Ok, so I don't normally click on random things on website. However this time around, YouTube won. I can't beatbox, but I saw this video as one of the first listed for some sort of wildcard. Since I'm easily distracted by methods that turn a person into a human sound machine--I had to take a quick look. This kids is AMAZING! At least I stopped there as I'm sure I could have lost countless hours looking at these sorts of videos.
----Ok, I was wrong....I got sucked back in....a bit of beatbox and of course continuing on the human sound machine, an amazing ventriloquist--Jeff Dunham
and if I got on a puppet kick, just can't close out without a bit of Terry Fator--ventriloquist, singer, impersonator....all-in-one!
[for the record, I really don't get into those reality shows...but come on--it's Terry Fator!]
Stay happy and well
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
24 April 2009
23 April 2009
On the notes of another
Well, there has been some recent Peace Corps activity in the news of late....let me share just a bit.
[Note for other PCVs, Kim & Geoff have been posting on this also--repeat info]
A world of needs, a dwindling Peace Corps
There is a mention of our Caribbean post on the article--a brief note of one wondering why we serve here. There are mixed reviews on this and I've read a few, but I will keep my mouth shut on this one.
More older Americans signing on to volunteer abroad
Apparently there has been a wave of 50+ year old applicants for volunteering from the US to go abroard. I have the distinct pleasure of meeting a few of them in our group of PCEC78 and the wonderful experience of working with on of them here on SVG.
Here's a pic of our friend George on St. Kitts
Here's a song that has been IMMENSELY popular here on the islands. Never saw the video until I was reading Kim/Geoff's blog and thought it was apt to keep it going for others to pass it on. Give yourself the few minutes, it's worth it.
and of course, the boring and dry stuff for last--unless you are twisted like me and enjoy reading mounds of legal jargon....well, I'd post links from the Library of Congress, but their site is saying something about current errors sending temporary files....maybe later.
Keep on the look out for Peace Corps to hopefully get a boost from Congress:
H.R.1388
Title: A bill entitled "The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, an Act to reauthorize and reform the national service laws."
Sponsor: Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4] (introduced 3/9/2009) Cosponsors (37)
Related Bills: H.RES.250, H.RES.296, S.277
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-13 [GPO: Text, PDF]
House Reports: 111-37
Stay happy and well
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
[Note for other PCVs, Kim & Geoff have been posting on this also--repeat info]
A world of needs, a dwindling Peace Corps
There is a mention of our Caribbean post on the article--a brief note of one wondering why we serve here. There are mixed reviews on this and I've read a few, but I will keep my mouth shut on this one.
More older Americans signing on to volunteer abroad
Apparently there has been a wave of 50+ year old applicants for volunteering from the US to go abroard. I have the distinct pleasure of meeting a few of them in our group of PCEC78 and the wonderful experience of working with on of them here on SVG.
Here's a pic of our friend George on St. Kitts
Here's a song that has been IMMENSELY popular here on the islands. Never saw the video until I was reading Kim/Geoff's blog and thought it was apt to keep it going for others to pass it on. Give yourself the few minutes, it's worth it.
and of course, the boring and dry stuff for last--unless you are twisted like me and enjoy reading mounds of legal jargon....well, I'd post links from the Library of Congress, but their site is saying something about current errors sending temporary files....maybe later.
Keep on the look out for Peace Corps to hopefully get a boost from Congress:
H.R.1388
Title: A bill entitled "The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, an Act to reauthorize and reform the national service laws."
Sponsor: Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4] (introduced 3/9/2009) Cosponsors (37)
Related Bills: H.RES.250, H.RES.296, S.277
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-13 [GPO: Text, PDF]
House Reports: 111-37
Stay happy and well
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
19 April 2009
Gospel Fest in Chateau
There seems to be something to celebrate or be aware of every month; actually there seems to be many themes each month. Previously I mentioned that is was child abuse awareness & prevention month. It also happens to be the month of Gospel Fest. Every weekend at sites across SVG, there are shows, concerts, and all sorts of other activities sponsored by faith-based organizations.
From what I've gotten to learn, there are festivals that take place in each of the zones (geographic areas that divide up SVG). At each zonal fest, people compete in a variety of categories such as solo, duet, and group singing, musical instrument performance, drama, and dance. Every performance is judged and given certificates of participation. Those that score well on their performance are given medals--based only by their own performance and not competing with other groups. Top performers will be gathered at the end of the month for a Gospel Fest rally in Victoria Park (one of the sports stadiums) in Kingstown.
We had our zonal festival last night and I got to tag along with a youth church group--Super Kids--and several other supporters from Spring Village. We gathered at the Chateau Primary School and joined up with many other churches. Of course, things started on 'West Indies time' and lasted later than expected. Instead of 1030, we clocked out after midnight.
Many of the performances were rather good and since I don't normally attend recitals or other social gatherings like this--for me it was as if somebody spliced American Idol with a church revival service. Either way, I had a good time and I think those that know me from the village where happy to have me along. I saw a couple people with cameras, but not many--so I also willingly offered to be the group photographer. I think they'll like having copies of their pictures. I took a few videos of the performances from Spring Village people--but sadly my video quality capabilities are not very good on my camera.
Here are clips from what I took and the videos:
(full photo album on facebook Part 1 and Part 2)
Hum....3 judge panel setup look familiar? Well there were certainly no Simon's that night.
Miss Simone, who is also one of our reading tutors.
Teacher Pat, another of our reading tutors--waiting for her song to start, a duet with Simone
Some of the Super Kids
lol, not sure why....but I think the pic above turned out cool. I might crop it a bit later to remove the extra face.
The crowd swells
The Super Kids Choir, as led by Mrs. Campbell--who is also the 6th grade teacher at our local primary school.
Ok, so I had to be in 1 photo...lol, boy am I shiny--can't even tell I'm tan.
Super Kids Dancing
Nini got a silver for her performance
Simone and Teacher Pat got silvers for their performances
The Super Kids got a gold for their choir song. Teacher Pats daughter accepted the award.
The Super Kids got a gold for their dance performance as well--blitzing the stage and going NUTS!
And here are the videos I took...could be better, but not bad.
Keep in mind this is for Gospel Fest, so you're prepped for the genre.
Nini belts out the praise
Simone's solo performance
Teacher Pat and Simone's Silver Duet
Super Kids Choir Performance
Ok, so while this kid is not from Spring Village--I actually don't know who he is at all--did a dramatic (gold winning) performance of a preacher in sermon. AND HE WAS AMAZING! The spitting image of many that I've seen here and back home. Although this clip is not quite 4 1/2 minutes, it is only a part of what he did...must have been around 10 minutes, which is LOTS for a little guy.
The final performance of the night was the dance show from the Super Kids and it was really well done! They worked hard and earned that gold! Kudos to them.
So while that was a really good time, I think my 4gb flash drive with all sort of PC docs and paperwork fell out of my pocket last night....I can't seem to find it today and it is driving me NUTS. >.< boo. Life in balance.
Stay well and happy
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
From what I've gotten to learn, there are festivals that take place in each of the zones (geographic areas that divide up SVG). At each zonal fest, people compete in a variety of categories such as solo, duet, and group singing, musical instrument performance, drama, and dance. Every performance is judged and given certificates of participation. Those that score well on their performance are given medals--based only by their own performance and not competing with other groups. Top performers will be gathered at the end of the month for a Gospel Fest rally in Victoria Park (one of the sports stadiums) in Kingstown.
We had our zonal festival last night and I got to tag along with a youth church group--Super Kids--and several other supporters from Spring Village. We gathered at the Chateau Primary School and joined up with many other churches. Of course, things started on 'West Indies time' and lasted later than expected. Instead of 1030, we clocked out after midnight.
Many of the performances were rather good and since I don't normally attend recitals or other social gatherings like this--for me it was as if somebody spliced American Idol with a church revival service. Either way, I had a good time and I think those that know me from the village where happy to have me along. I saw a couple people with cameras, but not many--so I also willingly offered to be the group photographer. I think they'll like having copies of their pictures. I took a few videos of the performances from Spring Village people--but sadly my video quality capabilities are not very good on my camera.
Here are clips from what I took and the videos:
(full photo album on facebook Part 1 and Part 2)
Hum....3 judge panel setup look familiar? Well there were certainly no Simon's that night.
Miss Simone, who is also one of our reading tutors.
Teacher Pat, another of our reading tutors--waiting for her song to start, a duet with Simone
Some of the Super Kids
lol, not sure why....but I think the pic above turned out cool. I might crop it a bit later to remove the extra face.
The crowd swells
The Super Kids Choir, as led by Mrs. Campbell--who is also the 6th grade teacher at our local primary school.
Ok, so I had to be in 1 photo...lol, boy am I shiny--can't even tell I'm tan.
Super Kids Dancing
Nini got a silver for her performance
Simone and Teacher Pat got silvers for their performances
The Super Kids got a gold for their choir song. Teacher Pats daughter accepted the award.
The Super Kids got a gold for their dance performance as well--blitzing the stage and going NUTS!
And here are the videos I took...could be better, but not bad.
Keep in mind this is for Gospel Fest, so you're prepped for the genre.
Nini belts out the praise
Simone's solo performance
Teacher Pat and Simone's Silver Duet
Super Kids Choir Performance
Ok, so while this kid is not from Spring Village--I actually don't know who he is at all--did a dramatic (gold winning) performance of a preacher in sermon. AND HE WAS AMAZING! The spitting image of many that I've seen here and back home. Although this clip is not quite 4 1/2 minutes, it is only a part of what he did...must have been around 10 minutes, which is LOTS for a little guy.
The final performance of the night was the dance show from the Super Kids and it was really well done! They worked hard and earned that gold! Kudos to them.
So while that was a really good time, I think my 4gb flash drive with all sort of PC docs and paperwork fell out of my pocket last night....I can't seem to find it today and it is driving me NUTS. >.< boo. Life in balance.
Stay well and happy
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
16 April 2009
Easter Monday at Owia Salt Ponds
This past Easter Monday was a public holiday here in SVG. Now maybe I just worked too much back home--but I don't remember having an extra day for Easter back home. Here everything shuts down; people pack up for cookouts; and everyone goes off to some relaxing spot.
Many Vincies with transportation will head to pastures far from them. The leeward folks go 'country' out to the windward side and vice versa. The folks from 'town' (Kingstown) will go up either direction. Of course, the far north of both leeward and windward are were all the best 'touristy' spots are at. Our crew ventured from our turf in north leeward and traveled a few hours (2.5ish?) around the mainland to the far Owia Salt Ponds. Owia is very far north--much more so than the leeward side goes and is nearly at the northern tip of the island. We had to go all the way around, because SVG is one (if perhaps the only) Eastern Caribbean island/mainland that does not have a circular/main ring road.
We left early, shooting for 730 and with the typical delays got out of Spring maybe about 830 or so and arrived in Owia around 11am. The place was already filling in nicely with people from all over. Several football and cricket games were played in what small patches the park provided. We, like a few others, found a little niche off the sidewalk trail and set up our cook. The typical Vincy one-pot was on the menu--with the first batch being a callalou soup and second some form of meat soup. Neither caters to this lone vegetarian and so I 'walked' (local expression for bring something with you) with my lunch, a tasty batch of basil rice and chunks.
The entire Owia Salt Ponds has been targeted for the National Tourism Project, which is performing upgrades & improvements on chosen sites across SVG. The Owia Salt Ponds was still under construction, but the upper park area seemed complete with a circular park & walkway and several gazebos inside the grassed middle. New cement steps, semi-steep, go down from the park area and take you down to the salt ponds at ocean level.
The salt ponds themselves seemed to be formed from the large rocks that have settled along the beachfront, creating a wall-like effect. Here the sea tides seem strong and when they reach certain heights, splash water over small rock outcrops and keep the ponds full. Small ponds chain link themselves in a patchwork along the beachfront. Small fish and other creatures can be easily seen in these ponds and one must be wary of the random congo snake (not poisonous, but I hear the bite is rather painful) or sea egg (local name for the spiny sea urchins).
I suppose this place is popular to begin with, but since it was a public holiday--the salt ponds was bursting with attention with kids jumping off rocks and diving for glass bottles they would fill and drop to the bottom. In other areas they simply splashed in the shallows or relaxed on the rocks. I bounced around snapping pictures of all sorts of little fish and trying to climb around some very sharp rocks on the far beach edge in order to get a fleeting moment of the large waves coming up to pound the rocks. The leeward side tends to have very call waters compared to the windward side. At one point I miscalculated how high the wave would hit and got half-drenched. Luckily, I managed to partially cover myself behind a rock and shield the camera.
Back down at the main pond area, I eventually got into the water. It took me a bit--I didn't seem as brave as the general public around me. Something about seeing a mass of sea urchins clinging to the upper edges of the rocks.....right where I would be grabbing to pull myself in and out of the deeper waters....seemed to dissuade my interests of jumping in. After a bit of coaching, I jumped in and was told that I would just have to swim around the the farther shallows to get in and out. ug...that meant navigating the youth. Oh well, should expect a total get-away on a holiday. ^_^
The picture above I ended up keeping because I thought it sadly humorous that I should set the camera down with the timer set and as I rush across slick rock--I should slide a foot right through a puddle and have the camera catch my colorful expression as I realized I had a wet shoe.
I hung out with the others back at our little squat spot for a good part of the day and as evening fell we all worked our way up to a dance party going on. If I had thought it was crowded during the day, I was sadly mistaken when viewing the masses drawn for the evening festivities. A few of us even managed to get inside a decently-sized building where the dj was playing and I must admit that sardines would be extremely comfortable in that place with room to stretch. Some guy tried to lift my wallet, but I politely took his hand (already in my pocket) and pulled it away empty. Funny, the guy started reacting as I grabbed him and that he didn't do anything wrong. The scene ended at that. The few of us in then squeezed out as it was simply too crazy to have a good time. The group stood around and limed for a bit longer and finally embarked on the long ride home. Of course that was after the traditional wait for the couple missing stragglers who don't like to answer their phones when the group tries to locate them.
Stay happy and well
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
Many Vincies with transportation will head to pastures far from them. The leeward folks go 'country' out to the windward side and vice versa. The folks from 'town' (Kingstown) will go up either direction. Of course, the far north of both leeward and windward are were all the best 'touristy' spots are at. Our crew ventured from our turf in north leeward and traveled a few hours (2.5ish?) around the mainland to the far Owia Salt Ponds. Owia is very far north--much more so than the leeward side goes and is nearly at the northern tip of the island. We had to go all the way around, because SVG is one (if perhaps the only) Eastern Caribbean island/mainland that does not have a circular/main ring road.
We left early, shooting for 730 and with the typical delays got out of Spring maybe about 830 or so and arrived in Owia around 11am. The place was already filling in nicely with people from all over. Several football and cricket games were played in what small patches the park provided. We, like a few others, found a little niche off the sidewalk trail and set up our cook. The typical Vincy one-pot was on the menu--with the first batch being a callalou soup and second some form of meat soup. Neither caters to this lone vegetarian and so I 'walked' (local expression for bring something with you) with my lunch, a tasty batch of basil rice and chunks.
The entire Owia Salt Ponds has been targeted for the National Tourism Project, which is performing upgrades & improvements on chosen sites across SVG. The Owia Salt Ponds was still under construction, but the upper park area seemed complete with a circular park & walkway and several gazebos inside the grassed middle. New cement steps, semi-steep, go down from the park area and take you down to the salt ponds at ocean level.
The salt ponds themselves seemed to be formed from the large rocks that have settled along the beachfront, creating a wall-like effect. Here the sea tides seem strong and when they reach certain heights, splash water over small rock outcrops and keep the ponds full. Small ponds chain link themselves in a patchwork along the beachfront. Small fish and other creatures can be easily seen in these ponds and one must be wary of the random congo snake (not poisonous, but I hear the bite is rather painful) or sea egg (local name for the spiny sea urchins).
I suppose this place is popular to begin with, but since it was a public holiday--the salt ponds was bursting with attention with kids jumping off rocks and diving for glass bottles they would fill and drop to the bottom. In other areas they simply splashed in the shallows or relaxed on the rocks. I bounced around snapping pictures of all sorts of little fish and trying to climb around some very sharp rocks on the far beach edge in order to get a fleeting moment of the large waves coming up to pound the rocks. The leeward side tends to have very call waters compared to the windward side. At one point I miscalculated how high the wave would hit and got half-drenched. Luckily, I managed to partially cover myself behind a rock and shield the camera.
Back down at the main pond area, I eventually got into the water. It took me a bit--I didn't seem as brave as the general public around me. Something about seeing a mass of sea urchins clinging to the upper edges of the rocks.....right where I would be grabbing to pull myself in and out of the deeper waters....seemed to dissuade my interests of jumping in. After a bit of coaching, I jumped in and was told that I would just have to swim around the the farther shallows to get in and out. ug...that meant navigating the youth. Oh well, should expect a total get-away on a holiday. ^_^
The picture above I ended up keeping because I thought it sadly humorous that I should set the camera down with the timer set and as I rush across slick rock--I should slide a foot right through a puddle and have the camera catch my colorful expression as I realized I had a wet shoe.
I hung out with the others back at our little squat spot for a good part of the day and as evening fell we all worked our way up to a dance party going on. If I had thought it was crowded during the day, I was sadly mistaken when viewing the masses drawn for the evening festivities. A few of us even managed to get inside a decently-sized building where the dj was playing and I must admit that sardines would be extremely comfortable in that place with room to stretch. Some guy tried to lift my wallet, but I politely took his hand (already in my pocket) and pulled it away empty. Funny, the guy started reacting as I grabbed him and that he didn't do anything wrong. The scene ended at that. The few of us in then squeezed out as it was simply too crazy to have a good time. The group stood around and limed for a bit longer and finally embarked on the long ride home. Of course that was after the traditional wait for the couple missing stragglers who don't like to answer their phones when the group tries to locate them.
Stay happy and well
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
14 April 2009
More Spring drumming!
As you might know, I've been working to help get a drumming group off the ground here. It is slowly coming along and I've had to do nearly all the start-up work myself. I've got a bunch of kids that love to drum, which is a great thing. Haven't been able to really attract the older secondary school kids or adults. It's a shame, because there are several adults who know how to play the hand drums, but don't seem to want to participate.
Our little group now has 3 djembe drums, a dun-dun, and a few other small instruments--like an old car part as a steel wheel. I hope to experiment and figure out how to make bamboo flutes and xylophones. The idea from those came after seeing some in town, but failing to garner the support to teach the kids how it was made. I'm also hoping to figure out how to transform used cans--mostly vegetable & V8--into single note steel pan drums. So far I'm 0 for 4, I keep breaking them. >.<
We've been able to get the instructional support from a person by the name of Selly from the village of Rose Hall. He is an amazing person and drummer. He lives and breathes community support and activity. The only drawback remains his free time schedule--as he is always busy. We've been practicing late on Saturdays, set for 7pm but often starting later, as that is when he can come. However, the community center where we practice is starting to have other meetings there (often ones I need to attend) and the carrying-sound of the drums are often deafening for those meetings. So we need to find a new night...
Selly and I planned a moonlight drum event that kicked off well this past Saturday night. Of course both he and the moon arrived late, but it went over very well with the community. He was supposed to have his Rose Hall Drummers start at 8pm, but they didn't arrive until 9pm. ECHO, the name of the Spring Group, entertained a few people from 730 till 9 and then after while Selly made other preparations. His group drummed for awhile, perhaps 1030 or so. He was also supposed to bring some dancers to teach Spring people how to do the Quadrille dance--but they were unable to come. That didn't stop him from putting on a little dance show for everyone on his own. ^_^ I also had prepared a long piece of bamboo that Selly affixed with 12 colored ribbons. We closed up the event by trying to teach Spring people how to braid the maypole--a big cultural thing here (probably from the British-origin heritage I think). There were many laughs all around. The whole purpose of the event was to promote the drum and dance activities in Spring Village and hopefully bring out a few older youth/adults. Having the younger kids is fine, but I need to older ones to help teach how to run a community group and do the in-house stuff like set up a CBO bank account. I have to thank the SVG Youth Affairs Department for funding the event--they provided the funds to pay for the Rose Hall Drummers transportation and snacks.
Here are many pic from the event--some are fuzzy as I've been letting a kid (Mixalot) try his hand with my camera, but he hasn't really learned about focus or flash yet. Some of the pics are from Friday night in our little meeting room/workshop and the others are from the Saturday night drum event. All pics can be found on my Facebook album
Below are a few videos of us having fun doing some drumming on our 'off-night'.
You'll probably want to make sure the Heather Small-Proud song is not playing at the bottom of the page.
Stay happy and well
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
Our little group now has 3 djembe drums, a dun-dun, and a few other small instruments--like an old car part as a steel wheel. I hope to experiment and figure out how to make bamboo flutes and xylophones. The idea from those came after seeing some in town, but failing to garner the support to teach the kids how it was made. I'm also hoping to figure out how to transform used cans--mostly vegetable & V8--into single note steel pan drums. So far I'm 0 for 4, I keep breaking them. >.<
We've been able to get the instructional support from a person by the name of Selly from the village of Rose Hall. He is an amazing person and drummer. He lives and breathes community support and activity. The only drawback remains his free time schedule--as he is always busy. We've been practicing late on Saturdays, set for 7pm but often starting later, as that is when he can come. However, the community center where we practice is starting to have other meetings there (often ones I need to attend) and the carrying-sound of the drums are often deafening for those meetings. So we need to find a new night...
Selly and I planned a moonlight drum event that kicked off well this past Saturday night. Of course both he and the moon arrived late, but it went over very well with the community. He was supposed to have his Rose Hall Drummers start at 8pm, but they didn't arrive until 9pm. ECHO, the name of the Spring Group, entertained a few people from 730 till 9 and then after while Selly made other preparations. His group drummed for awhile, perhaps 1030 or so. He was also supposed to bring some dancers to teach Spring people how to do the Quadrille dance--but they were unable to come. That didn't stop him from putting on a little dance show for everyone on his own. ^_^ I also had prepared a long piece of bamboo that Selly affixed with 12 colored ribbons. We closed up the event by trying to teach Spring people how to braid the maypole--a big cultural thing here (probably from the British-origin heritage I think). There were many laughs all around. The whole purpose of the event was to promote the drum and dance activities in Spring Village and hopefully bring out a few older youth/adults. Having the younger kids is fine, but I need to older ones to help teach how to run a community group and do the in-house stuff like set up a CBO bank account. I have to thank the SVG Youth Affairs Department for funding the event--they provided the funds to pay for the Rose Hall Drummers transportation and snacks.
Here are many pic from the event--some are fuzzy as I've been letting a kid (Mixalot) try his hand with my camera, but he hasn't really learned about focus or flash yet. Some of the pics are from Friday night in our little meeting room/workshop and the others are from the Saturday night drum event. All pics can be found on my Facebook album
Below are a few videos of us having fun doing some drumming on our 'off-night'.
You'll probably want to make sure the Heather Small-Proud song is not playing at the bottom of the page.
Stay happy and well
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
In Vincy news headlines
Just thought I'd toss up a few more things going on here in the Vincentian islands.... These are mostly core topics from the 3 papers I read each week: The Vincentian, The News, and Searchlight.
Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) is our only hospital here on SVG. It is next to a gas station and has been for years. However the current administrator is now calling the close proximity a health and safety hazard. He says one of them needs to be relocated.
Newspapers here are talking quite a bit about the upcoming Summit of the Americas coming to Trinidad & Tobago this coming weekend. SVG is a close ally with Cuba and there is much discussion about trying to bring Cuba back into the mainstream and trying to persuade the US to remove the embargo.
SVG is officially in the dry season for some time now. We don't have the traditional 4 seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter like back home. We have Wet and Dry; it still rains, but not nearly as much. It is dry enough to have bushfires. There have been a few and there are many advertisements and articles about good practices and how to avoid starting bushfires. This week's Searchlight even featured an article to remind people that starting a bushfire (as a way to hunt iguana or get rid of snakes) or poisoning a river (to catch fish) can earn you 6 months in jail.
This month holds Gospel Fest. It is an entire month of programs that move around the country--songs, dance, drama, etc. The events are mostly on the weekends and promote Christian values and praise. They tend to be a rather sizable events. [Don't think I'll be planning to attend any as of yet.]
[Continuing on the religious note:]
There was an opinion article in this week's Vincentian paper discussing the one true religion, part 1 of a series. It seems to be an attempt to reach out to the various Christian faiths and tell them that there is only one true form of Christianity and that there should not be splinter factions with varies interpretations and teachings. Interestingly enough, the article does not provide an opinion as to which faith within Christianity is the 'right' one--at least not yet.
SVG is in the process of building an international airport. For now, most of our international traffic is bounced in from St Lucia, Trinidad, Barbados, or Puerto Rico. The airport is not expected to be finished until 2012 [times listed vary]. Depending on who you talk to (professionally, politically, or otherwise), you will hear drastic differences on if the airport is a good idea or not and to what degree. There is a massive concern over the financial borrowing and operations for the construction. Recent news discusses how a 'final master plan' was not a true final nor master plan after all... There are also articles that mention the acquisition of more lands to plan for future expansion opportunities that were not previously part of the plan--again causing for debate. [Time will tell on this one. Sadly, I won't be able to fly out of it once my PC service closes.]
This month marks the 30th anniversary of the volcano's, Mt. Soufriere, eruption--13 April 1979. Previously it erupted in 1902. Several articles have been released to review what life was like during those times and how science & technology have better equipped the nation to forecast and prepare for future eruptions. [The Peace Corps does have an emergency plan for volcanic eruptions.]
Vincentians tend to be very good at making handicraft. 4 handicraft artisan entrepreneurs, sponsored with the Center for Enterprise Development (CED), were able to attend the 6th Caribbean Arts and Crafts Festival. Vincentians also made a presence at the 11th Annual Miami Fashion Week. SVG is not a textile nation by any means, but there seems to be a growing interest in the fashion design industry.
A political party, the SVG Green Party, was refused permission to hold a march and rally to voice support for the election of President Obama. [Perhaps a bit late in my opinion for such a rally.] According to the article in the Vincentian, "refusal of permission as being an act to appease Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran and goes on to declare that it seems the ULP regime [current government party] is putting the people of Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran before the people of SVG."
This month is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. There was an article published in The News that I thought I'd copy here:
For those that did not know, buggery (a term interchangeable with sodomy) is against the law here. While this does not affect most persons--it is an act commonly associated with the male homosexuals. An article in The News covers an opinion from the Minister of Health--Dr. Douglas Slater--about decriminalizing homosexuality during talks about how to stem the rise of HIV/AIDS transmission.
[Interestingly enough, to my knowledge HIV is transmitted at a higher rate among heterosexuals than homosexuals--at least in the Caribbean. This may be in part due to the high rates of promiscuity among many men having multiple women and lack of condom use.]
There were more articles in all the papers about how the major competing telecommunication companies--LIME (formerly Cable & Wireless) and Digicel are giving away prize money for various competitions. I will interject my opinion on this, as I see these every week and can only wonder what becomes of it all. These companies are spending large amounts of money, at least in the common person's perspective. What is it really helping? Have they done studies to see if the impacts of cash rewards are enough to bribe loyal users to continue service and hopefully spread the word of their respective companies greatness? Both companies do contribute and sponsor select sports teams, development activities, and other events. However, could monies given to individuals be better spent through increased development aid and through other funding opportunities for the masses rather than single individuals? There are many here I've conversed with that say the general mindset of the Vincentian is one of the "begging-bowl" and "they keep their minds on how to get money to buy dinner rather than how to plan to fund themselves to eat for the week." How are the cash incentives from LIME and Digicel doing anything to derail the begging-bowl? A better educated individual, sewn and grown from a well-developed country, would be more likely to find or create better employment, make more money, and thus spend more back into telecom companies--their products and services. Of course, this is all my opinion.
CCTV is currently not allowed in the courtroom as permissible evidence due to a lack of rules that state how the footage should be acquired and controlled until used as evidence. It is allowed if a judge deems it so. Soon, there may be rules to cover this sort of evidence.
The SVG may soon be undergoing constitutional reform. While this has implications here on many levels--it is a vastly divided argument. SVG has been an independent nation for almost 30 years now and much of the current government legislation has a distinctively British flavour. Many in government feel it is time to advance the constitution to address modern needs. There are many topics raised--one of the major ones noted is the idea of term limits for the Prime Minister. Some say that it is necessary to allow up-and-coming leaders as well as provide for the dynamics of leadership and prevent power-struggles. Others say that a PM should not be limited as might a presidency--they follow different styles of government. Additionally, those against the limits have been known to say there is a lack of strong leadership in SVG, a quality needed for a PM. [Although there was no follow-up that I've read to say why there might be a lack...]
And so....these are just a bit of the things that are going around here that influence my life and the lives of those around me.
Stay happy and well
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) is our only hospital here on SVG. It is next to a gas station and has been for years. However the current administrator is now calling the close proximity a health and safety hazard. He says one of them needs to be relocated.
Newspapers here are talking quite a bit about the upcoming Summit of the Americas coming to Trinidad & Tobago this coming weekend. SVG is a close ally with Cuba and there is much discussion about trying to bring Cuba back into the mainstream and trying to persuade the US to remove the embargo.
SVG is officially in the dry season for some time now. We don't have the traditional 4 seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter like back home. We have Wet and Dry; it still rains, but not nearly as much. It is dry enough to have bushfires. There have been a few and there are many advertisements and articles about good practices and how to avoid starting bushfires. This week's Searchlight even featured an article to remind people that starting a bushfire (as a way to hunt iguana or get rid of snakes) or poisoning a river (to catch fish) can earn you 6 months in jail.
This month holds Gospel Fest. It is an entire month of programs that move around the country--songs, dance, drama, etc. The events are mostly on the weekends and promote Christian values and praise. They tend to be a rather sizable events. [Don't think I'll be planning to attend any as of yet.]
[Continuing on the religious note:]
There was an opinion article in this week's Vincentian paper discussing the one true religion, part 1 of a series. It seems to be an attempt to reach out to the various Christian faiths and tell them that there is only one true form of Christianity and that there should not be splinter factions with varies interpretations and teachings. Interestingly enough, the article does not provide an opinion as to which faith within Christianity is the 'right' one--at least not yet.
SVG is in the process of building an international airport. For now, most of our international traffic is bounced in from St Lucia, Trinidad, Barbados, or Puerto Rico. The airport is not expected to be finished until 2012 [times listed vary]. Depending on who you talk to (professionally, politically, or otherwise), you will hear drastic differences on if the airport is a good idea or not and to what degree. There is a massive concern over the financial borrowing and operations for the construction. Recent news discusses how a 'final master plan' was not a true final nor master plan after all... There are also articles that mention the acquisition of more lands to plan for future expansion opportunities that were not previously part of the plan--again causing for debate. [Time will tell on this one. Sadly, I won't be able to fly out of it once my PC service closes.]
This month marks the 30th anniversary of the volcano's, Mt. Soufriere, eruption--13 April 1979. Previously it erupted in 1902. Several articles have been released to review what life was like during those times and how science & technology have better equipped the nation to forecast and prepare for future eruptions. [The Peace Corps does have an emergency plan for volcanic eruptions.]
Vincentians tend to be very good at making handicraft. 4 handicraft artisan entrepreneurs, sponsored with the Center for Enterprise Development (CED), were able to attend the 6th Caribbean Arts and Crafts Festival. Vincentians also made a presence at the 11th Annual Miami Fashion Week. SVG is not a textile nation by any means, but there seems to be a growing interest in the fashion design industry.
A political party, the SVG Green Party, was refused permission to hold a march and rally to voice support for the election of President Obama. [Perhaps a bit late in my opinion for such a rally.] According to the article in the Vincentian, "refusal of permission as being an act to appease Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran and goes on to declare that it seems the ULP regime [current government party] is putting the people of Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran before the people of SVG."
This month is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. There was an article published in The News that I thought I'd copy here:
CUT THEM OFF!
Males who sexulally abuse young chlidren should not only be castrated but have their penises cut off. So says Chairperson of the Child Abuse, Awareness, and Prevention Committee, Pastor Lemuel Samuel. Samuel made the comments while speaking to The News during a rally held at Heritage Square in Kingstown last Friday.
...The passionate Samuel add, "I use those adjectives without any form of apology because we have cases and facts and figures whereby men are guilty of specifically saying that they have made their daughters adn they must have sex with them and break them in before any other man.
I describe those persons as mentally ill; I may go as far as to say that we may need to have some of these not just castrated but to take their penis off." said the outspoken Pastor. ...
For those that did not know, buggery (a term interchangeable with sodomy) is against the law here. While this does not affect most persons--it is an act commonly associated with the male homosexuals. An article in The News covers an opinion from the Minister of Health--Dr. Douglas Slater--about decriminalizing homosexuality during talks about how to stem the rise of HIV/AIDS transmission.
During his address, Dr. Slater said "the laws in the region criminalize it and I"m saying that it is very difficult for any Government to change that because the general population does not support decriminalization and we ought to reflect the wishes of the majority."
..."In SVG and in the Caribbean there is a great deal of homophobia; there is a rejection to sex workers; to me sometimes a very bigoted and critical position because many of the person who publicly talk about are involved in it." said the health Minister who added "men who have sex with men are seen not as human beings bu as animals; if you make statements and act in any way that might be perceived as in support of them you are labeled but the reality is that they exist, they are our brothers, sisters, fathers, uncles, children, but I believe in the Christian principle of humanity and love and support despite whatever you may be."
[Interestingly enough, to my knowledge HIV is transmitted at a higher rate among heterosexuals than homosexuals--at least in the Caribbean. This may be in part due to the high rates of promiscuity among many men having multiple women and lack of condom use.]
There were more articles in all the papers about how the major competing telecommunication companies--LIME (formerly Cable & Wireless) and Digicel are giving away prize money for various competitions. I will interject my opinion on this, as I see these every week and can only wonder what becomes of it all. These companies are spending large amounts of money, at least in the common person's perspective. What is it really helping? Have they done studies to see if the impacts of cash rewards are enough to bribe loyal users to continue service and hopefully spread the word of their respective companies greatness? Both companies do contribute and sponsor select sports teams, development activities, and other events. However, could monies given to individuals be better spent through increased development aid and through other funding opportunities for the masses rather than single individuals? There are many here I've conversed with that say the general mindset of the Vincentian is one of the "begging-bowl" and "they keep their minds on how to get money to buy dinner rather than how to plan to fund themselves to eat for the week." How are the cash incentives from LIME and Digicel doing anything to derail the begging-bowl? A better educated individual, sewn and grown from a well-developed country, would be more likely to find or create better employment, make more money, and thus spend more back into telecom companies--their products and services. Of course, this is all my opinion.
CCTV is currently not allowed in the courtroom as permissible evidence due to a lack of rules that state how the footage should be acquired and controlled until used as evidence. It is allowed if a judge deems it so. Soon, there may be rules to cover this sort of evidence.
The SVG may soon be undergoing constitutional reform. While this has implications here on many levels--it is a vastly divided argument. SVG has been an independent nation for almost 30 years now and much of the current government legislation has a distinctively British flavour. Many in government feel it is time to advance the constitution to address modern needs. There are many topics raised--one of the major ones noted is the idea of term limits for the Prime Minister. Some say that it is necessary to allow up-and-coming leaders as well as provide for the dynamics of leadership and prevent power-struggles. Others say that a PM should not be limited as might a presidency--they follow different styles of government. Additionally, those against the limits have been known to say there is a lack of strong leadership in SVG, a quality needed for a PM. [Although there was no follow-up that I've read to say why there might be a lack...]
And so....these are just a bit of the things that are going around here that influence my life and the lives of those around me.
Stay happy and well
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
01 April 2009
I'll never understand HIV as a tool for revenge
Hey out there in Never Never Land
This Saturday past, the tourism group had a fund-raiser bbq at a political rally. Now I know Peace Corps volunteers are not supposed to get involved with politics, but the rally was for anyone--I even saw opposition party people there--and I was there on a fund-raiser. That being said, it was fun. We were getting ready for it early during the day and we were set up till there till after 1 am. Wah, what a day. Got up at 530am for banana shipment too. Let's just say I road up into the banana fields lying down in the back of the truck with my hat pulled over my face. It got some good laughs from the locals that ride up with us.
This is our regional area rep--the Honorable Dr. Jerrol Thompson. He is the Minister for Telecommunications, Science, and Industry
And this is the Prime Minister, the Honorable Dr. Ralph Gonsalves
This week the kids on are Easter break for 2 weeks. This means that I've still been going to our community center library for study time, but nobody shows up. So I've been filling that time by doing a bit of research and typing up computer lesson study sheets. In some of my free time, I'm slowly building what I call a 'learning resource cd'. The idea is that it could be distributed to other volunteers and villages with computers; when inserted it would give a browser with subjects and contain videos, documents, and internet links on a variety of topic areas.
We'll see how that turns out. No rush on it with everything else going on.
They say when you get a craving for a particular food, you are missing something in your diet that the food you are craving may help fulfill. Some sort of physio-psychological link if you believe it--I do. But what if you just have the munchies and they don't go away? Lately, I walk into my kitchen and feel like snacking--but I don't buy lots of snacks and I can only eat so many bananas till I get into trouble. ^_^ lol So I'm left with the snacking urge that I haven't been able to knock the past few days. I have these super tasty little cracker--Shirley's biscuits in regular and ginger--but they really aren't good to eat in mass quantity. >.<
Still on food...
Not sure if I said this before, but we have a dry soy protein food here called Chunks. It runs about EC$6-7 for an 8oz bag and looks like dry dog food. Not to let looks be deceiving, but they are probably the coolest food I've found here yet. They are great in many dishes, but let me bow at their supreme tasty value when added to a stir fry. And I don't know what happened to my soup tonight. I've been making plenty of soup using pumpkin as a base and it is really good--mixing up what vegetables to add, mostly fresh, local goods. Tonight I did pumpkin, eggplant (a staple lately), christophene (a green starchy food), carrots, and beans--simple, harmless, and tasty. I think the problem came when got the urge to add a can of green peas. Gave it a funky smell. Boo. First kitchen failure in awhile. >.<
hehe, I'll have to fix the palate with some wonderful chunks dishes later on.
I totally got nailed by an April Fool's Day prank today. Got a message from another volunteer saying they did something stupid and were being asked to leave the island. It seemed a very plausible thing and I was totally taken in by it--called that volunteer to call him an idiot and I got nailed. So funny--I didn't even realize today is already 1 April. Wow, it's April already....
And now a clipping from this past weekend's newspaper, The Vincentian, From the Just Ask Ole George (a sort of Dear Abby) and copied word for word:
Geez...I empathize with her anger and frustrations--but that certainly is not a good thing to do. Many more people will become HIV positive because of the actions of her ad people like her should she act upon the words she wrote. This is not a good thing. Sadly, even though there is enough HIV awareness/condom usage education--the facts of the day still show vast numbers of people not using them even though they could recite the jingles and facts flawlessly. Ultimately, it is the decision of the individual--not matter what work others do, we can't make those choices for them.
And with that I'm gone.
Second star to the right and on till morning....
Stay Safe and Happy
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
This Saturday past, the tourism group had a fund-raiser bbq at a political rally. Now I know Peace Corps volunteers are not supposed to get involved with politics, but the rally was for anyone--I even saw opposition party people there--and I was there on a fund-raiser. That being said, it was fun. We were getting ready for it early during the day and we were set up till there till after 1 am. Wah, what a day. Got up at 530am for banana shipment too. Let's just say I road up into the banana fields lying down in the back of the truck with my hat pulled over my face. It got some good laughs from the locals that ride up with us.
This is our regional area rep--the Honorable Dr. Jerrol Thompson. He is the Minister for Telecommunications, Science, and Industry
And this is the Prime Minister, the Honorable Dr. Ralph Gonsalves
This week the kids on are Easter break for 2 weeks. This means that I've still been going to our community center library for study time, but nobody shows up. So I've been filling that time by doing a bit of research and typing up computer lesson study sheets. In some of my free time, I'm slowly building what I call a 'learning resource cd'. The idea is that it could be distributed to other volunteers and villages with computers; when inserted it would give a browser with subjects and contain videos, documents, and internet links on a variety of topic areas.
We'll see how that turns out. No rush on it with everything else going on.
They say when you get a craving for a particular food, you are missing something in your diet that the food you are craving may help fulfill. Some sort of physio-psychological link if you believe it--I do. But what if you just have the munchies and they don't go away? Lately, I walk into my kitchen and feel like snacking--but I don't buy lots of snacks and I can only eat so many bananas till I get into trouble. ^_^ lol So I'm left with the snacking urge that I haven't been able to knock the past few days. I have these super tasty little cracker--Shirley's biscuits in regular and ginger--but they really aren't good to eat in mass quantity. >.<
Still on food...
Not sure if I said this before, but we have a dry soy protein food here called Chunks. It runs about EC$6-7 for an 8oz bag and looks like dry dog food. Not to let looks be deceiving, but they are probably the coolest food I've found here yet. They are great in many dishes, but let me bow at their supreme tasty value when added to a stir fry. And I don't know what happened to my soup tonight. I've been making plenty of soup using pumpkin as a base and it is really good--mixing up what vegetables to add, mostly fresh, local goods. Tonight I did pumpkin, eggplant (a staple lately), christophene (a green starchy food), carrots, and beans--simple, harmless, and tasty. I think the problem came when got the urge to add a can of green peas. Gave it a funky smell. Boo. First kitchen failure in awhile. >.<
hehe, I'll have to fix the palate with some wonderful chunks dishes later on.
I totally got nailed by an April Fool's Day prank today. Got a message from another volunteer saying they did something stupid and were being asked to leave the island. It seemed a very plausible thing and I was totally taken in by it--called that volunteer to call him an idiot and I got nailed. So funny--I didn't even realize today is already 1 April. Wow, it's April already....
And now a clipping from this past weekend's newspaper, The Vincentian, From the Just Ask Ole George (a sort of Dear Abby) and copied word for word:
My boss has it too!
Dear George,
I have tested positive for the HIV virus and since that time (1 month ago), I have not slept properly. I have not told anyone and I do not see myself doing so anytime soon. I look good and the men are going crazy about me, especially the men in my office. My boss has been on my case for the last couple of months or so. He treats me like dirt at work. I had to give in to his sexual demands when I first applied for the job, and since that time he has been using me for his fun stick. I have not told my boyfriend, and further more, he trusts me completel. My boss brags to me on the amount of women he has been through and he finds particular pleasure in getting women who have their husbands or boyfriends, to give in to him. He offers good money if you go his way. If I am HIV positive, I know he has to have it as well because we always had unprotected sex. I am only sorry for his wife. I intend to carry my little secret to my grave and I am going to teach the men of this country a lesson when it comes to tampering with another man's woman.
Way Out
Geez...I empathize with her anger and frustrations--but that certainly is not a good thing to do. Many more people will become HIV positive because of the actions of her ad people like her should she act upon the words she wrote. This is not a good thing. Sadly, even though there is enough HIV awareness/condom usage education--the facts of the day still show vast numbers of people not using them even though they could recite the jingles and facts flawlessly. Ultimately, it is the decision of the individual--not matter what work others do, we can't make those choices for them.
And with that I'm gone.
Second star to the right and on till morning....
Stay Safe and Happy
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
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