And Still I Rise

There was a time when I used to love West Indies cricket bad bad bad. You know like when you have a new love and you just can't get enough of him/her? Like when you want to spend nuff time with them and get sad when they are not around? That was me and cricket until like all/most relationships things went sour. I mean a girl can only take this much of underperformance if you know what I mean. So from this red hot passion; things cooled off until it got to the point where indifference took over.

After the humiliation suffered at the hands of the Bangladeshis I started feeling some pity for West Indies cricket. I guess it is always sad to watch something that once brought joy reduced to a shadow of itself. If not for Bolt and company Caribbean sports lovers would be glum because nutten nuh deh deh to smile bout at all when you think about cricket. So with the contract issues solved albeit temporarily the team left West Indian shores to engage in a test series versus Australia. true to form the campaign has began in a disastrous manner with the West Indies losing within three days. Sad to see it was only the new members in Barath and Dowlin who brought a little joy to the West Indian faces. Much congratulations to young Barath for scoring a century on test debut and becoming the youngest West Indian to do so. West Indians can only hope that he like one Brian Lara who scored his first century in Australia can go on to great things. Failing that it's even darker days for the beleaguered West Indies.

The people have said a resounding no to the proposed new constitution. As I write the No Vote has earned 55.64% of the vote with 43.13% going to the Yes Vote. If this were a general election the ruling ULP would find itself in opposition with just two of the fifteen seats. This is a most remarkable result given the resources of the state machinery.

On the ground it was quite clear that the no vote was winning the war but I doubt many were prepared for the scale of their win. Even the commentators on national television were taken aback by what was unfolding before their eyes. Despite it being a referendum on the constitution the consensus always was that people were going to vote along party lines and so it really was a referendum on the government. If this were the case and I have no reason to believe otherwise the ruling party is in serious trouble. I've long maintained that the death of Glen Jackson former press secretary left a gaping hole in the heart of the Gonsalves government. I believe he more than any had the pulse of the people and the guts to let the Prime Minister hear the harsh truth.

No doubt the reasons for the Government's poor showing will be debated incessantly in the upcoming days. More than likely the rape charges levelled against the Prime Minister, the uproar over the 4 million dollars, the document detailing monies deposited at the NCB that made the rounds and the gifting of money to school children will all feature. Not to be forgotten is the unease over the Govt's foreign policy which has convinced many that communism is a threat. One thing for sure is the months leading up to the general elections will be action packed. They say a day is a long time in politics but the ruling party has a mountain to climb if it is to regain any respectability at the polls. Throughout all of this I'm saddened that the leaders refused to put political ambitions aside and cooperate on something that was bigger than general elections. It really did not have to go down the road that was taken where it became all about politics and less of the matter at hand. On the other hand I am thankful that the so called bribe money did not influence the vote which suggests that as a people we have gone past such. This is pleasing and tells me there is yet hope for our people's continuing maturity.

You see a perfect smile
I see the hidden tears
You see the ideal life
I see a life of pain
You see a role model
I see a broken person
You see what you want
And what I let you see
Beneath my smooth façade
Lies a shattered individual
And no one knows she’s there
The scars are well covered
The tears, perfectly hidden
Don’t tell me you understand
When you don’t even know
Continue thinking I’m perfect
That’s what you’re meant to think
....BY Shirly

On this day to mark Violence against women I thought it best to post one woman's account of the scars abuse has left.

Couple months ago I watched an episode of the Tyra Banks show that featured young children who had body image issues. These girls-and note they are most always girls had internalised their mothers views on weight, diet and exercise and found themselves wanting. In my eyes and those of the hostess they were normal healthy looking children who were already seeing critical flaws in their young bodies. Back then it didn't cross my mind that children here in St Vincent and more so children that I know could be carrying around these weighty issues.

That was until today when my friend told me her daughter was barely eating since some "well meaning" adults have been constantly telling the child she is getting too fat. Now the child in question is not skinny but it is a stretch to call her fat but I guess she does not fit their image of what a six year old should look like. The whole thing had me annoyed for a considerable part of the day. It's bad enough having adults starving themselves, trying every fad diet in the book and working out with a vengeance to attain whatever size the fashion industry et al tells them is acceptable. To mess up children's mind with their ill advised chatter is unpardonable. It's as if they forget these children's bodies are still growing and developing and if they refuse to eat it can mean serious damage to their health.

Of course we need our children to grow up healthy which entails proper nutrition, sleep and more outdoor activity. What they do not need is to worry about adult issues. Their concerns should be centred around test scores, longings for a particular birthday/Christmas gift etc. Most of all they they need to learn from the get go that there is no perfect body shape

I thought I was done with the whole Rihanna/ Chris Brown story but news that Rihanna finally broke her silence has once again grabbed my attention. Plus anybody who has ever read my blog knows that the issue of violence is my platform. I did not see the interview but caught a soundbite or two on the TV guide channel and read and heard other people's comments.

The thing that annoys me the most is the number of young girls and women who by their comments are giving Chris Brown a pass for his vicious attack on Rihanna. Could you imagine a bunch of teenagers best defence was Rihanna was lying about the attack and if it did happen she asked for it. Sorry but this is as stupid as saying a woman asked to be raped because her clothes were too revealing or any of the other assorted bullshit that people say. For the miseducated here are some chilling facts from the UN Org site.

At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. The abuser is usually someone known to the victim.

In 2002, the Council of Europe declared violence against women a public health emergency and a major cause of death and disability for women 16 to 44 years of age. A World Bank report estimated that violence against women was as serious a cause of death and incapacity among women of reproductive age as cancer, and a greater cause of ill-health, than traffic accidents and malaria combined. A 2003 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the costs of intimate partner violence in the United States alone exceed $5.8 billion per year: $4.1 billion in direct medical and health care services and almost $1.8 billion in productivity losses.

If I am to believe all the nonsense that is spouted then I must believe that all these women asked for it. Is this really the way we want to address this scourge by making the victims the criminal? Enough already! Go and re-read those statistics and tell me if violence against women is not an issue that demands urgent attention. We already know that fear and shame keep the abused silent but I'd add that a judgemental society also aids in the silence. Therefore any voice out there that calls attention to this epidemic is welcomed. Thank you Rihanna for speaking out and I truly hope you are strong enough to keep walking.

Well I had planned to write on the Independence goodies that The Pm delivered at Victoria Park On October 27th. However, my fellow Vincy Blogger has already taken up the mantle. So I invite you to read her humourous account.

Vincentian Life.

On another note I am loving this new Vincentian blogger. Check her out too.


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