This morning, I was getting some help to de-virus my computer at work when a young man walked into YOU’s offices. He was wearing a hat, white t-shirt and jeans. He looked familiar but I didn’t immediately place him because many youth come and go from our offices with just brief interactions.

He asked me if I had found his mentor, a Mr. Paul Martin, formerly an employee with the Port Antonio branch of NCB Bank. It then clicked: this young man, Mr. Nicholas Christie, had come in earlier this year looking for his mentor. I had called the Port Antonio branch with no avail: they did not know where he had gone. I had tried to call Nicholas to tell him but his cell phone number had changed.

But Nicholas has clearly not given up trying to find his former mentor. This shows the power of the mentoring relationship. I know first-hand the bond that forms; the time spent with one another, the older guiding the younger with practical advice, but often learning and getting more from their mentee than the reverse.

Just yesterday I heard from my mentee in Canada that she just finished exams after her first year at college. She is working part-time as well. That relationship has brought immeasurable joy to me as I have seen her grow up from the age of nine. When she was that age, we used to hang out and do crafts or play hang-man and just talk in a small office at her school. As she got older, we would go shopping or go to the movies or just grab a meal. Our relationship has grown from a formalized one (she was matched with me through a community organization) to a friendship. We now exchange stories and laugh together and talk about her future and the relationship is a pleasure for me.

Which brings me back to Nicholas. He really wants to find his former mentor, as well as find a job. He reminded me that he is unemployed but just completed a first-aid course. I told him I would try again to locate Mr. Martin. I have put a call in to the NCB headquarters and put the call for help out on social media.

Today is the Canadian Women’s Club annual fashion show at the Canadian High Commissioner’s residence. I am participating in it, i.e. modelling. My goal is to stay upright and smile. We are wearing clothes and jewelry from local Jamaican designers and proceeds go to charity.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Inner Circle Happy with Pharrell’s monster hit

Who knew? Pharrell recorded his worldwide hit Happy at a Miami studio started by members of Inner Circle- the legendary Jamaican band. Dubbed Circle House recording studio, many others have recorded there, including Rihanna and Jay-Z.

It’s a good story- take a read and enjoy your Friday.

Freedom of the press is at the lowest level in a decade and only one in seven people live in a country with a free press. Freedom House today released its annual survey and the results are not all that positive. (Jamaicans, however, have reason to celebrate, as the Caribbean nation continues to enjoy the “Free” press ranking.)

Middle Eastern and North African nations, Turkey, the Ukraine and the U.S.’s deteriorating media environment contributed to the decline in freedom, according to Freedom House. (The eight worst countries are: Belarus, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.) In total, only 14 per cent of people across the world enjoy the benefits of a completely free press. Freedom House measures this by tracking how much political coverage the media produces, how safe journalists are, how much “legal and economic” red tape media houses deal with and how much the government interferes with the media. From the report:

The year’s declines were driven by the desire of governments—particularly in authoritarian states or polarized political environments—to control news content, whether through the physical harassment of journalists covering protest movements or other sensitive news stories; restrictions on foreign reporters; or tightened constraints on online news outlets and social media. In addition, press freedom in a number of countries was threatened by private owners—especially those with close connections to governments or ruling parties—who altered editorial lines or dismissed key staff after acquiring previously independent outlets.

Tight control continues in Russia and China, while the most significant decline in a decade occurred in the U.S. due to a crackdown in security coverage, a side effect of the leaks by Edward Snowden. Overall,

…of the 197 countries and territories assessed during 2013, a total of 63 (32 percent) were rated Free, 68 (35 percent) were rated Partly Free, and 66 (33 percent) were rated Not Free. This balance marks a shift toward the Not Free category compared with the edition covering 2012, which featured 63 Free, 70 Partly Free, and 64 Not Free countries and territories.

On a more positive note, the usual nations top the list: Western Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan and several South American nations, among others.

From personal experience, I can say that Jamaica’s press, while heavily politicized, does not receive much interference from the government. In fact, its Access to Information department reacts with professionalism and timeliness, a sign of a healthy democracy.

Let’s hope that the overall decline in press freedom is soon reversed, for what is a society without a means to express itself, produce and consume information about what its government is doing and communicate with one another through the press.

This is cool- it is directed at nerdy, development types, but it basically makes fun of the whole concept of development and how convoluted it can get. And how sometimes the “beneficiaries” are the last to know and the last to benefit. Enjoy your day. (I got this from a Tweet by award-winning Globe and Mail journalist Stephanie Nolen).

Just a picture today. Grief has a way of both prompting deep contemplation and jumbling thoughts so you can’t make sense of things. This is one of my favourite pictures I have taken and one of my favourite questions to ask.

Jamaica has ranked 5th on an international list, but it is not for a good reason. In fact, it is downright depressing, as the ranking is for the fifth most miserable country in the world. The right-leaning Cato Institute (out of the U.S., it is “dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.”) compiles an annual list of 90 countries based on how miserable it is to live there.

Scholars and researchers who compile the list consider factors such as inflation, interest rates and unemployment to determine which countries fall where. According to the list, there are four countries in which people are likely to be more miserable than people in Jamaica: Venezuela, Serbia, Iran and Argentina.

The economic focus is evident in the fact that Jamaica ranks worse than nations such as Egypt or the Palestinian Territory or Honduras, where basic personal safety is not assured as conflict is regular in these countries.

It seems, not surprisingly considering the ideological bent of the Cato Institute, that economic factors are given the most weight. Of course, these are relevant. There is no doubt that Jamaicans are experiencing financial difficulties, which spill over every aspect of one’s life and affect its quality. However, there are intangibles that I assume the researchers did not take into account, such as how much family and community factor into daily lives here, as well as Jamaicans’ ability to have a good time, no matter what. There are many other intangibles that are part of the culture here that contribute to quality of life.

This is obviously a complex issue with as many factors as there are ideologies that are employed to assess big concepts such as a “misery index”. Here again, to me, is an instance of over-simplifying and overlooking the millions of stories to be told and accounted for.

Today is the culmination of carnival season in Jamaica. The road march went by my apartment so we ran out to catch some pictures. What an array of shapes and sizes and sweaty people dancing, walking and drinking. The road march lasts a few hours and consists of huge trucks upon which people dance and drink. Each truck has its own DJ station, which blasts soca music. The march is preceded by a substantial police presence, vendors and spectators. It seems everyone enjoyed themselves today, despite a hot, humid day. Hope you are having a relaxing Sunday.

Time Magazine is influential, I guess, but let’s remember that it is a magazine with falling circulation and an audience mainly in the U.S. In addition, the list of most influential people changes every year, so this is not a static list of influential people. Let’s also remember that it is a corporation trying to sell a product so it can break even and continue to survive.

So of course a picture of a beautiful young woman is the best choice for the cover of the magazine. With that out of the way, I will say that I like Beyonce as an artist, musician and businesswoman. At least I like the single dimensional character I have seen portrayed in the media. She seems smart, caring, ambitious and like a good mother. She is talented and beautiful. With that out of the way, I will say that I wish someone else were on the cover of Time’s 100 Most Influential People issue.

I also wish that Beyonce were wearing more clothing. Because all people are now talking about is her appearance, not her intellect or her accomplishments. Once again, a woman is an object primarily. Her intellect and character are secondary points of attention and consideration for the audience. So disappointing.

Some people are excited that a black woman has been chosen for the cover. I agree this is progress, as is a dark-skinned woman being named one of People’s Most Beautiful. It is indeed wonderful to see a wider variety of faces on the covers of these pop culture vehicles.

To me, however, more genuine signs of progress would be when we make heroes of women who are teachers, hard-working, dedicated mothers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, activists, writers. In other words, women of substance and commitment. Of course, I don’t mean these comments to detract at all from Beyonce’s achievements. It is just disheartening that women continue to be celebrated primarily for their appearance and used as objects to generate income.