Vacation Leave

I couldn't have heard the news report on radio correctly! While the teachers are raising holy hell about getting more money yet promising no better productivity, I think heard on a radio news report that after five years of service , teachers get 4 months paid vacation and after ten years, they get 8 months paid vacation?

This could never be true. I must have been dreaming. For indeed if it were true, it would mean that when one adds the regular approximately three months school vacation, after five years, the teacher would work only four months per year and after 10 years, they would work only one month per year. It could never be true.

This is either a joke or I am going deaf!

If it is true, is it any wonder that we get so little value for the billions per year being spent on money in education?

If it is true, then I shall surely do all to ensure that I reincarnate as a teacher in Jamaica!

Political cleansing in Jamaica

It is easy to become so accustomed to violence that no matter haw dastardly the act, you simply accept it.

That is if you live in Jamaica though. For over the past decade, we have more or less become accustomed to hearing that between four or five persons were killed in a day. Even when you yourself have lost close relatives to the murderers that roam freely, eventually you become so inured, that no new bloody act elicits outrage.

Despite this reality, I could not help being totally outraged at the cold blooded murder of 8 persons at Tredegar Park, Spanish Town on Friday the 13th August.

Maybe it is because one victim was only 11 years old and another 14 why I am so outraged or maybe it is because I know it could have been avoided.

For it is well known that political cleansing is behind it all. This is similar to ethnic cleansing that has horrified the world when it was recently carried out in places like Serbia and Rwanda. In Jamaica however, the massacre are not done in the name of tribal et or ethnic but rather political loyalty to one of the entrenched parties which are really criminal organisations in disguise.This has been taking place since the 70's and specifically at a moderate rate (two or three murdered at a time!) in Tredegar Park for some 4 or 5 years. The authorities know fully well what is behind it for after each assault, the aggressors immediately brazenly paint graffiti on the Sligoville Road main road telling all who do not support their party on leave. (ie. PNP territory)

This programme of political cleansing started in Tredegar Park, a predominantly JLP area, since K.D. Knight gave up the constituency . This seemed to have been a cue for the Clansman gang which is the enforcer for the PNP, to try and make the constituency a garrison for their party.

Readers will recall that from 1995, the then Member of Parliament for Central St. Catherine Heather Robinson, had warned that the leader of the Clansman, Bulbie was trying to take over her constituency. She had pleaded in parliament for support but neither her leader P.J. Patterson nor her colleagues offered any support and she walked away from politics.So the thugs took over and have been the political force to be reckoned with since then.

When the thugs in the JLP saw how successful, rich and powerful Bulbie had become because of his political success and backing of his party, they formed the One Order gang, giving their muscle freely to the the JLP and taking a chunk of the millions in extortion which is obviously available from the business community, firstly in Spanish town and later May Pen. And now both gangs are responsible for Spanish town becoming the murder capital of Jamaica which is among the top five murder capitals of the world!

Bublie was subsequently killed but his institution keeps growing in influence.

I find it curious that despite it being widely known what is behind the frequent assaults against the residendts of Tredegar park, the police, even during the state of emergency, have never had a curfew at the headquarters of the Clansman, de La Vega City. It was also very significant that since this most vicious and bloody assault on Tredegar park, the MP for the area is no where to be found!

If anyone had any doubts about why the PNP fought so strongly against the state of Emergency, it is now perfectly clear that wewhereas they were happy to see the demise of JLP's garrison of garrisons, West Kingston, they have no interntion of having any such thing happening to their garrisons or indeed their thrust to increase the already alarming number.

A great holiday

Well my grandson Shadrach, returned to NewYork yesterday then he goes on to Denver to attend school there. It was a wonderful three weeks when he was here. We had a ball.....well I had a ball. He said he missed seeing a number of his friends, for example the Browns who were here last year but who did not come on vacation this time. Confidentially, he seems to have had a thing for Amanda. Lol. Anyway, thats young people business!

We went to Royal Decameron in Salem and had a ball. We also went to Breezes, Trelawny and had a wonderful time. It is really a great hotel with excellent attractions. That will be my first choice next time. Unfortunately Winedown at Silver Sands was booked for the entire period, but anyway next time we will take that in too.

Shadrach's riding has improved greatly. On emancipation day he rode almost all the way to Bog Walk. There we had planned to swim but the Rio Cobre was exceptionally dirty so after a great breakfast and some dominoes (I had taught him to play dominoes while we were at Royal Decameron and he learnt fast (its in the blood). He played partnership with Chris against Michael C and I me and he did well. After breakfast we drove back to Kingston.

Sunday he rode almost all the way to Reggae falls .......from the gas station at Morant Bay. As usual, we had a great time there. Betty created some excitement by getting stuck in the river. Chuck tried to drag her out with his vehicle but during the drama someone discovered that her vehicle was not in 4 wheel drive. As soon as that was corrected, she drove out without a problem.

Unfortunately his four years in locked up in apartments in New York has taken away his zest for the great outdoors, but between Michele in Denver and us here when he comes down, we will reorient him to the point where he really enjoys it.

On independence day, some of the adventurous ones rode to St. Ann's Bay (I only rode to Ewarton) to Chris Dalrimple's beach house where we had a great time at the beach .

Some of us slow riders had left early and Charles had asked Janesha to drive Barry's car as our support vehicle. Apparently Barry had left some of his stuff ion the car and asked her to return with it. She refused and there was a big buss up at Jucci Patty in Bog Walk....Barry, Janesha , Charles all seemed close to coming to blows. I suspect that the next time the security at Jucci sees us coming, they will lock their store! Incidentally, it is good to have Charles around when you get stopped by the police. He certainly has a way with cops. I have been fortunate quite a few times to have him around and been told to go on immediately as he intervenes. When we got to the Spanish town round-about, there was a police cordon and search and Janesha was drawn over. Immediately Charles called her and asked to speak to the policeman and within seconds she was on her way.

The food was great and plenty but Shadrach needs to be more adventurous in his eating however. Chicken , chicken everyday. So because the boy only eats chicken and not the wonderful, delicious curried goat, pork chops and mannish water that was there, he said he only got a little bit of food. Poor soul. I ate as much as I could and then had niggeritis. Great day. Chris is wonderful host the greatest and although Shadrach is such a picky kid, I miss him already. Can't wait till Christmas when we all get together in North Carolina.