Jamaican Till I Die!

A country, any country is only as good as its people! So in order to understand the problems that exist in Jamaica today, one must first understand the people of Jamaica, the way they think and their relationship to the country of their birth. Do they see themselves as part of the nation building process? Three hundred and fifty years of British rule helped mold the Jamaican mind into what it is today. British rule was based on the path of least resistance because it was best to have a willing and docile people to govern. If required, force was used to achieve this objective but for the most part the British regarded the use of force to be counterproductive and costly. The use of soft power was preferred.  By the early 1900s Britain was able to pacify the inhabitants of Jamaica simply by making them believe that they were British subjects like any other British Subject, a valid part and parcel of the grand Empire, even without the rights and privileges given to their Anglo Saxon

  Jacobs Beach, Silver Sands Trelawny, Jamaica   Strawberry Hill Hotel & Spa   Comfort Farm, St. Mary  The View From the Loo, Devon,UK  Dartmouth, Devon,UK  Wembury, Devon,UK  San San, Port Antonio, Jamaica

The wine revolution in Jamaica is in its advance stages. It is a revolution that was started some time ago and has spread all over Jamaica with the opening of new wine bars, restaurants and wine shops. Wine tasting nights and food pairing festivals have also become a regular thing.  As a result Jamaicans have developed a taste for and are now very knowledgeable about the different types of wines from various regions around the world. The Jamaican Beer Revolution is still nowhere to be seen. Not much have changed with regards to the local beer market. For the most part our choices are very limited between Red Stripe, Heineken and one or two other generic lager. For stouts the choice is Guinness Foreign Extra Stout and on occasion, one sometimes might find the odd Guinness draft. All-in-all the Beer selection is very predictable, very boring and as a result the Jamaican taste for beer has not progressed beyond the basic lager and stout. Jamaica in my opinion Jam

Book of Doom and Gloom I had the misfortune of reading The Dead Yard by Ian Thomson, a book of doom and gloom, as this author sets out to expose the dark side of Jamaica. Ian Thomson clearly sees nothing good about Jamaica and any hint of goodness is quickly dismissed as he paints a picture of hell that is my beloved country.  Every successive chapter is filled with more doom and gloom than the last. As Ian goes out of his way to highlight every nasty disgusting aspect of the Jamaican society. If this writer had stated that there was a Jamaican connection to the World Trade Center attack, I would not be too surprise. He seems clearly upset about Jamaica's independence from Britain, he hates the idea that Jamaica is now being influence by the United States and he may or may not love, hate or misses the British Empire. It is no secret that Jamaica during slavery and colonial times, even though the most profitable island, was a thorn in the backs of the British. Which makes it