Ted Meinhover Tedericco

And in Tripoli…

It is difficult to appreciate, or perhaps even comprehend, the importance and meaning of the "Arab Spring" that seems to be rocking a huge chunk of the earth but remains a string of images, audio clips of explosions and chanting crowds, and dramatic articles for most of us here on the other side of the Atlantic.
Still, as Tripoli is pressured from both the inside and the outside by those looking for a new government, a new country, it is undeniable that things are changing. Questions abound, however, as do hopes that this "change" does not result in more of the same.
First in my mind, who exactly are these people marching on tripoli, and what kind of country do they want to create, or are they capable of creating?
Another unknown, what will the relationship between the "TNC" in Libya and the US and NATO emerge as, after what has been a rather strange military alliance against Ghadafi and his regime?

“Rich man in his castle, poor man at his gate”

Sitting at the bar in Usain Bolt's slick new sports bar, watching four sporting events at the same time and reading the news of the world, the luxury of remaining unaware of the oppressive heat of the island afternoon is not unappreciated. Switching to the local news, however, an article I read earlier highlighting the "Rich man in his castle, poor man at his gate" nature of this island gains clarity.
This country has one of the more segregated - along economic lines - societies I have ever been a part of. One hears of the growing economic divide in the united states, but it is hardly as out in the open and dramatic as it is here. Jamaica's coasts are dotted with opulent, all inclusive resorts, where tourists are entertained with water sports, alcohol, and a manufactured but convincing exotic world.
Outside the resorts and walled communities, however, along the crumbling roads crossing the country, most jamaicans seem to live in converted shipping containers or multi-family homes.
The roots of and possible solutions to the situation are much more than I will venture in this Sunday afternoon thought, but they are things that must be understood if so many are to have a shot at realizing the potential that is so obviously there.

Jamaica International Invitational

Jamaica National Stadium

Track and Field is so big in Jamaica that politicians talk about it as a tourist-drawing goldpot that could lift the country out of its economic malaise. While that might fall on the top of the pile of other Jamaican politicians' big ideas, the fact of the matter is that Jamaica is the breeding ground of some of the fastest people in the world (currently the fastest, I do believe, in Bolt).

Last weekend was the seventh annual Jamaica International Invitational track and field meet, and event that has apparently gotten larger and larger each year. See the article from the Jamaica Observer, Stars shine! - Jeter, Sinclair, Walker cop world-leading times at JII

Green, gold and black, colors of Jamaica everywhere

Easter in Jamaica

Driving north from Kingston, up Stony Hill Road, one encounters a church every hundred yards or so in some places - almost as frequently as one passes a shack sized pub blaring music and serving rum and warm Red Stripe. In Jamaica, where religion is one of many national obsessions, Easter is not a day but week long observance,and a journey past all these houses of worship is a trip through the whole range of singing,sights and smells that is Jamaican Christianity.