Jamaica! Jamaica! I Love You!

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Carlton Lawson

Today October 21, 2017 will be the funeral for my mother’s cousin Carlton Lawson at Faith Temple in Montego Bay. He grew up in St Elizabeth and lived in Montego Bay for many years. He was the Vice Principal of St James High (formerly known as Montego Bay Senior School) before he retired. Carlton is the true example of a hardworking man.He and his wife Naina were firm believers in education and she is one person who had unwavering belief and faith in my academic abilities, even more than I had in myself. Her constant encouragement kept me going at times when I felt like I couldn’t go on. Carlton chose this strong woman to be his lifetime partner and they are well respected in their community for their many years of service to Montego Bay’s young people. This man never knew what it meant to sit down and take a rest. He was always working whenever I went to visit him. Always working to make sure his family was well taken care of, had food on their table and shelter over their heads. If you want to imagine what my mom looked like, imagine a woman with Carlton Lawson’s face. They were first cousins and they grew up in St Elizabeth with a host of other cousins. My mother was very close to all of her cousins and in her love for spending time with family, she took me to visit Carlton and his family as often as she could. I thank God for the life of my cousin. He has touched the lives of many people in Montego Bay, at church, at St James High where he worked for many years as a teacher before being appointed as Vice Principal, in his community. Thank you for all you taught me through example and may you rest in God’s arms and may your wife and sons be comforted.

Monday, September 4, 2017

Montego Bay does not have a public hospital.

Montego Bay does not have a public hospital. Yes, in the year 2017. The second city of Jamaica does not have a public hospital to serve it’s citizens. What a national disgrace.

Of course I would like to build a new hospital. I have sick family there. Now how do I go about doing that?

I have failed my family in Montego Bay

The first time I wrote this blog, many people didn't get it. So let me help you out. When you read this blog, whenever you see "I" or "my", insert your name...and whenever you see "Montego Bay", insert the name of your city, town, district or village...

Dear Montego Bay ( and the rest of Jamaica),

Let us stop the hypocrisy and denial right now! Who is to be blamed for the generation of cold, heartless killers in Montego bay? We are. We cannot point fingers at anyone else but ourselves. Who are these cold, heartless killers? These vipers that are killing people? They are our family. They are our sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, cousins, uncles, aunts…they are our family. Yes, these cold heartless killers are my sons, my daughters, my nieces, my nephews, my cousins, my uncles, my aunts, my husbands, my wives, my boyfriends, my girlfriends, my best friends, my neighbors. Yes my family is killing people and scamming elderly American citizens of their lifesavings, their 401K and retirement plans. We can try to distance ourselves from these “murderers and suicidal youths” and point fingers at the government…or we can accept the fact that we have failed these brilliant young minds and allowed them to become the senseless killers they are today. Not just “we”, but “me”. Not “they” have failed the youths, but “I” have failed my family in Montego Bay and (you who are reading this blog, please insert the name of your community here).

Now it has hit close to home. It has become uncomfortable. The government has imposed a curfew on Mt Salem. My childhood community.

Let me stay over here in denial and pretend like I didn’t grow up with these heartless killers. Let me point fingers at “these kids nowadays” and their wicked, lazy parents. Who are these kids? Who do they belong to? You saw these kids being born at Cornwall Regional Hospital. You were at their baby showers.You taught these kids at school. You gave them lunch money. Their parents loaned you money to buy your first car. You slept on their parents couch when your landlord evicted you. Their parents loaned you money to buy your plane ticket to go to school in Miami, with the hope that you would remember them and help them one day. You and their parents were in the same partner plan (the same partner draw that helped you to put down the first deposit on your NHT house). So now that you have a job, have a home, have a nice car, your kids are at the university, how dare you turn your back on these kids who are your own blood. They are not your children? Then who do they belong to? They are not your family? Then whose family are they? Let me get this straight. You watched these kids grow up in the same community, same tenement yard that you did, they have your last name, they have your DNA and now that they have become senseless killers you don’t know them. Stop the lies. Stop the hypocrisy! These kids are our family. Yes, these kids are raping, stealing, scamming, killing, hooked on drugs and alcohol. No we can't take them back to the store like some rotten tomatoes. We have to deal with who they have become and help them regain control of their lives. No this problem can't be fixed by tomorrow morning.The JLP can't fix it. Th PNP can't fix it. It cant be fixed by throwing all of them in jail either. These problems are going to take more than 20 years or more to fix. We are going to need pastors, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, counselors, teachers. We are going to need a mother’s love. A father’s love. We are going to need the type of patience, understanding, caring only loving families can give.

But it’s not my problem you may say…as long as I go to work and I come home and my family is not killed, I don’t have to worry about them. Nothing can be done about them. Let the government, put more money into building more prisons and training more police for them.

So whose fault is it? How did they become this way?

It’s actually my fault.

Yes. My fault. I stood by and watched selfish businessmen build all-inclusive hotels and I did not demand from my local government to mandate that these businessmen invest in programs to help my family;

I just stood there and said nothing, did nothing while my local government allowed foreign investors to use my kids in call centers and disgrace me and my kids by accusing us of being thieves and scammers, after they scammed me out of the millions they were making from these call centers while only paying me below minimum wage;

I just stood there and did nothing when selfish business men demanded that my kids give their clients service with a smile and allowed them to convince me that me and my kids should accept no tips;

I just stood there, did nothing and said nothing while millions of tourists visit my home with the intention of giving me money in return for my hospitality and service, and I watched as selfish business owners benefitted from these tourists and I did not hold my local government accountable for ensuring that the money stays in the local economy;

Yes. I did that. Me.

So you think we should just throw all of our family members in jail? Really? Who is going to take care of you when you are old? Who is going to continue to build your community that you will live in when you are old? Yes. These heartless senseless killers. When they return from prison, they are coming back for you.

How am I going to fix the problem of my family who have become murderers and suicidal youths? First I have to admit that I have been in denial. Then I have to take ownership of my mistakes. Then I have to put away my pride and seek help for the problems my family face. I have to accept that these murderers and suicidal youths are brilliant young minds that have been allowed to become corrupted and that they are worth saving. I have to seek help for my kids before they become murderous and suicidal. Whatever happened to teaching children about morals and values? I have to teach my child right from wrong. I have to teach and show my child discipline. I have to help my child understand that there are consequences to every decision, whether that decision is right or wrong. I have to teach my child to be accountable for his or her actions. I have to speak up when I see other parents allowing their children to do wrong. I have to hold my family, my friends and members of my community accountable for the decisions they allow their children to make. If I don't take the time to train my children correctly and work with my community to ensure that all the children are being raised with morals and values, I can't just expect the government to rush in and fix the problem when my children grow up to be murderous, suicidal, cold, heartless vipers. I have to realise that it is going to be a long, hard, painful process, but in the end it is worth it. Because with God, as long as there is life, there is hope.

Monday, July 31, 2017

Embracing my maroon family history

Thesis: Understanding one’s family history is very important in helping to shape one’s character and personal growth and development.

In this blog, I will discuss my family history. My family history is very important to me because it helped me to understand who I am and to embrace my strengths and weaknesses. Understanding one’s family history is very important in helping to shape one’s character and personal growth and development . When I was growing up, my grandmother told me that our family were descendants of a great Jamaican leader. The leader was a woman called Nanny of the Maroons. Nanny was the first woman in History to cause the British to sign a peace treaty with slaves in Jamaica. Nanny was one of the leaders of the Maroons who were runaway slaves. Nanny was also from the Ashanti warrior tribe of Ghana. Today in Jamaica, Nanny is recognized as a National Hero of Jamaica and her portrait has been used on Jamaican currency.

The maroons were a group of rebel slaves. They ran away from the plantations and formed their own government in the hills of Jamaica. The territory they occupied was dangerous. The area is known today as the cockpit country. This land is made up of sharp limestone rocks. They understood the hills and were able to successfully evade the British. They understood how to survive on the land , to find food and water, something that was mind boggling to the British at that time. Many british soldiers who tried to capture the maroons died while doing so because they did not understand the terrain of the land and some starved because they were unable to find food and water. After starving and having a hard time to survive, they were forced to sign a peace treaty with the Maroons . This was a result of Nanny’s leadership. This Treaty was signed in the year . The treaty would allow the Maroons to live in peace and keep their own government and in return, the Maroons would teach the British how to survive in this land and how to find food and water.

At the time when my Grandmother told me this important part of my history, that I was a descendant of Nanny, I did not understand the importance. Now that she has passed away, I wish I had gotten the chance to be around her more, to learn more of my family history. In the community known as Maroon Town, St James, my Grandmother was very well known. She moved from her community in Portland, to Maroon Town St. James when she was young. She was six (6) feet tall and was a very beautiful and confident woman. She was very strong physically. She was also known to fight any man that tried to challenge her. She was however well liked by her community and a very generous person. She had six (6) children, of which my father was the last, and she also took care of many other children who did not belong to her. She lived to be one hundred (100) years old. Up until about age 92, she was still very active, she would walk down to the town center, she still had some of her own teeth, her skin was very nice, she had a sharp memory, she loved to talk. She looked thirty years younger than her real age. After age ninety two (92) however, her brain started to degenerate and she eventually succumbed to alzheimer’s disease.

I feel very proud whenever I think of my Grandmother and also my Ancestor, nanny of the Maroons. I have learnt to understand more about myself, my behavior and my life goals. I am very community centered. I take great pride in being involved in community activities, volunteering and giving back to the community. My ambition is to use my abilities and skills to become a community activist and philanthropist like Oprah Winfrey whose life and work is a great inspiration to me. Understanding my family history has also helped me to understand my personal traits, for example, I am very competitive, I always take on leadership roles in various clubs and organizations, I am very ambitious and sometimes have huge surges of confidence to do things that most people would shy away from. Sometimes I look back at my achievements and wonder where the confidence comes from.

In conclusion, understanding my family history has been very important for me. It has helped me to recognize my strengths and weaknesses, it has helped me to appreciate my family heritage more and understand their behavior, it has given me pride and confidence that has helped me to cope in times when I feel low. I am proud of the history of the Maroons, my ancestor known as Nanny and all that she did to help to fight for the freedom of slaves. It has given me hope for the future, to one day use my abilities to make a lasting positive impact on my community. I have been able to research more about the Jamaican maroon tribe and their contribution to the Jamaican society, appreciate my grandmother’s role in her community. Understanding one’s family history is very important in helping to shape one’s character and personal growth and development.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Jamaica’s Energy Profile

Jamaica’s Energy Profile

Jamaicans presently pay 40 cents (USD) per kwh for electricity which is one of the highest rates in the world. In comparison, residents in the state of Texas pay an average of 12 cents per kwh. The high cost of electricity in Jamaica puts a large burden on households and small businesses. The average citizen has to pay approximately 33% of their income towards electricity, resulting in many residents living without electricity with some resorting to electricity theft. With the current energy conundrum Jamaica faces, it’s government is exploring ways to reduce energy costs.

Jamaica’s current energy crisis is not reflective of its historic beginnings in energy. Jamaica started out as one of the energy pioneers in the Caribbean, and was one of the first countries in the world to receive electricity. However , 122 years later in 2014, Jamaica has fallen behind in the use of renewable energy, but there is still great potential for development. As the third largest island in the Caribbean, Jamaica has an area of 10,990 sq km (4,243 sq miles) and a population of 2.7 million people. Jamaica’s main industries that contribute to the GDP are Bauxite, Tourism, Agriculture and Manufacturing. Jamaica’s energy resources are managed by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining. The Energy Division works with two principal energy companies, namely the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) and the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica.

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) is the primary electricity distributer and provider and the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica is the primary importer of petroleum and other energy products. Jamaica does not have it’s own energy resource and this has caused energy disruptions for example, in the 1973 oil crisis, and also causes increases in the cost of electricity. Jamaica is heavily dependent on foreign energy resources and imports most of it’s energy. Jamaica imports energy from Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Ecuador and Mexico. Jamaica has a great potential to use renewable energy, but under utilizes this avenue. Some of the renewable energy sources that Jamaica currently uses include solar energy, mini-hydropower, wind, and biomass. Jamaica’s main energy sources come from oil, coal, hydro-electricity and biomass. Jamaica’s Bauxite industry uses a large percentage of the energy that is imported.

Jamaica is a pioneer in electricity, as it was one of the first countries in the world to receive electricity in 1892, supplied by the Jamaica Electric Light Company in the nation’s capital Kingston. In 1897, just five years after it’s historic rise to power generation, Jamaica made another important step towards green energy lead by the West India Electric Company. This company built a hydroelectric plant on the Rio Cobre River with an energy capacity of over 900 kilowatts. These advancements lead to industrial revolution in Jamaica and introduced new elements to the country including electric tram cars for public transport. Jamaica’s energy future was bright but not without challenges. In 1907, a major earthquake destroyed a section of the capital Kingston including the power infrastructure. This lead to a consolidation of energy services but resulted in significant improvements in service.

The consolidation formed the Jamaica Public Service company. The Jamaica Public Service (JPSCo) became a registered company in 1923. It started as a foreign owned private company. JPSCo has 603,350 customers and has a generation capacity of over 620 Megawatts. JPSCo also partners with the following Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in order to have access to an additional 820 megawatts of power: Wigton Wind Farm, Jamaica Energy Partners, Jamalco and Jamaica Private Power Company (JPPC). Eighty percent of (JPSCo) is owned by the private shareholders Marubeni Caribbean and Korea East- West Power Company, Nineteen percent is owned by the Government of Jamaica and one percent by minority shareholders.

Due to the fact that Jamaica produces no petroleum, the government of Jamaica created the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) in 1979 to import petroleum, manage its use and distribution and to develop strategies for the exploration of oil and gas. The PCJ is comprised of the following companies: Petrojam limited, Petrojam Ethanol Limited, Petcom Limited, Jamaica Aircraft Refuelling Services, and Wigton Windfarm Limited. The Jamaican government has made alliances with other countries in order to receive concession on the price of oil. The Alliances are: The Venezuelan Oil Agreement, The Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), Assistencia Reciproca Petrolera Empresarial Latino Americana (ARPEL), The San Jose Accord, and the PetroCaribe Agreement. The Venezuelan Oil Agreement, also known as the Caracas Energy Agreement supplies 80,000 barrels of oil per day to ten Central American and Caribbean States including Jamaica. Jamaica pays for 80% of the oil and repays the other 20% in a 15 year loan at a 2% interest rate. The Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) was established in 1973 with the Lima Agreement which helps to ensure that the twenty six (26) Latin American and Caribbean member countries which includes Jamaica will have an economical means of receiving energy. In 1985, The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica joined the (ARPEL) which is a forum made up of oil companies in the Latin American and Caribbean region. It promotes economical business among the countries that are members. The PetroCaribe agreement is an agreement between the government of Jamaica and Venezuela to also promote economical means of receiving energy.

In 2006, Jamaica imported US1.84 billion dollars worth of oil and in 2007 crude oil was imported for US $90 per bbl. During the period of 2006 to 2010, an average of 25.6 million barrels of petroleum was imported. On a daily basis, Jamaica consumes approximately sixty six thousand barrels of petroleum and sixty two thousand short tons of coal. In addition to this, approximately three billion kilowatt hours of electricity are used and as a by-product approximately ten million metric tons of carbon dioxide are emitted.

The major consumers of energy in Jamaica are the National Water Commission, the hotel and tourism industry, and the bauxite and alumina industry. The following data of petroleum consumption by barrel in 2010 was obtained from a table created by the Energy Economics and Planning Unit of the Ministry of Energy and Mining: Road and Rail Transportation-5,647,692 barrels, Shipping-1,868,525 barrels, Aviation-1,899,930 barrels, Cement Manufacture-5139 barrels, Electricity Generation-6,578,349 barrels, Bauxite/Alumina Processing- 2,884,978 barrels, Sugar Manufacturing - 15,045 barrels, Cooking and Lighting – 950,861 barrels, Other Manufacturing 52, 969 barrels, Other Activity-115, 324 barrels, Petroleum Refinery-268,039 barrels.

According to a report from The Jamaica Sustainable Energy Roadmap, energy loss is mainly due to inefficiencies in the national grid, but is also attributed to electricity theft. In 2013, JPSCo reported a system loss of 25.88% because of electricity theft costing US $43.5M. With an unemployment rate of 13.4%, and the average gross salary being US $2498, it is difficult for the average Jamaican to pay for electricity. To add to this, unlike the government, the all-inclusive mega resorts, and industries such as the bauxite industry, the average Jamaican has to pay an increased rate of 40 cents (USD) per kWH and cannot afford the huge burden of simply lighting their homes, and running necessary appliances such as the refrigerator. According to the US Department of Energy, the average per capita consumption of electricity in Texas was 5683 kWh in 2011 at a cost of around 12 cents per kWh. If the average cost of electricity in Jamaica which is 40 cents per kWh, were to be extrapolated to the average per capita consumption in Texas, this would yield an average yearly cost of US$ 2273.20 instead of US$ 681.96. These figures are excluding transmission, delivery and other charges which can add to the cost of electricity by as much as 45%. Bear in mind that in Jamaica, most homes do not have a water heater or air conditioning unit and the average Jamaican home is less than 500 square feet. A possible reason for electricity theft might be attributed to, the fact that the people cannot afford to pay for electricity because they have to spend their income on basic necessities like food, water and shelter. The Jamaican Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining is working to implement projects to decrease the cost of energy.

There is a lot of potential for Renewable Energy in Jamaica. The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department of the PCJ has lead initiatives to make buildings more energy efficient. They have started by implementing solar energy equipment in hospitals and schools to provide lighting and water heating. The Wigton Windfarm has collaborated with the University of the West Indies to do a Wind and Solar Development Program (W&SDP) in which feasibility studies have been done to determine possible future wind farm sites. The PCJ has also initiated a project to produce biodiesel. The PCJ has also created public education projects like the Energy Conservation Incentive Program for Schools and the Energy Seminar Series for businesses, householders and other consumers.

Jamaica has great solar potential with Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) ranging from 5 to 8 kWh per square meter per day. In comparison Germany, which has the most installed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the world, has an average GHI of 3.5 kWh per square meter per day. A JPS report based on the average Jamaican’s electricity consumption stated that a one square –kilometer solar PV farm would generate enough power for over 64,000 households. This indicates that approximately 10 solar farms could power the approximately 525,000 households in Jamaica. Ongoing energy efficiency and renewable energy pilot projects funded by the Development Bank of Jamaica reported that two particular hotels, Footprints on the Sand and the Sunrise Club Hotel implemented energy efficiency measures which included replacing electric water heaters with solar water heaters, installing a solar PV system and replacing old air condition units with more efficient units.

Jamaica also has great potential for Wind Power. The Wigton Windfarm in Manchester, owned by the PCJ and the Munro Wind Farm in St, Elizabeth owned by the JPSCo are two wind farms that are operated on a commercial scale. The Wigton Wind farm has an average wind speed of 8.3 m/s. Wigton started in 2004 with 23 wind turbines that generated a capacity of 20.7 MW. In 2010 Wigton added 9 wind turbines which added an additional 18 MW capacity, to contribute a total capacity of 38MW to the national electricity grid. The Munro Wind Farm which was started in 2010 has 4 wind turbines which generate 3MW capacity to the grid. Feasibility studies in 18 locations have being done by Wigton for the possibility of developing more wind farms. A report by the Worldwatch Institute stated that the development of ten (10) wind farms could contribute to supplying about half of the power needs in Jamaica.

Other renewable energy resources like hydropower, waste-to-energy power, biomass, wave and tidal energy and geothermal energy, also demonstrate great potential to be developed. Development of these resources would help Jamaica to off-set the cost of imported energy and be less dependent on imported oil.

The Jamaican government is working towards finding ways to reduce energy costs and depend less on imported oil. In January of 2012, Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining the Honourable Phillip Paulwell stated that over the subsequent four year period he would reduce electricity rates by 50%. A National Development Plan called “Vision 2030” was implemented by the Jamaican government in 2005. This plan seeks to ensure that Jamaica will have fuel diversification. Past President of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), J. Paul Morgan has been an advocate for the use of Liquified Natural Gas for Energy in Jamaica. He also stated the need for new electricity legislation. On October 4, 2013, the Ministry, on recommendation from the Office of Utilities Regulation granted a license to the Energy World International as part of an ongoing project to decrease the cost of electricity in Jamaica. Energy World International is an energy company which produces and sells natural gas. The Worldwatch Institute has also collaborated with the Jamaican government to create the “Sustainable Energy Roadmap” which is a methodology to help Jamaica to develop the energy resources. This project was funded by the German government through it’s International Climate Initiative. The Worldwatch Institute has done extensive, comprehensive research on ways to make energy distribution and transmission more efficient, analysed ways of having more environmentally responsible and efficient consumption of energy, and done feasibility studies for the better use and development of renewable energy resources.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Why should we celebrate Jamaica's Independence?

Why should we celebrate Jamaica's Independence? Yes Jamaica has lots of problems but the Jamaican culture is so rich and is one that has influenced many people all over the world. Wherever I have travelled, I find that most Jamaicans I have met are leaders in their communities, entrepreneurs, small business owners. People respect Jamaicans and see us as fascinating, proud, hardworking, ambitious, talented people. Our excellent command of our native language which is the English Language (Thank you Britain!... yes for my foreign friends, Jamaica was a British Colony too) gives us a competitive edge over many other minority groups. We see opportunities where other people see failures. The hardships we faced in Jamaica has given us unique skills, given us resilience, that will to survive, that drive to be number one in all that we do. It is this culture that we celebrate. Many Jamaicans who have never travelled do not realise these unique skills that we have until they find themselves in a foreign country. We are quick to compare our little country to other countries and not realising that other countries are facing hardships too. Some countries are facing even worse conditions. Some countries have people with a broken spirit , people who don't have our will to survive. Inspite of the major challenges we face, there are still many Jamaicans who have a firm belief in god, who are positive, who are working hard right now in Jamaican communities to uplift those communities. for these leaders, failure is not an option. They seek to inspire hope and positivity in the hearts of everyone in their circle. It is this Culture that we celebrate on Independence Day. So if you are wondering why should you celebrate, these are some of the reasons.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Psychiatrists needed...

Dear Mr Thwaites (Education Minister),

You need to deploy psychiatrists to educate and evaluate students, teachers, police, members of the community. Psychology should also be a core subject taught in all high schools in Jamaica.

http://m.jamaicaobserver.com/mobile/latestnews/Riot-at-high-school-in-St-James--police-deployed

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/06/17/mob-hurls-rocks-torches-bus-at-jamaica-high-school-day-after-student-fatally/