The cost of the Beijing trip?

[Tuff Gong]

<span style="font-size: 14pt">What is the cost of the Beijing trip?</span>

<span style="font-style: italic">2008-08-16 Written by: No Author</span>

Efforts by the Sunday Herald correspondent covering the games in Beijing to confirm reports with ministers Ed Bartlett and Olivia Babsy Grange that it cost in the region of $17 million were unsuccessful.

The cost for a ticket from Kingston to Beijing is approximately US$4,000. It is not clear how many persons are in the delegation headed by tourism minister Ed Bartlett.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Herald understands that funds from the Tourism Enhancement Fund are being used to underwrite the US$4.5 million to American Airlines in revenue guarantee provided by the government of Jamaica.

The airline is guaranteed US$1.5 million per route to cover support for additional seats to fly from three US cities (Chicago, Dallas and Miami) to Jamaica, starting November 1, 2008 purportedly to match new hotel rooms coming on stream. Industry players say if reports were true, it would not be in keeping with the objectives of the Tourism Enhancement Act.

The principal objectives of the Act are to implement projects and programmes, which impact on the growth and development of the tourism sector. Encourage better management of environmental resources in Jamaica, enhance the overall tourist experience in Jamaica and provide for sustainable development of the sector.

Under the Act, each traveller shall pay US$10 or the Jamaican equivalent in respect of travel by air or US$2.00 for travel by sea. The fees, from time to time, are to be varied by the minister by order subject to affirmative resolution.

http://www.sunheraldja.com/article/show/1410

[evanovitch]

Re: The cost of the Beijing trip?

mi post bout the cost from last week r di week before..go dung a sports go read bout it....

di Herald too damn wutliss....anyting fi chip at the JLP govament....it put mi in mind of the article Barbara Glouden was moved to write(even if some a weh she write was iffy) defending di going bak to the Festival celebration an u done know seh she is diehard PNP....some yaadie too damn licky licky an neva see come see

[evanovitch]

Why the bad-mouthing of Festival?

Why the bad-mouthing of Festival?

BARBARA GLOUDON
Friday, August 15, 2008



WHILE OUR ATHLETES are mining for gold in Beijing, the success of the Independence Day float parade and Gala continues to be the talk of the town. If there was a gold to be given here at home for marketing savvy, undoubtedly it would go to the minister of information, culture, youth and sports, Ms Olivia &quot;Babsy&quot; Grange, for her leadership of the team which brought off the event.


BARBARA GLOUDON
Ms Grange is an astute politician and communicator. She knows full well the meaning of &quot;give the people what they want&quot;. Burdened with high prices, a creaky economy, crime and all that, people want an escape. They want party-time. &quot;Having fun&quot; is the slogan of the times and that they did, the people of the Corporate Area, that is, who turned out in record numbers to watch the streetparade and jam-pack the stadium, enjoying the Independence Day gift.

I haven't heard too many citizens from beyond the city limits complaining that they were excluded. Maybe they never expected inclusion in the first place, being accustomed to Kingston as the centre of attention. Hanover, which was having its homecoming celebrations, had its own parade of floats representing various communities. The goodwill seemed to have spread across the land, encompassing even those who were not at the stadium or on Kingston's streets.

The chief cry of exultation was how good it was to see &quot;ole-time sinting come back again&quot;. In no time, it was being rumoured abroad that this was the first in 18 years that &quot;nice time&quot; in the form of the Gala had been here for us to enjoy. Even some sections of media persisted in the myth that this was the first national celebration of this kind in 18 years. Actually, there were other galas and street parades, as recently as 2002.

There is no doubt that the parade and concert, etc, of this August 6 had a timeliness of their own. Attendance was guaranteed as the government was smart enough to waive entrance fees to the stadium. However, while there was much to be commended, there were a few areas which we could've done without. The propaganda (launched by sources unknown) that nothing had happened in Festival over the past 18 years was foolishness. The Leader of the Opposition was an honoured guest at the Gala so there was no need for any attempt, by anyone, to foster divisiveness.

Above all, the allegations that the Festival had diminished over the years was an insult to the reputation of the dedicated professionals and volunteers in the field of arts and culture who, through the Festival Development Commission, have worked with dedication and commitment over past years, bringing a new dynamism to our heritage expressions and gained the involvement of a new generation, able and willing to perform for community and country.


Jankunnu dancers passing through Half Way Tree Square on their way to the Grand Gala at the National Stadium on August 6, Independence Day.

THESE DAYS, especially at the school level, Festival involves young people of all social classes. Exclusive prep schools which used to remain apart, are now competing alongside primary schools. Some areas of the arts have grown by literal leaps and bounds, dance being one of the most dramatic. Success is owed in great part to the work done at the National School of Dance and to the teachers who were trained there and are continuing the work in classroom and community.

I'm not aware of the statistics, but it is safe to assume that many of the aspiring, rising stars who have their eyes fixed on recording careers have come out of Festival. Then, there is the Festival Queen competition, a far more democratic competition, not bound by old stereotypes of what Jamaican womanhood is supposed to look like. It is noted especially for the well-educated conscious young women who represent their communities with pride. In this and other areas, such as culinary arts, the work of Festival continues to improve and excel.

WHILE WE'RE AT IT, let us remember and give thanks to the hundreds, (perhaps thousands), of volunteers, especially teachers who have given monumental service to helping our young people become educated in the cultural arts of Jamaica, keeping alive art forms which may well have died but for their assimilation into the education system.

Give thanks for stalwarts like Joyce Campbell, Fitz Weir, Ivy Hinn, Maria Smith, Mrs Barrett of Buff Bay, the late Kirby Doyle - who symbolise the many in the long, long line of those who have worked over the years to build the kind of foundation which we called upon on August 6 and which responded so well.

So, was the float parade and Gala worth the effort (and yet-unrevealed expense?). For what it did in lifting the spirits of people, certainly. For the fillip it gave to our image in the diaspora, especially where the news up to then was of nothing but bloodshed, yes, indeed. Bigger and better is the promise for next year. In the &quot;better&quot; category, we'd ask for a bit more attention to detail in the execution of the designs for the floats. Some missed the mark entirely.

The effigies, usually a hit in past parades, were not up to scratch - especially in costuming (too short and unfinished). The person carrying the head was never intended to be seen, destroying the illusion that the head and body were connected. The attempts to create some plausible resemblance to the real-life subjects was too way off. When you can't recognise Miss Lou without a name card, then you know you're in trouble.

When it comes to programming for the next Gala, we would hope for more careful selection of artistes for the concert. Some of those who appeared on the bill last week had clearly been away from class the day Excellence was studied. (D'Angel? Why, please?) If we're going to overload the programme with chacka-chacka then better we don't do it at all. Let's stick with the best... and we have it.

WHAT WE DON'T NEED - bizarre distortions of history like the Dingwallian diatribe on slavery in this publication on August 9. What was the man thinking, &quot;Slavery was good for us&quot;? But see yah!

RESPECT - to our athletes doing their best in Beijing... from young Alia Atkinson, to our track and field stalwarts, whose testing is now beginning, to Samantha Albert (and horse), <span style="font-weight: bold">who showed the world that we're really out of many, one, and there's no sport we won't take on. Sing it loud: &quot;Dem a go tired fi see wi face&quot;.</span>

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[Tuff Gong]

Re: The cost of the Beijing trip?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">mi post bout the cost from last week r di week before..go dung a sports go read bout it....

di Herald too damn wutliss....anyting fi chip at the JLP govament....it put mi in mind of the article Barbara Glouden was moved to write(even if some a weh she write was iffy) defending di going bak to the Festival celebration an u done know seh she is diehard PNP....some yaadie too damn licky licky an neva see come see </div></div>

You are right on 2 counts Gloudon Maximus was forced to write some sorta kind words after her years of hypocrisy and open support for a corrupt regime how can she do otherwise when she materially benefits from the Arts?
As for the Comrade Herald, did you notice that the Headline about the cost of the Olympics was just a catch to complain about the Americans Airline deal? What was said about the cost of the Olympics?

The cost of the Olympics is a very relevant topic in my estimation and it would have been nice in the Comrade Herald had spent time in researching and presenting the facts surrounding the cost of us going to the Olympics.
For instance given what we know of the state of the Jamaican Economy and the State's abilities to afford stuff why does our being in the Olympics necessitate the presence of <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'">2 MHRs </span>who are <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'">members of the Cabinet</span>?

[Wahalla]

Re: The cost of the Beijing trip?

There is a cost for the gold... All of them oficals who went should justify their existance...

As for the spend on the festival ect.. From my youthful perspective long ago, it struck me as singularly unfair that the tax and revenue I generated went to entertain those who only supplied the non existant services... Given that I neve attended any of the festival free celebrations....

[Blackstar*]

Re: Why the bad-mouthing of Festival?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-style: italic">WHAT WE DON'T NEED - bizarre distortions of history like the Dingwallian diatribe on slavery in this publication on August 9. What was the man thinking, &quot;Slavery was good for us&quot;? But see yah! </span></div></div>
Indeed!

[evanovitch]

Re: The cost of the Beijing trip?

there was an article in one the two newspapers re the cost of seeking gold...like i said i posted it somewhere wen i read it....

i agree that the govament officials neva need to be dere....especially the man whe run tourism who seem to be mekking up fi all trips him wanted to tek since plane stawt fly....i would love to know wat his expenses have amounted to since Bruce name him to di job...fi real...him is one nail in any coffin whe dem qwine build fi Bruse, mark my words

we now know dat nuff tings a go gwane fi dem wen dem reach home, as it should...we can ongle hope it no get out of hand, cause dese runners will be making nuff money as it is....dere is no such ting as an amateur olympic athlete...me was even shocked to hear one of phelps teacher retelling the story of wen Phelps gifted his mom wid a Benz while a teen....

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Why the bad-mouthing of Festival?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BlackStar</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-style: italic">WHAT WE DON'T NEED - bizarre distortions of history like the Dingwallian diatribe on slavery in this publication on August 9. What was the man thinking, &quot;Slavery was good for us&quot;? But see yah! </span></div></div>
Indeed! </div></div>

Nor her bizarre distortions of political and social history that she has sat on her fat [censored] and wrote all these years.
We must account for all sides!

[Tuff Gong]

Re: The cost of the Beijing trip?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i agree that the govament officials neva need to be dere....especially the man whe run tourism who seem to be mekking up fi all trips him wanted to tek since plane stawt fly....i would love to know wat his expenses have amounted to since Bruce name him to di job...fi real...him is one nail in any coffin whe dem qwine build fi Bruse, mark my words!</div></div>

Exactly someone called I from Yaad two weeks ago and seh dem staat call Bruce the One-Eyed Barrcudah!

[evanovitch]

so TG weh u hearing bout di cop shuffling

mi a wait fi news drop pon one of dose who get reshuffled lass week...him was well known in terms of accumulation in his professional career in his outpost before being brought bak a town

[Tuff Gong]

Re: so TG weh u hearing bout di cop shuffling

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">mi a wait fi news drop pon one of dose who get reshuffled lass week...him was well known in terms of accumulation in his professional career in his outpost before being brought bak a town </div></div>

I don't have the details but I expected some talking must be going on...it is impossible that one big fish get tek dung and the others still standing!