Hip Hops's famous DJ Kool Herc  is Jamaican-born Clive Campbell who teased the audience at Coalition for the Preservation of Reggae Music's (CPR) www.cprreggae.org forum entitled, "Impact of Reggae on Urban Music in USA" earlier tonight in Manhattan.   The forum was ably hosted by Sharon Gordon and Carlyle McKetty.

Joining me at this forum is a new writer to the Jamaicans.com website, Kali.

Kali:

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The season of spring in NY always have a few surprises.  You soooo look forward to the season all winter.  It comes and then ooh NO! Allergies!  The flowers are pretty but for a whole lot of us it is bitter-sweet.  You want to enjoy the hike in temperature, the fact that you can now walk with a much lighter jacket....well not me really...because I tend to wear my heavy winter coat until June.  Yeah, I'm ususally laughed at to scorn by family members....but then whent the temps drop in the evening I continue to smile while their scorn turn to twisted, scringed up faces as the wind blows across their scantily clad bodies.

The last few days were, however, like summer....hot....one day even went straight into 90 degrees..... and what a Memorial W/end?!!! If ever  - it was hot for three days straight.  The beach was on for most, the cook-outs, picnics, bab-b-q's etc.  It was all fun in the sun!  I enjoyed one day as I took the trek across to Staten Island via the ferry.....I always love looking at the Statue of Liberty especially for free :-)....and well, the water is soothing to the soul.

After waaay toooo many inches of snow to count, winter weary New Yorkers so need their souls to be soothed!

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I would like to see  Usher again in far more comfortable circumstances oder dan de mudfes  which Sumfest turned out to be.  My gosh I remember de muds at Sunsplash at Jarrett Park back in de days but a tink dis took de cake.. de mudcake first prize dat is....plus becz I was going to VIP - yeah I didn't do media acc this year... I was not in sneakers and boots....but was prepared to fork out de money fi Usher and  by den de rains was on and de outfit set up inna my mind as to what to wear..... but even wid dat... as my ole boss of Video Music Box, Ralph McDaniels used to say - it's all good - mud n all!

Ooooh My God, what a performance?!!!
 
De young people dem went craaaaazeeee! Girls aaaand boys.  I heard men - I mean grownass-men singing word fi word!  My little cousin well not so little...all of 25 n her friend went with me... she says Usher is her future babyfather :-)  .... my girl tall n find her way to the top a de VIP 'gainst de fence.... mi give her props for behaving like me :-)
 
Usher performed for 1 /12 hours nonstop - dancing, gyrating, simulating de humping movements face-to-face wid de stage floor hips and buttocks moving in unison wid de beats  ....singing,  WOW, singing -- every precise dance move and twist of head and shoulders carried a swish and a Dunns River Falls of sweat ---by the time he got to My Beau.... I too, old as I am was Caught UP!!!  My Beau, teaching Fellows/Jackie Rob H/way driving de border of Queens into Bklyn  was all in my head as in 2004 I used to play it every morning on my way to school :-) and in the evenings again.  He brought on DJ's Movado, Elephant Man and Chris Brown - not my fave... de place was palpable wid de excitement.  A matronly-looking female tourist said to me, "I'm an old lady and this is great".  I saw her with two younger girls and asked if they were her children.  She said one and the other her niece.  Many parents had brought their teenage youngsters with them for Usher.  One little young lady said to me, " you don't understand, you don't understand I looooove him, I know everything about him".  I was very happy for them and they will not be forgetting this Usher performance for the rest of their lives.

His female dancers  just added to his show --- and when he got into his last song...Oh My Gosh/oh my God...whatever....de place thumped wid de screams for close to 5 mins...while he changed....people were just screaming de beat just happy knowing he was changing waiting to see what he would look like.....and Ooooh bwoy he did not disappoint when he came back on that last number - in a black outfit looking like a sexy black Zorro wid a patch across de eye....wid red accessories....and de lighting!!!

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I have been attending this event now for 5 years.  It was the Reebok Grand Prix and now named Adidas Grand Prix because Reebok was bought by Adidas.  Upon arrival on the media bus and disembarking at the entrance of Icahn Stadium a little after 2pm the usual excitement that I had gotten used to was MISSING! 
People were just strolling in as if attending a Sunday evening event.

I saw quite a few folks trying to offload their tickets.

I got myself situated in the media tent and went for a stroll myself.  I saw quite a few persons I know from Alpha, Jampact, other media colleagues and even one of the teachers from my school.

I have learnt from another reliable source that Bolt will be appearing.

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Right after Penn Relays where the over 50,000 strong were apparently there just to see the fastest man on earth run the buzz was on for Adidas Grand Prix.  Bolt was confirmed!  Tickets on the homestretch finish line at Icahn Stadium were hard to come by.   The press launch was held in Manhattan and everything was set to go.

Then, we all got the sad news.  Bolt was injured the anouncement went.  He would not be able to make this IAAF Diamond League event in NYC, afterall.  The buzz disappeared, the temperature dropped and folks were no longer interested in getting tickets.  Many started offloading those they had purchased.

By now the event is sold out.  Sold out off the back of Bolt's appearance.

Some reminded many of us that the last time the top Chinese hurdler, Liu Xiang, could not run he still came out on to the track and waved to the crowd.

Many of us are hoping that Bolt will do the same.  I understand up to last night from a reliable international sport media person that he is, in fact, in town.  Will he appear just to appease his adoring fans?

Does Adidas owe us that much?

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When you live in northern climes one can feel as if you're in a time warp.  Today is a quiet holiday in Jamaica.  Quiet too and probably a good portion of its citizens sleeping in Trinidad after its annual carnival.  Well the groundhog didn't see its shadow so we should spring eternal come March 21st.

But even Fla is feeling a chill of its own and WOW! who really wants to be in the Capitol right now.....for the past 2 weeks its been whiter than white.... and closed down for government business for close to one week....superpower or what -- not!... but white all around.. is that a sign to Obama bringing his Chicago chill and colour to the Washington, DC landscape?

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Our Independence Float Parade can arguably be compared to carnival but pretty much that's where it ends.

 The palpable excitement of our children could be felt by everyone especially the adults at Ranny Williams Center.  That's what our Independence Foat Parade is all about.  The children!  What a treat for these youngsters to rehearse for so many weeks and to finally participate on the big day of our Independence Celebrations.  Memories that can never be replicated or duplicated of walking from Mas Ran Center and to later enter our National Stadium amongst the glitz and glamour of our black, green and yellow backdrop!!!!

On leaving Mas Ran Center we drove over to Half-Way-Tree Road as the float wend its way paststhe JIS office.  Fittingly, songs booming into the early afternoon sunny day was Damian Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock" and followed by Buju Banton's driven and popular, "Driver, Don't Stop At All"!!

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When you put into perspective that we are only 47 years old, not even half a century and we look at our high expectations for ourselves and in some very real important areas we fall short? - but then there are so many things to be thankful for, to be grateful for, to acknowledge how blessed indeed we are.

The invitation by the JTB to be a part of this Independence press trip has been fun, fortuituous, educational, with lots of awe, wonderment and reflections.  With our wonderful host Lyndon from the NY office and 5 fulltime journalists we have bonded and shared similiar experiences as each day goes by and nuff respect to our ever-attentive driver, Steve.

On Tuesday, we started off with a guided tour of the Spanish Court by Charlotte.  Something must be said about this hotel - it does indeed feel like  a home... the ever-smiling staff, my waiter in the morning is so good and attentive to all my tea, coffee, water and juice needs.'s

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