Girl With a Purpose (GWAP)

"Jazz and Blues Festival" Sees Music Lovers Flock Trelawny, Jamaica

The above video is from one of my favorite artists, Jon Secada and he'll be performing at the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival at the Trelawny Multi-complex Stadium, tomorrow night.

He performed at Iberostar Hotel on Wednesday night and brought the house down!

Well, Jamaicans love their music and the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival is no exception, as there will be top Jazz, R&B,Pop and Reggae artists performing for the (7) nights of the Festival.

This year's Festival lasts for 7 nights: January 24-30,2010.

The last three (3) nights of the Festival will be held at the Trelawny Multi-complex Stadium (aka the Greenfield Stadium) in the wonderful parish of Trelawny.

Kingstonians have been flocking Trelawny since last night.

The big draws at this year's Jazz and Blues Festival have been Billy Ocean, Baby Face, Jon Secada, Gladys Knight, John Oates, Maxi Priest, Erykah Badu, the Queen Project (Deborah Cox,Tamia and Kelly Price) and Jamaica's own Marion Hall...aka Lady Saw.

Tourism has been bustling on the Western, Eastern and Northern sides of the island, as the Jazz and Blues Festival has brought Jazz enthusiasts from across the world, to the island.

It has been a wonderful five (5) nights, so far and it promises to continue to be great, up until tomorrow, the final night!

Please see the Jamaica Jazz and Blues website for more information.

(I would like to thank Roteman78 for the use of his Youtube video above of Jon Secada's video, "Just Another Day").

Gillian

Sources Include

1) Various Media Houses, January 24 - 29,2010

2) Jamaica Jazz and Blues website.

Schools Challenge Quiz 2010:Garvey Maceo Surprises St. Georges

In what could be termed as one of the most anti-climatic matches so far, in the Schools Challenge Quiz, Garvey Maceo High School eked out a 27 vs 25-point win over St. Georges College, this evening.

[Schools' Challenge Quiz is an annual competition put on by Television Jamaica (TVJ - one of Jamaica's two free-to-air television stations), whereby high school students compete in a 3-round quiz competition for cash and prizes and the title of "Schools Challenge Quiz Champion".

High School students are quizzed on subjects studied at the 4th and 5th form level in high schools across the island...namely Math, English Language, English Literature and the Sciences].

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In the 3rd and final round, St. Georges College (St. Georges) thought they had won, when they earned 25 points to Garvey Maceo's 21.

However when the competition resumed after the break, the judges revealed that Garvey Maceo had actually answered two questions correctly in that round, thus earning a total of 4 points to tie with St. Georges College on 25 points.

Garvey Maceo eventually beat out St. Georges, by answering the 3rd question posed after the tie.

What is great about this match is that Garvey Maceo High School is one of the "new" secondary schools and St. Georges College - a traditional high school in Jamaica.

["New" secondary schools are schools, that were once classified as "secondary schools" (due to the low GSAT passes of students entering these schools), that have now been converted into high schools.

The traditional high schools usually get students with the higher passes from the GSAT exams.

The GSAT exams are placement exams for Jamaican students entering secondary level education in Jamaica (high schools)].

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A big GWAP Congratulations go out to Garvey Maceo...we look forward to your continued progress in this year's Schools Challenge Quiz!

(I would like to thank Kate Ferrara for the use of her Flickr inset photo entitled, "Cups"..which are somewhat similar to the Schools Challenge Quiz Cup).

Gillian

Sources Include

Television Jamaica's School's Challenge Quiz, January 28,2010

Girl With a Purpose (GWAP) Blog to Start Podcasting

 

GWAP Podcasting AnnouncementMergemp3

Haitian Earthquake Relief Efforts: Caribbean Perspective (Update #2)

In the ten (10) days since the 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti on last Tuesday, over:

• 121 people have been rescued from collapsed buildings

• 75,000 Haitians who died as a result of the earthquake, have been buried in mass graves.

  
  

  Donor organizations have estimated that over 100,000 have died. The death tool is predicted to increase as many more Haitians will die, due to lack of medical attention




• US $1.2 billion have been given in aid money

• Sporadic looting is still occurring

• Haitians are being asked to be on the lookout for Haitian prisoners who've escaped. They are said to be very dangerous

• Although food is getting through to more of those in need, increased security is preventing its effective distribution.

In a Press Release on Monday, January 18,2010, the Cuban Embassy here in Jamaica, reported that a Cuban medical team has been inside Haiti, giving humanitarian support for over the past ten (10) years.

Jamaican doctors in Haiti, under secondment from the Jamaican Ministry of Health, will be on a 5-day rotation so as not to negatively affect their presence in Jamaican public hospitals, which are under-staffed.

Other doctors from Caricom will join them on the weekend.

[This picture below (provided by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is that of Haitian earthquake survivors resting in a makeshift shelter].

 

Caricom (the Caribbean Community) will lead multinational donors on a strategic committee formed to reconstruct Haiti. The committee is to be headed by former Jamaican Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson.

...Their first strategy meeting will be held in Canada, next Monday, January 25,2010.

All Jamaican aid to Haiti (including money) will be distributed through the ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management).

[I would like to thank:

1. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), for the use of their inset Flickr photo above of a young man doing search-and-rescue work in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince

2. The United Nations for the use of their Flickr photo entitled, "Survivors of Haiti Quake Rest in Makeshift Shelter"].

Gillian

Sources Include

1) Power 106 FM News at 12:00 p.m., January 22,2010

2) Article, "Aid for Haiti Earthquake Victims Finally Getting Through" by Gil Kaufman, MTV News, January 21,2010

3) Article, "CARICOM Names Former Jamaica Prime Minister, PJ Patterson to Haiti Reconstruction Meeting Team", via CaribbeanPressReleases.com,January 20,2010

4) Nationwide Radio's "Cover Story", January 18,2010

Quakes Around the Caribbean - January 2010

There have been quite a few earthquakes across the region (the Caribbean and Latin America) since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook Haiti last Tuesday, January 12, 2010.

Venezuela experienced a 5.6 earthquake on Friday...

Guatemala and El Salvador experienced a 6.0 earthquake on Monday, the Cayman Islands experienced a 5.8 earthquake yesterday and Haiti experienced a 6.1 aftershock today

...There are no reports of additional damage caused by this recent aftershock in Haiti.

Although there were no reports of damage to buildings, or injuries to persons... it is reported that the Cayman earthquake created a sink-hole.

Seismologists are saying that more earthquakes will occur within the region, as the energy that has built up in the earth, that was partially released by the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, has still not been released by the minor earthquakes across the region.

They are predicting that another quake of magnitude 7.0 or above, will occur in order to release this energy.

What is sure is that people across the region are on edge:

When the earthquake occurred in the Cayman Islands, yesterday, Caymanians were reportedly shaken-up and although it was safe for them to go back into buildings a few hours later, many were reluctant to...

In Jamaica, there was a high-level meeting involving ODPEM, the Earthquake Unit at the University of the West Indies and other officials, yesterday...in preparation for these other quakes.

I'm asking all of us who live in earthquake-prone areas, to listen to the  broadcasts by our Disaster-Preparedness organizations, re how to prepare for earthquakes.

While we can't predict where and when the next earthquake will occur, we can be prepared for same. 

[I would like to thank the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) via Wikimedia Commons, for the use of their map of Central America, showing the Islands of the Caribbean. The Caribbean Islands stretch from the Southern tip of the USA to Venezuela].

Gillian

Sources Include

1) Various news sources from January 12 - January 20,2010

2) Power 106 FM Radio's News at 12:00 p.m. ,  January 20,2010

3) Television Jamaica, January 19,2010