in the JAmaican vernacular "Jacket" .. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/confused.gif[/img]
<span style="color: #CC0000"><span style='font-size: 11pt'>Busta's who?</span></span>
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Dear Editor,
In your edition of February 26, there is a picture of a Mr Joseph Clarke who, according to the caption, claims that Sir Alexander Bustamante was his great-grandfather.
As Busta always insisted that he had no children, could we get some explanation into his connection to Joseph Clarke? It is especially important to determine this, as we are fast getting into the habit of writing "new history".
Barbara Gloudon
Kingston 5
<span style="color: #CC0000"><span style='font-size: 11pt'>Laugh, laugh, laugh</span>[</span>
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Dear Editor,
I love the column by Christopher Burns, "Laughter the best medicine", in the Observer of February 19. Ha, ha, haa. Instead of sulking, let's laugh all the way to good health.
Mr Burns' article on laughter was great, especially the incident he referred to while on a visit to one of the tri-state areas in the USA! Thank God, he experienced it. I love, live and breathe Brooklyn. Which train were you riding, Mr Burns? Was it the Q or the B? I have a feeling it was the number three (dubbed the illegal immigrant train). I am visualising the incident and having a good laugh. That was such a priceless moment with this woman getting her corn-toe smashed and then found humour in her calamity when she used the Jamaican vernacular. Di train dem dutty , but to tell the truth sometimes the scenes experienced certainly make the day easy.
Continuing in the vein of laughter and your article, Mr Burns, I beg you, please leave Portia alone. What does phonics have to do with it? Ha, haa! The long and short of it, she is more advanced than Busta, Shearer and Barrant, all of whom were political affiliates in the good old days. We have heard so many stories.
Busta went to the doctor and was told to take his medicine and then skip every other day until it was finished. Poor Busta, understanding the doctor's instructions in his own way, took a rope and began skipping every other day. At another time, Busta was in attendance at a function when someone asked him how the cabinet was. Without missing a beat he turned to the person and said, "Lawd Gad, Gladys, di 'ome juss a bruk aff all ah di glass dem inna di cabinet."
Shearer at one of his revved-up political campaign meetings promised the people of Jamaica that he would build elementary and parliamentary schools.
Barrant went to a meeting overseas to represent Jamaica only to be told that the meeting was postponed. Puzzled by the word "postponed" he then asked the meaning to which he received the answer "put off". So on his return to Jamaica he chartered a cab to take him home, and as soon as he spotted his gate he told the driver to "postpone" him there.
Now which is bad, phonics or total misunderstanding?
Grace Dunkley-Asphall
New York
USA
[email protected]
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