Positive Development - Making Something Creative From Nothing

Making something from nothing is a Jamaican specialty - from The Gleaner -

Peter Watson weaving wicker for 25 years

 
Published:Saturday | June 30, 2012

Nackeshia Tomlinson, Gleaner Writer

QUICKSTEP, St Elizabeth:

PETER WATSON has been making furniture from wicker for more than 25 years - and he would have it no other way. "The greatest thing about it a when you finish something and people feel excited 'bout it," said Watson.

According to Watson, wicker is the term given to a twig, cane, reed, or vine that is woven or braided to make furniture. He is adept at this skill and can make up to 20 small pieces in a week. He has made baskets, chairs, bookcases, magazine racks, frames, and a map of Jamaica from wicker.
Although Watson is also proficient in cabinetmaking, he is widely known for his speciality: making products from wicker. He was introduced to the skill after he completed school.
"When mi did younger and people know mi a go school a evening time, mi used to go to a workshop and watch some other man work."
Watson said this led him to pursue a two-year apprenticeship stint in Manchester, where he learnt more about making furniture, which included making furniture from wicker.
After his apprenticeship, he worked elsewhere for a number of years, then he returned to Quickstep, which has been his base ever since. In the community, he has helped to facilitate employment for other people who supply him with the raw material.
"Mi have people who mi used to buy the wicker from," explained Watson.
He demonstrated part of the preparation process, which involved harvesting a section of the vine from the vast forest across from his house. Carefully catalogued, original, or modified designs help Watson whenever he is making a wicker item.

MAKING THE FURNITURE

The remaining procedure requires that he source the dried wicker. He separates it and puts it into water so it can become flexible for braiding and weaving. He then torches the product with special equipment to keep the weaving in place, then varnishes it. After the process has been completed, minor upkeep is required because wicker items are durable and can last for many years.
Wicker-making has allowed Watson to travel extensively on the north coast.
"Me know a lot of place - and people always want you to build things - like in Ocho Rios, Negril, and Montego Bay."
This is because "people always come for mi fi work, and mi stay all two months", related Watson.
He also had the opportunity to supply a Kingston-based store that specialises in locally made products. Unfortunately, the store has closed, and except for items that are pre-ordered, Watson does not have a steady market.
Watson believes one thing that has contributed to the low demand is the varied choice of furniture on the market. He revealed that over the years, he has harboured thoughts of having a store in Santa Cruz, where he could display his products; however, he has been constrained by the required capital.
rural@gleanerjm.com 

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120630/lead/lead4.html

Legal Ganga In JA - sort of

  Cracks in the machine. Not complaining but two ounces is not enough.

Jamaica poised to relax cannabis laws 

Several restrictions on ‘ganja’ use could go up in smoke as island’s politicians back bill to establish licensing authority

The Jamaican cabinet has approved a bill that would decriminalise possession of small amounts of cannabis and pave the way for a legal medical marijuana industry, the justice minister has said.
Mark Golding said he expected to introduce the legislation in the Senate this week. Debate could start this month in the country where the drug, known popularly as “ganja”, has long been culturally entrenched but illegal.
The bill would establish a cannabis licensing authority to deal with the regulations needed to cultivate, sell and distribute the herb for medical, scientific and therapeutic purposes. “We need to position ourselves to take advantage of the significant economic opportunities offered by this emerging industry,” he said.
It would make possession of 2 ounces (56g) or less an offence that would not result in a criminal record. Cultivation of five or fewer plants on any premises would be permitted. Rastafarians, who use marijuana as a sacrament, could also legally use it for religious purposes for the first time in Jamaica, where the spiritual movement was founded in the 1930s.
For decades, debate has raged on the Caribbean island over laws governing marijuana use. But now, with several countries and US states relaxing their laws on the herb, Jamaica is advancing reform plans.
Golding said the government would not soften its stance on drug trafficking and it intended to use a proportion of revenues from its licensing authority to support a public education campaign to discourage pot-smoking by young people and mitigate public health consequences.
The director of the national Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Research Taskforce said he expected the bill to be passed soon in parliament, where Portia Simpson Miller’s governing party holds a 2-1 majority. “This development is long overdue,” Delano Seiveright said.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/22/jamaica-considers-cannabis-legalisation






A cannabis farmer in Nine Mile, Jamaica. Photograph: David Mcfadden/AP

Waterfalls!

Waterfalls!

St Thomas' best kept secret

Locals earn from little known ‘Reggae Falls

BY INGRID BROWN Associate editor — special assignment browni@jamaicaobserver.com

Monday, March 03, 2014

WATERFALLS cascading several feet to the Johnson River in Hillside, St Thomas not only serve as a relaxing place for visitors wanting to spend an enjoyable day with nature, but also provide an income to the many unemployed residents in this farming district.

They have eked out a living working as tour guides, car washers, babysitters and cooks for the many locals and foreigners alike who are known to visit the area, which is being described as St Thomas' best kept secret.

The residents claim the water, which spouts warm from a section of the rock, contains sulphur and assists in healing wounds.

"If you have a wound and you go in the water you frighten fi see how quick it heal," explained resident Deborah Whyte.

Although they have been earning, albeit in an ad hoc manner, the residents are calling on tourism organisations to help them secure formal training as official tour guides and to help them improve Reggae Falls — as they have since dubbed it – by putting in sanitray and other conveniences. They also want the Jamaica Tourist Board to promote the facility locally and overseas, to attract more visitors.

According to the residents, visitors prefer to come to Reggae Falls instead of Bath Fountain because it is much more quiet and there is less harassment.

Whyte, who often works as tour guide, car washer and even babysitter said the facility has the potential to provide a steady income.

"When the visitors them come, if wi have some lime or a plantain or some jelly wi carry it come down here. We might see a crowd and wi tell them we have some lime and them say go pick it and carry come and just like that we mek a sale," she said.

According to Whyte, who escorted the Jamaica Observer North East on a treacherous track to a shallow area in the river which allowed for easy crossing to the nearby falls, the visitors are the ones who often request the residents' assistance as tour guides.

"Sometimes them will come from all over Jamaica and overseas, and will ask us to direct them to the falls and we would take them over to there," she said.

"Because we know the area, we know when it raining in the head of the river and we tell them so they can know where to go," she said.

Whyte further explained that when the river is dry some people will drive their SUVs through the river bed to the closest point to the falls. When this happens, the residents might not earn from guiding tours, but they will from cooking and selling food along the river.

The mother of two said only recently a large group of police officers visited the area, which provided a decent earning for people who were willing to wash cars.

"Mi mek $13,000 that day washing cars," she said, adding: "Sometimes I even earn money by babysitting the children while the parents go up to the falls".

Joan Harris said the summer is the busiest period for the residents as this is when the largest number of persons visit.

"People feel safe to come here because the residents look out for them and they know they are going to come back and see their vehicle the same way dem leave it," she said.

"On a holiday, you don't have space up there and not even Dunn's River can test that time, because people come from as far as Westmoreland," she added.

Residents also earn by allowing visitors to park in their yards for $100, or from vending the produce they farm.

"Sometimes when you see the high-end vehicles that come up here and even more people would come if they knew about it because of how lovely the falls is and also because the community is safe," said Harris.

Font Hill resident Daneisha Wright, who was visiting the falls at the time the Observer North East was there, said this was one of her favourite spot in the parish.

"I always come here as often as I can because it is a lovely place," she said before diving off a huge rock into the river below.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/St-Thomas--best-kept-secret_16172474

More Renewavble energy For Jamaica

Not sure what part of this doesn't make sense but there are always doubters and even more those who cling to their power.....

Can Jamaica realise its saving potential from renewables?

Friday, June 27, 2014

On the face of it, renewable energy should translate into savings for Jamaica.

BMR Energy signed a deal on Wednesday to sell Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) electricity from its planned 34 megawatt (MW) wind farm at 12.9 US cents ($14.30) per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

Bruce Levy reckons that the rate is almost half the cost of electricity generated from the oldest, most inefficient diesel plants currently in operations in Jamaica.

"At worst, using diesel fuel in an older engine, it might cost up to 25 US cents," the CEO of BMR Energy told the Business Observer. "If you use heavy fuel oil (HFO) in a modern engine you might end up in the teens (US cents per kWh). With natural gas you could easily end up in the 14 US cents range."

The new energy company, which was one of three bidders to be given the nod to build out large-scale renewable projects in Jamaica, plans to construct its wind farm using 11 turbines located along a ridge line just west of JPS's 3 MW wind farm in Munro, St Elizabeth.

When fully operational, it expects to deliver up to 120,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) to the grid each year, which is hardly a stretch given that Wigton's 38.7 MW wind farm put out 116,000 MWh last year. That represents about three per cent of total energy production in Jamaica.

But wind-power technology is not yet able to replace load requirements for the electricity grid, particularly since it only generates electricity when there is sufficient wind, like sun in the case of solar.

"Output changes by month," explained Levy. "June is (Jamaica's) windiest month, July and August is less, and the rest of the year is pretty flat at low levels. This is why we needed two years of measurement to assess wind availability."

Managing power systems to handle intermittent supply is by far not a new science, but it often comes at a cost.

"When you have intermittent resources you have to have generation that can respond to the differences in how that wind or solar reacts," JPS CEO Kelly Tomblin told the Business Observer. "Wind is better than solar because it usually doesn't just suddenly goes off. And there is usually some predictability about it.

"But it requires JPS to have the flexibility to have units that are flexible enough to rise and fall with the production of wind. That's what we need to do now."

Load following power plants, which adjusts its power output as demand for electricity fluctuates throughout the day, typically are less efficient, slower to start up, more expensive to build and costlier to run than base load plants, from which the bulk of power is derived.

"There may be a plant that in its purest form has a very low heat rate of 6,000 (kilojoules per kilowatt-hour, or kJ/kWh) or above," said Tomblin of prospects for technology which are farm more efficient than Jamaica's system heat rate of 10,200. "But we might not be able to choose that if our national goal is to have 20 to 30 per cent renewable.

"Our system which peaks at under 650 MW can go below 400 MW off peak; 140 MW of renewable is going to require us to schedule and plan the system very strategically (to benefit from savings)."

Currently, JPS's 32 MW of wind and hydro power combined with Wigton's 38.7 MW brings the total installed renewable capacity to just over 70 MW.

Another 78 MW is scheduled to come on stream by next year, with BMR's wind farm, Wigton's additional 24 MW project at Rose Hill, and Content Solar's 20 MW planned project to be located close to Content Village in Clarendon.

Tomblin said that while JPS is supportive of the renewable projects, it needs an "integrated resource plan that looks at our load at what we expect to happen to that load and what resource is right for each location".

"We are working on that now."

Correctly balancing renewable energy resources with conventional power technology can also return huge economic and environmental benefits.

BMR estimates that replacement of old, existing generation with its wind output can translate into a reduction in Jamaica's oil imports by 250,000 to 300,000 barrels a year. That could conceivably save US$25 million from the oil bill each year.

It is also expected to lower emissions of carbon dioxide by two million tonnes and nitrous oxide by 7,000 tons annually, or the equivalent of the greenhouse gases given off by over 800,000 passenger vehicles each year.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/Can-Jamaica-realise-its-saving-potential-from-renewables-_17025365

Can Jamaica Increase Coffee Production?

  Coffee production in Jamaica from an article in The Gleaner -

Is Jamaica on a coffee break? Local farmers among lowest producers in region, says CIB

Published: Monday | September 29, 2014
Marie Hill, Gleaner Writer
WITH THE price per box of Blue Mountain Coffee averaging $5,000, the coffee-farming sector is missing out on a bonanza in the region of $2.5 billion annually, which would be possible if production reaches the 500,000 boxes targeted by the Coffee Industry Board (CIB) and the Jamaica Agricultural Society.
Currently, earnings in the sector are less than half this target amount as coffee production has fallen to less than 200,000 boxes annually.
Local coffee production, which has fallen from a high of more than 500,000 boxes in 2004 to under 200,000 boxes for the last crop year, continues to compare unfavourably with other producers in Central America and the Caribbean, Gusland McCook, manager of the Advisory Services Unit with the CIB, states.
While average production in Jamaica ranges from eight boxes per acre to 37 boxes for larger farms, in Mexico, average production is higher, ranging from 16 boxes per acre in the Oaxaca region to 52 boxes in Vera Cruz. One box of cherry coffee converts to 9.5 pounds of green beans.
Jamaican production is also much lower than Colombia, where production averages 57 boxes per acre, and Costa Rica, where the average is 97 boxes.
MAKE USE OF TECHNOLOGY
McCook is suggesting that local farmers make use of technology to improve yield, noting that the most productive in Jamaica are a "very small" group who make use of technology in farming and now average production of 82 boxes of coffee per acre.
McCook was speaking during 'Coffee - Challenges in Production and Export', staged by the Caribbean Academy of Sciences, Jamaica, in collaboration with the Pesticide Research Laboratory and the CIB at the University of the West Indies, Mona, recently.
CIB data indicate that among more than 10,000 farmers, most of whom are registered with the CIB, the average small holder farms coffee on five acres and produces on an average eight boxes per acre.
In between these two extremes are farmers who produce inconsistently and who are described by the board as "opportunists". Their production level is higher, at an average 20 boxes per acre.
At the high end of production are regular large coffee farmers, producing on farms of average size 13 acres with output of 37 boxes per acre. At the most productive end - 82 boxes per acre, farm size averages 107 acres and gross annual income is approximately $24 million.
Coffee producers in Jamaica are spread from the Blue Mountains region in St Andrew, Portland, and St Thomas to the highlands of western Jamaica.
The island is segmented into four regions by the coffee board, with the largest region being Blue Mountains farming country, which has 2,856 registered farmers and just over 6,000 acres under cultivation.
Producers in the island's northern region - east and western St Ann, Guy's Hill, and north-west and central St Catherine - include 577 registered farmers, with 682 acres under cultivation.
In the central region - South Trelawny, St Elizabeth, north and south Manchester, Frankfield and south and eastern Clarendon - the board notes 566 registered farmers, with 460 acres being actively cultivated.
In western Jamaica - inclusive of production areas in Catadupa and Darliston - there are 103 registered farmers, with 80.53 acres under cultivation.
editor@gleanerjm.com
From the comments -

Anjahli Parnell • 2 months ago

A box of coffee cherry is 60 pounds, so that is a price of about 83.35 JA$ per pound, which would equal about 75 cents in US$. Kona coffee, which is comparable to Jamaican Blue Mountain, is bought from farmers at $1.75 per pound of coffee cherry. Who is fooling who? How can the farmers in Jamaica be motivated to grow coffee at this price?

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140929/lead/lead2.html

Coal Degradation Vs. Sustainable Electric Power Generation In Phuket, Thailand

     The following articles are about stressed electric power supply systems in Phuket, Thailand. Much in the article applies to Jamaica. While mega corporations collude with the government to finance short term profit with long term environmental degradation, off the shelf solutions are ready for implementation with short and long term profit AND a benign footprint on the environment.

PHUKET ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY: 
Coal projects in Krabi threaten ecology

Phuket News
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
 



In the wake of surging energy demand by both the public and private sectors of Phuket and the rest of Southern Thailand, Greenpeace Southeast Asia is urging the Thai government to halt plans to erect a controversial and destructive coal-fired power plant and coal-port project on the fragile wetlands of Krabi. 

The Thailand office of the active environment conservation group recently released a report “Krabi at the crossroads: Dirty Coal vs. Clean  Renewable Energy”, emphasizing that coal is not the answer to Thailand’s energy security.

The group has called on authorities to scrap any/all coal projects in Krabi and embrace a decentralized hybrid renewable energy system that can bring electricity and development, without jeopardizing Krabi’s economy and environment.

“Thailand is at energy crossroads. People are keeping a close eye on the country’s decision makers – will they steer Thailand towards becoming a renewable energy leader or stay on the dirty old path of fossil fuels?” asked Tara Buakamsri, Thailand Country Director for Greenpeace Southeast Asia. “The proposed plan to build a new coal fired power plant and coal seaport in Krabi is clearly a step in the wrong direction.”

Under Thailand’s Power Development Plan (PDP 2010 Revision 3), an 870 mega-watt coal plant will be built at the location of an existing fuel oil power plant owned by the Electricity Authority of Thailand (EGAT) in Nuea Klong district of Krabi province. Currently, the coal power plant and coal seaport projects are being reviewed in an Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) process. The projects are slated for  construction in 2015, and would be operational in 2019.

“The meager benefits from the proposed coal power plant would in no way compensate for the losses for Krabi’s economy, local livelihoods and tourism,” Tara added. “Krabi is not only a centre of marine biodiversity in the region, but it also provides vital livelihoods and revenue. The estimated annual use value of the Ramsar site in Krabi River Estuary is $9.7 million [B311 million] for recreation and tourism alone. This does not even include the factor of the economic value of fishing, aquaculture and agricultural related activities for the economy.”

The report launched today details how, after an inadequate Environment Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) process, the government and EGAT plan to expand coal in Krabi in spite of the area being renowned asa global marine biodiversity hotspot and a Ramsar site. In addition, the report also identifies impacts on Krabi’s local tourism as well as the local economy, the past hidden cost of coal for Krabi residents, and the failure in Environment Health Impact Assessment. More importantly, the report proposes a decentralized hybrid Renewable Energy system as a solution for Thailand’s energy future.

“Krabi is in the position to be a leader in developing a decentralized hybrid renewable energy system from its own power potential such as biomass, biogas, solar and wind,” said Asst. Prof. Dr.Jompob Waewsak, Director of Research Center in Energy and Environment, Thaksin University (Phatthalung Campus). “Thailand was among the first countries in Asia to introduce incentive policies for the generation of electricity from renewable energy (RE) sources. Programmes for small and very small power producers created predictable conditions for RE investors to sell electricity to the grid. This is a good start to expand investments in renewable energy, and should be pursued by the government.”

Greenpeace believes that, instead of constructing a coal plant, a decentralized hybrid renewable energy system is the solution for Krabi, supplemented by a rural and community-based development approach. The group says this is a win-win solution for the climate, local job creation, empowerment of communities, and people facing energy poverty, and gives Thai businesses a chance to grow. Greenpeace has urged EGAT and the government to stop pursuing the ill-advised and destructive coal project, to preserve Thailand’s fragile wetlands and the rich marine environment, and to fully implement its
energy efficiency development plan (2011-2030) and alternative energy development plan (2012-2021).

To learn more about the reasons why the coal seaport and power plant are being developed, i.e. Southern Thailand's energy demands,see this related story (also posted below) - http://www.thephuketnews.com/coal-development-plans-take-gloss-off-andamans-emerald-45389.php

Dear conscious consumers,
     The fact is, you, and I, as electricity wasters in Phuket, are part of the problem. After all, guess where all of our power is coming from? Off-island fossil fuels! However, it is
possible and ever-necessary for you to make a statement against the development of coal infrastructure, simply by reducing your own grid-power dependency today – now!
     One simple way you can do this is by installing a basic solar power (or wind) system at your home/villa at once. Tired of constant black-outs? With home renewable energy systems in Phuket already available between B30-70 per watt, this means for as little as B20,000 (about a 200-watt system with a battery and controller), you can have a basic “fossil fuel free” supplementary power system that will charge all your latest IT devices, lighting and even some fans or water pumps for the garden, for at least the next 20 years –
 that works out to less than B100 a month!
     Considering the dire situation in Krabi (which is happening because of 8 million plus
consumers straining the grid for more power), it doesn’t make sense not to make the investment in renewable energy. So while Greenpeace does their part to campaign, don’t wait for the government to act/react, do something for yourself, for Southern Thailand, now and today. To consult about solar/wind home system installations, consider phoning up MonoSun Technology on 076 263 717.  – Steven Layne, Life Editor

http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-environment-energy-coal-projects-in-krabi-threaten-ecology-48742.php


The following is the article referenced above:

Coal development plans take gloss off Andaman's Emerald

ENVIRONMENT: The already-fragile environment of one of Southern Thailand’s top tourism gems, Krabi, is facing an imminent threat from developments in the local energy sector, warns a prominent environment watch-group.

By Steven Layne
Thursday, 27 March 2014

Stakeholders and villagers in Krabi’s Neua Khlong district have been deeply divided about the controversial plans of the Energy Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to build a B60 billion coal-fired power plant in addition to a seaport for unloading and transporting imported coal.

Proponents argue that energy demand in Southern Thailand is already outstripping local supply, and that the two projects are necessary to increase EGAT’s electricity supplying capacity in Southern Thailand, by at least 870 megawatts when the plant is aimed to open in 2019.

EGAT currently operates four power plants in the South: a 340 MW natural gas, fuel and oil fed plant in Krabi’s Khlong Neua district; a 244 MW natural gas and diesel fired plant in Surat Thani’s Phun Pin district, a 731 MW natural gas plant in Songkhla’s Chana district; and an 824 MW natural gas plant in Nakhon Sri Thammarat’s Khanom district.

Although the combined maximum capacity of these plants is about 2.1 gigawatts (2,100 MW), EGAT has reported its actual operational capacity for the South at only 1.6GW, pointing out that the current demand exceeds 2.2 GW, which is why the region depends on the country’s central power grid to supply the excess 600 MW.

Through its subsidiary Electricity Generating Co (EGCO), EGAT is planning to open a new 930 MW natural gas plant adjacent to the site of the old Khanom plant, with the old plant to be decommissioned and the new plant to commence operations by 2016. Additionally, the state-owned power utility is looking to open a second Chana plant this year, which would add 800 MW to the grid when it opens.

Using as a precedence last year’s region-wide black-out that left more than 8 million people in the dark for hours – causing an estimated B10 billion in damages – EGAT insists that it must go forward with the development of Krabi’s coal sector.

Opponents, however, argue that the planned projects will pose dire consequences for Krabi’s coral reefs, sea grass, mangroves and nursing grounds for aquatic species – not to mention air pollution and further depletion of the planet’s finite supply of fossil fuels.

“EGAT must acknowledge the threats that coal brings to Krabi,” said Chariya Senpong, Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia. “We fear that the public scoping for the Ban Klong Ruo Coal Seaport project will be no different to the one organised earlier for the coal plant.”

Ms Chariya is referring to a series of public hearings, the most recent held last Sunday (March 9), as part of development project requirement for conducting an environmental health impact assessment (EHIA).

“Both assessments [for the power plant and seaport] identified only the impacts that they [EGAT] are able to mitigate, and plays down the environmental, societal, and economic harm the project will cause. The reports will just be procedural compliance for EGAT to carry on with the project,” noted Chariya.

Planned for Krabi’s Taling Chan subdistrict – about half way between Mueang Krabi and Koh Lanta – the Ban Klong Ruo Coal Seaport project is part of EGAT’s strategy to find ways to transport imported coal from Indonesia, Australia and Africa, to the coal-fired plant in Khlong Kanan subdistrict, also in Khlong Neua district.

Last week at a press conference held in Bangkok, energy experts and representatives from the tourism association of Koh Lanta warned the public about serious consequences from the building of the Ban Klong Ruo Coal Seaport, which is planned for a site that lies in an area listed as wetlands of international importance.

“Krabi is the ‘Emerald of Andaman’, a world class tourist destination that is not only well-known for its beauty but is also rich in marine biodiversity,” said Therapot Kasirawat, Chairman of the Koh Lanta Tourism Association. “These projects are in opposition to the Krabi development plan which focuses on eco-tourism for economic development.”

According to a press release by Greenpeace, throughout the year, including in the [southwesterly] monsoon season, the unloading of coal from larger ships to smaller ones will take place at sea around Koh Lanta. The coal will be unloaded again at Ban Klong Ruo Coal Seaport to a 8.4 kilometre-long conveyor belt in order to deliver coal to the power plant.

In addition to the severe damage it could cause to Krabi’s natural resources, the watch-group says the project will also have detrimental consequences on sustainable livelihoods and local fisheries.

“Greenpeace is calling on EGAT to cancel all coal development in Krabi and create an Andaman Sanctuary for Environmental Protection in the sea area around Ranong, Phang-Nga, Krabi, Phuket and Satun, as well as to promote the development and investment in renewable energy throughout the Kingdom,” said Chariya.

Chariya and Greenpeace are appealing to all Thais and foreigners to take action by signing an online petition to ‘Protect Krabi’ at the website protectkrabi.org.

 Meanwhile, everyone can have a positive impact on the environment by reducing their dependence on the energy grid – after all, every little bit helps.

http://www.thephuketnews.com/coal-development-plans-take-gloss-off-andamans-emerald-45389.php

Green Peace Thailand Facebook page - worth looking at even if you can't read Thai - https://en-gb.facebook.com/greenpeaceseath

African Union To Haiti - You Can Come Home

       This is from The Mail & Guardian in South Africa - from a blog on the M&G web site called "Guardian Africa Network".
 

‘They shipped you there, so come back to us’

By Afua Hirsch
From an African perspective, going to the Caribbean can be a disarming experience. On many of the islands, the people look distinctively west African, their national dishes are barely changed versions of African food (compare Nevis’s “cook-up” to Ghana’s “waakye” and I challenge you to spot the difference), and their Creole dialects are often almost direct translations of African languages into English or French.
So it shouldn’t be surprising that cultural ties, stretched and distorted by 5,000 miles, slavery and the passage of several hundred years, are still strong enough to produce some kind of political union between Africa and the Caribbean. And sure enough, in January the African Union is poised to admit Haiti as a member, which if it happens, will be the first time any nation with no geographic connection to the continent of Africa will have joined.
More than any other Caribbean nation, Haiti occupies a special place in the affection of many Africans and members of the African diaspora. The country endured decades of still prescient punishment for daring to overthrow its slave masters, becoming the world’s first independent black nation in 1804 – the slave rebellion’s leader Toussaint L’Ouverture hailed from Benin. Haiti used its independence and membership of the United Nations in the post-war period to back decolonisation during the fraught period of African independence.
And now it has a level of poverty gives it more in common with many African nations than its wealthier Caribbean neighbours, who have been known to regard Haitan refugees as a nuisance. After the 2010 earthquake, the Democratic Republic of Congo – which struggles to finance its own budget – pledged $2.5m in aid to the devastated country. Senegal offered land and places at its university to Haitan students. As the African Union chairman, Jean Ping, said: “We have attachment and links to that country. The first black republic … that carried high the flame of liberation and freedom for black people and has paid a heavy price for so doing.”
Despite all this, it’s unlikely the primary reasons for Haiti’s interest in AU membership are emotional. At the AU summit in July, the Haitan information minister compared the country’s interest in the union with its interest in the EU.
There is much for poor, aid-dependent Haiti to gain from battles African nations have already fought, not least debt cancellation. It is also telling that when Haiti was granted observer status at the AU back in February, one of the first things its ambassador Ady Jean Gardy did was to enter Haiti in the inter-ministerial conference on China-AU investment. Relative to the now-booming economies of many African nations, Haiti attracts very little foreign direct investment, and Africa’s example – imperfect as it is – is a natural one to follow. Meanwhile, intra-African trade is on the rise, and Haiti would do well to find itself included.
The rest of the Caribbean is wealthier and so lacks such practical incentives to join forces with Africa. But that doesn’t mean Haiti won’t set a precedent. After all, the AU was founded off the back of African legends such as Kwame Nkrumah and Leopold Senghor, pan-African and négritude principles were themselves directly inspired by leaders from the Caribbean – Jamaican Marcus Garvey, Martinican Aimé Césaire and Trinidadian Henry Sylvester Williams.
The Senegalese consultant Babacar M’Bow, who has been working behind the scenes for AU membership for Haiti, summarised his view of what Africans think about Haitians. “[Africans] think ‘well they shipped you over there, so come back to us.’” It looks like they just might.
Afua Hirsch is the Guardian’s west Africa correspondent based in Ghana.

http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/guardianafricanetwork/2012/10/24/they-shipped-you-there-so-come-back-to-us/

Poor Man Feel It - Blackout In The Ghetto

  Shortly after the JPS announced with satisfaction that Jamaicans have an improving view of the JPS, it is now time to to target the thievery. But thievery will continue. JPS says they have tried everything. But not quite. Local solar power changes the dynamic. Communities invested in their power generation. No more thievery.

JPS cuts service to communities with high levels of theft

We have tried everything, says power supplier

Monday, May 12, 2014 | 2:28 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) on Monday said it is cutting the number of hours it provides power to communities where more than 70 per cent of the electricity supply is stolen.

"This is part of the company’s strategy to get more persons to pay for the electricity they use, and reduce the overall cost to paying customers," a release from JPS said.

The communities to be affected in the initial phase of this curtailment strategy are: Jones Town, Seaward Drive, Trench Town, Denham Town, Rema, Maxfield Avenue, Central Village, and sections of Spanish Town Road.

"JPS has been working with these communities for some time, with limited success, and continues to encourage illegal users to take immediate steps to have their service regularised," the release said. "The company has indicated that, in recognition of its obligation to serve paying customers in the affected communities, it will make an effort to provide electricity for not less than 12 hours per day, and will remain sensitive to the safety concerns of the residents.

"JPS is also making every effort to minimise the impact on the businesses, hospitals, and schools in these communities," the release added.

“We have tried everything to reduce electricity theft,” JPS senior VP for Energy Delivery, Gary Barrow said. “Our efforts have included a combination of initiatives, such as the removal of illegal ‘throw up’ lines, account audits and meter investigations, arrests in collaboration with the police, community intervention and the installation of costly technology solutions. The company also has more than 200 employees working to reduce losses.”

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/JPS-cuts-service-to-communities-with-high-levels-of-theft

More Electricity Theft But Hey We Look Good!!!

Hmmmmm.... theft goes up, image improves....... less enforcement?

As I have said, let communities be invested in local power generation - solar panels - and theft will decrease.

Oh - and image will go up!

JPS public image improved despite soar in power theft

Friday, May 02, 2014    

POWER distribution monopoly, Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) said that its public image improved significantly last year despite a 56 per cent jump in power theft to US$43.5 million ($4.7 billion).

"A primary focus of JPS in 2013 was creating a positive public image," said the light and power company in its latest annual report. "The results were encouraging. A comparison of the media exposure for 2012 and 2013 shows a significant improvement in positive references to the company and an increase in neutral references / objective discussions about JPS - even by media personnel."

JPS's campaign involved building and strengthening of relationships with key stakeholder groups; creating and maintaining a positive media presence; improving general understanding of JPS' operations; establishing and utilising the JPS Foundation to support national development; and increasing the visibility of employee involvement in the community.

Additionally, JPS appointed its first female President Kelley Tomlin, who focused on humanising the monopoly.

"During the year, our social media reach recorded a growth of more than 160 per cent in our dedicated audience (Fans/ Followers), which stood at approximately 42,000 at the end of 2013 (combination of JPS & eStore Facebook, Twitter, Issuu and LinkedIn platforms)."

Despite the campaign, theft remained a perennial problem at the light and power company due to throw up lines and meter tampering. Theft affected its profitability which dipped to US$9.2 million from US$12.3 million in 2012.

JPS told the Observer that the police arrested over 42 persons for the illegal abstraction of electricity between January and March 2014 . Additionally, JPS teams have removed in excess of 26,000 'throw ups' predominantly from Kingston & St Andrew, St Catherine, and St Elizabeth. Last year, over 1,200 persons were arrested for power theft.

Power theft forms part of overall system loss which was 25.88 per cent for 2013 or US$74.5 million.

"System losses was a critical area of focus for JPS in 2013," said the company's annual report. "A number of initiatives were undertaken in an effort to curtail the trend of deteriorating losses, and a centralised team was formed to coordinate and monitor the losses activities with the regional field service and operations teams. Through coordinated 'Strike Force' activities, a total of 197,646 illegal lines were removed from the grid, and, with the assistance of the police, 1,246 persons were arrested for illegal abstraction of electricity."

In April 2011, Japan-based Marubeni Corporation entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Korea East-West Power, for joint ownership of 80 per cent in the JPS. The Government of Jamaica and a small group of minority shareholders own the remaining shares.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/JPS-public-image-improved-despite-soar-in-power-theft_16578599

Rasta Say Legalize It

A truck travels in Trench Town, Kingston, during yesterday’s march, mainly by Rastafarians, calling for the legalisation of marijuana.
(PHOTOS: COLLIN REID)

Rastas rally for legalisation of ganja

BY NADINE WILSON Observer staff reporter wilsonn@jamaicaobserver.com

Monday, April 21, 2014

MEMBERS of the Rastarian community yesterday braved the scorching sun as they marched from Half-Way-Tree to Trench Town in Kingston, as they joined the growing call for the legalisation of marijuana.

The group, which had gathered early at Mandela Park for what was dubbed a "Ganja Legalise It Day March and Motorcade", left Half-Way-Tree just after 10:00 am as they made their way to St William Grant Park in downtown Kingston, and then to the Trench Town Culture Park for a rally. The event, which was organised by Solomonic Productions and the Rastafarian Millennium Council, was well supported by the Rastarians who were adorned in their green, yellow and red while chanting "Jah Rastafari" and "Free up the ganja", some carrying the Ethiopian flag.

One of the organisers, Maxine Stowe, said the Rastarians hope to be at the forefront of the discussion on ganja going forward, given the significance of the plant in their culture. Earlier this month, there was the official launch of the Ganja Future Growers and Producers Association which comprises political officials, medical entrepreneurs and academia who are currently lobbying for the lifting of the restrictions surrounding the use of cannabis.

"The debate is happening here in Jamaica and the Rastafarian community is the leading community in regard to the rights of ganja here. So we want to make sure that our community and our culture is protected as it is developed into a full-blown industry here in Jamaica," Stowe said.

She said the Rastarians also wanted to ensure that the plant is not misused by those looking to gain from it financially.

"We don't want no products to be developed like cigarettes that eventually came out of tobacco and made the thing cancerous. So we are also vigilant of all of this dissecting of the herb to make sure when you isolate the compounds, that you are not creating something that God didn't ordain for the herb," Stowe said.

She said the group has been in consultation with those who have been leading the talks on the legalisation of ganja, but they have not been in complete agreement with some of their principles.

"We have been negotiating throughout all that time and have been present at all their launches and presenting our position papers to the Government and to the Ministry of Justice. We met with Minister Mark Golding and we gave him all of our points and we eventually submitted our 'principles' with regard to the legalisation and the use of the sacramental spaces, etc. We are expecting that within the policy development that that will come forward," she added.

After their long walk, the Rastafarians were in a jubilant mood when they reached the Trench Town Culture Park and the unmistakably scent of ganja permeated the atmosphere as they partook in ritualistic dances, nyahbinghi chanting and drumming. Then came presentations from several high-profile individuals, including veteran reggae artiste Neville 'Bunny Wailer' Livingston who said he was pleased with the increased attention ganja has been getting.

"I have been a lover of high-grade from I was as small as four years of age. My dadda used to be a high-grade dealer, so I know high-grade from before a lot of you people," he said, adding that he was delighted that ganja is now the topic on 'Babylon's table'.

"I am proud and I am satisfied that although I don't sell marijuana I am now going to be able to plant marijuana. Futuristically, I have 142 acres of land and we want more land because the amount of ganja that we are going to plant, Jamaica is not even big enough to hold it," he said.

Meanwhile, Louis Moyston lamented the oppression of Rastafarians over the years for the use of ganja due to what he termed "Government bureaucracy, white supremacy and the church". He also denounced claims that legalisation of ganja would inspire violence.

"A no ganja inspire violence; it is inequality and injustice [that] inspire violence and criminality and ganja must no longer be the scapegoat," he told the rally.

"[For] many people, it (ganja) is what keep them through their depression and what keep them to adjust to the reality of 'Babylon'," said Moyston.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Rastas-rally-for-legalisation-of-ganja_16502245

Press Freedom Expanding In Jamaica

This article does bring up the question of how many other laws in Jamaica were originally enacted during colonial times?

Jamaica press association applauds Parliament’s approval of overhaul for island’s libel law

By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, November 6, 6:00 PM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s press association on Wednesday applauded an overhaul of the Caribbean country’s libel and slander law, which had been based on a 17th century law from Britain.
Media organizations in the former British colony complained for years that the difficulty and cost of fighting lawsuits, along with the risk of punishing judgments, stifled the press and freedom of expression. Some said they squashed potentially contentious stories over the years because of the risk of being sued.
But after years of debate, both houses of Parliament have passed legislation amending a libel and slander law authorized by the island in 1851 and a defamation act passed in 1961. Attorney General Patrick Atkinson said in a Wednesday statement that the distinction between libel and slander will soon be abolished once the bill is signed into law.
The Press Association of Jamaica said amendments include the removal of a provision under which people could be charged with criminal libel for making “outrageous” comments. The change also adds a “wire service defense” that says local media organizations can use reports from reputable sources without first checking for accuracy.
Jamaican judges, not juries, will now determine damages for media organizations found guilty of publishing defamatory information. The press association said this “will result in more reasonable fines which will not threaten the existence of media houses.”
Juries sometimes awarded hefty damages under the old libel statute. In one high-profile case, the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper was ordered to pay $1 million to a former tourism minister and radio host for publishing a story in 1987 that said he might have accepted a bribe. On appeal, the judgment was reduced to about $400,000 — still a big sum in Jamaica.
Authorization of the new defamation act comes six years after a government-formed committee submitted a report that outlined various options for modernizing the law.
“This is an important step in increasing freedom of expression and by extension press freedom in Jamaica,” said Jenni Campbell, president of the press association and managing editor of the Gleaner, the Caribbean’s oldest daily still in print.
The press association will keep pushing for a change to make it harder for public figures to claim defamation. Campbell said that would boost the ability of reporters to bring public corruption to light.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/jamaica-press-association-applauds-parliament-approval-of-overhaul-of-islands-libel-law/2013/11/06/57ab2a6c-472b-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html?algtrack=mixedrecfill-4&tid=btm_rex_4

New York Times Checks The Front Line

From The New York Times -

August 17, 2013

Jamaica Fights to Break Grip of Violent Past

By DAMIEN CAVE

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Gunshots every night, burned-down businesses and corpses — up to a half-dozen a day — used to define the neighborhood of Mountain View on the eastern hillsides of Kingston, Jamaica’s capital. But not anymore.

Now, the nights are filled with barefoot soccer matches under streetlights or block parties that bring together former rivals from local gangs. No one has been murdered in Mountain View for three years.

“The dark cloud is moving away,” said Keith Nugent, 76, a tailor in the neighborhood who counsels former criminals. “Young people here are beginning to gravitate to a sense of life, and function.”

Jamaica is emerging as a rare bright spot in the hub of the fight against drugs and organized crime that extends across South America and the Caribbean. After more than a decade fighting lawlessness, with limited success, this small island with a reputation for both carefree living and bloodshed has begun to see results. Jamaica’s murder rate, while still high, has fallen by 40 percent since 2009, and a respected study recently reported that “Jamaica has fallen from one of the more corrupt countries in the Americas to one of the least.”

The situation here differs markedly from elsewhere in the region, in Central America and Mexico, where militarized, transnational drug cartels battle among themselves over the main smuggling routes into the United States. But experts and American officials say that as drug traffic shifts back to the Caribbean — because of intensifying enforcement elsewhere — Jamaica has done far more than many other countries to protect itself, by working transparently to strengthen weak institutions while welcoming assistance from outsiders.

“There’s an awful lot of introspection that’s been going on in Jamaica,” said Pamela E. Bridgewater, the American ambassador. As a result, she added, cooperation with the United States and other countries has “risen to a different level.”

Since 2009, no other country has received more American aid from the $203 million Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, yet relatively little of it has been directed toward the muscular, militarized efforts financed elsewhere as part of the war on drugs.

The new emphasis — on community policing, violence reduction and combating corruption — grew partly from crisis. In May 2010, Christopher M. Coke, one of Jamaica’s most powerful drug lords, fought an attempt to arrest and extradite him to the United States, prompting a neighborhood siege by the authorities, which left at least 70 people dead.

His surrender a few weeks later helped break up gun and drug networks, according to Jamaican officials, and allowed the country to zero in on longer-term projects, with imported expertise.

The United States, for example, is about to set up a vetting center for the Anticorruption Bureau of the Jamaican police, complete with polygraphs and training for operators.

A recent report by the Government Accountability Office also notes that the Americans are giving Jamaican officers utility belts with only a baton and pepper spray in an effort to discourage deadly armed conflicts. The next weapons most likely to be delivered — Tasers — are more aggressive, but still a far cry from the helicopters, boats and Special Forces troops the United States is pushing into Central America.

Jamaica, though, has a different historical relationship with the United States and the war on drugs.

The Caribbean was the main trafficking route for cocaine heading to the United States in the ’80s and ’90s, which means Jamaica was among the first countries in the region to join international efforts against transnational crime. Jamaican and American officials say that as a result, sensitivities about foreign intervention are less intense here than in Central America and Mexico, and there are fewer institutional rivalries or disagreements about when the police or the military should intervene in the fight against traffickers.

“As long as we are aligned in the fight against organized crime, I’m willing to work with anyone,” said Peter Bunting, Jamaica’s minister of security.

Jamaica, as a longtime hub of marijuana production and consumption, has generally been more open about its weaknesses. Officials acknowledged the need for new levels of help nearly a decade ago, even putting foreigners in charge of the national police.

“Jamaica was on a precipice; it was about to become a narco state,” said Mark Shields, a former British police officer appointed deputy police commissioner in 2005.

The government also created or strengthened anticorruption commissions to keep a close watch on elected officials, contracts and the police. Forensic audits became required annually, for senior officials and beat officers alike. And laws have been toughened so that those found with suspicious windfalls must prove how they obtained the money or else be fired or prosecuted.

The goal, Mr. Bunting said, is to focus less on drugs and more on ill-gotten gains. “The kingpins are not the ones on the go-fast boat,” he said. “They’re usually closer to their money, so we’re going after the money.”

Eduardo A. Gamarra, a professor of international relations at Florida International University, said Jamaica’s approach had taken hold only because the arrest of Mr. Coke forced residents to see their country at rock bottom. A tipping point was reached, he said, as Jamaicans witnessed the power of Mr. Coke (nicknamed Dudus), who avoided extradition for nearly a year with the help of well-connected political allies, and as bodies piled up from the conflict between his supporters and the authorities.

“You have to have these momentous events to transform societies,” Mr. Gamarra said. “What is it that produced the change in Jamaica? Dudus Coke.”

The positive results have been obvious in areas like Mountain View. For many residents there, the Coke affair — which took place a few miles away in the Tivoli Gardens neighborhood — still stings like lingering tear gas. Local gangs with ties to Mr. Coke resent what they describe as a police “incursion” characterized by officers killing civilians and other examples of excessive force.

But even the angriest Mountain View residents say they have chosen calm over chaos. Oswaldo Kemp, 34, who spent two years in prison in connection with the shooting of a police officer, now worries mostly about work. “I’m just trying to get my little farm running again,” he said, standing between a fattened pig and a row of vegetables.

Around the corner, Kachif Benjamin, 27, shirtless and wearing a pink backpack, said many gang members and drug dealers also decided they had had enough of the bloodshed. “We’ve been there, done that,” he said.

Violence remains a significant problem. On July 22 in Montego Bay, a teenager was stabbed to death by an angry mob in what appeared to be an antigay attack, and Jamaica’s murder rate is still 40 per 100,000, compared with 22 per 100,000 in Mexico and 87 per 100,000 in Honduras.

Bruce M. Bagley, a professor of international studies at the University of Miami, said it is still not clear if the improvements here and in other parts of the Caribbean are enough to withstand the increase in drug trafficking that experts are predicting. “The underlying socio-economic problems, the institutional problems and the rerouting of drugs back through the Caribbean are a very powerful combination,” he said.

But for Mr. Nugent, the tailor, and for many other residents, peace carries its own momentum. Gaunt and goateed, standing near a faded sticker on the wall of his home reading, “Celebrate forgiveness,” he said he sees hope in all the people asking him to mend clothes for work, and in the young men who seek guidance or help paying for school. Praising the police for spending more time getting to know the community and for starting youth clubs for teenagers, he said the future looked more bright than dark.

“Light attracts light,” he said. “Everything good must have a beginning.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/world/americas/jamaica-fights-to-break-grip-of-violent-past.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Freedom Of Movement Victory

        This case has serious positive impact on freedom of movement for CARICOM people!

Jamaican Shanique Myrie wins landmark case against Barbados

Posted on 09 October 2013.

Written by Caricom News Network

Shanique Myrie

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) acting in its original jurisdiction, on Friday struck a blow in favour of free movement within the CARICOM community when it ruled in favour of Jamaican Shanique Myrie in her case against the Barbadian government and awarded her damages to the tune of BDS$75,000.
A release from the court said it found that Myrie had been wrongfully denied entry into Barbados, subjected to a humiliating cavity search and unlawfully detained overnight in a cell and expelled from the island.
She instituted proceedings in May, 2012 alleging that Barbados had violated her right to free movement within CARICOM. Myrie had also claimed that she was subjected to discrimination on the ground of her nationality when Barbadian officials refused her entry into Barbados on March 14, 2011.
Jamaica intervened in the proceedings and at the trial supported the claims of Myrie. She gave evidence, which was corroborated by Jamaican medical practitioners, that the treatment she received continues to cause her post-traumatic stress.
“The Court rejected Ms Myrie’s claim that she was discriminated against on account of her nationality
but found for her on the other claims. In the course of its judgment the CCJ held that CARICOM nationals are entitled to enter CARICOM Member States, without harassment or the imposition of impediment, and to stay for up to six months,” the release said.
It noted that this right was derived from the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) and a 2007 CARICOM Decision made at the Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM.
The right requires Member States to give the refused person written reasons for the refusal and also to advise them of their entitlement to access meaningful judicial review. The right may be denied only where the receiving State establishes that the visitor is an undesirable person or one likely to become a charge on public funds.
The Court defined “undesirable” as a person who “poses or can reasonably be expected to pose a genuine present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society.”
The Court also ordered Barbados to refund Myrie her medical expenses, her airline ticket and her reasonable legal expenses.
The full judgment of the Court is available on the CCJ’s website:Myrie v Barbados -Executive Summary 4 October 2013

http://www.themontserratreporter.com/jamaican-shanique-myrie-wins-landmark-case-against-barbados/

Geothermal Power In Montserrat - Power & Politics, Politics & Power

   I am glad to see this exploration of geothermal power in Montserrat - I hope the politics can don't get too nasty along the way. Jamaica? Bath? Why is Jamaica so linked to oil and coal?
   From The Montserrat Reporter - 

Wait for Geothermal News – quiet meantime!

Posted on 11 October 2013.

but production next phase talk
by Bennette Roach
In The Montserrat Reporter issue of August 30, 2013, “Geothermal Resource best news”, in which we reported that, “Beardsley, in a statement dated Thursday (August 29^th) revealed, “This well finally started flowing to the surface yesterday.  It continued to flow overnight and everything is looking very positive”, we had been waiting and seeking update on the progress of the testing.
Ron Beardsley, Public Works Director, who was permitted to give an update then had said, “It is still too early to confidently say that we have a commercially viable well.”  However, he added, “the signs are very encouraging.”
The Director is also a member of the Geothermal Unit had also advised that the intention is, “to let it continue to flow for a few days to monitor temperature and pressure.”

No news since the coaxed steaming in test phase

All this was at the end of drilling of the second Well (Well #2). In a statement Beardsley had explained that the next step will be to carry out specialist long-term testing.  He said this will be carried out over several weeks and will determine the chemical composition of the geothermal fluids, as well as the temperature and pressure from the resource.  This critical data will inform the design of the most cost-effective generation plant for our location.  It will also give an estimate of the long term capacity of the resource.  The long term testing will be carried out over the next couple of months.
On September 10, at Governor Davis’ most recent press conference Dr. Kato Kimbugwe reported when asked for the short-term update said: “I am up to date with it and I think what I can say at the moment and again just being cautious and conservative is that we need to wait for all the test to be finalized.”
He said that said morning he was advised the tests will be completed, “by the end of October.”  He referred to the short term testing on which we were seeking information doesn’t give as much information. “…because the testing period, you have the initial ten day test but that doesn’t give you as much information about the whole characteristics, until you’ve done the more longer term test which tells you the size of the resource and how much power can be produced.”
The DFID private sector expert, then suggested, “I think it’s proper for us to be a little bit more patient and wait until the experts in the field,” remarking that he is, ‘not an expert (geothermal),’ who can then come back and tell us we’ve crunched our numbers, we’ve looked at the evidence and based on what we’ve seen this is the output on well number 1 and this is what is happening.”
Finally, “I’m not engaging in any sort of discussion on what the results are because I don’t have anything in writing that tells me that this is the evidence,” he said.
Following this the Governor intervened to inform, “Kato knows about this allot, because he has  been asked by the DFID Minister in particular to give regular progress reports on geothermal.
At that juncture, Kimbugwe further advised that on Well #2, “they have gone ahead and they are doing some additional drilling to get to three thousand (3,000) meters,” which should have been completed by the end of that week. Dr. Kimbugwe had even hinted that it might be closer to Christmas before final progress could be reported.
There has little or nothing reported since that report and it has been difficult to get information as to the progress. Sources have said that the drilling equipment has left the island reportedly for Dominica from whence it came initially.
In the meantime while Premier Meade has been recounting the successes of the four years his MCAP government has had he has more to count on the future development of the island. One of these is geothermal energy production which he and DFID and some have come to believe will be a game changer for Montserrat.
His latest pronouncement came at a weekly ‘government and people’ program on ZJB radio where he hosted ag. Station Manager James White Jr. and editor Bennette Roach.
HMG has been saying that when the next phase of the geothermal development becomes available, they would seek private investor interest and the Montserrat Geothermal Power Co. (MGPC) has for some time expressed an interest to, “on behalf of the people of Montserrat provide a bid for the geothermal power complex in response to an Expression of Interest (EoI) or any other legally authorised tender.”
MGPC in a statement followed by a press conference on June 28, 2013, announced that it is a company, “set up with the EXPRESS purpose of enabling all the peoples of Montserrat to become shareholders in the single most important  development to take place in living memory.”
But Premier, the Hon. Reuben T Meade says he has taken a decision to ensure in the initial stages that the geothermal project would be public enterprise for and on behalf of the people of the Emerald Isle.
He said, “What we are saying and the stance which we are taking with the DFID minister in the UK, let us spend the money and develop that as a national resource. Let’s not get the foreign investor involved. Let government deal with it with MUL and therefore the savings and the benefits will then come to government and the people of Montserrat.”
The Premier espoused, hinting perhaps the exclusion of MGPC, “…the profits which have been taken by the foreign investor or the private investor that will then come to government as  a nontax revenue…so you are sharing the savings with the consumer and government gets additional revenue which it can use for other services.”
The Premier concluded his discussion on the production of geothermal. “We are not having discussions with any private sector, at least not at this stage,” he said. He then noted, ”perhaps after we learn the technology sufficiently, and we wish to do further explorations, then clearly we’ll have to find the means of raising that additional capital, but for the time being we want to go the full generation for the supply of electricity.”

http://www.themontserratreporter.com/wait-for-geothermal-news-quiet-meantime/

71% of Convictions For Drugs - Insanity

  The drug war has gone totally insane - 71% of the convictions in the report are for drug offenses - with very much of that having to do with marijuana. Stop the war, legalize the herb.

Over 6,000 convicted in Corporate Area RM courts

Sunday, September 08, 2013

JUST over 6000 Jamaicans who have been convicted in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's (RM) courts for crimes they committed, will be paying the cost in the form of fines and/or prison time imposed by the courts.

Statistics compiled by the Criminal Records Office of the Jamaica Constabulary Force for the period January to July this year, show that a total of 6,150 Jamaicans were convicted in the Corporate Area RM Courts and were sentenced to serve a total of 1,254 years and/or fines amounting to $37.5 million.

This figure brings the total number of persons convicted in the country to 10,512, sentenced to serve a total of 6,214 years and/or monetary fines amounting to $90.5 million, taking the Home Circuit Court and the other parishes into consideration.

The analysis of the figures show that the monetary fines and prison time imposed on those convicted by the Corporate Area RM courts account for 41.6 per cent and 22 per cent of the totals, respectively. The figures show that the Corporate Area RM court convicted 1,788 more individuals for criminal offences, than the other courts combined. These offences included smoking ganja, possession of ganja or cocaine, dealing in, trafficking and attempting to export ganja or cocaine, wounding, assault, larceny, malicious destruction of property and fraud-related offences. The analysis of the figures revealed that 71 per cent were convicted for drug-related offences, 14 per cent for assault and wounding offences, five per cent for larceny and the remaining two per cent included break-ins, robberies and malicious destruction of property.

The Constabulary Communication Network in a statement said that the Police are reminding Jamaicans that the commission of crimes, regardless of how simple it may seem, comes at a cost. The Police remain committed to enforcing law and are sending the message that any disregard for the laws of the land will not go unpunished.

The Police are appealing to citizens to consider the consequences of their actions, as a criminal record can have far-reaching implications for their future, including career and immigration restrictions.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/pfversion/Over-6-000-convicted-in-Corporate-Area-RM-courts_15023136#ixzz2eL3sKG7R

Water Resources - Rainwater Harvesting Proposal

Make rainwater harvesting compulsory

By Chris Tufton

Sunday, March 03, 2013

The following is an edited version of a presentation to the Senate last Friday by Senator Dr Chris Tufton on a motion he moved calling on the Government to develop a policy mandating rain water harvesting systems for future residential developments. The motion was accepted by the Senate.

WATER shortage is a critical issue facing our island annually. This is caused by a combination of factors, including drought conditions at certain times of the year and the lack of water storage, processing and piped infrastructure to retain and distribute this precious commodity from rain, aquifers, rivers and streams.

Globally, the availability of potable water is attracting increasing attention as a critical human rights imperative. Scientists have identified global warming, pollution, population increase and poverty as some of the main reasons for unequal access to this important commodity.

From the perspective of business, safe fresh water is critical to drive industry and commerce and the cost associated with securing this commodity has also impacted business efficiency and final cost to consumers.

Predictable droughts

Jamaica suffers from predictable drought conditions at different periods during a typical year, and this is projected to get worse over time. With consistency, each year the Government has had to implement measures to provide this scarce commodity during these times. These measures are never adequate, as evidenced by disgruntled residents who express frustration for the lack of this precious product.

Call-in programmes and demonstrations are not unusual as means of public protests. However, there is also silent suffering and long-term impact on human and national development. Water shortage has caused children to be absent from school and parents to be absent from work.

Contaminated water

Adequate and clean water is fundamental to human health. When water is scare, water-related illnesses are more prevalent. Largely because citizens don't have enough and are forced to either go without for long periods or consume from contaminated sources. This is a challenge the world over.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2008, more than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes, with 99 per cent of those deaths occurring in developing countries.

In 2012, a WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme concluded that 780 million people lack access to an improved water source, approximately one in nine people.

On July 28, 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognised the human right to water and sanitation.

The Resolution called on countries and international organisations to provide support for capacity-building and technology transfer to help countries, in particular developing countries, to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.

Jamaica's position

As a country we are failing to adequately prepare ourselves to provide this human right.

Like the rest of the world, and based on global warming projections, Jamaica's level of rainfall is projected to decrease within the next two decades, some may argue, alarmingly so. Jamaica's rainfall predominantly occurs in the wet months of May, August, September and October.

Currently, the long-term average annual rainfall in Jamaica is approximately 1,900 millimeters. But according to the World Bank Group, Jamaica's monthly average rainfall in the period of 2020 to 2039 could decline significantly, thereby having a dramatic impact on our water resources.

Currently 84 per cent of the island's water resource is underground sources. If the average rainfall decreases in the island, then so will the predominant source of the island's water supply. Our own vision 2030 projections are predicting that climate change is expected to have a major impact on the island's ground water as rising sea levels will increase the salinity of coastal aquifers.

Limitations of the NWC

A typical single-family home, between three and five persons, is estimated to use 3,000 and 5,000 gallons of treated water per month, according to the National Water Commission (NWC). On a daily basis the NWC supplies around 190 million gallons of water to approximately two million people across the island. However, the NWC is unable to properly meet the water demand for a number of reasons.

Firstly, nearly a third of the country's population doesn't have access to piped water. And where piped water exists, due to limited catchment, storage, processing and distribution infrastructure, water lock offs are routine during certain times of the year. Secondly, NWC has major operational challenges largely due to lack of resources. The commission's infrastructure is old and has not kept pace with population increases.

Today, 60 per cent of NWC water does not generate any revenue stream. Half of that quantity is classified as social water and the other half is wasted in distribution due to old leaking pipes. The NWC has a master plan, but no money to implement it. Given all these reasons, I am not convinced that we can depend on the NWC to solve the country's water challenges in totality. In fact, given budget limitations and projections of reduced rainfall, it is imperative that we find other approaches to compliment, if not replace, our dependence on the NWC.

Rainwater harvesting systems

For all these reasons, as a country, we must come to terms with our current and future water needs and look at all the possible ways to practise sustainable approaches to secure our water need for domestic use. Given that we are a small island with relatively predictable rainfall each year, we can benefit from a more structured programme for rainwater harvesting.

Others like us who are similarly challenged are doing this. It makes sense for us to learn from them and do the same.

A rainwater harvesting system consists of three basic elements: a collection area, a conveyance system, and storage facilities. The collection area in most cases is the roof of a house or a building. The effective roof area and the material used in constructing the roof influence the efficiency of collection and the water quality. The water ultimately is stored in a tank or cistern, which should also be constructed of an inert material.

Depending on the catchment system, there can be issues about how safe this water is for drinking, so rules would have to be put in place to guide this process. Reinforced concrete, fiberglass, or stainless steel are suitable materials which are popular choices here for roofing. It is also important to note that rainwater harvested for domestic purposes can be used for so many other things around the house -- cooking, washing, cleaning, for example.

Countries in the region such as St Lucia, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda, and Barbados all have compulsory rain harvesting systems to assist in addressing their domestic water needs.

In the case of Barbados, the Government mandated, effective January 1, 1996, all new residences in the country to construct water storage facilities if the roof area or living area equals or exceeds 3,000 square feet.

Funding proposal

Some countries in recognition of the costs, but also the importance of this initiative, provide incentives for build out of rainwater harvesting systems.

In the case of Barbados, a rebate of $0.50 per gallon of installed tank capacity, up to the equivalent of 25 per cent of the total roof area, is given as an incentive by the Barbados Water Authority.

Given our financial constraints, we may not have the capacity to offer that incentive.

I would like to propose that as part of the consideration for this new policy, Government takes a look at property taxes rebates for a limited period of time to offset the additional costs for installing a rainwater harvesting system.

This could be administered by the parish councils (PC) which would verify, build out, and approve time-bound rebates from property taxes, say over three years. The PCs should have a vested interest in promoting better water management systems throughout the country, since they are burdened with trucking water during times of drought.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/pfversion/Make-rainwater-harvesting-compulsory_13761729#ixzz2NoWTzDiC

Civil War In Jamaica - Curly Locks

More from The Observer on the Jamaican civil war period.

'Curly Locks' went from church to a life a crime

BY KARYL WALKER Sunday Observer staff reporter walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, March 16, 2008

This series of articles is not intended to lionise or glorify the acts of criminals but to put a historical perspective on criminality in Jamaica, with the hope of shedding light on why the country is now teetering on the edge of lawlessness. Of significant note, as well, is the fact that the subjects of these stories die violently and very young.

FOR the residents of the borderline community of Wilton Gardens, popularly called Rema, life during the People's National Party (PNP) reign of the 1970s was treacherous.

The community was the first line of defence against marauding political enforcers from the neighbouring area of Arnett Gardens who were intent on rooting out the staunch Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters who stood out like a sore thumb in the PNP-dominated South St Andrew constituency.

Political clashes involving combatants bearing guns, machetes, knives, stones and other implements of war were commonplace, so too were incidents of firebombing of homes on or near to the troubled Seventh Street borderline.

But despite numerous firebombings and other attempts to dislocate them, the residents of Rema managed to survive the repeated onslaughts and retain their political identity throughout the PNP's eight-year rule.

One young man who evolved into one of the most dreaded fugitives and political defenders to prowl the tough communities of St Andrew South and West Kingston during the 1970s and 1980s was Howard Hewitt, popularly known as 'Curly Locks'.

For almost a decade his name drove fear into the hearts of cops, his enemies and even those who lived in the very community (Rema) he protected and ruled with an iron fist.

Curly Locks did not rush head on into a life of crime, as he was once an ardent churchgoer who walked the straight and narrow. He was not born in Rema, but relocated there with his mother and grandmother following the bulldozing of New Town, which is now a swathe of land close to the Old Remand Centre known as 'No Man's Land' which lies between Denham Town, Craig Town and Jones Town.

Hewitt was identified as a child with potential for art and was reportedly encouraged by his teachers at the Jones Town Primary School to pursue a career in art.

But life had different plans for Hewitt, a teenager of Indian extraction, when his family moved into the community in the early 1970s. During that period, the political enforcer who ruled Rema was known as 'Push Wood', and persons who lived in the community at the time say it was Push Wood who coerced Curly Locks into a life of crime.

"Curly Locks was a Christian but from Push Wood see him and start tutor him, him bruk out. Him start out by teaching 'Locks' to ride a bike then, as time passed, the Indian start admire the life and take up the badness," one resident of Rema said.

In the months following a peace treaty brokered between politically warring factions in the capital, armed political enforcers from both sides turned their attention and energies to staging daring bank and payroll robberies in various sections of the city.

Their favoured mode of transport were Honda 354 and Honda 50 motorcycles. Powerful handguns, revolvers, machine guns and M16 rifles were also part of the bank robbers survival kit. During the years leading up to the 1980 elections, arsenals of guns and ammunition flowed into the island through the island's porous coastline and the unseeing eyes of corrupt and fearful customs officials.

Lured by the glamour and ill-gotten gains of the bank robbers in the area, Hewitt put down his Bible and joined their ranks. It was then that he was given the moniker, Curly Locks, which had nothing to do with him being a rastafarian, but because of his 'straight' Indian hair.

The gangster quickly learnt that dishing out death and other forms of cruel punishment with impunity was the formula to gaining notoriety in the criminal underworld.

One of his first brushes with the brutality of life in a political garrison came during the attempt by the government to evict residents of Rema for the non-payment of rent. On February 2, 1977 government bailiffs, police officers and an angry mob of 'Junglists' converged on the Seventh Street border and attempted to 'chase out' the Rema residents under the watchful eye of member of parliament, Anthony Spaulding. Spaulding's Ministry of Housing had a year earlier, approved the eviction of tenants for the non-payment of rent. Despite efforts by some cops on the scene to disperse the invaders, the mob, which included several gunmen, stormed the community.

The besieged Rema residents were outnumbered and, according to a man who claimed to be a resident at the time, Push Wood and Curly Locks both used cunning to fend off the attackers.

"Push Wood and Locks dress up in red and black and join up with the Junglist dem. When them go inna the building them start stab man and push dem in corners inside the buildings," the man said.

Eight people were reportedly killed by the 'Rema defenders' , resulting in the abortion of the eviction attempt by JDF soldiers who trained their weapons on the armed invaders who came scurrying out of the building with their hands above their heads. One man was killed after he failed to stop and hand over his weapon to the soldiers.

Dressed in a bush jacket and knitted cap, a defeated Spaulding left the scene.

Commenting on the botched eviction attempt, retired justice Ronald Small, described the incident as 'a horrible stain on this nation's history'.

With the death of Push Wood, his second in command, Curly Locks grabbed the leadership reins of the Rema 13 gang. Included among the ranks of the fearsome gang were men known as 'Bigness', 'Pearl Harbour', 'Little Jack', 'Stealer', 'Mutt', 'Peazy', '39', 'Riley', and 'Bobo Charles'.

The gang was known to stage multiple robberies, and each member was sometimes armed with two guns or more, police said. Many persons inside Rema and outside the garrison community met their deaths at the hands of the Rema 13.

But Curly Locks' lust for blood earned him the respect of his counterparts (Claudius Massop and his successor, Lloyd Lester Coke, better known as 'Jim Brown') from Tivoli Gardens.

There are many stories about his cruelty. For example, Curly Locks, in a jealous rage, was reported to have shot and injured one of his women, before impregnating her sister months afterwards. When the woman was eight months pregnant, Curly Locks, ended her life.

He was also known to take on police patrols single-handedly.

Senior Superintendent Calvin Benjamin was one cop who came face to face with the dreaded Curly Locks.

Residents of the area say Curly Locks surprised Benjamin, who was a young policeman at the time, and a colleague as they walked along Fourth Street in the community.

Benjamin confirmed that the gunman was brazen in his attack.

"He opened fire at us, and it was a miracle that no one was injured. He was really bold," Benjamin told the Sunday Observer.

Curly Locks was sentenced for armed robbery and, after his release, managed to travel to North America and Europe, where he reportedly shoved a man off a building before hightailing it back to Jamaica, where he continued his life of crime.

But like many before him, Curly Locks lived by the gun and died by it.

His demise came at the hands of a young enforcer from Tivoli Gardens with whom he had a dispute inside the garrison community.

The enforcer, known as 'Paper Man', had refused Curly Locks entry to a yard where Jim Brown was handling the weekly issuing of cheques for casual work to persons in Tivoli Gardens, Rose Town and Rema.

Paper Man, not knowing that he was dealing with the Rema don, reportedly called Curly Locks an 'insipid coolie boy' and threatened to thump him in his mouth, before chasing him away from the entrance to the premises.

Curly Locks left the scene and returned with a .357 magnum revolver and after a brief scuffle reportedly pistol-whipped Paper Man, dislodging his right eye. Paper Man's life was spared after Jim Brown and other top Tivoli Gardens enforcers rushed in an diffused the situation, all the time explaining to Paper Man that the 'coolie boy', was in fact the notorious Curly Locks.

Weeks later, Curly Locks was ambushed and shot as he rode his Honda Motorbike in West Kingston. The triggerman was a one-eyed Paper Man, who would two weeks later be cut down by police bullets.

This is the final instalment in the Jamaica's Most Notorious series.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/pfversion/133579_-Curly-Locks--went-from-church-to-a-life-a-crime#ixzz2NoNQOenm