I was searching for some Chutney music online yesterday and I found this new site…. WestIndianTube.com . It looks like a bunch of software engineering students from an unknown university go together and did some coding for the West Indian market….I gotta give these people, whoever they are…big ups and props!

If I had the time and experience with such databases, this would be an exciting project to work on. I’m really glad that someone took the initiative however. Over the past few months, there has been a growing number of West Indian videos on YouTube, so to have a dedicated West Indian Tube style site…its great! Nuff respect!

In my experiences, I have learnt that in order to be successful in politics, one must position themselves with the right group of individuals, issues, and circles. In Guyana, the same is true. Within the news coverage that I have viewed through the country’s online media, I have noticed a lot of positioning being carried out by two individuals in particular.

Robert M. Persaud
The first individual I believe is currently being positioned to become president is one Robert Montgomery Persaud (Montgomery?…hmm…reminds me of Mr. Burns on the Simpsons…excellent!). A civil servant by training and professional development, Persaud in my view has engaged in many activities to place himself as the next candidate to represent the PPP/C in the 2011 General Elections. Read through his biographical information and you’ll see that he was born and raised in Guyana. He has received training in journalism and more recently an MBA from the University of West Indies. Although his academic training is impressive, it is not the main reason that leads me to my conclusion. My main reasons for thinking he’s positioning himself is as follows:

1. His Track Record and Appointments: Prior to the 2006 General Elections in Guyana, Mr. Persaud was President Jagdeo’s go to guy when it came to a number of issues. Persaud functioned as Information Liaison to the President, working very closely with Mr. Jagdeo. This portfolio included the very important Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategy which has the potential to bring significant changes to the country. During the 2006 election campaign, Mr. Persaud no doubt had a major role in the public relations of the campaign…the PPP/C Won!! After the elections, he was rewarded with the position of Minster of Agriculture. Moving through the ranks at such as a pace certainly hints at someone within the PPP being in favour of Mr. Persaud moving on to greater responsibility.

2. His Professionalism & The Way He Carries Himself: Although professionalism is great whenever it is demonstrated, I have to argue that Mr. Persaud’s professionalism/high level of organization (or my perception of it) hints at some sort of authoring and tailoring. Either Mr. Persaud runs a very tight ship and is utilizing his experience in journalism/public relations to present himself and his ministry in an excellent light, or he is being framed to end up in a superior leadership role.

Evidence of this is present in the way the Ministry of Agriculture’s policies and activities are publicized. Whenever an announcement is made (either highly important or mediocre), Mr. Persaud always seems to do it in big style, similar to what is expected by President Jagdeo. He hosts formal press conferences and well crafted photo opportunities. In comparison, Mr. Persaud does public relations a lot better than a number of the other ministries in Guyana.

3. Literal Positioning of Persaud: Aside from a what appears to be someone helping to positioning Persaud, as well as excellent Ministry of Agriculture public relations, Mr. Persaud also appears to be actively in touch with the grass roots of his ministry and the country. He appears to be talking to locals and getting his name known around the country. Although other ministers do it, once again, Mr. Persaud does a great job of publicizing it in a beneficial way. In addition, it should also be noted that the Ministry of Agrilcuture itself will be receiving a lot of attention in the future, as it will be dealing with the re-structuring of the sugar industry, new initiatives such as ethanol production, as well as greater importance of agriculture in general….an issue whose importance is evident in President Jagdeo personal push/role in the Caribbean wide Jagdeo Initiative.

Dr. Frank Anthony
The second individual who I believe has to potential or who is in the pre-stages of being “groomed” to be the next PPP/C Candidate/President of Guyana is Dr. Frank Anthony. Dr. Anthony was also born in Guyana, but has been academically develop internationally. Although he is a contender for the Presidential Candidacy, in my view he is not positioning himself quite literally as Mr. Persaud. As stated, he is currently is what I believe to be a pre-screening stage.

I believe that Anthony is being tested for grooming is as a result a few reasons.

1. Age: Dr. Anthony appears to be a very youthful individual. If the past decade in Guyana has taught the public anything, it is that youthful leaders win. The prime example of this is Bharrat Jagdeo. Jagdeo has sucessfully beat other individuals who played the same old opposition tune. Recall Desmonyd Hoyte and his sucessor, Robert Corbin. Both of the aforementioned politicians in my view were not able to provide a youthful vision (amongst other failings), and as a result have experienced diminishing success for their parties (note Hoyte is now deceased). Therefore, due to Anthony’s age, when 2011 rolls around, he should be at a prime spot to undertake a presidential run. However, youthfulness/age alone is not the be-all and end-all; this leads me to my next reason.

2. Cricket World Cup 2007: In my view, I believe that the recently concluded Cricket World Cup 2007 in Guyana was a major test for Dr. Anthony’s ability to undertake leadership on a large scale. His ministry was one of the most relevant and officially responsible for the successful execution of the games. Successful execution means that Dr. Anthony may receive positive grooming, or stagnation in his political life. At this point, he did pull of successful games, but there were certainly several hitches…the games were historic alright, but there were areas for improvements. It should also be noted that the final bill for the games is still outstanding. His appointment to this portfolio in late 2006 speaks loud…CWC 2007 included a lot of “test” cricket matches.

3. Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport : In conjunction with his CWC 2007 portfolio, Anthony has been given a lucrative Ministerial portfolio. The Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport has the potential to shape the country in a significant way in the long term. The work that Anthony does while in office has the ability to re-shape Guyanese society, develop the children, the country’s reputation, and identity. This was affirmed in the 2007 budget with an unprecedented sum of money set aside for sport/culture development. Such a portfolio allows Anthony to interact with the Guyanese public and build a positive relationship, an opportunity that’s rare for other ministries. Due to the benefits of this relationship (being able to interact in a fun way with the public), if Anthony passes the aforementioned tests, and indeed interested in pursing this goal, he may significantly benefit.

Others

In addition to the two individuals mentioned above, it is my view that prior to 2011, the public may also hear from Mr. Manniram Prasad (Minister of Tourism), Dr. Ashni Singh (Minister of Finance), and for Prime Minister perhaps Ms. Priya Manikchand (Ministry of Human & Social Services) or Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues (Minister of Amerindian Affairs).

At this point, these are simply observations and anything may happen. If all things should continue the way they have been going thus far, I am fairly confident that my predictions may come true. An indication of things to come in 2011 will probably play out in President Jagdeo’s next Cabinet Shuffle.

Unless there are any severe blunders, I forsee the PPP/C winning the next elections. The PNC/R1G simply cannot win as its history and lack of credentials destroys any chance victory. In regard to the AFC, based on its ability to survive an actual party convention (and prove that its not a bunch of civil society opportunists), the party will either unravel or maintain its gains.

Its my view however that replacing President Jagdeo is going to be a difficult task as he’s truly gained his rightful place in Guyana’s history. To all the ministers and wanna be’s…keep up the good work and see you when I’m 28.

Photo Sources: Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture Website/GINA

The individuals were identified as:

• Kareem Ibrahim (a citizen of Trinidad)
• Russell Defreitas (an American citizen, born in Guyana)
• Abdel Nur (a US Resident of Guyanese origin)
• Abdul Kadir (a former Guyanese resident, and a former member of the opposition party — People’s National Congress [PNC] )

As this story develops, I’m sure Guyana’s name will be tossed around quite a lot. I am making this post to act as a source of information for any individuals who are concerned about this development. I am also making this post to publicize what the real Guyana is like, for anyone who will probably make broad conclusions about Guyana or worst, associate it with other countries that support terrorists.

Let me categorically state that the people of Guyana are peace loving and in no way connected or associate with terrorism. There are fringe criminal elements (as there are present in every society of the world…i.e. thugs), but Guyanese in general are good people! The criminal elements/thugs are simply those engaged in crime due to a lack of education or absolute poverty (as is the case in many western societies).

Over the coming hours, days, and weeks, I will be looking to see how major media outlets (i.e. CNN) will be spinning this story, specifically in regard to the listed individuals and their relations to Guyana. At first glance, these individuals were portrayed to be Islamic extremists (as a result of some of the initial evidence presented about their motivation). Although a small percent of Guyanese are Muslim, let me state that based on my observations, Muslims in Guyana are in no way extremists! If such a generalization is made in the media, note that it is untrue. I should also indicate that within the realms of Government, a member of parliament or elected officials religious views is in no way connected to their being elected or how decision are made. Guyana is a secular state! I can jokingly say that our secular mentality in society is generally evidenced by how much we like to dutty wine (freak dance), party, and just have a good easy going time (maybe with some Guyanese rum to boot!)…Sorry for that aside, but its true, Guyanese are very easy going!

Eventually, the evidence against or in support of these individuals will speak for itself, but in the mean time, I cannot state how much this bad publicity will negatively affect Guyana and its innocent citizens. Guyana is a democratic country trying to modernize and develop itself. The country is governed by elected officials and has recently (in the last decade and a half) started a modernization and development process to improve and westernize its infrastructure and lives of its citizens. The country was once controlled by a CIA installed dictator Forbes Burnham (circa 1960′s to 1980′s….who bankrupted the public treasury…similar to several other South American countries) but in its current status, Guyana is a fully democratic nation on it way to economic recovery (it held internationally recognized democratic elections last year, with approximately 75% participation rate).

If the aforementioned people are in fact terrorists…I say, DAMN YOU STUPID S-O-Bs and your personal views for tarnishing Guyana’s positive international image! Guyana has recently proven itself to be a nation capable of doing a lot with little, with its recent hosting of the Rio Group Summit and the Super 8 round of the ICC Cricket World Cup matches. The world cup of cricket was the impetus for a fledgling eco-tourism industry. More recently, the government announced a conference to develop its tourism potential, but now with this negative publicity…and if these people are in fact guilty, they have destroyed the public image that a lot of peace loving people, resources, and time was spent to develop. Bastards!!

Anyway, at this time, here are some links related to this story. For more information on Guyana the country, please click on the “My Guyana” link on the top of this website.

BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6715443.stm

CBC:
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/06/02/nyc-airport.html

http://www.pr-inside.com/former-guyana-legislator-arrested-in-r142221.htm

GINA (Guyana Information & News Agency):
http://www.gina.gov.gy/archive/daily/b070602.html 

Guyana Chronicle:
http://www.guyanachronicle.com/topstory.html

I didn’t link CNN because of scenes such as this youtube video…watch, you’ll see what I mean

For a sec there, I thought this job was a bit repetitive, and I guess in some sense, based on my task, it kinda way. But, now that I’m at the end, I gotta say, it was a great experience. I’ve have learned so much about the City of Hamilton. In some indirect ways, I have also learnt a lot about myself as a result of this job, and outside of this job!

I thought I should give props to the past 10 months of my life as this was my foray into the real adult work world. I did end up doing full time of school, and working full time (what was I thinking), but props is deserved by this job! Why? Well 50, 70, 100, or even 200 years from now, when I’m dead and gone, my work (although repetitive) will live on. The images that I scanned will be preserved, as long as the Hamilton Public Library continues.  I’m pretty sure the library will still be around as it has been around for over 150 years. The stuff that I’ve work on will also be around because the stuff I had to scan was documents and pictures that were preserved from over 150 years ago! So props to this job, props to HPL, and props to me! I’m immortalised!

Not really concentrating about the user who created the list, I proceeded to listen to the user’s music. After about 30 minutes into the playlist, I was struck by how similar this person’s musical tastes were to mine. I’m not sure if it was just a random moment that I had, but I was deeply touched by this person’s musical tastes, so much so that I felt what may be described as an attraction to this person…a random stranger

It hit me (not for the first time) that music was indeed very powerful. It was so powerful that I was attracted to this person! That’s right, although this person was on the other side of the continent, and will probably never meet her, I became attracted simply because of her musical tastes. I don’t know what to think of this, but simply accept a statement that I once heard…that music was a universal language. Since music is a universal language, I guess this person, based on her taste and a somewhat cute picture on her profile, spoke to me through her taste in music.

Its amazing how human connections can be transferred to the internet. Usually, when love and the internet is discussed, it is in regard to the multimillion dollar adult industry. It is refreshing however to note that human emotions can be transferred via cold technology into something such as this refreshing moment I had earlier today.

So I was browsing the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s news (CBC News) website this evening and came across and article and video about a reporter loosing his cool with a spokesperson from a certain cult that I don’t want to refer to (so that I don’t give it credibility…let’s just say Tom Cruise is affiliated with it). After looking at the documentary online at bbc.co.uk/panorama and on Youtube, I was convinced that the reporter was not at fault for loosing his temper.

The person he was getting upset at appears to be a an uppity, self-righteous, pompous ass who simply drove the reporter to a breaking point. The pompus ass spokesperson did not have the respect/courtesy that is traditionally held by individuals within the respected segments of media. I feel that the reporter’s actions were fully justified and warranted, given the spokeperson’s rude behaviour.

On whether or not the specific organization being alluded to in this post IS A CULT!! or has expressed cultish behaviour, I say that it is, and has. The fact that this organization cannot accept criticism (and I’m sure that they’ll argue that its biased criticism that they don’t appreciate), shows the weakness of their views and claims. This is evident today in the BBC situation, and in 2006 when Tom Cruise threatened not to promote Mission Impossible 3, when the parent company of Comedy Central (also owner of MI3 production company) was about to air an episode of South Park, critical of the cult. Even if criticism is biased, the truth usually prevails over any biases. But, for Cruise to cause such a big fuss over comedy, it shows weakness on this cult’s part.

In addition, the fact that this organization is crafted on a highly commercial framework further diminishes its claims of legitimacy. If you really want to be a religion, don’t charge or demand huge payments for “religious” materials. If you really want to help and cure the world, offer unconditional love and assistance.

The fact that the organization in question is also endorsed by famous individuals such as Tom Cruise and others also means sh*t! Tom Cruise’s fame gives him no credibility. Being famous does not make you better than the rest of us. At one point, Tom Cruise and all famous people were nobodies like the rest of us. It is simply that through mass media, these individuals gained notoriety. The notoriety means that a lot of us recognize you, but should not amount to your opinion being elevated higher than the rest of us. William Hung was famous, but I’m sure he has the intelligence of a stick. The people with real credibility are those who are able to cure illnesses and heal the wounded.

I’m sick of half witted propaganda (like that propagated by famous people mentioned in this post) receiving so much attention in North American society. In fact, this rant of mine can be easily applied “entertainment news” reporting. Who the hell gives a damn whether or not Britney Spears is wearing underwear or if Lindsay Lohan is a crackhead…but that’s another post.

Anyway, back to the BBC Reporter, I’m totally supporting you buddy! I respect your passion in your work! To the fools out there, stupid enough to pay to join this cult, I say it serves you right for not being able to recognize a pyramid scheme. To the US government and other governments of the world, I say its time to conduct a financial audit of dirt-bag organizations like those being alluded to here. Not all good things are what they seem, (insert list of tele-evangelist arrested for tax evasion, fraud, and other criminal charges here).

For those of you who may not be aware of Hanson, they were this boy-band from the mid-to late 1990′s. Apparently, they’re returning with a new album release later this month….for you viewing pleasure…Hanson’s Mmm…Bop!

God…when will the pain end…my aching head!!!

So its once again my favourite time of the year, its warm spring/summer weather! Having been attending classes and working full time for the past eight months or so, I have not been able to blog a lot, unless I’ve had some big news to write about. With the return of summer however, I now have more time to do interesting things, and time to write about these experiences.

With that in mind, I say look out world…wide web, its Andy Moonsammy blogging on a regular basis once again! Some interesting things to look out for include my job search for Summer and onwards 2007. There are a number of positions I’m currently eyeing, so this will be something I’ll be posting about.

Other plans for summer include a fewof road-trips and generally improving my fitness level. After a pretty good winter where I dropped from 195 pounds to 183, it appears that I’m back up to 186. My goals for this summer is to return to my 168 to 170 range I had a year ago.

One other thing I’ll be posting about are my gardening endeavours and home renovation projects. Since I moved to new house with more gardening space, I’ll be keep the public updated on my pansies! (the flowers) and my painting. I bought a bunch of flowers yesterday, so I’ll document them as well as other plants as they grow! I’m also currently planning to remodel my basement bar into a more modern lounge-ish feel.

Aside from that, there should be ample opportunities for parties and good times! Hopefully I can add a flickr box so that I can provide photo documentation fpr all of these activities.  Anyway, it summer so here I go!

The article discussed the possibilities of Guyana becomign VERY, VERY rich pending the outcome of a border dispute with Suriname (its neighbour to the east). I was aware of oil exploration in Guyana, and the fact that Guyana is next door to Venezuela (the world’s 6th largest oil producer), but I didn’t know that much oil (and riches) could be there.

This was a pleasant surprise..good going Guyana!