Jamaican citizen found guilty of passport fraud in the USA !

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a federal jury in Bridgeport has found TASHIANY MARTIN, 38, of Lawrenceville, Ga., guilty of passport fraud and identity theft offenses.

 

http://www.justice.gov/usao/ct/Press2012/20121220-2.html

2012 in review – Thank you to all blogger !

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 82,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

My thoughts for Jamaica for 2013 !

For 2013, lets begin by holding ourselves accountable, lets us to what is moral right as well as right according to the laws of the land.

• Let’s pay what we owe to the government.
• Let’s pay all duties.
• Let’s give a honest day work for a honest days pay.
• Let’s be fair to our employees.
• Let’s stop throwing our garbage in the gullies, rivers and streams
• Let’s slow down when the light goes from green to amber and stop at the read vs running the red light.
• Let’s waiting our turn in the long traffic line, vs forming a extra lane were none should  exist.
• Let’s be  civil towards each other.
• Let’s focus on Jamaica.

Having now  started the process of holding ourselves accountable and keeping our end of the bargain then we should.

• Hold those around us accountable.
• STOP accepting excuses.
• STOP accepting mediocrity from our peers.
• DEMAND accountability from our elected representatives.
• Ask tough question whenever you get a chance to engage your elected representative and demand they provide honest answers.
• Demand value for money for every project, every job, every task, no matter how small it may be.
• Stop accepting excuses for poor performance from those we elect to lead us.
• Demand persons in the public sector resign, due to continuous poor performance.
• Demand from our politicians clearly defined and executable plans for your communities, with dates and hold them accountable to those dates. Slippage will occur in some cases, but these should be the exception vs the norm.
• Demand changes to the existing constitution when you keep hearing,  ” we cannot make these changes because the constitution prevents us from doing the right thing”?
• Question everything, do not accept it because he/she has a Phd an MBA or any other title that appears to make him/her more “learned” that you are. Never accept the following line ” you will not understand, these are really technical stuff so just trust me“. The simple fact is ” if you do not understand it you cannot explain it”, so those who think you will not understand most likely do not understand it themselves and so cannot explain it to you.
• Refuse to accept political appointment or jobs for the boys. Persons being selected for public office must have competence in the jobs they hold and must deliver or resign promptly if the fail to deliver. The only way to know of their delivering or poor performance however,  is be aware and or demand to know the specific mandate of the organization of which they are leading and the Key Performance Indicators of the organization. Each year the public must demand a score card which tells how organization has performed against these stated indicators and actions/changes to be made if they are off target. We the public must then demand resignation or termination of contracts of persons who have failed to meet stated targets for two consecutive years.

For 2013 it cannot and will not be business as usual, radical changes MUST occur, its no ,longer an option.

Let’s drop the political posturing for one year, lets engage all those who are serious about Jamaicans present position and what  to become a part of the change that must occur.

1. Let’s start 2013 by knowing the goals and objective as well as Key Performance Indicators for every goverment ministry for  2013.
2. We also must demand to know the Key Performance Indicators for every quasi government organization as well as every statutory organization, these must be clearly stated along with the time line, when each of the stated KPI will be achieved.
3. The statistical institute of Jamaican  and the PIOJ must be required to provide Quarterly reports on each of the ministries as well as the organizations stated in 2 above. The reports must clearly show, where we are in relation to the stated objectives and the funds expended  throughout the period under review. In this way its easy to spot trends and the informed public can  now demand actions, where the organizations are clearing going off track or commend those who are doing a good job for Jamaica and urge them on.
4. People deliver when they believe they are being closely monitored and evaluated .

Many persons in Jamaica today wants to be associated with success, so can you imagine what could occur if by virtue of the close monitoring that is taking place persons begin to deliver. This will provide the impetus of all other to follow suit because persons want to be part of a success story and should this really catch on, then the sky would be the limit. In such a new environment  corruption would be such a bad word, that persons would never want to even hear it.

The above by friends is all I want for Jamaica for the new year, is it possible, are the stated bullets points achievable and what are the things that could possible prevent them from becoming reality and a new way of life for Jamaica.

We can collectively make it happen, we just have to change our thought process and NEVER AGAIN accept any EXCUSE for FAILURE !

One year since PNP romped to victory, are we better off ?

Today marks the first anniversary of the PNP election victory over the JLP in the last election , which was held on Dec 29, 2011 and what a year it has been.

ALL hopes that the country would have moved forward,  have all but evaporated as the country economic situation, crime, environment, public health has gone from bad to worse under a party, whose leader is largely absent and provides virtually no leadership to the nation.

Only the most naive amongst the population could have thought that a party which had  almost 19 straight years in power and  could hardly muster any significant growth, when the rest of the world was seeing significant levels of growth, could turn around a country , which was going through very tough times.

I am not surprized by the failure of the PNP administration in the first yr in office simply because they have already demonstrated in their last turn at the crease, how poor they were at managing the affairs of the country.

Today, Jamaican remains  vision-less  and leaderless hoping and praying that the “Gods” will look down on us and give us an IMF “deal” ( whatever that is) early in the new year. The dollar is not waiting, it has taken flight and so are countless Jamaicans, who had returned to Jamaica to retire, but have since decided, that this is simply not the place they would want to spend their final years.

We continue to have columnist, analyst, bloggers and sympathizers making excuses for mediocre performance and/or failure, by trying to draw a parallel with what is ( more like is not) happening today in Jamaica and what may be happening to other countries throughout the world. What is interesting is we are quick to associate ourselves with those that may be failing pointing out, well if ” dem big and a fail, what say likkle we” because it makes us feel better about  ourselves and we don’t have to accept the failure as our doing.

We rarely try to associate ourselves with those countries that are doing well and try to figure out and implement those policies that have made those countries successful.

Many persons will boast that  Jamaica is a very rich country by virtue of the number of expensive luxury vehicle that are present on our streets as according to them, that is a sign of success and wealth.

Someone I know very well , recently returned from the Europe, where they visited England as well as Germany and where in for a culture shock based on what they saw.

“ Jay, I was really surprized and I must admit I was shocked to see BMW’s, Benz, Range Rovers and Audi’s , which are a signs of  wealth and upward mobility in Jamaica . being used as Taxi’s and well as by the police in UK and Germany. In addition I saw some of these same vehicles fitted with roof racks and being used to carry even building materials such as plywood etc , I could hardly  believe my eyes”

The sad reality is many persons in Jamaica have been lead to believe that driving around one of these vehicles is a sign that you have arrived at the top of the social ladder and not you become “respected” in many circles. The government unwittingly  has supported this notion because their members have sought to move around in the very same vehicles free of duty and then  impose duties from 99% – 120% for the rest of the public.

I was a bit surprized ( I guess  I was a bit out of touch here), to read an article in today’s Gleaner , (I believe it was), where an enterprising Jamaican, having come to the realization of how though things were, decided he would start preparing and selling jerk chicken necks. It was reported that you could get his product for as low as $100 and that amount could fetch you either 3 or 4 pieces of chicken neck.

Kudos to the gentleman, because he has decided to do something and instead of complaining . He recognized their was a need and he was going to supply that need for low cost food, hence the jerk chicken necks.  In talking to other folks I  have also found that we can now get jerked chicken gizzards, which are portions of the chicken that used to be dumped years  ago as no one would eat those parts of the chicken.

As drove around Kingston yesterday, the stench of rotting garbage was overwhelming and many Jamaicans simply strode by as if ” it did not even exist”.  Even at the lowest level ie garbage collection and keeping the city clean, we have failed at and the excuse is our trucks have broken down. That excuse is good enough for many us as one man said ” if d truck dem bruk dung weh unno expect d oman fi do, she can’t make trucks, mi know it bad but dem caan do nuttin, unno just haffi learn fi wait”.

I listened but refused to respond as this is the type of garbage that far too many of us has come to accept from those being paid handsomely to get the job done. These folks refuse to recognize that their sole purpose is to deliver value to the public and they need to get the job done vs providing a very good excuse as to why it could not be done.

In many countries where accountability exist and persons hold themselves accountable and seeks to protect their reputation, persons would rather resign if the recognize they cannot get the job done, either due to their incompetence, or they are being starved of the resources required to get the job done.

Not so in Jamaica. where failure is always an option.

Phillips Says He Will Make IMF Statement By Monday ( 12/31/2012)

This was taken directly from today’s Gleaner.

Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips says by Monday he will provide the country with an update on his talks with the International Monetary (IMF).

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=41955

I continue to take a path different from most persons, in that I care less about what Peter Phillips has to tell us about the IMF agreement and more about what’s contained in the thread below.

So Dr Phillips Commonsenseja once again issues a challenge you, I know you are aware of this blog so please provide the country    with information related to the questions raised on the thread below.

https://commonsenseja.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/what-are-the-challenges-we-face-after-signing-off-with-the-imf/

Can we expect an answer, I doubt it, but that will not stop me from issuing the challenge.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

I would like to take a moment to wish all bloggers (readers and posters)  a Merry Christmas season. It has been a rough year for most of us, but given the fact that we are still around is enough reason to give thanks for family and the gift of life.

Please take the time out to hug and tell those around you , how much they mean to you and how happy you are to have them around. For those who may be alone at this time of the year, please use this opportunity to make contact with those who you may have lost contact with during the course of the year and let them know you still care.

For the fortunate amongst us,  lets give a helping hand to the less fortunate and share the blessings of the season with them, they will be very appreciative of your kindness.

Remember to be responsible, if you drink do NOT drive.

Good luck to you all .

The untold story of improvement projects for Jamaica

The JLP either has done a very poor job of informing the public on what it was doing, or the people of Jamaica was simply not interested in what  the JLP was saying during its tenure at governance.

Here is a link to a number of projects which were started during the period the JLP were at the helm, which were all designed to improve various sections of the Jamaican landscape, but sadly these did not ” put food on d table” and that is what most Jamaicans are interested in.

Closed Projects

http://www.jm.undp.org/Content/Recently-Closed-Projects

 

Current/Ongoing Projects

http://www.jm.undp.org/Content/Current-Projects

 

Can we get an update of the current/on going projects or is that too much to ask.

Not sure if most Jamaicans are even away of the Millennium Development Goals ( MDG) and the projects mentioned above.

http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/mdgoverview.html

The honest candidate fable.

The CEO of a great company was on his last days and recognized that he needed a good replacement for himself. He looked inside his company and decided that whoever he choose, had to be a honest person and one  with impeccable integrity, so he decided against selecting any one candidate and instead decide to test each one.

He called three prospective candidates to his office and indicated to them, that he was on his way out and wanted a replacement and that one of these three guys would eventually  become this replacement, but they all needed to do something first.

He gave each of the three candidates a few seeds and a flower pot  each and told them to come back to his office in a few weeks.  So a few weeks later at the agreed time all three candidates showed up at the CEO’s office.

Candidate #1 showed the CEO the large plant that had been produced from the seeds given, he went unto to explain how he did a great job, of planting and watering the seeds and the end result was this nice big plant.

Candiate#2, showed the CEO his plant, which was smaller than candidate number one and went unto explain like  candidate #1, how a good job he did to have created this wonderful plant.

Candiate #3, hung his head in shame as he came with a flower pot, filled with dirt, but no life was in the pot, he appeared to have blown his chance. He explained to the CEO that he planted the seed, did everything in his power but was unable to get the seeds to germinate and grow.

The CEO then said,  ” I have made my decision as to who will be taking over the leadership role from me in the very near future, it will be candidate # 3″.

Everyone in the room was in a state  of shock,  candidates #1 &2 shouted, this is unfair, how could you have done such a injustice, he ( candidate #3) came here without a plant in his pot, he did nothing when compared how our nice and healthy plants.

The CEO then said ” Do you all recall what were the criteria I laid out when I said I wanted a replacement, in case you forget I did explain I wanted someone who was honest and had integrity and that  is what I see in candidate #3″

They were even more puzzled and wondered if the old man had gone off the deep end, how could he suggest they were dishonest and not truthful.

The CEO said ” I gave the three of you seeds that could NEVER be grow, they were all DEAD and the possibility of creating a plant from these seeds was impossible. Despite this FACT, two of you were able to present plants and that was not possible from the seeds I gave to you. Candidate #3 obviously did not cheat, he showed up  with a flower pot with dirt, even though in his heart he may have believed he had failed, but guess what he was honest and displayed the character that I expect to see from my successor.  You two are hereby fired and candidate#3, will become my successor “

I will leave the interpretation of the above fable to the readers and commentators.

Portia Simpson and the PNP were always going to be a failure !

I think more and more Jamaicans have now finally come to the realization of how poor a leadership is being provided by the PNP under the leadership of the Portia Simpson Miller.

I always knew the PNP and in particular PSM were NEVER up to the task and it would only be a short time in leadership before their abject failure would have become apparent. This time around it took just 100 days before the signs of failure was seen and less than a yr before the entire economy started to unravel.

Just about every key indicator  required for  economic stabilization and growth has been headed in the wrong direction under the leaderless PNP and heading worse as the days go by.

Many persons who I have spoken to this part year are less hopeful about the future of this country and are seriously considering leaving this wretched place. I spoke to two families who left the shores of Jamaica two weeks ago and they have expressed how “stress free” they have been in the two weeks since leaving Jamaica.

No frustration with the lawless taxi drivers who drive on the wrong side of the road, no bus-men who makes a third lane where none exist in their efforts to beat the  traffic jam, no need to worry about those drivers in Jamaica, who does not believe in obeying traffic signals and instead chooses to speed up once the light goes from green to amber. The biggest thing these folks spoke about was how disciplined the people were in the communities in which they lived and how clean the cities were.

One family expressed the view that Jamaica is appears to be beyond the point of no return, but things could be turned around not by education by but by a tough and no nonsense leader whose focus is on Jamaica and not on themselves of their party. The man said ” Jay, I really am sad on what Jamaica represents today and honestly at this stage I want nothing to do with those indisciplined folks where I used to call home. I may sound bitter and I am because its obvious that most Jamaicans appears to be  comfortable what I can only best term as a “hog pen” , where everyone has their snout in the trough, taking what they can before the “food run out”. Jay just drive around Kingston and look how filthy the place is, do persons look uncomfortable or do they appear to be at ease with the conditions. I have had it with that place and wish for you and others that by some miracle, you all get a leader who has vision and will lead. I am not very hopeful however as this decadence that exist cannot be turned around in 5yrs and that is all the time he will get before be kicked out of office”.

Jamaica in Crises …….

Jamaica closer to the brink than we can all imagine.

After today’s conversation, with some persons in the “know” I am worried beyond belief as to what is coming our way in the new year. I heard stuff that I simply cannot write to avoid being accused of stirring up things in what is left of the country that Jamaica used to be.

Its downright scary and that is all I will say for now and I hope that what I heard is not true (wishful thinking).

When a minister is willing to “free up” a destructive trade to satisfy his boss /party as well as stave of threat from certain quarter, you know things have gone from bad to worse.

I hate to say this, but its NOT looking  good folks, even for a harsh critic as myself I am a point now where I may have to hold back some information to avoid certain panic in  some circles .

Jamaica in Crises was the title of the thread I was working on, but not sure I should publish it at this stage, so will play it by ear for now.