Jamaica Observer

Dear Editor,

For most people St Patrick's Day is one of parades, parties, leprechauns and green beer. But just as Christmas is about more than commercialised fun, so too does St Patrick's Day have a deeper meaning.

St Patrick's Day began as a religious holiday honoring St Patrick -- a holy bishop sent to Ireland in 433 AD by Pope Celestine I to draw its people into the fold of Christ's universal church. Upon his arrival at Ireland's shores, St Patrick encountered many setbacks and persecutions by the superstitious Druids who had employed magicians to maintain their sway over the Irish race. Despite severe trials, St Patrick was able to convert all of Ireland and conquer paganism. He is thus credited with driving the Celtic "snakes" out of Ireland.

St Patrick is credited with many miracles and is responsible for the building of several Catholic schools, monasteries and churches throughout Ireland. He is known for his powerful expositions of the principles of the Catholic faith. He even employed the ordinary, little, three-leaved shamrock plant to teach people about the Blessed Trinity. He was called to his heavenly reward on March 17, 461.

St Patrick was a humble, pious, gentle man, whose total love, devotion and trust in God should be a shining example to each of us.

Paul Kokoski

Ontario, Canada

The meaning of St Patrick's Day

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Dear Editor,

While it is true that a jellyfish has more spines than our politicians, I am of the opinion that blaming them and the police alone concerning the lottery scam is unfair.

I am afraid that the "bandwagonists" and cowards in Jamaica are now going to come out and take sides, after reading the article entitled "Extradite Scammers - US Senators Blast Jamaica for Slow Action to Combat Lottery Scam." Which side are they going to take? Your guess is as good as mine.

Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, is one of five senators -- three Democrats and two Republicans -- who introduced legislation recently designed to control illegal trafficking in firearms. Collins joins Democrats Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Dick Durbin of Illinois and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, as well as Republican Mark Kirk of Illinois, in unveiling the "Stop Illegal Trafficking of Firearms Act of 2013". The bill is designed to help law enforcement crack down on "straw purchasers", people who buy guns for others who are legally prohibited from doing so.

While Senator Collins is among a group of senators sponsoring a bill that might help Jamaica in the long run, calling for the extradition of the scammers is a bit over the top. It must be said loud and clear that the United States of America is not doing enough to help its citizens defeating these scumbags.

Some of the police officers in Jamaica are incompetent, politicians and police officers are keeping schtum and political parties are reaping from this illegal practice, which is why there are no serious laws to combat the lottery scam. I am of the opinion that people who got caught up in the lottery scam were gullible and greedy. How can you win something that you took no part in, especially millions of dollars in a country that you probably never visited?

My inbox is littered every day with people telling me I won United Nations, UK lottery, Bill Gates and many more lotto games worth millions of dollars. I am still poor as a church mouse because I never took part in any of those lotto games. Calling for the extradition of the scammers and forgetting to teach your fellow citizens to be mindful about easy money is not going to help the situation.

"I suspect that the Jamaican phone scam is one of the worst," Collins said. She noted that to most Americans, "Jamaica was a tropical paradise with beautiful white sand beaches, lush green mountains and vibrant sunshine.

"We have all seen those ads full of gorgeous scenery and upbeat music calling Americans to come and feel the spirit of Jamaica," she said. "But beneath the Jamaica of those enticing ads and the tourists' dreams lurks another Jamaica, one that brings nightmares to elderly Americans targeted by Jamaican criminals intent on swindling them out of their life savings. She told the committee that an estimated 30,000 phone calls are made daily by Jamaican scammers, who she described as "masters of manipulation" who play to their victims fears and emotions "until they drain them of every dime".

America is the richest country in the world. It has some of the best universities in the world, has some of the best scientists, had the great Abraham Lincoln as its president, has a black president for the first time and produced some of the best movies. But I had no idea that it had so many gullible citizens, people who think that money grows on trees.

For the lottery scam to end, the USA will need to educate its citizens about cybercrimes and Jamaica needs to tell its police officers and politicians to have the backbone to trample this lottery scam once and for all.

Hero Scott

herocarlito@yahoo.com

No to lotto extraditions

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Dear Editor,

I am responding to an article that was carried in the Jamaica Observer that spoke to "political cronyism" in Caribbean politics. The article went on to warn that should Caribbean countries not move to stamp out corruption, the security agencies from our larger neighbours may move to do so on our behalf, to our embarrassment.

I am assuming that the neighbouring country to which the article refers is the US, since no other developed country in the hemisphere has been as historically brazen to openly interfere in the internal affairs of smaller sovereign states. I should advise the writer to tell those people in the US who are making these threatening noises, that our Caribbean politicians learned the art of "drug trafficking" when in 1989, they saw President Reagan and George HW Bush, his vice-president, allowing Noriega to transport cocaine to the US in DEA-operated planes once he delivered weapons to Contra bases in Northern Costa Rica first.

Our politicians learnt about "money laundering" from the big international banks like HSBC, whose CEO recently got just a slap on the wrist for this crime. They learnt the art of police killings from many US lessons, the most recent being civilian murders in Afghanistan by military managed by Blackstone Corporation. They learnt "tax evasion" from the "tax avoidance" practised by the top 0.1% of the US richest who continue to evade taxes through legal loopholes that are never fixed. They learnt to bribe politicians from the art of "special interest lobbying", the "legal" US variant.

They learnt "human rights abuses" from the US who, by passing laws like the National Defence and Authorisation Act, their president can have a US citizen like Bradley Manning, imprisoned and denied due process with a wave of his pen for exposing their war crimes, like the many prisoners in Guantanamo who have no legal rights; they learnt "corruption in governance" from the US who invented a 'revolving door' that allows free access to and fro, between those who are regulated who, passing through the door, become regulators to regulate themselves.

The US Government can offer doctorates in corruption and Orwellian newspeak. How many US ambassadors have bought their appointments with "campaign contributions". Instead of the Jamaica Observer indulging the US government's hypocrisy, they should be telling the Caribbean people that Mr Obama has been field-testing US drones in The Bahamas and that surveillance drones helped in the arrest of 'Dudus' Coke in their own country. Rather, they waste their time trying to imitate mainstream US media and their twisted propaganda.

Steve Smith

20 Herrera Street

San Fernando, Trinidad

Caribbean learned from the US

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Dear Editor,

Many Jamaicans believe that politics is "dirty" and should be avoided. I believe that we all are privileged to participate in a democracy which includes a political process, but this process has been hijacked by a minority and we, the majority, need to take it back. If we look briefly at what our political system should be and compare it with present reality, we may better know how to restore it:

(1) Each party should choose its own philosophy which will decide how, if elected, it will govern the country competently, fairly and justly

(2) Each party should choose its candidates for MP and party leader/prime minister based on (a) the party's philosophy and (b) his/her qualifications for competency

(3) When a party forms the Government, party interests should be put aside and priority given to proper governance of the country

(4) When a party becomes the Opposition, party interests should be put aside and priority given to (a) helping to hold the Government accountable and (b) cooperating with Government to ensure the country's progress

(5) The Civil Service should be free of political influence and control at all times

(6) Each adult in the country must be free to vote for a candidate/party of his choice without fear of intimidation or harm

(7) Each adult should choose to support a party based not on tradition, personalities, or potential personal benefits from the party; but on performance and proper assessment of the party's ability to govern the country competently

(8) Each adult should interact with his constituency's MP to ensure (a) the community's needs are met and (b) his/her concerns and convictions are represented in Parliament

(9) Each citizen should have the right to assess and criticise the actions of each party and Government in a fair, reasonable and unbiased way

(10) Each party and Government should assess criticisms and choose a fair, reasonable and unbiased response As is evident from the above, what should be is very different from reality. Let us all work together to take back our democracy in Jamaica, land we love.

David Wellington

davewell61@yahoo.com

Clean up our politics

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Dear Editor,

Last week the Digicel Foundation brought some light to our little community of St Toolies, Manchester, in the form of a computer which they donated to the Alexander Basic School.

Many persons in this rural community do not own computers and so the children are not exposed to the critical instrument at home. It will give us such joy to expose them to the device at such an early age.

The teachers are ecstatic, as they will now be able to make significant improvements to their teaching process, using teaching resources now available to them. The entire school population, the school board and by extension, the entire community is grateful for this donation.

We really want to thank the Digicel Foundation and their partner, Camara Jamaica Foundation, for this donation which will impact the lives of our precious little ones. We pray that they will continue this initiative and that other schools will benefit in the way we have.

Claudia Morant-Baker

Principal, Alexander Basic School

cd11775@gmail.com

Thanks much, Digicel Foundation

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Dear Editor,

What am I to understand or better yet, what should we understand by Garth Allen's article, Education and How We Use the Brain (Saturday 16 March, 2013)? There seems to be a double dichotomy throughout most of the article. The article criticises scientists and the well-educated who gets published. Mr Allen seems to mix up his postulations with a "little God complex", akin to an old Jamaican philosopher-king friend of mine (he is unpublished) who is always asking the rhetorical question, by exclaiming: "Sometimes I wonder if the same God we worship in Jamaica is the same God in other countries." That philosophical exclamation leads me to Mr Allen's trajectory on the God of Jamaica which in my interpretation visits upon us in Jamaica, poverty of finance and economics as well as poverty of problem solving our way out of these dilemmas.

If I as an educator at the very highest level, interpreting Mr Allen's article the way I do, I would have to believe that God is partial to Jamaicans in that the 20% of the brain power we use in Jamaica does not help us to problem solve our financial and economic woes. The determinant used here by Mr Allen confuses me, because according to him: "I am a fervent believer and supporter of education at all levels, since this is the gateway for individuals to enhance their intellectual capacity to think and reason and analyse the information floating in this world in order for them to achieve wealth and prosperity". Thus, according to Mr Allen, since we do not use the other 80% of our brain power, we must be lacking in something. I am therefore looking forward to reading Mr Allen's forth coming book, Freedom of Expression.

In my partial support of Mr Allen's part thesis, part hypothesis on, 'Education and How We Use the Brain', I have a question that Mr Allen makes reference to — Does Jamaicans ask sufficient questions of their Government? My confusion here about the asking of questions vis-a-vis people of Jamaica to the Government of Jamaica, resides on the most recent article I read on Jamaica and the IMF:

"IMF to Inject US$210 million in NDX Support" with an additional sentence stating: "the additional support will bring the amount of the fund to US$850-million up from the US$640-million that the IMF originally put into the facility when it was established in 2010 under the Jamaica Debt Exchange (JDX)"

I now return to what Mr Allen posited, that a well-educated person should be able to do. However, I am even more confused now by this US$850-million infusion by the IMF, and I count myself to be very well-educated. Since the Jamaican government and the IMF was aware of the original US$640-million, why play "target practice" with the Jamaican public to be chronically worrying and pushing public sector workers into agreeing to a wage freeze until 2015, while all along the IMF very well knows that there was a readiness to shore up Jamaica through additional NDX support.

The question then is: When will we as Jamaicans be able to get out of this? Even if I am only using 10% of my brain power to analyse this US$850-million infusion, I know that this US$850-million is not a free gift to Jamaica. Here comes the next question: Are we and will we (as Jamaicans/Jamaican Government) be held at ransom here? As Jamaicans, we need to have this explained in the very simplest way possible.

Dr Dudley Morgan

Worldwide Resources Training Centers - Yukon and Alberta

Calgary, Alberta

Why play target practice with Jamaicans?

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Dear Editor,

Your editorial of March 18 speaks to points that I have made to the sports minister, but I have had no response.

I am a Jamaican and my company is Jamaican Sports Empire, Ltd. We are registered in Jamaica and in the USA. I offered the minister a new sports trophy for teams from abroad (Jamaican Empire Sports Trophy). Let us say we invited four soccer teams to come to Jamaica to play for our trophy, we could fill our hotels with visitors from these countries. We could turn this into a whole week of activities. My company is willing to establish a partnership with the Government of Jamaica, but I have had no response from the minister.

I own the "Brand name" Jamaican Sports Empire. This name is now global on my website: www.jamaicansportsempire.com. I have contacts all the way from Tanzania.

I have outside people who are waiting to grab hold of my company. Jamaica will lose out if we do not make use of this great idea.

Mr Editor, perhaps you can encourage the minister of sports to establish a partnership with the Jamaican Sports Empire.

Dr Joseph Wint

Founder and President

Jamaican Sports Empire Ltd

Email:joewint1@gmail.com

Jamaican Sports Empire seeks minister

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Dear Editor,

By now, most of us, and especially those of us who celebrate Easter at this time of the year, must realise that the Gospel accounts on which these celebrations are based are unreliable.

With unverified claims like the one found in Matthew about many dead people coming back to life, and the contradictory claims about Jesus's final and permanent burial by Joseph, as opposed to the women who wanted to complete the same burial with the oils making nonsense of the Gospels, other "proofs" are needed.

One such "proof" being offered for the truthfulness of the Easter story is the alleged claim of a famous non-Christian Jewish historian named Josephus -- a historian under the patronage of the Emperor and who lived to within a hundred years of Jesus. He is supposed to have written this statement in his famous documents:

"About this time lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call Him a man. For He was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people that accept the truth gladly. He won over many of the Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon hearing Him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned Him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love Him did not give up their affection for Him. On the third day, He appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvellous things about Him. And the tribe of Christians, so called after Him, has still to this day not disappeared."

Now, even most Christian scholars have conceded that Josephus could not have written such a fantastic claim. For starters, elsewhere in his writings, when describing the fate of Jesus's brother James, Josephus clearly indicated that he did not believe what Jesus preached was true. Unlike the famous quote, in regards to James, Josephus said that it was the Christians who called Jesus "the Christ" and not him.

As such, he would not be calling him "the Christ" or "a wise man". It is very likely, as Josephus would have therefore concluded, that as Jesus was not the Christ, he would not have "appeared to them restored to life" according to "prophecy". He also would not have claimed that the people accepted "the truth" gladly. Also, Josephus could not have said "...if indeed one ought to call him a man" as he rejected what he preached.

However, the entire quote is very suspicious for other reasons. Josephus was talking about the terror of Pilate's rule. Immediately after this quote, Josephus writes, "About the same time also, another sad calamity put the Jews into disorder..." - the intrusiveness of the pro-Jesus quote is clear.

Finally, to complete the picture, that famous quote is not to be found in all the copies of Josephus's works. The ninth-century scholar Photius and the 16th-century scholar Vossius both had copies of Josephus's writings, without the famous quote. This suggests that the inventors of that quote did not succeed in altering all copies of Josephus's works.

The fact that the early Christian fathers were prepared to invent stories in an attempt to give legitimacy to the divine Jesus story should convince any rational-thinking person that there was no miracle-working messiah named Jesus. I am certainly thoroughly convinced that there existed no such person at all.

Michael A Dingwall

michael_a_dingwall@hotmail.com

No evidence about Easter

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Dear Editor,

Kindly allow me some space in your paper to ask a question and make some suggestions. The question as strange as it may sound is why does Jamaica need the IMF?

Certainly the Balance of Payments (BoP) is determined by importers of foreign goods and the credit period that they are afforded by exporters at foreign ports. In essence, if every foreign exporter required payment up front, then the country could never have a BoP that exceeds zero and in fact we would have a positive BoP, as goods would be paid for beforehand and we would be awaiting shipments intransit.

So let us dismiss the BoP as any reason for the IMF, with the only variant being if the Government imported goods, and this we know is not entirely the case, not even in the case of Petrojam, which routinely makes a profit; and oil being the major import for Jamaica.

The same would apply for rice, where private or semi-private entities must fund their purchases. So why then does the Government need IMF support? Could it be that the Government cannot afford to spend however much it normally spends on infrastructural projects, salaries, motor vehicles for ministers, etc? The easy remedy for such a condition is to print money and pay the bills. The problem could not be that simple. The other option is that the Government is borrowing foreign exchange to sell to local suppliers, the Petrojams, the rice and flour mills, the motor vehicle inducstry, etc. If this final suggestion is the truth, then it implies an imbalance between the demand and the supply of foreign exchange. This problem can be aleviated by the Jamaican population by simply demanding less foreign goods.

The same would apply for rice, where private or semi-private entities must fund their purchases. So why then does the Government need IMF support? Could it be that the Government cannot afford to spend however much it normally spends on infrastructural projects, salaries, motor vehicles for ministers, etc? The easy remedy for such a condition is to print money and pay the bills. The problem could not be that simple. The other option is that the Government is borrowing foreign exchange to sell to local suppliers, the Petrojams, the rice and flour mills, the motor vehicle inducstry, etc. If this final suggestion is the truth, then it implies an imbalance between the demand and the supply of foreign exchange. This problem can be aleviated by the Jamaican population by simply demanding less foreign goods.

If foreign powers cannot supply goods for Jamaican dollars then Jamaica should produce a viable substitute where possible. As an example, bananas, cassava, yams and peas all make reasonable and tasty flour variations. The government can ensure that if you want wheat flour, you pay more. Crude oil is a necessary import, but manufacturing does not constitute the greatest consumption; it is only reasonable to expect the Government to offset imports by various methods.

In the first instance, special permission and an additional tax to import any gas guzzler (motor vehicle with fuel consumption under 25mp/g or 11km/l) should be implemented. Further, an education programme on why we should buy Jamaican. If a Rastaman makes a broom and that broom cannot be sold for less than an imported plastic broom it forces the Rasta to abandon broom making; not necessarily for a more meaningful and productive activity but perhaps to look at gas guzzlers driving by and wonder why Rasta life suh hard.

In addition to the Government, we must all look inside and determine the way forward. We will either buy local and encourage the exchange rate to remain where the country can afford to purchase the necessary foreign goods; buy foreign and promote a higher foreign exchange rate driven by the local demand for foreign goods or we can simply sell more goods and services for foreign dollars. The doctor understands this and should make public education a part of his mandate on resolving our challenges. Simply saying Buy Jamaican - Build Jamaica is not enough. Many Jamaicans do not understand the repercussions of buying foreign.

Robert Howell

roberthowelljm@yahoo.com

Do we really need the IMF?

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Dear Editor,

Shortly after a police detective was seen on a video shooting Ian 'Ching Sing' Lloyd while he was lying on the ground after being severely beaten, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn commented on the matter.

The DPP went to the police training school at Twickenham Park and, while addressing an audience, she reportedly said that she required live evidence, not a videotape only. Now, if the person who had videotaped the shooting came forward, what do you think would have happened to him or her?

Then, the bullet that entered Lloyd's body disappeared, the pathologist couldn't be found, and the videotaped evidence wasn't admitted. These are stark reminders of the Janice Allen case where the evidence book spontaneously caught fire and so they were unable to determine whose gun shot her. The State said then that it was unable to establish a link between the M16 rifle and the policeman who fired it.

In Jamaica there is seemingly one law for the poor and underprivileged and another for the rich and influential. The rich and influential can literally get away with murder or manslaughter. This must have serious consequences for our justice system. Apart from the huge backlog of cases, the unpredictability of cases that seem open and shut to us laymen must be worrisome.

If a court of law is not necessarily a court of justice, then where do we turn? If you are shot to death in front of a worldwide audience and no one is held responsible, what else is left? If you can be killed with impunity, then which of us is safe? It is one thing to expect to be shot dead by criminals and not receive justice, but what of members of an institution sworn to protect and serve us?

In a number of developed countries throughout the world, there is a dependence on cameras to determine the perpetrators of illegal acts. These are publicly owned cameras, but the images can also be doctored, yet they are still being used to arrive at convictions without live bodies.

Without a semblance of justice then our society will crumble. If more and more persons avoid punishment because of technicalities, then more and more persons will rely on extrajudicial methods in order to get revenge.

Our justice system has to work. If we believe that pouring money into education, health and all the other ministries of Government, without emphasis on justice, will help us to fulfil Vision 2030, then we are sadly mistaken.

A just society is indeed a civilised society. Justice, as the symbolic statue represents, must be blindfolded and her scales must be balanced.

Mark Clarke

mark_clarke9@yahoo.com

Siloah, St Elizabeth

We need a fairer justice system

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Dear Editor,

Regarding your article published March 19, 2013 'Courtney Fadlin blows up a storm at Redbones' ... this serves to clarify the error made in naming the composers of the last three pieces mentioned in paragraph three of the article.

They are the following: (1) Journey to Africa was composed by Lamont 'Monty' Savory for Courtney Fadlin's latest album, The Next Chapter; (2) Portrait of Cuba was composed by Paquito D'Rivera, and (3) This Happy Madness was composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Thank you for your kind consideration of these additional corrections.

Dr Caren Griffith

Courtney Fadlin Promotions

The right composers

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Dear Editor,

The Cash Plus debacle is forever drawn out. This is one case that warrants the freedom of information statute. The practice is an offence against the state and public disclosure of all the names of the depositors -- a matter of public interest -- is necessary and warranted.

It is public knowledge that prominent citizens, including lawyers, businessmen, media personnel, bankers, police officers, pastors and church members benefitted from, or lost money in this scam.

The public should know the names of all the depositors and those who used the influence of their office to get back their deposits or the promised return on their investments. The media should be asking our politicians, the DPP, justice ministry, attorney general's office if they or their staff were investors in this Cash Plus scheme.

Thus far in this case the (investigating) media fails in its duty.

Authnel Reid

authnelreid@optonline.net

Authnel_reid@merck.com

Disclose Cash Plus investors

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Dear Editor,

Fear and abhorrence of governmental power to try people twice for the same conduct is one of the oldest principles enshrined in the law. Throughout time, it has been firmly established in England as "the universal maxim of the common law". The Jamaican legal system is commonly referred to as the "common law" system (no pun intended). This system originated in England, which is often regarded as the home of many legal scholars.

The recent occurrences in the Carlos Hill case has left me rather concerned and worried about the judicial process and supreme power that lies within our judiciary. I cannot in this day and age consider three years to be in adherence of our constitutional rights to a fair and speedy trial. The prosecution's recent acts may have been a move to strengthen their case and prevent any further loopholes, but what happens to the many lives that are on hold because of this matter. The very patriotic jurors are faced with no equitable form of compensation for these constant delays.

The taxpayers of this country must hold the persons elected to serve in our judicial system accountable. No lawyer, judge, police, clerk of courts, or stenowriter will appear at court out of goodwill. Someone must pay, and I think we have paid far too much for nothing.

A recent similar landmark case was that of Olint Investments. The principal, David Smith, was brought before the courts in 2010 and, in August 2011 was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

In so far as the facts of the case are concerned, there can be no justification for the lengthy and circuitous actions involved. Whether Carlos Hill is innocent or not, the taxpayers of Jamaica deserve a speedy trial.

Richard Longmore

richardlongmore@yahoo.com

Mirror image of justice system

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Dear Editor,

Now we know why former prime minister P J Patterson is without doubt the most effective politician that Jamaica has ever had -- he can make his audience believe anything.

The latest manifestation of this is his assertion, according to columnist Clare Forrester, that one of the founders of the People's National Party, OT Fairclough, was a member of the black aristocracy who never claimed to be a socialist. Inherent in that assertion is that being aristocrat and socialist are necessarily incompatible. Even the most cursory look at history, particularly British political history, undermines that assertion.

While Fairclough, a former banker in Haiti who published the PNP-leaning weekly Public Opinion, undoubtedly cut an aristocratic figure in his trademark white suit, polished speech and impeccable manners, the assertion that he was not a socialist comes as more than a mild surprise to someone who sat at his feet during his weekly news staff conferences in the late 1950s to early1960s. He must have surely fooled us!

Okay, let's see. He helped found, and was treasurer till his death, a political party dedicated to socialism; he published a newspaper supporting that party and promoting socialism weekly; among the many talented staffers he hired with a socialist bent, was a lifelong promoter of socialism in Jamaican journalism, the late firebrand John Maxwell. But according to PJ, the man behind all this, OT Fairclough, wasn't a socialist.

We look forward, with more than wry smile, to the next chapter of Jamaica's political history by this master revisionist historian. It will no doubt claim that Norman Manley of Drumblair wasn't a socialist either !

Errol WA Townshend

Scarborough, Ontario

Canada

Wasn't OT Fairclough a socialist?

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Dear Editor,

According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013, Jamaica dipped two spots to 67 among 140 countries, due to poor scores in environmental sustainability and culture. The latter is no surprise to me. In fact Jamaica scored worse in culture at 108 out of 140 than it did in safety and security at 95 out of 140.

The rationale is simple; Jamaica has no clear national cultural and cultural tourism policies. Cultural tourism in Jamaica has to move beyond Jazz and Blues Festival. It must embrace the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and varied spiritual and religious traditions and heritage of Jamaica providing the opportunity to showcase the fine arts, maroon, Rastafarian and African liberation days, Hosay festival in Clarendon, our rich Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, Christian history, the Indian villages in Westmoreland and Clarendon, Jamaican carnival, the arrival of all our peoples and many other local festivals will provide opportunities for both local and foreign tourists to better understand the origins of the cultural diversity that flourishes here that we sometimes take for granted.

The rationale is simple; Jamaica has no clear national cultural and cultural tourism policies. Cultural tourism in Jamaica has to move beyond Jazz and Blues Festival. It must embrace the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and varied spiritual and religious traditions and heritage of Jamaica providing the opportunity to showcase the fine arts, maroon, Rastafarian and African liberation days, Hosay festival in Clarendon, our rich Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, Christian history, the Indian villages in Westmoreland and Clarendon, Jamaican carnival, the arrival of all our peoples and many other local festivals will provide opportunities for both local and foreign tourists to better understand the origins of the cultural diversity that flourishes here that we sometimes take for granted.

Cultural and business tourism provide work for our translators, airline employees, taxi drivers, hotel, restaurant and night club workers, gift shops, art and craft producers throughout the country, market Jamaica as the destination of 'Out of Many One People'. A clearly articulated inclusive policy on cultural tourism, if implemented, can contribute to the much hyped economic transformation. In this regard, Jamaica has a distinctive advantage as we have historical links with Europe, Africa, China and India. The latter two are rising world powers that can be sources of not only business investment and partnerships but also of tourists. Such a policy will contribute immensely to cross-cultural understanding beyond the confines of the African heritage but rather the linkages that exist between all our ancestral heritages. Our multicultural heritage, instead of being neglected, can be leveraged into a significant income stream. This however requires a policy framework that allows all cultures to be at the national table so that they would be able to fully recognise their cultural and economic potentials.

Andrew King

Jamaica must build on culture tourism

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Dear Editor,

A Championships like none other. Thirty records broken - some with jaw-dropping performances. Three class two boys run under 47 seconds in 400 metres. First-year class three boy runs 21.87 seconds over 200 metres. Class four girl runs 11.75 seconds over 100 metres, etc, etc. What's up? What on earth is going on?

Doubt has been cast by some on the accuracy of the timing devices. Some have even entertained the thought that the absence of doping control at Champs may have led to the use of illegal performing practices, there being no danger of being caught. Well, perish the thought.

"Forensic" scrutiny reveals the fingerprints of the just-departed Neville "Teddy" McCook scattered all over this explosion of brilliance and over the years of smouldering that preceded

the explosion.

Much of what we are witnessing today has its genesis 29 years ago, when in 1984 McCook assumed the presidency of the JAAA. A major policy objective of his administration was to greatly increase the number of formally trained coaches so that "every school in Jamaica can have a qualified coach ". McCook understood that talent existed everywhere, even in schools we've never heard of.

Who better to spot and develop talent than a trained/qualified coach? The resulting proliferation of coaches has greatly multiplied and facilitated the contacts between coach and talent, producing the spectacle that we see today.

It boggles the mind to think of what could be, if track and field athletics in Jamaica wasn't hampered by meagre financial resources and very poor facilities. Nothing could be more basic than having access to a proper running track, but sadly, in all of Jamaica, there exists only five such.

We are indeed miracle workers.

Congratulations to the athletes, coaches and others involved.

Dr Patrick D Robinson

(Olympian, Tokyo 1964)

Kingston 6

pdougrobins@gmail.com

An amazing 'Champs' 2013

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Dear Editor,

Across the globe, millions of school-age children go to school daily without breakfast.

Good nutrition, particularly in the first three years of life, is important in establishing a good foundation that has implications for a child's future physical and mental health, academic achievement, and economic productivity. Although food insecurity is harmful to any individual, it can be particularly devastating among children due to their increased vulnerability and the potential for negative long-term consequences.

In Jamaica, it is estimated that more than 30 per cent or at least three out of every 10 children go to school daily without breakfast. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 16.7 million children under 18 in the United States live in households where they are unable to consistently access enough nutritious food necessary for a healthy life.

Child hunger is fast increasing globally and in the Jamaican society, as the world grapples with the issues of food security and the ever increasing prices of staples such as corn.

Despite our best efforts as a society by having a school-feeding programme and other intervention programmes, namely the Programme for Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), we continue to see more and more families falling into poverty. Many parents are barely coping and indeed struggling to adequately meet the basic needs of their families. In most instances, the children are the first to experience the sacrifices that we are being called upon to make.

In addition to children going to school without breakfast, a significant number of our children have "bad" breakfast in the mornings. Bad is defined as having an extremely high concentration of fatty and sugary foods. Researchers have made the connection between having a bad breakfast (or none at all) and the impaired health and undesirable learning outcomes of our children. By missing breakfast for whatever reason, we lose at least a quarter of the nutrients and energy that we need for the day. Even as adults, if we should miss breakfast we do not function as well as when we have this most important meal of the day. Performance in the classroom will suffer and is being severely impacted as a result of the students skipping breakfast or having a "bad" breakfast.

Research suggests that students who miss breakfast will get sick more often and are more likely to suffer ear infections. Additionally, such students will have their cognitive capacity impaired, because their brains do not have sufficient fuel or brain power for attention, concentration and learning. Poor breakfast choices also impact the mental health of our students. Such students tend to be more withdrawn and inattentive. Child hunger also manifests itself in students who tend to exhibit more disruptive behaviours and disciplinary disorders.

We need to put measures in place to expand the school-feeding programme to meet the ever-increasing food needs of our children. We need to add more foods from all the food groups and move away from a carbohydrate-dependent diet, which is what is currently in place.

If we do not give this issue the urgent and undivided attention that it deserves, we will continue to rob our children of their full potential, as well as the country of the bright future that is ahead.

Wayne Campbell

waykam@yahoo.com

Insist on children having breakfast daily

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Dear Editor,

Allow me space to highlight a common "gay rights" lobby argument, which often uses misdirection and emotion-getting propaganda as a ploy.

It is the usual argument that because gays contribute so much to society, that they should be free to live as they please. The issue is not if gays can/do contribute to society. It is, should their lifestyle be accepted as 'normal' and/or never face criticism or opposition?

All of the principles of a true democracy declare unreservedly that the "gay rights" lobby (at least in terms of the REAL hidden gay agenda) should not be successful in Jamaica if the following questions be faced squarely and honestly:

(1) Should the freedom of speech rights be infringed to protect the gay minority from criticism or verbal opposition?

(2) Should the freedom of religion rights, including the right to preach against the homosexual lifestyle, or to freely label it an "abomination", be curtailed to overprotect one lifestyle philosophy in the minority?

(3) Should the right to national sovereignty by Jamaica, and its right to make and retain laws to suit its own local culture, local situation, and majority view of morals, be infringed by international pressure and local minority lobby groups?

(4) Does the gay community have the right to impose its aberrant lifestyle on society, no matter if the majority view continues to deem its lifestyle unacceptable and immoral?

(5) Is there sufficient unbiased scientific data that homosexuality is a condition one is genetically "born" with, and that it is never just a mental pre-disposition that is nurtured by certain segments of the society?

(6) Is it widely known that for very many years (1952-1973) scientists legitimately categorised homosexuality as a "mental disorder", until the powerful gay lobby in America (in the early 1970s) pressured the powers that be, by placards and other means of demonstration, to relabel it as "normal" to suit certain powerful interest groups in America?

(7) Should the gay lifestyle be considered "normal" in light of either the biological normalcy of species, normal societal conventions, and or normal religious/moral values?

The truthful answer to the above questions is a resounding "NO"(!!!), and I ask the Jamaican society on a whole, to take stock of itself as the spirit of Sodom and Gomorrah returns to our world with unrelenting fury. No wonder the Bible makes plain that "AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF LOT (SODOM), SO SHALL IT BE" in the last days!! Does anyone doubt the clear fulfillment of this end time prophecy, even as we see the gay lifestyle now enjoying a growing 'global victory'; a matter soon to overtake Jamaica too, no doubt (ie if the very active gay rights lobbyists should have their way without a fight)? Open your eyes, well-thinking Jamaicans, and let's continue to beat back the tide of evil that did cause the demise of the well-known culture of Sodom. The future we invest in for our children, and for our nation, is the result of choices we make here and now!! Let's all ask this question: DO MORALS HAVE A PLACE IN JAMAICA? Or should we shelve our national anthem as a prayer to God, and allow anything and everything to hold sway in Jamaica, no matter how immoral?

Derrick Gillespie

Teacher at Munro College

Defender of Normal Family Values

Gay lifestyle is not normal

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Dear Editor,

I was off the island for a short period and it was only on my return that I became aware of the response of former Prime Minister Edward Seaga to my letter to the Editor on the above matter, which was published in your edition of Monday, March 18, 2013.

Mr Seaga made two substantive points in his letter:

(1) That I had erred in naming Sir Alister McIntyre as the person who led the investigation into the Bank of Jamaica's (BoJ's) involvement in the foreign exchange black market and

(2) The purchase of black market dollars by BoJ agents started in 1992, not in the 1980s. (my emphasis).

I now respond to these two points.

As regards point # 1, Mr Seaga is correct, as was confirmed by Sir Alister. There was, indeed, a Commission of Enquiry into the BoJ's involvement in the foreign exchange black market but the sole Commissioner was the late Horace Barber, former Financial Secretary and former BoJ Governor, not Sir Alister. I apologise to Sir Alister for that error.

I now turn to point # 2, made by Mr Seaga, which is that the BOJ's involvement in the foreign exchange black market only started in 1992. Paragraph 10 of Mr Barber's report, as sole Commissioner, totally refutes Mr Seaga's claim:

"...In 1988, the Bank of Jamaica put in place arrangements for intervening in the informal foreign exchange market. The facility was operated under contract by Data Resource Systems International Limited (DRSI). That company through its agents purchased foreign exchange on behalf of Bank of Jamaica from May 27, 1988, through May 31, 1989. The records of the Central Bank indicate that foreign exchange was purchased at varying rates in excess of the daily rates determined by the Foreign Exchange Auction System. For example, in the initial stages, the Agents purchased at a rate of J$5.78 for US$1, and prior to discontinuation of the facility in May 1989, the rate for purchase was J$6.70 for US$1. Note that during that period, the auction system held steady at US$1 to J$5.50. The foreign exchange received was booked at the daily auction rate -J$5.50 = US$1 and the difference placed to a discrepancy account...."

It must be that Mr Seaga was unaware of this paragraph of Mr Barber's report when he penned his letter to the Editor. That paragraph totally refutes and destroys Mr Seaga's claim as to the starting date of the BoJ's involvement in the black market. Simply put, the irrefutable evidence contained in Mr Barber's report, is that this practice started when Mr Seaga was Finance Minister and Prime Minister. However, and more damning, the action by the BoJ officials in placing the difference between the actual rate paid for foreign exchange and the fixed auction rate to a discrepancy account, demonstrates the deliberate intention to conceal the operation and to maintain the myth of an efficient auction.

There is nothing more to say other than that I pass no judgement as to whether Mr Seaga, as Minister of Finance, knew of the activities of the BoJ.

Omar Davies, MP

Davies responds to Seaga on black market

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Dear Editor,

It has been 20 years since I migrated to Canada from Jamaica. Every year that I have returned on vacation, I continue to feel the love and positive energy in this country and to see more and more progress and development.

In my experience, customer service in business places for the most part, is up to par and impressive. The quality of products and services is world class in most places. Generally speaking, the professionalism and civility that I witness and experience are outstanding. Shows in theatres, museums, cultural and entertainment activities reflect a progressively higher level of sophistication and technical competence. Added to this, the streets are clean and public spaces are a source of pride for all Jamaicans. I have stopped counting the number of Canadians who are repeat visitors to our island and who have nothing but good things to say about our tourism product, the quality of service and the friendliness and efficiency of Jamaicans.

Now I am fully aware that the continuing high levels of crime, poverty and corruption are unacceptable. I agree that as a nation, Jamaica could be in better shape. But I feel compelled to appeal to all Jamaicans to stop the unhealthy obsession with negative things while ignoring the tremendous potential for progress.

As a nation, we need to shift the collective consciousness away from blaming the politicians who we elect towards a consciousness that focuses on the real possibility for prosperity that is built on the foundations of the talent and expertise that currently exist in this nation.

There is compelling evidence that we are quite capable accelerating the rate of development and redressing the blight of crime and poverty here. The young principals of Mile Gully and Troy high schools who were featured on television this week, are fine examples of committed visionaries who will shape the future of this country through education. The discipline, order and excellent performance that we witnessed at Boys' and Girls' Champs prove that goals can be attained through discipline and persistent guidance of teachers, coaches and mentors. There is much more that I could say to support my conviction that we have so much more positive with which to work here than the negative factors that dominate public discussions that so often include the use of economic data to measure our progress as a nation.

We are truly a blessed nation. Regardless of the state of the economy and the many social problems that prevail, we have come a very, very long way since 1962.

My parting words are borrowed from Eric Donaldson's Festival Song "Land of my birth" - "Some people say we are poor, but the progress you make is not always how rich you are!"

Give thanks for Jamaica, land we love!

Camille N Isaacs-Morell

Canada

Jamaica is a blessed nation

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