Thanks Amazon.

It was such a a pleasant surprise when I got an email from my publisher Amazon, saying my autobiography "Looking Back....." had been selected to be converted into an audiobook!

This is link:  https://www.audible.com/pd/LOOKING-BACK-Audiobook/B0CY2MZL4H. 

I listened to it and it sure has been well done using AI. 

This autobiography was written in 2015 but the Florida launch was  in October  2017. (Joan, my views: Florida launch of "Looking back...." (joan-myviews.blogspot.com).

 It has been doing quite well on Amazon as a paperback for years.

 I guess that's why they selected it for the upgrade to an audiobook. 

Thanks Amazon. It's a great listen😊.

Other Links; Joan, my views: Joan Williams, former local host, looks back to go forward (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

Joan, my views: An excellent book review (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

Youtube; Joan Williams - YouTube

An outstanding performance

 If Ron DeSantist ever saw the Musical Memphis, now showing at Lauderhill Performance Center in Florida, he would have a heart attack and ban it immediately!

I ran into leading man Samuel Cadieux on the way out.

For according to him, performances like that which highlight the racist past in the USA should never see the light of day. 

I am sure, given the chance he would even ban Black History Month! 

That musical is very appropriate for this period though.

'Scrabble' Camille and I got there early

It's a story partly about forbidden love, set in Memphis, Tennessee during the 'jim crow' period.

The main setting is this bar on Beale Street 

The leading man is Samuel (above) and the leading lady, the super-talented Sydney Archibald, an African American actress, who is also a fantastic singer.

Because of the period in which it is set, it is full of white rage and violence against the couple, so there is no-make believe happy ending to that affair.

However it is a marvelous production with non-stop energy, fantastic music, dance, love, comedy, hope and passion.

Really an outstanding performance, even worth seeing more than once!😊

Whats with Montego Bay?

It’s a pretty well-known fact that Jamaica has more Christian churches than most places in the world. In fact, it has long been reported that the Guinness Book of World Records has Jamaica recorded as the country with the most churches per square mile in the world.

And  now google too has confirmed this.

Even a  hotel in Portland has a private chapel!

I have always wondered how a ‘churchified’ nation such as ours could also consistently be among the top five most violent and murderous countries in the world!

While it is only my opinion, I feel this violent and murderous nature of ours has a lot to do with of our unquestioning belief and support of  the viciousness promoted in the Old Testament. 

But I am no sociologist. 

However I have never been able to get a better explanation anywhere!

There also seems to be a special problem with churches in Montego Bay, one of the most violent crime spots in Jamaica.

 I only  brought up this topic of churches and crime once again on reading the article in the Gleaner on Sunday July 2nd headlined “Authorities raid MoBay church compound.”

For wasn't it less than two years ago that we saw similar headlines coming out of Mobay?

 Then it was concerning the Kingdom Restoration Ministries.

In case you have short memories, that was the church in Mobay led by the late Dr. Kevin Smith.

Granted Smith was more extreme as he was actually performing human sacrifices at his church, whereas the charges against the church referred to in the Gleaner report, though extremely concerning, have not been reported to involve bloodshed.

This latest controversial church in Mobay is ; Bayith Yahweh, Paradise, Montego Bay, St James.

According to the report, the raid by the military, officers from the Area One headquarters, the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse and the Jamaica Fire Department was based on reports that massive child abuse was taking place there.

The report states that several adults were arrested and children rescued from the church’s compound.

While all are innocent till proven guilty and we must await the actual charges  based on solid evidence, aren’t we just getting too many weird reports out of Mobay re religion?

Something stinks to high heavens in that area which seems to have unusual church controversies and an alarmingly high murder rate.

Do we need to do a special study into the relationship between religion and crime in Jamaica in general and especially in St. James?

Essay; 1 The Venezuelan experience

Every time I see the news coming out of Venezuela, it sends a chill down my spine. For events there today bring back the terrible memories of our own trials and struggles in the island of Jamaica during the cold war period, when the government of the day tried to impose socialism on the country. With that socialist thrust, came the threat of the loss of our sacred freedoms including freedom of the press, religion and association.

Our dangerous period begun with the imposition of a state of emergency under which, like in Venezuela today, opposition politicians and activists were arbitrarily detained without charge and attempts were made to prevent the independent press from functioning without governmental interference.

On another level, the experiment with socialism led to massive foods shortages, loss of tourism revenue, hyper-inflation, government-sponsored violence and general oppression. Eventually these rapidly deteriorating conditions led to an undeclared civil war in Jamaica which lasted some four years, causing the deaths of thousands of people.

In the wake of the decline in the economy and pervasive violence, came the self-exile of many of our most valuable people including professionals, both small and large entrepreneurs and many members of the middle class. Up to today, some 30 years later, the Jamaican economy still struggles because of the departure of such valuable persons.

During that period (from 1976-1980), the Michael Manley government was overtly propped up by the Russian KGB and Cuban DGI. The American CIA was also alleged to have been involved in assisting the opposition. If they did, I have nothing but praise and gratitude for them, especially today when I see how rapidly conditions are deteriorating in Venezuela .

At the time the disruptions were taking place in Jamaica, I had only recently become the mother of two young children but when I saw the threat to our freedoms which begun with the locking up of elected opposition politicians and activists, the threats to press freedom and other freedoms plus  how my family had to suffer because of the shortage of basic foods, I put my own safety on hold to get involved.

While the violent battles were being fought in the streets with weapons allegedly supplied by the covert agencies, I hit the ground taking part in the regular peaceful demonstrations while using both radio and the print media to not only spread the opposition’s position to the wider public but also to keep up the pressure on the government.

I have visited Cuba four times since 1980, (the last time being in 2014 when I went there to meet family that I had subsequently learnt lived there) when we held an election that ousted the socialist government from power, and every time I visited or see the news coming out of Venezuela today, I say a silent prayer of thanks that we were able to avoid their fate.

I continue to pray that the Venezuelan people will keep up the pressure and be as successful as we were in ousting the socialists and restoring democracy. And I hope that those who are in the position to assist them, will do so.

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010 was one of my most memorable and enjoyable Christmases in recent memory, or more to the point, since my entire immediate family left for foreign shores.

 Before this year, I spent most of my chrismases having dinner with my late best friend Hilma Walker, who being a flight attendant, never failed to put on a big do whenever she was in Jamaica. After that we would head up to the Lynches for an afternoon of boozing and camaradie.

When she wasn't around, I usually spent the entire day with my close friend, Miss Rites and family (Lynches).This Christmas was very different and far healthier.

You know, although I have lived in Jamaica for 61 of my 64 years and have heard of carol singing at Christmas, I have never experienced it before either as a participant or as a member of the audience. 

You see, since crime climbed out of control, most people would not dare to continue that wonderful Christmas tradition.

 This year though,  I spent Christmas with my friend Audley and Marcia Nain and their daughters at their home in Lauristan, Spanish Town. 

When people hear of Spanish Town, they often conjure up images of violence, but I am here to tell you that I discovered with some degree of awe that Marcia and Audley do not lock up their home until they go to bed at night.

I digress however. 

Audley is the dynamic president of Lauristan Citizens Associastion and being a great singer himself ( his daughter Kim is a rising star with lots of music videos on Utube. Look out for her).

Audley defied the norm in the society and started up carol singing last Christmas in his community. 

This year we got up at 5 am (since it has been ultra cold this Christmas, I had on two sweaters) and set out with Audley on the bull horn, singing carols on top of his voice and waking up the neighbourhood wishing them Merry Christmas. We were slowly joined by other shivering members of the community until we got to the community Centre around 7am.

There they had a Christmas tree and huge pots were boiling away as some citizens were preparing breakfast. Others who did not like to wake up early brought food . After a small concert and the exchange of gifts pixie style I had the most delicious turned corn meal and barbecue pork with a slice of roasted breadfruit and mackerel. Had I been greedy, there was also yam, banana , ackee and satfish, callaloo and sandwiches. But being a small eater, I finished off with a couple cups of real country hot chocolate and some Christmas cake.

At around noon about nine of us went over to Juniors house to travel together to Aunt Nessa in Mandeville for Christmas dinner. Aunt Nessa is Audley's aunt who is returning resident living in a huge house in Mandeville. Junior is Audley's young brother and he is otherwise known as Bishop Rohan Edwards who has made quite a name for himself organising the 10 thousand man march against violence and other national activities. His son Jermain Edwards is a famous gospel artist who tours quite a lot and has made quite a name for himself in the gospel music world.

After a long wait we eventually set out just before 2 pm and reached aunt Nessa around 3pm. They had been waiting so long for us that it was straight into dinner, excellent food, then dominoes. I must say I have never beaten up a ' man of the cloth ' before but Junior and his partner, a guy from Boston, got two six loves. We got none. After a wonderful afternoon, Jermain who drives a Benz, had to return home on a wrecker for the benz had mechanical problems. We left later and returned to Spanish Town safely around 9pm.

On Sunday morning, I came over to Kingston after breakfast and did pass the indomitable Fun and Thrills riders at Ferry, as they had ridden over to Hellishire for breakfast and were just coming home.

 I relished my air condition and after shouting out to them and seeing them sweating away in the hot sun!

On Sunday afternoon I headed back to Spanish Town for a dominoe party and spent the night there. On Monday which was also a holiday, we resumed playing around 1pm.

 

I tell you it was an absolutely wonderful weekend and either I am becoming very good at dominoes or everyone else is regressing, for although I dropped two six loves over the period, I got none. Just one technical.

I am quite proud of myself actually!

Link; https://youtu.be/L3sgIci5ffs