A Conversation Bruce Wayne Gillies producer/filmmaker of “Rude Boy” the Jamaican motion picture This week interview filmmaker Bruce Wayne Gillies who is using crowd funding to underwrite the production of “Rude Boy” a Jamaican motion picture. Rude Boy is the coming-of-age story of Winston Brown who navigates the shanty town gangs, recording studios and government yards. Winston pioneers ska music into reggae celebrating his Rastafarian transformation and reaching rock star status.
Book Review: Mariana Mariana is a short novel by Vjange Hazle, a Caribbean writer residing in the United States. This powerful first time novel tells the story of Mariana, a young Englishwoman who arrives in colonial Jamaica as the wife of the much older Fernando Sykes. She meets with resistance from a strange people she struggles to understand. Sam-Sam, her husband's driver, comes to her rescue and the passion is ignited.
Interview with Zenesha Zenny Riley, assistant Director & Producer of the Jamaican documentary “ Hit me with Music" This week we interview Nicetime Productions Limited Productions Manager and Assistant Director/Producer, Zenesha Zenny Riley about their documentary on “ Hit me with Music”. Nice Time is a film company committed to capturing and documenting in film and music significant cultural and sports achievements of Jamaicans. Here is our conversation with Zenesha.
Book Review - DanceHall: From Slave Ship to Ghetto DanceHall combines cultural geography, performance studies and cultural studies to examine performance culture across the Black Atlantic. Taking Jamaican dancehall music as its prime example, DanceHall reveals a complex web of cultural practices, politics, rituals, philosophies, and survival strategies that link Caribbean, African and African diasporic performance.
Next Stop, Jamaica - One corporate employee’s perspective on Lifestyle Design Don’t think of ways to escape your life; think of ways to enhance it. Seriously—have you ever considered the absurdity behind the idea of a “vacation”? Essentially, most of us have bought into the idea that being a “responsible adult” means letting go of longtime dreams, getting a “real job” (hello, cubicle nation!), and taking a few weeks off per year to laze about in a new city, trying to forget about what we do with vast majority of our time. But what’s the alternative? Be a beach bum, or worse yet move back home with your mom so you can mooch off of her, and get by in life with minimal effort?
Can I sell land in Jamaica using a common law title? I would like to sell some land in Jamaica that was passed from my grandmother to my mother and now to me. The title I have is a common law title in my grandmother's name, and both my grandmother and mother have died...
A conversation with Menelik Shabazz the creator, director and producer of the documentary film Lovers Rock This week we interview Menelik Shabazz the creator, director and producer of the documentary film Lovers Rock. The documentary tells the story of how Lovers Rock music defined a generation in the late 70s and 80s hugely impacting on British Pop Culture. The feature length documentary contains interviews, comedy sketches, dance, live performances and archive footage which are used to shed light on the music and the generation that embraced it. Here is our conversation with Menelik Shabazz.
Can Legal Wiz team help us get a title, if the lamp program didnt? My dad tried to get the title through the LAMP program, and it reached a point where it needs a survey done. He secured the services of a surveyor, but apparently was being swindled and terminated the agreement after lengthy delays.
Exposing Public Servants There is a growing wave of disrespect for decent, hard working citizens of America in this country by Public Servants. No one is quite sure how it started or where they got their "power" or "bravado" from, however, if anyone has had to deal with clerks, customer service representatives or anyone who provides a necessary service, this article will ring close to home.
Immigration: New Year and New Immigration Amnesty for 2012? Happy New Year to Everyone. With the start of 2012 everyone is concerned with the status of immigration laws. In 2011 we saw the enactment of some draconian and controversial immigration laws in Arizona, Georgia, and Alabama. We also saw increased activism for immigrants' rights. However, despite the efforts of immigrant activists we have yet to see comprehensive immigration reform from the federal government. So what will happen in 2012? The future of immigration reform is uncertain. However, what remains is that everyone must do everything they can do to maintain or obtain legal status and prepare for immigration reform/amnesty. In this month's article I will briefly address some immigration questions that are asked by prospective clients.
A Conversation wtih Yola Gray-Baker the Fashion designer and CEO of House of Flayva This week we interview Yola Gray-Baker the Fashion designer and CEO of House of Flayva. House of Flayva is known for their street life designs which, draws from Jamaican culture and the vibrant colors of the Caribbean. Here is our conversation with Yola.
Post Event Review - Ms. Jamaica Universe 2011, Shakira Martin, Toy Drive for children in Jamaica On Friday, December 2nd, 2011 I had the opportunity to sit with the reigning Ms. Jamaica Universe 2011, twenty-five year old Shakira Martin. The Jamaican-born Florida beauty was at the Grand Palms in Pembroke Pines, collecting items for her Toy Drive for children in Jamaica.
Can my dad get my dead granddad's Jamaican assets after 20 years? My grandfather has passed away over twenty (20) years ago. Can any Jamaican land/assets in my grandfather’s name be transferred to my father, who is the only child alive, even if there is no will?
The Jamaican 1% - CEO'S/Entrepreneurs/Tech Gurus ???? How has Jamaica become the land of Entrepreneurs/CEO'S yet almost 20% of the population live below the poverty line? Who are the 1% in Jamaica? Spend a few minutes surfing the net and you will soon see just how many Jamaicans are self appointed “CEO's and Entrepreneurs”. If we believed every title we'd be led to think we were reading a Zug phone book!
The Year 2011 in Jamaican Arts& Entertainment - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 Buju Banton, a popular reggae musician convicted on drug-related charges, continued to fight this conviction, filing an appeal in the United States. He was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm to further a drug-trafficking offense, and use of a telephone to facilitate a drug-trafficking offense.
Awards, Honors and Recognition in 2011 - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 Jamaica's Cabinet approved the acquisition of the birthplace of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the first national hero of the country. The property in St. Ann's Bay is scheduled for rehabilitation, said Laleta Davis Mattis, executive director of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.The 124th anniversary of Garvey's birth was celebrated at the site on August 17, 2011.
Diaspora Activities 2011 - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 A number of Caribbean and Jamaican films were introduced at the Caribbean Tales Toronto Film Festival in Canada, showcasing the area's considerable talent over ten days in September. The Jamaican film "Better Mus' Come" written and directed by Storm Saulter led off the prestigious Bahamas International Film Festival. Saulter's first feature film, it was the only Jamaican film at the festival and was called a "new benchmark" for the country's filmmaking. It focuses on the late 1970s in Jamaica and the "political tribalism" of the time.
Business and Finance in 2011 - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 At the beginning of 2011, Jamaican businesses had an optimistic view of the nation's economic growth, but consumers were more pessimistic about the state of the economy. In the business sector, optimism rose to its highest level since the third quarter of 2007, when the current government took office. During the last quarter of 2010, however, Jamaican consumers were more pessimistic than they were in the third quarter of the year. However, less than one in 20 citizens blamed the government for the poor state of the economy. In contrast, many business leaders felt the government was the reason for the economic downturn.
Education Issues 2011 - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 Dr. Christopher Tufton, Jamaica's Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, supports providing subsidies for vocational and tertiary education to areas with the greatest need. Government-subsidized education and training programs should be focused on the challenges facing the nation as a whole, rather than being perceived as a means for taxpayers to fund all areas of study, said Tufton.
Diplomacy and International Relations 2011 - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 A key incident from 2010 continued to make its impact felt diplomatically in 2011. The attempt of Jamaican soldiers to capture Christopher "Dudus" Coke, local gang leader wanted by the United States as he had been indicted on charges of operating an international drug ring, caused the deaths of 73 individuals in Tivoli Gardens on May 24, 2010.
Economy 2011 - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 The economy took center stage for much of 2011 as the entire world faced difficult economic conditions. In January, the Jamaica Stock Exchange was ready to introduce an electronic trading system that allows real-time simultaneous tracking of stocks on the exchanges of Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago. Investors in these regions will now be able to buy and sell equities directly, rather going through a settlement bank.
Sports 2011 - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 Although American Tyson Gay won the men's 100-meters in Clermont, running the fastest time in the world thus far in 2011, Jamaica's Nickel Ashmeade ran a personal best time of 9.96 seconds, compared to Gay, who ran the distance in 9.79....Jamaican, the three-time champion of the WICB Regionals, struggled with its batting in a match versus Windward Islands. The Jamaicans achieved 177 for six in the first innings in the second round match at Queen's Park stadium. Marlon Samuels led the visitors with 40, while Tamar Lambert, Jamaican captain, had 35. Later, the Jamaicans have been victorious in three of four regional first-class matches with the Windwards....
Obituaries for 2011 - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 The life of Mortimer "Tino" Geddes, a veteran journalist, was celebrated at Unity Jamaica Church in Kingston. Leonard Dillon, reggae music pioneer, died of cancer at age 68. Community activist and freedom fighter Dudley Laws died at age 76 after a long battle with kidney disease. Barry Llwellyn, the founder of the Jamaican reggae and rocksteady trio the Heptones, died at the age of 64 of unknown causes at Kingston Public Hospital.....See more Obituaries for 2011
Health Issues 2011 - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 The health and welfare of children in Jamaica was the focus of considerable concern in 2011. According to a 2011 survey from the National Health Council on Drug Abuse, high school students on the island are subject to suicidal thoughts, stress, and risk of being bullied. They drink alcohol and smoke tobacco and report feeling lonely. Many are overweight and unhealthy and do not feel that their parents understand their problems.
Government and Politics 2011 - Jamaica Year in Review 2011 In a year when a survey by Johnson Survey Research found that 60 percent of Jamaicans believed the nation would be in better shape today if it had remained under British rule, the resignation of Bruce Golding from his post as Prime Minister and the ascension of Andrew Holness, Minister of Education, to that position was the top story. And capping the story was the victory of the People's National Party (PNP) over the ruling Jamaica Labor Party in December, ousting Holness who had been considered a "shoo-in" and replacing him with Portia Simpson Miller.
The people spoke for Portia Hearty congratulations to that seasoned campaigner Portia Simpson Miller, President of the People’s National Party, and her triumphant team who reminded us that the PNP are master organisers. Commiserations to JLP President Andrew Holness and his hard-working team. Above all, commendations to us, the people, who conducted ourselves peacefully as we discharged our sovereign duty as electors last Thursday.
Interview with popular Jamaican Entertainer Christopher “Johnny” Daley Interview with popular Jamaican Entertainer Christopher “Johnny” Daley . The multi-talented entertainer does it all, film, television, radio, theatre and comedy. In 2010 Chris won Best Actor in a Lead Role winner at the 20th Actor Boy Awards in Jamaica.
Jamaica's Fiftieth Anniversary: Memorable Jamaican Moments Jamaica is the 3rd largest Caribbean Island, however, it is a country with tremendous potential and talent. Jamaicans are noted for excelling in all their endeavors; academically, in sports and entertainment. Many Jamaicans in history have aspired to enviable positions that most people dream about in a lifetime.
Can I have my name on a title, if original owner died over 20 years ago? The owner of the land I am acquiring now, has passed away for more than twenty years now. I have the original title here with me. How can I get my name on the title, if so.
Book Review: Sometimes There's A Winner A story of poverty, injustice and revenge in Jamaica, SOMETIMES THERE'S A WINNER tells the story of a poor black gardener, Byron Reid, and his sister Nadia, who work for a wealthy white Lebanese-Jamaican family in Kingston. Byron Reid surpasses his work ambitions and achieves success in a variety of jobs with Abraham Faroud, and is driven to bankruptcy by his employer's son Fabian who exploits Nadia's innocence and vulnerability when she worked as a servant in the Faroud home.
Should I pay the total rent for the Jamaican property, if he made the other tenants leave? I recently rented premises along with another tenant. The landlord’s agent insisted that he met with and rented the persons directly. That agent, since caused the other tenant not to move in, although he still held the tenant’s paid monies. Now that relative wants me to pay more money.
A Conversation with Caribbean Beta PitchFEST winner, Dmitri Dawkins This week we speak with Dmitri Dawkins the winner of PitchFest the Startup Contest at Caribbean BETA, which was recently held in Kingston, Jamaica. Caribbean Beta was the first of its kind Tech Entrepreneurship Conference that brought together the smartest Caribbean minds in a single event to connect to each other, learn from region & global experts, hear success stories and pitch their ideas in a Startup contest called PitchFEst. Dmitri Dawkins pitched his idea and won the PitchFEST.
Who do I complain against a Jamaican Attorney to? Are you having issues with a Jamaican attorney? A reader writes in for information on how to complain against a Jamaican attorney.
Immigration: The ABCS of the U Visa Congress created the “U” non-immigrant classification, known as the U-visa, as part of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000. The U-visa protects crime victims from deportation and strengthens the ability of law enforcement agencies to detect, investigate, prosecute, and solve cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and other crimes.
