Thursday, June 11. 2009
The settlement was simultaneously large and miniscule, heralding a pivotal point in international human rights. His Excellency Ambassador Peter Oyedele of Nigeria recounted the tragic story of the Ogani 9 led by Ken Saro-Wiwa. The environmental activists were mercilessly cut down at the hand of the Nigerian military, arguably for speaking out against the land devastation caused by Royal Dutch Shell.
Dr. Lloyd Barnett explained that the settlement of US$15.5 million nearly 15 years after the incident will prompt other companies to seriously consider the social and environmental impact of the their operations.
Continue reading "Money Can’t Buy Forgiveness"
Thursday, June 4. 2009
Our financial sustainability, environment, music, culture and humanity are interconnected.There was a time when bauxite was king, but that time has passed. In the wake of the declining bauxite market, Jamaica has had to search for alternative sources of revenue. Limestone may be such as option according to Minister of State in the Ministry of Energy and Mining Laurence Broderick. In a guarded but informative interview, Minister Broderick revealed that the Ministry is moving from a regulatory focus to a developmental focus in its operations. He dismissed concerns expressed by environmentalists that the mining operations would be indiscriminate and widespread but indicated that the government had sought advice from the Czech Republic and other nations regarding mining without destruction of the natural resources. He estimates that the initial mining projects will generate 300 jobs and bring in $50-70 million on revenue from royalties and taxes.
Continue reading "Our Sweet Jamaica"
Monday, May 25. 2009
 What was tradition, is now taboo. What was once taboo is now tradition. It’s amazing how time can transform our views on issues and activities … such as reparation, tattooing and acupuncture. First up, we had Professor Barry Chevannes from the Committee on Reparations outline the history of reparations worldwide. Reparation can take many forms from a simple apology to monetary compensation. The current Committee is in infancy stage, so a policy on the issue has not yet been established, but Chevannes made his own views on the issue clear; Jamaica must establish “a relationship of dignity” with our former slave masters. There is sure to be spirited debate on what form, if any, repartitions should take.
Continue reading "Traditions and Taboos"
Thursday, May 14. 2009
Rise Life Management commissioned a study on the prevalence of gambling by children. The study revealed some disturbing results. Conducted by Hope Enterprises, the study exposed the fact that kids are betting on almost everything. Cards, Marbles, Bingo, Cash Pot, “Lastics” and Money F  ootball are among the most popular games that our children bet and lose real money on. Further, the children and many adults don’t really see some games as gambling. Programme Coordinator for Counseling Services with Rise Life Management, Richard Henry urged parents to take responsibility for the actions of children. Another important move that parents can do to protect children, is to secure adequate life insurance. As Eric Hosin, Senior VP Individual Life at Guardian Life explained, life insurance protects and can provide protection for your family from financial ruin if you pass away. Sobering information, but valuable nonetheless.
Continue reading "Gambling Their Lives Away"
Thursday, May 7. 2009
Executive Director of the Bureau of Women’s Affairs, Faith Webster certainly opened our eyes as a guest on the show. The Bureau has been working assiduously to educate women (and men) of their rights regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexual harassment, defined as unwanted or unwelcome sexual advance which can poison the work environment. New legislation is being considered to levy serious financial sanctions against both offenders and enablers.  Other serious topic we looked at was the national budget and the financial assistance afforded by the European Union (EU). Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni indicated that the EU is Jamaica’s largest trade partner and the EU has been supporting Jamaica with developmental and financial assistance for 33 years. Support is expected for many more years to come.
Continue reading "Sexual Harassment the Cultural Norm?"
Thursday, April 30. 2009
 These are the keys to entrepreneurial success according to Anthony Tjan. Named by the World Economic Forum as a Global Leader for Tomorrow, Tjan reeled off so many witty and insightful observations I was scrambling for my pen to take notes. Notable phrases included: willingness to accept rejection, value creation not value capture and collective intelligence. The entrepreneurial spirit need not be inspired, it can be inherited too. Christopher and Donahue Jarrett, sons of Terrence Jarrett founder of the Altamont Court Hotel are evidence of this. Two of four sons actively involved in the business, Christopher and Donahue have overseen the expansion of the brand into Montego Bay and have visions for further expansion across the island and even internationally. As nominees for the Observer Business Leader awards, we are sure their vision will become reality.
Continue reading "Smarts, Guts, Luck"
Thursday, April 23. 2009
 I would not say I am afraid of snakes, but they are not my best friends either. Nevertheless, I put on a brave face and big smile when I sat down with Snake Tamer Tammy Duperrouzel for our regular pet feature. Tammy’s pet boa constrictor and I got really ‘chummy’ on the set. I am just glad that the snake didn’t confuse me with a live white mouse, which is its meal of choice. Having a snake slither up my arm on live TV is hard to top, but with impending gas riots, we were happy to hear from the Hon. Andrew Holness on what precautions the government was taking to protect life and property following the reading of the budget. Of course, Mr. Holness has his own set of problems – angry teachers demanding retroactive pay and angry tax payers demanding accountability.
Continue reading "Facing Your Fears"
Thursday, April 16. 2009
 We may no longer have a female Prime Minister, but women still have a big role is society. We had a cadre of fascinating and engaging women on the show this morning and a few men too. Sonia Fuller juggles family and work with elegance and grace. It's debatable weather having her husband and children work at the office makes it easier or harder.
CEO/Dad Steadman, IT Guru/Daughter Shauna, Accountant/Son Junior and ofcourse Sonia joined us as part of our continuing series on Observer Business Leader Award nominees.
Continue reading "Facinating Women"
Thursday, April 9. 2009
I learned a lot on Smile Jamaica this morning, and the theme that stood out for me was, "take responsibility". Take responsibility for the care of our eyes, our community, our future, for our very lives.
Continue reading "Taking Responsibility"
Thursday, April 2. 2009
I was most impressed by the life and work of Guyanese fashion designer Donna Ramsammy. She was beautiful, confident and full of stories from a lifetime of worldwide travel. Each city she lived in or visited influenced her distinctive clothing designs, samples of which adorned three models also from Guyana on our set. The designer, her designs, and the models will give a full showcase at the Classic El Dorado event presented by Bishop Gibson High School poolside the Senior Common Room at UWI this Saturday at 5 PM.
Continue reading "Inspiration in Many Ways"
Saturday, March 14. 2009
 The Jamaica Mortgage Bank will host its third Housing
Development Seminar on March 18, 2009 at the Terra Nova Hotel. The Seminar,
being held under the theme “The Housing Development Process-From Concept to
Completion”, is targeted to developers, engineers, contractors, architects,
financiers, real estate brokers and other industry professionals.
Continue reading "Jamaica Mortgage Bank"
Friday, March 13. 2009
 Country Gold Cheese- Dairy Industries Limited has responded
to the need to provide affordable products with its introduction of Country
Gold Pasteurized Processed Cheese Product. Country Gold is available in cans
(2.2 kg and 1kg) for shelf stability and a 220g vacuum pack is being promoted
as the affordable solution for adding cheese to your meal with the following
benefits- low lactose, low cholesterol and low fat content.
Country Gold is priced at 20% below the leading processed
brand in the market and is being sampled at outlets across the island. Country
Gold is great with buns, breads, crackers and salads.
Friday, March 13. 2009
 For all the Bacchanal lovers, "Bacchanal Corner " is a must see on Fridays on Smile Ja. This Friday you got a preview of some of the costumes for the Bacchanal road march. Cathryn Chongsang from Western Sports also gave some great tips on selecting the proper footwear for carnival, specially when, 'you're chippin' dun di road on April 19.
Friday, March 13. 2009
 On March 23, the constituency of West Portland will go to the polls in a by election to select their new member of parliament. The People' National Party candidate Kenneth Rowe was our special guest on the programme this morning. He spoke of his plans for the constituency of West Portland. Be sure to watch Smile Ja., on Monday March 16, went Daryl Vaz, the candidate for the Jamaica Labour Party, will speak on his plans for the people of West Portland
Thursday, March 5. 2009
Olive struggled to hold back the tears as she shared her very personal and touching story of loss and pain. Her son, Ricardo, died a young man from a rare disease, vasculitis. In basic terms, vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels in the body, in real terms it is easy to misdiagnose, hard to treat and even harder to live with.
Continue reading "Making the best of the bad"
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