And Still I Rise

Ever wondered what it meant to be educated? If you are like most people you would probably cite the attainment of degrees,CXC's,GCE's and the like and be fairly correct since it is the yardstick commonly used.Last Friday at the Methodist Church Hall in Kingstown the audience was given a whole new definition of what education was.According to feature speaker Hollis "Chalkdust" Liverpool to be educated is to be bathed in the refinements of your culture.He went on to say that if that factor is missing all the other achievements are really meaningless.I thought this was quite a thought provoking sentence and something I find myself in agreement with.

I think we first have to understand the definition of culture.For me it is the soul of a people,the way of life and the sense of identity.A knowledge of your culture makes one aware of whence they came and gives an understanding of the factors which shape us.Therefore,in a Vincentian situation if one does not know about the struggle of the Garifuna peoples led by Carib Chief Joseph Chatoyer are we really educated? I would say no since we would be unaware of a significant part of our history and the reverence with which the Garifuna peoples of Belize and other Central American countries hold this island.If we understood the significance of the struggle we would be proud of Chatoyer instead of being perturbed that a half naked man(seen pictured in his loincloth) was chosen as the island's first national hero.The ignorance all goes back to the lack of interest by the nation's leaders in ensuring that our history is taught.

He therefore insisted that teachers look beyond just the emphasis on their particular discipline.Instead an effort should be made to impart lessons of our history to the children we come in contact with.It may mean that we may have to educate ourselves but it is as necessary as the air we breathe.The underlying theme that stood out throughout the whole lecture was the need to be proud of ourselves for who we are,what we have overcome and what we achieved.Thank you Chalkdust,we needed the reminder.

Bad: You can't find your vibrator.
Worse: Your daughter "borrowed" it.

Bad: You find a porn movie in your son's room.
Worse: You're in it.

Bad: Your husband's a crossdresser.
Worse: He looks better than you.

Bad: Your son's involved in Satanism.
Worse: As a sacrifice.

Bad: Your wife wants a divorce.
Worse: She's a lawyer.

Bad: Your wife's leaving you.
Worse: For another woman.

Bad: Your wife's leaving you.
Worse: To enter a convent.

Bad: Your wife's arrested for soliciting.
Worse: She implicates you.

Good: Hot outdoor sex.
Bad: You're arrested.
Worse: By your husband.

Good: The postman's early.
Bad: He's wearing camas and has an AK-47.

Good: The secretary said "yes."
Bad: Your wife says "no."

Good: The teacher likes your son.
Bad: Sexually.
Worse: He's gay.

Good: You came home for a quickie.
Bad: So did the postman.

Bad: Your children are sexually active.
Worse: With each other.

Good: You came home for a quickie.
Bad: Your wife walks in.

Good: You get tickets to the theatre.
Bad: It's performance art.

Good: Your boyfriend's exercising.
Bad: So he'll fit in your clothes.

Good: Your car conveniently "runs out of gas."
Bad: For real.

Good: Your child's "waiting for Mr. Right".
Bad: Your son, that is.

Good: Your daughter's on the Pill.
Bad: She's thirteen.

Good: Your neighbor exercises in the nude.
Bad: He weighs 350 pounds.

Good: Your son's doing extra credit work.
Bad: Making a sex ed video.

Good: Your uncle leaves you a fortune.
Bad: It's counterfeit.

Good: Your wife bought a porn video.
Bad: Your daughter's the star.

Good: Your wife likes outdoor sex.
Bad: You live downtown.

Good: Your wife meets you at the door nude.
Bad: She's coming home.

Good: Your wife's kinky.
Bad: With the neighbors.
Worse: All of them.

I thought it was funny and shareworthy if that is a word at all.

Since I have started back wearing glasses it has been quite the experience.When I say it's a whole new world it is not an exaggeration as am seeing so much more clearly now.

That aside I keep leaving the glasses in the most unlikely places resulting in me feverishly trying to retrieve them.How many places can one lose a pair of glasses you may well ask,

Well Tuesday as I was getting ready to leave for work I couldn't locate them and quick checks in the bedroom,bathroom,living room and kitchen were fruitless.Not wanting to waste anymore time I decided to head out and conduct a better search when I returned.

So it's evening time and after literally exhausting myself on the search I concluded that they were lost.It meant that I would have to buy a new pair or arouse some person's sympathy enough so they would do decide to make me a gift.At this point I was not a happy camper at all.

Anyway,about half hour or so after mentally contemplating my options I decided to go to the freezer for some ice.Voila! There sat sat the pair of glasses,literally chilling.

Can you imagine that days after writing that post on helmet law I have yet another occasion to be upset with road use? This time a motorist,another young idiot decided a street in Kingstown was the ideal place for him to pretend he was on a race track.As a result of his arrogance or is it ignorance a pedestrian is dead, one remains critical and the other has less serious injuries.

I think it is about time the authorities get firm and make an example of one of these reckless drivers.It is no use paying lip service to the law by basically giving the offenders a slap on the wrist.I am yet to see one of these drivers do jail time for turning their vehicles into murder weapons.Instead,they merely end up with their licences suspended for a couple months and then it is back to business as ususal.

The smallness of our country does not help the situation much either since you can be sure that the fines administered are reflective of the person's standing in society.Coincidence? I think not.C'mon authorities it is time to get tough in the face of recklessness and let the offenders sit in jail like the murderers that they are.

I have reached the point where am tired of standing at the graves of young men who have died in traffic accidents.The sad thing is but for a little more caution all of them would probably be alive today.Even sadder is three of the young men were riding motor bikes minus helmets when they met their deaths.For a few dollars more their heads would have been protected and probably their lives.

One of this island's weeklies made the point that the faces at the vigils held for the deceased are eerily the same.An arrow chillingly points to the latest victim attending a roadside vigil for Jason Punnett who died in April of 2005.He had no way of knowing that in the space of a few mths a similar vigil would be held in his memory.

Am more than a little angry at the way these young men have literally thrown away their lives.It is almost as if the previous deaths have not served as a warning to be more careful on the roads or even to wear protective gear.Instead we are faced with the grim and sad task of burying our young men in the prime of their lives.

Therefore,am thrilled that the Govt is finally moving to make helmet wearing and I hope seat belts mandatory.There's no denying that the onus is on us to protect ourselves at all cost,but to let our young men die on these death traps that they turn motorcycles into just won't do.If it means saving themselves from themselves,well so be it.

It is a few years too late in coming and unfortunately too many have died before the Govt stepped up and made a stance.Nevertheless,it is very welcomed as that seems to be the only way that will get compliance.I too want to see an end/reduction to vigils and candles marking the spot.

Crass or creative? I can't decide as yet but I admit it made me smile

Did anyone besides Cinefille watch the Golden Globes? I didn't get to watch the entire show but the BBC World newscast updated me on those who ended up in winners row.

As expected Brokeback Mountain-the story of two cowboys and a forbidden love came away with the major awards.Apart from that Felicity Hoffman shed her desperate housewife skin for a transsexual role in TransAmerica and came away with a Best Actress award.Not to be outdone Phillip Seymour Hoffman won Best actor award for Capote who just happened to be gay.Notice a pattern here?

Without a doubt gay themed movies are getting recognition in Hollywood and probably changing the way we look at situations.I definitely remember empathising with Tom Hanks's Oscar winning character(gay man dying of AIDS)in Philadelphia even though at that time I wasn't too comfortable with the lifestyle.By the time the film was finished the sexuality of the character was all but lost and the important thing was life and getting by.Am very interested to see if the Oscars will follow the same pattern.

And no mention of the Globes is complete without a mention of fashion.Am just too lazy/tired to go searching for all the dresses that caught my eye.So I'll just post one that I absolutely loved.Here's Keira Knightley looking simply beautiful.


On the flip side Mariah Carey's dress looked awful with that big bow to the top.

Oops I almost forgot S.Epatha Merkerson aka Lt Van Buren from Law and Order won best performance by an actress in a TV miniseries or motion picture for Lackawanna Blues.Saw it,loved it and was delighted for her.And while am on the topic of Lackawanna Blues I must say how good Terrence Howard looked.I think am giving him best dressed man and thus ends my stint as fashion critic until Oscar Night.

Some time in the middle of last year the Minister issued a word of caution with respect to the mode of dress of some congregation members-mainly directed at us young persons.

As you can imagine it was met with loud "amens" and knowing looks from the older members.Back then I thought it was quite timely as even I have had occasion to raise my eyebrows at the choice of Sunday morning wear by some of my peers and the teenagers.

In my opinion you choose your outfits to suit the situation.So its not expected that you would turn up to the beach in a business outfit or go to work dressed as if its a night at the club.Why then is church attire fast becoming indistinguishable from the club look?

Then this morning(as if to drive home the Minister's point)in walk three young ladies in some of the skimpiest most revealing outfits you would ever hope to see.I kid you not but one was wearing a short backless number and skin tight to boot.Another was wearing a dress so short that in local parlance one could almost see what she had for breakfast.I guess next up would be a memo from the Minister.

In all seriousness though some better judgement aka commonsense can be shown.Nobody is advocating an Arab style outfit but it is possible to be a bit more conservative and still look fine.Remember there is a time for everything and leave the hoochieness for another setting.

Caribbean Beat webloghas a thread seeking suggestions for the wonders of the Caribbean.Check it out and give your suggestions

that you've seen everything,along comes this

Over the past week all the talk in this island has centred around the New Year's awards and in particular the granting of a knighthood to the Deputy Prime minister,Mr Louis Straker.

Most of the talk that I have heard has to do with his tenure-11 years in parliament(most of which was in opposition) and the citation which said he was knighted for outstanding services as a parliamentarian.For the record am one who thinks he is undeserving but that aside my mini rant takes another angle.

I am forced to wonder why in today's world and the fact that we are supposedly independent countries that awards such as MBE,OBE etc are still fashionable.Nobody seems to care that there is no British Empire anymore which means that the awards are hollow.

Whilst am on the issue of awards you can bet your last dollar that each time you hear these awards being announced that for the most part the recipients can be easily identified as party supporters.This means that some deserving persons who did not show the colours of the party in power will be excluded.It therefore follows that a better system needs to be put in place rather than leave it up to the whim and fancy of one or two persons.

Isn't it time that countries like mine come up with their own national awards for citizens they deem worthy of recoginition? The argument I have heard against that suggestion is that nobody in the wider world would recognise national awards or they won't carry the same weight as the universally known British ones.Big deal!Who really cares if the outer world doesn't acknowledge them? After all it is about us and creating an identity for our people.C'mon SVG it is more than enough time to make a move towards getting our very own awards.

An Australian woman has become famous for her ability to paint with her breasts

Di Peel's first canvas sold for £5, her second for £10 and she's now busy with an order for 10 at £40 each.

The mother of two, from Tasmania, who is happy to describe herself as a big woman, works at the kitchen table rather than at an easel, reports the Mercury newspaper.

She said: "I either apply the paint to my breasts and lean on to the canvas or apply the paint to the canvas and then lean into it to spread the paint.

"I sign every picture with my nipple."

Di says she has to take a shower ever time she changes colours and uses canvases because drawing paper tends to slide around the table.

Commenting on her work, she added: "They are more like abstract flowers. But my latest piece, people say, looks like the Earth from space. My son named it Earthquake, because he thinks it looks like an earthquake."

Too bad we can't see a picture of the artist at work

Today's music:Alicia Keys

For me Hurricane Katrina and the Asian Tsunami were the news stories of 2005.I looked with shock and awe as the tsunami waves crashed into the land and forever destroyed the lives of those in its path.Hurricane Katrina was so disturbing that after a few days I just couldn't bear to watch the suffering caused by the mishandling of the relevant authorities.

Natalie Holloway-The story that just would not die until another girl named Katrina took the spotlight.

George Bush was returned to the White House which caused a lot of sorrow and anger in the blog world.

Pope John Paul II,the most visible Pope ever lost his battle with ill health

Michael Jackson's much publicised molestation trial ended with a not guilty verdict

Terri Schiavo brought into focus the right to life debate.

London's transport system was rocked by several explosions

The death toll in Iraq continued to pile up and more opposition grew to this war

West Indies cricket was plagued by contract dispute which saw several top players being omitted from the test team.Despite all the off the field drama Brian Lara became test cricket's highest run scorer.

England won the Ashes

Luther Vandross,Pat Morita,Richard Pryor,Ossie Davis went to the great beyond

Asafa Powell Of Jamaica set a new world record in the men's 100 metres sprint

The word "petro-caribe" was on the lips of many West Indians

These were the stories that caught my imagination in 2005.What stood out for you?

NEW YORK (Wireless Flash) -- Anyone can have a "friendship with benefits" but it takes a special person to be a "porn buddy."

That's what New York-based performance artist Rachel Shukert discovered last year after a painful breakup with her boyfriend.

Instead of finding a part-time lover for "booty calls," Shukert chose to spend her time watching porn with a hunky male neighbor who became her "porn buddy."

She says actual intercourse should never be part of the "porn buddy" relationship because the "sexual tension has to be there." Otherwise,it's just a booty call.

Also,Shukert says that no matter how turned on you get,you shouldn't take matters "into your own hands" with a porn buddy present.

She says her porn buddy made her feel sexy without having sex and helped her figure out what she wanted in her next serious relationship.

Shukert is arousing interest in the porn buddy concept with an article at the nerve.com.

Interesting