Who is thy brothers Keeper?

"Where is the US, Where is the UK where is the United Nations?!"

This was a cry from a citizen of Somalia re the ongoing conflict there....
This cry has been echoed in Darfur and Zimbabwe and countless other nations that have been torn apart by war.
Valiantly, the almost impotent UN try to send aid... but it is either not enough or the sadistic rulers of countries such as Darfur try to block them at every turn.

Many times when I hear such pleas for help I wonder; why cant Africans save Africa? Why should the west take it upon themselves to save Africa from Africans? Why?
Of course the good book tells us why."Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
You never know when it will be your turn to be saved from yourself.
And so it is incumbent upon us, as citizens of the world to act......

But this leads me to a BBC program titled "Death To America" , where they explore the reasons behind the hatred many countries have for the United states.
In looking at a number of conflicts I have found that America serves its own self interest.... not democracy, or liberty or freedom like they would have you believe.... the are primarily interested in their own well being.
Having said this the next question one must ask one's self is; Is this wrong. Is it wrong for a country to look out for its own self interest first? is it crime to want the best for yourself and your family?
I put it to u that there are no truly benevolent countries on this planet. And each and every single nation has its own wellbeing as the highest of it's priorities... Why then should we expect the richest and most powerful to be any different?
What right do we.. or Darfur or Palistine or Zimbabwe or anyone for that matter, have to demand anything from anyone?

Dont get me wrong... I believe it is imperative for a country in a position to help to do so.. and I believe that when in need of help... But as much as it is incumbent on one nation to help another it is equally important for the nation requesting help to know that this is a request... It is not their place to demand.

Weed

A friend of mine, who lives in the states, asked me If I thought smoking weed was wrong... I immediately laughed and responded that I was Jamaican , Of course I don't!

After thinking about it thought I realize I was telling the truth.. I do believe It can be dangerous for some people and deadly if "seasoned". Outside of that, however, I have no problem with it...Personally I have not, and I dont think I would.
I realized;
1. where I grew up influenced how I view some things,
2. some stigma's can be founded (even remotely) on some truth.

Crucify Him!

And It came to pass in the season of lent In the year of Our Lord 2007 a great hue and cry arose from the people as they saw their pitifully weak team crumble before the might of the world.

And as it is with such matters, the people cried for blood... Crucify Him! Crucify Him!

Him who? you may ask... alas it is none other than one of the 2 favorite scape goats of the WI; Sir Brian Charles Lara (the other being the WI cricket board)

I must admit at one time I too would have called for his head. However, I can no longer do so, I cannot blame the Crown Price of cricket, nor can I blame the 'dimwits' that make up our cricket board... no my fellow West Indians they are not to blame.

The Great Lara has proven himself over and over to be one of the best Batsmen to ever play the game.. He has (in recent years) shown a cool head and sensible leader ship.
As for the Board... well.. when given your pick of sh*t on must select the one the stinks the least...

However this method has backfired... as the entire cricketing team seems to carry the same stench of fickleness about them.

As you can guess by now that I blame the entire team. Their &#%$!!! level of playing in super 8 thus far has me feeling the need to have them all fired... Lara cannot be blamed.. he has tried and when he is out on the Pitch I see him make an impact on those around him as well as the flow of the game... however I refuse to believe these "PROFESSIONAL" sportsmen need "Godfather" Lara to hold their hands constantly to play a sensible game of cricket. No, they must be held accountable.

So in this season of lent.. lets not be quick to behead the king while we let the headless chickens around him run amok.

April 11, Panfestival

Last night I tried my best to get a song I wanted played at a playout... and as much as i am disappointed that I didn’t end up having things my way.. I felt good at the end....
It felt good having and argument about Pan that resulted in some action being taken.... I have been in too many where the result has me depressed and wanting to play in another band.

In any case the list for th April 11th playout is not what I would call an Ideal list and the 1/2 hour limitation really sucks... But the songs selected.. (*not all the best we have to over) allows us to have fun with the music.. And have a Vibe.. A nice jam Session if you will.. cant complain. I am really excited about this playout and I hope we "wow" everyone there.

Kudos’ to D ,
Boy as much as we don’t agree at times you Nuff respect for continuing working with the band.... I can only imagine how hard it is.. I know we (ie the band) dont really take much time to really acknowledge how much u are doin for the band.

Nuff respek (y)

Pan-oh-ridim

This Thursday I actually got annoyed with the band. Here we were getting an excellent opportunity to play with the other bands in the Island... and we almost didn't take it... there was NO sense of urgency... NO drive... NO desire to find a way.. someway, to overcome whatever difficulties we faced to play at this event....

I don't know why but it hurt me.. and finally I begin to see why ppl leave..... I love to perform.. its a big part of why I stay in the band. Needless to say My mainstay is a concert... a concert makes everything I sacrifice for pan worthwhile (that and the summer lyme).

But i digress

That night was a stark reminder that not everyone has the same priorities and desires as I do..... thats just life and everyone has a right to live their own... Now i seriously wonder;
If i want to perform is Panoridim the place for me? I mean for concerts most definitely, but.... for the rest of the year?

Gay?

Jamaicans do not distinguish between bi-sexual and being gay... in my head they are 2 different things...

To be gay I Believe you are only attracted to the same sex... to be 'Bi' U are just extremely open and freaky sexually.
Are these views incorrect?

War on Iran?

The Big question on allot of peoples lips now-a-days, is whether or not the US is going to bomb IRAN if it does not comply with its demands to halt its Nuclear development plans.

I am of 2 minds on this matter... I am (as i have indicated in previous blogs) DISGUSTED with Bush's FTWDAMFS policy

(FTWDAMFS -> "F*** The World Dont Ask Me For Sh*t")

As a result, his 'macho' posturing on this issue has me feeling that a war with Iran is inevitable....
In spite of this, to think that Iran is ONLY gonna use its nuclear plants for producing power would be behaving like a very naive school girl..... Iran is a Muslim state... home to many extremists.. the Govt might not plan to start a war... but the extremists do and I don't think the govt can, or even wants to, Stop them.

So the question then becomes, What do we do? neither side is strong enough to totally annihilate the other.. Albeit America can do considerably more damage... Iran's retaliation, I expect, would be a even greater support for radicals and extremists.... something that would not bode well for US citizens anywhere in the world......