Today, InsideJourneys, is celebrating its first anniversary. A year ago, I wrote my first post. Since then, I’ve written many more and most importantly, made several friends, who stop by everyday.
It’s been a fun year. Thanks for your support and encouragement. So pull up a chair and have a slice of this delicious cake. No, I didn’t bake this one but I can tell you it’s great.
On Monday, November 21, REDJet, the Caribbean’s first budget carrier, landed at Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport.
With tickets priced as low as US$9.99 and increasing in increments of US$10 as seats are sold and departure dates approach, the airline could shake up air travel in the Caribbean.
Speaking at the launch, Ian Burns, REDJet’s chairman and chief executive officer tried to allay fears that the low cost carrier will draw passengers away from established airlines, like Caribbean Airlines and LIAT.
REDJet cites its single class of service, its one aircraft type and point-to-point service as among the factors that minimize cost and maximize efficiency. Passengers can purchase meals on board and pay for their bags at the airport.
REDJet had been eyeing the Jamaican market for four years, Burns said, but the country was in the throes of divesting its national carrier, Air Jamaica, and regarded the low cost carrier as a threat. Jamaican authorities however attribute the delay to concerns over safety.
In addition to Jamaica, REDJet offers service to Antigua, Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago.
Jamaica’s ninth and youngest leader, 39 year old Andrew Holness, was sworn in as prime minister
yesterday afternoon in an elegant and sober ceremony on the lawns of King’s House, the residence of the Queen’s representative, the Governor-General His Excellency the Most Honorable Sir Patrick Allen.
Prime Minister Holness takes over from Bruce Golding, who was forced to demit office following his handling last year of the extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke, a local drug lord. Coke was wanted in the U.S. on charges of drug and weapons smuggling. He was eventually extradited but not before violence broke out in Tivoli Gardens, the area in Kingston that he controlled and more than 70 people lost their lives. The Coke affair strained relations between Washington and Kingston.
In August this year, Coke pleaded guilty in New York to racketeering and conspiracy. He will be sentenced in December to 23 years in prison.
Golding’s decision to leave office a year before his 5-year term would have ended, has been hailed by many as the right thing to do as the country had lost confidence in him. In addition, with him at the helm, the ruling Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) would have surely lost the election to the opposition People’s National Party (PNP).
Much is expected from the new prime minister who was born in 1972 ten years after Jamaica won her independence from Britain.
In a wide-ranging speech following his swearing in, Holness said he was taking responsibility for the running of the country. Referring to the country’s massive debt burden, he said Jamaica could not continue on the path of borrowing more than it produces. The new prime minister urged fellow politicians to transcend petty, mean spirited, “tear down politics.”
Prime Minister Holness ended his hour-long speech with Mother Theresa’s version of the Paradoxical Commandments, which, he said he tries to live by.
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
Last weekend, I decided to go to Washington, DC to see family and friends and also to view the monument to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which was recently unveiled on the Mall.
It was to have been dedicated on August 28th in a ceremony marking the anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech but was postponed because of the arrival of Hurricane Irene.
As with most public art pieces, there has been some controversy. One, that the project did not go to an American and two, that Dr. King’s features look Asian.
I had assumed the sculptor would have been African-American, I had no idea that he was Chinese or that the competition had been open to international artists. But we must accept that we live in a global community. Most importantly, Dr. King’s work was about equality and fairness for everyone, not just black people.
I don’t think, like I’ve heard others say, that the rendering of his image makes him look Asian. I wonder though, if the sculptor’s identity had not revealed, if that idea would even have entered our minds.
Those issues aside, my observation or maybe my preference would have been for a likeness of Dr. King with a smile on his face. So many times, in photos, he’s smiling. Then again, I’m sure there would have been those who would have objected.
The first thing I saw as I entered the grounds were two large slabs of granite flanking the entrance. I couldn’t interpret what they meant until I noticed that the monument itself looked as if it had been cut from the center. Then it made sense. The granite represented the mountain. And as the quote that’s etched into the side of the monument noted, Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.
Dr. King gazes quietly and reflectively over the Tidal Basin towards the Jefferson Memorial. His hands are folded, his legs are slightly apart. It is a peaceful and powerful pose.
Behind the sculpture is a wall that’s been inscribed with quotations from speeches that Dr. King made in the U.S. and around the world.
As I walked around, taking photos, looking at the sculpture, I couldn’t help thinking of the work that went into creating the memorial and the holiday to honor this remarkable man, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
My office, a block south of Grand Central, is empty except for one person when I arrive at a few minutes past nine on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I greet him as I go towards my desk and ask where everyone is.
Without taking his eyes from his monitor, he says casually, “Oh, they’re in the lunch room. Somebody flew a plane into the World Trade Center. If you look out the window, you can see the smoke.”
Walking the few feet to the window, I think how unlucky people in the WTC are. I remember the 1993 bombing and news footage of employees emerging from the building covered by something whitish. I remember the look of terror on some of their faces.
With many of its employees traumatized by the experience, my company made the bold decision to move from the thirteenth floor at One World Trade Center to the fifth floor of a building almost a world away on Park Avenue.
When I get to the window, I notice an unimpressive plume of smoke curling its way towards the sky. This had to be a small private plane or tour helicopter, I think. Several companies take tourists on helicopter tours of New York City everyday. One must have crashed.
Continue reading “Innocence Lost – 9/11 Remembered”
In the aftermath of September 11 (9/11), many people commented on the significance of the date 9/11. 911 is the number we call when we need help. The first flight that crashed into the Twin Towers was American Flight 11. Including the hijackers, that flight carried 92 passengers (9 + 2 = 11).
Emails that floated around at the time, gave more details on the numbers, some were just too farfetched to believe.
But as I looked at today’s date, I noticed that it 9/10/11 lines up in perfect numerical sequence. I have no idea what if means or if it means anything. If it does, can someone enlighten me?
What do you think? Does it mean anything? Did you even notice?
It’s the weekend of the 10th anniversary of September 11th and I really didn’t want to be in New York. I want to be someplace far away where there’s no television blasting wall-to-wall coverage, no extra police presence, no threats of terror threats.
All this is probably why my brain feels like it’s shut down. Why I feel like I’m under siege.
September used to be a pleasant month for me. I looked forward to the Labor Day weekend, the changing leaves, the inevitable slowing down of life’s hectic pace. The days go by smoothly until the 11th rises like an unexpected roadblock, one that some years feels easier to go round. Not this one. I feel anxious; I want to hide.
While I didn’t lose anyone in the World Trade Center, I feel deeply for and empathize with those who did. In one week, I lost a significant friendship and before I could even begin to grieve, I received word about my mother. We had spoken just hours before. Seven months later, my grandmother was also gone. These losses changed my life in many fundamental ways.
September 11th also changed our lives. As I write, police sirens screech in the distance. It could be for reasons totally unrelated but it’s hard not to connect it to the upcoming anniversary.
An unexpected consequence of that day is that flying, in particular, is not as pleasurable as it used to be. A simple thing like opening a bank account is now subject to deeper levels of scrutiny, and the government has broader powers to spy on us and intercept our communications. But are we truly any safer?
Life has returned to Lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center site but it’s difficult to see it and not remember.
A 9/11 Memorial, a tribute to those who fell will open to the families on Sunday and to the public on Monday, September 12th. Maybe I’ll visit.
If you’re in the New York City area and want to visit, passes must be obtained before you go and can be obtained by going to the website.
The best way to get there is by public transportation. Several subway (A, C, J, M, R, Z, 4, and 5) and bus lines (M5, M20 and M22) stop within walking distance, and the E, 1, 2, and 3 and New Jersey PATH trains to go directly to the WTC terminal.
Hours: Monday-Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
The Strivers Art Circuit (SAC) is a free, self-guided walking tour that will take place on October 8th and 9th, in the Historic Strivers Row area of Harlem (130th street to 145th street, 5th Ave to St Nicholas Ave).
The Circuit allows participants to view some of Harlem’s visual and craft artists at work in their galleries and studios.
The Strivers Art Circuit was created to develop a hub of arts activity and thereby gain increased visibility and exposure for SAC participants.
Opening reception: Friday, October 7th from 6:00 p.m.
Tour Dates: Saturday, October 8th and Sunday, October 9th from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The event is free to the public. However, if you plan to attend, click here to RSVP. 
The Harlem Arts Alliance is a sponsor of the Srivers Art Circuit.
I was visiting my blog buddy Hakea’s blog when I noticed she had given me a Liebster Award. What’s the Liebster Award, you ask.
Well, the Liebster Award is said to have originated in Germany. Translated to English, it means “beloved.” The Liebster Award is meant to bring more attention to blogs with fewer than 200 followers.
Continue reading “I’ve Gotten a Liebster Award”
Had Michael Jackson not met his untimely death two years ago, he would have been 53 years old today. How time flies!
Despite the controversy that dogged him, it never could overshadow his genius. Michael was the consummate performer, a hands-on perfectionist.
I grew up on Michael. One summer when I was still living in Jamaica, a few of my American cousins came home for holidays and brought the Jackson 5’s music with them. It was my introduction to Michael. I learned ABC and I Want You Back and sang them over and over. From then on, I had to have every song the Jackson 5 sang.
Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Michael!”
