Enter Thomas Glave with an anthology (book) that is already a conversation piece, entitled Our Caribbean: A Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from the
Let’s make one thing clear.
Professor Glave will be reading at this year’s Calabash Festival in
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The Calabash Festival’s website
See you in Jamaica.
Beautiful Place. Amazing People.
See you in Jamaica.
Bonita Jamaica is always very proud to show the world the talent and creativity of Jamaicans. That’s what we do. Please take a minute to read this beautiful short story by 10-year old Samantha Gilzean, another bright Jamaican star in the making.
One early Friday morning I woke up and got ready for work. While I ate breakfast my daughter Antoinette came to me and said “Mommy can we go now I don’t want to be late for school.” I replied, “yes”, and put the plate in the sink and went outside. When I went outside I heard someone say “Why do you always carry Antoinette to school late?” I looked around and saw no one. I started to wonder where the sound came from. Then I thought out loud was it the car. Then sarcastically I heard a voice say “NO!!” I could not believe it, my blue Mercedes Benz was talking. Antoinette came running out of the house saying “Mommy get in the car!!”
On my way to drop off Antoinette the car said “Don’t you think you should drive faster? Don’t mind me asking, but how many late slips has she gotten?” I replied “You are one rude car.”
When I arrived at work my boss came to me in the parking lot and said “Miss Sweet I want to talk to in my office.” Then my car said “Yes, because you need help with that outfit. Haven’t you heard of fashionable clothes, maybe not because of the amount of grey hairs I see? “Wow.” My boss looked at me angrily and said “Miss Sweet see me as soon as you can.” I said to my car “You are going to get me fired or is that your plan”? Then quietly I heard a voice saying “Um yes.”
I went to my boss’s office and he said “What kind of rudeness did I hear from you Miss Sweet. I don’t like the behavior that was shown in the parking lot. You are lucky you are such a good worker or I would have fired you.” I replied “thank you so much and I am extremely sorry.” I went into my office and started working.
While I was packing up to leave in the evening the phone rang and it was Antoinette’s teacher on the line telling me to come there quickly because Antoinette’s feeling sick. I packed my stuff and rush outside into the parking lot. My rude car said “Why are you rushing? Antoinette’s school is not over yet. Pay attention to the time.” I said to the car “Antoinette is sick so we need to go get her.” My coworker came outside and said “Um who are you talking to?” “Oh no one, I’m talking to myself,” I said. I jumped into my car and left my work place.
When I got to her school the car said “Go get sickly, I mean your sick daughter.” I went up to her classroom and got her and then we left.
When I arrived home and Antoinette went inside the house the car said “Maybe things will work out between us, don’t you think.” I said to the car “goodnight” then the car said to me “fine don’t answer, oh goodnight.” I went inside and had a good sleep.
I pretended this day never happened.
Samantha Gilzean 10 years old and is in Grade 6 at St. Peter & Paul Preparatory School, Kingston, Jamaica. Photograph above shows Samantha and her mother Sheron Gilzean. Her dad, Ewart Gilzean, barely made it in the photograph in the back at the right.
Beautiful Place. Amazing People.
See you in Jamaica.
It is one of the mysteries of modern life. How on earth did a peculiar kind of mockney patois become the default spoken English of a generation of British kids - white, black, Asian; rural, urban; posh, poor (and Ali G)? A new CD offers one solution. An England Story, a musical anthology that charts the impact of Jamaican reggae on British pop culture, is a fascinating survey of the musical scene in which that patois first took hold on these shores.
Jamaican MCing - also known as toasting, chatting, and, confusingly, deejaying - has been around since the late Sixties. As
Beautiful Place. Amazing People.
See you in Jamaica.
Source: The Jamaica Observer22 -year-old Doneika Plowright (Miss Cherry Bomb Creative Labs) and 21-year-old Rebecca Silvera (
The show was entertaining and the production of the event was commendable. Emcee for the night, Paula Ann Porter Jones, guided the proceedings with class.
After appearing in evening wear courtesy of Uzuri International, the top 12 finalists were announced. These included Johnnell Eastman (Miss French Connection); Kadia Campbell (Miss Patmar's Car Rental); Kimberley Cummings (Miss McMasters Centre); Salome Campbell (Miss Superior Parts); and Noelle Kerr (Miss Cool Group of Companies).
A rush to the front of the stage by overzealous patrons, thus blocking the view of those in the VIP area, greeted the arrival of rhythm and blues singer Keyshia Cole. Cole who rarely interacted with the audience, performed with a band, back-up singers and dancers. She delivered the hits that her fans came to hear. What sounded like audio tracks could be heard during Cole's performance.
Songs, including the mellow Love, Just like You, I Changed My Mind, I Remember, Shoulda Let You Go and Last Night, had the crowd jumping from start to finish. Eager fans tried to drag the singer off stage. But Cole's security detail wouldn't have any of this and she made a hasty retreat from the stage. Security personnel inside the venue then hurriedly rushed to disperse the crowd that had gathered in the front. However, the damage had already been done.
A hail of boos greeted the new queen. Many patrons stormed out of the venue visibly and vocally upset about the choice of the new queen. There were also complaints from patrons in the VIP section who raised issues about having to pay for drinks and unable to see the performance of Cole. Others complained about the presence of peanut and snack vendors who were seen plying their trade in the VIP section.
The new Miss Jamaica Universe title holder won for herself $1 million cash courtesy of title sponsors WorldWise Partners; a fully loaded BMW 120i courtesy of Stewart Motors; a trip to Vietnam to represent Jamaica in the 2008 Miss Universe pageant; guaranteed modeling contract with Pulse valued at one $150,000 over two years; lifetime gym membership at Gymkhana; Miss Universe wardrobe courtesy Uzuri, and Keandra Francis; accessories valued at $100,000 courtesy of Bling Bling; and active wear from Puma Jamaica collection among other prizes.
The second place winner will receive $100,000 cash; a modeling contract with Pulse valued at $100,000 over two years; one year membership at Gymkhana; and dinner for two at Strawberry Hill among other prizes.
Third place winner walked away with $50,000 cash; one year membership at Gymkhana; a modeling contract with Pulse valued at $75,000 over two years; and a gift voucher from Go West valued at $25,000.
Miss Jamaica Universe 2008 was produced by Pulse with title sponsorship from WorldWise Partners, in association with Stewart Motors, CVM TV, the Hilton Kingston Hotel, Fame FM, Zip FM, Irie FM, Heffes Sales, Gymkhana, Uzuri, Hype TV, Bling Bling, Grizzly's and Splash.
Beautiful Place. Amazing People.
See you in Jamaica.
Cedella Marley Booker, mother of late reggae icon Bob Marley, died Tuesday night (April 8, 2008) at her South Florida home after a long illness. She was 81.Booker was surrounded by loved ones inside her South Miami-Dade home and was ''very happy and very peaceful,'' said daughter-in-law Sharien Booker. ``Her vision was always to bring people together. She was a very loving person, and we know she's happy.''
Booker's grandson, Ky-Mani Marley, an accomplished musician himself, told The Miami Herald she had always been a ``caring and supporting person in my life. She was always there to help me -- even when I didn't ask for help, she knew I needed help. She had that instinct to know when things were wrong and had the courage to fix it.''
Marley said the family was fortunate to be by Booker's side.
''We all live very close by, really just blocks away, so we were all in the vicinity,'' he said.
And though Booker had been struggling recently with heart problems, her death still came as somewhat of a shock, her grandson said.
''We knew she was sick, and she'd keep fighting and pulling through,'' he said. ``So it was expected, but unexpected. It's a great loss.''
Several prominent Jamaican leaders were moved to comment on Booker's legacy.
''Mrs. Booker was the matriarch of a movement so powerful that the mystical qualities of the Marley musical legacy remain strong and potent,'' said Jamaican Information Minister Olivia Grange.
''She was a star in her own right,'' Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding said in a statement. ``Her life was one of hardship, struggle and eventual fulfillment, and through it all, she exuded hope, strength and confidence.''
Born in
Booker was best-known for her famous son, but she was also an author and musician. Her two books about Bob Marley -- 1997's Bob Marley: An Intimate Portrait by His Mother and Bob Marley, My Son in 2003 -- offered glimpses into his personal life, shedding light on his relationships with his wife Rita and bandmates Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.
Bob Marley died in
Booker released two albums, Awake Zion in 1991, and in the following year a collection of
She also frequently performed with Bob Marley's sons Ky-Mani, Ziggy, Stephen, Damian and Julian. Although she didn't perform at the family's annual Caribbean Fest concert in
Booker is survived by two children, Claudette Livingston and Richard Booker, and 52 grandchildren.
Services will be held between
Beautiful Place. Amazing People.
See you in Jamaica.
Ken Ramsay was a great photographer who traveled Jamaica and the world capturing remarkable images. He died peacefully in his sleep on Friday March 28, 2008. May his soul rest in peace.Jamaican celebrity photographer Ken Ramsay was found dead at his home in
"The house was locked up and the gardener had to force open the door to get in," Senior Superintendent of Police Derrick Shand told the Observer. "Mr Ramsay was found in his bed and the house was intact," he added, suggesting that Ramsay had died in his sleep.
Shand, who is in charge of the police's Area 2 Headquarters, said that Ramsay was seen by a doctor recently.
At the time of his death, Ramsay was a freelance photo-journalist with the Observer and had recently made plans with the newspaper to cover the involvement of Jamaicans and other West Indians in the Barack Obama campaign in the
In the past, he covered major sporting and celebrity events overseas for the Observer, including the summer and winter Olympics, Wimbledon, the US Open, the West Indies cricket tour of South Africa in 1998 and gave special focus to the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena) on the international tennis circuit.
Ramsay, known for his signature riding boots and scarf, studied photography at
He returned to
In the 80s, he did a lot of work with Pulse model agency and eventually in 1994 published his first book, Dare to Dream with co-publisher Verlag Rombach of Freiburg, Germany.
In 1997, Ramsay published his second book, The Dream lives on - a range of black and white photographs of late Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley.
Between 1999 and 2000 he started working on a series of black and white photographs featuring
Ken Ramsay, brother to late defence attorney Ian Ramsay, is survived by his wife Pat Ramsay, one of
Story taken from: The Jamaica Observer
View a few Ken Ramsay shots here: Dare to Dream, by Ken Ramsay
Can someone please add Ken Ramsay to Wikipedia. Thank you.
Beautiful Place. Amazing People.
See you in Jamaica.
Huntley Brown, you are truly a very talented pianist and great Jamaican. May the good Lord continue to shine his blessings upon you. Keeping ministering to the world through your music and keep our Jamaican flag flying high in the sky. We love you.Huntley Brown grew up in a Christian home on the island of Jamaica. His parents, taught him what it means to be a Christian, and at an early age he accepted Christ. Without knowing how to read music, he learned to play the piano.
His music has been described as inspired, anointed, powerful, and explosive. He has recorded many CD's that cover a wide range of musical styles. People are not only impressed with his incredible technique; they are touched by his deep love for Jesus.
This is a ministry based on prayer, and Huntley realizes that to be effective as a musical ambassador for Christ, his spiritual life is more significant than his keyboard skills. He has to spend time daily in the Word and in prayer. Music is an offering of praise, a gift that Huntley wants to give back to God. His continual prayer is that the glory of God will shine through the notes, and the Holy Spirit will send the music straight to the heart, drawing people to the abundance of life in Christ.
See Huntley Brown in Action Here: Huntley Brown
Story taken from: Campfest
Beautiful Place. Amazing People.
See you in Jamaica.
Desmond Dekker was truly a remarkable Jamaican. He really did an outstanding job in being a musical ambassador for Jamaica. Gone but not forgotten.Beautiful Place. Amazing People.
See you in Jamaica.
