Top 50 Most Produced Foods In Brazil
Sugar cane is the most produced food commodity in Brazil followed by corn and soybeans.
Published on: Sep 20, 2014
Sugar cane is the most produced food commodity in Brazil followed by corn and soybeans.
Chicken is the most produced animal protein followed by beef and pork.
Sugar cane accounts for 70% of Brazil's food commodity production.
Total Production1,029,019,051
RankCommodityTotal% Of Total
1Sugar cane721,077,28770.07%
2Corn71,072,8106.91%
3Soybeans65,848,8576.40%
4Milk, whole fresh cow32,304,4213.14%
5Cassava23,044,5572.24%
6Oranges18,012,5601.75%
7Chicken11,588,1391.13%
8Rice, paddy11,549,8811.12%
9Beef9,399,9630.91%
10Bananas6,902,1840.67%
11Wheat4,418,3880.43%
12Tomatoes3,873,9850.38%
13Potatoes3,731,7980.36%
14Pork3,465,2160.34%
15Cottonseed3,130,5100.30%
16Coffee, green3,037,5340.30%
17Coconuts2,931,5310.28%
18Vegetables, fresh 2,900,0000.28%
19Beans, dry2,794,8540.27%
20Pineapples2,478,1780.24%
21Eggs, hen, in shell2,083,8000.20%
22Watermelons2,079,5470.20%
23Sorghum2,016,8730.20%
24Cashewapple1,805,0000.18%
25Cotton lint1,638,1030.16%
26Onions, dry1,519,0220.15%
27Papayas1,517,6960.15%
28Grapes1,514,7680.15%
29Apples1,335,4780.13%
30Lemons and limes1,208,2750.12%
31Mangoes1,175,7350.11%
32Tangerines959,6720.09%
33Tobacco, unmanufactured810,5500.08%
34Fruit, tropical fresh776,0970.08%
35Melons, other 575,3860.06%
36Maté513,2560.05%
37Turkey Meat510,0000.05%
38Sweet potatoes479,4250.05%
39Oats431,0240.04%
40Groundnuts, with shell334,2240.03%
41Oil, palm310,0000.03%
42Barley265,0250.03%
43Cocoa, beans253,2110.02%
44Yams246,0000.02%
45Peaches 232,9870.02%
46Palm kernels210,0000.02%
47Rubber, natural177,1000.02%
48Eggs, other bird, in shell160,0000.02%
49Avocados159,9030.02%
50Persimmons158,2410.02%
Source: FAOSTAT (tons)
Essential Afro-Latino/ Caribbean Current Events
- Thread starter Poitier
- Start date
For the first time, Marina Silva makes reference to the race factor in her campaign, but will her agenda change the definition of “slave labor”?
Presidential candidate Marina Silva
Note from BW of Brazil: With only fifteen days until Brazilians go to the polls to decide on the country’s next leader, pundits already know that the field of candidates will soon only be two, after the lowest polling candidate Aécio Neves officially drops out of the race, leaving two women standing, the incumbent Dilma Rouseff andMarina Silva. With the death of presidential candidate Eduardo Campos, with whom Silva was running as a vice-president, in a suspicious plane crash, Silva’s polling numbers immediately suggested that she could actually wind up unseating Rouseff. But as political campaigns get harder and dirtier and the mud slinging gets thicker, Silva must now show that she can stand up to scrutiny, criticism and fight back.
Last week, we featured a report that showed Afro-Brazilian activist accusations that Silva, even defining herself as a black woman and wanting to be the “first black woman president of Brazil”, had no record of militancy on the race issue and is very unclear about her plans for the Afro-Brazilian community if she were elected. Over the weekend, Silva and her people met with Afro-Brazilian leaders in the city known as the center of African and Afro-Brazilian culture, Salvador, in the northeastern state of Bahia. Details of Silva’s policies towards key issues affecting the black communityremain sketchy at this time, but one can only expect that these ideals will become more clear with the election about two weeks away. On on a related this matter, her detractors found something in her presidential agenda that could be of concern in a country that practiced slavery for more than 350 years.
For the first time, Marina Silva makes reference to the race factor in her campaign
Courtesy of Brasil 247
Marina Silva in a rally in São Bernardo do Campo
“Let’s elect the first black woman president of Brazil,” said the PSB candidate on Friday, September 19, during a rally in São Bernardo do Campo, the birthplace of unionism and the city where the ex-president Lula da Silva began his political life.
For the first time in this presidential campaign, the PSB candidate, Marina Silva, used the racial factor to garner support from voters. “Let’s elect the first black woman president of Brazil,” said the presidential hopeful, during a rally in São Bernardo do Campo, in the São Paulo ABC metropolitan region.
The candidate spoke for a few minutes under a strong drizzle in the main square, downtown, the same place where, two weeks ago, former President Lula met with President Dilma Rousseff in a PT (Partido dos Trabalhadores/Workers’ Party) rally. On the occasion, PT militants filled the square. Today, the event attracted about 200 people, a good part of militants paid by candidates for deputy.
The candidate said she chose the location for its second campaign in the ABC because the square was “a symbol of renewal and change” in the 1970s and 1980s, during which Lula led union strikes and metal workers were concentrated in that space.
She reinforced, beside her candidate for vice-president, Beto Albuquerque, and Deputy (congresswoman) Luiza Erundina, her speech against “gossip and lies that the PT has spread” against her. And struck back against the party: “The PT stopped in time, and look what they always say in renovation. So much have they stopped in time that they are with Sarney (PMDB), with Maluf (PP), with Collor and Jader Barbalho (PMDB),” she said.
Marina program provides flexibility in the law against Slave Labor
Courtesy of Muda Mais
Detractors say that Marina’s government plan could reword the Criminal Code of what should be defined as working conditions analogous to slavery
Current president Dilma Rousseff has stated that “slave labor is a scourge to be eliminated” in our society. And her administration has made every effort to end this extreme type of human rights violation. Besides various operations carried out by the Fiscais do Trabalho (Labor Inspectors), the Senate unanimously approved the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution that orders the expropriation of all land in which workers are found in conditions analogous to slavery. The PEC, amending Article 243 of the Constitution, was a great achievement of the Brazilian people and human rights activists.
While Dilma did all of this, we are surprised with Chapter 6 of the government program of candidate Marina Silva that on page 205, provides for the “new wording for Article 149 of the Criminal Code of order to more accurately typify the crime of exposing someone to a condition analogous to slavery.” This may mean an easing in a hard-won law. And the ruralist caucus is already celebrating the possibility of a regression in human rights seeing a gap to suppress the two conditions expressed in the law that characterizes slave labor: the subjection of workers to “exhausting shifts” or “degrading conditions” of work, incorporated into the Brazilian legislation in 2003.
It’s worth remembering that the candidate has already caused controversy by retreating on another key point in the fight for Human Rights – the LGBT question – and proposes a relaxation of Labor Laws, leading to the erosion of workers’ rights.
It seems that the “new policy” proposed by Marina Silva is not in line with social advances achieved with Dilma and Lula. While the PT pair took 36 million Brazilians out of poverty and struggle so that all have decent living conditions and jobs, the PSB candidate seems unable to establish a true dialogue with the interests of workers.
PSB candidate discusses racism and intolerance in Salvador
The agenda of Marina Silva (PSB) today in Bahia, includes evening rally in Cajazeiras X
By Rodrigo Aguiar
With 15 days from the election, the PSB presidential candidate, Marina Silva, participated Saturday in Salvador (Bahia), at 6:30pm, in a meeting with black leaders to discuss the fight against racism and religious intolerance, and policies promoting racial equality.
In the event was to be delivered to the candidate, a Letter from Salvador, with 15 points, elaborated by militants such as PSB alderman Sílvio Humberto and the second alternate candidate for Senator on the Bahian PSB slate, Zulu Araújo, former president of the Fundação Palmares (Palmares Foundation). Then Marina was to participate in a rally in Campo da Pronaica, in Cajazeiras X.
Marina’s first meeting in Salvador is also seen as a way to respond to criticism of the lack of detail in her government program, on policies relating to the religions of African origin.
“It lacks, ultimately, fighting increasingly numerous and aggressive disrespectful attitudes towards Afro-Brazilian religious cults,” reads an excerpt of the program, which does not delve into the topic.
Interviewed by BBC Brasil, the national coordinator for racial equality in Marina’s campaign, Valneide dos Santos, said she had no specific knowledge on the subject.
“So we left it to the militants of the PSB in Salvador and the coalition to come together with us later,” said Valneide, who is also national secretary of the Negritude Socialista Brasileira (Brazilian Socialist Blackness).
Sílvio Humberto doesn’t believe Silva ignored the issue, but that there needs to be a wider discussion
“I think what’s lacking is a process of wider inquiry,” criticized Sílvio Humberto, who said he was certain, however, that the presidential candidate didn’t ignore the issue.
“She didn’t ignore it so much so that we are reaffirming these commitments tomorrow,” he said. This is Marina’s first visit to Salvador as a candidate for president.
Religion
An Evangelical, Marina Silva has been criticized by sectors opposed to her candidacy and mostly linked to the PT, that call her a “fundamentalist”.
The label is refuted by Zulu Araújo. “Marina is Evangelical; it doesn’t mean that she is intolerant. It’s curious that this charge is being made when Benedita da Silva (1), of the PT, is from the Assembleia de Deus (Assembly of God). Walter Pinheiro is Evangelical. Are these people, by chance, fundamentalists?” he compared.
Zulu Araújo doesn’t believe that Silva’s Evangelical background automatically makes her intolerant
Other black leaders have suspicion of Marina attempting dialogue with such groups. “The head of the slate has never addressed the issue, neither as a minister nor as a candidate. It’s not part of the list of priorities of their project,” said Gilberto Leal, of the Coordenação Nacional de Entidades Negras (Conen or National Coordination of Black Entities).
Leal supports the PT, including participating in campaign government of Bahia candidate, Rui Costa.
With the connection of many entities of the Movimento Negro (black movement) in Bahia to the PT and allied parties, it’s not possible to predict who will attend the meeting with the PSB.
What is certain is that people come from other states, such Amapá (state) Deputado Cristina Almeida and Universidade de Brasília (UnB or University of Brasília) Professor Nelson Inocêncio – both linked to Negritude Socialista Brasileira – besides Jorge Arruda, executive secretary of Igualdade Racial (Racial Equality) of (the state of) Pernambuco will come.
According to Zulu, the President of Cortejo Afro, Alberto Pitta, and a representative of the Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (SPD or Humane Society of Underprivileged), where Eduardo Campos was a week before his death in a plane crash in Santos (SP), should also attend. At the time, Marina didn’t attend. The official justification is that the flight was delayed.
Source: Brasil 247, Muda Mais, A Tarde
Note
1. Benedita da Silva is a very important Afro-Brazilian political figure who worked many years as a maid, became educated later in life and rose in the ranks of the PT and briefly occupied the governor’s office of Rio de Janeiro. She is featured in a number of posts on this blog.
Presidential candidate Marina Silva
Note from BW of Brazil: With only fifteen days until Brazilians go to the polls to decide on the country’s next leader, pundits already know that the field of candidates will soon only be two, after the lowest polling candidate Aécio Neves officially drops out of the race, leaving two women standing, the incumbent Dilma Rouseff andMarina Silva. With the death of presidential candidate Eduardo Campos, with whom Silva was running as a vice-president, in a suspicious plane crash, Silva’s polling numbers immediately suggested that she could actually wind up unseating Rouseff. But as political campaigns get harder and dirtier and the mud slinging gets thicker, Silva must now show that she can stand up to scrutiny, criticism and fight back.
Last week, we featured a report that showed Afro-Brazilian activist accusations that Silva, even defining herself as a black woman and wanting to be the “first black woman president of Brazil”, had no record of militancy on the race issue and is very unclear about her plans for the Afro-Brazilian community if she were elected. Over the weekend, Silva and her people met with Afro-Brazilian leaders in the city known as the center of African and Afro-Brazilian culture, Salvador, in the northeastern state of Bahia. Details of Silva’s policies towards key issues affecting the black communityremain sketchy at this time, but one can only expect that these ideals will become more clear with the election about two weeks away. On on a related this matter, her detractors found something in her presidential agenda that could be of concern in a country that practiced slavery for more than 350 years.
For the first time, Marina Silva makes reference to the race factor in her campaign
Courtesy of Brasil 247
Marina Silva in a rally in São Bernardo do Campo
“Let’s elect the first black woman president of Brazil,” said the PSB candidate on Friday, September 19, during a rally in São Bernardo do Campo, the birthplace of unionism and the city where the ex-president Lula da Silva began his political life.
For the first time in this presidential campaign, the PSB candidate, Marina Silva, used the racial factor to garner support from voters. “Let’s elect the first black woman president of Brazil,” said the presidential hopeful, during a rally in São Bernardo do Campo, in the São Paulo ABC metropolitan region.
The candidate spoke for a few minutes under a strong drizzle in the main square, downtown, the same place where, two weeks ago, former President Lula met with President Dilma Rousseff in a PT (Partido dos Trabalhadores/Workers’ Party) rally. On the occasion, PT militants filled the square. Today, the event attracted about 200 people, a good part of militants paid by candidates for deputy.
The candidate said she chose the location for its second campaign in the ABC because the square was “a symbol of renewal and change” in the 1970s and 1980s, during which Lula led union strikes and metal workers were concentrated in that space.
She reinforced, beside her candidate for vice-president, Beto Albuquerque, and Deputy (congresswoman) Luiza Erundina, her speech against “gossip and lies that the PT has spread” against her. And struck back against the party: “The PT stopped in time, and look what they always say in renovation. So much have they stopped in time that they are with Sarney (PMDB), with Maluf (PP), with Collor and Jader Barbalho (PMDB),” she said.
Marina program provides flexibility in the law against Slave Labor
Courtesy of Muda Mais
Detractors say that Marina’s government plan could reword the Criminal Code of what should be defined as working conditions analogous to slavery
Current president Dilma Rousseff has stated that “slave labor is a scourge to be eliminated” in our society. And her administration has made every effort to end this extreme type of human rights violation. Besides various operations carried out by the Fiscais do Trabalho (Labor Inspectors), the Senate unanimously approved the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution that orders the expropriation of all land in which workers are found in conditions analogous to slavery. The PEC, amending Article 243 of the Constitution, was a great achievement of the Brazilian people and human rights activists.
While Dilma did all of this, we are surprised with Chapter 6 of the government program of candidate Marina Silva that on page 205, provides for the “new wording for Article 149 of the Criminal Code of order to more accurately typify the crime of exposing someone to a condition analogous to slavery.” This may mean an easing in a hard-won law. And the ruralist caucus is already celebrating the possibility of a regression in human rights seeing a gap to suppress the two conditions expressed in the law that characterizes slave labor: the subjection of workers to “exhausting shifts” or “degrading conditions” of work, incorporated into the Brazilian legislation in 2003.
It’s worth remembering that the candidate has already caused controversy by retreating on another key point in the fight for Human Rights – the LGBT question – and proposes a relaxation of Labor Laws, leading to the erosion of workers’ rights.
It seems that the “new policy” proposed by Marina Silva is not in line with social advances achieved with Dilma and Lula. While the PT pair took 36 million Brazilians out of poverty and struggle so that all have decent living conditions and jobs, the PSB candidate seems unable to establish a true dialogue with the interests of workers.
PSB candidate discusses racism and intolerance in Salvador
The agenda of Marina Silva (PSB) today in Bahia, includes evening rally in Cajazeiras X
By Rodrigo Aguiar
With 15 days from the election, the PSB presidential candidate, Marina Silva, participated Saturday in Salvador (Bahia), at 6:30pm, in a meeting with black leaders to discuss the fight against racism and religious intolerance, and policies promoting racial equality.
In the event was to be delivered to the candidate, a Letter from Salvador, with 15 points, elaborated by militants such as PSB alderman Sílvio Humberto and the second alternate candidate for Senator on the Bahian PSB slate, Zulu Araújo, former president of the Fundação Palmares (Palmares Foundation). Then Marina was to participate in a rally in Campo da Pronaica, in Cajazeiras X.
Marina’s first meeting in Salvador is also seen as a way to respond to criticism of the lack of detail in her government program, on policies relating to the religions of African origin.
“It lacks, ultimately, fighting increasingly numerous and aggressive disrespectful attitudes towards Afro-Brazilian religious cults,” reads an excerpt of the program, which does not delve into the topic.
Interviewed by BBC Brasil, the national coordinator for racial equality in Marina’s campaign, Valneide dos Santos, said she had no specific knowledge on the subject.
“So we left it to the militants of the PSB in Salvador and the coalition to come together with us later,” said Valneide, who is also national secretary of the Negritude Socialista Brasileira (Brazilian Socialist Blackness).
Sílvio Humberto doesn’t believe Silva ignored the issue, but that there needs to be a wider discussion
“I think what’s lacking is a process of wider inquiry,” criticized Sílvio Humberto, who said he was certain, however, that the presidential candidate didn’t ignore the issue.
“She didn’t ignore it so much so that we are reaffirming these commitments tomorrow,” he said. This is Marina’s first visit to Salvador as a candidate for president.
Religion
An Evangelical, Marina Silva has been criticized by sectors opposed to her candidacy and mostly linked to the PT, that call her a “fundamentalist”.
The label is refuted by Zulu Araújo. “Marina is Evangelical; it doesn’t mean that she is intolerant. It’s curious that this charge is being made when Benedita da Silva (1), of the PT, is from the Assembleia de Deus (Assembly of God). Walter Pinheiro is Evangelical. Are these people, by chance, fundamentalists?” he compared.
Zulu Araújo doesn’t believe that Silva’s Evangelical background automatically makes her intolerant
Other black leaders have suspicion of Marina attempting dialogue with such groups. “The head of the slate has never addressed the issue, neither as a minister nor as a candidate. It’s not part of the list of priorities of their project,” said Gilberto Leal, of the Coordenação Nacional de Entidades Negras (Conen or National Coordination of Black Entities).
Leal supports the PT, including participating in campaign government of Bahia candidate, Rui Costa.
With the connection of many entities of the Movimento Negro (black movement) in Bahia to the PT and allied parties, it’s not possible to predict who will attend the meeting with the PSB.
What is certain is that people come from other states, such Amapá (state) Deputado Cristina Almeida and Universidade de Brasília (UnB or University of Brasília) Professor Nelson Inocêncio – both linked to Negritude Socialista Brasileira – besides Jorge Arruda, executive secretary of Igualdade Racial (Racial Equality) of (the state of) Pernambuco will come.
According to Zulu, the President of Cortejo Afro, Alberto Pitta, and a representative of the Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (SPD or Humane Society of Underprivileged), where Eduardo Campos was a week before his death in a plane crash in Santos (SP), should also attend. At the time, Marina didn’t attend. The official justification is that the flight was delayed.
Source: Brasil 247, Muda Mais, A Tarde
Note
1. Benedita da Silva is a very important Afro-Brazilian political figure who worked many years as a maid, became educated later in life and rose in the ranks of the PT and briefly occupied the governor’s office of Rio de Janeiro. She is featured in a number of posts on this blog.
DreadBrown
Feed the children
When people think of Jamaica they will think of images of beaches, bud and Bob. Sadly the reality for a lot of Jamaican is more often destitution, danger and despair;
JAMAICA
Mystery man on Mandela Highway finally speaks
BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Basil Parchment sits on his makeshift bed on Mandela Highway in St Catherine yesterday. (PHOTO: TYRONE SIMMS)
THE man who has been sitting on the roadside on Mandela Highway for several years drawing the curiosity of scores of Jamaicans has broken his silence.
Basil Parchment, 74-year-old resident of Portmore, St Catherine, who was first featured in the Jamaica Observer on September 1, 2014, yesterday told the newspaper of a life filled with tragedy and how he was forced to live on the streets.
Parchment, who said he is from St Elizabeth, also revealed that despite having four children, all adults, he felt they had abandoned him because he failed to fully live up to his responsibility as a father.
"I used to live in Portmore for eight years at a house as a caretaker," said Parchment. But that, he said, changed when people, out of envy, started to spread rumours to the owner who told him he had to leave as the place would be sold.
That resulted in Parchment losing his only source of income.
He explained that since that time he has tried to find employment and a place to stay.
"After mi try several times to find somewhere to stay and to find a job to go on earning, nothing has come my way," said the senior citizen as he sat on his makeshift bed at the side of the road. A broken umbrella in his hand provided very little shade from the evening sun.
"Right now I am just frustrated, just looking a way out," said Parchment his eyes weary from lack of sleep.
Parchment also spoke about days when he came under threat from criminals, saying that it was just the mercy of God that kept him strong.
But he has also fallen victim to thieves.
"Them steal all of my valuables," he told the Observer. "The bicycle that I had to move around to see if I could find employment, that is gone. The only thing that I have left is the clothes on my back."
He said he hopes things will improve in the future.
"Right now, mi can do painting. I am also a gardener; any little thing mi get I will welcome," said the senior citizen.
"My children are out there and I need the help, but I don't want to become a burden to them or anyone else. If someone sees fit to provide some help I will welcome it," said Parchment.
Earlier this month when the Observer tried to talk to Parchment he refused to speak. At the time, residents claimed that for more than seven years he had mysteriously appeared at the spot, where he sat for hours, braving the harsh weather conditions. At times he used just a piece of cardboard as shelter from the rain or sun.
"He would just come there, sit in silence, and just stare into the distance. He hardly talks to people and he never asks for anything. He just sits at the spot and then leaves," said Devon 'Butter' Smith.
Smith, a resident of White Marl, was among a group of men gathered at a small roadside shop discussing their theories as to why the man has remained at the spot.
"I have been living in this community for more than 30 years and I can tell you that I have left this country on several occasions and every time I come back, I always see him sitting at the location," said Sydney Bryan, a returning resident.
"He will be there through rain, sun, whatever the condition; that is where he will sit. People have even gone over there trying to offer him help and he has refused. He also cooks along the side of the road," said Bryan.
JAMAICA
Mystery man on Mandela Highway finally speaks
BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Basil Parchment sits on his makeshift bed on Mandela Highway in St Catherine yesterday. (PHOTO: TYRONE SIMMS)
THE man who has been sitting on the roadside on Mandela Highway for several years drawing the curiosity of scores of Jamaicans has broken his silence.
Basil Parchment, 74-year-old resident of Portmore, St Catherine, who was first featured in the Jamaica Observer on September 1, 2014, yesterday told the newspaper of a life filled with tragedy and how he was forced to live on the streets.
Parchment, who said he is from St Elizabeth, also revealed that despite having four children, all adults, he felt they had abandoned him because he failed to fully live up to his responsibility as a father.
"I used to live in Portmore for eight years at a house as a caretaker," said Parchment. But that, he said, changed when people, out of envy, started to spread rumours to the owner who told him he had to leave as the place would be sold.
That resulted in Parchment losing his only source of income.
He explained that since that time he has tried to find employment and a place to stay.
"After mi try several times to find somewhere to stay and to find a job to go on earning, nothing has come my way," said the senior citizen as he sat on his makeshift bed at the side of the road. A broken umbrella in his hand provided very little shade from the evening sun.
"Right now I am just frustrated, just looking a way out," said Parchment his eyes weary from lack of sleep.
Parchment also spoke about days when he came under threat from criminals, saying that it was just the mercy of God that kept him strong.
But he has also fallen victim to thieves.
"Them steal all of my valuables," he told the Observer. "The bicycle that I had to move around to see if I could find employment, that is gone. The only thing that I have left is the clothes on my back."
He said he hopes things will improve in the future.
"Right now, mi can do painting. I am also a gardener; any little thing mi get I will welcome," said the senior citizen.
"My children are out there and I need the help, but I don't want to become a burden to them or anyone else. If someone sees fit to provide some help I will welcome it," said Parchment.
Earlier this month when the Observer tried to talk to Parchment he refused to speak. At the time, residents claimed that for more than seven years he had mysteriously appeared at the spot, where he sat for hours, braving the harsh weather conditions. At times he used just a piece of cardboard as shelter from the rain or sun.
"He would just come there, sit in silence, and just stare into the distance. He hardly talks to people and he never asks for anything. He just sits at the spot and then leaves," said Devon 'Butter' Smith.
Smith, a resident of White Marl, was among a group of men gathered at a small roadside shop discussing their theories as to why the man has remained at the spot.
"I have been living in this community for more than 30 years and I can tell you that I have left this country on several occasions and every time I come back, I always see him sitting at the location," said Sydney Bryan, a returning resident.
"He will be there through rain, sun, whatever the condition; that is where he will sit. People have even gone over there trying to offer him help and he has refused. He also cooks along the side of the road," said Bryan.
DreadBrown
Feed the children
JAMAICA
Vybz Kartel Asking Judge To Adjourn His Conspiracy Case
Vybz Kartel and his three co-accused were back in court on on Friday and also today for their ongoing conspiracy trail.
Vybz Kartel, real name Addija Palmer, Gaza Slim, real name Vanessa Saddler, and a man name Andre “Pim Pim” Henry are all charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice and perverting the course of justice.
In court on Friday, Vybz Kartel lead attorney, Tom Tavares-Finson, asked the judge to adjourned the case until he get his hands on the transcript of evidence submitted by two technical officers employed to Digicel.
Tavares-Finson also complained that one of the prosecution witnesses changed his statement that he gave in the murder trial.
Gaza Slim’s attorney Pierre Rodgers also asked the judge to delay the case until the transcripts are made available.
Vybz Kartel and his co-accused will be back in court on Wednesday.
http://urbanislandz.com/2014/09/22/vybz-kartel-asking-judge-to-adjourn-his-conspiracy-case/
Vybz Kartel Asking Judge To Adjourn His Conspiracy Case
Vybz Kartel and his three co-accused were back in court on on Friday and also today for their ongoing conspiracy trail.
Vybz Kartel, real name Addija Palmer, Gaza Slim, real name Vanessa Saddler, and a man name Andre “Pim Pim” Henry are all charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice and perverting the course of justice.
In court on Friday, Vybz Kartel lead attorney, Tom Tavares-Finson, asked the judge to adjourned the case until he get his hands on the transcript of evidence submitted by two technical officers employed to Digicel.
Tavares-Finson also complained that one of the prosecution witnesses changed his statement that he gave in the murder trial.
Gaza Slim’s attorney Pierre Rodgers also asked the judge to delay the case until the transcripts are made available.
Vybz Kartel and his co-accused will be back in court on Wednesday.
http://urbanislandz.com/2014/09/22/vybz-kartel-asking-judge-to-adjourn-his-conspiracy-case/
The Hardy Immigrant: A Positive Side of Jamaica’s Nationhood
September 23rd, 2014
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” So said National Hero Marcus Garvey. Is the tree of the Jamaican people in danger of weakening, even perhaps toppling over in the next storm?
The question crossed my mind as I sat in the Institute of Jamaica’s Auditorium on Sunday afternoon. The low-ceilinged, semi-circular room with its old-fashioned, dove grey furnishings and curved wooden stage was full – standing room only at times. The occasion was the National Library of Jamaica’s Fifth Biennial Lecture by Jamaican writer Olive Senior, entitled “Dying to Better Themselves: Colón Man and the Panama Experience.” The book ispublished in the centenary year of the Panama Canal.
The period of history Ms. Senior’s focuses on is the mass migration of Jamaicans (and Barbadians) to Panama. There was an early exodus, to work on the failed attempt by the French to build the Panama Canal (1880-88). Between 1850 and 1920 there was a “virtual stampede,” Ms. Senior notes.
Mr. Garvey’s words have almost become a cliché, and others have made similar comments in many different ways. But that does not make them any the less true. History is not something to be taken lightly. History is people, and we are people too. We must acknowledge and seek to understand these connections, these threads running from our ancestors’ lives to ours.
So what is significant about the “Colón Man” in Jamaican history? Well, he was a risk-taker, that is for sure. So was Colón Woman, although there is less said about her; the women were mainly higglers and traders, but Mary Seacole in Kingston had her Panama connections. It was actually much easier to travel in those days. Migrants did not have to apply for visas, or struggle through the obstacle course that is Miami International Airport. They simply jumped on a boat which took them in a straight line westward from Jamaica to Panama. It was about a week’s journey. Jamaica was a hub for ships to Latin America, then. How interesting, thinking of our current proposed “logistics hub.”
Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Panama in Kingston Mr. Eric Cajar Grimas brought greetings at the lecture.
Like Jamaicans who have departed the island for decades ever since, the Colón Man was simply looking for a better life. The grass was greener. Like many Jamaican migrants, he had a dream of riches; but he also had a reality check. The Panama Canal cut through dangerous country. Hardships there were. Our modern émigré encounters similar challenges – although he/she is not likely to be hacking their way through inhospitable rainforest, nowadays. The Colón Man suffered from racism and racial segregation working in the Canal Zone. Sadly in many countries today, racism and discrimination against immigrants persist. Yet many of those Jamaicans who made the journey a century or more ago overcame the physical and psychological obstacles to bettering themselves. They prevailed. Those who were less successful did not return; if they did, they would be ridiculed by Jamaicans back home.
Ms. Olive Senior speaks at the Institute of Jamaica.
All this sounds very familiar, doesn’t it? But I wonder if the Colón Man was ever accused of “running away,” of deserting his homeland? I think not. I suspect that those who left were admired for their boldness. And especially those who returned with gold watch chains bouncing on their waistcoat fronts (the “bling” of yesteryear) - were rather envied. Like our modern day “returning residents,” or“Jamericans” vacationing on the island, they may have been regarded as amusing, even slightly ridiculous. But underneath it all, I believe Jamaicans admired them for their enterprise – and still do. They want their fellow countrymen, leaving the island, to do well. This is sometimes because they hope to benefit personally, of course. But there is also a distinct pride in Jamaicans who have done well in “farin.”
After the lecture, an audience member expressed concern about what she called “the abysmal ignorance” of younger Jamaicans about these aspects of their history. A friend also noted that, apart from two school groups, there were very few young Jamaicans in the audience. Does the older generation care more about the island’s history? What can be done to address this apathy? Does the education system need to focus on what is certainly a positive aspect of Jamaican nationhood, still relevant today?
Jamaican history is about more than the politicians, the distant but ever-present Queen. It is more, even, than the horrors of slavery. It is also about that human spirit – not just of endurance, but of striving. This is what the “Colón Man” (and woman) represents. They both represent an important part of who Jamaicans are.
And by the way, I do still believe those roots are strong, despite everything.
Ms. Senior’s book on display.
Footnote: Did you know that Panama has a Black Heritage Month, ending in Black Heritage Day – May 30? And you might also be interested in this blog: The Silver People Chronicle: This is the Story of the West Indian People of Panama (http://thesilverpeoplechronicle.com) There are other interesting websites to explore on this topic.
“Colón Man and the Panama Experience” is published by the UWI Press and is also available on Amazon.
For those on the western side of the island, Ms. Senior will present her lecture at UWI Western Campus Pavilion, 10 Queen’s Drive, Montego Bay on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. It is well worth attending.
Tags: Colon, logistics hub, Marcus Garvey, migration, Montego Bay,National Library of Jamaica, Olive Senior, Panama, Panama Canal
September 23rd, 2014
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” So said National Hero Marcus Garvey. Is the tree of the Jamaican people in danger of weakening, even perhaps toppling over in the next storm?
The question crossed my mind as I sat in the Institute of Jamaica’s Auditorium on Sunday afternoon. The low-ceilinged, semi-circular room with its old-fashioned, dove grey furnishings and curved wooden stage was full – standing room only at times. The occasion was the National Library of Jamaica’s Fifth Biennial Lecture by Jamaican writer Olive Senior, entitled “Dying to Better Themselves: Colón Man and the Panama Experience.” The book ispublished in the centenary year of the Panama Canal.
The period of history Ms. Senior’s focuses on is the mass migration of Jamaicans (and Barbadians) to Panama. There was an early exodus, to work on the failed attempt by the French to build the Panama Canal (1880-88). Between 1850 and 1920 there was a “virtual stampede,” Ms. Senior notes.
Mr. Garvey’s words have almost become a cliché, and others have made similar comments in many different ways. But that does not make them any the less true. History is not something to be taken lightly. History is people, and we are people too. We must acknowledge and seek to understand these connections, these threads running from our ancestors’ lives to ours.
So what is significant about the “Colón Man” in Jamaican history? Well, he was a risk-taker, that is for sure. So was Colón Woman, although there is less said about her; the women were mainly higglers and traders, but Mary Seacole in Kingston had her Panama connections. It was actually much easier to travel in those days. Migrants did not have to apply for visas, or struggle through the obstacle course that is Miami International Airport. They simply jumped on a boat which took them in a straight line westward from Jamaica to Panama. It was about a week’s journey. Jamaica was a hub for ships to Latin America, then. How interesting, thinking of our current proposed “logistics hub.”
Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Panama in Kingston Mr. Eric Cajar Grimas brought greetings at the lecture.
Like Jamaicans who have departed the island for decades ever since, the Colón Man was simply looking for a better life. The grass was greener. Like many Jamaican migrants, he had a dream of riches; but he also had a reality check. The Panama Canal cut through dangerous country. Hardships there were. Our modern émigré encounters similar challenges – although he/she is not likely to be hacking their way through inhospitable rainforest, nowadays. The Colón Man suffered from racism and racial segregation working in the Canal Zone. Sadly in many countries today, racism and discrimination against immigrants persist. Yet many of those Jamaicans who made the journey a century or more ago overcame the physical and psychological obstacles to bettering themselves. They prevailed. Those who were less successful did not return; if they did, they would be ridiculed by Jamaicans back home.
Ms. Olive Senior speaks at the Institute of Jamaica.
All this sounds very familiar, doesn’t it? But I wonder if the Colón Man was ever accused of “running away,” of deserting his homeland? I think not. I suspect that those who left were admired for their boldness. And especially those who returned with gold watch chains bouncing on their waistcoat fronts (the “bling” of yesteryear) - were rather envied. Like our modern day “returning residents,” or“Jamericans” vacationing on the island, they may have been regarded as amusing, even slightly ridiculous. But underneath it all, I believe Jamaicans admired them for their enterprise – and still do. They want their fellow countrymen, leaving the island, to do well. This is sometimes because they hope to benefit personally, of course. But there is also a distinct pride in Jamaicans who have done well in “farin.”
After the lecture, an audience member expressed concern about what she called “the abysmal ignorance” of younger Jamaicans about these aspects of their history. A friend also noted that, apart from two school groups, there were very few young Jamaicans in the audience. Does the older generation care more about the island’s history? What can be done to address this apathy? Does the education system need to focus on what is certainly a positive aspect of Jamaican nationhood, still relevant today?
Jamaican history is about more than the politicians, the distant but ever-present Queen. It is more, even, than the horrors of slavery. It is also about that human spirit – not just of endurance, but of striving. This is what the “Colón Man” (and woman) represents. They both represent an important part of who Jamaicans are.
And by the way, I do still believe those roots are strong, despite everything.
Ms. Senior’s book on display.
Footnote: Did you know that Panama has a Black Heritage Month, ending in Black Heritage Day – May 30? And you might also be interested in this blog: The Silver People Chronicle: This is the Story of the West Indian People of Panama (http://thesilverpeoplechronicle.com) There are other interesting websites to explore on this topic.
“Colón Man and the Panama Experience” is published by the UWI Press and is also available on Amazon.
For those on the western side of the island, Ms. Senior will present her lecture at UWI Western Campus Pavilion, 10 Queen’s Drive, Montego Bay on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. It is well worth attending.
Tags: Colon, logistics hub, Marcus Garvey, migration, Montego Bay,National Library of Jamaica, Olive Senior, Panama, Panama Canal
Honoring the African Slaves of Peru With a Dance
Image of the Week: A satin collar from a dance costume once worn by indigenous groups in South America recalls the kinship they felt with the oppressed.
BY: IMAGE OF THE BLACK ARCHIVE & LIBRARY
Posted: Sept. 23 2014 3:00 AM
Peruvian, La esclavitud de los negros, dance collar, circa 1930-40. 82.5 cm high, embroidery, beading and mirrors on satin.
MENIL FOUNDATION COLLECTION, HOUSTON
This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with theImage of the Black Archive & Library at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.
The contribution of people of African descent to the performing arts of Peru has followed a long and varied arc. Over the course of several centuries, this intercultural process has taken some unique and quite unexpected forms. A case in point is the popular performance of dance and music by indigenous organizations of so-called negritos, or “little blacks,” as they are commonly known.
The festive dancing of the negritos honors the memory of black slaves brought by the Spanish conquerors centuries earlier to work in the fields, homes and silver mines of the region. These popular societies are found primarily in the central highlands of Peru, notably in Junín Department and farther north in Huánuco. The spirited dances performed by the negritos during the Christmas season are only the most visible aspect of a highly developed social organization, similar in some respects to the Mardi Gras krewes of New Orleans.
Now displayed as an isolated museum piece, this expertly worked satin collar once formed part of a complex, brightly decorated dance costume. The garment fit over the head of the dancer, draped over a shirt like a large bib. The upper part, decorated with two spiders, hung over the shoulders and back, while the longer piece covered the chest.
Vividly embroidered on the chest piece is the image of four enslaved black men, their heads arranged in a semicircle around a mustached white military officer. He wears a uniform of the early 19th century and a red-and-white sash displayed across his chest bearing the colors of the newly founded country of Peru. The relationship between slavery and independence is succinctly established by the conjunction of image and inscription on the satin panel. Below the image of liberation, the words La esclavitud de los negros (“The Slavery of the Blacks”) are boldly stitched in raised letters.
In performance, the faces of the dancers are hidden beneath a mask carved with pronounced black features. The mask projects a lively and sympathetically rendered image of jubilant humanity, much like those sewn onto the collar. Its robust forms are adorned with varieties of beads and other colorful appliqués to give a carnaval-esque appearance to the face. Key examples of local folk art, these masks embody the interlinked historical experience of both Afro-Peruvians and native Americans in the central highlands.
The dancers follow a long-established sequence of characteristic dance steps in imitation of movements brought from Africa by the slaves. The company moves from place to place along its route, to finally end at a church where the participants honor the Christ child in his crib. Proceeding in two parallel rows, the negritos execute a kind of hopping step, as well as the zapatero, or tap dance. Their progress is guided by the caporal, a leader who maintains control with a ceremonial whip. One figure, the flag bearer, or abanderado, wears a white mask. His presence may allude to the figure of the uniformed officer on this collar, the bringer of liberty to the country.
Though now constituting a thoroughly indigenous tradition, the dance of the negritoswas actually once performed by blacks themselves. The origin of slaves dancing during the Christmas season has been traced back at least to 1648, when a local landowner “freed” his slaves for several weeks in December and January. The notionally liberated workers danced and sang through the local streets, stopping at the houses of wealthy families to receive food and strong drink as a reward for their entertainment.
Further documentary evidence of the early stages of the negritos festival is almost nonexistent. By the 1820s all of South America was gripped by the fever of independence from Spanish colonial rule. Spearheaded by the charismatic figures of Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín and others, independence was soon won. After liberation, however, the black population of Peru endured another 30 years of slavery before its abolition was declared in 1854.
By this point, however, the negrito festival had undergone an absolutely transformative evolution because, it seems, of a significant decline in the black population in the central highlands after independence. In the late 1830s the young German naturalist Johann Jakob von Tschudi witnessed a highland celebration by negritos on Christmas Day. His account of their performance explicitly states that the participants were indigenous people and describes their richly colored and embroidered costumes, complete with hats crowned with long feathers, much as they exist today.
The thorough appropriation of blackness by these native people was performed without any sense of irony as a tribute to the traumatic heritage of oppression experienced both by themselves and by the slaves. The indigenous people of the highlands were the first to be exploited as forced labor under the encomienda system imposed by the Spanish colonial government. Soon this form of serfdom proved unsatisfactory and was largely replaced by the use of enslaved blacks imported from the west coast of Africa. From their own experience, indigenous people felt a kinship with the servitude of the slaves. Many intermarried with blacks, leading to a somewhat subtler form of discrimination under the complex order of the casta system imposed throughout the Spanish-American colonies.
Today Afro-Peruvians still struggle for recognition of their full rights as citizens of a nation they were so instrumental in building. A key part of the process involves the recovery of a heritage obscured, as has been seen, by the continual absorption of their identity throughout the long history of the country. In the barrios of Ica and countless other places, their authentic, unmasked voice can always be heard by those willing to listen.
The Image of the Black Archive & Library resides at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. The founding director of the Hutchins Center is Henry Louis Gates Jr., who is also The Root’s editor-in-chief. The archive and Harvard University Press collaborated to create The Image of the Black in Western Art book series, eight volumes of which were edited by Gates and David Bindman and published by Harvard University Press. Text for each Image of the Week is written by Sheldon Cheek.
Image of the Week: A satin collar from a dance costume once worn by indigenous groups in South America recalls the kinship they felt with the oppressed.
BY: IMAGE OF THE BLACK ARCHIVE & LIBRARY
Posted: Sept. 23 2014 3:00 AM
Peruvian, La esclavitud de los negros, dance collar, circa 1930-40. 82.5 cm high, embroidery, beading and mirrors on satin.
MENIL FOUNDATION COLLECTION, HOUSTON
This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with theImage of the Black Archive & Library at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.
The contribution of people of African descent to the performing arts of Peru has followed a long and varied arc. Over the course of several centuries, this intercultural process has taken some unique and quite unexpected forms. A case in point is the popular performance of dance and music by indigenous organizations of so-called negritos, or “little blacks,” as they are commonly known.
The festive dancing of the negritos honors the memory of black slaves brought by the Spanish conquerors centuries earlier to work in the fields, homes and silver mines of the region. These popular societies are found primarily in the central highlands of Peru, notably in Junín Department and farther north in Huánuco. The spirited dances performed by the negritos during the Christmas season are only the most visible aspect of a highly developed social organization, similar in some respects to the Mardi Gras krewes of New Orleans.
Now displayed as an isolated museum piece, this expertly worked satin collar once formed part of a complex, brightly decorated dance costume. The garment fit over the head of the dancer, draped over a shirt like a large bib. The upper part, decorated with two spiders, hung over the shoulders and back, while the longer piece covered the chest.
Vividly embroidered on the chest piece is the image of four enslaved black men, their heads arranged in a semicircle around a mustached white military officer. He wears a uniform of the early 19th century and a red-and-white sash displayed across his chest bearing the colors of the newly founded country of Peru. The relationship between slavery and independence is succinctly established by the conjunction of image and inscription on the satin panel. Below the image of liberation, the words La esclavitud de los negros (“The Slavery of the Blacks”) are boldly stitched in raised letters.
In performance, the faces of the dancers are hidden beneath a mask carved with pronounced black features. The mask projects a lively and sympathetically rendered image of jubilant humanity, much like those sewn onto the collar. Its robust forms are adorned with varieties of beads and other colorful appliqués to give a carnaval-esque appearance to the face. Key examples of local folk art, these masks embody the interlinked historical experience of both Afro-Peruvians and native Americans in the central highlands.
The dancers follow a long-established sequence of characteristic dance steps in imitation of movements brought from Africa by the slaves. The company moves from place to place along its route, to finally end at a church where the participants honor the Christ child in his crib. Proceeding in two parallel rows, the negritos execute a kind of hopping step, as well as the zapatero, or tap dance. Their progress is guided by the caporal, a leader who maintains control with a ceremonial whip. One figure, the flag bearer, or abanderado, wears a white mask. His presence may allude to the figure of the uniformed officer on this collar, the bringer of liberty to the country.
Though now constituting a thoroughly indigenous tradition, the dance of the negritoswas actually once performed by blacks themselves. The origin of slaves dancing during the Christmas season has been traced back at least to 1648, when a local landowner “freed” his slaves for several weeks in December and January. The notionally liberated workers danced and sang through the local streets, stopping at the houses of wealthy families to receive food and strong drink as a reward for their entertainment.
Further documentary evidence of the early stages of the negritos festival is almost nonexistent. By the 1820s all of South America was gripped by the fever of independence from Spanish colonial rule. Spearheaded by the charismatic figures of Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín and others, independence was soon won. After liberation, however, the black population of Peru endured another 30 years of slavery before its abolition was declared in 1854.
By this point, however, the negrito festival had undergone an absolutely transformative evolution because, it seems, of a significant decline in the black population in the central highlands after independence. In the late 1830s the young German naturalist Johann Jakob von Tschudi witnessed a highland celebration by negritos on Christmas Day. His account of their performance explicitly states that the participants were indigenous people and describes their richly colored and embroidered costumes, complete with hats crowned with long feathers, much as they exist today.
The thorough appropriation of blackness by these native people was performed without any sense of irony as a tribute to the traumatic heritage of oppression experienced both by themselves and by the slaves. The indigenous people of the highlands were the first to be exploited as forced labor under the encomienda system imposed by the Spanish colonial government. Soon this form of serfdom proved unsatisfactory and was largely replaced by the use of enslaved blacks imported from the west coast of Africa. From their own experience, indigenous people felt a kinship with the servitude of the slaves. Many intermarried with blacks, leading to a somewhat subtler form of discrimination under the complex order of the casta system imposed throughout the Spanish-American colonies.
Today Afro-Peruvians still struggle for recognition of their full rights as citizens of a nation they were so instrumental in building. A key part of the process involves the recovery of a heritage obscured, as has been seen, by the continual absorption of their identity throughout the long history of the country. In the barrios of Ica and countless other places, their authentic, unmasked voice can always be heard by those willing to listen.
The Image of the Black Archive & Library resides at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. The founding director of the Hutchins Center is Henry Louis Gates Jr., who is also The Root’s editor-in-chief. The archive and Harvard University Press collaborated to create The Image of the Black in Western Art book series, eight volumes of which were edited by Gates and David Bindman and published by Harvard University Press. Text for each Image of the Week is written by Sheldon Cheek.
DreadBrown
Feed the children
JAMAICA
Police, soldiers flood August Town
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Police vehicles parked in August Town yesterday near where Constable James Grant was shot dead on Monday. (PHOTO: MICHAEL GORDON)
POLICE and soldiers yesterday flooded August Town, a day after Police Constable James Grant was shot dead by criminals in the St Andrew community.
The police also vowed to bring Constable Grant's killers to justice.
"We will continue to increase our presence in the area and will not ease up the pressure until criminals responsible for the attack are brought to justice," a senior policeman told the Jamaica Observer.
Constable Grant, 35, was shot in the head while on duty in a section of the hotbed community called African Gardens. The constable, who joined the force in 2001, was assigned to Half-Way-Tree Police Station.
Yesterday, the presence of the lawmen was welcomed by some residents.
"We really happy to see that the police are in the area, and we want to encourage them to continue to do their job as some things are happening in the area and it really needs to be addressed," said one resident, who did not wished to be identified.
A number of residents complained that criminals carrying high-powered weapons were taking over the community and using hilly areas as hideouts.
"We want to see the police 24/7 in the area," one man declared.
But there were others who blasted the cops, accusing them of intimidating residents.
"Some ah di police dem professional, but there are others who just come in the area and ah threaten off some of di youth dem, and dat leave many of us in fear," said one resident.
"We realise that the authorities are doing their work, but they should realise that not all residents are criminals," said another woman.
— Kimmo Matthews
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Police--soldiers-flood-August-Town_17599280
Police, soldiers flood August Town
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Police vehicles parked in August Town yesterday near where Constable James Grant was shot dead on Monday. (PHOTO: MICHAEL GORDON)
POLICE and soldiers yesterday flooded August Town, a day after Police Constable James Grant was shot dead by criminals in the St Andrew community.
The police also vowed to bring Constable Grant's killers to justice.
"We will continue to increase our presence in the area and will not ease up the pressure until criminals responsible for the attack are brought to justice," a senior policeman told the Jamaica Observer.
Constable Grant, 35, was shot in the head while on duty in a section of the hotbed community called African Gardens. The constable, who joined the force in 2001, was assigned to Half-Way-Tree Police Station.
Yesterday, the presence of the lawmen was welcomed by some residents.
"We really happy to see that the police are in the area, and we want to encourage them to continue to do their job as some things are happening in the area and it really needs to be addressed," said one resident, who did not wished to be identified.
A number of residents complained that criminals carrying high-powered weapons were taking over the community and using hilly areas as hideouts.
"We want to see the police 24/7 in the area," one man declared.
But there were others who blasted the cops, accusing them of intimidating residents.
"Some ah di police dem professional, but there are others who just come in the area and ah threaten off some of di youth dem, and dat leave many of us in fear," said one resident.
"We realise that the authorities are doing their work, but they should realise that not all residents are criminals," said another woman.
— Kimmo Matthews
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Police--soldiers-flood-August-Town_17599280
DreadBrown
Feed the children
JAMAICA
Badly needed: A Caribbean democracy
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
The University of the West Indies
Last week, the University of the West Indies (UWI) held a two-day conference entitled 'Beyond Westminster in the Caribbean: Critiques, Challenges and Reform'.
The objective was to examine the practice and contemporary processes of political reform in the region, assessing attempts to modify, regenerate, or overhaul the Westminster model of governance in the post-independence Caribbean.
Speakers were drawn from the ranks of practising politicians, notably Peter Phillips and Ralph Gonzales; ex-politicians, ie Bruce Golding; political activist intellectuals, ie Trevor Munroe; prominent Caribbean scholars from the three UWI campuses, ie Selwyn Ryan; overseas academics from the universities of Cambridge, Toronto and Florida; international ambassadors present and past, and a host of other interested parties.
The perspectives were personal, feminist, national, regional, and global. There was plenty of profundity and platitude, but one pressing issue was virtually absent: The relationship between the Westminster system of government and the achievement of sustainable economic development in small States.
Economic development requires growth and change involving (a) transformative increases in the capacity for further change (b) sustainability, both socially and environmentally, (c) enhancement of the sovereignty of the population acting democratically, and (d) improvement in the quality of life of the majority of people.
None of this will be possible without economic growth because of the social and political pressure unleashed by economic stagnation and persistent poverty.
Our commitment to democracy remains unwavering, yet it is good sense to ponder whether in its current form the Westminster model is the best vehicle to provide for economic growth in the small States of the Caribbean.
It is noteworthy that several countries that have achieved economic take-off have acted in ways eschewed by the Westminster system of governance. Most of the now developed countries achieved their transformative growth similarly.
Adjudged by universal adult suffrage, a key element of the Westminster model then, neither England in the Industrial Revolution nor the United States until the late 1960s met the Westminster standards. If these examples are too arcane, then it must be conceded that the State was able to act in ways ruled out in the Westminster model to engineer rapid economic growth in Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Israel, while maintaining their own unique form of democracy.
The form of government which produced industrialisation of Russia, the most rapid period of sustained economic growth in modern history in China, and the powerful health and education system in Cuba is regarded as unacceptable.
It is obvious that the Westminster model has not produced economic growth. It has merely coexisted with growth when exogenous factors have been very favourable, such as the bauxite boom in Jamaica in the 1960s or the existence of oil and natural gas in Trinidad and Tobago.
At this time the small States of the Caribbean desperately need a period of sustained high rates of economic growth. Therefore, it is time for the governments and people of the Caribbean to design and operate their own form of democracy conducive to attaining the economic development to which they aspire and are capable of achieving.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial/Badly-needed--A-Caribbean-democracy_17559290
Badly needed: A Caribbean democracy
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
The University of the West Indies
Last week, the University of the West Indies (UWI) held a two-day conference entitled 'Beyond Westminster in the Caribbean: Critiques, Challenges and Reform'.
The objective was to examine the practice and contemporary processes of political reform in the region, assessing attempts to modify, regenerate, or overhaul the Westminster model of governance in the post-independence Caribbean.
Speakers were drawn from the ranks of practising politicians, notably Peter Phillips and Ralph Gonzales; ex-politicians, ie Bruce Golding; political activist intellectuals, ie Trevor Munroe; prominent Caribbean scholars from the three UWI campuses, ie Selwyn Ryan; overseas academics from the universities of Cambridge, Toronto and Florida; international ambassadors present and past, and a host of other interested parties.
The perspectives were personal, feminist, national, regional, and global. There was plenty of profundity and platitude, but one pressing issue was virtually absent: The relationship between the Westminster system of government and the achievement of sustainable economic development in small States.
Economic development requires growth and change involving (a) transformative increases in the capacity for further change (b) sustainability, both socially and environmentally, (c) enhancement of the sovereignty of the population acting democratically, and (d) improvement in the quality of life of the majority of people.
None of this will be possible without economic growth because of the social and political pressure unleashed by economic stagnation and persistent poverty.
Our commitment to democracy remains unwavering, yet it is good sense to ponder whether in its current form the Westminster model is the best vehicle to provide for economic growth in the small States of the Caribbean.
It is noteworthy that several countries that have achieved economic take-off have acted in ways eschewed by the Westminster system of governance. Most of the now developed countries achieved their transformative growth similarly.
Adjudged by universal adult suffrage, a key element of the Westminster model then, neither England in the Industrial Revolution nor the United States until the late 1960s met the Westminster standards. If these examples are too arcane, then it must be conceded that the State was able to act in ways ruled out in the Westminster model to engineer rapid economic growth in Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Israel, while maintaining their own unique form of democracy.
The form of government which produced industrialisation of Russia, the most rapid period of sustained economic growth in modern history in China, and the powerful health and education system in Cuba is regarded as unacceptable.
It is obvious that the Westminster model has not produced economic growth. It has merely coexisted with growth when exogenous factors have been very favourable, such as the bauxite boom in Jamaica in the 1960s or the existence of oil and natural gas in Trinidad and Tobago.
At this time the small States of the Caribbean desperately need a period of sustained high rates of economic growth. Therefore, it is time for the governments and people of the Caribbean to design and operate their own form of democracy conducive to attaining the economic development to which they aspire and are capable of achieving.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial/Badly-needed--A-Caribbean-democracy_17559290
Brazil begins dairy exports to Russia
Published time: September 24, 2014 13:24
Get short URL
Reuters / Nacho Doce
Agriculture, Brazil, Russia, Sanctions
Three so-far-unnamed Brazilian dairy companies have received the proper paperwork to start deliveries to Russia, a representative of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture said. The new imports will help fill a gaping hole left by EU suppliers.
One of the companies has already started deliveries, Marcelo Junqueira, secretary for international affairs of the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry Marcelo said, ITAR-TASS reported.
The new deliveries will help fill the 57 percent gap of imported dairy products after Russia introduced a one-year food embargo in August on certain agricultural products from the EU, US, Australia, Canada, Australia and Norway.
The move is symbolic of the strengthening political and economic ties between Brazil and Russia as relations with the West continue to sour over the Ukraine crisis.
"Brazil is known for its high level of sanitary control, we supply meat to more than 100 countries and poultry to 155 countries, so it is natural that a major importer [Russia] came to us,” Junqueira said, as quoted by ITAR-TASS.
READ MORE: Russia’s import ban means big business for Latin America
Last week the Brazilian delegation, comprised of 37 private companies, attended the Moscow International Exhibition of World Food. Over $106 million in contracts were inked, Junqueira said, without disclosing which companies.
In 2012, the turnover of trade between Russia and Brazil reached $5.9 billion. Brazil plans to import fish and grains from Russia.
In August, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture began a registration process allowing companies to be authorized to export to Russia. At the same time, the Kremlin approved 89 Brazilian companies to sell dairy, meat, and other products in Russia, a number which has since grown to over 130.
Before 2011, Brazil was the number-one meat supplier to Russia, but lost market share after Russia’s consumer watchdog, Roselkhoznadzor, banned the import of meat from the country. The ban was lifted on August 18.
In the past, Russia has been a big importer of Brazilian butter, but Brazil hopes to sell milk and milk powder to Russia.
Brazil already has a large domestic dairy market, and it may be hard to convince some farmers and distributors that it is better to send the product abroad. However, Russia’s weak currency favors the seller, and not the buyer.
Since the embargo was set, Russia has held talks with several countries - China, Turkey, Serbia, Egypt, Mauritius, Ecuador, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, Guatemala, Morocco, Kenya, Argentina, Lebanon, the Faroe Islands, and of course Brazil - about increasing agricultural exports to Russia.
Published time: September 24, 2014 13:24
Get short URL
Reuters / Nacho Doce
Agriculture, Brazil, Russia, Sanctions
Three so-far-unnamed Brazilian dairy companies have received the proper paperwork to start deliveries to Russia, a representative of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture said. The new imports will help fill a gaping hole left by EU suppliers.
One of the companies has already started deliveries, Marcelo Junqueira, secretary for international affairs of the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry Marcelo said, ITAR-TASS reported.
The new deliveries will help fill the 57 percent gap of imported dairy products after Russia introduced a one-year food embargo in August on certain agricultural products from the EU, US, Australia, Canada, Australia and Norway.
The move is symbolic of the strengthening political and economic ties between Brazil and Russia as relations with the West continue to sour over the Ukraine crisis.
"Brazil is known for its high level of sanitary control, we supply meat to more than 100 countries and poultry to 155 countries, so it is natural that a major importer [Russia] came to us,” Junqueira said, as quoted by ITAR-TASS.
READ MORE: Russia’s import ban means big business for Latin America
Last week the Brazilian delegation, comprised of 37 private companies, attended the Moscow International Exhibition of World Food. Over $106 million in contracts were inked, Junqueira said, without disclosing which companies.
In 2012, the turnover of trade between Russia and Brazil reached $5.9 billion. Brazil plans to import fish and grains from Russia.
In August, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture began a registration process allowing companies to be authorized to export to Russia. At the same time, the Kremlin approved 89 Brazilian companies to sell dairy, meat, and other products in Russia, a number which has since grown to over 130.
Before 2011, Brazil was the number-one meat supplier to Russia, but lost market share after Russia’s consumer watchdog, Roselkhoznadzor, banned the import of meat from the country. The ban was lifted on August 18.
In the past, Russia has been a big importer of Brazilian butter, but Brazil hopes to sell milk and milk powder to Russia.
Brazil already has a large domestic dairy market, and it may be hard to convince some farmers and distributors that it is better to send the product abroad. However, Russia’s weak currency favors the seller, and not the buyer.
Since the embargo was set, Russia has held talks with several countries - China, Turkey, Serbia, Egypt, Mauritius, Ecuador, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, Guatemala, Morocco, Kenya, Argentina, Lebanon, the Faroe Islands, and of course Brazil - about increasing agricultural exports to Russia.
Brazilian who turned 126 years old last week could be oldest living person
A Brazilian man aged 126 years old is thought to be oldest living man ever documented, according to reports
Jose Aguinelo dos Santos was born on July 7 1888 Photo: Matt Roper
By Matt Roper
3:33PM BST 15 Jul 2014
955 Comments
A Brazilian man whose parents were African slaves could be the oldest living person ever documented after receiving a birth cerficate showing he turned 126 last week, it was reported on Tuesday.
Jose Aguinelo dos Santos was born on July 7 1888, just two months after slavery was abolished in Brazil - the last country in the Western Hemisphere to outlaw the trade.
Yet the batchelor, who never married or had children, still walks without a stick, eats four meals a day and has no health problems - despite smoking a packet of cigarettes a day for the last 50 years.
Jose - known simply as Ze - was apparently 26 when the First World War broke out, and already a pensioner at 65 when Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the British throne.
If the birth certificate is genuine, he would have been 52 when Brazil football legend Pele was born - and 62 when Brazil first hosted the World Cup, in 1950.
One of five children, Jose was born in a slave compound in the town of Pedra Branca in the state of Ceara, northeast Brazil.
He was among hundreds of slave families who continued to live there, even after being granted their freedom.
He later travelled south to the state of Sao Paulo, where he spent most of his life working on a coffee plantation in the town of Bauru.
Read more: South America travel guide
Now a resident of an old people's home in the same town, Jose likes to tell jokes and sing, hates having a bath, and never misses his daily plate of rice and beans.
And he told Brazil's G1 website there is no secret to living a long life: "The truth is that you just keep getting older. You take each stage at a time.
"If I got to this age it's because I've lived a lot, that's all."
Mariana Silva, psychologist at the Vila Vicentina home, said Jose has no health problems and is so lucid he still amuses other residents by cracking one-liners.
She said: "He's one of our most with-it residents.
"He doesn't have high cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure. The only medicine he takes are vitamins and a tablet to give him an appetite, which you can lose with old age.
"When he's on his own he likes to sing. None of us know the songs he sings. They're from a time no-one else remembers.
"He doesn't like to take a bath every day and it's sometimes impossible to get him to the shower. When he puts his foot down, that's it. No-one can get him in there."
Jose, who arrived at the home in 2001, received his birth certificate last month after living his entire life without any documents.
A team of experts arrived on his birth date after researching his past and interviewing him about his earliest memories, during which he was able to describe the slave compound perfectly.
Read more: meet the 96-year-old skier
The old people's home now hopes to provide conclusive evidence that he is the world's oldest man through 'Carbon-14' dating.
Jose Roberto Pires, the president of the retirement home, said they are determined to do the test even though it costs around £13,000.
But he added: "We are trying to find a way to do it without having to pay. This is very important. We believe the world's oldest ever person is living here with us, and this is the only way we can really prove it."
A Brazilian man aged 126 years old is thought to be oldest living man ever documented, according to reports
Jose Aguinelo dos Santos was born on July 7 1888 Photo: Matt Roper
By Matt Roper
3:33PM BST 15 Jul 2014
955 CommentsA Brazilian man whose parents were African slaves could be the oldest living person ever documented after receiving a birth cerficate showing he turned 126 last week, it was reported on Tuesday.
Jose Aguinelo dos Santos was born on July 7 1888, just two months after slavery was abolished in Brazil - the last country in the Western Hemisphere to outlaw the trade.
Yet the batchelor, who never married or had children, still walks without a stick, eats four meals a day and has no health problems - despite smoking a packet of cigarettes a day for the last 50 years.
Jose - known simply as Ze - was apparently 26 when the First World War broke out, and already a pensioner at 65 when Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the British throne.
If the birth certificate is genuine, he would have been 52 when Brazil football legend Pele was born - and 62 when Brazil first hosted the World Cup, in 1950.
One of five children, Jose was born in a slave compound in the town of Pedra Branca in the state of Ceara, northeast Brazil.
He was among hundreds of slave families who continued to live there, even after being granted their freedom.
He later travelled south to the state of Sao Paulo, where he spent most of his life working on a coffee plantation in the town of Bauru.
Read more: South America travel guide
Now a resident of an old people's home in the same town, Jose likes to tell jokes and sing, hates having a bath, and never misses his daily plate of rice and beans.
And he told Brazil's G1 website there is no secret to living a long life: "The truth is that you just keep getting older. You take each stage at a time.
"If I got to this age it's because I've lived a lot, that's all."
Mariana Silva, psychologist at the Vila Vicentina home, said Jose has no health problems and is so lucid he still amuses other residents by cracking one-liners.
She said: "He's one of our most with-it residents.
"He doesn't have high cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure. The only medicine he takes are vitamins and a tablet to give him an appetite, which you can lose with old age.
"When he's on his own he likes to sing. None of us know the songs he sings. They're from a time no-one else remembers.
"He doesn't like to take a bath every day and it's sometimes impossible to get him to the shower. When he puts his foot down, that's it. No-one can get him in there."
Jose, who arrived at the home in 2001, received his birth certificate last month after living his entire life without any documents.
A team of experts arrived on his birth date after researching his past and interviewing him about his earliest memories, during which he was able to describe the slave compound perfectly.
Read more: meet the 96-year-old skier
The old people's home now hopes to provide conclusive evidence that he is the world's oldest man through 'Carbon-14' dating.
Jose Roberto Pires, the president of the retirement home, said they are determined to do the test even though it costs around £13,000.
But he added: "We are trying to find a way to do it without having to pay. This is very important. We believe the world's oldest ever person is living here with us, and this is the only way we can really prove it."
niceBrazil begins dairy exports to Russia
Published time: September 24, 2014 13:24
Get short URL
Reuters / Nacho Doce
Agriculture, Brazil, Russia, Sanctions
Three so-far-unnamed Brazilian dairy companies have received the proper paperwork to start deliveries to Russia, a representative of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture said. The new imports will help fill a gaping hole left by EU suppliers.
One of the companies has already started deliveries, Marcelo Junqueira, secretary for international affairs of the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry Marcelo said, ITAR-TASS reported.
The new deliveries will help fill the 57 percent gap of imported dairy products after Russia introduced a one-year food embargo in August on certain agricultural products from the EU, US, Australia, Canada, Australia and Norway.
The move is symbolic of the strengthening political and economic ties between Brazil and Russia as relations with the West continue to sour over the Ukraine crisis.
"Brazil is known for its high level of sanitary control, we supply meat to more than 100 countries and poultry to 155 countries, so it is natural that a major importer [Russia] came to us,” Junqueira said, as quoted by ITAR-TASS.
READ MORE: Russia’s import ban means big business for Latin America
Last week the Brazilian delegation, comprised of 37 private companies, attended the Moscow International Exhibition of World Food. Over $106 million in contracts were inked, Junqueira said, without disclosing which companies.
In 2012, the turnover of trade between Russia and Brazil reached $5.9 billion. Brazil plans to import fish and grains from Russia.
In August, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture began a registration process allowing companies to be authorized to export to Russia. At the same time, the Kremlin approved 89 Brazilian companies to sell dairy, meat, and other products in Russia, a number which has since grown to over 130.
Before 2011, Brazil was the number-one meat supplier to Russia, but lost market share after Russia’s consumer watchdog, Roselkhoznadzor, banned the import of meat from the country. The ban was lifted on August 18.
In the past, Russia has been a big importer of Brazilian butter, but Brazil hopes to sell milk and milk powder to Russia.
Brazil already has a large domestic dairy market, and it may be hard to convince some farmers and distributors that it is better to send the product abroad. However, Russia’s weak currency favors the seller, and not the buyer.
Since the embargo was set, Russia has held talks with several countries - China, Turkey, Serbia, Egypt, Mauritius, Ecuador, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, Guatemala, Morocco, Kenya, Argentina, Lebanon, the Faroe Islands, and of course Brazil - about increasing agricultural exports to Russia.
Bahia is finalist in contest Harvard
Alean Rodrigues | Branch Feira de Santana
There were 40 entries, 16 from Brazil, it being the only Bahia. A vote on the internet chose the top 15 jobs as finalists, the Georgia was voted fifth. "It was hard to get here, because the work can be done in groups or individually.'m Running with some groups and it does not cease to be one point less for me, I'm alone. But I think I get there," says student .
Georgia dreams attend engineering at a university abroad. The work selected for the contest is to create a kit to diagnose quickly and cheaply endometriosis, a disease that affects no less than six million women in Brazil and 170 million worldwide. The idea came from the experience gained with an aunt, who went by the problem.
"I started researching and noticed the lack of an early diagnosis is that it increases the risk of disease and other stages of it. As the main symptom is pain during menstruation, women spend a lot of time without seeking treatment," he said. "The average delay in seeking treatment is seven years. Meanwhile, endometriosis progresses and can spread to other organs. Treatment and diagnosis are very expensive," he explains.
From humble family, the student account that the work developed thinking in people with less purchasing power. Thus, invested in a kit that could be cheap and affordable public services.
Social issue
"It's a social issue even. Many women can not afford treatment and are at risk of worsening the situation.'s Goal is to make something that can give them the right to a diagnosis and appropriate treatment," notes Georgia.
Merchant's daughter of Jorge Luiz Sampaio Santos and hairdresser Sidney Sampaio da Silva, the student always excelled in studies and, therefore, was always invited to participate in student competitions.
"She always stood out. Throughout school she passed was praised by teachers. Till auditioned for one good school here and was selected among the top candidates, winning a scholarship. Proud of the way that we're following," said the mother.
Not contain the joy, Jorge Luiz recalls that her daughter was approved in four vestibular State universities in Feira de Santana (Uefs) and the Federal Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).
"She did not attend because her dream is to study out of Brazil. Whereas in other homes the parents fight for their children to work, here is the fight that she accepted to attend a university here in the country. Education is the greatest wealth we can give our children, and this is her dream. then we will do whatever is possible to be done, "says the father.
With high school completed last year, Georgia is now preparing to compete in other vestibular in Brazil and try a place at universities abroad. "I want to study abroad, the more open they offer us," she says.
Engineering
Georgia Gabriela highlights that may be associated engineering and at the same time, develop the scientific research related to the project.
"I tried to be selected in two universities abroad, but, so far, failed. Believe that participation in the competition at Harvard can help somehow the realization of my dream," he says.
The next stage of the selection is to be interviewed by an examining board (the internet). The end result should come out in the first half of October. "We are cheering. Amo research and it is interesting to see me producing knowledge.'s Research gives the opportunity to create, and this stimulates me," she says.
http://atarde.uol.com.br/bahia/noticias/1625257-baiana-e-finalista-em-concurso-de-harvard
Alean Rodrigues | Branch Feira de Santana
- Luiz Tito. | Ag AFTERNOON | 09/17/2014
With parents, Gabriela Georgia celebrates selection project that aims to combat endometriosis
There were 40 entries, 16 from Brazil, it being the only Bahia. A vote on the internet chose the top 15 jobs as finalists, the Georgia was voted fifth. "It was hard to get here, because the work can be done in groups or individually.'m Running with some groups and it does not cease to be one point less for me, I'm alone. But I think I get there," says student .
Georgia dreams attend engineering at a university abroad. The work selected for the contest is to create a kit to diagnose quickly and cheaply endometriosis, a disease that affects no less than six million women in Brazil and 170 million worldwide. The idea came from the experience gained with an aunt, who went by the problem.
"I started researching and noticed the lack of an early diagnosis is that it increases the risk of disease and other stages of it. As the main symptom is pain during menstruation, women spend a lot of time without seeking treatment," he said. "The average delay in seeking treatment is seven years. Meanwhile, endometriosis progresses and can spread to other organs. Treatment and diagnosis are very expensive," he explains.
From humble family, the student account that the work developed thinking in people with less purchasing power. Thus, invested in a kit that could be cheap and affordable public services.
Social issue
"It's a social issue even. Many women can not afford treatment and are at risk of worsening the situation.'s Goal is to make something that can give them the right to a diagnosis and appropriate treatment," notes Georgia.
Merchant's daughter of Jorge Luiz Sampaio Santos and hairdresser Sidney Sampaio da Silva, the student always excelled in studies and, therefore, was always invited to participate in student competitions.
"She always stood out. Throughout school she passed was praised by teachers. Till auditioned for one good school here and was selected among the top candidates, winning a scholarship. Proud of the way that we're following," said the mother.
Not contain the joy, Jorge Luiz recalls that her daughter was approved in four vestibular State universities in Feira de Santana (Uefs) and the Federal Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).
"She did not attend because her dream is to study out of Brazil. Whereas in other homes the parents fight for their children to work, here is the fight that she accepted to attend a university here in the country. Education is the greatest wealth we can give our children, and this is her dream. then we will do whatever is possible to be done, "says the father.
With high school completed last year, Georgia is now preparing to compete in other vestibular in Brazil and try a place at universities abroad. "I want to study abroad, the more open they offer us," she says.
Engineering
Georgia Gabriela highlights that may be associated engineering and at the same time, develop the scientific research related to the project.
"I tried to be selected in two universities abroad, but, so far, failed. Believe that participation in the competition at Harvard can help somehow the realization of my dream," he says.
The next stage of the selection is to be interviewed by an examining board (the internet). The end result should come out in the first half of October. "We are cheering. Amo research and it is interesting to see me producing knowledge.'s Research gives the opportunity to create, and this stimulates me," she says.
http://atarde.uol.com.br/bahia/noticias/1625257-baiana-e-finalista-em-concurso-de-harvard