Breast Cancer Awareness Month: The News...

This post is in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is this month, October. The post below, was written several months ago, March 9 to be exact. I had declined to post it, as I still wasn't sure I wanted to post it... I guess I was thinking it was a bit too personal. However, I have now decided to actually release this post as my contribution to Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The News... (09/03/09)

A few days ago, was about early last week I got some very disturbing news. It was like something so surreal, shocking, it was to the point of numbing, I didn't know how to react. When I heard it, I was in total disbelief, yet it was true, I felt as if I was in a bad dream. Yet I could still feel the the temperature of the air on my skin. My sis called us into the room and sat us down, trying to comfort us that we should not worry, as she took a deep breath to tell us the news. She was rather calm, but no one in the room was, especially my mother who kept asking what it was, to the point where we had to tell her to just be quiet. Then my sis began to explain, she had felt a lump in one of her breasts, she did several tests and all confirmed that it was cancerous. We all sank, our hearts plunged into a pit of sorrow, mixed with disbelief, feelings of sorrow mixed with the anxiety of what can be done.

This was especially shocking to me, as I have never heard that my family has a history of cancer. I am all too familiar with Diabetes (often referred to as sugar) which my father has, Hypertension (also called high blood pressure) which my mother struggles with, but never have I heard about cancer. Then to learn it was someone so close to me, my own sibling, my sister. It was a bit... well it was hard to swallow, I, no one expected this. The others took it harder than me, even tears ran down their cheeks. I stood there, just trying to make sense of it, it grapple with the reality of the situation. Truth is, I am not that much of an emotional person, I do show affection and grief, but I mostly keep it inside. It still didn't really sink in even when my sis was explaining what she was going to do and the dates, it was just too surreal at the moment. The gravity of the situation did become more apparent when she drove to the Hospital today to begin the first stage of her battle with this enemy.

I have heard, read and seen a lot of information about this major killer, even given somewhat some supported the fight against cancer with a small donation for my pink ribbon. I also personally know people who have fought with this disease. So I know how terrible this disease is and how it can affect the patient and the family and friends of the patient. However, the feeling is just not the same and the full impact is just not there until you know that someone so close to you has it. This is not only scary to me because it is affecting my sister, it has also unearthed a fear that I too may be at risk, If my sister has it, then it is in the genes and thus I too am at risk. I took my last prostate blood test a few months ago as a part of a random medical. I took it lightly and just did it because I wouldn't be paying for it as my health scheme covers the cost of the tests. But now I think this is something I should do every year.

I pray that my sister will be strong throughout this ordeal and will pull through just as many other cancer survivours have done in the past. The only immediate comfort we have now is that the tests confirmed that it has not spread. She has began a life changing journey, a fight against an internal enemy, a battle that will take strength, courage, support and love. May God be with her in this time of need and may she emerge from this the victor and even stronger. That is my hope, as wishing it never happened is futile, but dealing with the problem together with help from above is the only way.

My sister has already completed her chemo therapy and her final radiation treatment since I wrote this post and is well on the road to recovery. Breast Cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and a very prevalent disease in the rest of the world. It is a disease that has touched so many lives and more people are diagnoses with this disease every day. The fight against breast cancer is still ongoing and the search for a cure continues in earnest. For those who are now fighting this disease, may you be victorious in this battle and be one of those who can say they are survivours. Condolences to those who have lost loved ones to this disease. I guess I can repeat the advice that the the Medical Practitioners give to all females: do regular self breast examinations and mammograms (where applicable). I would also like to add that a proper, well balanced diet coupled with regular exercise goes long way. Hopefully a cure for this disease is in the near future that will spare many from the clutches of Breast Cancer.

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More Increases, More Hardship!

Once again, the hardship of the Jamaican people has increased. The Government recently tables its supplementary budget in Parliament and increased hardship was on the platter. The government has hiked the taxes on telephone calls, cards and instruments from the already high twenty percent (20%) to a whopping twenty five percent (25%). So now you will pay a quarter of the price of a call, phone card or instrument, plus the stipulated cost each time your take up that phone to make call, buy a phone card or purchase a new phone. Whoever said talk is cheap certainly didn't live or visit Jamaica! However the increase didn't stop there!

If you are thinking of traveling overseas any time soon you will be required to fork out some more money coupled with the already ridiculously high airfares. Why? The government has also chosen to increase the departure tax by a whopping eighty percent(80%)! So now instead of paying the regular JM$1000 for departure tax you will now be required to fork out an extra JM$800 to pay the new fee of JM$1800each time you purchase a ticket to travel. This government never fails to surprise as yesterday when they announced the increases they pulled a fast one and announced that these increases would be effective today, Thursday October1, 2009! Surprise!

However, the government wasn't all about increases as they announced that they will indeed be cutting something! What would cause the government to deviate from their trend of increasing? The government confirmed the fears of many public servants on Wednesday when they announced that they will be cutting the number of people employed to the public sector. Up to earlier this week the Labour Minister, Pernell Charles, stated that as far as he knows the Prime Minister would not be cutting jobs in the public sector, but the Prime Minister sang a different tune on Wednesday! No time-line has been given for this cut, but many speculate that it will be soon, with the IMF deal in sight. So once again the already high unemployment figure in Jamaica will increase.

The only good announcement that came from this supplementary budget was that the Cabinet was not immune from the public sector job cut and that the government will be seeking to cut down on the red tape and gymnastics required to start businesses. But even with this gleam of light the days ahead grow even darker and hardship will only increase for the average Jamaican.

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Everybody Going with the Flow?

The line at Flow's Pavilion Office in Half Way Tree

I received my LIME bill and realized that it had doubled since my last bill and I have not increases my usage nor have I added any new service! How could have my bill doubled just like that? Then I remembered that i no longer have the concession LIME staff normally enjoyed and as such I am now just a regular paying customer. With my unemployed status in mind and this sudden increase in my bill I have decided to go with the Flow in a bid to save money via their bundled service as well as their promotion that they are currently having. I called Flow and spoke to a nice agent who gave me the prices and was more than willing to sign me up. However, I wanted to go to the store to ensure there was no trick and to do my subscription there for their services. Big mistake!

So this afternoon I went to the Flow office located at the Pavilion mall. When I parked in the parking lot the security came to hand me the parking ticket, when she paused and asked me which store I was visiting in the mall. So I told her Flow. Without hesitation she said. "Mi nauh guh even badda give yuh nuh ticket cause in deh ram-up". Right then and there disappointment set in as I hate lines and hate waiting! I decided to go there just out of curiosity, maybe she was just exaggerating. I should have listened, as I totally wasted my time and energy walking up to the store. the line was so long that it was all the way outside the store!

I decided, well the New Kingston office should be better, and so I drove down to the New Kingston Office. this again was another waste of time and gas, even though the line was inside, it was like an overgrown anaconda stuffed in a little box! After taking a number as the security reassured me that I should take a number to speak to an agent as the line was for other transactions. i waited over half hour in the store as I watched the number slowly incremented closer to my number, but was still had a long way to go. It seems everybody has opted to switch to flow or had inadvertently become Flow customers!

I think I might create an account via their contact centre tonight and go in early tomorrow and pay for the subscription to their service. If I sign up to Flow, I will be cutting my LIME Internet, Netspeak and maybe the landline, as well as cutting my Logic One cable service to consolidate them to one bill. This would reduce my bill by JM$1000 to JM$2000, and coupled with their promotions I would be saving quite a few thousands for the next three months!

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Doomed - $5000, JPS Hike!!!

Our fate has been sealed today, September 24, 2009, the average Jamaican has been plunged into further hardship. The Office of Utility Regulations (OUR), for weeks has had our fate in the palm of their hands, as the deliberated in giving the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) the hike the deviously conceived and presented in earnest. Today was D-day, as the OUR was to say whether or not it would be granting the JPS the hike they have been eagerly awaiting and once again the customer's worse fear was realized!

The OUR has granted the JPS an increase on the non-fuel charge of the electricity bill, though the increase is not the ridiculous 23 percent average JPS was asking for, it is still a significant increase. The JPS received a 13 3 percent average increase in non-fuel charge of their monthly bills, which is still a huge increase in these harsh economic times. This 13 3 percent average increase in the non-fuel part of the electricity bill, is further compounded by the ever increasing fuel-part of the bill, which increased even up to this month! I dread the thought of what my next light bill will look like, because even with my attempts of conservation, I still see a bill coming up to several thousands. JPS is sticking true to their motto, "Changing lives with our energy", because they are certainly making our lives harder and making us poorer!

To coincide with this hike in the electricity bill, or maybe just coincidence, the Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) has commenced the circulation of the new Jamaican Five Thousand Dollar note (JM$5000). This is just perfect timing with the OUR grant of an increase to JPS, as we certainly will be forking out much more money to pay our bills. No doubt this increase granted to JPS, will shortly start to trick down into other utility bills: telephone, cellphone, cable, water, etc and will even start to translate into other goods and services. At least when people go to pay their bills instead of forking out several Thousand Dollar bills (JM$1000), they will be forking out less paper with this new JM$5000 bill. Now we can cover more bills with less notes. that's they only good way of looking at it, if there is at all any good way to look at it!

This hike in electricity bill and the new JM$5000 note further highlights the plight of the average Jamaican people and gives a dim picture of the overall economic health... or ill-health of the country. Dark and gloomy days lay ahead, we can't stop it, we just have to learn how to survive as much as possible. With this in mind, and my current unemployed status, I now have to reevaluate my energy conservation and see where can further cut back on my energy consumption to stay afloat in this turbulent economic stormy waters.

Source: http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=12847, http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=12851

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Jobless Photographer

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/

It has been one month and 21 days since I have been unemployed and yes I am still a bum! The job market looks barren like a dessert on steroids, some real good links would be like a great shower of much needed rain. Searching The Gleaner for jobs is just a useless waste of my JM$100 and time. Now I have decided to just send out general applications to various companies, while I keep searching for a job. With dwindling funds, I need to find something quick, as the cost of living in Jamaica gets higher with every passing day.

However, despite being pretty worrying, the unemployment status has had a few... very few perks. Apart from getting all the rest and sleep I want, I have had time to experiment more with my photography. I have not been doing the number of photo shoots as I would like to, good models that would work for free are extremely hard to find. almost non-existent. I have had to relay on pouncing on my female friends with camera and umbrella in hand. Nonetheless, I am hoping to do a few shoots to improve my photography and possibly to make a little change from some of the shoots. You can see the latest photos and how much... or how little, I have improved on my photography so far here http://www.flickr.com/photos/stunnerj. I want to get out more to take photos, but gas is pretty expensive, so it's a bit hard to convince myself to just drive out and take photos, especially since I am not making back the money from it so far.

So the job hunt continues, and the photo snapping goes on, day by day...

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Swayze and Rhone Have Passed On

In just the space of two days the entertainment industry has lost two great icons on both the international scene and on the local scene.

theinsider.com photo

On Monday September 14, 2009 the world found out about the death of actor Patrick Swayze who succumbed to his battle against pancreatic cancer at the age of 57. Swayze was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer in January of 2008 and has been fighting this terrible disease while maintaining his acting career. Patrick Swazye is best known for his roles in the block buster movies and all time favorites Dirty Dancing and Ghost. The media's fascination with Swayze did not end with those two movies as he was named by People's Magazine as the sexiest man alive in 1991. His last lead role was the series The Beast, which premiered in January 2009 was later canceled due to the deterioration of his health. Hollywood has lost yet another great actor, the man who made Dirty Dancing appealing to so many females.

jamaicaobserver.com Photo

The local scene however, was not spared from the loss of an icon in its entertainment industry as on Tuesday September 15, 2009 the well known playwright, actor and director Trevor Rhone died in the hospital after suffering a heart attack at the age of 69. Trevor Rhone is best known for his plays with the most popular being Smile Orange, Old Story Time and Two can Play. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the first Jamaican movie The Harder They Come, which stared Jimmy Cliff and further served as a resident playwright at the Barn Theatre. This great talent did not go unnoticed as he was also a recipient of the Commander of the Order of Distinction. Another great produce of Jamaica and one of our most well known member of the dramatic arts fraternity.

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