What the status of the 360 Mw power plant !

It has been a few months now since ESET recommended and cabinet gave approval for the JPS to go ahead with the much talked about stop and go 360 mW power plant.

Can ESET or the JPS provide the public with an update on the progress being made as it relates to this plant.

Not a cent more for Public Sector workers

The PNP government is in a very good position in its negotiations with public sector workers and intends to hold its line of a 5% offer to these groups.

There is no alternative to the PNP as the JLP is in disarry and there is no chance that public sector workers will even think of voting against the PNP come 2016.

I therefore expect the PNP to press home their very strong position at this time.

Pricesmart Jamaica telephone customer service is the worst of all its stores in the world

The Pricesmart store in Jamaica is the absolute worst of all its stores when it comes unto accessing anyone by telephone.

The store in Jamaica has the following numbers listed:

876-969-1242
876-969-2784
876-925-4256
876-969-9981
876-925-3645
876-925-9143

If you should try any of these numbers at any point during the day or night, there is a 95% chance that no one will pickup on any of the above lines.

If the automated service kicks in and you try to contact any department by number, there is about a 80-% chance that it you will get the following recording ” No one is available, goodbye”.

Its a disgrace that a store which seems to pride itself on delivering value has such an atrocious attitude towards answering of the telephone and this is something it needs to correct in a hurry.

Shame on Pricesmart, not answering the phone is not so smart at all.

Clinical move by PICA on passport fee increase

Was the move to increase passport fee with only one week notice a strategic move by PICA. ?

With the extension by one week of the implementation date of the price increase, the focus has now shifted from the $2,000 increase to the timeline given for the effective date for the increase.

Revenue target for May will be surpassed give the sudden surge in applications for passport.

Clinical and very well thought out by PICA !

Checkmate !

Andrew Holness, Pleeeezee ,stay out of the passport fee increase matter

Andrew Holness is a man who seems not to know when he is to speak vs when he ought not to speak. He is said to be an educated man, but not politically smart as Portia, who though not well educated is politically smart.

I saw Andrew Holness at the passport office today speaking and held my head in shame as I could not believe that the opposition could believe that a matter of this nature could be one of national importance.

How did this simply $2,000 fee increase become such a hot button issue is beyond me and to see the opposition leader on TV making “much” of this matter is a real disappointment. I would rather Mr Holness go and spend the time trying to repair what is left of his broken down party, in preparation for the 2021 elections, given the 2016 one is clearly out of their grasp.

Andrew  is such a disappointment, he make Portia seems like a genius.

The Jamaican passport is not so “worthless” after-all

April 24, 2015

The Jamaican passport is ranked as one of the least valuable travel documents in the Caribbean based on the number of countries which allow its holders visa free travel through their ports of entry.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20150424/jamaicas-passport-powerless-countrys-perceived-leadership-region-danger

If the events over the last two days are anything to go by, it seems that Gleaner report above maybe very wrong.

I just heard a report of someone in the line from 1 am this morning outside the passport office, to ensure they were at the top of the line in their quest to secure a brand new Jamaican passport.

I spoke with one person over the phone who explained that he arrived at the passport office at 4:00am this morning and received number 244, meaning 243 people were already of him.

When  the person was asked if it was worth it and they said yes, because they had  saved $2,000 as a result of this being their that early this morning. having taken 6 hrs off from work.

I  then asked the following questions

Jay ” How uch do you earn per hr

Response ” $750 per hr

Jay ” How much hrs did you spend there”

Response ” just over six hrs”

Jay ” How much did you save ”

Response ” $2,000″

Jay ”  Let’s do the maths so really show that you actually wasted money this morning. 6 X $750 = $4,500, this is what it cost you to be at PICA and away from work.   The fee increase was $2,000, so the net effect of your actions is that in real terms you lost $2,500 plus a good nights rest”.

I will continue to say, our people make these mistakes because they do not understand how money works and end up losing when in their hearts they believe they are saving.

So anyone who thinks a Jamaican passport has no value, think again. People broke down the gates at PICA this morning to secure a brand new highly valued passport.

Stupid/Ignorant people “rush” the passport office

Jamaica is a rather interesting country, with  far too many who appear to have very little understanding of how things work in the country and the impact things on their lives.

Ever since the government announced the increase in passport prices, people  have rushed to the passport office hoping to get their passport before the price increase takes effect.  Today there was outrage at the PICA office as customers who had lined up from as early as 4 am were turned away having been told, the quota of just over 1000 applications had been reached.

I am actually amazed at the chaos this rather nominal increase in passport prices have caused and how passionate people are about the proposed increase.

The fact is a passport is valid for 10 yrs !

It therefore means that you would not need to replace this until another 10 years and as such the increase in my mind is very nominal in real terms when compared to other things.

Let’s look at fuel prices at the pump, which impacts our lives every single day. Oil prices on the world market are still about 45% down when compared to last year, but with recent price increases by Petrojam, fuel prices is almost where it was when oil was over $100 per barrel, but there is no outcry from the population.

Can someone really tell me how paying $7,500 for a passport that will last you for ten years be considered to be oppressive, give me a freakin break.

It cost me close 2 months ago $7000 to fill my tank, which was done every two weeks, while last week the same tank of case was $9,500 or a 37.5% increase and rising, but where is the outcry?

The problem with Jamaica is one of not seeming to know and appreciate the value of money . If you increase a item by 100% they will bawl murder, but if you increase the same item 10% every week in ten weeks you would have been up over 100%, but given the slow rise, people remains very quiet, not recognizing the diminishing value of their money.

The real reason for the above is as follows.

Many Jamaicans purchase gas based of a dollar value and not volume ie,  A man goes to the pump and say ” give me $2,500 worth of E-90″, gets 10 Liters, but really pays no attention to volume, he has received $2,500 gas.

Next week he goes and asks for another $2,500 of E-90,but this time he only receives 9.5 liters, once again it does not matter, he pays the same as last week, so for him nothing has really changed.

Therein lies a major part of our problem.

To the PICA office crashes, chill out the passport last you 10 years.

A USA Visa is $19,000 with no assurance that you will get one.

A UK visa goes  from a low of $58,000 for a 2 year visa

$105,000 for a 5 year visa  and

$133,000 for a 10 year visa.

I don’t recall hearing any outcry,  in fact people are happy to pay the above fees to support the USA and UK government, but bitch about paying just $7,500 for a Jamaican passport.

We protest and bitch about the wrong things most of the time, which is no wonder the country is in the state it is in today.

Jamaicans need a good education in value and use of money to cut down on so much stupidity in the country and focus people on the right areas ie the things that really matters.

Protesting a  fee increase on a passport is downright STUPID  given the other major issues affecting our daily lives.

😦

Give me a BREAK !

Poor education stymies Jamaica’s development

The problems facing Jamaica today has its roots firmly planted in a poor educational system, that is not producing the level of graduates that can take Jamaica forward. The corralling of people into what are called garrisons particularly by the PNP who happens to have the most garrison communities in Jamaica is a second part of the problem.

People living in garrison communities are usually fiercely loyal to one political party and will not vote for anyone other than that party no matter the miserable conditions in which they are forced to live. These people are of the belief that the politicians love  them, given the fact that they do not have to pay a single bill, In these communities electricity, cable, water and rent are all free thanks to the “generosity of the sitting MP.

They are provided with very little education and as thus never in a position to make a rational decision on who should be elected come election as the promise of more freeness is too much to overlook

PNP gets set to destroy the cockpit country !

Having virtually destroyed the Jamaican economy, increasing poverty and creating nothing but hardship, the PNP appears to have granted permission to begin mining in the cockpit country.

It seems as if the PNP is the only party in Jamaica, which can do just about anything in this country without evoking the wrath of the Jamaican population.

I continue to say, the PNP is the best party to ruin Jamaica

Massive crowds outside National Indoor stadium hoping for access to medical care

For the last two days, from as early as 6 am Jamaicans have been lining up outside the National Indoor Stadium , hoping to pre-qualify for access to free medical care on the  USS Comfort.

The team of over 700 medical personals are in the island to provide free medical care to hundreds of Jamaicans , unavailable under the present conditions in the run down health service in Jamaica.

I really felt bad for the people I see waiting in line, knowing that many will not get a chance to go inside and are likely to die before ever getting medical attention.

One wonders why Jamaicans seem willing to give the present government a free ride given the ramshackle system they have managed to create, which is causing so many unnecessary deaths in their household.

Apart from passing IMF test, everything is either going downhill or at a standstill and yet the population seems unperturbed by what is happening around them and instead have become akin to leeches as they seek to extract more and more from relatives overseas.

I have taken a decision not to support rubbish and will not send my hard earn money to foolish people  who have taken a decision, destined to keep them poor and keep making the same decision over and over again.

Once Jamaicans know they can lean on a fence, they will do so until its broken down, before simply moving unto the next fence, while never taking steps for long term improvements in their personal situation.