Manpower trains individuals for many things, including office administration and housekeeping. They train people with disabilities, people who have had difficulties in school and generally disenfranchised people. This is a shot from one of their training rooms for hospitality. I have been so impressed with the straightforward, business-like and respectful approach Manpower takes when training these individuals.

October has been a bad month for violence everywhere (although I must admit that my perspective is skewed to perceive this, since two recent events hit very close to home. The world, unfortunately, is always a violent place.) In Canada, the Parliament Buildings were attacked and a young soldier lost his life. In Jamaica, close to 100 people lost their lives, the highest amount in four years.

A recent attack on the inner-city community of Rockfort in Kingston accounted for a large portion of these murders. Three young men were murdered and five injured (including a 67-year-old woman) by gunfire. Nobody is talking, not witnesses, not residents who probably know what is going on. This is the don system of running the community at work. People are just trying to protect themselves, understandably, so they will not act as “informants” and risk their lives and status in the community. And people in these communities, to generalize, usually don’t trust the police.

It seems this is a turf war between two different “lanes.” Police were maintaining a presence of up to 36 officers as of last week. I wonder if they are outfitted in their army fatigues, driving around in their hunter green trucks, rifles sticking out, clad in tactical gear. Or I wonder if they are the navy-blue-suited officers, who tend to walk around and sit on the corners, conversing with residents.

I don’t think I will venture down there anytime soon, but I am not unfamiliar with the area, as YOU worked with Rockfort residents for many years. Earlier, this year, we completed a disaster preparedness program, in which dozens of residents were certified with First Aid training. We also provided some small business training and held several workshops. We also participated as a group in the International Coastal Cleanup Day of the nearby beach on Kingston’ harbour. These were some wonderful days that gave one hope.

To secure the foundation of this program, we had to meet with the area don to get permission to operate in the area. It is discouraging and heartbreaking that these events continue to happen, despite the fact that the majority of residents are good, hard-working people who want to improve their lives just like everyone else in the world. Thoughts and prayers are with Rockfort residents.

An image of hope today- seedlings poking out of a tray. These are growing down at a yard in downtown Kingston as part of the Plant Jamaica initiative, which is aimed at encouraging residents to grow their own food. Enjoy your Monday.

With social media, I have been an early adopter for everything but Instagram, mostly because I have not had a Smartphone here in Jamaica. Until now. And now I am all about Instagram. It is brilliant and I love using it to capture beautiful Jamaica and the endless quirky moments you come across. I’m realizing, however, that I don’t quite understand the appeal of the filters. As a traditionally trained photojournalist (I was taught to develop pictures in a darkroom, with all those chemicals, Fstops, all that stuff), I find the concept of filters weird. So I have stopped using them, for the most part. And truth be told, the stark beauty here means you don’t really need filters. In any case, this is Kingston harbour, with a filter, to now totally contradict myself. Enjoy your Friday.

I had tears in my eyes for much of yesterday, watching the events unfold in Ottawa. I spent much of my life there, growing up, going to school, getting a job. I did yoga on Parliament Hill, enjoying the luxury of the freedom to do so. I took a weekly run up to Parliament Hill, turning around at the base of this beautiful building, marvelling in, again, the freedom and relative safety Canadians enjoy. I saw the politicians going in to work, the tourists sitting at the Eternal Flame and the Mounties sitting in their cars, sipping coffee, keeping guard. I worked briefly on Parliament Hill and took visiting family on a tour of the majestic seat of Canadian democracy.

Many people said yesterday Canada’s innocence is lost. To a certain extent, I agree with this. It is a heartbreaking situation for the nation and the family of Nathan Cirillo, the young soldier who was shot, unarmed, guarding the tomb of the unknown soldier.

I commend the work of the brave front line protective service workers and even the journalists who tried to figure out what was going on during the mayhem yesterday. This picture is courtesy of the Canadian High Commnission here in Jamaica. The Canadian flag is at half mast today.

Human Rights Watch released a comprehensive, well-researched and respectful report yesterday: “Not Safe At Home: Violence and Discrimination Against LGBT People in Jamaica”. I will write a more extensive post later, as it deserves attention for how revealing it is, however, I want to first shed some light on my unexpected appearance in the report.

As background, I am currently working with the Colour Pink Group, which is embarking on an employment training program for young men who identify as gay, bisexual, transgender, sex workers or men who have sex with men. I have also written several times about my frustration with how the Jamaican media (mostly the Jamaica Observer) treats members of marginalized communities (the poor, disabled, LGBTI people, etc). In fact, I presented at a conference on the topic. So imagine my surprise when one of my blog posts on the topic “Gyrating Gays Spark Melee, Throw Missiles At Carnival” appeared as evidence of a disrespectful media in a footnote in the report in a section about Media and Homophobic Discourse.

I immediately understood what had happened: the Human Rights Watch researcher, on the ground in Jamaica from April to June of this year, had only read the headline of the post. They missed the irony, I assume, and would not have had they read it, for I went on to explain that my use of such a ridiculous headline was an attempt to highlight the disrespect endemic in the Jamaican media. It was an attempt to grab attention and provoke thought. So I knew my post did not belong there as a reference.

I found a media contact for HRW (an international NGO that monitors and reports on human rights abuses around the world) in New York and found a live person right away. Emma was extremely helpful and apologetic and suggested I contact Graeme, who was in charge of the research in Jamaica. I sent off an email explaining the situation and within the hour had a response from Graeme. He was also apologetic and promised a correction. By the end of the evening, it was done. I am no longer in the report. Thank you to Emma and Graeme for your professionalism and speed with which you addressed this issue. I understand that these things happen. I have undertaken extensive research projects that seem overwhelming, that demand sensitivity, efficiency and cultural knowledge. I’m sure I have made mistakes myself. In any case, congratulations to HRW for their professionalism and a much-needed report on the plight of LGBT people in Jamaica.

UPDATE: Here is the Correction issued by HRW. Correction: This report incorrectly referenced Kate Chappell’s blog, which was included by mistake in section 1. We have deleted this reference and the relevant footnote has been corrected.

I caught this the other day driving into Kingston. It is a government truck, I think, and someone has added a seat in the back for more comfortable transportation. Enjoy your Tuesday.

It is National Heroes Day today, a national holiday. (Here is Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller’s address, if you are so inclined to read it).

I took a quick scan and it seems that the Prime Minister’s Office managed to bring in the ChikV outbreak. Indeed, the speech calls on Jamaicans to be heroes in the face of this illness. Check it out:

A significant number of Jamaicans have either already experienced, or are even now, feeling the severe pain and discomfort of the ChikV.

The ChikV health emergency presents all of us with the opportunity to be modern day heroes and heroines in our own right. In this regard, the fight to ensure the health of the nation, can only be won if we all display personal responsibility in our homes, work places and communities.

I sympathize with those persons who have come down with this painful illness and who continue to feel its effects. For those who have already been through it, I am happy that you are feeling better, and for those persons who are still ailing, I wish you a speedy and full recovery.

We continue to manage and monitor the situation.

There are also real concerns about the global Ebola threat to Jamaica. At this time, the Government continues to put systems in place, and to do all we can in an effort to prevent the Ebola Virus from getting to Jamaica.

We are committed to keeping all Jamaicans informed at every step of the way.

I don’t know…comparing Jamaicans suffering from ChikV to the “real” National Heroes, who fought bravely for things like basic human rights seems slightly distasteful to me. In the wake of severe criticism about the government’s handling of this public health emergency, it seems the Office of the PM is trying to extend sympathies, which is a nice thought. However, this might be in an inappropriate context, as well as too little, too late. It probably won’t matter, though, as I suspect most people are not sitting down reading the speech today, rather they are enjoying this beautiful country.

In any case, we also learned that reggae artist John Holt died last night in London at the age of 69. Here is a good round-up of some of his more well-known hits. Holt is perhaps best known for his time with the Paragons and the hit “Tide is High.”

This is a scene in beautiful, rural St. Thomas. Enjoy your Friday.

One of my favourite songs lately. NoMaddz is a local band most famous for one song. They can get a little bit gimmicky, but with this song, they’ve tapped into something different. It works! Enjoy your day.