Tuesday, December 22, 2009

“New JCF must take the high road” The Gleaner
3 November. 2009 15 November.2009 http://mobile.jamaicagleaner.com/20091103/cleisure/cleisure1.php

Walker, Karyl. “Cop who allegedly killed child still on the run” Jamaica Observer
20 March. 2008 15 November.2009 < http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/133708_Cop-who-allegedly-killed-child-still-on-the-run>

“JCF Working to Change the Face of Policing-Commissioner Lewin” Jamaica Information Service
30 September.2009 15 November.2009 < http://www.jis.gov.jm/security/html/20090930t170000-0500_21327_jis_jcf_working_to_change_the_face_of_policing___commissioner_lewin.asp>

Jamaica: “let them kill each other”: Public security in Jamaica’s inner cities Amnesty International
1 April. 2008. 1 November. 2009 < http://www.amnesty.org/en/jamaica-report-2008>

Patterson, Orlando. "The roots of conflict in Jamaica. (Column)." The New York Times. (July 23, 2001). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. CUNY - Queens College. 21 Dec. 2009 .

The Jamaica Constabulary Force
16 November .2009 < http://www.jcf.gov.jm/>

The Ministry of National Security Jamaica
16 November.2009 < //www.mns.org.jm/AboutUs/Achievements/tabid/96/Default.aspx>

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

I have submitted your evaluation.

Sunday, November 29, 2009



There needs to be an immediate reorganization of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) which is the main body responsible for policing in Jamaica. Jamaica is a small Caribbean island of just over 2.5 million people and it’s known to have one of the worst murder rates in the world which is primarily as a result of gang activity and the JCF is not making any progress to put an end to this heart wrenching problem. Unlawful killings and corruption by police officers in Jamaica are two other major problems that the JCF fails to tackle. Many Jamaicans have been victims of unlawful deaths which were ordered by, or carried out in the presence of, high ranking police officers. Corruption results in the failure of the Government to protect people in inner city communities from gangs and police violence. Heads of the JCF need to go back to the drawing board and lay out new policies and programs so as to ensure for effective policing to wipe out criminal gangs, corruption within the police force and unlawful killings in Jamaica.

Most organized gangs in Jamaica are located in the inner city neighborhoods, where people are generally poverty stricken and unemployed. These neighborhoods are generally abandoned by police forces and the society at large and as such gang leaders tend to control the lives of people living there. They collect taxes, distribute jobs, food and punish those who disobey or break gang rules. Men and young boys are at the greatest risk of violence as they are the ones who are mostly targeted by gang members for recruitment in criminal gangs. These men and young boys also have to follow orders which involve carrying out special tasks which they cannot refuse to do as they fear what might be done to themselves and their families. There was a situation where one woman told Amnesty International that her neighbor’s 12-year-old son was sent by a gang to deliver a gun to another community. The boy was robbed on his way and he knew he was going to be killed if he went back empty handed so he ran away. His mother was killed the following morning. Many women in these communities are also affected by gangs .They have to involuntarily engage in sexual activities with members of the gangs, if they don’t they risk themselves and members of their family dying. Most women in these inner city communities are also single parents as the father of their child was victim of gang violence.

“Informer fi dead”, this is a phrase use in Jamaica which states that anyone who inform on another should die. Residents who witness gang killings in their communities are afraid to go to the cops because they know that there’s a great chance that they are going to be killed. This shows how greatly affected and feared people are of criminal gangs.

In 2006 the JCF recorded a 15% overall reduction in major crimes. However although this is a great reduction in crime in just one year one has to question the validity of the source. This statistics was presented by the JCF itself and who to tell that it wasn’t blown out of proportion or just a mere scam just to get on the good side of the Jamaican people knowing it’s bad track records. This may proved to be not so much of an achievement by the JCF after all.



Most Jamaicans, including myself, believes that the majority of police officers are corrupt. Many residents of inner city communities believe that on numerous occasions police officers were directly involve in criminal activities. There were numerous cases where people would relay information to the police and they were killed before the police even reach the community. Many believed that corrupt officers told the gang leaders who the informers were .The actions of corrupt cops who leak information to criminals add to the resistance of many to provide helpful information to the security forces because by revealing information people’s lives are put at risk and as such it has become very difficult to break the vicious cycle of crime and police involvement .In the 2006 Road Map to a Safe and Secure Jamaica which is a report of the Special task Force on Crime in Jamaica reported that JCF personnel of different ranks expressed the view that majority of their senior officers were corrupt or tolerated corruption within the force. Some of the other corrupt practices of police officers include selling gun licenses and ammunition, dropping charges for serious offences and removing or tampering with evidence.


It was reported by the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper that in the beginning of 2006, police personnel were involve in unlawful activities such as the infamous 'lottery scam', which has been blamed for an increase in recent murders across Jamaica, drug dealing and a most embarrassing incident in which a police vest, which was not reported missing, was found in the hands of a criminal. The Jamaica Gleaner once wrote about a cop who confessed that he was corrupted for the first 18 years of his 20 years in the force."My introduction to corruption came about two weeks after graduating from the Police Academy," admits the police officer. "A woman constable and I were detailed for a 12 to six mobile patrol duty along with an acting corporal, who is now a superintendent of police," the 20-year veteran confesses to The Sunday Gleaner. He continued: "The acting corporal drove a nice car, was outspoken and very popular. He had about nine years service and boasted of many accomplishments. He made it clear that nothing was wrong with making money, but we simply had to know how to do it."This is very saddening because the one institution which was established to provide security and protection to citizens is very untrustworthy and unreliable.




The stated values of the JCF is, “We serve, protect and reassure with courtesy, integrity and proper respect for the rights of all”, but this is both a misrepresentation of the overall operations of the JCF and the way in which the public view the police. The JCF tends to operate by command and control. It promotes prejudice which involves police officers distancing themselves from particular communities which creates a fear among the general public. This has also lead to the failure of the police to protect people in gang violence prone communities. People who live in these areas are usually discriminated against. There is a particular stigma that is associated with communities where gang violence is rampant. Police tend to treat everyone in the community as criminal and police abuse and violence tends to be very common.

Unlawful killings otherwise known as extrajudicial executions within the police force are very typical. The Bureau of Special Investigation reported that between 2000 and 2007, 1422 people were killed and a further 1115 were injured by police in Jamaica making it one of the highest rates of police killings in the Americas. Victims of police cruelty commonly include criminal suspects and their relatives, as well as children and women. Harsh treatments have included beatings, and mock executions. Another incident reported by the Jamaica Observer newspaper in March of 2008 talked about a cop who allegedly shot a 10 year old child and is still on the run to this date. Constable Walter Spikes who was accused of killing the child as he chased a youth on foot, who was smoking a ganja spliff in a nearby market, left the island before a warrant was issued for his arrest. The ex-cop allegedly fired his weapon at the drug offender but the bullet hit young Renee instead. Renee died on the spot from a single bullet wound to the back of the head.

“On September 30, 2009 Police Commissioner, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, said that efforts are being made to change the face of policing in Jamaica, to one where there is greater respect and partnership between the police and citizens ” as reported by the Jamaica Information Service. However within less than 3 months on November 3, 2009 the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper reported that Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin had stepped down from his post has Police Commissioner. The question which is now asked by many is what about all those changes that were supposed to happen under his management, who will ensure that greater respect and partnership between police and citizens becomes a reality? With the JCF now without a police commissioner how can one expect for changes and progress and for things to run effectively and efficiently.



The condition within the JCF can be fixed with the establishment of an independent body of investigation, with the right kind of leadership and with the full cooperation of key police officers and other respected individuals. This independent body would be responsible for monitoring and overseeing police actions and misconduct and to ensure that the JCF is operating effectively. The Anti Corruption Unit of the JCF needs to implement more effective and efficient plans to combat corruption. The police federation must become more aggressive and begin to get rid of the corrupt cops from its ranks. There also needs to be an expansion of a counter –gang task force which will have as its main responsibility the identification and pursuit of gangsters. There also needs to be a more secure witness protection program so people can be less fearful to report crime which they witness. Many people fear reporting crimes because they know that they will not be protected and as such they would be victims of brutal deaths. There’s a great distrust of citizens towards police officers. I believe that the JCF should set up an agency to build bonds and trust between police and citizens. The Jamaica Constabulary Force also needs to retrain police in the rightful use of firearms and other weapons so as to prevent unlawful killings and deaths of innocent people. With these changes within the Jamaica Constabulary Force and implementations of new policies, gang activity, corruption and unlawful killings will reduce drastically.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

ROUGH DRAFT OF MY ARGUMENTATIVE ESSY

There needs to be an immediate revamping, reorganizing and reshaping of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) .The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), which is the main body responsible for policing in Jamaica, is not making any progress to stop the continuous rise of gang activity in Jamaica and unlawful killings by police officers. The Bureau of Special Investigation reported that between 2000 and 2007, 1422 people were killed and a further 1115 were injured by police in Jamaica making it one of the highest rates of police killings in the Americas. The most common problem which is associated with policing in Jamaica is corruption. This corruption results in the failure of the Government to protect people in inner city communities from gangs and police violence. Most of the crime and violence which occur in Jamaica is related to gang activity. Jamaica is a small Caribbean island of just over 2.5 million people and it’s known to have one of the worst murder rates in the world. The Board of the Jamaica Constabulary Force needs to go back to the drawing board and lay out new policies and programs so as to ensure for effective policing to wipe out criminal gangs, corruption within the police force and unlawful killings in Jamaica.

Most organized gangs in Jamaica are located in the inner city neighborhoods, which is generally abandoned by police forces and the society at large. People who live in these neighborhoods are usually poverty stricken, unemployed and lack the basic necessities of life. Gang leaders in these inner city neighborhoods tend to control the lives of people living there. They collect taxes, distribute jobs, food and punish those who disobey or break gang rules. Men and young boys are at the greatest risk of violence as they are the ones who are mostly targeted by gang members for recruitment in criminal gangs. These men and young boys also have to follow orders by carrying out special tasks which they cannot refuse to do as they fear what might be done to themselves and their families. There was a situation where one woman told Amnesty International that her neighbor’s 12-year-old son was sent by a gang to another community, carrying a gun. The boy was robbed on his way there and he knew that he was going to be killed if he came back without the gun and without the money, so he ran away .The mother was killed the following morning. Many women in these communities are also affected by gangs .They has to involuntarily engage in sexual activities with members of the gangs. If they don’t they risk themselves and members of their family dying. Most women in these inner city communities are also single parents as the father of their child was victim of gang violence. “Informer fi dead”, this is a phrase use in Jamaica which states that anyone who inform on another should die. Residents who witness gang killings in their communities are afraid to go to the cops because they know that there’s a great chance that they are going to be killed. This shows how greatly affected and feared people are of criminal gangs.

In 2006 the JCF recorded a 15% overall reduction in major crimes. However on the flip side this showed that in 2006 the rate of major crime committed was a whopping 85%. This showed that the actual occurring of major crimes was more than five times the reduction which proved to be not so much of an achievement by the JCF after all.

A poll published by the Jamaica Gleaner in January 2007 found that Jamaicans believed that every other police officer was corrupt. Many residents in inner city communities believed that police officers were directly apart of criminal activities on numerous occasions. There were numerous cases where people would relay information to the police and they were killed before the police reach the community. Many believed that corrupt officers told the gang leaders who the informers were .The actions of corrupt cops who leak information to criminals add to the resistance in communities to provide helpful information to the security forces. By revealing the identity of sources of information people’s lives are put at risk .The fear of retaliation is so great, particularly in hot-spot communities, that breaking the vicious cycle of crime and police involvement has become an extraordinary task. In the 2006 Road Map to a Safe and Secure Jamaica which is a report of the Special task Force on Crime in Jamaica reported that JCF personnel of different ranks expressed the view that majority of their senior officers were corrupt or tolerated corruption within the force. The report also provided number of corrupt practices which has become very common .These include selling gun licenses and ammunition , dropping charges for serious offences, warning criminal gangs of planned police actions and removing or tampering with evidence. It was reported by the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper that in the beginning of 2006, police personnel were involve in unlawful activities such as the infamous 'lottery scam', which has been blamed for an increase in recent murders across the parish, drug dealing, incidents of extortion and a most embarrassing incident in which a police vest, which was not reported missing, was found in the hands of criminals. The Jamaica Gleaner once wrote about a cop who confessed that he was corrupted for the first 18 years of his 20 years in the force."My introduction to corruption came about two weeks after graduating from the Police Academy," admits the police officer. "A woman constable and I were detailed for a 12 to six mobile patrol duty along with an acting corporal, who is now a superintendent of police," the 20-year veteran confesses to The Sunday Gleaner. He continued: "The acting corporal drove a nice car, was outspoken and very popular. He had about nine years service and boasted of many accomplishments. He made it clear that nothing was wrong with making money, but we simply had to know how to do it."

The stated values of the JCF is, “We serve, protect and reassure with courtesy, integrity and proper respect for the rights of all”, but this does not represent the dominant culture of the JCF nor how the public perceive police. The dominant culture of the JCF is that of command and control which has severely hindered its effectiveness. It promotes prejudice, thus serving to distance the police from communities which foster a culture of fear among the general public. This has also lead to the failure of the police to protect people in gang violence prone communities. People who live in these areas are usually discriminated against. There is a particular stigma that is associated with communities where gang violence is rampant. Police tend to treat everyone in the community as criminal and police abuse and violence tends to be very common.

Unlawful killings otherwise known as extrajudicial executions within the police force are very typical. In many cases the attempts to cover up the evidence, the “code of silence” among the security forces and the absence of efficient investigation are very common. In an article written by the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper it provided the Amnesty International Full Report which showed that Amnesty International has documented many cases of police brutality, some resulting into torture. Victims commonly include criminal suspects and their relatives, as well as children and women. Documented methods have included beatings, burns with hot irons, suffocation in water and mock executions. Another incident reported by the Jamaica Observer newspaper in March of 2008 talked about a cop who allegedly shot a 10 year old child and is still on the run to this date. Investigators said Constable Walter Spikes who was accused of killing the child, left the island before a warrant was issued for his arrest, based on a ruling by the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions in December 2003.Spikes is accused of killing the child as he chased a youth on foot, who was smoking a ganja spliff in a nearby market. The ex-cop allegedly fired his weapon at the drug offender but the bullet hit young Renee instead. Renee died on the spot from a single bullet wound to the back of the head. Her death sparked a massive demonstration in Jamaica.

The condition within the JCF can be fixed with the establishment of an independent body of investigation, with the right kind of leadership and with the full cooperation of key police officers and other respected individuals. This independent body would be responsible for monitoring and overseeing police actions and misconduct and to ensure that the JCF is operating effectively. The Anti Corruption Unit of the JCF needs to implement more effective and efficient plans to combat corruption. The police federation must become more aggressive and begin to get rid of the corrupt cops from its ranks. There also needs to be an expansion of a counter –gang task force which will have as its main responsibility the identification and pursuit of gangsters. There also needs to be a more secure witness protection program so people can be less fearful to report crime which they witness. Many people fear reporting crimes because they know that they will not be protected and as such they would be victims of brutal deaths. There’s a great distrust of citizens towards police officers. I believe that the JCF should set up an agency to build bonds and trust between police and citizens. The Jamaica Constabulary Force also needs to retrain police in the legitimate use of force and alternatives to the use of firearms so as to prevent unlawful killings and deaths of innocent people.

With these changes within the Jamaica Constabulary Force and implementations of new policies gang activity, corruption and unlawful killings will reduce drastically

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Thesis Paragraphs

“When will this crime and violence end!” this is the cry echoed by the many enraged, “fed-up” and outraged citizens of Jamaica. Jamaica is a small Caribbean island of just over 2.5 million people and it’s known to have one of the worst murder rates in the world. In 2004 and 2005 Jamaica was recorded as having the highest murder rate in the world as stated by Wikipedia. As reported by Amnesty Organization Jamaica had around 1500 homicides in 2007 alone. This ruthless, ongoing rampage of Crime and Violence has left the citizens of Jamaica searching for answers and the Jamaican system, which includes the Government as well as the education system, is not making any progress to drastically reduce the huge number of killings. There need to be an immediate revamping, reorganizing and reshaping of the System if this crime and violence is going to end. Youth unemployment, poverty, corruption and poor education are just a few of a long list of causes of this heart wrenching epidemic in Jamaica. Some of the harmful effects include economic instability, separation of communities into warring groups and loss of investment opportunities. Most of the crime and violence which occur in Jamaica is related to gang activity. Most of these gangs are made up of young boys who desire to have a sense of belonging and purpose in life. The educational system in Jamaica needs to understand that it’s not only about teaching math and English but it’s also about teaching and instilling in children that they are special and that they have self worth and purpose in life. The government of Jamaica needs to provide more jobs for young people. Many young men, as early as 17, turn to crime and violence because they are unemployed and they see it as a means of getting “quick cash”. The Government also needs to implement a long term effective public security plan so as to protect individual’s rights and to prevent corruption and discrimination within the force. The Jamaican Government also needs to call for international help to assist in reducing the crime and violence in Jamaica and it needs to be done now.



“When will this crime and violence end!” this is the cry echoed by the many enraged, “fed-up” and outraged citizens of Jamaica. Jamaica is a small Caribbean island of just over 2.5 million people and it has one of the worst murder rates in the world. In 2004 and 2005 Jamaica was recorded as having the highest murder rate in the world. In 2008 alone, 1600 people were killed as a result of crime and violence in Jamaica. This ruthless, ongoing rampage of Crime and Violence as left the citizens of Jamaica searching for answers and the Jamaican system itself is not making any progress to find its cure. There need to be an immediate revamping, reorganizing and reshaping of the System if this crime and violence is going to end. Youth unemployment, Poverty, Corruption and poor education are just a few of a long list of causes of this heart wrenching epidemic in Jamaica. Some of the harmful effects include economic instability, separation of communities into warring factions, loss of investment opportunity and loss of personal and business income. Most of the crime and violence which occur in Jamaica is gang related. Most of these gangs are made up of young boys who desire and seek to have a sense of belonging and purpose in life. The educational system in Jamaica needs to understand that it’s not only about teaching math and english but also about teaching and instilling in children that they are special and they have self worth and purpose in life. The education system must accept that they have a parenting role that it has to play. The government of Jamaica needs to provide more jobs for young people. Many young men turn to crime and violence because they are unemployed and they see it as a means of getting “quick cash”. The Government also needs to implement a long term effective public security plan so as to protect individual’s rights and to prevent corruption and discrimination within the force. The Government also needs to call for international help and they need to do it now.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Questions of the day

Do you think writing long text to our peers can be seen as a means of improving the the way we write?

Do you agree with Lunsford that technology is reviving and pushing the way we read and write in bold new directions?

With the increase use of the Internet as a means of social avenue rather than for educational use and the decrease in the reading of books do you agree with the scholars that an age of illiteracy is at hand?

Clive Thompson on the New LIteracy

In this article, Clive Thompson addresses one of the most discussed topics in our generation and that is about technology, in the form of the internet, leading to an age of illiteracy. Clive Thompson believes that this is not so and he uses a study by Andrea Lunsford a professor of writing and rhetoric at Stanford University to dismiss this claim and to express his own viewpoints.
Andrea Lunsford organized a study where she closely examined the writing of college students from 2001-2006. For her study she collected 14,672 student writing samples from formal essays, in class assignments to email and blog entries. After her study she said and I quote, "I think we're in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven't seen since Greek civilization," end quote. She believes that technology is not negatively affecting the way one writes but it is breathing a new life into the way one read and writes. The first thing she discovered was that young people today write far more than the generation before. I totally agree with this. From the time we wake up to the time we go to bed , we are constantly texting .With the likes of Facebook, AIM, Yahoo Messenger and other online texting services ,texting has transform into a huge phenomenon.
Thompson says that for students writing is about persuading, organizing, and debating. I definitely agree with this. Many times when we are talking to our friends, discussions and topics tend to arise that everyone doesn’t agree on and as such it allows for individuals to provide their own point of view. Whether it is about how cute a guy is or about the privilege position of business within the American Society in history, debate often arises among our peers or among a group of people. As such individuals always aim to present their point of view in the best way possible so as to convince others to take their side or to agree with them.
The author, Clive Thompson also believes that the idea that texting in short with the use of abbreviation such as LOL and the use of slangs and smiley may taint the seriousness of academic writing is a myth. He talks about the fact that in the Lunsford study of the works of first year students that it was found that there wasn’t any use of slangs or abbreviation that one would have used in a text on their academic papers. I believe that we as students know when to write formal and when to write informal. My Professor, Professor Schwartz, made mention the other day in class that it was very rear for him to see a student write a piece containing words that they would have used in a text. We as young people know the distinction and we know the difference. Just as we will not talk to our Professors as we would talk to our peers, we know the difference in writing to our friends from writing for school projects.
Thompson also believes that “online media are pushing literacy into a cool direction” where young people can write long complex pieces while working with others. He made mention of 15,000- word video game walkthroughs. He ends by saying and I quote "We think of writing as either good or bad. What today's young people know is that knowing who you're writing for and why you're writing might be the most crucial factor of all".emd quote.


I definitely agree with this as young people we tend to distinguish between what is important and what is not as well as what is serious from what is for mere entertainment. When it comes to our schoolwork we know that we should be serious in what we write and do as oppose to when we are texting our friends.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Questions of the day

With the Internet becoming such a vital entity in today's society, Do you think the US should allow for the testing of children based on digital literacy in schools?


With the advance age that we live in today ,and the advance in technology do you think books serve such a great purpose as they were before?


Do you think spending more time on the Internet rather than reading a book results in poor performances in school?

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Literary Debate: Online R u Really Reading?

In this article by Motoko Rich he ask the ask the question “Online ,R U Really Reading?” .He presents points based on others personal experience and the opinions and facts of experts who are for as well as against reading online rather than providing us with his own definite answer. He does this by creating an article around a subject matter being a little girl by the name of Nadia Konyk who loves to read online and her mother hoping to persuade her to read books. In his article, Motoko presents ideas of people who are not in favor of reading online and believe books are the best means of reading and those who believe reading online can be very good.
Some argues that reading online has lead to poor SAT results. They believe that reading on the net lessens one’s ability to read and write ,destroys one’s ability to pay attention for a long time and has destroy the culture which exists in reading books. I disagree with the point that reading online has lead to poor SAT results; for the most part it has helped to improve SAT scores. On the net there’s an SAT website where each day children are able to test their knowledge in math, writing and reading. Each day this sites provides “question of the day” that allow for children to test their ability to understand, analyze and interpret things. There is also multiple practice tests on the net that children can take that allow them to prepare for the SAT.
According to the Motoko recent studies by literacy specialists has prove that the only kind of reading which enables for higher academic performance is the reading of novels as it help to improve one’s GPA and ones grade in English class. Many traditionalists believe that reading on the internet distracts rather than strengthens a reader and that many youth spend most of their time playing games or sending instant messages that does not require a lot of reading and as such is not substantial to children or benefit them in no way. I definitely believe that the internet can serve as a great distraction because many children just go on the internet to play games ,my brother being a fine example, or go on facebook rather than to read something meaningful.
The Author makes mention of the fact that readers tend to be unable to judge whether a site is trustworthy or legitimate and I definitely agree with this. On the internet there are many false sites and it is not a guarantee that a website we view provides real facts and information. Many times we have to trust our instincts or be able to know if a site is trustworthy or not which can be very had to do. Books, however, are more trustworthy especially those found in the library. Libraries will ensure that books provide real information.
While many believe that reading online provides a disadvantage for children, others believe the internet can be very helpful and useful. Some argue that the internet has created a new kind of reading that should not be disregarded. Some digital experts say that online reading skills will allow for children to be better able to compete for jobs in this digital age. In this technological advance age, the internet is one of the main medium of communication. In many schools one has to have access to the internet because most time one has to access ones work from the web or even send work to professors via the net. Many also have to have access to the internet to apply for jobs and many jobs require that their workers are able to use the computer.
While some Scientists believe that reading books can be more enriching some experts believe that reading online is more enriching as it enables for one to “cover a lot more of the topic from different points of views” the exact words of Mr. Spiro of Michigan State.
Zachary Sims, 18, finds the internet to be great as it enables for one to see and share in different point of views and to be able to interact with others, while books tend to be more one sided with one person providing his or her point of view. Being able to see and read other people’s point of views can be very helpful and it can also be very bad. Being able to see others point of view can give one an idea of the thoughts of others and provide a better understanding of a particular topic at the same time it can be very bad as it can prevent one from formulating one’s own ideas and thoughts and prevent one from thinking on their own as one just take the idea of others and use it as their own.
Experts also believes that information on the net which may include, pictures, video and audio is usually very helpful for those who struggles with reading. Children with learning difficulties have found the internet to be more comfortable to search and read on. Some who believes that books are very significant also believes that the children need a range of reading experience and I definitely agree with this.
“Reading opens up doors to places that you probably will never get to visit in your lifetime, to cultures, to worlds, to people” are the exact words of Ms Konyk .But so does the internet .The internet more than anything provide a medium where one can view tons of places, be open to all the cultures which exists and meet all the people there is possible. The internet has it all.

Online,R U Really Reading? The answer

Online, R U Really Reading? There is not a definite answer to this question. The term “Reading “can be interpret in many ways and as such, there cannot be one definite answer .In truth and in fact everyone who goes online read online. We read our text messages, the news, our assignments, instructions to play a game, blogs, our email and the list goes on. However in terms of deep, thorough, intense reading that books offers, reading online doesn’t allow for this for the most part.
One also needs to understand that there are different kind of readers and people read for different reasons. There are those readers who are intellectual readers such as teachers and professors who love to read no matter what an article maybe and there are people like myself that reads only when it’s a must, in the case of school work, or read mainly for entertainment. Intellectual readers definitely read in depth and thoroughly online. Readers for the most part are usually captivated by interesting engaging topics and articles. When topics seems interesting one is automatically drawn to that particular piece because they want to what’s it’s about, whether it be a news article, an article on a celebrity site or on a blog. Readers in these instances tend not to skim read but read thoroughly to get the full details. So to answer the question we do read online. There are also certain people who prefer to read a book online than to reading the hardcover book itself. They may find it more comfortable or accessible. In this case people do read online.
For the most part however, I think we read online but not in depth as if we were reading a book. The Internet allows for one to skim read and to scan trough different information to find what one wants. The Internet provides us with short precise information. The Internet doesn’t “go around the bush” but it “knocks the nail right on the head” .With the Internet one doesn’t have to read as intensely as if one was reading a book to find answers. Whether one “read” online also depends on the length of an article. If the article is short for the most part, one tends to well read that particular article but if an article is long one tends to skim read. At the same time if one wants to get the full meaning of an article on the web one tends to read that article as if one was reading a book.
So do people read online the answer is yes but do people read as intensely as if one was reading a book the answer is no for the most part.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

New Media and the Slow Death of the Written Word

In “New Media and The Slow Death of the Written Word” by Mark Zeltner the author proclaims his love for newspaper and providing reasons for such love but at the same time he has come to terms and has accepted that a new media, the computer , has been introduced and is quickly taking over the word provided by newspapers. With this realization of the popularity of the new media Zeltner has provided ten basic rules for students learning to write for the new media.
Zeltner in his piece started off by expressing his love for newspapers stating that he loved everything about newspapers, from the well organized information it provides to the feel of the newspaper in his hands. He realized though that most people under 25 hate s newspapers and prefer television and his plan has been to convince much of his students as to how interesting and great newspapers could be.
Zeltner then proceeded to give his arguments as to why a newspaper was better than a computer screen. The first point he made is that computers are hard on the eyes, as no web version of a newspaper can offer the ease of access of a newspaper and allows for one to scan headlines easily to choose articles to read. For me I think its much more easier to scan a computer screen than a newspaper. The computer provides quicker links that is just a click away that can lead to where one want to go. With newspapers however although there’s table of content one tends to have to skip through multiple pages to find what one wants.
Zeltner also mentioned the fact that one could not fold up a computer screen and carry it around in a book bag which can be done with a newspaper. While this is true, technology has made it possible for one to access the information on the computer that can be carried around in a bag. There are laptops, internet phones and the list goes on. What I agree with though was the point he made that one could use a newspaper to line the bottom of a birdcage which a computer screen could never do.
Although Zeltner made it clear that he prefer newspaper over the new media he was very open to discuss the advantage of the new media. He made mention of the introduction of hypertext links that can allow writers to construct new styles of writings and that the use of audio and video clips can enhance a story and give it greater meaning than before, which I definitely agree with. The use of audio and video clips can provide a better understanding of a piece of work and make it more enticing to read.
Zeltner also states that even though there’s the introduction of the new media, there will always be an audience for newspapers. I truly agree with this. Different people have different likeness. There's still going to be that grandpa or mom or even that student who’s going to prefer the newspaper over the computer. But while he says this he believes the new media can attract new audience. I think the new media can attract those audiences who always hated newspapers and may prefer information on the computer and may find it more interesting and appealing.
Mark Zeltner also made the point that the new media is not truly a “new media” but it is also made up of old traditional mediums and the writers just change up the style of writing making it more appealing. The Author provides us with ten basic rules for students learning to write for the new media which he believes can serve as a guide for new media writers and producers.
In the first rule the writer made this statement and I quote” you want to write for the new-media then forget about word-count, concentrate on content and squeezing the value out of EVERY word” end of quote. He talks about making one s writing short and precise and ensuring that al the main points are stated. I agree with the writer as sometimes less is better because sometimes when we write long pieces one is just writing about the same thing over and over just expanding and expanding when one had already made the point in the first few lines. Reading long pieces of information can also tend to be very boring and one tends to lose focus and attention, what Zeltner is saying to us is that we should be very precise and to the point but at the same time ensuring that one is on point and the piece is well written.
In the second rule the Author talks about the idea of scrolling versus clicking and when to use the former or the latter to ensure that the reader wants to read one’s writing and wants to continue to read to the end. He talks about how scrolling can be hard on the eyes and can lessen the readers understanding of what they are reading and at the same time he talks about clicking which can also create problems as it can be stressful for a reader to wait for a file to download via a slow modem connection. The solution the author provides is for a writer to be aware of the content of one’s work and find the right medium that is appropriate to ones work and at the same time ensuring that whatsoever one decides it will attract readers to the work.
I also agree with what Zeltner talks about in his third rule. He talks about the fact that one who's writing for this new media should plan ahead before even typing a single word. One should fully plan out ones thoughts and information so as to ensure that the reader is captivated and is not bored and is unable to miss the important part of one's work. Writers should also enable for the readers to have a sense of freedom, to treat the writing as how one choose.
A picture is worth a thousand words or when to embed images and when to just write is the fourth rule. The author talks about the use of pictures as a means of enhancing one's work ,as they give the work a little color and fun.Pictures can also lessen the amount of writing for the writer as a picture can create a sense of what the writer wanted to say. However while images can be good, too much can cause problems as the images may turn away ones focus from the writing. One should not spend too much time on pictures because as one doesn’t know how they may look on individual computer screen and this can turn away a reader from a piece of witing . What I disagree with though is that pictures don’t always have to be downloaded by the reader, the writer can just upload the pictures without the reader having to download it.
“The sound of a person's voice can often convey more meaning than a hundred pages of written quotes from the same individual”. This is a line from the forth rule where Zeltner talks about audio, where the tones of one voice can elevate the written word. When one listen to an audio clip it allows for the listener to have a sense of how one feels and give a sense of the mood of the reading whether it is happy, sad or anger. At the same time a dull, dreary and boring voice can take away ones attention from the piece and it would hav been better if the writer had just written everything. While the author talks about the use of audio as a means of enhancing ones writing one should not depend on it to tell your story and it should not be too much that it distract the readers or turn away the reader from the writing. Mark Zeltner also talks about video clips as a means of elevating ones work in the sixth rule. He mention the point that digital of more than thirty seconds can be very tiresome to watch and can distract the reader from the main purpose of the writing. This can be very true but at the same time once video clips are interesting and very insightful people when its finish will want to read on to find out what will happen next. Video clips can give one a visual understanding and interpretation of a text and it makes the text more factual and believable.
In the seventh rule Zeltner talks about the use of footnotes and creating one’s own definition and description pages rather than creating hyperlinks that allows for readers to go to another page to find meanings and descriptions. I believe that hyperlinks allow for readers to be distracted from the work and allow for one to wander away from one’s work, but why should one need to find the definition of a word instead the writer should just make the words simple and easy to understand.The author went on to talk about the dangers of hyperlinks in the eighth rule. He talks about the fact that when a writer allows for a reader to hyperlink off one’s document the reader doesn’t always tends to come back to the text. How I see it is as long as a writer makes his piece interesting no matter the hyperlinks, readers maybe force to go back to the reading to find out what happen next. He also mentions the use of sidebars as a means of supporting or explaining what one said in ones writing. He talks about the fact that sidebars shouldn’t be too enticing that it would allow the reader to wander away from the main document and to never return.
The last rule Zeltner talks about the importance of both content and form. While content and form makes ones work more striking and engaging and give that urge to continue reading at the same time they must not be too distracting but just right.
For the most part Mark Zeltner made some great points but there were few things that I didn’t agree with.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Three sources

http//www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR38/001/2008/en/c7546d90-ff39-11dc-b092-bdb020617d3d/amr380012008eng.html

http//www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080803/lead/lead7.html

http//www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20071109T010000-0500_129182_OBS_BLAINE_BLAMES_SCHOOL_DROPOUTS_FOR_CRIME__VIOLENCE.asp

WHEN WILL IT END?!

“When will this crime and violence end!” this is the cry echoed by the many enraged, “fed-up” and outraged citizens of Jamaica. Jamaica is a small Caribbean island of just over 2.5 million people and it has one of the worst murder rates in the world. In 2004 and 2005 Jamaica was recorded as having the highest murder rate in the world. In 2008 alone, 1600 people were killed as a result of crime and violence in Jamaica. This ruthless, ongoing rampage of Crime and Violence as left the citizens of Jamaica searching for answers and the government itself is not making any progress to find its cure. Youth unemployment, Poverty, Social inequality and lack of education are just a few of a long list of causes of this heart wrenching epidemic in Jamaica. Some of the deleterious effects include economic instability, separation of communities into warring factions, loss of investment opportunity and loss of personal and business income. The Government needs to call for international help and they need to do it now.

AIDS,the plague taking over the lives of African Americans in the US

I strongly believe that the United States Government is not doing enough to limit the outbreak of AIDS among African Americans. This pestilence known as AIDS has robbed us African Americans of our moms, dads, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts just to name a few. To date over 225,000 African Americans have died of AIDS, nearly 40%of total death. Of the more than 1 million people living with HIV in the United States of America today, about half are black. What’s even more alarming is that African Americans as a race only represents just 13% of the U.S population. Poverty, lack of access to healthcare and being incarcerated are just three of the many factors that have lead to the rising number of AIDS victims among African American. I believe the Government needs to step up to the plate.

I say Marijuana should not be legalized!

“Marijuana makes you fell rejuvenated and energized, it’s the best herb of the land and there are no negative effects of marijuana” Complete Nonsense! Many argue that the US government should legalize marijuana but I believe that Marijuana should remain banned.
Many are made to believe that the smoking of marijuana is good for one’s health and there are no bad effects. I am here however to tell you that the smoking of Marijuana does indeed has short term and long term effects that can be very harmful to ones body. The smoking of Marijuana is one of the most lethal illicit drugs used today. Its short term effects can be very devastating and its long term effects can ultimately lead to ones death. Marijuana short term affects ranges from effects on the brain, the heart and the lungs. Some of the long term effects include Cancer and bad effects on the Immune System and the Lungs and Airways.

Monday, September 28, 2009

"The Internet Is No Substitute for the Dying Newspaper Industry"by Chris Hedges and "Is Google Making Us Stupid" by Nicholas Carr

“The Internet Is No Substitute for the Dying Newspaper Industry” written by, Chris Hedges, talks about newspaper becoming extinct and the internet being a poor substitute. Chris talks about the fact that newspaper provide an outlet where people can be aware of what’s going on within their surroundings as well as providing the truth whether one like it or not. On the other hand the author believes that the internet only provide things that the public wants to hear and lacks the basic itineraries to become an efficient substitute for newspapers.
In the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” written by, Nicholas Carr, raises the question of whether the internet, Google, is making us stupid. While he thinks that the internet is indeed changing the way we read and think at the same time he also believe that he may be too quick to expect the worse of a new invention as it could ultimately lead to something great. At the end he tells us that it is alright to be skeptical of his skepticism. Nicholas, however, strongly believes that printed pages such as newspapers allow for deep readings and as such enable for deep thinking which the internet lacks.
Chris Hedges in his article talks about three main things that are responsible for the decline of newspaper. Rise of Corporate State (business), loss of one’s responsibility to the public and as citizens in the part of mostly the business class and poor intelligence of the post literate world. Chris also states that as a result of these problems numerous jobs have been loss, there has also been a decrease in newspaper stocks and advertising revenues. He believes that newspaper offers a means through which citizens can be aware of the society in which they live and the world at large. It allows for citizens to be aware of the works of government and to provide a medium where citizens who normally don’t have a say to have a say and provide their own incite and views on what is going on. Chris also believe that newspaper offer a medium of public trust.
Chris believes that reporters are explorers who go to the source to get the news. He believe that their reports are well researched as they ask questions and seek answers.He also believes that journalist provides the truth even those truth that we choose not to want to hear. The Author thinks of journalist as being unbiased and they challenge basic beliefs. On the other hand he believes that bloggers doesn’t report or do research or go out to the field to find answers. They just basically provide their own opinion without any deep proof to back it up and that bloggers tend to exchange facts with their own opinions. Chris also thinks that corporations doesn’t provide news because they want to ,but for the profit or benefit it provides and as such they just provide what individuals want to hear in a way that’s entertaining and amusing.
While I believe that newspaper allows for citizens to be more engage in what is going on around them, I don’t believe that newspapers can be seen as a medium of public trust. I say this because in today’s world business holds a privilege position in society meaning that they tend to undermine the system just to enable that they are seen in a good light to the public. Many of these media outlets are funded and even own by business and as such many of these newspaper articles tends not to write the truth but are very prejudice so that business can be seen in a good light. This brings out my point that people cannot trust everything that is written in newspaper because they tend to be “sugar coated”.
Another important thing I want to point out is that journalists are humans, humans who have their own thoughts and their own opinions. Journalist are the ones that are behind these newspaper articles and they are just as opinionated as bloggers but newspaper agency make it comes across as factual information.
I may also beg to differ with the part where the author makes mention that journalist provides the truth whether one like it or not. Journalist works under a corporation. Corporations want to have a good reputation as they want to make profit. If what journalist writes doesn’t fit these criteria it will not be published.
What I agree with is that bloggers tend to interchange the facts with their own opinions. Bloggers tend to write things that are false because instead of doing research and seek out the right answers, so as to get their facts right they just publish things on their site because they want to get the attention of viewers and to gain publicity. It is also a money making venture for many. One blogger that comes to mind is Perez Hilton who blogs about celebrities. Many times what Perez Hilton writes about is false and he’s always in contention with celebrities.
I also agree with Chris when he mentions the fact that the Web is built for browsing not reading and that many of the time one has to print out an article to read it. I completely agree with him. I am a living proof of that. For my English class I had to read a 6 page article on the internet and I had to print it out to read it. One can easily get bored and distracted reading such a lengthy article on the net. The Internet provides a lot of distractions as one tend to wonder who is on facebook or which celebrity is getting divorce today.
In this world today the main goal of business is to make profit even at the expense of the citizens. This is why I also agree with the point that the Author made when he talks about the fact that corporations are not in the business of news. Their purpose is to just make people happy because they know they will also be happy.
Nicholas Carr in is article, Is Google Making Us Stupid, provides an answer to his question as well as challenge his own opinion and belief.
I agree with Nicholas that reading books and newspapers enable for deeper thinking and thoughts and as such make us more intellectual. I also agree that the reading of lengthy books allows for one to read very profoundly as to ensure that one pick up the main points and to get a full understanding as to what the book is saying and to get what one is looking for. This allows for our brains to think more complex and deeper.
On the other hand the introduction of the Internet has change the way one thinks and read. The Internet allows for easy access to quick well organized information that’s on the surface. This takes away the ability to think or read as one use to. Instead we skim read to find the information we want and also the internet also provides a wide range of sources. So instead of spending a great deal of time on one source, with the use of the internet, we can skip from one source to the next. This takes away our ability to focus on one piece of article. Our focus becomes scattered. The need for deep reading which can ultimately develop our sense of thoughts and understanding takes a back seat as the internet provides us with easy access to information.
This can have a very negative effect on humans. For example as college students we are sometimes required to write lengthy essays, sometimes 3 to 5 pages or even more. We find our self being stuck at the second page because we are unable to think as our brains are so limited because we get accustom to short simple writings. We no longer read books and newspapers that can build our vocabulary and expand our thoughts.
The use of the internet also takes away the ability for one to read intensely so that one can achieve the core understanding of an article. We are unable to fully interpret and analyze an article .Instead; we look for the quick wins as the author states. What we do is we glance over the surface just to find what we are looking for. So instead of having a great understanding of what we read one is just left with the answers and no kind of background knowledge.
The author also mentions the fact that the internet also provides a lot of distractions. Instead of focusing on what we are reading, we find ourselves on facebook or yahoo messenger. So our brains are all over the place and we are unable to fully focus on one thing. Our concentration then becomes spread out.
Nicholas Carr also made the point that our brains are not fixed but very adaptable. Our brains are quick to adapt to changes. As a result our brains become adapted to that quick operation of the internet and we find it very difficult to read a 10 page article.
Google however believes that the more information one can access and the faster one can pick up the main points, the more productive one becomes has a thinker. I however agree and disagree with this thought. In this day and age where people have to do multiple jobs , take care of kids and at the same time go to school it can be very stressing to read a whole book to gather information which one can access on the internet in a shorter span of time. I agree with Google as it will allow for one to be a more productive thinker because one has to be very sharp and on point so as to ensure that one never misses a main point. I however disagree with Google. I believe that the internet allows for the future generation, which I am a part of, to become very lazy and unproductive and less efficient. We lose the ability to fully read and analyze an article because we are provided with an easier way out.
In ending the author made the remark that he might be too quick to point out the negatives in a new invention as it may evolve into something great. He talked about Socrates who hated the idea of the development of writing as he thought that it would take away the ability of persons to retain things in their head and having a greater understanding of what they read. Although this might have some truth in it, on the brighter side this new development has allowed for information to be spread, enabled for different ideas to be form and expand human knowledge.
But while Nicholas Carr made mention that it’s alright to be skeptical of his skepticism , he emphasize his point that printed pages such as newspapers enables for deep reading and as such one can acquire great knowledge and incite allowing us to create e one’s own idea. He ends his article with what he called Kubrick’s dark prophecy and I quote “as we rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence”. End of quote.
Both “The Internet Is No Substitute for the Dying Newspaper Industry” written by, Chris Hedges and “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” written by, Nicholas Carr are well written article that provide each author point of view on the internet and printed pages. I agreed as well as disagreed on different points they made but I think both author did an excellent job in the way they presented their ideas.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

106 year old woman is ready to marry for the 23rd time


September 27, 2009
A 106 year old Queens resident, Forever Young, says she is ready to marry for the 23rd time because she fears her current drug addict husband, Coke Bailey, who is undergoing rehabilitation treatment will leave her for a younger woman once the programme ends.
“I don’t want to be alone” Forever murmured. “But on the brighter side he was getting a little too old for me” Young emphasized.
This will be Young’s second divorce in just a mere two years. Forever said she got divorce from her former husband because he wasn’t a good lover.
“Oh my last husband was one lazy bum, I had to let him loose” Young complained.
Forever Young describe herself as being eternally twelve and to her she hasn’t aged one bit.
It makes us wonder if Forever has a mirror at her home.
Young was the only child for her mom and dad who both died at the age of 60.She was always complimented for her beauty and they told her that she must always pamper herself, live life to the fullest and live life like she was forever young because she was worth it. Forever is clearly living up to her parent’s advice.
When ask Forever what kind of husband she is looking for this time, she made it clear that her dream man must be in his twenties, very handsome and muscular and must have sexy lips and white, well arranged teeth.
To 107 year old Forever Young she is as fit as a fiddle and she has recharged her battery and is ready to find the 23rd man of her dreams.
The question asked, however, is how much longer does Forever think she can continue to recharge her battery for until it completely dies?
Maybe for a couple more weeks, but who knows it can be less.We however wish Forever all the best!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

The Onion

The Onion which is a “news satire” organization provides a medium through which one can have great laugh and at the same time allowing for one to be more knowledgeable and more alert about the things that is going on around us. The Onion presents humor in a way that is well written and well organized that in some instances it appears to be very real. This organization also talks about serious issues but they are presented in a way that is very funny and humorous. Here is an example of an article from The Onion.

79-Year-Old Still Saving For Future
OCTOBER 15, 2003
OLATHE, KS—Frances Buntz, 79, continues to work diligently as a file clerk at Kansas State Insurance and save any extra money she can, Buntz said Monday. "When my husband had a stroke eight years ago, all of our savings went to bills," said Buntz, momentarily resting her weight on her cane. "Since then, I've been trying to build up a little nest egg." Buntz said she hopes to someday invest in a nice little place to settle down, or some medicine.


This article talks about a 79 year old lady who is apparently saving up her money so she can someday buy a house and enjoy her life. The humor presented in this article is that this lady is old enough to die any time soon but yet she is still working to accomplish what can be describe as the American Dream

Saturday, September 19, 2009

My Personal Story

My personal story I will be writing about is the time I saw a dead man’s head, without the rest of the body that is, a couple of houses from my house. It was the scariest most bizarre thing I have ever experience in all my 17 years of living.
This terrible act all stemmed from an ongoing rivalry between two set of groups .It was reported that this feud started when Blackadread, the leader of the first gang, was shot in his foot by a man from the other group. From that day Blackadread always had a hatred for not just the man who shot him, but for the man’s family at large .The man who shot Blackadread had a son by the name of Triston who lived in Lionel town where Blackadread reside. It was said that Blackadread had ordered Triston to never enter his turf or walk around where he lived.
Triston, however, never took the warnings.
One day as Triston and his friends were walking by where Blackadread and his friends were sitting they started to taunt and began to throw stones at Triston and his friends.Triston and his friends then immediately turned around and started to throw back stones at the group. It was at that moment when Blackadread took out his gun and started to fire multiple shots at Triston and his friends. It was then reported that the boys began to run. Triston, however, wasn’t lucky enough as he was gunned down and shot in his mouth and left to die.
This all happened when I was at school. On my way from school in the taxi I overheard the driver talking about a shooting in Lionel Town and someone getting shot and in serious condition. He didn’t say who it was. It was only when I got home that I heard that it was my friend Triston who had been shot. I was so terrified the only thing I could do was to pray that he was alright.
Triston thankfully had survived the shot, but this was just the beginning. Triston’s father wanted revenge. He wanted everyone who was responsible for his sons shooting to pay the price.
It didn’t take long for the first fatal killing to occur. It took place on a school night.
On around 9:00 pm on a Tuesday night, my friend came to my house and told me that there was a shooting couple of houses from where I lived and that the man who got the shot was dead. I knew the man. At that moment I began to cry because I was terrified that I was going to get caught somehow in the line of fire, or I might just be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Immediately I called my parents crying to them telling them what had happened and telling them that I wanted to come to the United States where they were. At that time my parents were living in the U.S. They started to reassure that nothing will happen to me and that everything was going to be okay. It was said that the reason the man was shot was because he was “running up his mouth” saying that Triston deserved to be shot and that he should have died instead.
After that night pass I felt a little better because there weren’t no more shootings, until about one week later. This time it was the brother of Blackadread. When I heard about this shooting I was on my way to my aunt’s house. People started to run to where the shooting had taken place but I just continued going to my aunt’s house. When I came back home I heard that Blackadread’s brother was taken from the taxi he was in at gun point and then shot. About couple days later another brother of Blackadread was also killed.
Lionel Town became a “ghost town”. Terror filled the hearts of residents. Many wanted to vacate the area while others were very careful as to what they said in public. People were afraid to go out at night .As night fell People went into their houses and locked up their windows and doors. For me personally I was afraid to go to church at nights and even if I went the pastor would end church early so we could go home early. We were all scared for our lives.
But it wasn’t over the gang leader Blackadread who did the shooting was still on the loose. He was the only one left to go down. But it didn’t take long as his head was found on a block in the center of the street for everyone to see.
The night before Blackadread’s head was discovered my mother received a call around midnight .Her friend was asking her if she had heard the gunshots that were fired. We didn’t hear the gunshots we were all asleep. Many residents didn’t pay much attention to the gun shots. I heard that it sounded like a gun salute.
Few hours after that around 6:00 am my cousin ran over to our house to tell us the astonishing news that a dead man’s head was up the road on a block and that the head was the gang leader’s head. At that moment my mom and I still in our nightgown rush to the scene. At first I was very reluctant to look but I was brave enough and I took a quick glance at the head. My glance was so quick that I am unable to even describe it to you. What I did see was that it was very black. It was said that it was first discovered in the early morning by the victim’s sister.
The news of the dead man’s head spread like wildfire. Everyone from near and far came to see the head. Taxis and cars drove through my street just to get a glance at the head. There were cries of mourning by the bereaved family, but what was most evident was the silence of the onlookers. No one said a word. Everyone just came to look and turned around. When asked for interviews by news reporters, no one wish to say a word. No one wanted to say anything that that they might regret. Many thought that it was a possibility that the murder or murderers were in the crowd. I didn’t want to go to school that day I just wanted to stay home and watch the “excitement” not that anything was excited about the head of a dead man but the hearing the sounds of cars racing and bustling through the street and people running to get a look was amazing to see. It was the headline of all the news channels in Jamaica.
It is still unknown as to the location of the rest of Blackadread’s body and if anyone was charged for the murder. What was known however was that Blackadread was wanted for a series of murders that he had committed and as such Police were reluctant to look into case. The Police saw it as justice being served and another murderer off the street.
After couple days had past everything calmed down. Many people including myself didn’t even remember that a head was found up the street. People started to go out at nights and we were not as afraid as we were before. I had also came to the conclusion that whosoever did the killings were not interested in hurting innocent people but solely those who were apart of throwing stones at Triston and his friends and shooting Triston.
This was the most terrifying, most alarming thing I have ever experienced or that have ever happened in Lionel Town.

THE JAMAICA AND THE LIONEL TOWN IDEA



Jamaica popularly known as the “land of wood and water” is a small island surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. Its population is estimated at 2,804,332 as of July 2008.Jamaica is famously known for its warm sunshine, cool bustling beaches, lavish world class-all inclusive resorts, legendary colonial great houses and not to mention its warm friendly people. Although Jamaica is a small island we have gain worldwide recognition in areas like sports and music.
In Jamaica the population is made up of mostly people from African descendants, but nearly every race is represented here including English, Spanish, Irish, Scottish, Indian, Chinese, German and Syrian. All of these races have intermingled and have come together to create one of the most unique asset of Jamaica, the Jamaican people.
Jamaicans are naturally warm, friendly and entertaining always offering handshakes, hugs, and hearty hellos. Our motto “Out Of Many One People” shows that we have mixed and mingled, breaking down barriers, to become one people out of many, living one love.
Jamaica is very rich in culture and it has a strong global presence. Our music, especially Reggae, is widely known throughout the world. Reggae has also influence American rap music as they both share their roots as rhythmic, African style of music. Dancing is also another vital part of our culture. Jamaicans dance everywhere for all occasions. These include worship events and social gatherings. Dancing is a vital part of the Jamaican lifestyle, whether as a means of enjoyment, entertainment or for religious purposes. To experience Jamaican is to dance with us.
Jamaica is also noteworthy for its variety of delicious, scrumptious and luscious cuisines. Our cuisines are as diverse as our people as unique as our island. Jamaica is blessed with fertile ground and an almost perfect tropical climate. Many restaurants around the world use our famous jerk sauce and served our highly acclaimed Blue Mountain coffee. One can never visit Jamaica without trying our jerk chicken, jerk pork, escovietch fish, goat soup and not to mention our National dish Ackee and Salt fish, if not your trip will be incomplete.\
Jamaica is also famous for our sports, notable for track and Field. Our superstar Usain Bolt has done us proud. Smashing the world record in the 100 and 200metres and acquiring the title of the fastest man alive. Jamaica also has the fastest woman alive.
On a more negative side Jamaica has been plagued by ongoing series of crime and violence. Jamaica has had one of the highest murder rates in the world for many years. Jamaica is ranked fourth in the world as the country with the highest homicide rate.
Jamaica has 14 parishes. I am from the parish of Clarendon. Clarendon is located on the south of the Island. Clarendon is rank as the third largest parish of Jamaica. Clarendon is famous for many things. It is the location of the Milk River Bath, a mineral spa, famous for its therapeutic healing. Halse Hall Great house, one of Jamaica’s historic houses. The Denbigh Show Ground, located in Clarendon, is a national Agriculture Show which is held once a year. Vernam Field the first car racing track established in Jamaica and known for drag racing is also found in Clarendon. Clarendon is also the home of many Sugar Factories.
Clarendon is made up of different town. I am from Lionel town.
Lionel Town consists of an estimated 5000-10000 people. It is a very small area found on the South Plain. It was first known as Vere.Lionel town is a rural area consisting of many shabby broken down, zinc up houses. It has however started to build up very nicely.
Lionel Town to me is like a little city to itself. It has shopping centers, fast food restaurants, a Police Station, a Hospital, a bank, Post office, Library, and Elementary and Secondary schools. The only thing I think it lacks is a movie theatre.
Lionel Town I think is divided into three areas. There is one place known as ‘Street” another “Scheme” and the other being “Capture Land”. Street is where I once lived. It is said to be the worst place to live in Lionel Town. I think that some of the people that live there is the main reason for others to have such a negative perception of Street. They are very quarrelsome, troublesome, and arrogant and they love to fight. There’s not a day that goes by where there’s not some sort of dispute. But I beg to differ, an example being myself, I am nothing like what I have just described. I am a well groomed person from a well disciplined family I must add. Scheme on the other hand I think is the best place to live out of the three, but It can be very boring as there’s less drama and I love drama. It is more of a residential area with better houses. The people are also more serene, peaceful and decent. Capture land as the name implies is an area where people build up house on land that belongs to the government or other people. In my opinion I think capture land is just like Street in terms of the kind of people that lives there.
Lionel Town is not a violence prone neighborhood, but there have been quite a few fatal shootings, plenty verbal altercations, and domestic violence. Some of the domestic violence includes: cursing between wife and baby mothers, among family members, girl gangs and theft to name a few.
There have never been any racial disputes in Lionel Town. Most of the residents are black and they get along with each other for the most part. There is no define class but based on the size of one’s house, the job that one has, people tends to associate you as rich or poor.
I personally love Lionel town despites the various violent activities. It has great schools, churches and the people overall can be very generous and gregarious.

The shocking and gruesome discovery of a dead man's body in the small town of Lionel Town


BY MYAH BLYTHE
WEEKLY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Saturday, September 19, 2009, 2:30 pm

This is a map of Jamaica showing Lionel Town where the gruesome killings occurred.
It was on an early, sunny Friday morning when a lady made the discovery of her brother’s head mounted on a brick for everyone to see in the small vicinity of Lionel Town. It was said that the man was shot and his head cut off as a means of retaliation for a past shooting involving a young man.
“It was the scariest day of my life” said Myah, a resident of Lionel Town. “I didn’t want to go to school that day” Myah continued with a sound of terror in her voice.
This terrible act all stemmed from an ongoing rivalry between two set of groups .It was reported that this feud started when Blackadread, the leader of the first gang, was shot in his foot by a man from the other group. From that day Blackadread always had a hatred for not just the man who shot him ,but for the man’s family at large .The man who shot Blackadread had a son by the name of Triston who lived in Lionel town where Blackadread reside. It was said that Blackadread had ordered Triston to never enter his turf or walk around where he lived.
Triston, however, never took the warnings.
One day as Triston and his friends were walking by where Blackadread and his friends were sitting they started to taunt and began to throw stones at Triston and his friends.Triston and his friends then immediately turned around and started to throw back stones at the group. It was at that moment when Blackadread took out his gun and started to fire multiple shots at Triston and his friends. It was then reported that the boys began to run.Triston, however, wasn’t lucky enough as he was gunned down and shot in his mouth and left to die.
Triston survived the shot, but this was just the beginning. Triston’s father wanted revenge. He wanted everyone who was responsible for his sons shooting to pay the price. It didn’t take long for the first fatal killing to occur. It took place on a school night.
On around 9:00 pm on a Tuesday night, residents heard multiple gun shots being fired. It didn’t take long afterwards for citizens to discover a man’s body suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He died on the spot. It was reported that the reason for the man’s death was because he was “running up his mouth” saying that Triston deserved to be shot and that he should have died instead.
“I was scared to death” said a 16 year old resident who had wished for her identity to be a secret. “I wanted to move instantly I called my mom crying to her telling her that I wasn’t going to stay here”, the resident continued.
It wasn’t long after that killing that two more men this time two brothers of Blackadread was fatally shot. Lionel Town became a “ghost town”. Terror filled the hearts of residents. Many wanted to vacate the area while others were very careful as to what they said in public.
But it wasn’t over. The gang leader, Blackadread, was still out there. He was the only one left to die. The night before Blackadread’s body was discovered, around midnight the residents of Lionel Town, heard a series of gunshots. Residents said it was like a gun salute. It was not until in the early morning that the sister of Blackadread discovered his head mounted on a block in the center of the street for everyone to see. Everyone near and far came to see the head.
There were cries of mourning by the bereaved family, but what was most evident was the silence of the onlookers. No one said a word. Everyone just came to look and turned around. When asked for interviews by news reporters, no one wish to say a word.
It is still unknown as to the location of the rest of Blackadread’s body and if anyone was charged for the murder. What was known however was that Blackadread was wanted for a series of murders that he had committed and as such Police were reluctant to look into case. The Police saw it as just being served and another murderer off the street.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

THE BLOGGING REVOLUTION

This article talks about blogging and the great effect it is having on the world at large today. The writer, Andrew Sullivan, talks about the fact that blogging has changed and it can ultimately lead to journalism becoming extinct. He went on to say that blogs are personal, where bloggers present information based on their thoughts and opinions and people are starting to discredit the writings of large news post.
Andrew, also made mention that with blogging one is free to write whatever one wish or desire without having to please anyone including editors and publishers. In fact, the writer made the point that editors and publishers are gradually fading away. With blogs, bloggers can have the freedom of expressing themselves and being independent. They can also sit in the comfort of their home and publish a book without the hassle of going to a newspaper, magazine or other agencies to have their books published or to have their voices heard.
The writer ends by saying that blogging could be the new form of journalism.

Blogs: All the noise that fits
Michael Skube in his article talks about blogging and it being unable to replace journalism. Michael Skube went on to say that while bloggers can be informative and straightforward they can never replace the very well-detailed and well-organize works of journalist.
Michael Skube started off by saying that bloggers are everywhere and they are seeing as very inappropriate and unflattering by many. He mentioned that bloggers hate to be described as journalist but consider themselves as “citizen journalist” which means that they do not write for the purpose of media attention or popularity but on the behalf of the people.
The author went on to say that bloggers have gained high respect in the political arena, won different awards and have been awarded press credentials, but even with all these high recognition and awards, to Michael, bloggers are still not journalist. He states that bloggers only give precise and quick information and although they express a lot of certainty and freedom in their writings, bloggers still doesn’t fit the criteria of a great journalist.
For Michael a journalist is one who provides substantial, profound and well-detailed information that stick in the minds of people and is always remembered.

Both articles agree that blogging has become very popular in today’s society.
In contrasting both articles, Andrew believes that blogging is changing the media world and could replace journalism while Michael believes that blogging is not journalism and can never replace it.
Article one mentions that blog today has transformed into a more well established and informative place where one can be engaged in and be informed of the different things which are occurring in the world. In this article the author mentioned and I quote “These days, there are tech blogs and sex blogs and drug blogs and onanistic teenage blogs. But there are also news blogs and commentary blogs, sites packed with links and quips and ideas and arguments that only months ago were the near-monopoly of established news outlets.”
Article one also mentions that blogs are personal with the writer providing his own views. This allows for readers to know and become aware of whom the writer is as a person which in turn allows for a reader to be in tune with what the writer has to say. People on the other hand have started to become very skeptical about those real journalists who write for big newspapers and other media outlets. Journalist tend to have to write stories so as to please an editor ,publisher or even people, but a blogger on the other hand as the freedom to write anything and is not afraid to express ones feeling.
Bloggers tend to create huge fan base and this can ultimately lead them to start their own business. If people enjoy the blogs, bloggers can decide to publish a book and thus making profit and at the same time providing people with what they want.
People today tends to gravitate to simplicity and things that are straight forward and also entertaining, and this is what the blogs provide while journalist tends to put “sugar coatings” on certain things as a means of pleasing and satisfying others.

“And yet none of this makes them a journalist” are the actual words of Michael Skube, the author of the second article. Michel Skube believes that
being a journalist
is not something one does as a hobby. He believes it is more than just a story but the depth and well-detailed characteristics it possess.
Michael sees bloggers as very precise and providing quick information. For him this is not what journalism is about. He said that being a journalist one has to be very persistent.When writing a story one has to ensure that they undergo a series of research and verification so as to get all of the facts. He also believes writing a great story requires a lot of time, deep thinking and consideration. Michael says that the best writers are those who writes well written, well sorted out and accurate piece and they know how to add life to their writings.This Mcheal believes is not the charateristics of a bloger.He ends by saying and I quote “But what lodges in the memory of people, and sometimes knifes us in the heart , is the fidelity with which a writer observes and tells” end of quote.He says this to say that people tends to remember the fluency and accuracy of a writing rather than the quick on the surface writings and that is what a real journalist do and what bloggers lack in their writings.

In conclusion I am more compelled to go with Andrew Sullivan, the author of the first article. I believe that blogs today offer people something more entertaining as well as providing us with the facts. News paper articles on the other hand can be very boring and dull and at the same as Sullivan says and I quote “…that behind the curtain are fallible writers and editors who are no more inherently trustworthy than a lone blogger who has earned a reader’s respect”. This is to say that news paper articles are no more honest than a blogger because behind the curtains are real people that can also twist the stories and put it how they want it to go and what they write can also be based on their own opinions and thoughts rather than facts.