholic state contributes in any way.

Is there anything worse than having a cold?Ok,I admit to overreacting but few things make you as miserable as the common cold.You got to deal with the stuffy nose,sore throat,headache and sneezing.I don't know which of those symtoms are the worst but sore throat is right up there.On the news you hear talk about stem cell research,potential HIV vaccines and all sorts of other groundbreaking research.How come no cure can't be found as yet for the cold?

By now you would have figured out that am fighting one hence my grouchiness.The most irritating thing is when after swallowing pills,eating oranges or taking cough mixture you still don't feel much better.Then all you can do is hope it doesn't develop into anything more serious like bronchitis,pnuemonia or some equally horrible thing.

Well,it is time I headed off to work.Cold or no cold am heading out to the movies later this evening. By the way I hope I have not infected anyone in blogland with my cold.

Part of the attraction for me is what the stars are wearing on the Red Carpet.So Sunday night me and a friend had some fun critiquing everyone.Anyway,these are a few of the dresses that caught my eye.

Kate Hudson,showing small breasted women that they can carry off a strapless number

Hilary Swank in a simply beautiful dress.

Loved the color of this one

Would somebody please feed Claire Danes!

Jamie Foxx won a Globe for his portrayal of Ray Charles,in the movie Ray.I regret not going to see that movie simply because I was sceptical whether or not Foxx could have pulled it off.I just could not see Wanda(Foxx character on Living Color) as Ray Charles.So I just have to wait for it on tv or rent a tape.Hopefully, he gets an Oscar as well but knowing Hollywood am not holding my breath.Don Cheadle lost out for Hotel Rwanda,another movie that I absolutely must see.

This is a follow up on Melody's post and the "trials"of growing up and discovering boys.Remember when the simple act of passing a group of boys would cause you to lose your composure?Remember back in Grade 6 or earlier when you got the first little note and you were on cloud nine?

And then when you got to High School you got the talk from parents.I remember this older male cousin introduced me to the 3 B's concept.It was Books,Boys and Babies.Boys,I was told bring babies and is a combination that does not mix with books.Therefore,I was supposed to choose wisely.My mother was not so diplomatic-Keep yuh legs shut was the order.Yes ma'am.

Then almost every week you liked a new boy or were interested in one.Of course you liked them from a distance and if you happened to meet them at a school fair or something,well your day was made.PS,I attended an all girls school and the all male school was adjoining.So even walking to school was an adventure in itself.You had to beg your parents to let you go out on a "date" and if they consented you had a mile long list of rules and regulations.

And every "romance" was intense.Lord,those feelings were strong,scary and exciting at the same time.Of course you were clueless how to handle the emotions and so you did some real crazy things to demonstrate your liking.A boy did not even had to do much to convince you that he liked you.Once,walking home from a track meet this boy(one the popular Grammar school guys) bought me an icecream and I was convinced he liked me. Naturally you lost count of how many times your heart got broken by some boy who probably didn't even know you existed.

Then you grow up and you realise that a lot has not really changed.You still getting broken hearts and some foolish boy/girl can cause you to lose all your composure.And you realise that the emotions you felt as a child just as strong now you grown.But the only difference is that you know how to act on them,not so?

I Have A Dream
Read this through and reflect on the greatness of this man who paid the ultimate price for his beliefs.He would have been 76 yrs old today-not terribly old.Am still not sure if the dream has been realised in totality because there is still more work to be done.But Dr King laid the foundation upon which others can build.Thank you for making a difference.

Last night I learnt that Ken Nanton got shot and killed in Jamaica.On Dr D's blog I saw mention of a Vincy doctor being killed but it was only on the evening news that I realised who it was.What a waste of a young,talented life.This young man,just about 30 yrs old was a brilliant student while at St Vincent Grammar School and in fact was one of the island scholars.I can only imagine how his parents are taking this news, because if am not mistaken he was the only son.

As if the shock of Ken's death was not enough I was awakened to the news that the neighbour's house was on fire. Not sure what caused it but everything was lost.What I found really was strange was that all the villagers were running to the house but nobody had any buckets or anything in their hands.Clearly,nobody thought that they could have helped until the Fire Brigade came.Just last week an elderly lady perished in a house fire and another family lost all their possessions.Luckily, for the second family a 3 yr old alerted them that the house was smoke filled and they managed to escaped with their lives.Now my neigbhour has to start all over again and I emphatise with her because she had a rocky last few years.But where there is life there is hope so hopefully she will be okay.

On the front page of a local newspaper is a story of a young businessman who was arrested for attempting to board his flight with a gun in his carry on luggage.From all reports he would have left here with the gun in his possession,claiming that he forgot it was in his briefcase.It makes you wonder how did he clear airport security at Arnos Vale.Or,is it a case of because of who he is that security checks were waived?.I know for a fact that they are less than thorough with certain members of society when they are leaving this island.

This,however calls for urgent action by the Min of National Security in collaboration with the Airport authorities.It also brings into question regional airport security because it appears the gun was undetected when he went into Barbados. But,I credit the local aiport with more blame and if it is is found to be at fault some heads are supposed to roll for such a serious security breach.No passenger should be allowed to be on any flight bearing firearms.Needless,we bury our heads in the sand and think that nothing serious can happen in our part of the world.

What is it about blogging that you like?

What draws you to visit a particular blog?

What blog topics you find most interesting?

Dr. Mae Jemison A nice little feature on a woman I have admired from since I read about her in an Ebony magazine-way back in High School.We used to be fascinated by space exploration(I stil am)and here was this woman leading the way and inspiring us to do better in physics:)

That was the subject of much debate at lunch yesterday.At the end of it only me and this guy thought that tipping was optional.Our basic argument was why should we pay some one extra for doing their job.Added to that the service in SVG and the Caribbean in general is pretty lousy so we have a hard time justifying it.Those who were pro tipping based their argument on it is good to reward people for service,its better to give than receive and you are helping to top up a low paid employee's salary.With respect to low wages it is true that service workers tend to be poorly paid but some persons will argue that they not paid well either in their jobs.Then some jobs forbid you from taking "tips" in any form.Not fair, is it?

One of my gripes is that some service workers think you are duty bound to tip them.If that is the case then they are duty bound to go beyond their call of duty when serving us.It is a two way thing or is supposed to be.Don't expect an automatic tip if your service is lousy.But I think it has become fashionable so most people just do it no matter the service.So do you all think it should be mandatory?

A 14 yr old fourth former is 6 months pregnant by her uncle.A 15 year old girl was raped by her father.Both cases are with the Family Court and the details are just sickening to hear.Some people say it has been happening since the world began as if that makes it any more palatable.

I guess I should be happy the cases got to the Family Court because the tendency is to keep silent.It seems nobody likes to air their dirty linen publicly especially when it involves family members.I am yet to understand what would make a man be sexually attracted to his own flesh.Maybe,there is no other reason but a need to exert power with no regard for the lives that they have destroyed.I say castration should be the way to deal with these fathers instead of the measly sentences they hand out.

Yes,after 4 years of marriage Hollywood's supposedly golden couple have called it a day.So much for the hype eh.

Congrats to the major news channels for their detailed coverage.Sometimes,I have found them to be wanting with respect to how they cover news that is Non American.Laci Peterson story was tragic but am not sure it deserved to dominate the news the way it did as opposed to how the Sudan situation was covered.But am thoroughly impressed with this Asian coverage.To tell the truth I have gotten to the point where I don't want to hear it anymore.Not because it is over kill,but because the scale of disaster is too overwhelming.

And while am it more congrats to all the nations that have responded so quickly with monetary donations.Australia,with 850 million leads the group(I think),Japan,500 mil,USA,350 mil,UK 96 million and World Bank 250 million.Am not sure if the figures have changed but those were what I heard a few days ago.All those individuals who have given generously,way to go! A good example of being our brothers keeper.

I have a new cousin.She will turn eleven this March and if I met her in the street I would not know her.Why,you ask? Well,for the almost eleven yrs of her life she was told that a different man was her daddy.Not only was she told that but she was accepted by the man's family and would be there for weekends and vacations etc.

Apparently,my relative let the cat out of the bag by letting villagers know that he is the father of the child.Now the maternal grandparents with whom the child lives are pressing the mother for the truth. Hence the news is about to be revealed to the child.

Now,my grouse is how can you be so irresponsible as to lie to a child and then continue it for so long? According to the mother she was living with Daddy no1 parents and for her survival she had to stick to her story. Ok,fine! But you since moved out,migrated,left your child with your parents(before primary school age) and you never thought you had the ideal opening to clear up the matter? I suppose it is better late than never.

And the sad thing is she may end up without any Daddy.I doubt Daddy no 1 is big enough to continue playing a role in her life.Actually,Mommy claims she already stopped her from going to their house.Then knowing my relative he is not going to play any major part in her life at all.

What a tangled web,eh! And who suffers in all this? Nobody but the innocent child.

Last night a brown grasshopper flew in the house and right away this friend said something bad is going to happen.One the other hand a green one is said to be a sign of good things about to happen.Now these are just one of the many beliefs that people swear by.It got me thinking about superstitions and some of the more common ones.

The no 13 is always seen as being very unlucky and when the 13th falls on a Friday it becomes doubly important.The day is called Black Friday and even Hollywood has gotten into the act with their Friday the 13th movies.I can't say I have seen any Fri 13th that was noted for anything terrible happening.Well,although I was not yet born I know that when the volcano erupted in 1979 it was a Good Friday as well as a Black one.

Easter time has its own peculiar customs.I have heard it said that if you cut a peas tree on Good Friday it will bleed.Then there is this story about putting the white of an egg in a glass and by sunset the egg would have taken a shape which would determine your future.The funniest one I have heard was that if you hit a snake also on Good Friday you would see its feet.

Ever heard when you have to scratch your middle hand that you will be getting some money? Or if you hear a ringing in your ear it means that somebody is calling your name? Grandparents and older persons would insist that sweeping the house after 6 pm would mean sweeping away your luck.

Who knows where these stories originated but they have been passed down through generations and have become part of the culture.What are the superstitions in your part of the world?

Seeing that 2005 is still very young,all the talk is still centred around making changes.While it is true that it is not very easy to make changes(old habits die hard),it is not impossible.I read this yesterday and thought I'd share.

Buried deep in the earth are precious diamonds.In order to get them,however,we must dig and dig deep.Once we get to the foundation rock,we must apply pressure to shape and mold the diamond. It is not the digging,it is the pressure that makes diamonds.Softness is what marshmallows are made of.Soft,sweet,easy to crumble under pressure and no good for anybody.The challenge is to decide what you want to be-a diamond or a marshmallow.

Have a great work week.Mine has not started yet,not that am complaining.