A tweetup is essentially a real world meet up of people who know each other through the online micro-blogging, social networking site Twitter. (Blogging Beirut).

On September 3, 2010, the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, one of Jamaica’s top companies on Twitter organised their second tweetup. Their uneasy team, led by Prudence Simpson changed its location to the Pegasus Gardens and allowed up to 300 of its Twitter followers to revel at its property.

The Tweeting shall never die!

Social media is becoming a trend in Jamaica. With the advent of 4G from Digicel Jamaica we can expect the proliferation of the internet with more Jamaicans online. Twitter, the micro-blogging site has become a hit with many Jamaicans. The Jamaica Pegasus’ followers on Twitter has grown phenomenally with over 1000 followers and it is expected to grow with its #epic presence online.

So the jury has handed in its verdict and the #jptweetup at the Pegasus was a hit, better than the 1st one held in June.

5 Things I liked about the Jamaica Pegasus Tweetup

1. People – Followers of the Pegasus

You can’t have a successful tweetup without great people. The followers of the Jamaica Pegasus are a bunch of diverse people, that added to the ‘warmth‘ to the Pegasus Gardens. Some people complained about the heat, I wasn’t feeling it. Not to mention that I saw tweeters dripping with sweat. I met a marketer who told me the hurricane season was to be blamed for the heat. I dunno what to believe, he’s a marketer but he may be correct. I thought it was interesting that if you wanted to discuss the IMF and Jamaica, tech news, social media, marketing practices, or just being silly with your friends it was the preferred place to be. This event is not for anti-social people and if you are be prepared to move around and talk with people.

2. Location

The first Jamaica Pegasus Tweetup was on the 17th floor of the hotel -Talk of the Town. The change in location was a good move. With over 250 confirmed tweeters for the event the Gardens proved to be a great location. The Talk of Town was ideal for little over 100 attendees. It was a more intimate room that allowed everyone to mingle and have fun. The #jptweetup the second time around was a lot more fun and engaging I believe. In the Gardens you could hide from people which isn’t a bad idea for those with private Twitter accounts . I love the Gardens though. With the popularity of the Pegasus Tweetup events and the numbers growing, it limits the location to the Ballroom, the Gardens or maybe Top of the World.

3. Bar

This is the staple to any event. I was satisfied with the bar, thought they were effective and the mixes were good. I wished I had more. I was all over the Gardens chatting with people. DWL Someone pulled me over and said “you go around a lot, people know you” The aim of attending a Tweetup is to identify a face and a personality behind the profile that you follow, so it baffles me that tweeters would attend the tweetup and sit by themselves. Come on.

Clearly, others had more drink and this was the outcome.

Goofy_Bob

4. Sponsors

Partnering with Secrets Resorts (typing this brings back so many memories), National Commercial Bank Jamaica (even more memories), Calico Jack, Palace Amusement and Jamaica National was a winning partnership. The prizes were extravagant and worth it.

5. Twitter Fountain

I’m just as amazed as other people to see the Twitter fountain. Seeing your tweet on another screen “#soboliously epic” Who said we can’t make up our own words?

It would have been a challenge for the Pegasus team to repeat the success of the first tweet up. They had to deliver. They can pop champagnes and be satisfied that the 2nd tweetup event was an exceptional event.

Suggestion:

1. Tag minors so they don’t drink alcoholic beverages.

2. Provide outlets for hardcore BB users to charge their phones. They are addicted like that. If their batteries die, their energy goes as well.

The major question is:

Can you outdo yourself for the a third time?

We’ll wait, blog and tweet!

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Follow the Jamaica Pegasus on Twitter at

Jamaica Pegasus

Check out the 1st Tweetup Review

Click here

Since winning the Miss Jamaica World 2010 pageant Chantal Raymond has entered a firestorm. I was curious to hear from the Harvard Law School graduate who had won the competition after entering a second time. I thought she would have been self-aggrandizing having traveled the world and educated at an Ivy League school. However, I was impressed that Chantal Raymond was quite the opposite-very sincere, frank, intelligent and has that ease to make you smile. Do I think she’ll represent us well in China? Do I think she was the best girl on the night in the competition? Yes, Yes and she’s a royal Jamaican woman we can call beautiful with a purpose. Here is the interview with Chantal Raymond and she’ll have the Last Word.

CD: You entered Miss Jamaica World in 2006 and was placed 5^th overall. Were you pressured this time around to do better?

Chantal Raymond: No, actually entering in 2006 helped me this time around because I really knew what to expect first of all and secondly if I placed fifth and I didn’t really put the effort in I mean I was just having fun, honestly I was 20 years old. So now I knew that I had to get better than fifth because I’m giving it 100 per cent so it was not a safety net, I know I’d have to do better but this time I came to win.

CD: Was the pageant experience any different this time?

CR: It was a lot more competitive. I’m not sure if I’m gauging it right, I’m not sure of I was more competitive because I was going after the crown and not just having the experience like last time or the girls were competitive and it could be a mixture of both but this year it was a lot more competitive than the last time I did it which we’re all just friends because we were having fun.

CD: Could you mention some of the girls you thought were really after the crown?

CR: I know that, the first name that comes to mind is, do I have to give names? (laughter) You’re going to make me have enemies, do I have to? (laughter) Really.

CD: Not that, they are being furiously competitive in their attitude but more that they were competition for you, they’re the one you thought could win.

CR: Well, Simone Poot, she’s a sweetheart, she’s the nicest girl I’ve met. We got very close in the competition because we were roommates when we went to Hanover for a week. But just her personality, she’s so sweet, she’s beautiful and so she was strong competition. Alexia McLean she’s fun bubbly energetic or whatever but if you look at her she’s drop dead gorgeous – if you see her in person I mean people often compare her to Lisa Hanna because she’s so beautiful. So these girls definitely stood out for me in the pageant.

CD: What was it like losing the 2006 pageant and what did you learn from that experience to prepare you for 2010?

CR: You say that I lost, I never ever felt that I lost that pageant I mean I was 4^th runner-up that for me at the time since my goal was never to win, that was exciting, I was very excited. I did not know directly what I got from, that pageant but afterwards just from speaking with other people I saw the benefits. My mother told me that I developed an awareness of myself that I never had before. I’ve always been confident and just learning about myself and who I am that came from the pageant. And of course you know I developed and got better and better at it over the years. I’m queen of networking. I can walk into any room and relate to anybody and everything. My career advisors at Harvard told me all the time but I know those are skills that I’ve picked up from my pageants over the years.

CD: What was it like being an ethnic minority at an Ivy League school?

CR: So Harvard Law is a little different I think because outside of the historically black universities they have the highest number of black students, so there’s 150 of us which is a lot for a non-historically black school….and so it was great. Of course you are closer to all the black people because we’re in the Black Law Students’ Association together so it was a fantastic experience. I never felt that there was anything missing in any way and in my class there were 50 or 60 other black people, so that was good. Further than that we had a lot of students of Asian decent and Hispanics and others. Because of the different organisations we sort of all have our own little friendships going, and we got closer through student organisations. And so, one thing that I missed while I was there is I never felt the Caribbean influence that I’ve had all my life growing up. Growing up here, then I went to the University of Florida where we had a Jamaican Students’ Association, separate from our Caribbean Students’ Association separate from our Black Students’ Association, there were so many people you could branch off but into groups but at Harvard they had nothing and I don’t know if you saw from my bio I developed a Caribbean Law Association for Caribbean students.

Corve DaCosta, blogger and Miss Jamaica World 2010, Chantal Raymond

CD: What prompted that?

CR: Well my thing was I just missed having people around me like I’ll have a conversation with someone and then you find out wow they were born I dunno St. Vincent or something or they have parents from St. Thomas but I would only know in casual conversations because we never had anything set in place to bring us together. So I missed having some sort of Caribbean influence and then I also realized that my Co-President and I, we were both realized that we were at this fantastic institution. This is right after Obama had won the election both he and his wife are alumni of Harvard Law School. So we’re like, these people are going on to be senators and they’re going to run the world one day. There was a Kennedy in the class before mine and a Princess. They’re very influential people at our school and we just wanted to make sure that when they’re making all the big deals they don’t forget our little islands, because Harvard had no… I’m sorry I talk a lot. You can feel free to paraphrase. [laughter]

But before Harvard had no kind of focus at all like it was hard for us to get a Faculty Sponsor, you need that to be a student organisation and because there’s nobody that focuses on the Caribbean but luckily you know we formed the organisation. I think our faculty sponsor has now met someone to get married to a Jamaican that’s the closest we could get to an actual Caribbean influence. Next year we are going to send some students to Cuba. We’ve done so much. We raised a lot of money to donate to Haiti after the tragedy. So much…They are 40 of us I didn’t know that there were 40 Caribbean people. That was my Co-Presidents concerned, she was like ‘so we’re going to have a Caribbean organisation and it will be the three of us?’ ‘No there are more out there trust me, trust me. We just need to form it and they will come.” So they came and it was fantastic.

I have to keep the rest of the answers short. [laughter].

CD: 18 years ago did you ever dream about being a beauty queen?

CR: How old was I 18 years ago? Hmmm, I’m getting old; I can’t do the math [laughter].

CD: 6 [laughter]

CR: Well when I was six; I don’t think I was thinking that far ahead but there was a stage of my life I went through when I was a chubby girl and so [chuckles] I don’t think that being a beauty queen was ever the goal but for my mother it was because, apparently, she named me after someone that competed in the Miss Jamaica World pageant the year I was born, which is very interesting so that’s how I got my name but… no,  I think it’s something I just fell into. I started modelling when I was 16; I went to a modelling school. You know when something interested me or the opportunity presented itself I went after it.

CD: You mentioned you battled weight issues, how was that?

CR: People say issue but I kinda like when I have more weight on me, I’m  rounder [laughter] and look nice. So I don’t think I have an issue. I like myself no matter the size. I have different advantages.

CD: What was your heaviest weight?

CR: Oh gosh, I think I went up to 170 lbs.

CD: Which is not heavy for someone your height?

CR: Yeah, its not heavy, exactly but I definitely had 40 lbs more than I am now. But yeah, I feel so far I look good. When I was growing up before I had my growth spurt, when I had the weight on it did show because I had the extra baby fat but I was always happy. I don’t think I lost the weight at that point I think I just grew and it sort of

CD: Redistribute

CR: Exactly (laughter)

CD: Are you into fashion? Who is your favourite designer?

CR: No, not that much, I mean I don’t study it or study designers. I am not into brands so to speak. I just like stuff that look good.

CD: How would you describe your style?

CR: I like things that look good.  I think I like bright things and things that stand out. I like reds and gold. Definitely into bright colours as you can see red is my favourite colour but I am the type of person that I don’t go after one particular style but I’ll try on a million things and wear what looks good on me, that’s what I’ll wear.

CD: What’s your favourite comfort food?

CR: [whisper) Chocolate [laughter]. I love, love, love chocolate! Love  ice cream. Cookie-dough ice cream. I love sweet things. You know what? Since I can’t have chocolate, to get my sugar, I’ll go to bulla and bun. I’ll eat so much bulla.

CD: You’ll get your sugar rush on.

CR: Yeah! I just love the taste of it and it’s bad because I live with my grandparents and I tell them don’t buy it and they do and then I’ll eat the whole thing in one night. It’s very bad, it’s very bad, but I love sweet things but chocolate is my main thing, but ow I’m off it, ’cause I’ll eat too much of it. So, now I’m on bulla and bun. [laughter]

CD: What do you do to stay in shape and do you have a diet?

CR: Right now not so much during the pageant I was doing high protein, low carbs for the most part, and lots of exercise. Lots of exercise. Now I’m very toned I think sometimes I’m too toned so I’d like to back off a little bit. See my 6 pack abs [gestures like a rapper then chuckles. So you, I'm trying to come down a little bit. I love exercising, its fun.

CD: What's your most embarrassing moment?

CR: In life?

CD: Yeah! A real one!

CR: Let me think....I know. So I love to travel. That's my favorite thing to do in the world and, two years ago, I did a Europe trip. I went to London, Venice and Paris. So anyway we went to Paris and we found this really nice hip-hop club. I was with my friends from school from Harvard, and so we were there looking very nice. I had on my red dress [I told you red was my favourite colour) and red heels. Actually it was these heels [gestures to her feet laughing]. Okay. So I had them on and I walked into the club, we both look nice and walking in the front door we checked our coats ’cause it was winter in Paris and we are going down the stairs and I get to the second last step and trip and fell, fell… like tumbled over the last two steps and fell flat on my foot and I’m in these heels which are like 5-6 inches so I twisted my ankle and I was in soooo much pain. Oh my gosh! But mind you these stairs are at the beginning of the club so everybody saw and I was so embarrassed. I just got up and try to fake it and sat down then I danced the whole night. Whatever! But for the rest of the trip my ankle was messed up but I was so embarrassed. Honestly, so embarrassed. In Paris, of all places, where people care what you look like! [laughter].

CD: Are you single?

CR: Yes, I am.

CD: What tip would you give to a guy if he wants to approach a girl; to approach even you?

CR: To approach me? Well, I like men with personality. I feel that honesty is the first thing. If you win me over with your personality, then it will go a long way. Persistence. Persistence always wins me over. Be persistent, not stalkerish. Persistent…Just show your personality and you’ll be good to go.

CD: What will you look forward to most in the next year?

CR: I don’t know. I’ve been really open to the possibilities. I don’t want to make too many expectations for myself because I just feel like there’s just so much that can come from this that I couldn’t even plan. So, I’m just very open to the possibilities and very excited to be in the position where I can do the things that I always wanted to do; like I’ve always wanted to start a scholarship programme. And so, I’d love to use the year of my reign to fun other students’ education. My education was primarily funded through scholarships. So, I don’t know… I’m just excited at all the possibilities.

CD: Did you watch the Miss Universe pageant this year?

CR: What did you think about it?

CR: She did very well. She did very, very well. I was very proud of her! The first thing I was thinking was, man, all these people gave her such a hard time for entering, but now everybody’s her best friend [chuckles] which is kind of weird.  But I was so proud of her and so proud to see that she did that for Jamaica and I think it’s just given me more motivation. Now I really want to go to Miss World and just bang it out [laughter] to do Jamaica proud.

CD: You are a young, intelligent and attractive. Do you think you intimidate people.

CR: I think so [said with short pauses between each word].  I don’t think I intentionally intimidate people, but I think some people are intimidated by me for whatever reason;  because of my credentials or the reasons you mentioned. But, when people meet me, they’ll find that I’m one of the most approachable people ever. I’m probably too friendly. So, I think people just need to come up to me and get to know me and realise that there’s no reason at all to be intimidated. I’m friendly and personable.

CD: What would people be surprised to know about you?

CR: Let me think… I think people would be surprised to know that I’m not just one of those people who’re naturally good test-takers. When people find out that I’ve been to Harvard and everything, they automatically assume that I’m like brilliant and a success. But I work really hard. For example, the exam you need to take to get into law school in the states; I studied for that for the whole year in order to get in.

CD: The LSAT?

CR: Yeah.  SO, I’ve never been one of those people to sit down and get it like that. But I make my goals and if I want to do something, I’ll work hard at it. If it takes me a year; if it takes me two years… I’ll work at it.

CD: A career in corporate law is very hectic. Do you foresee motherhood?

CR: Yeah! Hopefully I’ll be in a position to balance both. I don’t just see myself being a corporate lawyer. My family is very important to me. I want to be a mother, but I want to have my career. I want to be established in my career first.

CD: Babies and travel don’t really mix.

CR: Yeah… I know!  I definitely want to live my life… You know? Be young and enjoy it. But I definitely want to work on my career. But I definitely have to have my own life and my own family.

CD: feminists and others have strongly criticised the existence of beauty pageantry, claiming that it degrades women by having them assessed on their aesthetic value, rather than their character and substance; things that cannot be determined in a show. How do you respond to that?

CR: I believe that that might have been the case years ago, but I think beauty pageants have changed a lot.. maybe partly because of the feminist movement. But although there is a little bit of that… it’s a beauty pageant, you have to look good  and they assess your beauty of face and and beauty of.. what do they call it again… beauty of figure, the reason why I chose to enter the Miss Jamaica World pageant as opposed to any other pageant is because there’s definitely a focus on the whole package. So, I thought it was a pageant that would definitely appreciate the contestants not only for being beautiful but also for being very intelligent. You also have to have a good heart and a good spirit. You have to be personable. That’s why I particularly love this pageant, and on an international scale, the Miss World pageant, because it emphasises the complete woman.

CD: The use of hair straightener and hair extensions is considered by some as a vestige of racial discrimination or slavery in the black community. What is your point of view on this issue?

CR: I really can’t see that because everybody uses hair extensions and straighteners. I mean there hair extensions for kinky hair, for everything. Britney Spears uses hair extensions, Beyonce spends tonnes of money on hair extensions so I don’t think its so I don’t think so at all. It’s not something that’s not forced on you at all because we had girls here with natural hair and if they wanted to keep their hair natural people actually encouraged them I remember there was a contestant Simone Barrett and she wanted to straighten her hair. We were like ‘No’ but I remember she wanted to do it for a show before that and we were saying ‘No, Are you crazy?’ because her natural hair looks nice. Actually, the differences is everybody hair is straight, everyone’s hair is long and you come with short hair and it looks fabulous, or you come with fabulous afro or fabulous curly hair you stand out. So I think it were something forced or other women than I could see that point but since its an option you can chose to do it or chose not. In fact, if you don’t do it you could stand a better chance than everybody else, the 30 other people with long straight hair that straightened or curly, I don’t think there’s an issue if you have an option not to.

CD:  But if you took that same question from the point of view that, fair enough, Britney Spears and other celebrities use hair extensions, you’d still have to recognise that that question has been an on-going one in the Black community for years now. Tyra Banks, you know, just stopped wearing weaves, then she changed her position and said, “One day, maybe again”. I think it’s obviously more pervasive in African-American culture partly because we’re the ones with this kind of hair texture that…

CR: I don’t think its more pervasive…

CD: I mean, on an everyday street. I don’t mean performance. I mean everyday girls in their neighbourhoods. You don’t see that many white girls running to the salon to get hair extenstions. So, I think that substance behind the question is why? Because it’s not exactly cheap either? And right now in Jamaica we have a lot of girls who are bleaching for example. That’s an ongoing debate right now and nobody forced them. But there’ s something inherently around them that makes them feel that they ought to? I think the question is posed from that point of view; just to give you some context.

CR: Yeah. I understand that. I think it’s more than societal’s perceptions; definitely because we were a European colony and the influence from the US that that’s the certain standard that people try to portray of ‘beautiful’. Eeven I’m getting it now being Miss Jamaica World. You know… My runners-up were lighter than me and I get some criticism because of that, so I don’t understand. But… it’s a problem. It’s a problem with what you mentioned – the bleaching of the skin to try to be lighter,  but I don’t that it is something unique to Jamaica. I think especially in the the western world, those are the images and that’s what the media especially portrays as beautiful – to be light skinned, with long hair or whatever the standards are and so women try to live up to that. But, I personally feel that there’s nothing more attractive than a very dark-skinned, beautiful woman. I was in the pageant with Sara Lawrence. Sara is very attractive. So when you have a dark skinned girl that stands out, especially when you go to Miss World and everyone is very fair skinned and you have this beautiful dark-skinned person I just think its so beautiful and I think a lot of people would agree. I see the pressures to change and to have the long hair and do whatever but sometimes when you already have it you appreciate who you are and you accentuate your positive attributes, you’ll stand out and you won’t have to conform to ideals.

CD: Many believe Yendi Phillipps lost because of the dress, will you in your preparation for the competition be managing how you look and what you wear for the pageant in China?

CR: I think I do have some say in what I wear but I’m not sure about the control I will have over the dress. Someone’s providing all of that for me. One thing I’ve done in Miss Jamaica World is just been more insistent. I try to do it in a nice way. For example, the first day I put on the dress I did not like it because it didn’t fit properly. But, you know, you try to work with the designers in the best way possible even though it might be difficult to say, maybe if you did this, and make your own suggestions to try to make it as nice and then at the end of the day whatever you get if you have to go out in a gown you hate you just have to try and rock it like you loved it. [laughter]. But unfortunately people do judge you based on how you dress as well even though it’s not under your control but I’ll definitely try to put more of my input its not just about what you think looks good but how you feel in a dress and so forth and it helps the way you carry it. So, I’ll definitely try to put my input but I can’t tell you how much control because I’m not buying the dress myself . I’m at somebody else’s mercy. [laughter]

CD: The series is called the Last Word and you have the last word. What is the one thing you would want to say to the world if you could?

CR: I would like to thank everyone that supported me. I’ve gotten so much support. I definitely feel that I was meant to win this year because it all the people around me just came together. Even people that weren’t happy with me entering at the beginning came around to support me. So many people voted for me, I won Public Vote… My friends were like ‘you need to stop’, ‘you need to hurry up and win because I’m tired of voting’ because they were voting for me constantly.  I want to say thank you to everyone that supported me. Please continue to support me as I go on to the international competition. And if we can fit this in, I’d like to definitely thank my sponsor because they were supportive and I was happy to have them. They took out a full page ad today and they did it in the competition… And they have the entire staff at Geddes Refrigeration voting for me and I just really appreciate them. Thanks to everyone for the support.

CD: Thank you. I really enjoyed the interview and I think people will enjoy reading it as well.

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THE END***

At the end of the LAST WORD interview series, which runs from September 3-10, 2010, a lucky winner will be randomly selected from among those who commented on the blog or provided at least one mention or retweet on Twitter. That very fortunate person will attend the ultra-chic and über-fabulous Tuesday on the Grill weekly event at the Pegasus in the company of three other persons of his or her choosing. Comment and retweet to win your shot at this lovely dining experience for four. The competition is only open to Jamaican citizens. However, your comments and tweets are welcomed.

SURPRISE PRIZES

In addition, there will be sporadically awarded prizes throughout the week, but you won’t know when, why or who until the announcement is made… so stay tuned!

Admired by many for his work in crime-fighting and loathed by others for his sharp candour, Mark Shields has become a very visible, accepted part of the Jamaican socio-cultural landscape. However, few people have ever taken the time to discover the man behind the shield (as it were). It was this dichotomy between the public’s perception of this sometimes controversial personality and the subtler reality of a foreign national, father, spouse and human rights defender that led me to interview Mark Shields. He did not disappoint. Our conversation touched on a number of key issues that directly concern people in and outside of Jamaica. Read this interview and get a glimpse of one of Jamaica’s most identifiable yet least known public figures – Mark Shields.

Corve DaCosta: We know about the professional side of Mark Shields, the police officer side, but who is Mark Shields, really?

Mark Shields: That’s a difficult question. I suppose the first thing that comes to mind is that Mark Shields has not had a life that has gone in the way you’d expect one’s life to go in a particular direction. Mine took a massive turn about seven years ago and little did I know, seven years ago, that I would be living in Jamaica; that I would be in a new relationship; that I’d have a child aged 14 months. I didn’t realise any of that. It is quite a massive difference from the life that I had in England. So the first thing about me, I think, is that surprise: where I’ve ended up. I still, at times, have a job coming to terms with that. It’s just such a massive leap from one thing to another. You start life in a particular direction, you’re going down a track and you can see your life in front of you, so you know roughly where you’re going and where you’re going to end up. And, as I said, I did reach a junction and the rest of it, in some ways, is history. It sounds like a cliché but it is, and I’m surprised by that; by the last three years.

CD: Are you happy now?

MS: I’m always happy but I’m also full of angst about life for other people; about what’s going on. I’m full of frustration at times about the way things could be and sometimes I think that the frustration is also around how some view what I’m trying to achieve. They like to put a spin on what my motives are, but actually, anyone who knows me knows that what you see is what you get. There isn’t any side to me. There’s no secret Mark Shields. There’s none at all. I am what I am. My aim is to live a good life, and in that life, through my experience professionally, to try to make other people’s lives better than mine. And this means even though I finished my police career, I’ve decided to stay here and I’d like to continue to do some good, which is what I’ve tried to do throughout my life.

CD: You studied government and politics?

MS: Yes, yes.

CD: What led you into policing?

MS: Well the thing is I left school before I was a graduate and I was very fortunate to win a scholarship in my late twenties to go to university. So it was paid for by the police and by a foundation being that they saw me as a promising young officer.  In fact, my first choice was law. The only reason why I didn’t do that is because I’d seen others read law and then promptly leave the police and become good lawyers. And in some ways I thought that was unfair. So I decided, to not go down that particular path. I’d read something like government and politics which I found interesting; and philosophy. I found philosophy very interesting as well. So, that’s why I did that and it was probably three of the best years of my life because I think that any formal education such as that, particularly as a mature student, I think you get so much more out of it later on. My son is 18. He just passed his A Levels and he’ll be going to university in October. And he’s been studying always. But I hope that he can take a breath and realise the importance of an extra year though I don’t think he’ll necessarily get as much out of it as if he waited, but, you know, we don’t always get that option. I was lucky.

CD: And news coming out of Britain is that students did very well in their examinations this year.

MS: They did very well. But, unfortunately, I heard that some 200,000 successful students will not get places at university this year because they’re just over subscribed. So, luckily for him, he got in.

CD: Not many Jamaicans or those who read my blog may know about Scotland Yard. What does it mean to be a Detective Chief Superintendent of Scotland Yard?

MS: Scotland Yard was the name of the original headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service. The headquarters became too small about 40 years ago, but you’ll have to check and Google it to be absolutely sure, because the force just grew and grew.  So they moved to a new building which is on Victoria Street  just down from the houses of parliament and, of course, they called it New Scotland Yard. So the name Scotland Yard stuck forever, but the original name, Scotland Yard, is a geographical location near the houses of parliament, by the river and its where the headquarters were for the Metropolitan Police Service. So, when you hear “Scotland Yard” what they’re actually saying is “the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service” which is the police for London.  So that’s really what that is. It’s the headquarters, but it’s probably one of the most famous police buildings or expressions in the world. Everyone knows about Scotland Yard, but if you hear someone say, “I worked at Scotland Yard” it simply means “I worked at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service.” It’s as simple as that.

CD: You’ve been a police officer for over 30 years?

MS: Yes.

CD: What were the unique challenges in fighting crime in Jamaica?

MS: There are always unique challenges facing anyone involved in crime fighting. It just depends on the environment we are working in. But, actually, I believe that the rules of engagement in terms of crime prevention and crime protection are the same anywhere in the world. So, in other words, if you have ten, twenty or thirty years of experience, then you apply your learning to a new environment. It might have to be moulded slightly, but the simple principles of crime investigation remain the same in terms of gathering evidence, preserving a crime scene, getting good witnesses, and, as I always say to people, particularly in Jamaica, “getting it right the first time.” In other words, if you do it once, you get it right and it makes the job a whole lot easier. Some of the basic principles are the same. What will differ is the amount of technology available to support crime investigation. And so, if you go back to Scotland Yard, clearly it’s one of the richest police forces in the world because of its history and the resources that have been poured into it over such a long period. You have a very high level of expertise at Scotland Yard and they still get it wrong from time to time as we see. There are many horror stories of how police in London and elsewhere in the UK have got it wrong. So, you can still get it wrong. That’s one thing… but the principles remain the same. In Jamaica, we have some excellent detectives and we have some excellent technology which appears to be forgotten from time to time. We have a finger print database that is as good as anywhere else in the world. It also catches facial images as well if we allow it to. We have a ballistics system which is as good as anything else in the world. We’re talking about systems that are as good as anything you’d find in London, New York or Melbourne, Australia.  They are as good as that. Unfortunately, we also have some of the worst as well. I mean, they’re far worse than anywhere else. And that’s where the problem lies and it’s one of my frustrations: that we have some people who are so poor in terms of what they do and others that are so good. What we have to try and do is bring the worst and the best together so we have a good standard across the board. That’s one of the problems we have. Did I answer your question?

CD: Yes you did. At this stage in your life and career, why did you leave Europe for a developing country?

MS: The answer to that goes back to the first one I made about who I am and what happened. I’m not what I thought I was going to be in terms of where I ended up and it was a number of circumstances that brought me here in the first place.  The first one… I’ll say this to you while I realise it’s on record. The first reason that brought me here is something that many people choose to forget. I was brought here by the government of Jamaica, at a request to the police commissioner in London to come and investigate the murder of four people in a place called Crawl – that’s C-R-A-W-L  or K-R double A-L depending on which way you want to spell it – that’s two women and two men, by a group of police called the Crime Management  Unit, which was led by, at the time, Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams. That’s why I originally came to Jamaica – to investigate that. I thought that I was coming for a matter of weeks and it turned into a couple of years, because I ran the investigation and followed it from beginning to end.  That’s why I originally came here. In fact, I had been here once before , prior to that two years before as a consultant and worked with the JCF for a couple of months. Now I say that because it’s sometimes forgotten how I got here in the first place. I think it’s important. There was an investigation. It lasted nearly two years. Reneto Adams and his colleagues stood trial for murder and the jury acquitted him. That’s what happened. That’s why it ended there. And then, towards the end of that investigation… in fact, I had conducted a number of other investigations at the time, and at the time, the former Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips had spoken with a number of other people and they asked me if I would come to Jamaica permanently. So, he appointed me Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of guns and I went back to London. In fact I worked that Christmas period and I remembered it so vividly because it was the time of the Tsunami  in Thailand and other areas such as that… and I was at work in the process of trying to get aid and support to British nationals who were affected by the Tsunami. We were also dealing with families who were trying to trace people over there…and we were at the centre of an operation that was trying to help those people. So I worked for most of that Christmas period and I decided, for a number of personal reasons, to take the opportunity to come to Jamaica. So that was that.

CD: Reneto Adams said this recently: ‘My policy and philosophy where criminal elements are concerned are that we are to identify them and treat them like the ferocious alligators that they are.” What are your thoughts on that comment?

MS: I have no comment on anything that Reneto Adams says. My view, in terms of how to deal with crime, I’ve already stated. I have no interest in anything that he says and I will not comment on anything that he says because nothing he says, as far as I’m concerned, is worthy of comment.

CD: Were you surprised that other groups did not come out and react to this statement? They were basically silent; apart from the human rights group, Jamaicans for Justice for instance.

MS: I think that people living in this country, whether they’re in upper St. Andrew or somewhere near Halfway Tree, I think they’re in a state of trauma and I think they’re in a state of desperation. And when people are desperate, they’ll call for desperate measures. We cannot allow that to happen. We do not want to slip into an anarchical state where it’s okay to go out killing people because, historically, I have seen that mistakes are made all too frequently. Innocent people get killed. I don’t want innocent people to get killed. I want bad people to stand up in court and be found guilty of serious crimes. It happened to Joel Andem, it happened to Zeeks and it’s happened to many others. Many others. I would never want to stay in a country where we considered it okay to go and kill people and I would encourage any other country, any other liberal democracy who was prepared to give aid to Jamaica to withdraw if we went down that path. I would certainly leave. I just couldn’t stay here if that was going to happen. I stay here because I see the good in the people. Yes, there’s a massive crime problem, but let’s get on and solve it with some of the fundamental initiatives and strategies that I’ve discussed it with you. Let’s not talk about killing people because that’s never solved anything and it never will.

CD: You said in an article, weeks ago: “The government’s current crime fighting strategies will not yield significant reductions.” Are you convinced the government knows how to fight crime?

MS: It’s not the government’s job to know how to fight crime. It’s the government’s job to lead and to hold all other strands of crime-fighting together… and to have an overall strategic plan. That’s really important. One of the other things I said the other week was that, in 2005, the first year of my appointment, we had a record number of murders in Jamaica. I think it was 1,700 and something. Let’s say 1,700 murders. And we put together a strategy to reduce murder. The following year, 2006, murder was reduced across the country by 15% and everyone was applauding us, the police, although I don’t think we deserved that much credit. We played our part. We did what we had to do, but others did their part as well. And I always say we must never be complacent. We must never congratulate ourselves  because the crime problem isn’t over. And sure enough, in 2007, the murder rate and the crime rate went back up again.. and then it levelled and then, in 2009, just before I left, I think there was another record year. So the point is… it’s a long answer to this question but it’s a very critical point: you can’t blame any division or any government in any particular moment in time for this huge crime problem.  The crime problem we have is a result of years and years of circumstances; probably neglect, mismanagement, a lack of governance and the relationship between crime, dons and politicians… all of that laid the seeds for where we are now and now we’re reaping what was sown by others thirty or forty years ago. That’s how I see it. What we need to do now is find a way to get back to where we should be and that’s the problem. So I don’t blame the government. But my concern with this government at the moment  is that we had the 6 crime bills which, I’m not going to argue were good or bad, because I was there and therefore I was one of those who was asked an opinion… and I had an opinion almost. But my concern is that other fundamental, easy, quick-win situations such as a national DNA data base would help because the equipment has been bought… And I cannot, for the life of me, get an answer as to why after three years of this government promising to introduce the legislation, it hasn’t been done. Because I know national DNA data bases work. They solve crime. And equally, the rights of the citizens are affected day in, day out because people are remanded into custody for long periods of time. We do not have the rules for the police and for citizens in terms of their rights while they’re in custody. We could adopt  something like, and you’ll have to look this up,  the Police and Criminal Evidence Act in the United Kingdom. With the codes and practices, it would be easy to try to adopt something like that, but we choose to have the draconian judges’ rules  that go back to English law for fifty years. There are some things that can be done – and that’s why I get so frustrated…that are so easy, but they do not do those things. But we fiddle around with the Bail Acts and lock up people for 60 days but that doesn’t solve the problem. What solves the problem are some of the tools that other parts of the world are using; things that we’re failing to do. That’s my frustration.

CD: So, our approach is wrong?

MS: Yes! The approach is wrong because there isn’t a cohesive plan. I don’t get the sense even now that there’s an overall plan that every citizen in the country is working together to reduce crime. I don’t get that sense. I get the sense that there are 6 crime bills over there; you’ve got emergency powers as a result of Dudus over here; you’ve got this over here. And that’s why I mentioned last week about quick fixes. The reason there are quick fixes is because we’re in a state of crisis. When it’s a state of crisis, there are people screaming out, “Kill criminals” for example. That has never worked before and it won’t work now and it won’t work in the future. What will work is an over-arching plan that we will stick to and we’ll understand.

CD: There’s been a backlash about your role in the JCF and maybe not your role but that of overseas officers in the JCF. Do you think that, despite the prevalent reticence on the part of the Jamaican police, do you think foreign police officers can be effective here?

MS: Absolutely yes. There’s no doubt at all. The problem is we will be judged on Twitter and other similar websites on one line : Shields failed or Shields was a success. Greene failed or Greene was a success. International police officers don’t work. They should go back to their own country and we should get good local people. But then, it’s all very well having these one-liners all the time but then you have to look behind… Why did we come here in the first place? We came here in the first place because the corruption is one of the highest in the world; the police were killing more people than some of the top police forces in the world. Corruption was rife. The management of crime scenes and many of the other techniques were not being done. And why is that? You can’t blame the Jamaican police. You can say you have one police force but this is one country. We have the luxury in the United Kingdom of having 43 police forces.  In the United States they have thousands of police forces – big and small, federal and state police forces; they have county police and they have local police within their cities. Because we have that, it’s cross fertilisation. We’re able to move around, gain experience. The locals say they don’t want foreign police? I think it’s a very parochial and naive attitude. The fact is they need foreign police – whether they’re black, white, Asian… it doesn’t matter where they come from. You need to have people here in an organisation that is inherently not trusted by the people. So at least if we’re here they can say, “well at least there are some people here from outside that perhaps we can trust”. It is no coincidence that in my time, which was four and a half years, I received thousands of phone calls from people here in Jamaica  to talk to me about crime issues, about who committed crime, about where firearms were and about corrupt police. The overwhelming fact was that people felt there was somebody to trust. And of course, not just me. There was more trust in Les Greene. They trusted Justin Felice who was the head of anticorruption; they trusted John Mclean who was in charge of community and others. They trusted us because we were foreign. In general terms, the silent majority of the JCF were police who had us there; who liked us to be there because we were not part of the old system; because we tried to influence positive change. We had no agenda.  I still have no agenda apart from to do good for the Jamaica Constabulary Force and for the people of Jamaica. We should continue with the programme of international police officers working in Jamaica. We should encourage other Caribbean police from middle management to senior management to come and work in Jamaica and for Jamaicans to go and work elsewhere. Whether it’s in New York, Barbados or London. It should be encouraged because it’s the only way you get good policing – is to learn from each other as I think I said earlier on. So, those narrow-minded comments about what did Mark Shields do for Jamaica?… It doesn’t do any good. It’s not constructive. Because every time it’s said, we would have to list the hundreds of ways the JCF has changed. I’m not taking any glory for it. I’m not a glory seeker. I’m not a glory hunter. I played a very constructive role. I played my part. Sometimes we make good judgements and sometimes we don’t. Overall, I know it was better than when we arrived, when we left. That’s what I think.

CD: How’s fatherhood the second time around?

MS: I tell you what.. I love being a father anyway. I love my children more than anything in the world. There’s nothing to beat being a father. So, whether it’s the first, second or third time, it’s just a wonderful experience.

CD: What’s the greatest lesson you hope to teach your children?

MS: Love for each other. Respect for everybody. Dignity. Work hard… But I think first and foremost it goes back to love and respect everybody. And just to be a good person.  I think that’s so critically important. That and to be yourself. That’s it .

CD: What would you consider to be your greatest achievement?

MS: In my life?

CD: Yes.

MS: I don’t think it’s easy for me to say what I think is my greatest achievement. I’ve tried to live a good life. I’ve tried to be a good person. Sometimes I have failed as everybody else does. Sometimes we make wrong decisions. But overall, professionally, I’m pleased with how my career has gone. I’m very self-critical. I mean I think there are things that I think I could have done differently. But overall I don’t go for one particular achievement and if I did, everyone would jump up and say, well I don’t think that was such a big achievement. There’s always a negative to a positive. I’m just happy I’ve had a good life so far and I hope that when I leave this planet, in some form, that there’s some good left. That’s it, really. For my kids and for everybody else.

CD: You suggested in a previous interview that the entire JCF should be disbanded to start anew. Do you stand by that remark and if so, why?

MS: What I actually said was that, through The Strategic Review and through other initiatives and strategies, we had tinkered with the JCF and we have always failed to reduce corruption and crime within the JCF. I do believe, however, the team that is behind the current commissioner, Owen Ellington, is doing a reasonable job. I think he needs to change some of his senior members, but I think he’s a very good police officer and I think the number of people we can see arrested and charged for corruption is a good move. I think we can also see he’s also moving within the rules to remove people for up to five years because there’s a system  whereby anyone from a constable to an inspector – at the end of a five-year period .. their service is reviewed and their contract is either renewed or revoked. So that’s going very well. He’s getting rid of people and that is cleaning up the force. I still think it’s not so much about what’s going on within. It’s about the perception of people. I’ll give you an example. The Royal Ulster Constabulary was viewed as a predominantly protestant policing organisation in Northern Ireland and therefore most Catholics had no confidence in the RUC. There was a review of the RUC and they literally dismantled the organisation  and renamed it as the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Okay? And the customer satisfaction surveys that have been done in relation to this new service have been extraordinary in terms of how positive they are because it’s become a transparent, accountable organisation. A positive move was to recruit as many Catholics as possible as it was a predominantly protestant organisation. Trust and confidence in the PSNI is now among the highest in the United Kingdom. It’s a very professional organisation. Ten years ago and certainly fifteen years ago it was a completely inward-looking organisation that had come out of the war on terror as well and people didn’t trust it. Those changes have made a massive difference. The police service in London, the Metropolitan Police Service,  went through years of corruption and problems. That didn’t have to be completely changed but there were some very overt changes to the organisation caused by reports that changed policing. And back to your question… The JCF. I think if we could come up with a new model, with a new organisation where the people trusted the organisation then the country would benefit from it. It’s not what the JCF wants. It’s what the citizens of this country want… and if they don’t trust the JCF, then the government has to look at it and say that perhaps it’s time to literally dismantle the organisation and from that rebuild a new one. It’s expensive but the price might be high but because of that investment you’d get a new organisation with a new set of rules with some new people and hopefully the trust and confidence of the Jamaican people will grow.  That’s my idea.

CD: Who would have the final decision on that plan?

MS: That plan would have to go to parliament. And I understand from meetings I have had with government that it would require a constitutional change  so it isn’t as simple as dismantling the whole organisation because there are aspects of the JCF written into the constitution. So it would take all parties’ support. It would take a committee to do that. The Strategic Review from two or three years ago is a good blueprint for it because every time there has been a review of the JCF they’ve always come up with very similar recommendations. But the last report was probably the best and it’s the most recent so they should stick to that plan. And one of the considerations was to dismantle the organisation. Certainly it should be revamped. Think about it… the JCF is the Jamaica Constabulary Force. We have to move away from the “force” aspect and have to create a service. Police are supposed to provide a service to the nation. They are not a force. Fundamentally, there needs to be some changes. The uniform, in my view, is totally outdated. It needs to be upgraded to see a modern police service in a modern uniform with a modern face with young police persons.

CD: What would a modern uniform look like?

MS: It would be more practical. It would be smarter. I think it’s important that they should be smart. They should be made of a fabric that recognises that our officers are working in a tropical climate so it’s generally hot. It’s got to breathe properly and it’s got to enable them to move. So when you see some of these tight comma bands you see some of the police wearing.. the women wear skirts still… as you’ve probably seen? That’s not a particularly practical for a police woman to be wearing. She should perhaps be wearing a pair of well-fitted, light fabric trousers or pants as they say in America. And the men, the same. There should be a different uniform. There should be a different approach. And again, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Go and look at the other police uniforms across the world and you’ll see some really good models and you can move from there and adopt them.

CD: What are your thoughts on social intervention? Do they have a place?

MS: We cannot fight crime without social intervention strategy. It cannot be done. Policing is one small slice of the cake in fighting crime. And that’s another thing that everybody has to understand and that goes back to some of my earlier points to your questions you asked me. Crime fighting is such a small slice of the cake. My experience has been that whenever there has been a plan of social intervention and a good partnership between the police and all the other agencies, government agencies and NGOs that’s when crime reduction really works. If you remove a don from a community through force, arrest lots of young men with firearms, that’s all well and good, but then you have a vulnerable community still who will be subsumed into a new management system on the crime side. So what you have to ensure is that you have an effective social intervention strategy as well. We don’t have a post police intervention strategy that I can see. There are fragments of it… So again, it’s not a criticism, but I don’t see the overall plan. I mentioned recently that I think we should use Tivoli Gardens in West Kingston as a model. We received international negative press during the Tivoli Gardens debacle and we saw the barricades; we saw men with firearms; we saw over 70 dead people in the Tivoli Gardens area. I think two police and one soldier were killed as well. So, something good should come from all of that tragedy and I think that we could create a model in Tivoli. That means that we have to build a police post, much like the Grant’s Pen model that has facilities for young people to learn new skills, some to read and write, others to learn skills; that we should create something that people can start small businesses and there should be an internet café that will allow people to communicate with the rest of the world. There should be a bank. There should be a post office. There should be a medical centre. There should be any facility that people want within that community which will mean that they won’t need a don. Because the don should be the government and all the agencies that support. If we do not do that, I can guarantee that Tivoli will slip back to where it was before. So this is an opportunity and for me it’s not an opportunity that we have years to think about. It needs to be done now. Have you been to Tivoli Gardens? Have you seen the area?

CD: I’ve only seen the entrance.

MS: Right. Well if you look behind it towards Marcus Garvey, there’s a huge area of waste ground where presently there are shallow graves because that’s where people were killed. That should be completely swept away. It should be a multi-purpose court, a sports court with a facility, a gymnasium. People should be playing sports in that area. There should be basketball courts, football fields…. everything should be there for young people to do. So in other words, when we look at Tivoli Gardens in years to come it will be a model community. That’s my vision for the future of that area. So, going to your relatively short question about what I think about social intervention, I am passionate. I am more passionate about social intervention and getting that right than I am about crime investigation. This is so important. You cannot do anything in Jamaica in terms of trying to rejuvenate a community by removing its don and then not doing anything to fill the vacuum. If you fail to do that then you’re going to get a recycling of the problem.

CD: You’re no longer in the public service. Would you ever reconsider?

MS: What sort of public service?

CD: Going back into the JCF.

MS: Never. No. I would never go back into a police service. Perhaps one should never say never, but I think it’s highly unlikely for a number of reasons. I’ve established a company in the private sector which is a crime and security consultancy firm and we’re doing okay at the moment. The company is prospering slowly… and I’m enjoying this part of my life. I always wanted to run my own business. I guess one of my life’s ambitions was to run my own business, whatever it may be, and I’ve chosen this particular path. I do not want to go back into the public sector. I enjoy working in the private sector. But, although I don’t want to go back, I do want to make a contribution. And so, whenever any projects come up from time to time that I can help with, then I will do it.

CD: What services do you offer here at Shields?

MS: Well, there are a range of services but we provide advice and support for corporate clients on crime security issues. It could be risk assessments. It could be profiling security that they already have in their company; we conduct investigations as well, some complex investigations because there are many aspects to criminality that are not priorities for the police because they’re quite likely to be busy dealing with murder and other serious gun crimes. And so, sometimes, the private sector gets somewhat neglected because the police is busy doing other things. We fill that gap as well and we conduct investigations. We do all manner of things. It’s quite an array of services really.

CD: What made you join Twitter?

MS: I’m generally against social networking.  You won’t find me on  Facebook or any of the other similar social network pages. I just don’t agree with it. I don’t like the way people are living their lives in public and I’ve seen people suffer some embarrassment because of things such as Facebook. I don’t want to be part of that. And, generally speaking, on Twitter, I don’t tell people if I’m drinking coffee or tea. It tends to be about issues relating to what I am always thinking about which is trying to solve problems around crime and social injustice and a lot of other issues. So I tend to stick to those things. If I see something of interest that I think might be of interest to people on Twitter, then I share that. Sometimes, I get a little bit opinionated, but I try to avoid that because that just creates more controversy so I have to be very careful.  Because, although I’m now a private figure, I’m still, I suppose, a public figure. And so I try to remain responsible in terms of what I say. I think Twitter is a really good vehicle for sharing information and I think it’s a very good forum for gathering information about what’s going on. I think I only follow about ten or fifteen people.

CD: Yeah… yes you follow a small number, but you also have over 700 followers.

MS: I know. It’s amazing! [Laughter]. The thing is, I haven’t got the time to follow so many people. I’m always amazed when I see people following 543 people. How do they do that?

CD: I don’t know how they do it?

MS: What do they do all day? I can’t believe it. I wish I had the time. So, I minimise it. I read a lot. I watch the news. I watch CNN, BBC, TVJ and CVM. I listen to the radio in the morning. So, I take in a lot of news. I scroll through it and if there’s any related issue which would reflect well on Twitter then I provide that.

CD: The series is called the Last Word and you have the last word. What is the one thing you would want to say to the world if you could?

MS: That’s a difficult question. [Pauses] It would be statements around be yourself, try and love each other and try and respect each other and treat people with dignity. Those are the sort of words that would be my last words.. and stop being so opinionated all the time. Particularly on Twitter and things like that, you tend to get the under 100-word sound bites and I don’t think they necessarily say much. Sometimes I think it’s better to say nothing than something. I guess that would the last word I’d say: Sometimes it’s better to say nothing than to say something, particularly if you don’t actually know them.

Thank you.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

THE END*****

GRAND PRIZE

At the end of the LAST WORD interview series, which runs from September 3-10, 2010, a lucky winner will be randomly selected from among those who commented on the blog or provided at least one mention or retweet on Twitter. That very fortunate person will attend the ultra-chic and über-fabulous Tuesday on the Grill weekly event at the Pegasus in the company of three other persons of his or her choosing. Comment and retweet to win your shot at this lovely dining experience for four. The competition is only open to Jamaican citizens. However, your comments and tweets are welcomed.

SURPRISE PRIZES

In addition, there will be sporadically awarded prizes throughout the week, but you won’t know when, why or who until the announcement is made… so stay tuned!

I met Prudence Simpson around my birthday this year. It feels like more than a year though. When I thought of having this feature called the Last Word I had to include Prudence Simpson – the tweeter behind Jamaica Pegasus on Twitter. As users of social media we are so caught up with the updates, tweets and replies that we forget the real people behind each profile. I have come to appreciate Prudence because of her genuine personality. Many will respect her professionally, but, on a personal level, she is a wonderful woman with a big heart that shines through all the time. I think Ms. Simpson (that’s what I call her) can take some credit for what my blog has become today. Her push for always reaching out and being novel inspired me to try and do the same with my own content (I doubt she knows that little fact).

Today, I present Prudence Simpson, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Jamaica Pegasus. Later, we will celebrate at the Jamaica Pegasus in the Gardens at their second Tweetup, hope to see you there.

Corve: What was your childhood like?

Prudence Simpson: [chuckles] Oh my gosh… I grew up in Clarendon. I was a wonderful, happy child. I attended primary school at May Pen Primary and I went to Glenmuir. I was very active and involved person.

CD: How was Glenmuir?

PS: Glenmuir was a great experience. It was just a wonderful high school. I was in the choir. So, I did all the things and went to every festival. Festival was a big thing for me. I did speech festival, dance festival. I was always going, even if I wasn’t taking part. By the time I finished Glenmuir, I remember I used to pride myself that I knew every parish in Jamaica, except Hanover.  By the time I graduated, I hadn’t gone to Hanover. It was a big thing.

CD: You travelled all over?

PS: Yes! I remember us going to Munro to play a cricket match. I was always doing those things. Yes, that meant a lot to me. I always had this people thing.

CD: Who would you say was most influential?

PS: Throughout life?

CD: Yes.

PS: You know, when I went to CAST, I did Business Administration and my Marketing Lecturer, Carol Anglin, I think, is still the one person that has had the most influence on, where I am today. She was just such a great lecturer – very disciplined. She’s the one person I can think back to who has changed me the most.

CD: How has motherhood changed you?

PS: [laughter] I haven’t changed. I don’t know. I guess I’m a fun mother you know. The funnest mother in the world. When I think back on how my mother raised me. She was really strict. You know? I haven’t been that kind of mother. But in some ways I think this generation has failed. When you look at how young people today don’t have the same values. I think somehow we failed, but I have happy children. I think I could have done a better job but I don’t know if I’ve changed. I’m still the same.

CD: Do you have an open relationship with your children?

PS: Yeah, we do, my son has his girlfriend and he brings her over. We have a great relationship and my husband is like that as well. But we done what we could for them, given them a good education. I think I could have done a better job.

CD: You’re a senior executive of one of Jamaica’s top hotels. Are there challenges you’ve found in this position as a woman?

PS: As a woman, I don’t think so. I don’t see those barriers. If they are there, I really don’t see them. Luckily, in this organisation there are more women at the top. Although we haven’t had a female GM [for general manager], we don’t feel that the gender bias is evident here. There are other challenges that certainly have nothing to do with the fact that I am a woman.

CD: How would you characterize your leadership style? Do the employees run from you?

PS: No sah! [chuckles] Nobody runs from me. I’m cool. I have an “open door” policy. It works for the most part, I think. The problem with my style of leadership is that, when you need to discipline, sometimes it poses a challenge. But I’m easy. I set my barriers, they know them, people deliver and I assess them… and I think it works. It works because of my personality. I see other managers here who don’t have it and they get what they need to get done. But I think people appreciate my style.

CD: What was the experience like working on the ICC World Cup Cricket in the Caribbean?

PS: How do you know that? How do you know I worked on cricket? [asks comically with an air of surprise] It was the experience of a lifetime. It was awesome. I was employed to a company based in Singapore. I didn’t work directly with ICC so I worked with a company called Nimbus Sport which was the company that had the rights for sponsorship –  the television rights and sponsorship rights. Actually, it was a company owned by Rupert Murdock. I reported to a lady that was based in South Africa, and a boss in Singapore. My immediate boss was French so it was a whole new world of different cultures and working across time zones. When we were going to bed South Africa was waking up. I think what I got out of Cricket World Cup was the passion for the internet and how to use it effectively to run the world because we used Skype exclusively and that was in 2005. We were doing conference calls, emails… we had a paperless office. I was in charge of sponsorship for the Caribbean so I was selling sponsorship to Trinidad, Barbados and North America. Those were the persons I was interacting with – the heads of marketing for sport companies. So it was an opportunity. I firmly believe that young people should travel. I think that one of the limitations that Jamaican people have is that we don’t get enough international exposure. If I could go back and live my life over again, I would have worked in another country. But having not had that opportunity, Cricket World Cup gave me that and more. It just gave me this opportunity to be working with people from India. I remember one morning I was on a conference call negotiating with Scotia Bank and they were in Canada with all of their executives doing the deal. My boss was in Singapore, the head of the company; my immediate boss was in France, Gabby, who was the legal person, was in South Africa. I was sitting in an office on St Lucia Avenue and we were on this call. Of course, these were negotiations at the highest level and we were just about clinching the Scotia deal. When the call was finished and I hung up, I said, “Oh my God! I would do this job for free!” It was just an awesome experience sitting and talking with all these people, negotiating deadlines, everybody back and forth and I had a lot of information because I was the local contact. It was just great. So I came out of that on a high. I know that when the history books are written, it probably didn’t deliver. Of course the organisation that was developed didn’t pay enough attention to marketing, understanding the Jamaican culture and putting that in. It came with the strictures from the ICC and they didn’t change a lot of that. But I would do it all again tomorrow.

Corve DaCosta dropping by Prudence's office to celebrate her birthday.

CD: You’ve been tweeting behind the scenes at the Jamaica Pegasus on Twitter, has it been challenging managing the page, and ensuring the regular duties are completed?

PS: Yesterday morning my sister called and said she saw a feature on CNN that said Twitter is the new caffeine. People get addicted to Twitter and I am addicted.[laughter] I don’t want to miss a tweet. I think last week was the first week when two days went by and I didn’t read a tweet. I’m now learning that you don’t have to read every tweet and in life you can go back and look at people’s timelines and see what they had to say. But at the Pegasus, we’ve had to embrace social media-internet marketing. Before Cricket World Cup, I worked here and then I left and came back. When I became Marketing Manager back in 2001, I did over the organisational chart for the department and I created a post called Sales Executive – Internet Marketing because I’ve always known, especially for this travel industry, that the internet was the way to go. All the surveys were showing that people were increasingly booking their travel online. So it was very important to have your website. Of course most of our bookings come through Expedia and Travelocity. So the internet is something I’ve always felt would increasingly get more of my marketing budget. Whenever I hear anybody’s coming here to bring down anybody to offer a course in social media, chances are I’m going to say: “Yes. I will sponsor you.” That’s how I get to negotiate to get our staff to go to the courses. So I went to one – I think that’s where I met Ingrid Riley – and I was introduced to Twitter in that forum. I couldn’t understand the concept of it and so I went back and did some research and shortly after, we started. I got a lot of help from Mr. Bremner’s son Cliff because he’s really the one who came around and showed me Twitter. I think it’s good, I think we’re using it well. I saw one of Ingrid’s post entitled Why Jamaican companies should stay away from Social Media. I read it and it meant a lot to me because a lot of times I think I’ve gone ahead of the organisation. So, although the organisation is saying yes we embrace it and I have a lot autonomy to do my tweets and my TweetUps, at the end of the day, when this new audience comes in, I don’t rest well at night because I know out there where the service is delivered they’re really not at the level that I’d like them to be. But we are taking strides and we’ve brought in trainers to do more training to try to sensitize them. In a sense, I’ve gone about it back ways, but its a pull strategy because the fact that I am out there doing it and my GM is seeing that and everybody is seeing it, they are seeing the new crowd that is coming in and they are realising that “Hey! We can’t sit back. It’s not the same old fogies coming through the door anymore and these people are more demanding.” So, yeah! I am excited about it.

CD: Were you surprised about the feedback you received with the second tweetup?

PS: It blew us out of the water! It took us only 8 hours to have over 250 people. We knew our followership had grown, but that told us that people are tweeting. They are actually sitting there and reading and knowing what’s going on, you know they are not getting left behind. People are excited about it; a lot of kids but a lot of professionals. I’ve found it a new way to meet people. Advertising is getting less of my dollars because I am reaching people in a more personal, direct way. So people might comment and say “what a way they do a lot of giveaways”… I saw @sweetpersona. She went to some hotel in the country last week and sent a simple tweet saying “Lawd I wonder if di bed big and fluffy like Pegasus.” Those things are powerful! That’s a personal experience reaching a whole heap of people. You can’t discount that.

CD: What has been your greatest success although you’re still on your journey?

PS: I think that the thing I feel most satisfied about is that when I took over as Marketing Manager we came out of a period of five years of straight losses. In the first year we reversed it and since then we have not had a year when we’ve made a loss. I don’t know about this year because the ‘Dudus’ thing affected us badly. This quarter was bad and a lot of it was that we never put our cost-cutting things in place ’cause normally, when occupancy falls, we do layoffs or we put the staff on four-day work weeks. When the Dudus thing came, we continued to operate with this very little… So, you know, the back of the bus thing. We’ll come out of it. Yeah! I was really happy when the trend was reversed. We’ve been able to weather the storm.

CD: What’s a typical day for you?

PS: I come in for a meeting at nine – we have a briefing with the senior managers every morning at nine. I’m not a morning person so I’m always late. So I rush here to get to my briefing and then during the day I am constantly ‘doing’ people – on the phone taking calls, meeting and greeting people coming in to the restaurant, hosting somebody for something. So my day is a lot of interaction and then it is not until 6 o’clock that I really get to sit down to clear up my to-do list, emails, my proposals. A lot of my job is doing that because we have 300 rooms to fill. A lot of it has to be group business. That’s our strategy to attract groups and I don’t like to start a month without having some group business on the books. So, I spend a lot of my time doing proposals and chasing. And then in the evenings I get a lot of invitations to social events.  I try to go to the ones put on by the embassies. So, yeah, that’s pretty much my day. So usually when I am going full throttle I am here until 9 o’clock at nights. I have long days.

CD: The series is called the last word because each participant is given the chance to close the interview with whatever he or she would like to say. For your last word can you tell us about the Tweetup that will be on September 3, 2010? Is there anything you can dish on the event?

PS: You know this Tweetup thing is something where I really just want people to come through our doors. This one is going to be in another location –  in the Gardens. I really want to have good weather because I want people to appreciate the outdoors and the fact that we have this venue.  The TweetUp cannot fall below the last one. The worst thing that could happen is for people to leave and say “Lawd, it neva nice like di laas wan.” I also want to give people something so I am working on what is going to be the high point of the evening. I am trying to find a presenter to leave something in people’s minds that they don’t just see this thing as a Friday evening party. This is really it so we are not putting pressure on anybody.

THE END*****

GRAND PRIZE

At the end of the LAST WORD interview series, which runs from September 3-10, 2010, a lucky winner will be randomly selected from among those who commented on the blog or provided at least one mention or retweet on Twitter. That very fortunate person will attend the ultra-chic and über-fabulous Tuesday on the Grill weekly event at the Pegasus in the company of three other persons of his or her choosing. Comment and retweet to win your shot at this lovely dining experience for four.

SURPRISE PRIZES

In addition, there will be sporadically awarded prizes throughout the week, but you won’t know when, why or who until the announcement is made… so stay tuned!

You may contact the Jamaica Pegasus at:

Telephone: (876) 926-3691-9

Fax: (876) 929-0593

Address:81 Knutsford Boulevard
Kingston 5
Jamaica W.I.

Website: www.jamaicapegasus.com

Twitter: @JamaicaPegasus

Follow her boss Eldon Bremner at @GMJamPeg

Before I started my blog I would visit tens upon tens of blogs – blogs from different interests, spreading the continents of this world. Even blogs in different languages. Blogging is the new voice; a voice that can challenge your readers, inspire and be a source of get-away for those seeking one. And in May 2009 I found my own voice through my blog and each day I log on and say ”wow”.

I get bored easily and for months I have been searching for that one idea, one project I could work on the blog. It’s finally here. Today I am launching The Last Word. The Last Word will be an interview series from September 3-10, 2010 and each day an interview will appear. For the week I will be sharing the interviews from eight Jamaicans I find interesting and opinionated. Jamaicans that will challenge you and from their interviews there is an important lesson to learn from their Last Word.

Prizes

The week September 3-10, 2010 will not only feature interviews but there will be an opportunity daily for the readers to become engaged and to participate in this incredible series. Details to the online competition will be posted on Thursday, September 2, 2010.

Twitter will be used to promote the series. Join the movement by using the hashtag #thelastword

Join in the fun and look out for the first piece this Friday.

Let me confess: I am a pageant fan. It goes way, way (wayyyy) back. I still remember it as if it were yesterday. It was Miss World 1993. Who won? Our own Lisa Hanna took home the crown. I was only 6 years old and the image stuck with me forever. Since that time,  I’ve almost never missed an international pageant. In high school, one of my best friends and I  (I know he’ll be reading this) would sit down and design concepts for pageants. We talked about our likes and dislikes. Even on the night of Miss Universe 2010, we spoke about the show as it unfolded.

Miss Jamaica Universe 2010 Yendi Phillipps was chosen amidst controversy. Many Jamaicans opposed her decision to enter the contest because they thought it greedy on her part having already done an international pageant. But what many Jamaicans don’t seem to understand is that pageant girls never quit  - especially when they think they are better than the competition. There’s always another pageant to enter, another crown to win, another final question to answer. At 24 years, Yendi Phillipps has lived a life many people can only imagine. She has won Miss Jamaica World 2007, has modeled in South Africa, has studied fine arts and dance in the United States, is dating one of the fastest men in the world Asafa Powell, and is now the 1^st runner-up to Miss Universe 2010. It is a great deal and she should be commended for her efforts.

On Monday night, millions watched as two ladies, both strong contenders for the crown in Las Vegas, held each other nervously as they waited to see who had won. Then the gong sounded: Jamaica’s Yendi Phillipps was named the 1st runner-up which marked the coronation of Mexico’s Jimena Navarette as Miss Universe 2010. A lot has been said since Monday night about Miss Jamaica and Miss Mexico about the pageant regarding who should have won and even how God (I doubt he really watched pageants…) snatched the crown from her during that final question. As I think back to that heart-racing moment, I can vividly see that there were obvious signs that she was destined to win. So, what exactly made her lose in those last few minutes?

Miss Universe 2010 Top 5 Question & Answer

The Case for Yendi Phillipps

Unlike so many silly girls who claim  they enter pageants to learn to be outgoing (as if that really happens in three weeks), Yendi had the right ingredients to be a top pageant girl:  her girlish sparkle, beautiful skin, a universally pleasing complexion (not too light, not too dark – the global average), charm, grace and full, silky hair. To stand the slightest chance of winning, each girl has to have this kind of profile (give or take physical traits that are “in”). As Yendi walked on that stage, she easily demonstrated that she had “the goods” to be among the best hopefuls that night. The 25 lbs she shed enabled her to have the svelte, model-esque physique that is preferred for the Miss Universe competition. The hands were slender and her fuller 2007 legs were toned sleek silhouettes that could make a Vegas showgirl turn deep green with envy.

Throughout the Miss Universe pageant, Yendi Phillips received the highest mark from the judges in swimwear and one f the highest scores for evening wear and was placed behind Mexico in the evening gown parade. With these amazing scores it awarded her a spot in the coveted top 5 and pageant enthusiasts even had her scored to be leading.  It all came down to the final answer between Miss Jamaica and Miss Mexico. During the interview section, Miss Philippines basically dug her own grave and then hopped into it and pulled the dirt over her face  when she gave the dumbest response imaginable. She was asked to tell the audience about a major mistake she made in her life and what she did to rectify it. Simple, right? Well, Miss I-left-my-brain-in-the-changing-room replied that she really has never made any major mistakes in her life, politely adding that she was just happy to be in Las Vegas. But it was an honest linguistic error. Perhaps she thought “major mistake” in English meant blowing up a children’s home, swindling millions or committing terrorism. Needless to say, her ridiculous response automatically ensured that she would be last of the top five. Others went on to give fair responses and then it cam down to Mexico and Jamaica. Both representatives answered well though Mexico slightly dodged the internet question, opting to use distracting words like “values” and “family” while Yendi gave a pretty sincere response to a very difficult, controversially charged question on the death penalty (kudos to her – she said she was against it despite knowing that her audience and judges , largely American, would be in favor of it or at least inclined to believe it should be allowed if it has popular support). So, she did well in many respects, but she did have “moments” that hurt her too.

The Case against Yendi Phillipps

Dress

Top 5 - Miss Universe Pageant

Contestants in the pageants are forced to use local designers to conjure up designs for the evening gown parade. Over the years Uzuri International has been the designer of choice of the gown the winner wears. The designer has a reputation of creating unflattering, old-fashioned, unimaginative, take-me-to-the-prom gowns for Jamaica’s international pageant contestants. The truth is Yendi’s gown was a hot mess. The color was lovely, but that was about it. The gown was clumsily sewn, “blinged” to the point of grotesque with a shiny base fabric topped with even more ripples and ornamentation. The sleeves seemed awkwardly “not fitted and not loose”. It was an unusual mixture of tacky back road concepts with first world drag queen flair. This was particularly unsightly when compared to the more modern textures, shades and structures that other contestants wore. Indeed, the dresses of Mexico and The Phillipines will remain with many for a long time because of their refinement, ease and freshing simplicity. Indeed, the fact that Yendi even placed in the top 15 at all while wearing that mildewed slice of bread is a miracle and testimony to her skills as a seasoned pageant contestant.

Walk, composure on stage

Miss Jamaica Yendi Phillipps walked with energy and appeared friendly and sincere. She was confident without seeming bitchy or arrogant and she seemed girlish without appearing silly or vapid. What she did lack however, was a strong, yet elegant walk appropriate for pageantry. Certainly, Yendi has struggled with her runway walk for some time now and recent fashion shows in South Africa suggest that she is finally beginning to improve. However, she made a crucial mistake. She took the little she knows about fashion runway and applied it to the pageant runway when they are quite different. Instead of Mexico easy glide and grace, Yendi decided to attempt an unfortunate, serpentine version of high fashion stomping with her shoulders twisting ab0ut and her face  periodically slipping from reassuring calm to “fierce” sneers. The pageant face in evening wear is to be calm, smooth and alluring – not fierce. The pageant walk is to be feminine, lithe and graceful – not a tranny version of the Brazilian stomp. Again, in light of her superior score in evening wear, she clearly had won the hearts of the judges who overlooked this rural runway walk, focusing on her beauty and warmth which are seldom matched. But, then came the question…

Response to the question

It is often thought that  the final question determines the winner, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Your combined scores including the question and answer section determine your final place in the competition. However, in a race this close, what you say and how you say it become paramount. With that in mind, Yendi’s insistence on the value of life and God’s sole right to take it did little to secure her the crown. It’s not that she wasn’t admirable for being frank. But, the fact of that matter is frankness is irrelevant in diplomacy and the position of Miss Universe is just that – an ambassadorial post for good will and cultural tolerance. Therefore, a more nuanced answer would have been more favorable.

Yendi’s question was:

Some countries still practice the death penalty. Is this acceptable to you and why?

Yendi could have said a number of things:

Thank you for that question. It’s a very sensitive issue and there are no easy answers. I would have to say that while I respect a nation’s right to have the death penalty if its citizens deem it appropriate, my personal belief is that life is priceless and therefore, we cannot defend it by taking it. Thank you.

Or

That’s a really tough question, but I am glad you asked it because it is something about which I feel strongly. I do recognize the importance of a nation’s right to choose its penalties for crime, but I believe life is sacred and should only be taken away by God himself. Thank you.

Of course, it’s easy to offer options in the comfort of my own home as I type a blog, but the reality is that saying the right thing under pressure, even in the most awkward situations is what pageant success is all about.

As most of you saw, instead of opting for nuance, poor Yendi galloped out of the stable with an adamant insistence on the sanctity of life, saying God not once but twice and insisting that he alone has the right to take life. She was warm and charming, but warmth and charm alone do not win crowns – discretion and diplomacy. Mexico, more at ease and fortunate to have had an easier question, still shied away from saying anything contrversial. She coined some elementary debate phrase about values and teaching our children (yawn) and left it there. That is PRECISELY what yendi ought to have done, but chose not to do. Miss Universe is not a political contest. It is a competition to represent people of diverse cultural, religious and moral backgrounds. Therefore, a contestant who is divisive on any issue can only be considered to be less favorable.

Is there a similarity between Yendi Phillipps and Carrie Prejean?

They both received hot political questions and both presented the incorrect responses.  It is like walking into the United Nations and saying homosexuals should be killed. You’re not going to get very far. Sure, you might have moral issues with homosexuality, but do the judges expect a pageant contestant to start gay bashing in the middle of the competition on television? Probably not.

So the question is, do you give the crown to the Jamaican who says, “Osama Bin Laden is a child of God and should not be executed, because God made him and God loves him and God alone should do that. Amen. Jesus! Praise him…” or do you crown the Mexican who says “Well, I’m sure Mr. Bin Laden has his reasons for being a terrorist and I can only hope he will find it in his heart to express his political outlook in a gentler way”? Miss Mexico’s answer was not the best, but it was the safest. That coupled with a gorgeous gown, a beautiful face and a Jamaican opponent who came across as slightly terse or overly zealous sealed the deal in  Mexico’s favor.

What will Yendi’s legacy be in Jamaican pageantry?

Undoubtedly, Yendi Phillipps has raised the standards for future pageant contestants in Jamaica (much like Asafa Powell has done for sprinting… strange coincidence!). One can only hope local pageant organizers will take heed and follow her lead by providing quality sets, choreography, gowns and broadcasting instead of the 4th world nonsense we have today.

Congratulations Yendi Phillipps, we know you worked hard and 1^st runner up at the Miss Universe pageant is nothing to regret. Well done! Whatever you move on to next, we know you’ll be great. Thanks for inspiring us one more time and for proving that Jamaicans can achieve the best in the world.

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On Tuesday, August 18, 2009 I signed up for Twitter. I was late joining the craze online but I am happy I did. Just like those who questioned the validity of Twitter, I did and a year later I am following 155 interesting characters and have been followed by 418 users; most of whom I don’t know. But I have the coolest followers and I follow the best. They are informed, intelligent, technologically savvy, bloggers, love Jamaica, fashionistos, fashionistas, socially responsible, some of the best companies on Twitter, dreamers, successful, educated people, well rounded and I could go on and on….

Twitter has been fun for me.

Beyonce singing Happy Birthday to my twitter page! She is.

Some folks cannot understand the purpose behind the force of Twitter and some will never get it. Just to say that you make your Twitter experience what you want it to be. If you join Twitter and follow the crazies, the insipid characters and those that make you cringe then your experience would not have been worth it. There are amazing friends, wonderful opportunities that are abound if you find your space on Twitter. And being a daily tweeter I have shared a lot and have learnt a great deal as well. I joined Twitter saying “Good morning” and that was the only thing I would tweet for a long time. If you follow me now my ‘good mornings’ are a bit longer. I am not addicted to it but it has grown on me. To date I have 13, 431 tweets. I know you think that is a lot but that is roughly 37 tweets per day which isn’t bad.

I tweet a lot about what is happening throughout my day, my thoughts and opinions on issues that matter to me but I also use Twitter to promote my blog which is good. Both play a crucial role in promoting the other which turns out to be a win-win situation.

I’ve come to the end of my first year of Twitter and I am looking forward to the next!

The Twitter Song

Can you believe it-there’s a twitter song? Let us get it right, if we are ever going to have a Twitter Song competition then our own Jamaican Tanto Blacks has to be in the line up with his take on the worldwide phenomenon. The video below was shot at the Jamaica Pegasus’ Tweetup back in June and boy did we have fun. The next Tweetup will be on September 3, 2010 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel (in the Gardens) and it promises to be ‘Twitterific’ as the team at the Jamaica Pegasus puts together a scintillating event for its followers. I cannot wait for this, totally!

Click here to check out the first TweetUp.

Tanto Blacks at Jamaica Pegasus Tweetup

I could not end this post without mentioning the first batch of tweeters I followed when I joined Twitter.

They are:

@JamaicaPegasus @ncbja @Jamaipanese @experienceaurie @bigzack84 @Gordonswaby @BearmanCartoons

Thanks guys for making the journey fun, looking forward to the replies and retweets – if any.

Click here for my Twitter page.

To celebrate the year on Twitter I used my new Gillette Fusion ProGlide – although there’s nothing really to shave (a little) it felt great after – much better than the Old Spice guy. I’ll get a cake and share it.

Gillette Fusion ProGlide

My Twitter B-day "cake" - a carrot muffin!

Filmed in Hampshire, England the setting of the movie provides a fierce backdrop to the 117 AD Roman attempt to conquer the Pict tribes of northern Britain. Directed and written by Neil Marshall, the film depicts the struggle of seven men as they try to evade the enemy. Hunted like dogs by trained assassin, Etain (Olga Kurylenko), a mute girl of the Picts who infiltrates the ranks of the Roman army to lead its troops into a Pict ambush that can be described as nothing short of a veritable bloodbath. Survivors of the attack, including Virilus (Dominic West) free the film’s lead, Centurion Quintus Dius and, together, must fight their way home in a series of hair-raising encounters with their assailants. A centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC.

The Centurion I find movie The Centurion very interesting, it has enough twists, not to confuse the plot but instead it drives the story. Unlike some period films the movie is not slow; with this you see the importance of Quintus (Fassbender) and Virilus. The acting overall is good, just not outstanding. One of my favorite actors in the movie is Arian (Imogen Poots); her role humanizes the soldiers which adds a touch of drama to bloody film. Watching the trailer I thought more about Lord of the Rings-the truth is the movie is far from it. What is breathtaking are the luscious scenes of the mountains and ice cold weather that the actors endure to deliver the lines. The actors tremble in the movie from the cold temperatures the movie was filmed. The costumes were authentic and although the dialog was young at times, the writing was good.

This movie is worth a watch, whether you’ll watch it twice, that is debatable.

3.5 out of 5

Photos from the movie:

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Last weekend Jamaica celebrated Independence, 48 years. While others partied into the wee hours of the night, I was on a well needed vacation with some of my closest friends. The weekend was wonderful. Undeniably the best parish in Jamaica, Portland offers not only lots of greenery and rain but a good time with friends. There are lots of jerk spots to enjoy the best jerk chicken in Jamaica, and if you’re down for pork, it is in abundance.

We had a blast; I was sun burnt to the point where it was unhealthy but I am recovering. After a weekend of diving and swimming in a pool and sipping you know what, it’s hard to return to work, I struggled to. It would be “sin” to return from a trip and not share with you some photos. Check out these photos from Craig Bloomfield; don’t forget to read his blog. Click here.

Enough of the view!

All I want to know is you’re gonna take a photo and I grab my props for a good pic!

It's like I'm smelling something stink!

Trying one of those top male model poses

I was impressed with the advertising campaign for Gillette Fusion ProGlide in magazines like Details and GQ. I was so moved I had to find a way to do a review for it. Since I don’t need to shave often (if you’ve seen my face that’s obvious) I asked a friend on the other facial extreme, once who recently tried the product to review the Gillette Fusion ProGlide. He was a Mach 3 fan but he now uses the Fusion ProGlide religiously. I searched the internet for the advertising campaigns (print) to share them here but I was not successful.

Gillette Fusion ProGlide Commercial

The Review

Gliding to comfort and sexiness…

Not to “date” myself, but I do distinctly remember when Mach 3 razors first stormed the men’s grooming market with promises of providing the best shave ever. I was a skeptic then, but decided to try it since I’m one of those must-shave-everyday-or-turn-into-a-caveman kind of guys. From the first try, I never used another razor again. In comparison to what was available back then, the Mach 3 really was revolutionary and, even today, it’s still considered to be a pretty good product. I had seen ads for the more expensive and “cooler” Gillette Fusion ProGlide, but never really paid them much attention since I was still content with my reliable Mach 3. Well, as fate would have it, a friend decided to surprise me with the gift of the new Fusion ProGlide. At first, I thought to myself, “Why did you go and spend all that money on this advertising gimmick? I mean, how much better can a shave really get?” Skeptical again, I slowly opened the “cool” packaging, afraid that the sales pitch of “five, thin, super sharp razors that guarantee the best shave ever” would disappoint me. After all, hadn’t the Mach 3 already achieved that? My shaving gift  included the ‘Fusion’ shaving gel and the aftershave so this was the whole shebang. I popped the cap of the shaving gel and lathered up my already moist face and looked in the mirror with cynicism. “Best shave ever… whatever, but here goes…”  I put the Fusion Pro Glide razor to my face and muscled for the usual tug at the stubble, then WHAM – my shaving universe was changed forever…

The first thing that struck me was how easily it glided across my heavily stubbled face. You saw a clean stripe of silky skin like a driveway cutting through a lawn. Sure, shaving often looks like that, but this took it to another level. It was insanely smooth. I stopped, leaned in closer and stroked the exposed skin with my finger tips. “Damn!” slipped out of my lips. Then, excited like a kid with a new toy, I continued to shave. In three minutes, I had metamorphosed into a new man – a “Fusion” man. I hate marketing and advertising and sales gimmicks, but I kid you not: it REALLY was the best shave I’d ever had my entire life: no drag on the razor, no razor burn at all, no irritation and soooo darn smooth. I looked over at my Mach 3 and said, “I’m sorry, but you know we’re through, right?” Once finished, I rinsed and looked at my shiny new face: “Amazing!” Thank you Gillette! You raised the bar once again. I don’t know how much better shaving can get than the Fusion ProGlide experience, but something tells me, with your help, guys like me around the world are going to find out for generations to come.