The PNP’s Reshuffle : Not Novel but Workable
The Opposition Leader today unveiled an 18 member council of spokespersons with portfolio responsibilities, she claimed, necessary to confront the challenges faced by the country.
While the list of spokespersons is not as young and fresh as we would have hoped, the party leader has made some necessary and welcomed re assignments. I have long called for the Finance portfolio to be taken from Dr. Davies in light of his dismal performance in that capacity for some 13 years. Mrs. Simpson Miller has assigned the Finance portfolio to Dr. Peter Phillips. This has no doubt caused some murmurings. Why not Mark Golding? Or Peter Bunting?
Gay, Bi and The “Downlow” Phenomenon
The Jamaica Observer recently published a series of articles which sought to bring attention to the plight of homosexual teens. These young men and women expressed that the pressure of living in a homophobic society has caused them to hide their sexuality from those around them. After reading the articles I began reflecting on the “downlow”culture which by all accounts, is becoming quite prevalent. I wish to discuss a few points related to this issue :
(1) Is this culture inspired by society’s rejection of homosexuals?
(2) Are gay men, and women, selfish by misleading their heterosexual partners?
(3) If the stigma attached to being gay is removed, would this solve the “downlow” problem?
May 21, 2011 : The Religious HardTalk Edition
It was barely two days ago that I posted [The World Is Ending...Again] and voiced my opinion on the whole judgement day saga. It then came to my attention that one Michael Lewis, no relation to L.A. Lewis guys, would be on Ian Boyne’s Religious HardTalk; defending and promoting the end of the world. I decided to tune in.
Quite apart from his obvious lack of confidence in his armageddon message, evidenced by his stuttering and general posture and appearance, Mr. Michael Lewis did Christianity a great disservice last night. Not only were there glaring inconsistencies in his basic premise, the logic was laughable.
The World Is Ending…Again
For whatever reason, human beings have always been preoccupied with the final judgement, doomsday, end of time, world’s end; whatever you wish to call it, we’ve always occupied ourselves with that moment. Now apparently, that long awaited moment is at hand. The date has been set (May 21, 2011) and the countdown is underway. The world is ending.
Or is it?
The last serious judgement day was January 1st, 2000. We should all remember the crazed rush to be in a place of worship. By all accounts, computers would crash, time would stop and that great trumpet would have sounded and we would have seen the Christ coming on the clouds of heaven, in all His glory. Needless to say that didn’t happen. And many of us now regret spending our New Year’s Eve in church that night.
The ‘Shebadarization’ of Kartel
There have been few other dancehall artistes in my lifetime that has so pushed the boundaries of normality than Mr. Adijah Palmer, popularly known as Kartel. Whether it’s his graphic sexual lyrics or his ability to get the population to accept bleaching as something positive, one thing remains true; Kartel nuh play enuh.
Many of you would already be familiar with my views on Kartel, I think his influence over our population is largely negative and he reinforces social ills. [Clarks, Benz and Cake Soap : The Kartel Syndrome] However, it is the artiste’s latest alteration to his appearance that has me downright baffled. Apparently, Kartel has put in hair extensions or weave or false hair. Whatever you wanna call it. And I just have one question, what the hell is up with that?? He already has the bleached, skinny, look down, why would he put in a weave? He looks like little more than a ghetto gyal now. I’m sorry, that’s just what I think.
An Opposition Deficit : How The PNP Failed
The latest polls commissioned by RJR/TVJ and conducted by veteran pollster, Professor Ian Boxil, show Jamaica’s parliamentary opposition, the PNP, several percentage points ahead of the governing Labour party; and apparently poised to form the next government. As we reflect on the poll numbers we must question how well the PNP has performed in it’s present capacity as opposition and if they have proven themselves incompetent in opposing weak policies, can we trust them to propose strong ones should they form our government again?
From my perspective, the PNP has been an absolute failure at being a credible or even meaningful opposition. The first challenge the PNP has in adequately carrying out it’s present function is the slate of spokespersons. Omar Davies? Robert Pickersgill? Roger Clarke? Can we honestly say this slate of opposition spokespersons have been adequate? No. No, we cannot. With the exception of Lisa Hanna, Fenton Ferguson and Peter Bunting; who else do we know? This is excepting the old faces mentioned above. The PNP should be thankful for Dr. Peter Phillips. Though twice rejected by the delegates, he has been the most effective opposition parliamentarian to date. Is the Opposition Leader even aware of the fact that most of the gentlemen she has appointed to shadow the government are associated with some of the greatest failures of the Patterson administration and then eventually hers?
Masturbation : Why Is It Taboo?
Gentlemen, sometimes we’re not even thinking about sex and we spring the casual erection; you know the kind you get when you’re in class and bored and out of no where you get hard? The kind you have to use your bag to cover as you move from class to class? Yeah, that kind. You might stroke it…once…twice…three times…
Ladies, picture it; you’ve just showered, you’re naked and there is a cool, gentle wind. It plays across your nipples and at that point the heat rises in you. Out of no where, thoughts of sex plague your mind. Your hand might roam south, detecting moistness, a finger finds it’s way inside…
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is masturbation.
Un-following and Deleting People on Social Media : A Big Deal?
Ever since the days of Facebook, deleting someone has been a big deal. Believe it or not, I’ve seen real friendships ruined because a virtual friendship was terminated. Similarly, I’ve seen people “hate” others for rejecting a friend request or more recently if they refused a request to follow on Twitter. Since the advent of Twitter, this has become an even greater issue. But why though? Why is this such a big deal?
I have a theory.
Vagina : The Addictive Fruit
Pussy? Vagina? Cunt? Snatch? The Fruit? It goes by many names and titles and throughout the centuries, it has caused some of the greatest problem mankind has ever faced. Does anyone remember the Adam and Eve story? Why did Adam eat the apple? Vagina. Why did King Henry VIII break from The Catholic Church and form the Church of England? Vagina.
Yes! Such is the power of vagina.
So now that I’ve gotten your attention : PAUSE.
READ THE SERIOUS POSTS!
The Death of Osama : What Does It Mean for Obama?
On Sunday May 1, 2011, The Cable News Network (CNN) flashed a headline which said the President of the United States, Barack Obama, was about to make a statement to the nation, and indeed the world. The network went on to alert viewers to the fact that the statement was related to matters of national security.
Understandably, the world was on edge. What could warrant the President of the U.S. giving a statement from the very important East Room of the White House at 10pm on a Sunday night? Theories ran wild. Some said life had been found in space, others said the world might be ending and some even assumed he might be resigning. After some 45 minutes of waiting, the 44th and only African American President in the history of the United States, told the world “Osama Bin Laden is dead.” Within minutes of the announcement, throngs of Americans flocked the outer walls of the White House, Times Square and Ground Zero; celebrating the death of the alleged mastermind of the greatest terror attack in the history of the U.S., perhaps the world. So the man who ordered 9/11 is dead, what does that mean for the commander-in-chief who presided over the mission which took him out?
Mr. Editor
