The procedure

 I hate hospitals and all things medical. But I guess if you live long enough you have to learn to put up with a few.

 Old age sucks😡.)

Having developed a few Arrhythmias, (https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2026/01/reflections-on-biology.html?m=1) including AFib and SVT, the cardiologist thought it more prudent that I  have an ablation rather than add more  drugs to my growing list. 

When I heard the procedure was no worse that filling teeth, I said run with it, despite the $134, 000 price tag. (Thanks President Obama, for without Obamacare, people like me would just have to watch the heart deteriorating as the drugs became ineffective. In Canada a similar procedure is around $21,000  and maximum $15, 000 in Mexico I hear!)

So here am I doing a report on the procedure while waiting on my daughter in law to pick me up.

 She had to drive down from West Palm as my grandson was at work, so I took an Uber to Cleveland Clinic. For its their policy that while you can take Uber or whatever to get there, you must be picked up by a known and trusted person as you remain groggy afterwards.

When they prepped me at the hospital, I had an all Caribbean nursing team, one Jamaican, one Trini and one Haitian, all caring and pleasant professionals.

Another nurse who took me to the operation theatre was also Jamaican.

So I felt at home until I got into the theater (it was extra cold😶‍🌫️) where four or five nurses were inside waiting. But I never got the opportunity to delve into their ancestries as they immediately got to work strapping me down to the bed, even tying arms and legs and I was almost immediately out of it!

 My cardiologist Dr. Parishit Sharma, is a specialist Electrophysiology from India. He is reputed to be one of the best in the fields of  Atrial Fibrillation, PSVT, Arrhythmia and pacemaker implantation.

The fact that it all went smoothly and I feel on top of the world a few hours later, proves it.

In fact,  my only discomfort was having to lay totally still on my back for 3 hours in recovery.

My biggest problem will be staying reasonably inactive for around 10  days while the holes in my groin heals.

All's well that ends well🙏.

Link: https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2026/01/reflections-on-biology.html?m=1.

Note

Heart ablation (catheter ablation) is a generally safe, minimally invasive procedure to fix heart rhythm disorders, considered effective but carries low risks of complications like bleeding, infection, blood clots, or minor heart/vessel damage, with severe issues  experienced electrophysiology team significantly lowers these risks. 

In Summary: It's a serious procedure with potential risks, but often a very effective treatment with a favorable safety profile compared to the risks of living with afib.

Culture

 Tamarac's annual multi-cultural event was held yesterday and as usual, Carol and I had to be there.

I also saw many other familiar faces from the Senior Center in attendance, yet somehow the crowd still looked a lot sparser than usual!

 I think it's the ICE effect, as Tamarac is a city of immigrants, yet even when people are in the USA legally, many seem to be nervous about going out. 

Maybe they are scared of harassment, since racial profile is the in thing now😡.

As usual, before going over to the big stage, there were cultural performances showcasing the countries represented in Tamarac.

Venezuelans

Thai

Mariachi band (Mexico)

Irish dancers

Then it was time for great music and the Lionel Richie band really delivered.

The Lionel Richie band

Their lead singer was really good and had us on our feet as he belted out Lionel's greatest hits.

These young people were however my all time favorites. 

They are super skilled.👏.

We had shuttle buses from convenient locations to the Tamarac Sports Complex where the show was held and they ran regularly.

Another well organized event.👏

Congrats to Mayor Michelle Gomez and her culture-loving team.

The final farewell

No matter how ill someone is and you know only death can only bring them peace, you are still very sad when you say that final farewell.

That's how it was as I attended my schoolmate Hughie's funeral yesterday.

He had gotten the terrible news some 18 months ago that he was diagnosed with that unnerving stage four pancreatic cancer.

Hughie and Wife Desi.

This is a lethal cancer that also killed the likes of Pavoratti and Alex Trevet shortly after they were diagnosed .

Being a doctor himself, Hughie knew he had no chance of survival.

He tried to take the kemo but could not stand the terrible side effects. So he went to Mexico to try an alternative. 

While he knew it couldn't cure the demonic cancer, at least the side effects were not as bad.

He could now eat the foods he loved, have more time with his family and even return to his practice occasionally.

 But he knew it was only a matter of time, so he had to make the best of life,  one day at a time!

Faith DAguilar, well-known  Jamaican soloist, sang " One day at a time" and "God will take care of you"  for Hughie.

Very appropriate.

His funeral was held at the historic Mandeville Parish Church, St. Marks, which was built in 1820.

Dr. Bryan Morgan, former schoolmate and friend, spoke about his days at Munro College.

Hughie's daughter and her best friend delivered the eulogy.

It was more a celebration of Hughie's life, but as I ran into other schoolmates from our era, it reminded me how few of us are still around and healthy to boot!

I am happy that I got to visit him a year ago when he was feeling good and had even returned to his practice for a few hours daily.

Walk good mi fren.❤️

So Entitled!

Is it because the USA has such powerful weapons why so may of its citizens all seem so entitled?

 This pervasive air of entitlement is constantly being massaged by the media too!

I am amazed by some recent pronouncements about how to deal with their latest drug of choice, Fentanyl. 

Yes, I get it, fentanyl overdose kills around 100,000 Americans each year.

But who is it that force feeds drugs to the American people?

I recall with great resentment the terrible days in my little island of Jamaica, when DEA agents would arrive in their planes and spray ganja (marijuana) fields, destroying farmer's vegetable and other crops in the process.

 For decades, some people in Jamaica had been enjoying their ganja and it never killed anyone. 

Then the Americans discovered it and it became a problem FOR JAMAICA!

 Now all over the world, the harmlessness of ganja is being recognized and its use is even being legitimized in state after state in the USA.

 Then they took on the Colombians.

 Colombian peasants had been chewing their cocoa leaves for decades, then someone discovered that it could be chemically altered to give young people a high.

Americans immediately took to it and it suddenly it became an international problem and they were all over Colombia spraying deadly herbicides.

 Now, the powerful USA is now contemplating….multiple bills to designate Mexican cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations” in order to broaden the actions that can be used against them."

That sounds ominous and naturally, President Lopez Obrador is not amused!

(Incidentally, Mexico is the USA's most important trading partner.)

 Look at this crazy bill introduced by Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw, which would give authorization for the use of military force against Mexican cartels, similar to those approved for Iraq and Afghanistan!

 Are these people crazy.

 They must be, for if you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, you must be!

 When is the USA going to recognize that it is, its people’s insatiable demand for mind-altering drugs which is the problem, so they need to deal with that, instead of using their powerful military, DEA etc to terrorize militarily weaker nations?

I forgot, they are all powerful so they are entitled to demand that weaker nations solve their problems!

As a matter of fact, other nations including China and Russia have superior weapons, but you don’t see them threatening others because of problems they have at home with their citizens' crazy desires!

Yes, they flex their muscles for territorial reasons and most people are appalled at these actions. So, when they do, the USA and the rest of the world usually join in the  condemnation.

However, the USA sees nothing wrong when they flex their well-armed muscles because of their own idiosyncrasies.

The insatiable demand for mind altering drugs is a unique American problem as is this entitlement they hold so dear.

American politicians and media need to recognize this and stop driving the public into a frenzy on the basis that other nations are supposed to solve their problems.

With their overabundance of serial killers, mass murderers and generation after generation of young people always wanting to have some new mind-altering drug, the USA is clearly a very dysfunctional society.

However, the age of entitlement is over.

They need to deal with their internal shortcomings rather than continuing to terrorize their poorly armed neighbors for the things their citizens crave.

 

The task ahead

 For those who think things are bad now in Jamaica now, in my book, the real tragedy lies ahead when the lack of foreign exchange earnings start to be felt. Naturally, without foreign exchange, imports on which we depend so much, are going to get super-expensive.  

So far, it is the poor and small business people who have been bearing the brunt of the severe economic measures put in place to try to keep that terrible virus under control. But soon, they will cause stress on thousands more.

In retrospect, it was bad that  Jamaica followed the western world and locked down the economy. I am not blaming the government, for so little was known about the virus in the initial stages, that we did not know where to turn. 

Taiwan however took a chance and won. They, with 25 million people, did not lock down but stringently monitored those who were positive and tracked who they came in contact with. By inflicting severe punishments on those who were quarantined, they inconvenienced around 1/4 million of their population for the benefit of the other 24.5 million. And guess what, their economy remained open and  robust and only 10 people died! Sweden tried that the model but their success was not as outstanding. 

Where Jamaica fell down was in locking down the place for too long and being very lax in their enforcement of the rules that cut the spread of the virus. But what's new? Jamaica's problem with crime, justice, social issues and everything else for that matter, has always been, that we fall down in the area of enforcement. Look at how we are quick to prosecute the poor and dispossed, but the rich and well-heeled can break all the rules and have all the covid-spreading parties while the authorities look the other way. You notice too how Bolt has been singled out though? Poor fellow, with all his money and world-wide fame, he just can't make it into the Jamaican uptown circles! 

But I am not going there today. 

What really perturbs me is the fact of those who had little or no savings are now on the verge of starvation, due to the lockdown, which some would happily resurrect!. And I am sure, as savings vanish, many thouands more may soon join that group. For according to the World Bank, as a result of this virus, remittances around the world will fall by 20% this year. 

Already, a recent study conducted by UNICEF and the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) found that eight in every 10 households suffered income losses. On average, families lost 46 per cent of income, while lower-income households suffered a 49 per cent loss.This has caused a significiant number to have to get by on one , two or no meals per day. 

The well heeled who would keep the country locked down, need to spend a few seconds letting that sink in. Remember too, that more than 130,000 families across the island are already registered with PATH.

Even so, the Capri study found that some 10% did not think they could send their children back to school. How concerning must that be for all of us?

Also, what about the psychological illnesses and possible suicides that will occur from depression and hopelessness?

That is just the tip of our iceberg, for we have yet to see the impact of the fallout in tourism. And incidentially, while some people would like to blame tourists for the increase in covid cases in the island, that is not at all true. For it has been the yardies (living here and abroad) who have been ignoring the quarantine rules and preventative measures.

With the exuberance from the election, things appear to be going pretty well now, but are we really prepared to face the serious  challenges ahead?

I fear not, for according to an article in the Daily Gleaner of Septmber 11, 2020 ; "As Jamaica continues to lose millions of dollars to destinations such as Cancun and Riviera Maya, Mexico, some of the country’s top-producing travel agents have accused the Government of rejecting tourists. The agents, part of the Jamaica Travel Specialist group that boasts more than 8,000 members, vented their frustration on social media Thursday morning, warning that they would not send their clients here until the travel authorisation is done away with. The test is no big deal, so the authorisation process is what the determining factor is here. I can’t support a tourism industry that is doing everything they can to delay tourism. It’s pretty clear they are not wanting tourists,” Hannah Cote wrote online on Thursday morning.

Since August, two months after the island reopened its doors for tourism, complaints have not ceased. People who book both flights and accommodation have expressed difficulties getting landing approval here. Families have been separated as the system rejects some members and accepts others."

Can the country and those on the fringes really endure such a lackadasical approach to the economic well-being of the country much longer?

That Ill Fated Cruise and Roatan island

What should have been a wonderful vacation, turned out to be really tragic. Not for me and my family,  thank heavens but for the family of the lady who jumped overboard. 

You know, when I heard the announcement "man overboard" I thought it was a hoax. This is because some years ago on another Carnival cruise, just outside of Dominica there was a similar announcement and not only did we spend some four hours circling and looking for the body but so did a British frigate. It had been on some training mission in Dominica and came to assist. 

After a long search, they did an inventory and found no one missing. Coincidentally, it was  the 1st April so the captain concluded that the anonymous call they had received was some idiot's idea of an April fools joke! It was no joke however, just stupid and wasteful.

View from the manually operated swing bridge

In this case it was deathly serious though as a lady who was about 65 years old I hear, did jump to her death. I never  knew her or even see when her body was being recovered, but I know the grief that comes with  losing a loved one and as her son and daughter were there, I can just imagine how traumatic it is for them. Our discomfort only came from the fact that after the boat had to circle for about three hours searching for the body, they were low on fuel so had to turn back to Cozumel and bypass the Cayman visit. 

This was  especially annoying for me at first, for my friends were waiting there to take me on  a tour of that island which I had not visited in over 30 years and was looking forward to seeing them and the developments which I hear taking place there. We were all sooooo disappointed but as I said, our loss was not as great as that of the mourning family so we would just have to arrange for a future visit.

This cruise should have taken us to Cozumel, which I had visited twice before, Belize which I had visited at least 5 times but wanted to see the developments which had taken place. The other ports of call were Mahogany Cay  on Roatan island. I had never been there before and have now put the island on my bucket list for it appears to be quite attractive with lush mountains and white sands beaches. 

It has a population of some 70,000 I hear and a rich history similar to most former slave colonies. Although they had car rental agencies at the dock there and the island is really small,  because when I tour I like to stop and take in every thing, I did not try to get a car this time as I didn't want to rush.

My curiosity about Belize city was well placed as not much has changed in that city at all except there are people on the streets harassing tourists now. One man with locks whose teeth looked like Bully Bop's told us to stay on the main street as we could assaulted by gangs. When we asked others about the crime situation there they assured us that his was not true. As we walked back, he asked us to give him money for helping us and when I told him no, he shouted that I was mean and should not return to Belize. 

This made me feel so at home!

 We arrived there on the 18th August and another man tried to sell us a flag as he said it was their Independence Day. I never believed him anyway for had it been,  it would have been a holiday and signs of celebrations. I later researched it and discovered their Independence day is September 21. 

So be warned.

My main reason for visiting the town though was to look at the Swing Bridge as I thought that by now they must have moved from manual labour to machinery to move it. I could not believe they hadn't! 

I remember the many days I was rudely aroused from my sleep while staying at a hotel nearby, for the noise from the men pushing the bridge at 6 am to let the boats through was really horrendous!  I guess it is still a pestilence to those who have to reside nearby.

 I really could not believe the country had not progressed from that point some 15 years later! 

My one regret was that I was not able to visit San Pedro. This is a town in the southern part of the  Ambergris Cay. According to 2012 mid-year estimates, the town has a population of about 13,381 as is the second largest town in the Belize District.

I hear it is beautiful there but unfortunately during all the years I used to visit that country for work, I never heard about it so did not visit. I only subsequently heard about it from a cousin who lives in Canada but who spent many years there with her ex- husband who managed a hotel there, how fabulous it was. The water taxis did not leave till 1.30 pm  though which would have me returning too late for the ship. So next time.

The place I was really looking really really forward to was Cayman but fate intervened. The experience in Cozumel made up for everything else though. We had a really fabulous guide who took us to a Mayan holy site. His name was Angel and he was a proud Mayan. He was not only extremely informative but really passionate about his culture. This is never something you see in tour guides as they normally recite what is popular for tourists to hear. This guy spoke about how his culture was being adulterated by the Mexican establishment and insisted that his native language was not Spanish but Mayan.  He did the tour in English but we were all so impressed with him.

When we returned to Cozumel to drop off the body as a result of the suicide, we just walked around the town which is pleasant and touristy.

In Miami, I really had a great time with friends Joseph and Jackie and it was a good thing Jackie dropped me off early at the airport, for it was quite a drama, but not unpleasant. 

According to the security, they detected, wait for it........explosive residue on my hand luggage! 

A nice young man with locks (which he admitted it was for style not religion!) then went through my things piece by piece, rubbing everything on a strip then testing it on the machine.

Before a lady body searched me, she wanted to know if I had any aches or pains anywhere. I told her everywhere hurt as I had chic v which is partly true since the stupid pains from that virus do come back on occasion. The entire process took about 45 minutes but I feel better that security there is thorough. It certainly isn't in Jamaica for on a Jet Blue flight the next day, two women from here got into a fight and one drew out a razor and the other had pepper spray!

Man that is really disgraceful.