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JUST BECAUSE HE'S BLACK

(An American Perspective)

A white man asked his black friend, "Are you voting for Barack Obama just because he's black"?

The black man responded by saying "Why not? Hell, in this country men are pulled over everyday just becausethey're black; passed over for promotions just because they're black; considered to be criminals just because they're black; and there are going

to be thousands of you who won't be voting for him just because he's black! However, you do not seem to have a problem with that!

This country was built with the sweat and whip off the black slaves back, and now a descendent of those same slaves has a chance to lead the same country, where we weren't even considered to be people, where we weren't allowed to be educated, drink from the same water fountains, eat in the same restaurants, or even vote.

So yes! I'm going to vote for him! But it's not just because he's black, but because he is hope, he is change, and he now allows me to understand when my grandson says that he wants to be president when he grows up, it is not a fairytale but a short-term goal. He now sees, understands and knows that he can achieve, withstand and do ANYTHING just because he's black".

Posted February 20, 2012

WHY WEST INDIANS OUTPERFORM AFRICAN AMERICANS BORN IN AMERICA

Released: 11/21/2008 5:00 AM EST

Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst

Newswise -

A new book by Suzanne Model, a sociologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, examines why West Indian immigrants enjoy more economic success than native-borne African Americans and finds that the key factor in this outcome is their self-selected immigrant status. The findings of the book, "West Indian Immigrants: A Black Success Story," are summarized in the November/December Issue of the journal "Society."

Model's research explores whether the success of English-speaking West Indian immigrants is based on a series of factors, including white favoritism toward West Indians, differing historical experiences of slavery or the impact of having grown up in all-black societies. In each case, she demonstrates that these factors don't account for the different level of achievement between West Indian immigrants and native-born African Americans.

Rather, West Indian immigrants do well because people who choose to migrate tend to be more talented and determined than the compatriots they leave behind, Model says. "This is so for a host of reasons, not the least of which is the difficulty of starting a new life in a strange land. To be sure, a minority of immigrants has little choice in the matter; famine or war forces them from their homes. Lawmakers would do well to keep this point in mind when they convene to rewrite American immigration laws."

To back up her arguments, Model draws on four decades of U.S. Census data, with surveys of emigrants from the Caribbean living around the world as well as historical records that reach back to the beginnings of the slave trade. In addition, she looks at the education and employment achievements of those who left Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Guyana, and those who stayed on the islands.

Model uses these sources to test several explanations for West Indian success relative to native-born African Americans. In an effort to see if the selectivity of migration is a factor, she compares the economic achievement of recent West Indian immigrants with the achievement of native-born African Americans who recently changed residence within the U.S. There are no differences between the two groups. Put another way, West Indian immigrants have better economic outcomes than African American non-movers, but they do not have better economic outcomes than African American movers, Model says. Since the majority of native-born African Americans do not move, West Indian immigrants register an advantage over native-born African Americans as a whole.

In an effort to see if white American favoritism plays a significant role in West Indian success, Model examined their economic position in New York, London, Toronto and Amsterdam. She found in each case, despite differences in labor markets and the racial compositions of these cities, West Indians have been able to reach similar levels of economic success. The consistency she uncovered across destinations suggests that West Indian achievement is not the result of American employers treating the immigrants more favorably than they treat native-born African Americans.

To try to see whether regional variations in the way slavery was organized account for the advantages West Indian immigrants enjoy, Model looked for areas of the Caribbean where the organization of slavery was similar to that in the American South. She then contrasted the economic performance of immigrants from these areas with the performance of immigrants from areas where slavery was organized in typical Caribbean fashion. There was no difference. This result implies that the organization of slavery does not contribute to West Indian attainment.

Finally, Model considered whether growing up in an all-black society conferred an advantage relative to growing up in a multiracial society dominated by whites. A variety of comparisons contradicted this expectation; for example, black immigrants from South Africa, a multiracial society until recently dominated by whites, do just as well as black immigrants from Nigeria, an all-black society with a much weaker legacy of white domination.

Overall, Model concludes that studying the success of West Indian immigrants in America reveals more about the talent and initiative that immigrants bring with them than it does about race relations in the U.S.

Permalink to this article

Posted 2-17-12

Colin Powell's Narration of Excellence

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The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people.

As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are… Friends that don't help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don't increase you will eventually decrease you.

Consider this:

Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. Don't follow anyone who's not going anywhere…

With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it. Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.

"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses."

The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate - for the good and the bad.

Note: Be not mistaken. This is applicable to family as well as friends. Yes…do love, appreciate and be thankful for your family, for they will always be your family no matter what. Just know that they are human first and though they are family to you, they may be a friend to someone else and will fit somewhere in the criteria above.

"In Prosperity Our Friends Know Us. In Adversity We Know Our friends."

"Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them."

"If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.

Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude."

Feb. 13, 2012

Jamaican named top Nissan salesman in Canada

Published in the Gleaner Friday February 3, 2012

Alessandro Boyd, Gleaner Writer

A Jamaican has won the Platinum Award for being Nissan Motors number-one salesperson in Canada for 2011.

Forty-nine-year-old Frank Dacosta sold 285 new cars and 50 used cars in 2011. There are currently 117 Nissan dealerships in Canada with at least 12 salespersons per dealership.

"I think if I had done something bad as a Jamaican, then it would have been all over the news. It's time to show the world that Jamaicans are vigilant, versatile and hard-working people. We should be acknowledged by the good things we do. People tend to judge us and don't judge us rightly," Dacosta told The Gleaner.

"I've always been the number-one salesperson in my dealership. Never thought I would be in all of Canada, though."

Dacosta grew up and toiled in the community of Waterhouse before attending Tivoli Gardens Comprehensive High School in Kingston.

"I have always been working, even while attending high school. I worked at my older brother's gym and delivered goods from his pet shop. Hard work was my way of life," he said.

Early start

After high school, Dacosta said he worked at Facey Commodity delivering goods out of his personal Toyota Hiace minivan until migrating to Canada at age 28.

He was then given the opportunity to become a salesperson at the Brampton North Nissan branch 11 years ago.

"I sold 23 cars in my first month. The industry average at the time was seven per month. That, itself, was a remarkable feat. That indicated I had the personality to do this business. This was my inspiration in going forward," he said.

Nazi Singh, the sales manager for the Brampton North Nissan branch in Toronto, said he was proud of Frank, adding: "We're ecstatic. He has amazing work ethics, very well customer-oriented, and he truly deserved it."

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120203/lead/lead9.html

February 4, 2012

Kiralina Soars

Montreal Diva Kialina has issued a new CD. Click the link below for a preview on Youtube.

Kiralina's Youtube video, from her new album: http://youtu.be/1dfsvKdhlOM

Kiralina's other videos: http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_videos/1634307

Also check out her website at http://www.kiralinasings.com

February 4, 2012

Bolt plans 'wild things' for London

Jamaica's Usain Bolt

Despite the fact that it will be difficult to top his exploits at the Beijing Olympic Games, the world's fastest man Usain Bolt says he hopes to leave spectators stunned at the London Games, in just a few months time.

"I want to do wild things at this Olympics, that's my focus. I want, at the end of the Games, for people to sit down and say, "Did that really happen?" Bolt told the United Kingdom Press Association.

The 25-year-old sprint star certainly caught the attention of the world at the 2008 Olympic Games by setting three stunning world records in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relays. The athlete went on to equal that feat at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, lowering his own world records in the 100m (9.58) and the 200m (19.19).

setback

However, things did not go as well for Bolt at the following 2011 World Championships in Daegu, and after experiencing an injury setback the previous year, lost his 100m title after false starting in the final. The sprinter's compatriot and training partner Yohan Blake went on to take the title and while Bolt went on to claim the 200m title and partner Blake for the 4x100m title, it was Blake who stole the show at the end of the year posting the second fastest 200m time ever (19.26) at a Diamond League meet in Brussels. That fact has caused many to suspect the Olympic champion will be under serious pressure at the games, as in addition to Blake both Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, who missed the previous World Championships in Daegu, due to injury, are expected to be returning to the fore. Bolt, however, is adamant that he is still the man to beat and looks forward to proving the naysayers wrong in London.

"I am coming back from injury and working my way back up," Bolt said.

"A lot of people have said guys are going to beat me but I am still number one. I am still the Olympic champion," he added.

"It doesn't really matter what people say. I go out there and prove them wrong everyday."

The Jamaican Star, 12-31-11

Jamaica glides towards ice hockey at 2014 Olympics

Published in The Jamaican Gleaner December 8, 2011

Photo by Leighton Levy. Gleaner Writer

The three are members of a delegation seeking affiliation with the JOA with the intention of sending a Jamaican ice hockey team to the Winter Olympics in Moscow, Russia, in 2014. - Photo by Leighton Levy

From left: G. Webster Smith, Edmund R. Phillips and Sandra Lord pose after their meeting with members of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) at the offices of the Sports Development Foundation on Tuesday. The three are members of a delegation seeking affiliation with the JOA with the intention of sending a Jamaican ice hockey team to the Winter Olympics in Moscow, Russia, in 2014.

Jamaica is well set to field an ice hockey team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Moscow, Russia.

Through the efforts of the Jamaica Olympic Ice Hockey Team (JOIHT), a non-profit organisation based in Colorado, which on Tuesday received the endorsement of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), this Caribbean island will assemble a squad of highly skilled players of Jamaican heritage who currently play all over the world.

"What they need to do now is to properly form a national federation, write to us for approval and request affiliation to the Jamaica Olympic Association," said Don Anderson, vice-president of the JOA. "Once everything is on order we will give them our blessing."

Inspired in part by the Jamaica bobsled team, the JOIHT is planning what they have described as an unprecedented undertaking to bring much-needed diversity to a sport dominated by other cultures. The idea is the brainchild of 22-year-old Edmond R. Phillips, whose parents were born and raised in Jamaica.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Phillips took an interest in ice hockey at the age of seven and has been playing for 16 years. Now a level-four coach - a step below the National Hockey League stage - Phillips, who has been coaching for about five years, co-founded the JOIHT along with G. Webster Smith, the first-ever black American to become a Master-rated coach by the Professional Skaters Association.

In 2010, Smith was head coach of the Icelandic national team of the Bjorninn Skating Club, inspiring his students to winning Iceland's first-ever international medals at figure skating.

A delegation that comprised of Phillips, his father, Webster Smith and several keys strategists and advisers, including Willie O'Ree, the National Hockey League's director of youth development and ambassador for NHL Diversity, met at the offices of the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) with Anderson, Major Desmon Brown and Sports Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange seeking the endorsement of the JOA. So far, they were heartened by the response.

Plenty support

"It's been amazing. We had Devon Harris here with us from the bobsled team and he was telling us how when they first started, nobody took it seriously, but it's been different for us. When we talk about this with people, everyone's been so supportive of us. They remember the bobsled team and they have been so encouraging, we have support that has been beyond our expectations," said key strategist Sandra Lord, who grew up in St Lucia as a music celebrity, but who is now known for her work with the Hollywood Networking Breakfast and Hollywood Global Entertainment Network, among others.

"This all fits into my vision of Jamaica being a strong participant in the Winter sports and participating in the Winter Olympics," said Grange. "We have done well with the bobsled team. Although we didn't win we created a stir across the world. With this ice hockey team we are really poised to make a strong statement."

Lord agrees, saying there is a large enough pool of ice hockey players of Jamaican heritage that can be drawn from to create the team that would represent the country in Moscow.

Many native players

"You would be amazed at how many amazing Jamaican hockey players there are from all over the world, whether it's Canada, Switzerland, England, the United States, and even some budding ones here," she said.

The JOIHT will not require financial support from Jamaica's already cash-strapped coffers, but have budgeted that to achieve their goals it will cost about US$1.7 million, money that they claim they are well on the way to acquiring.

"We have some funding sources in place. Members of our team are on the boards of major banks in the United States. We have celebrities, we have sports figures. We just spoke with a prominent Jamaican hockey player in Canada who has pledged his support. We have so many people who are willing to come on board financially, and we are also going to make Jamaicans all over the world be part of it, if they want to contribute."

Link:

Jamaican scientist lands blow in cancer fight

Published in the Jamaican Gleaner December 2, 2010

A Jamaican scientist is being celebrated on the international stage for finding an effective treatment for some types of cancer.

Dr Lawrence Williams, a research scientist at the Scientific Research Council (SRC), has been awarded an international patent on a compound isolated from the Guinea Hen Weed as a protein complex of dibenzyl trisulphide.

The SRC said the protein complex has the ability to kill a wide range of cancers.

The Jamaican's discovery has the potential to fight various kinds of cancers, a few of which are: melanoma, lung cancer and breast cancer. The molecule also has implications for the treatment of ageing diseases.

The SRC noted that, with more than 13 years dedicated to this research, Williams has revealed that the complex is superior in killing cancer cells relative to the pure compound found in the Guinea Hen Weed-dibenzyl trisulphide.

"This remarkable breakthrough comes at a time when the world is crippled by the effects of cancer, as it is one of the leading killers globally," the SRC asserted.

The SRC said it joined the remainder of the international medical fraternity in celebrating the scientific breakthrough.

"This is good news for Jamaica, given its ability to contribute to health, longevity and as a major foreign exchange earner. Williams' discovery could change the face of medicine as we now know it," the SRC declared.

Williams said that the next stage is conducting clinical trials of the compound and the development of a pharmaceutical agent.

The SRC, one of Jamaica's chief proponents of scientific research and development, commended its team member on his "outstanding contribution to science".

Rights to the patent are shared with Dr George Levy, a Jamaica-born medical doctor living in the United States.

Link:

Points to ponder about Libyans who were against Libyan "dictator" Muammar Gaddafi

(Western media hides this about Libya; change the present tense to past tense)

1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all its citizens.

2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned and loans given to all its citizens at 0% interest by law.

3. Home considered a human right in Libya - Gaddafi vowed that his parents would not get a house until everyone in Libya had a

home. Gaddafi's father has died while him, his wife and his mother are still living in a tent.

4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$ 50,000 ) by the government to buy their first apartment so to help start up the family.

5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans are literate. Today the figure is 83%.

6. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and

livestock to kick- start their farms - all for free.

7. If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities they need in Libya, the government funds them to go abroad for it -

not only free but they get US $2, 300/mth accommodation and car allowance.

8. In Libyan, if a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized 50% of the price.

9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0. 14 per liter.

10. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 billion - now frozen globally.

11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he or

she is employed until employment is found.

12. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens.

13. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US $5 ,000

14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs $ 0.15

15. 25% of Libyans have a university degree

16. Gaddafi carried out the world's largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country.Bought from over 1,000 km in the desert to the cities on the coast.

Fourth Best Place In the World To Eat Ice Cream Is...

Devon House, Kingston, Jamaica

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The recently published National Geographic book Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe has listed Devon House, Kingston, Jamaica as the fourth best place in the world to eat ice-cream. The book noted the following: "Devon House is a masterpiece of Caribbean Victorian architecture and home to the island's most celebrated ice-cream stand...

"The 27 flavours run a broad gamut, from traditional cherry and pistachio to exotic island treats like mango, coconut, and soursop. There is even an offbeat, beer-based ice-cream called Devon Stout. Grab a cone and recline in the sprawling gardens," the rave review of the Jamaican-based ice-cream parlour continued. Capogiro Gelato in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was ranked the number one ice-cream destination; Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St Louis, Missouri was listed at number two; Bombay Ice Creamery in San Francisco, California was third; and Helados Scannapieco in Buenos Aires, Argentina, fifth.

National Geographic's Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe ranks Devon House the fourth best place in the world to eat ice cream.

André Reid, marketing and events manager at Devon House, was mightily pleased with the attention given to the historic property's much-loved dairy spot. "Devon House I-Scream is the most popular spot at Devon House and National Geographic is discovering what many Jamaicans have long known. We're honoured the ice-cream product has been so recognised and we hope to continue hosting future travel writers who visit Jamaica. It is our hope that the other fine businesses here at Devon House will also be able to gain international recognition as the ice-cream has."

TOP 10 Places to eat Ice Cream

1. Capogiro Gelato, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, St Louis, Missouri

3. Bombay Ice Creamery, San Francisco, California

4. Devon House, Kingston, Jamaica

5. Helados Scannapieco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

6. Ice Cream City, Tokyo, Japan

7. Glacé, Sydney, Australia

8. A'jia Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey

9 Vaffelbageriet, Copenhagen, Denmark

10. Perchè No!, Florence, Italy

A little bit of history:

BLACK GERMAN HOLOCAUST VICTIMS

So much of our history is lost to us because we often don't write the history books, don't film the documentaries, or don't pass the accounts down from generation to generation.

One documentary now touring the film festival circuit, telling us to "Always Remember" is "Black Survivors of the Holocaust" (1997).

Outside the U.S. , the film is entitled "Hitler's Forgotten Victims" (Afro-Wisdom Productions). It codifies another dimension to the "Never Forget" Holocaust story-our dimension.

Did you know that in the 1920's, there were 24,000 Blacks living in Germany ? Neither did I. Here's how it happened, and how many of them were eventually caught unawares by the events of the Holocaust.

Like most West European nations, Germany established colonies in Africa in the late 1800's in what later became Togo , Cameroon , Namibia , and Tanzania . German genetic experiments began there, most notably involving prisoners taken from the

1904 Heroro Massacre that left 60,000 Africans dead, following a 4-year revolt against German colonization. After the shellacking Germany received in World War I, it was stripped of its African colonies in 1918.

As a spoil of war, the French were allowed to occupy Germany in the Rhineland -a bitter piece of real estate that has gone back and forth between the two nations for centuries. The French willfully deployed their own colonized African soldiers as the occupying force. Germans viewed this as the final insult of World War I, and, soon thereafter, 92% of them voted in the Nazi party.

Hundreds of the African Rhineland-based soldiers intermarried with German women and raised their children as Black Germans. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote about his plans for these "Rhineland Bastards". When he came to power, one of his first directive was aimed at these mixed-race children. Underscoring Hitler's obsession with racial purity, by 1937, every identified mixed-race

child in the Rhineland had been forcibly sterilized, in order to prevent further "race polluting," as Hitler termed it.

Hans Hauck, a Black Holocaust survivor and a victim of Hitler's mandatory sterilization program, explained in the film "Hitler's Forgotten Victims" that, when he was forced to undergo sterilization as a teenager, he was given no anesthetic. Once he received his sterilization certificate, he was "free to go", so long as he agreed to have no sexual relations whatsoever with Germans.

Although most Black Germans attempted to escape their fatherland, heading for France where people like Josephine Baker were steadily aiding and supporting the French Underground, many still encountered problems elsewhere. Nations shut

their doors to Germans, including the Black ones. Some Black Germans were able to eke out a living during Hitler's reign of terror by performing in Vaudeville shows; but many Blacks, steadfast in their belief that they were German first, Black second, opted to remain in Germany . Some fought with the Nazis (a few even became Lut Waffe pilots!) Unfortunately, many Black Germans were arrested, charged with treason, and shipped in cattle cars to concentration camps. Often these trains were so packed with people and (equipped with no bathroom facilities or food), that, after the four-day journey, box car doors were opened to piles of the dead and dying.

Once inside the concentration camps, Blacks were given the worst jobs conceivable. Some Black American soldiers, who were captured and held as prisoners of war, recounted that, while they were being starved and forced into dangerous labor (violating the Geneva Convention), they were still better off than Black German concentration camp detainees, who were forced to do the

unthinkable--man the crematoriums and work in labs where genetic experiments were being conducted. As a final sacrifice, these Blacks were killed every three months so that they would never be able to reveal the inner workings of the "Final Solution."

In every story of Black oppression, no matter how we were enslaved, shackled, or beaten, we always found a way to survive and to rescue others. As a case in point; consider Johnny Voste, a Belgian resistance fighter who was arrested in 1942 for alleged sabotage and then shipped to Dachau . One of his jobs was stacking vitamin crates. Risking his own life, he distributed hundreds of vitamins to camp detainees, which saved the lives of many who were starving, weak, and ill--conditions exacerbated by extreme vitamin deficiencies. His motto was "No, you can't have my life; I will fight for it."

According to Essex University 's Delroy Constantine-Simms, there were Black Germans who resisted Nazi Germany, such as Lari Gilges, who founded the Northwest Rann --an organization of entertainers that fought the Nazis in his home town of Dusseldorf --and who was murdered by the SS in 1933, the year that Hitler came into power.

Little information remains about the numbers of Black Germans held in the camps or killed under the Nazi regime. Some victims of the Nazi sterilization project and Black survivors of the Holocaust are still alive and telling their story in films such as "Black Survivors of the Nazi Holocaust", but they must also speak out for justice, not just history.

Unlike Jews (in Israel and in Germany ), Black Germans receive no war reparations because their German citizenship was revoked (even though they were German-born). The only pension they get is from those of us who are willing to tell the world their stories and continue their battle for recognition and compensation.

After the war, scores of Blacks who had somehow managed to survive the Nazi regime, were rounded up and tried as war criminals. Talk about the final insult! There are thousands of Black Holocaust stories, from the triangle trade, to slavery in America, and to the gas ovens in Germany . We often shy away from hearing about our historical past because so much of it is painful; however, we are in this struggle together for rights, dignity, and, yes, reparations for wrongs done to us through the centuries. We need to always remember so that we can take steps to ensure that these atrocities never happen again.

For further information, read: Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black >in Nazi Germany , by Hans J. Massaquoi.

posted Oct 1, 2011

7 Spelling and Grammar Errors that Make You Look Dumb.

Don’t let these easy-to-fix spelling and grammar mistakes make you look unprofessional.

By: Leslie Ayres

August 5, 2011

In business, excellence is indeed worth striving for. Make sure all of your communications hold to high standards, because misspellings and bad grammar can hold you back in your career.

Many brilliant people have some communication weak spots. Unfortunately, the reality is that written communication is a big part of business, and how you write reflects on you. Poor spelling and grammar can destroy a professional image in an instant.

Even if your job doesn't require much business writing, you'll still have emails to send and notes to write. And if you're looking for a job, your cover letters and resumes will likely mean the difference between getting the interview or not.

Bad grammar and spelling make a bad impression. Don't let yourself lose an opportunity over a simple spelling or grammar mistake.

Here are seven simple grammatical errors that I see consistently in emails, cover letters and resumes.

Tip: Make yourself a little card cheat sheet and keep it in your wallet for easy reference.

You're / Your

The apostrophe means it's a contraction of two words; "you're" is the short version of "you are" (the "a" is dropped), so if your sentence makes sense if you say "you are," then you're good to use you're. "Your" means it belongs to you, it's yours.

You're = if you mean "you are" then use the apostrophe

Your = belonging to you

You're going to love your new job!

It's / Its

This one is confusing, because generally, in addition to being used in contractions, an apostrophe indicates ownership, as in "Dad's new car." But, "it's" is actually the short version of "it is" or "it has." "Its" with no apostrophe means belonging to it.

It's = it is

Its = belonging to it

It's important to remember to bring your telephone and its extra battery.

They're / Their / There

"They're" is a contraction of "they are." "Their" means belonging to them. "There" refers to a place (notice that the word "here" is part of it, which is also a place – so if it says here and there, it's a place). There = a place

They're = they are

Their = belonging to them

They're going to miss their teachers when they leave there.

Loose / Lose

These spellings really don't make much sense, so you just have to remember them. "Loose" is the opposite of tight, and rhymes with goose. "Lose" is the opposite of win, and rhymes with booze. (To show how unpredictable English is, compare another pair of words, "choose" and "chose," which are spelled the same except the initial sound, but pronounced differently. No wonder so many people get it wrong!)

Loose = it's not tight, it's loosey goosey

Lose= "don't lose the hose for the rose" is a way to remember the same spelling but a different pronunciation

I never thought I could lose so much weight; now my pants are all loose!

Lead / Led

Another common but glaring error. "Lead" means you're doing it in the present, and rhymes with deed. "Led" is the past tense of lead, and rhymes with sled. So you can "lead" your current organization, but you "led" the people in your previous job.

Lead = present tense, rhymes with deed

Led = past tense, rhymes with sled

My goal is to lead this team to success, just as I led my past teams into winning award after award.

A lot / Alot / Allot

First the bad news: there is no such word as "alot." "A lot" refers to quantity, and "allot" means to distribute or parcel out.

There is a lot of confusion about this one, so I'm going to allot ten minutes to review these rules of grammar.

Between you and I

This one is widely misused, even by TV news anchors who should know better.

In English, we use a different pronoun depending on whether it's the subject or the object of the sentence: I/me, she/her, he/him, they/them. This becomes second nature for us and we rarely make mistakes with the glaring exception of when we have to choose between "you and I" or "you and me."

Grammar Girl does a far better job of explaining this than I, but suffice to say that "between you and I" is never correct, and although it is becoming more common, it's kind of like saying "him did a great job." It is glaringly incorrect.

The easy rule of thumb is to replace the "you and I" or "you and me" with either "we" or "us" and you'll quickly see which form is right. If "us" works, then use "you and me" and if "we" works, then use "you and I."

Between you and me (us), here are the secrets to how you and I (we) can learn to write better.

Master these common errors and you'll remove some of the mistakes and red flags that make you look like you have no idea how to speak.

Try this when you call an 800 number

A lot of us do not realize this option is open to us.

Any time you call an 800 number, (for a credit card, banking, charter communications, health and other insurance, computer help desk, etc. etc.), and you find that you're talking to a foreign customer service representative (with an accent difficult to inderstand/ perhaps in India , Philippines , etc), please consider doing the following:

After you connect and you realize that the Customer Service Representative is not working in Canada. (you can always ask, if you are not sure about the accent), please, very politely (this is not about trashing other cultures) say, "I'd like to speak to a Customer Service Representative in Canada."

The rep. might suggest talking to his/her manager, but, again, politely say, "Thank you, but I'd like to speak to a Customer Service Representative in Canada."

YOU WILL BE IMMEDIATELY CONNECTED TO A REP IN CANADA. That's the rule and the LAW.

It takes less than one minute to have your call re-directed toCanada .

After you are re-directed to a Canadian rep., ask again to verify.

Imagine what would happen if every Canadian Citizen insisted on talking to only Canadian phone reps, from this day on!

Imagine how that would ultimately impact the number of Canadian jobs that would need to be created ASAP.!

Remember - the goal here is to restore jobs back here at home - not to be abrupt or rude to a foreign phone rep. You may even get correct answers, good advice, and solutions to your problem - in real English or French.

The 8th. Annual Montreal Reggae Festival,

Saturday & Sunday, August 20 & 21, 2011

From our perspective, both Saturday and Sunday were successful for Montreal's Reggae Festival at the Old Port. MC's and announcers kept the ball rolling while DJ's, bands and singers satisfied the attenders with heavy beats from the high-quality sound system.

(Note: the picture is blurred intentionally)

On Saturday, by nightfall, the crowd had grown substantially and the place looked full (see above). DJ's and artists performed well to keep the crowd engaged, although the MC's would have preferred more visible evidence of enjoyment in the form of dancing from the crowd. There were long lineups at the bar and food tents. I went too late for my curry goat and the rice was finished, so I had to eat my curry goat with fried dumplings (not bad!). The weather was superb, except for a short drizzle. Gyptian gave a stellar performance to close the session; he made us forget that Movado did not come.

==================

(Note: the picture is blurred intentionally)

The rain did not prevent the people from coming on Sunday (see above). There were several fine performances, with Third World , Jah Cutta and Wayne Wonder as headliners. Beres Hammond closed with medleys of his hits that had people dancing in the rain; his songs brought back memories to the older folks and kindled a love of reggae rhythms in the many children and teenagers present. He sparked the crowd's enthusiasm by asking them to "pump their umbrellas up and down" during the deluge of rain, and the fans loved it. When the rain stopped and people closed their umbrellas, Beres said he was happy to see the faces in the audience. This time, I went early and got my curry goat with rice OK.

Number of Centenarians (100 year-olds)

USA has the most centenarians in the world, 70,490 (0.022%)

Second is Japan, with 44,449 (0.035%, the highest % in the world. Barbados has the second highest percentage)

Canada has 6,500 (0.019%)

China has 17,800 (0.001%)

England and Wales have 11,600 (0.019%)

Jamaica has 885 (0.031%)

Trinidad & Tobago has 310 (0.025%)

Accessible health care in English is everyone's right

Editorial, The Gazette August 8, 2011

MONTREAL - Getting medical care is often a stressful affair: If you're injured or ill, it can be hard to take in the information you need. If it's bad news, you don't want to hear it.

And if you're being treated in a second language, the experience can be doubly stressful. Medical vocabulary tends to be specialized. A doctor's instructions need to be followed exactly to avoid complications. Patients rarely have peace of mind unless they know they've grasped every nuance.

Anglophones in Quebec are supposed to be able to get medical treatment in English. Twenty-five years ago, the Quebec government amended existing health-and social services legislation, conferring on the Anglophone community across the province a qualified right to receive services in English. (The availability of resources had to be taken into account.)

More recently, the federal government earmarked $10 million for improving primary health care for Quebec's minority English language community. Included in this package was English-language training for healthcare workers in Quebec.

But when Stephanie Kwong, a Montreal respiratory therapist who is six months pregnant, asked to be treated at her local community health clinic in English, she found herself being addressed slowly and loudly in French, as if she were "deaf and stupid," she wrote in an Opinion article that appeared in The Gazette recently and that generated many letters from readers.

To Kwong, who describes herself as fully bilingual, the issue is one of choice. She is more comfortable, she wrote, dealing with her health issues in English, and since Quebec is bilingual, she feels she should be treated in English if that is what she wants.

Unfortunately for Kwong's argument, Quebec is not an officially bilingual province. French has been the only official language since 1974. But no Quebec government has dared try to remove the right of the English-speaking minority to medical services in English or education in English.

But unfortunately for far too many Anglophones in Quebec, Kwong's experience seems quite commonplace. Unlike Kwong, who asked to be treated in English, one in five English-speakers in the province is not comfortable asking for services in English at a public health or social-services institution.

According to a 2010-2011 report by the Quebec Community Health and Social Services Network, Anglos are afraid their request will impose a burden on the institution or that it might mean a delay in health-care treatment. Some also think they'll be turned down; others say they're too shy to ask.

If health-care workers were trained to offer automatic treatment in English, the issue of having to ask wouldn't come up. But the report makes it clear that English is not offered to Anglophone patients with any regularity. In Quebec, of the 57.4 per cent of English speakers who said they had been served in English in a CLSC, close to one in three had to ask first.

Being cared for in English matters to Anglophones. Whether they are treated in a CLSC, hospital, or private clinic or whether they are trying to access health information from the province's hotline, Info-Santé, the majority of English-speakers feel it is "very important" to receive treatment in English.

Yet only English-speakers in downtown Montreal or the West Island are likely to be treated in English. The numbers drop off precipitously the farther away from these Anglophone strongholds one gets. Only 7.9 per cent of Anglos on the Lower North Shore say they are treated in English in their CLSC.

The lack of access to treatment in English worries Anglophones. Those who anticipate needing long-term health services, either for themselves or for someone they care for, told researchers it is very important they receive these services in English.

If Stephanie Kwong was wrong on some points, she got the big picture right. Unless Anglophones insist on their right to English language services, that right will continue to erode. The burden of maintaining this right cannot be placed on Anglophones alone, especially elderly, unilingual English-speakers in the regions. If they are shying away from insisting on their rights, it could be because they are made to feel like second-class citizens. Quebec's medical workers are among the most hard-working and conscientious in the country. If they need more resources to properly serve an official minority population, they should get them. Health care that is accessible - including linguistically - should be everyone's right, whether they ask for it or not.

Hollywood’s Highest-Earning Actors

Forbes' article by Dorothy Pomerantz

"Show Me The Money", Aug. 1, 2011 - 1:15 pm

Hollywood careers are built on smart (and not always obvious) choices. The two men who top our list of Hollywood’s highest-earning actors are living proof of that. While Johnny Depp topped our list last year with $75 million, Leonardo DiCaprio jumps from fifth to first place to beat Depp for the first time. Over the past year Depp earned $50 million to DiCaprio’s $77 million. Both actors have achieved wealth and fame by making some unusual choices with their careers.

After starring in the megahit Titanic in 1997, Leonardo DiCaprio had his pick of roles. The young actor easily could have become a romantic-comedy heartthrob or an action hero. Instead, he waited for offers from great, serious directors. In 2000, he starred in Danny Boyle’s The Beach. Two years later he paired with Martin Scorsese for the first time with Gangs of New York. That same year Steven Spielberg directed the young actor in Catch Me If You Can.

Few of his films were blockbusters, but they established DiCaprio’s reputation as someone who could work with the best directors on the planet.

In 2010, that reputation helped DiCaprio become the highest-earning actor in Hollywood. His two big movies, Shutter Island and Inception, earned a combined $1.2 billion. Shutter Island was DiCaprio’s fourth collaboration with Scorsese and Inception was directed by Christopher Nolan.

DiCaprio always gets a healthy upfront fee to appear in movies, but with these two films, he also got a solid chunk of the profits. We estimate that between May 2010 and May 2011, DiCaprio earned $77 million.

Johnny Depp is another actor who gained fame at a young age and refused to take the obvious path. After the success of the TV show 21 Jump Street, Depp easily could have become an action star but he preferred to work with offbeat directors like Tim Burton and John Waters. Like DiCaprio, Depp’s early choices weren’t always hits. But his insistence on making each role his own paid off with 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Based on the popular Disney ride the movie easily could have been just another summer blockbuster but Depp’s bizarre turn as Captain Jack Sparrow created a character that has become as important to Disney as Peter Pan. The four Pirates movie have so far earned $3.7 billion at the global box office. Jack Sparrow was added to the Pirates ride and Depp can now demand a huge sum for each new movie.

The actor earn an estimated $50 million between May 2010 and May 2011.

To compile our earnings numbers we talked to agents, lawyers, producers and other industry insiders to come up with an estimate for what each actor earned between May 1, 2010 and May 1, 2011. Earnings consist of pretax gross income. Management, agent and attorney fees are not deducted.

Taking the path less traveled isn’t always the key to making it big in Hollywood. Just look at Adam Sandler, who ranks third on our list with an estimated $40 million.

During his years on Saturday Night Live Sandler made us laugh while consistently playing a kind of man-child. He carried that persona over to the movies with films like Billy Madison and The Waterboy. As long as Sandler sticks to playing a stunted adult his films are huge hits. His recent film, Grown Ups, was his highest-grossing of all time with $271 million.

But when Sandler strays his films tend to flop. In Funny People, from director Judd Apatow, Sandler played an aging, lonely comedian dealing with a life-threatening illness. The film was a bust, earning only $71 million.

Our No. 4 earner, Will Smith, took a similar path of establishing a persona and sticking with it. The actor has yet to play a bad guy–he’s almost always the hero who swoops in to save the day. Thanks in part to his hefty upfront paycheck for the upcoming sci-fi comedy Men in Black III, Smith earned $36 million.

In fifth place: Tom Hanks with $35 million. The actor’s most recent film, Larry Crowne, was a bona fide flop, earning only $51 million at the global box office, but that’s unlikely to hurt Hanks’ earning power. His next film is an adaptation of the best-seller Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, co-starring Sandra Bullock.

http://blogs.forbes.com/dorothypomerantz/2011/08/01/hollywoods-highest-earning-actors/

Opinion: I'm bilingual, but I want to discuss my health in English

By STEPHANIE KWONG, Special to The Gazette July 20, 2011

Health-care worker Stephanie Kwong says she has heard countless first-hand accounts about patients in French-sector hospitals not being able to communicate their concerns with anyone.

Photograph by: John Kenney, Gazette files

MONTREAL - I think Montreal is one of the top places to visit in the summer: fabulous, beautiful, charming, etc. But to live here is a different story.

I am originally from Toronto but have lived here more than 10 years and I am finally hitting my breaking point.

I am six months pregnant and work at the McGill University Health Centre. I want to make this clear: I am fully bilingual.

In the centre where I work, I can say 95 per cent of the time, the first question asked is, "Do you prefer English or French?" At least, I can say I offer this option. If it is a third language I can speak, I will offer this as well. If certain foreign doctors are unable to speak French, we promptly get someone who can clearly communicate to them the patients' concerns and questions.

I am finally in a position where I am the patient and no longer the health-care worker. Thankfully, the hospital I am delivering at is more or less fully bilingual - it is one in the English sector. And again, repeatedly I am asked if I prefer French or English, regardless of the native language of the person offering me the service. I appreciate and respect this. If the person has difficulty in English, I will put aside my preference and accommodate him or her simply because he or she was courteous enough to offer this.

But I have heard countless first-hand accounts about patients in French-sector hospitals not being able to communicate concerns and worries with anyone.

At my local Montreal CLSC, I have repeatedly spoken English to the people there and been responded to in French. As I persist, the person (more than one) has further insisted on responding in French. I am spoken to in slow, loud tones as if I am deaf and stupid, as opposed to them simply trying to say that one sentence in English. I have had countless other incidents with other professional government associations here, but this is the one that really hits home.

I understand that in private businesses there is no guarantee. But a CLSC provides an essential service and I believe this is completely unacceptable. As far as I know, Quebec is still a province in Canada. And the term bilingual suggests the presence of two languages.

Why is McKibbin's pub given heat over Irish posters? Why is a fully bilingual man awarded several thousand dollars in court because he was not offered Coke or 7Up in French? Why am I harassed at a downtown Tim Hortons because I choose to order a large coffee instead of "un grand café"? And I am repeatedly ignored when I request that I be communicated with in English in several government organizations because, frankly, I still am more comfortable dealing with my health issues in English.

I feel so helpless in a province where "bilingual" actually means: "I'm going to ignore the fact that you just said you prefer English but if you are English I will sue you if you do not greet me in French."

Stephanie Kwong is a respiratory therapist who lives in Montreal.

Quebec City, Montreal ranked most livable cities.

Survey by Tobi Cohen, Postmedia News July 4, 2011

A recent study found Quebec City and Montreal outrank other cities in Canada when it comes to cost of living, culture, shopping and meeting people.Photograph by: Yves Tessier, Quebec City TourismVancouver may be the "nicest" city, according to a new survey, but when it comes to livability, major cities in la belle province take top marks.

The recent study commissioned by the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies found Quebec City and Montreal outrank other cities in Canada when it comes to cost of living, culture, shopping and meeting people.

According to the survey, a quarter of Quebec City residents said the cost of living in their city was excellent, while another 70 per cent described it as good.

Montreal came second in the category with 16 per cent describing it as excellent and 65 per cent saying it was good.

While an earlier Postmedia News report indicated that a quarter of all Canadians had chosen Vancouver as the overall "nicest city in Canada," association executive director Jack Jedwab said it ranked dead last when it came to cost of living, with 57 per cent of respondents describing it as poor.

"There's a funny phenomenon in Vancouver, there's not a lot of people in the middle," he said, noting few Vancouverites described the lost of living as good, let along excellent.

"It's as though there's a big income split in that city. That's what I would think explains that discrepancy."

The Greater Toronto Area, Edmonton and Calgary rounded out the list of least affordable cities to live.

When it came to cultural activities, more than 95 per cent of Montreal and Quebec City residents rated theirs as excellent or good and they were also the most likely to describe their cities as excellent places to meet people and make friends.

Meanwhile, a fifth of Ottawa residents said their city was a bad place to meet people and make friends.

Montreal also earned top marks for shopping with 67 per cent describing it as excellent, followed by Edmonton at 62 per cent, Calgary at 51 per cent and Quebec City at 49 per cent.

People in Toronto (15 per cent), Calgary (14 per cent) and Edmonton (13 per cent) were among the most likely to describe their cities as lousy places to take in cultural activities.

On the subject of job opportunities, Calgarians were most satisfied, with half describing them as excellent and more than a third describing them as good. Quebec City came a close second with 47.6 per cent saying excellent but another 42.9 per cent describing them as good.

A whopping 36 per cent of Torontonians rated job opportunities in their city as poor, followed by 29 per cent of Ottawa residents and 25 per cent of Vancouver residents.

While all Quebec City residents described their city as either excellent or good for raising children — taking the top spot among seven cities — Jedwab was surprised to find Montreal at the bottom of the list in this category.

Despite the province's much touted $7-a-day child care program and overall commitment to children and youth, just 23 per cent of Montreal residents said their city was an excellent place to raise kids.

Some 61 per cent said it was good but more than 16 per cent described it as poor — the largest number of any city.

Quebec City, Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal earned top marks for recreation and outdoor activity, while Toronto, Quebec City and Vancouver did well for climate.

"I think overall, Toronto is not a big winner on this thing if we're going to look for some big winner," Jedwab concluded.

"Montreal, I think, comes across fairly strong in this. Vancouver still does reasonably well, it is just clearly a very pricey place to live. Beauty comes at a cost."

The survey of 1,513 Canadians was conducted last month via web panel by Leger Marketing. An equivalent telephone survey would have a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

tcohen@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/tobicohen

Asia's millionaire population overtakes Europe

KELVIN CHAN

HONG KONG— The Associated Press

Published Thursday, Jun. 23, 2011 8:23AM EDT

Last updated Thursday, Jun. 23, 2011 9:21AM EDT

Booming Asia had more millionaires than Europe for the first time last year and is fast closing in on North America for the top spot, a report released Thursday said.

The Asia-Pacific region was home to 3.3 million people in 2010 worth $ 1-million (U.S.) or more, excluding their homes, an increase of roughly 10 per cent from the year before, according to the 15th annual World Wealth Report by Merrill Lynch's wealth management division and consultancy Capgemini.

The report's findings illustrate how Asia's economies are growing much more quickly than developed countries and, in the process, minting scores of new millionaires and billionaires. Asia's growth has been powered by China and India, whose economies grew 9-10 per cent last year while European and North American growth was in the low single digits.

“It is entirely conceivable that Asia would overtake North America in the near future,” said Wilson So, a managing director at Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management. “I would be surprised if that does not happen very soon.”

The United States, Japan and Germany still account for just over half the world's 10.9 million wealthy, while China is in fourth place with 535,000, about 58,000 more than in 2009. Australia has moved up one notch to ninth place, edging out Italy, while India cracked the top 12 for the first time. It replaced Spain, which fell to 14th.

While 2010 was the first time that Asia has overtaken Europe in absolute numbers of wealthy people, it is the second year that Asia's combined wealth was bigger than Europe's.

The world's wealthy were worth a total of $42.7-trillion in 2010. Asia's share of that wealth amounted to $10.8-trillion, putting it in second place for the second year in a row, just behind North America's $11.6-trillion.

Six of the 10 economies with the fastest growing millionaire populations were in Asia, led by Hong Kong and Vietnam, which each saw annual growth of 33 per cent. Others included Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore and India.

Asia also had a bigger proportion of young millionaires, with 3 per cent aged 30 or under. All other regions had 2 per cent or less.

Globally, women are increasingly in the ranks of millionaires. The report found that 27 per cent of the world's wealthy last year were women, up from 24 per cent in 2009.

While the majority of wealth is held by Americans, Japanese and Germans, the authors of the report expect the distribution to become more diverse over time as developing countries continue to grow faster than developed ones.

The super rich, defined as people worth more than $30-million, also fared well. Their numbers grew 10 per cent to 103,000 last year.

Toronto Carnival formerly known as Caribana renamed

"STCC, The Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival"

New Name: Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival Turns Up the Heat this Summer

Same Festival, Same Vibe!

TORONTO, May 25, 2011 /CNW/ - The Festival Management Committee (FMC) today announced a new name to the Festival that has captured an audience of more than 1.2 million people annually on the August long weekend: The Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival.

The Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival (STCC) will be back in July with the same line up of events featuring the Toronto Mas Band Association (TMBA), the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes and the Pannists, as well as an array of new programming leading up to the Parade on July 30.

"This is the 44th year for the Parade, and all of the participants are preparing for another major turnout of attendees this summer," said Denise Hererra Jackson, CEO of the FMC. "Rebranding ourselves as the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival allows us to move forward with an exciting program that will appeal to members of the community of all ages."

"The Festival is an important summer celebration of diversity through arts and culture in Toronto and as such, is important to the roots of this city," said Chris Alexander, CFO of the FMC. "The Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival will continue to grow and meet the needs of the attendees, while reinforcing its relationships with the Toronto community, its sponsors and other stakeholders."

In addition to its commitment of title sponsor, Scotiabank also announced $10,000 in prizing to be divided among the TMBA, Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes and the Pannists, based on competitive judging.

"Scotiabank's partnership with the FMC opened an exciting new chapter for the Bank - given our extensive presence in the Caribbean and the importance of this event to the City, our customers and our employees, this event is a natural fit for us," said John Doig, Scotiabank Senior Vice-President, Toronto Region. "Today we have come together to reinforce our support for the Festival Management Committee - their decision to rename the Festival, the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival, continues to reflects our diverse and multicultural communities. We're looking forward to a great festival!"

The STCC has released the official programme for the summer festivities today, and festival goers will see new additions, including a sports component featuring athletics of the Rugby League. Programme details can be found in the backgrounder and a new name and logo will appear in all marketing materials as well as on the revised interactive website, www.torontocaribbeancarnival.com.

About the Festival:

The Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival is an exciting three-week cultural explosion of Caribbean music, cuisine, revelry as well as visual and performing arts. Now in its 44th year, it has become a major international event and the largest cultural festival of its kind in North America. As Carnival is an international cultural phenomenon, the great metropolis of Toronto and its environs will come alive as the city explodes with the pulsating rhythms and melodies of Calypso, Soca, Reggae, Chutney, Steel Pan and Brass Bands. The Festival Management Committee is responsible for the managing and staging of North America's largest outdoor festival.

Corporate sponsors of this year's festival include: Scotiabank, The Toronto Star, Sway Magazine, The Grid, CTV, CP24, The Federal Government of Canada, The Province of Ontario, The City of Toronto, Tourism Toronto, Mobilicity, The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Ontario Place, Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto Public Libraries, Yorkgate Mall, Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex & Liberty Entertainment Group, The Caribbean Camera Newspaper, Toronto-Lime.Com, and GraceKennedy (Ontario) Inc.

The Festival Management Committee presents Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival (STCC) - North America's largest and most exciting summer Carnival and Festival!

July 16 to August 2, 2011 in the Greater Toronto Area

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2011/25/c7408.html

Jamaican-born scientist making strides in nerve research

Published: Monday,| January 4, 2010

Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter

Dr Patrice Smith, Jamaican-born scientist living in Canada who discovered a new way to repair damaged nerves. - Contributed

Who would have thought that a little girl from Darliston in Westmoreland would turn out to be a First World scientist who may have discovered a new way to repair damaged nerves?

Now living in Canada, Jamaican-born Dr Patrice Smith and her colleagues at Harvard have discovered a way to repair damaged nerves by allowing the adult brain to respond to repair signals that are induced after injury. Dr Smith explained to Flair in an email interview, that as we get older, we lose the ability to repair damage to the brain and spinal cord, because our nervous system is actively preventing the immune system from sending out repair messages. If we get a cold, for example, the immune system kicks in and helps with our recovery. However, if our brain or spinal cord is damaged, this repair message is blocked. What they have discovered is that this mechanism is blocked by a molecule called SOCS3.

"In the absence of SOCS3, the damaged nerves were able to regenerate themselves in an adult. My hope is that the research will help people who suffer from brain and spinal-cord injuries by helping to repair the injuries they may have received in an accident, or just through the natural ageing process," said Dr Smith.

A curious child

She said she has always been interested in how things work. As a child she was very good at taking apart small appliances and seeing whether she could put them back together.

Her interest in how the brain works began when she migrated to Canada, and took up a summer research job in a neuroscience lab at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Dr Smith grew up with her grandparents because her mother, Elaine, was just 18 years old when she was born and had to move to Kingston to find work. Her mother later got married and migrated to Canada. Dr Smith joined her after completing her studies at Mannings High school in 1995 at the age of 18.

Her CXC results were not recognised in Canada, so she had to repeat her final year in a Canadian high school. She excelled and obtained a scholarship to attend the University of Ottawa. She received the highest average in her graduating year and was awarded a medal by the Ottawa-Carleton education school board. "I felt that my Jamaican education provided a strong framework for this," she told Flair.

After completing her doctorate in 2005, she received a scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to attend Harvard University, which was where she began her current research. The research took about two years to complete. "I am currently working on extending this research in my own lab back in Canada to look at ways of functionally repairing damaged nerves, following spinal cord and brain injury."

Benefits of hard work

Dr Smith is currently making waves in the scientific world in Canada, but it is hard work that has put her where she is today. She explained that when she first moved to Canada, it was difficult to adapt to the weather, especially the snow. But she notes that she was fortunate to have met and interacted with some wonderful people throughout her career, who have helped her along the way.

Her field is a male-dominated one, but she has persons around her who are generally "accepting" of a female scientist, although she says she has become used to being the only black female (sometimes the only black person) in her circle.

"And I am still not used to being called 'Dr Smith'."

Although her job is challenging, she considers herself blessed to be able to do what she loves as a career. The added incentive is that what she is doing will someday help persons suffering from brain and spinal-cord injuries.

Best friend

Dr Smith told Flair that in 2008 she married her best friend, Ryan, who has been her biggest fan and most avid supporter. "I am truly blessed that we found each other (we met in Canada). Ryan was the one who actually encouraged me to go to Harvard."

She is currently heading up a medical research lab in Canada, and will continue her research into ways to promote health and well-being.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100104/flair/flair2.html

Jean Gregoire Sagbo Becomes First Black Politician Elected In Russia

In this July 20, 2010 photo, Russian councilman Jean Gregoire Sagbo smiles in Novozavidovo, a village 100 kilometers (65 miles) north of Moscow. People in this Russian town used to stare at Jean Gregoire Sagbo because they had never seen a black man. Now they say they see in him something equally rare _ an honest politician. Sagbo last month became the first black to be elected to office in Russia. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev).

NOVOZAVIDOVO, Russia — People in this Russian town used to stare at Jean Gregoire Sagbo because they had never seen a black man. Now they say they see in him something equally rare – an honest politician.

Sagbo last month became the first black to be elected to office in Russia.

In a country where racism is entrenched and often violent, Sagbo's election as one of Novozavidovo's 10 municipal councilors is a milestone. But among the town's 10,000 people, the 48-year-old from the West African country of Benin is viewed simply a Russian who cares about his hometown.

He promises to revive the impoverished, garbage-strewn town where he has lived for 21 years and raised a family. His plans include reducing rampant drug addiction, cleaning up a polluted lake and delivering heating to homes.

"Novozavidovo is dying," Sagbo said in an interview in the ramshackle municipal building. "This is my home, my town. We can't live like this."

"His skin is black but he is Russian inside," said Vyacheslav Arakelov, the mayor. "The way he cares about this place, only a Russian can care."

Sagbo isn't the first black in Russian politics. Another West African, Joaquin Crima of Guinea-Bissau, ran for head of a southern Russian district a year ago but was heavily defeated.

Crima was dubbed by the media "Russia's Obama." Now they've shifted the title to Sagbo, much to his annoyance.

"My name is not Obama. It's sensationalism," he said. "He is black and I am black, but it's a totally different situation."

Inspired by communist ideology, Sagbo came to Soviet Russia in 1982 to study economics in Moscow. There he met his wife, a Novozavidovo native. He moved to the town about 100 kilometers (65 miles) north of Moscow in 1989 to be close to his in-laws.

Today he is a father of two, and negotiates real estate sales for a Moscow conglomerate. His council job is unpaid.

Sagbo says neither he nor his wife wanted him to get into politics, viewing it as a dirty, dangerous business, but the town council and residents persuaded him to run for office.

They already knew him as a man of strong civic impulse. He had cleaned the entrance to his apartment building, planted flowers and spent his own money on street improvements. Ten years ago he organized volunteers and started what became an annual day of collecting garbage.

He said he feels no racism in the town. "I am one of them. I am home here," Sagbo said.

He felt that during his first year in the town, when his 4-year-old son Maxim came home in tears, saying a teenage boy spat at him. Sagbo ran outside in a rage, demanding that the spitter explain himself. Women sitting nearby also berated the teenager. Then the whole street joined in.

Russia's black population hasn't been officially counted but some studies estimate about 40,000 "Afro-Russians." Many are attracted by universities that are less costly than in the West. Scores of them suffer racially motivated attacks every year – 49 in Moscow alone in 2009, according to the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy Task Force on Racial Violence and Harassment, an advocacy group.

After the Soviet Union collapsed, Novozavidovo's industries were rapidly privatized, leaving it in financial ruin.

High unemployment, corruption, alcoholism and pollution blight what was once an idyllic town, just a short distance from the Zavidovo National Park, where Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev take nature retreats.

Denis Voronin, a 33-year-old engineer in Novozavidovo, said Sagbo was the town's first politician to get elected fairly, without resorting to buying votes

"Previous politicians were all criminals," he said.

A former administration head – the equivalent of mayor in rural Russia – was shot to death by unknown assailants two years ago.

The post is now held by Arakelov, a veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan who says he also wants to clean up corruption. He says money used to constantly disappear from the town budget and is being investigated by tax police.

Residents say they pay providers for heat and hot water, but because of ineffective monitoring by the municipality they don't get much of either. The toilet in the municipal building is a room with a hole in the floor.

As a councilor, Sagbo has already scored some successes. He mobilized residents to collect money and turn dilapidated lots between buildings into colorful playgrounds with new swings and painted fences.

As he strolled around his neighborhood everyone greeted him and he responded in his fluent, French-African-accented Russian. Boys waved to Sagbo, who had promised them a soccer field.

Sitting in the newly painted playground with her son, Irina Danilenko said it was the only improvement she has seen in the five years she has lived here.

"We don't care about his race," said Danilenko, 31. "We consider him one of us."

Speaker snubs Church to appoint first black Vicar of Westminster

By Simon Walters and Jonathan Petre

Last updated at 11:13 PM on 26th June 2010

Rose Hudson-Wilkin

Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin has been appointed as chaplain to the House of Commons

The Queen of England was last night dragged into a bitter row over the appointment of a black woman as Chaplain to the House of Commons.

Commons Speaker John Bercow has refused to give the job to the candidate picked by the Dean of Westminster Abbey, the Very Rev Dr John Hall, who answers to the Queen.

He has chosen instead the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, a Jamaican-born vicar in one of the poorest parts of East London. Sources say he objected to appointing ‘another predictable middle-aged white man’.

Mr Bercow was so determined to win the power struggle that he has cut the ties between Parliament and the Abbey, where state funerals, weddings and coronations take place – effectively splitting the Chaplain’s historic role in two.

The Abbey authorities have responded by refusing to give Mrs Hudson-Wilkin the palatial grace-and-favour apartment in the Abbey cloisters where the current Commons Chaplain lives.

The man snubbed by Mr Bercow, 46-year-old Andrew Tremlett, currently a Canon at Bristol Cathedral, is to be made a Canon at Westminster Abbey as a ‘consolation prize’ by the Queen.

But he will have to make do with half the salary of the Commons Chaplain.

The move will be seen by some as the Speaker showing support for those campaigning to force the Church of England to allow women to become bishops, as well for helping ethnic minorities achieve high-profile public posts.

Outspoken Mrs Hudson-Wilkin, 49 – who is married with three children – has already been tipped to be the first woman bishop.

A controversial figure, she led calls for the Church of England to apologise for its role in slavery and has lambasted racism in the clergy. A friend said her views were ‘radical, Left of centre’.

But the row has divided opinion at Westminster, where by custom the Commons Chaplain fulfills a dual role, acting as ‘Vicar of Parliament’ while also being Sub-Dean of Westminster Abbey and the Rector of St Margaret’s Church in Parliament Square.

Speaker John Bercow and wife Sally: Sources say he objected to appointing 'another predictable middle-aged white man'

One senior parliamentarian said: ‘It is a tragic mistake for the Speaker to cut the ties with the Abbey. He seems to have done it on a whim because other people did not think Mrs Hudson-Wilkin was the best candidate.’

A Church of England source said: ‘This is a shame. This post may seem to some like a historical anomaly but it has survived and it works.

‘It would be better if it was not split in two. Modernising everything is not always a good thing. Sometimes it is the result of someone throwing their weight around.’

John Hall

Dr John Hall was the Dean of Westminster's choice for the role as Chaplain to the House of Commons

The source said he did not know if the Queen had formed a view but that it could concern her, adding: ‘She tends to be conservative in these things.’

However, a source close to Mr Bercow maintained: ‘We did not want yet another predictable, middle-aged, white man who is like a mini Archbishop of Canterbury.

‘Many MPs went to the Chaplain for advice and comfort over the expenses affair or the Iraq War. They need someone they can talk to, not someone who can quote theological texts to them.’

The appointment is the latest controversy for Mr Bercow, whose wife Sally caused outrage by confessing in interviews to casual sex as a result of alcohol. His religious status is described by friends as ‘Jewish by ethnicity’.

The appointment of Mrs Hudson-Wilkin, who is a friend of Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, follows the retirement of Commons Chaplain Canon Robert Wright.

A selection panel, led by Dr Hall and including representatives of Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, the Speaker’s office and Lambeth Palace, drew up a shortlist of six, including Canon Tremlett and Mrs Hudson-Wilkin.

Dr Hall picked Canon Tremlett and recommended him to the Queen.

Usually, the Speaker rubber-stamps the Dean’s – and by extension the Queen’s – choice, but not this time.

When the two men failed to agree, Mr Bercow said he would split from the Abbey and appoint Mrs Hudson-Wilkin as Commons Chaplain alone. Mr Tremlett will take over the duties at the Abbey and as Rector of St Margaret’s.

Mrs Hudson-Wilkin will receive the £25,000 Commons Chaplain’s salary, but not the £20,000 wage that goes with the Abbey post. That will go to Mr Tremlett, who will also be given the grace-and-favour home in the Abbey.

One of the key tasks at Westminster for Mrs Hudson-Wilkin, who intends to retain her parish in Hackney, East London, is to read the prayers at the start of each day’s sitting.

The Hebrew scholar

Canon Andrew Tremlett is a quintessentially English cleric. Born in Devon, he took a degree in classics at Cambridge before training for the priesthood at Oxford, where he specialised in Biblical Hebrew.

He moved to Bristol Cathedral in 2008 where he became Canon for development, responsible for the buildings, development of the Cathedral’s ‘strategy’, and pastoral care of congregations.

Married with three children, his interests include playing the piano and learning Arabic. Canon Tremlett was ordained in 1989 and his roles have since included being Chaplain to the English Church in Rotterdam, Holland.

The girl from Montego Bay

In stark contrast to Canon Tremlett, the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin routinely confronts knife crime and gang culture in one of East London’s poorest parishes.

Mrs Hudson-Wilkin said at the time of her appointment as vicar in Hackney in 1998: ‘Some members struggled with me. They had been told that no priest worth anything would want to come here. On top of that I’m a woman and black.’

A good friend of the first black archbishop, Dr John Sentamu, she is a rising star in the Church. She was bought up in Montego Bay and travelled to England to join the Church Army aged 18.

She is now regularly tipped to become the Church’s first woman bishop if, as many expect, the current ban is lifted.

Ursula M. Burns

Chief Executive Office, Xerox

Ursula M. Burns is chief executive officer of Xerox Corporation.

Burns joined Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern and later assumed roles in product development and planning. From 1992 through 2000, Burns led several business teams including the office color and fax business and office network printing business.

In 2000, she was named senior vice president, Corporate Strategic Services, heading up manufacturing and supply chain operations. She then took on the broader role of leading Xerox's global research as well as product development, marketing and delivery. In April 2007, Burns was named president of Xerox, expanding her leadership to also include the company's IT organization, corporate strategy, human resources, corporate marketing and global accounts. At that time, she was also elected a member of the company's Board of Directors. Burns was named chief executive officer in July 2009.

Burns earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of NYU and a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. She serves on professional and community boards, including American Express Corp., CASA - (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse) at Columbia University, FIRST - (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), National Academy Foundation, MIT, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the University of Rochester. Burns was also named by President Barack Obama to help lead the White House national program on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in November 2009.

Rachel Christie crowned the first Black Miss England

Rachel Christie, athlete and neice of Linford Christie, Britain's Olympic Gold medalist, has been crowned as the new Miss England. Click the link below for more.

http://rubyroom.aol.co.uk/2009/07/22/rachel-christie-introducing-the-first-black-miss-england/

Links to President Barack Obama

Click the link below to view the White House website:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Click the link below for an official selection of photographs of

President Obama in action:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/sets/

Home Depot executive still proud to wear apron

By RACHEL TOBIN RAMOS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Sunday, April 19, 2009

THE ANN-MARIE CAMPBELL FILE

• Job: Home Depot, president, Southern Division

• Age: 44

• Raised: St. Thomas, Jamaica

• Residence: Smyrna

• Family: Husband of 22 years, Christopher, and two sons, Ryan, 16 and Alex, 12. (Her husband, also a native of Jamaica, owns Chris' Caribbean Cafe in Smyrna.)

• Education: MBA and bachelor's in philosophy from Georgia State University.

• Philanthropy: Serves on the board of the Atlanta Union Mission.

• Hobbies: Loves to read. Most recent book: "Outliers, The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell.

• Favorite tool: A rake, "Because I get to expend a lot of energy."

• Craziest do-it-yourself project: Replacing the splines and screens right above her home's pool when she lived in Florida.

-----------------------------------------

Meeting Ann-Marie Campbell is like encountering a force of nature. She started at Home Depot as a cashier. Now, when she visits one of the hundreds of stores under her supervision, she gets out on the floor to see what customers need.

The energetic 44-year- old is the president of Home Depot’s Southern Division. During a recent interview in the Buckhead store, she was a whirlwind, checking in with the store manager and other employees, and asking customers if they needed help. She is responsible for the sales and operations of 640 stores in 15 states, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. About 100,000 staffers fall under her purview.

And she may know a lot of them, because Campbell, a native of Jamaica, started her 24-year career with Home Depot as a cashier.

Since then, she has finished a degree in philosophy and an MBA, both at Georgia State, and has held a variety of positions from overseeing online sales to being vice president of vendor services.

But last year, when she took the helm of the Southern Division, she was thrilled to go from office jobs at corporate headquarters to her in-store roots, where it’s not uncommon for her to walk all day long.

She recently explained how she approaches her job, given the dour economic times.

Q: What is your biggest challenge in this retail environment?

A: We [Home Depot] started in 1979 when there was a recession. This is what we were built on — to help people take their well-earned money and do more with it.

Q: You started as a cashier. Tell me how that helps you in your current job.

A: Customers come in and leave through the front. No matter what happens on the floor, a cashier can make it right. It’s important we get good cashiers, who like and love people.

Q: How do you find people like that?

A: We look for people who are happy around people.

Q: Is it easier to get good people in this economy?

A: Absolutely. This is fertile ground.

Q: You have a big region. How do you manage such a large area?

A: It’s all about getting the right people in the right jobs. It’s “teach concepts, manage processes and lead people.” We’ve done a great job in simplifying the direction for our stores.

Q: What are the regional differences in the products your stores carry?

A: In Miami, there’s concrete mortar. In Atlanta, there’s more of a focus on decks and yards. In Texas, fencing is big. We also have a riding lawn mower market in the Southeast. We sell a lot of tractors in parts of North Carolina, Texas and Georgia. But not Miami. The strength of Home Depot is our regional merchandising. They can respond to behavioral changes.

Q: What is it like as a woman in a historically male-oriented industry?

A: When I started 24 years ago, it was more dominated by men. I had to gain knowledge because you build your credibility with knowledge. People respect knowledge. Today, a lot of women are do-it-yourselfers. It’s dramatically different.

Q: Is Home Depot ready for spring, and what is your favorite new product?

A: Spring is our Christmas. It’s our opportunity to reconnect with our customers, and we are absolutely ready. New product? Since I started in paint, I’ll go with paint. We have a new primer and paint in one can.

10.5 Year-old Jonathan McCoy tells us Why We Should Not Use The "N" Word

Click the link below to see and hear young Jonathan's remarkable speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMyp8y8SkUM

You Need a Passport to visit the USA

Starting June 1, 2009, you will need a passport if you want to travel to the United States by land or water.

You now need a passport or a Nexus card (good for low-risk, frequent travelers) to go the the USA by air.

Don't wait until the last minute; get your passport early.

Call 1-800-622-6232 or click here for more information

First Black Female Flight Crew

African-American women continue to demonstrate professionalism, intelligence and unlimited potential as they contribute to our overall struggle for unlimited freedom, access and opportunity in America. The sisters on Flights 5202 and 5106 (a jet owned by Atlantic Southeast Airlines) have proven that African-American women can do anything if just given a fair opportunity.

They made history on Thursday, February 12, 2009 as the first all African American female crew.

Operated flight 5202 from Atlanta to Nashville and flight 5106 from

Nashville back to Atlanta

The crew included CPT Rachelle Jones, 2nd on right, FO Stephanie Grant, 1st on left, FA's Robin Rogers and Diana Galloway!

Dr. Monique Ford, a Jamaican woman tops at world-renowned Mayo Clinic

DESTINY appears to have conspired to link Jamaican Dr Monique Ford with the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester , Minnesota in the United States .

During her first clinical year at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Ford worked with Mayo-trained cardiologist Charles Denbow, and recalls being "fascinated with his prowess."

Then, in her biochemistry final exams, her external examiner was Professor Whyte-Owen, also a Mayo associate.

Ford finished at the top of her second-year class, earning the EV Ellington Memorial Award and, more importantly, a scholarship to the Mayo Graduate School .

Sited in rural Minnesota , with the state capital Minneapolis and the Canadian border to the north and "cornfields in every direction once you drive more than 20 miles," says Ford, the Mayo Clinic, a top research facility, was a major adjustment for her in several ways.

"They have more MRI machines than the nation of Canada ," she said in a Sunday Observer interview, "and added to that I'm walking down hallways and meeting people who have discovered new treatments and have things named after them - Nobel laureates and the like."

Still, the young research fellow proved her mettle amongst the giants and trailblazers, earning the school's Excellence in Internship Award (2003) and Intern of the Year (2002-03).

Now, she has distinguished herself yet again, receiving the 'LeeAnn MacCaffrey MD Women in Medicine Award' for 2005, an announcement made by Mayo in April.

In correspondence issued under the signature of Dr Nicholas LaRusso, chair of the department of medicine and two directors of Internal Medicine Residency, Ford was described as a "superb" resident with "excellent clinical skills" and an "inquisitive mind".

Named after yet another renowned Mayo researcher, the award is presented for outstanding achievement to a third-year resident.

As far as she's aware, Ford is the first non-US national and the first woman of colour to receive the award. She feels elated, but adds that she doesn't put too much stock in awards, but moreso her work.

In that regard, she has already absorbed the philosophy of the institutions founding Mayo Brothers: 'The needs of the patient are the only ones to be considered'.

She continues at Mayo Clinic's Division of Cadrdiovascular Diseases as a research fellow in cardiology on a programme that began July.

Apart from the pressure of the Mayo reputation, Ford says there were social challenges in adjusting to the staunchly conservative midwestern region, when she first arrived in Minnesota .

"There isn't any hangout or social life in Rochester ," she pointed out in the telephone interview. "Mostly I take tennis lessons, and occasionally I'd go with friends over to Minneapolis or to Wisconsin ."

The latter, she adds, contains a Jamaican-style restaurant - run not by a Jamaican but by a Wisconsin native who has visited Jamaica many times.

Ford overcame the homesickness by making a conscious decision to "network with every Jamaican within a hundred-mile radius."

That tactic and what she describes as the family-oriented character of the community, helped ease her initial frustration.

Its indeed a long way to come for Ford, the second of four children born to a pharmacy rep and a teacher. Even from her preparatory school days at Our Lady of the Angels on Molynes Road , Kingston , young Monique exhibited a great interest in science.

Her parents, Mr and Mrs Linval Ford, long convinced of the merits of a quality education, encouraged their daughter in her resolve to become a scientist.

By the time she transited to Immaculate Conception High, Ford realised she wanted to be more involved in applied research. "I really want to contribute tot he overall well-being of mankind," she said.

Under the watchful eye and firm hand of Sister Maureen Clare - "She taught me the value of discipline and what it meant to excel as a woman and a lady," said Ford - and Sister Mary Catherine - "She helped foster my love of Spanish" - Ford began on the road of promise and achievement that has so far led her to the heart of medical research.

Her current areas of specialty are in the cardiology and coronary fields and Ford plans to become an interventional cardiologist.

For the layman, the field largely entails the opening of blocked arteries, but also repairing valves without the need for open-heart surgery.

Long-term, her dream is to return to Jamaica and open a catheterisation centre.

"Coronary disease is the number one killer in both developed and developing countries," she says. "In Jamaica , someone who lacks the resources to fly to Miami or similarly get special treatment, will likely die. I want to change that."

In addition to lots of start up capital and more study, realising that dream will require much traveling, something which Ford claims to relish.

For now: "I'd love to go to Europe , and see the works of the Impressionists close up," she said.

In the meantime, the largely closed-in Rochester social scene also facilitates another of her interests - movies. Ford is partial to dramas, like Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning Mystic River .

Hollywood may never welcome her to its podium, but at her present rate of achievement, Dr Monique Ford arguably has the medical equivalent of an Oscar.

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