Museum of Illusions

 This is one cool place.

Omg. My head on a platter?😭

When you come to Orlando you automatically think of Disney, but Icon Park is a wonderful place to relax and take the kids, as it has a lot of really great stuff.

They even have early Christmas.

And looks what's beside it!

That is where Madame Tussauds is too and there are lots of food and souvenir places. But my favorite place is the Museum of Illusions.

We sure had fun there.

At some angles you see a face

Yup. Enjoying my  second childhood.😁

Prophetic?

 Earlier this year, I watched a Netflix movie for which Obama was the executive producer. It was titled  "Leave the world behind".

The trailer: https://youtu.be/cMVBi_e8o-Y?si=6voIcF33NoTMoFzt.

It was really a creepy movie about a cyber attack which caused the Internet to go down, causing chaos everywhere as planes crashed, ships ended up on land, electric self driving vehicles stopped and on and on.

A realistic possibility of the future, in my book, as we become more reliable on online activity in every aspect of our existence.

That movie has remained at the back of my mind for quite some time, then on the 19th July 2024, the world got a taste. 

That was when, according to a company called Crowd Strike, a faulty software glitch occured which led to:

 'disrupting airlines, government services, hospital systems, and other businesses. A defect in the update crashed Microsoft's Windows, triggering its infamous "blue screen of death" for users relying on the operating system. 

Thousands of flights were canceled or delayed yesterday, including those with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. The outage disrupted emergency services and court systems in some areas, while some healthcare providers postponed nonessential surgeries. The United Parcel Service and FedEx also reported issues. Some billboards in New York City's Times Square went dark....".

I am no conspiracy theorist, but what if that isn't the truth but what actually happened was a test run by some entity somewhere and Crowd Strike came up with that explanation to deter worldwide panic?

Regardless, I still think the Obama movie is prophetic!

Trump with or without brains?

Some Republicans seem confident that they can get their beloved Donald Trump to be the President of the United States in 2024, without having to put up with Trump himself and his unattractive baggage!

How is this going to be achieved?

Pick Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida to be their candidate.

They are so impressed with this politician that already he is being dubbed Trump with brains!

Further, a survey done by The University of New Hampshire, found that support for DeSantis has more than doubled since last October to 39% while 37% of likely voters said they would vote for Trump and only 9% said they would vote for former vice president Mike Pence.

Having a Trump with brains would be a dream for Republicans but it would be hazardous to the health of entire world. For if Trump was not so rash and unpleasant, he would have gotten a second term and can you imagine how catastrophic that would have been?

To begin with, there would be no Ukraine today as he would have fractured NATO and have helped Putin in any way he could.

Autocracy would become the order of the day in the USA too. For as the January 6^th enquiry is showing, Trump would have destroyed every institution set up to protect democracy.

Now what about DeSantis?

When he was running for governor, he demonstrated what a Trump cultist he was by even airing a series of tv ads showing him teaching his baby daughter to read, using Trump’s Art of the Deal!

He is also an autocrat who will whittle away at the liberties that Americans have become accustomed to.

Already, he has welcomed the return of young women to the dark ages, where they are no longer in control of their own bodies. He has even started to personally censor text books being used in the schools. (don’t say ‘gay ‘ bill which even censors the teaching of anything to do with slavery!)

Billboad protesting DeSantis' censorship

As to freedom of expression, Disney discovered to their chagrin, that if they wish to do business in Florida, they cannot disagree with anything DeSantis says!

The economy too will be in turmoil for what the republicans loved about Trump and hail as his economic prowess, is the policies that make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

A win for Trump with brains or dumb Trump, will be the same misery for the majority of the American people.

Our forever half full glass

From last year, many of us Jamaicans waited with bated breath, when news leaked out that there would be a cabinet reshuffle. For we had really become fed up with the all too regular scandals, so we hoped that some persons would be removed as far as possible from power.

What was delivered though, was nothing but a big wet squid, best met with a long yawn.

What I found disconcerting too, was the increase in the size of the already too large and mainly ineffective Cabinet, with the addition of the new Ministry, Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs.

OMG. So, if Delroy Chuck has proven to be an ineffective minister, why wasn’t he just fired and someone more competent appointed to replace him?

Well, it’s only taxpayer’s money, so I suppose it’s there to be wasted!

So, here we are with a brand-new bureaucracy, new minister, new permanent secretary, new staff, new office, new furniture and on and on.

I don’t know if Mrs. Malahoo-Forte was reading my mind when she outlined the main task of her new ministry as being to fix the current “chaos” in the legislative process.

Yes, chaos there definitely is, in terms of keeping our laws up to date. But isn’t that the major role of the Ministry of Justice?

They haven’t been doing that at all I agree, so as a result, many Jamaicans can’t get justice anywhere.

Remember what the late great Peter Tosh said decades ago? Without justice there can be no peace.

Is it any wonder that so many turn to violence in our crime-ridden country?

But do you fix that problem by creating a new bureaucracy or just disbanding the current ineffective one or even, more simply, getting rid of the lazy, incompetent people in charge and get effective staff?

While I only mentioned the chaotic one, every other function this new ministry is supposed to deal with, is already a function of the Ministry of Justice. Problem is, they are dysfunctional!

But I guess Chuck is being kept on for the very same reason as so many others like the following are; Mike Henry, Karl Samuda, Horace Chang….…jobs for the old boys.

As to Bobby Montage, he had fast become the Paulwell of the JLP.

The JLP had gotten a big mandate, partly based on a commitment to deal effectively with corruption, but they are only continuing along the same road and with even greater intensity. One would therefore have hoped that at the very least, Montague would have been moved as far away from any type of governance as possible.

Again, it’s just jobs for the boys and little or none for the girls, so now the Prime Minister’s office is packed with old boys tripping over each other!

Luckily, I was not holding my breath that this government would have been any better than any other!

Good News

It’s not only bad news that has hit for us early in 2022 though, for we can always depend on our athletes to do us proud and give our spirts a lift.

Once again it is our bobsledders.

For the benefit of the young and uninformed, snow-free Jamaica sent its first bobsled team to winter Olympics way back in 1998. They did not win a medal, but it was so historic and heart-warming, that Disney made a movie about our boys. It was called “Cool Runnings” and it was/still is, a worldwide hit.

 If you have never seen it, go now and if you have, go again.

As usual, no-snow Jamaica was a trend setter in 1998, and since then countries like Trinidad and Nigeria have followed suit, which is great.

We are all excited and proud that once again, our bobsledders have qualified to compete in the upcoming winter Olympics to be held in Beijing next month.

Despite the damn virus, once the Chinese hosts allow the public to attend, I am sure the stands will once again be brightened up with Jamaican colors. For not only do many Jamaicans live in China, but also, Jamaicans from all over the world will be going there to cheer on the athletes who can always be depended on to make our spirits rise, while the politicians pick our pockets and otherwise screw up our lives.

I guess you can therefore say that our glass is half full.

https://youtu.be/Pxt7O4qvjhk

 

Return to Epcot

The first time I went to Disney's Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, (Epcot), I think it was the one in California, was probably more than 35 years ago, but I had always wanted to go back. The problem was, each time I went to a Disney theme park, it was always with kids who loved superheroes, exciting rides, princesses, and cartoon characters. No one wanted to go to the Epcot theme park as either they complained they did not have enough time, they were tired or it just was not exciting enough. So it was always a Disney vacation minus Epcot. 

Well out of evil cometh good, for as I saw that they had a soft opening in Orlando after the long lock-down due to coronavirus, I thought I should take it in before it became too crowded. And it wasn't in September 2020.

When my granddaughter informed me that she wanted to visit me in December and go to Disney, I knew I had to move up my decision for I knew once we got there, Epcot would be out. To avoid any crowd, I decided to go right after the schools opened in Florida. It was the perfect decision and I am so happy I returned,  for it is really a fascinating and educational experience, far better than I remembered. 

Every attraction was a slam dunk except when I went to do the ride through the Alps to see the set of 'Frozen.' Then there was quite a line. It wasn't all that long but you have to remember the 6 feet apart system. So it wasn't that long a line, but it took the longest to get it.  It was worth the wait though, as was every exhibit in fact. Luckily I had checked the weather before I drove up to Orlando and took my plastic mac in my backpack, so when the heavy showers came down, I just strolled in the rain, feeling like a kid again. 

As there was a celebration of wine and food that week, many countries participated showcasing the best of their foods and attractions. I liked the China and Canadian displays the best and loved the Mexican mariachi band. I was fascinated by the exhibit on our relationship with the land, scientific advances in agriculture, soaring through the world, (a bit scary at first), spaceship earth, and in fact, just everything. It was so fascinating and interesting, that only when I was leaving that I realized I had been there from 11 am to 5pm.

As usual, I forgot where I parked and it was a bit scary for a while as I kept going around in circles for about 20 minutes before finding my car.😓

Leaving, I wondered how I had stayed away so long and resolved to go back again soon.

                                                OTHER PHOTOS FROM EPCOT

                            Elsa from Frozen rides in her carriage

Alaska is unforgettable

Awesome beauty

If there was really a Garden of Eden, it could very likely be located somewhere in the largest state in the USA, Alaska. For the beauty there seems unending and I only visited a tiny section!

I remember some years ago telling a friend that I would like to visit Alaska and her reply was that she had been on a cruise there and saw nothing but icebergs.

Well she and I must have taken totally different routes as whereas I saw a couple of these, they were insignificant to everything else.

We took a Disney cruise from Vancouver, Canada in July 2019, arriving in Vancouver early, not only to ensure that we didn’t miss the proverbial boat, but also to see a bit of the province since we were in the area. 

The unforgettable incident was when we were boarding the  "Skytrain" to go downtown and being ahead of the others,  I entered as the door opened . The others waited too long for a couple who seemed to have the whole day to go nowhere, to exit, but  before they could enter, the train's door closed separating me from them. Naturally, I simply decided to stay on the train till  it reached the waterfront exit, but I hear my granddaughter was inconsolable, thinking I had been lost. They  all had to exit at the next stop and looked around for me to try and appease her, but  naturally, I was nowhere to be found. When they arrived at the waterfront, she was so relieved  to see me that she grabbed my hand  and to hold  on to me for the rest of the vacation.

That resolve lasted  for about ten minutes!

Vancouver is as beautiful as I remembered but the constant and regular rainfall which it is notorious for, did not mess up this trip. In fact, it didn’t rain once while we were there.

We spent a lot of time at the waterfront downtown near the convention center and there was so much to see there that we didn’t even have time to hop on the ferry to visit the popular Victoria island. Its a good thing we had visited it some years before.

What I found fascinating on this trip was the numerous sea planes which were taking off in quick succession as we walked around the waterfront. I had never seen sea planes outside of the Eastern Caribbean but they are not half as many there. In both Vancouver and Alaska, they are popular the mode of transport. It is understandable about Alaska as there are so many islands there with no access by road but most of what we saw in Vancouver seemed to be just for sightseeing or to go to Victoria island.

To get to Alaska we did not go much by the ocean but rather sailed along in the huge fjords paved out by glaciers hundreds of years ago.

As cruises go, all was well on the boat and the entertainment good. We even got ourselves some Jamaican food, as lots of Jamaicans work on board, having been recruited by Disney through their office in Ocho Rios. That's how we wheedled a meal of escoviched fish, some well kneaded flour dumplings and pear.

A most delicious treat.

The breathtaking scenery all the way to Alaska was almost worth the cost of the trip. Going up the fjords too made the passage not only calmer but extremely scenic. The stops were Juneau the state capital, Ketchikan, Skagway and the glacier at Icy Strait Point.

Our first stop was at the glacier and believe it our not, that shore expedition was sold out. Being allergic to the cold, I certainly had no intention of getting closer to any glacier but my adventurous daughter had wanted to, although her sensible eight year old daughter out rightly rejected the idea! But the ship went close enough for us to see it and it was really awesome.

View of the glacier from the ship

Those glaciers are the huge things that melt over centuries and create beautiful gorges and fjords.

One would have expected that the capital of this huge state would be big and blah as bureaucratic centers usually are. But it was nothing close to that, and interestingly it is located on an island with no road joining it to the mainland.

While we were there, it was overcast and a bit cold and unfortunately for the residents, the ferry operators were on strike. People therefore could only go to and from the capital by small boats and sea-planes.

 The strike was called because the Governor was trying to cut back the transportation budget for the state. According to an informant, he is a Trumpist who doesn’t care about poor people, hence his trying to reduce the ferry and other forms of transportation for the ordinary people. 

My greatest desire once on shore, was to see some bears but although we visited three temperate rain forests in which they are supposed to be prolific, escorted by with guides armed with bear spray, I never saw one live bear. 

Sea lions hanging out

I was so upset when I heard from Michelle that another passenger saw a momma bear with her three cubs just ten feet from where they were! The only thing consolation prize was the wild berries I fed on while hiking in those forests. And I must admit the information about the circle of life and the flora in the forests area, were interesting and informative.

What calmed me a bit after not seeing any bears, was when we went by a small boat up to the North Pass, to go whale watching. And we were not disappointed, as it is absolutely wonderful to see six huge whales swimming in line as if they were sent to entertain us.

A whale surfaces

 It was awesome and unforgettable, a memory I was cherish for the rest of my life.

On the way back to Haines we also saw a group of sea lions sunning themselves on a buoy without a care in the world.

Skagway, which was sunny and warm had even better weather, I was told, up to the week before when they had 20 hours of daylight there.

In Skagway, population 2000, was originally invaded and the native people displaced, when prospectors flooded the area searching for gold, before the stories that cause the gold rush turned out to be a hoax.

We went searching for bears and bald eagles there too and whereas we did see numerous eagles and their nests, no bears were in sight.

We however got a good story about a former president, Warren Harding. According to local lore, he visited the town, accompanied by both his wife and mistress. Six days after he returned home, he developed severe stomach aches and died. It is said his wife insisted that there should be no autopsy!

A beautiful glacier

I guess the moral of that story is that you should never take both your wife and mistress on the same vacation!

The only bear I saw was in a store!

Ketchikan, an attractive little town, is big into shopping.... tourist type goods. It was there we met a few young ladies from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands who told us they travelled there each year from May to November, to work in the tourist shops. They are provided with accommodation and transportation which they say allows them to save a lot of money and really enjoy the months they spend in Alaska.

While in Ketchikan we also visited an interesting totem site and learnt a great deal about the construction and meaning of these huge monuments as well as the tribes that use them.

I  saw and reveled in so many wonderful things in a few days in Alaska, that I am prepared to say that cruise was among the best I have ever taken in my long life.

WHALES SWIMMING IN LINE

Cruising , the way to go

I think I became addicting to cruises when I went on the first one with my parents when I was 14. In those days I found the huge ship awesome but each year as competition steps up, the cruise industry is growing by huge degrees of awesomeness, with the beneficiaries being those of us who love to travel.

.

This latest cruise was my first taste of Disney and it was really great although I must admit if I was a kid it would have been out of the world.

What I enjoyed most was the really great choice of destinations because for me to have gone to Sicily, the French Riviera, Naples, Pompeii, Rome, Venice in one swell swoop is just impossible to beat. And the excellent tour organisations attached to Disney were so efficient and the guides so knowledgeable,  that one was able to gain a great deal of information and see everything that one wanted to at these wonderful destinations.

One important lesson I learnt from this trip (the cruise people did not mention it at all) and I hope I will not forget the next time I go to Europe and that is, in Europe not only is the US$ not king, (as expected) but no one wants to accept it! So wherever we went we had to change cash into Euros to do any business and in Switzerland, we had to change to Swiss francs. (I had a similar experience in Cuba too as there no one wanted it or the Canadian $ either so you had to go to a cambio to change cash into pesos.) 

As I see it therefore, whenever one is not using a credit card in Europe, it is easier to just  travel with a debit card, go to a ATM machine and collect the withdrawal in the relevant currency for each day the ATM's change their rate in keeping with international standards.Anyway, back to destinations, we had quite a scare on the way to Pisa as the front tyre of the bus we were driving in suddenly burst as we were crossing a bridge. The horrendous blast scared the daylights out of not only the passengers, most of whom had been sleeping and had a rude awakening, but also the driver as well. He was however deft in  bringing the bus safely to the side of the road and as we were only 15 minutes away from Pisa we did not have to wait too long to get a replacement bus.

Actually, there is so much to say and remember about the various places we visited that I swear I have to get around to doing a separate blog for each one soon.

What was especially heartening about this cruise too was the number of Jamaicans who were working on the Disney Magic. I never knew before that  there was an actual recruiting centre in Ocho Rios so it was not unexpected that the majority of the workers came from the St. Ann/St. Mary area, although I did meet a few from Kingston  and elsewhere.Even the head waiter assigned to us was from Jamaica and boy did he make it specially great for  us by arranging jerk chicken, stew peas and rice, oxtail etc to be served to us in addition to the other delicious choices at dinner.

Heartening too was the wide selection of reggae music played in the "fun area"on the 9 th floor (Lido deck) almost every day.

It was clear that whoever the DJ was, his favourite singers were Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley but he did not stick on them too much to make it boring for our music going as far back as Harry Belafonte was played at some point.

As I said earlier, if I were a kid the cruise would have been out of this world, and that is of course because the entertainment was geared towards kids so some nights it left me a bit bored.

 However the Disney ensemble outdid itself on two nights with performances fitting of Broadway. In fact, I had the pleasure of meeting the lead singer from one of the performances, a beautiful African american young lady named Christine from Michigan, with a voice range equaling Whitney Houston's and she assured me that is where she was headed but was just enjoying travelling for a while.

Yup a Disney cruise is definitely more than worth the money for family travel

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JOAN WILLIAMS, moderator of Joan Williams on Line broadcast on POWER 106, describes herself as an unapologetic addict to the Jamaican outdoors. A foundation member of FUN AND THRILLS ADVENTURE CLUB, she explores the island at any given opportunity cycling, hiking or swimming with that group, family, Jah 3 and anyone else who will have her. In 1995, she published the popular TOUR JAMAICA and the 4^th edition is now an ebook available at;

http://www.amazon.com/Tour-Jamaica-Joan-Williams-ebook/dp/B00EJWCSHS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389464644&sr=8-1&keywords=tou