I just had a hearty laugh after seeing this.

 Look at the looooong neck and the nerdy glasses.

Click here to get your photo from Bearman. Oh btw – I’ve been following his blog for years and he’s one of  my inspirations for blogging.

I can’t wait for this season to begin. Will you be watching?

Cameras are very important to bloggers and investing in one is a priority for most. My favourite among this list is the Nikon D5100 and the Sony cameras, especially the Sony NEX-5N

You can vote here 

Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-C3

Sony NEX-7

Nikon 1 J1

Canon T3i

 Lytro

Canon PowerShot S100

Nikon D5100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Follow her on Twitter and read her amazing blog.

DJ Powa, the DJ and Jamaican behind Jamaica’s first viral video ‘Nobody canna cross it‘ strikes viral video again with another creation. He has produced another hit, some people say with ‘You know Mannie Maggie‘. It may not be as entertaining as ‘Nobody canna cross it’ but it doesn’t fail to produce jokes and laughter around the video. On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, the time of this post, the video has had 304 views. Let’s watch it and see where it goes. Will it go viral? We can make it!

Follow DJ Powa on Twitter by clicking here.

Now I get the joke with this tweet:

Click here to read an article on Ricardo Brooks from the Jamaica Observer.

Saturday Fashion at the Jamaica Blog Awards

GeeZam’s feature

Lore Jamaica

Annie Paul’s blog – She received the first Personal Achievement Award

Photo credit: Jamaica Observer

Photo credit – Craig Bloomfield

Winnings Blogs
Best Company Blog http://www.kidnplayja.com/articles/  Kid n Play Jamaica
Best Photography Blog http://31ten.tumblr.com/  31 Ten
Best Entertainment Blog http://mszrockstar.i-roc.biz/  Real Talk with Msz Rockstar
Best News and Current Affairs Blog http://constructedthoughts.wordpress.com/ Veritas
Best Lifestyle Blog http://dmarcuswilliams.blogspot.com/  Cogito Ergo Sum
Best Beauty and Fashion http://www.makeyourmrk.com/  M*rkologie
Best Personal Blog http://insideoutrightsideup.wordpress.com/  Inside Out
Best Food Blog http://www.jamaicanfoodsavvy.com/  Jamaican Food Savvy
Best Music Blog http://mszrockstar.i-roc.biz/  Real Talk with Msz Rockstar
Best Technology Blog http://www.siliconcaribe.com/  Silicon Caribe

Best New Blog
http://exclusiveumpf.blogspot.com/  Exclsusive Umpf

Best Overall Writer
http://www.preejamaica.com/  Pree Jamaica

Best Overseas Jamaican Blog
http://www.jamaicamyway.com/  Jamaica My Way

Top Blog Post for 2011
Dr. The Hon. Usain St. Leo O.D. O.J. by Veritas

Best Jamaican Focused Blog
http://constructedthoughts.wordpress.com/  Veritas

Best Twitter Micro Blogger
http://twitter.com/#!/tonitonetonz  Tonian Lindo

Best Jamaican Video Blog
http://www.youtube.com/sahsmuseum
The S tAndrew High School Museum

The Jamaican Blogger of the Year – VERITAS (- http://constructedthoughts.wordpress.com/

Congratulations to all the winners, all the nominees and finalists. We are all winners. I hope that as Jamaican bloggers we will come together more and celebrate what we all have, an amazing platform to reach and impact the world.

Annie Paul is many things to many people; mother, radio show host, writer, Indian, Jamaican, an academic and a thinker. Those of us who adore her in social media, however, would hasten to add another title to that very long impressive list; that of a blogger. Annie Paul’s blog, Active Voice, is a reflection of this diverse background and complex socio-cultural identity.

Her commitment to the many truths that characterise society , politics and change in Jamaica and her open-mindedness, maturity and warmth have earned the respect of the blogging community and the journalistic fraternity as was most apparent in the Jamaica Observer where her blogging was the main focus of its February 13, 2011 issue. Certainly, this achievement is laudable particularly in a country and region where blogging has barely begun to receive the legitimacy it deserves as a modern means of expression. Annie Paul embodies the essence of what the Jamaica Blog Awards stands for and aspires to promote – credible, relevant, sincere blogging that represents the Jamaican point of view in all its contexts. No doubt, nothing best encapsulates, who Annie Paul is as a blogger than the very first comment she received on her blog from another known Jamaican blogger overseas, Geoffrey Phillip, he wrote:

“Dear Annie, a usual, your integrity shines. I look forward to more.”  So do we Annie Paul. So do we.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present to you the Jamaica Blog Awards 2011 Personal Achievement Awardee Annie Paul.

It is priceless to hear this little girl give directions to where she lives. Listen to the video and you will see. Did she just twang? LOL

The election season has passed and by now you would have heard that the People’s National Party with Portia Simpson-Miller at the helm won the election by a landslide victory in Jamaica. This election meant so much to me. I got the nickname ‘politics teh-teh‘ back in my first year at UTech and I have not shied away from commenting on political issues of the day. I think if you follow me on Twitter you can deduce that. Click here to follow me on Twitter. As a nation we should all become interested in the politics because it hinges on the issues that matter to us. It determines our rights, our freedoms and so much more. I voted in my first election and I can’t express enough how big of a deal that was. Everything was planned, what I wore, what time I’d leave the house, what I’d do after voting etc etc etc. I enjoy the political process.

A lot of people are talking. I just read the Jamaica Observer and most of the political analysts are all cry babies now, explaining their credibility on politics and giving reasons why they got this election all wrong – leading the pack are Gordon Robinson and Mark Wignall. The biggest losers apart from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) are the political analysts and political pollsters – Bill Johnson and Ian Boxhill. The biggest winner from the election outside of the PNP is Don Anderson.

Why did the PNP win? I do not consider myself a diehard party supporter. I think I want to be the voter who votes on issues of the day and put my X beside that symbol which presents the best leadership and future for the country. I struggled for weeks trying to find that party and making that decision because there is good within both political parties. The Youth Debate didn’t move me one bit and I missed the Finance Debate (LIVE) – even watching the re-runs and videos online I still was undecided as to which party to support. What did it? The Leadership Debate. In that two hours or so, I saw the party I wanted to support.

In the leadership debate I thought Holness was evasive; he came across as a student instead of prime ministerial. Simpson-Miller on the other hand, came across as the better leader, giving forceful answers to questions and she possessed the confidence I want my leader to have. Regarding the buggery issue from the leadership debate I thought the answer from Holness reflected a leader who was not prepared to lead Jamaica into its 50th year. Although he used other words, in my view he basically said ‘not in my cabinet‘ which gave resonance to the PNP strategy of pairing him with Bruce Golding  (Baby Bruce) which worked to their advantage.

Do you understand the guts it took Simpson-Miller to articulate those words – that she would lead the Parliament in reviewing the law and also lead Parliamentarians on a conscience vote?  Regardless of your position on sexual orientation and gay rights, from a public policy point of view, this legislation  has serious implications for Jamaica’s ability to meet international standards of law and address the spread of  HIV/Aids which experts believe is fueled by criminalisation of homosexual sex acts as it drives gay men underground, thus encouraging irresponsible or reckless sexual conduct that jeopardises the well-being of their partners (both the wife/baby mother/girlfriend at home who’s used as “cover” and the real same sex partner(s) out there). It is this practice of marginalisation that has led to heterosexual black women now being among the most impacted by HIV/Aids. Therefore, the fact that Holness chose to go “Golding” by spouting a lot of platitudes and politically correct comments without showing any willingness to face the issue itself seemed weak. Simpson-Miller took a stance  that has never been articulated publicly by any politician in Jamaica and, for that reason, she brought something different.

For those who say Simpson-Miller can’t speak, read this article: A nation of ‘faux’ English speakers.

Campaign Strategy 

The JLP ran a better campaign in the 2007 elections. They stayed on message and they built the campaign with Bruce Golding as the “Driva”, and it worked. At the time, Bruce Golding was not damaged and he was seen as a credible alternative to Simpson-Miller. Fast forward to 2011 with an unknown Andrew Holness (as to his life), still portrayed as the saviour of the party and Jamaica, failed to resonate with the electorates. I think people fell in love with the outspoken Minister of Education who was fierce with the teachers, a man who could ‘talk di tings’ on equity in education and telling teachers they ought to perform at a higher standard with more accountability. Who could challenge his thoughts on those shortcomings in education? However, when Holness, ascended to the top job as Prime Minister, you got the feeling he was being hushed by the party leaders to appear more Prime Ministerial. And so it was  that the tough talking Minister of Education was now quiet and cold – stripped of the very things that made him appealing. I thought he was ineffective as Minister of Education. Mark you, he controls a Ministry where you won’t see immediate effect and results, but I did not feel his influence on education. People say Holness is a performer at the Ministry of Education, when you ask them ‘what has he done?’, there is an awkward silence that follows.

G2K – the campaign catastrophy

The JLP youth affiliate, G2K, must take some blame for the party’s loss at the polls. They ran the most incendiary, inflammatory, below-the-belt advertisements. Although some of the ads were effective (if seen once), especially the one with Simpson-Miller fumbling over the figures with Phillips assisting her followed by her reference to the years  oh nine (’09) and oh ten (’010 ?!). I agree with the ad, Simpson-Miller should have better command of the issues going forward. But, making that the central focus of your advertising campaign was foolish.  This wasn’t the 2007 elections where it was  the PNP behind a Simpson-Miller. If you noticed, the People’s National Party was chanting TEAM PNP. If you also looked at the line up, they had renewed its party, with the likes of Lisa Hanna, Dr. Campbell, Damion Crawford, Raymond Pryce, Julian Robinson and Dr. Bloomfield – it was a formidable team. People complained about young people not entering politics, the PNP injected youthful exuberance in the run-up to the general election which made the party more appealing. So, to run a campaign bashing the PNP leader when the PNP was pushing TEAMWORK crushes your message. Most of the anti-Portia ads should have been focused online (social media and YouTube) while focusing on the JLP’s accomplishments while in government. Lets look at it:  JLP reduced crime and violence, yet there was no memorable ad on that issue. They did a great job with the economy, where was MAN A YARD Audley Shaw in his Ministry office telling Jamaicans all of what he was able to accomplish. Instead we had, Portia – “Don’t draw my tongue!”, which is more entertaining than persuasive.

The PNP ads were on message for the most part. The messages covered Manatt, Jamaica’s current instability and other socio-economic issues. They played no part in swaying me to its party. I thought they were dull and boring for the most part. I think people looked forward to the JLP ads because of how absurdly entertaining and creative they were when compared to those of the PNP. However, that was not the intention of the JLP ad campaign. It entertained,  but failed to shake the people’s trust in a Portia Simpson-Miller led administration.

 Post Election

I was disappointed in the voter turn out at the polls. I think, as Jamaicans, we have to begin to see ourselves as employers of parliamentarians. We send them to manage this country and we must become integral in the process. I hope this will not be the trend where people stay home when elections are called. I saw this low voter turn out coming. I walked through some parts of Half Way Tree after my vote and I can recall seeing a handful of inked voters walking. I saw 5 persons with inked fingers. It made me believe that they would all rush to the polls closer to the 5pm close of polls (because Jamaicans are notoriously late).  We have to do better.

This will be Portia’s mandate is not an easy one. She will now lead a nation with a dismal economy and  divisive philosophies on social freedoms, gender equality and human rights. In each case, to lead successfully, she will have to make tough decisions that go against the traditional values and expectations of the Jamaican people to put our country on a path of modernisation, both in terms of social and infrastructural development. This means that, to be a successful leader, she will have to do just that – LEAD; not follow and yield to public sentiment even when  it goes against what the country really needs. There is a common and false presumption that leaders must agree with those who elected them. We do not elect our governments to do only what we want. A democracy selects the persons who must do what is NEEDED to ensure our well-being.  If she is able to rescue the nation – great! If life gets worse, the JLP could see greener pastures in the next election. Hopefully, by then, their campaign managers will have learnt that bashing female public figures and challenging the sexual identity of the party’s men because of how they are alleged to dress, are not viable methods of persuasion for a nation that is hungry, fed up and eager to rise to a better way of living. JLP, revert to these base tactics “if yuh tink yuh bad! *Portia grunt*”.

Make a gif

Thanks for the support and come back in 2012.