I GUESS I may be getting just a teeny-weeny bit old, because I can remember when it was considered
rude to whistle in front of adults, the biggest bad words pickney used to cuss were ‘blouse and skirt’,'rahtid’ and ‘blow-wow’; and slackness was talking big bwoy stories.
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I am probably not so young anymore, I guess, because I can remember when people used to charter JOS bus to go to outing at Gunboat beach. And the beach dem was clean! And bad boys were the ones riding skate, and playing marbles and racing board horse in the gutter water after rain... I remember when children were afraid of Johnkunnu - now even police fraid a pickney, ’cause pickney a shotta!
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Call me archaic, but I remember when school children never had such a wide range of colourfully creative
chemical concoctions and toxic adventures to choose from such as sweets and snacks. For example, I saw one
recently marked cheese tricks and when you read the fine print carefully, you realized that the ingredients did not include any cheese - so-so tricks!
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But I suppose it must be old age, because I also remember that children used to eat jackfruit, juneplum, naseberry, guinep, hogplum and tinkin toe; we used to relish treats like bustamante-backbone, drops, gizzada, toto, cut-cake and grater-cake. MEN USED TO DANCE WITH WOMEN after asking if they could have this dance!!
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I must be clearly approaching dinosaur status, because I can vividly recall a period when independence time meant street dance on every corner, and we never had to import carnival to have revelling in the streets, and float parades were magnificent. I must have come from them dark ages, but I remember when man used to go party to dance with woman, not to “par wid man”, and women never had to walk naked to get attention.

“Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2008″
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But I am not quite ready for the rocking chair and adult diapers just yet. No papa! Still, I remember when Rasta was a lifestyle. Now dreadlocks is a hairstyle. I remember
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Apr 02 2010
Posted: under Friendship Poetry.
Tags: comfort, diamonds, friends, friendship, genuine, gift, God, gold, gratitude, heart, life, love, pearls, riches, thankfulness, value
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FRIENDSHIP IS A PRICELESS GIFT
THAT CANNOT BE BOUGHT OR SOLD,
BUT ITS VALUE IS FAR GREATER
THAN A MOUNTAIN MADE OF GOLD.
<><><><>
FOR GOLD IS COLD AND LIFELESS
IT CAN NEITHER SEE NOR HEAR,
AND IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE
IT IS POWERLESS TO CHEER.
<><><><>
IT HAS NO EARS TO LISTEN
NO HEART TO UNDERSTAND,
IT CANNOT BRING YOU COMFORT
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Mar 21 2010
Posted: under "A Slice Of Life", Inspirationals.
Tags: airport, attention, celebration, comfort, conference, core, country, decision, direction, efforts, experience, focus, friends, harbor, history, hotel, humility, inspiration, laughter, lesson, life, memorial, mission, moment, motivation, progress, reality, relaxation, success, thought, value, values, vision
Why are core values critical to our success in business and in life? Because our values are critical guides for making important decisions. And when in doubt they cut through the fog like a beacon in the night.
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John Blumberg has written the best book we’ve ever read on how we build value…with values. And if there was ever a time in the history of this great country that we need to re-visit our core values…the time is NOW.
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Enjoy an excerpt from John’s book, Good to the Core…Building Value with Values.
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An Excerpt from
Good to the Core
by John Blumberg
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U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
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I was in Honolulu to speak at a large national conference. I scheduled an extra day onto the trip since I had never been to Honolulu and because a few great friends were also at the conference. The day after the conference, we awoke at the crack of dawn to visit Pearl Harbor. As we stood above and looked down upon the sunken USS Arizona, the depth of our experience came to life. It was moving and humbling.
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Upon our return to the hotel, I had some time to spare before departing to the airport. A couple of my friends and I decided to rent a raft large enough to hold three adults. We targeted the white-capped waves, out in the distance, as our destination. With the incoming waves, we had a hard time getting away from the shore. At first, there seemed to be enormous momentum keeping us “grounded.” Slowly, but surely, we began to make progress. It seemed to get easier. We eventually got within a few feet of the whitecaps and decided to board our raft and relax as a celebration of our efforts. It was in our moment of pause that we felt the reality
Posted: under "A Slice Of Life", Advice & Tips, Inspirationals.
Tags: ability, acceptance, accomplishment, action, beauty, belief, bliss, chances, choices, commitment, creativity, decision, dreams, encouragement, eyes, family, focus, forgiveness, friends, fun, goals, goodness, happiness, heart, hope, hugs, inspiration, investment, journey, joy, kindness, knowledge, language, learning, life, love, memories, rewards, sharing, skills, smiles, spring, success, talent, thankfulness, time, understanding, value, voice, winter, words, world
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* A–Accept *
Accept others for who they are and for the choices they’ve made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.
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*B–Break Away *
Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.
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*C–Create *
Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.
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*D–Decide *
Decide that you’ll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.
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*E–Explore *
Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you’ll learn more about yourself.
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*F–Forgive *
Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.
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*G–Grow *
Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.
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*H–Hope *
Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.
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*I–Ignore *
Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your
accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.
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*J–Journey*
Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something
new every day, and you’ll grow.
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*K–Know *
Know that no matter how bad things seem, they’ll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.
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*L–Love *
Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there’s room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there’s room for endless happiness.
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*M–Manage *
Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you’ll suffer less stress and worry. Then you’ll be able to focus on the important things in life.
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*N–Notice *
Posted: under Inspirational Poetry, LOVE Poetry.
Tags: achievement, art, belief, care, character, child, choices, colors, confidence, encouragement, freedom, greatness, healing, heart, hero, image, imagination, inspiration, joy, kindness, knowledge, learning, life, love, pride, respect, responsibility, security, shapes, smiles, soul, spirit, strength, teacher, value, vision

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An excerpt from
The Heart of a Teacher
by Paula Fox
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The child arrives like a mystery box…
with puzzle pieces inside
some of the pieces are broken or missing…
and others just seem to hide
~*~
But the HEART of a teacher can sort them out…
and help the child to see
the potential for greatness he has within…
a picture of what he can be
~*~
Her goal isn’t just to teach knowledge…
by filling the box with more parts
it’s putting the pieces together…
and creating a work of art
~*~
The process is painfully slow at times…
some need more help than others
each child is a work in progress…
with assorted shapes and colors
~*~
First she creates a classroom…
where the child can feel safe in school
where he never feels threatened or afraid to try…
and kindness is always the rule
~*~
She knows that a child
can achieve much more
when he feels secure inside
when he’s valued and loved…
and believes in himself
…and he has a sense of pride
~*~
She models and teaches good character…
and respect for one another
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