ITS HUMANITARIAN AWARD

photo credit: C. Harrison

By: C. Harrison/January 1, 2016/5:00 am

New York, NY….COJO, is a New York’s base Jamaican Charity; Children of Jamaica Outreach Inc., held its 21st Annual Fundraising Gala and Humanitarian Awards recently at the Hilton New York, JFK Airport. At the event, six outstanding community service awards were handed out to individuals and corporations that were most charitable to those in need in 2015; to children base in New York and Jamaica. Meteorologist Dave Price of NBC New 4, served has emcee for the evening.

The Gala Affair was attended by 250 plus guest, including his Excellency Ralph Thomas & his wife Sharon, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Rev. Cannon Calvin McIntyre, political consultant Basil Smikle, among numerous other officials. Director of Administration at Sandals Resort International, Wayne Cummings, was this year’s guest of honor.

The Gala’s entertainment was provided by No-Maddz and Tropical Rhythms, who entertained during the cocktail hour and music ensued by Empea Entertainment.

photo credit: Margot Jordan

Headliner of the grant  affair, Olympian, Veronica Campbell Brown, whose award was presented to her by COJO’s Founder, Gary Williams, thanked COJO, on being selected as the recipient of the special award. She was slated for the coveted award because she championed the work of COJO and its mission, which is similar to her own Foundation, which focuses on young women not children. The Sprinter,  was also chosen for her work as a Goodwill Ambasador to promote gender equity and her efforts to give back to her home town in Trelawny.

The 2015 honorees were rounded out by: Madge Warren, for COJO’s Distinguish Service Award, Patrick Jolly, for COJO’s Visionary Award, Orville Mckenzie & Donald Vernon, Esq for COJO’s Community Service Award and Caribbean Airline, for COJO’s Corporate Service Award.

In addition, when addressing guests, Mr. William thanked sponsors, donors, and supporters for their commitment to the organization’s overall well being to ensure that COJO, is able to continue its mission of amelioration, to help in in the health, education and general affairs of underserviced children in Jamaica and here in the United States. Thus far, COJO, has contributed $500,000 to various child care facilities in Jamaica and provided scholarships to deserving wards of the State.

The organization which is made up of volunteers has, for the past two decades, supported a number of institutions in the United States and Jamaica, including  the Alpha Boy’s Home, Glenhope Place of Safety, Marigold Child Centre, City of Refuge, St. Augustine Place of Safety for Boys, Musgrave Girl’s Home in Jamaica and in New York, the Jamaica, Queens YMCA. Moreover,  since its inception in 1994, COJO, has dedicated its resources to the human and financial sector, to help make a difference in the lives of children in penury, in Jamaica and here in the United States.

Corporate sponsors for the Gala consisted of: JetBlue Airways, Half Moon, Hyatt Ziva, Jamaica Inn,  Courtleigh & Suites, Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum, Jamaica Tourist Board, Caribbean Airline, Finn Partners, Grace Foods, Jablum, Sandals Resort, The Door Restaurant, Tower Isles and Walkerwood. Proceeds from the  evening’s fundraising will provide scholarship and support for deserving students and Jamaican child care institutions in need.

Highlights

THE CLOSING OF 2015

By: C. Harrison/December 31, 2015/7:11 pm

As we look forward to 2016, we must first take timeout and give thanks to the King of Kings, because he brought us through the worst of worst  and the best year in our lives.  2016, is  a new beginning and we must embrace it full thrust and do what needs to be done.

Your blessing will come from what you put out. Keep it light, be straight forward and always do unto others as you would want done to you. For 2016 keep in mind to (Mind Your Mind For The Jewel of Your Soul). People, there is a battle (war), going on for your Soul, and you have to be in command of it. Keep it in sight at all times in 2016.

Be safe out there tonight everyone, lets all get into 2016, in a few hours, together. Happy New Year. ♥

HOW FAR DID WE COME AS A NATION

By: C. Harrison/December 31, 2015

When Barack Obama took office in 2008, we were on the rocks, as far as a nation under the George W. Bush administration. We were starring down a spiral hole that had it not been for the grace of God, we would not see the light of day in just eight-years and on top of that,  we had the biggest disaster in the history of America– “wall street” crashed;  the bubble burst, no one thought we would come back from that.

Besides bringing us back from the brink the Obama Administration cut the unemployment rate, raised the minimum wage, cut gas emission, put the fairest trades legislation in place, championed our infrastructures, kept the Government open, cut oil prices in half, passed an historical health bill that put over 17 million, on a fair market health insurance plan and convinced numerous countries more than one hundred, to sign off on Climate Change…..these among a slue of other legislative bills and appointments passed. And this President is poised to finish the job of shaking up Washington–with more big changes, that (we the people) have been asking Government to do .

Yes, 2015 has been a trying year, for this administration. They have had to deal with tribulations before anything could get done, but they did it and for that,  we (The nation), has benefited and are grateful at the close of 2015 that we made it through the Republicans many hurdles that they threw in the path of this administration to hurt this nation’s population.  In 2016, we will be even more astonish by what Barack Obama and his administration can do.

Posted By: C. Harrison/Dec 25, 2015/4:28 AM

photograph by: C Harrison

MERRY CHRISTMAS wake up with sunshine in your eyes open your presents gleefully drink hot coca sing Christmas carols and pray, thank God for the many gifts and blessings he has bestowed upon you for another year. Eat and drink your Christmas dinner and dance the night away…

~the end~

DISINFECT CITIZENARY` CHILDREN

photograph via Google

By: C. Harrison/December 22, 2015/5:03 AM

New York, NY….The recent up-play of children being shot down by police is significant. Why, because while the problem is not new, over the past two-three years, the issue have become upstage. We see on the news almost every night another teenager gun-down in the streets, it doesn’t matter which street really or which City, the result is always the same. Time and again, the public cry out on the injustice of it all but nothing gets done. So, we are left to ask the question again: are our children being Disinfected From Society? If so why? stressing the obvious again that children are precious and they are our best commodity for this planet’s future and their lives trump and transients race.

We should note here pointedly, that it isn’t the fault of all policing but, we can blame some of them. These are usually the ones that have marks already on there records for the same patterns and just given pats on their shoulders and sent back on the streets; here also we can blame the under-belly, the current that’s entrenched inside police departments across America. Relevantly enough, there are other officers also,  who do it  for various defunked reasons, these are the ones that have a ax to grind, who sees the loop-holes and take advantage. Now, is it their fault or the fault of the administration who makes up the policy for training and those who train young cadets???. Over the years, even if the training manual and policy says one thing some officers do the other, why is that?

To begin an argument for said reason one would have to go back to the foundation or inception and formation of the police department across America. There, is where one would find the root and essence of our problem. The police departments are made up of who really, it was only a few years ago that ethnicity was introduced to America’s police departments thus, even though we have rank -n-file black police officers in police departments across America, we still find that the problem continue to persist. They are there but they can do very little to combat or radiate these types of shooting or the situation. One of the biggest problem is that black officers, weather they be sergeant or lieutenants are subjected to the same treatment as any other black male on the streets in or out of uniform. And according to a John-Jay College report, even if incidents are reported to some supervisors and Internal Affairs, these incidents are largely put aside.

In other words, ‘filed incidents’ get stop in their tracks. Which means this stinks to high heaven and the buck stops at Capital Hill….(the formation), are you kidding me. The culprit here is racism—the singular current running ramped throughout every police department in America; i.e. (the under-belly-current)) but, weather some officers are racist or not, children should be the exception here. The number of children gun-down by police to-date, is staggering; not one of those children should’ve been in arms way upon the arrival of a officer on a particular scene, unless it’s a situation where its a gang shoot-out or where it calls for it.

Teenage victims classed has unruly to a particular officer, should never be use as an excuse to kill them. For example, the consideration here is that all over the world, boys especially, are introduced to knifes at a very young age and some girls (we call them tom -boys…they usually grow out of it). Here, (I am not advocating that children should go around and use these knifes to do arm, no) but, if a child is carrying a knife, it truly doesn’t mean that this child is going to use it for arm. And we also, truly do understand that there are some very emotional disturb children with depressive mental issues walking the streets. ie (they need help). And yes, we do know that there are kids out there who are followers–without a mind of their own and will fall to peer pressures or want to (fit in)….This includes the truly evil ones. These ladders are exceptions to the rules and shouldn’t be used justifiably for a means to an end.

The youngest child shot-up several times, Jeremy David Mardis, by police, was only 6-years old and he was white; so its not just our kids its everybody’s kids. Again I warned,  “Mind your mine for the jewel of your soul.”  People, we have become a world that is eating our young. We have been allowing the Bible prophecy to come through. Yes, in a very few cases it’s a catch 22, but its not the majority of the cases. This mind-set that some officers are using on the streets towards children have to stop.

  The co-conscious belief is that some of these officers might be pumped with drugs, before hitting the streets. which would be highly inappropriate. Repeating here again, (this stinks to high heaven). There should be some policy or laws on the books, on how officers should handle children ages 21 and down, no matter their color. Police officers on the streets, beat cops, should be thought psychologically more in training especially, how to deal with children. The status quo has to go. Racism as no play in my book when it come to children, do the right thing even if you are a racist cop. Remember, certain powers are what they are, plain evil. And majority of police officers out there that are doing the right thing, should not be penalize for those who don’t do the right thing; it’s always the few that spoil the broth.

Today, 2015, we as a nation should’ve been past this. There was an interview with Barbara Walter, some years ago, where she asked Minister Farracan , if the race issue was still in effect, and he just sat there and looked at her. We all knew what he ment, but no one said any thing the next day. People, we are bigger than this, we can rise above, weather you are of society, proclaimed, rich or poor, when life is winding down you will see that all the hic-cups was for naught. We like having our officers around. Do the right thing officers, and you will always be in good hands, even if you die doing your job.

 DANGEROUS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE

Photographs via Google

By: C. Harrison/Dec 19, 2016/6:12 PM

New York, NY….. Since the inception of new Technological Products, man has worried about there effectiveness and usage for good and bad. Most of them we are told would only be use for the greater good. Well, everything in life was pretty much made out that way, for the greater good of mankind but, in the end we usually get suckered where some of these products are concern.

The latest Products are Laser and Drones and both are becoming increasingly dangerous to our daily lives.  There is a call in our nation to band both.  The FAA have said that they will give Drones users licenses; to those who want to operate commercial drones, that way they can be tracked if something goes wrong or a particular drone is used as a weapon. This I believe is to appease the public’s short term memory.

Over several year’s now we have seen increasing lasers, beamed at pilots coming in and out of our airports; drones crashing all over the place, some flying too close for comfort in the space or height of aircrafts. Warning bells are going off and common sense says, its only a matter of time before both, brings down an aircraft to the ground, if it hasn’t happened already and we were not told. And no, I am not talking about military exercises, we know that it has happened there.

We cannot and shouldn’t wait for this projection to happened. We are calling on Capital Hill, to band the use of commercial drones and band lasers all together from the public because we cannot stop them from getting into the wrong hands. Until we can get them into responsible hands, the band is now more critical than ever, as people are also using them as weapons.

There are exceptions to the rules such as military facilities, law enforcement divisions-agencies and other appropriate entities. There are strives that has been made to allow people to do what they want with these products but again, these products in the wrong hands can be dangerous to us all.  And these two products are just that.

REGGAE ARTIST AT THE GRAMMYS

By: C. Harrison/Dec 18, 2016/5:19 am

YOUR FAVORITE REGGAE ARTISTS ARE BEING NOMINAED IN THE UPCOMING ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS CEREMONIES, WHICH ONE OF THEM WILL BE THE WINNER.  YOUR VOTES ARE NEEDED NOW.  YOUR NOMINEES ARE…

New comer Rocky Dawuni’s  album Branches of the Same Tree was selected for a Grammy nomination in the Best Reggae Album category. According to his publicist, Afro Funke,  Dawuni, is the only non-Jamaican artist, in the running this year and the first Ghanaian to be nominated, is up against some of the heavyweights of modern reggae with his Billboard Top 10 album.

Regarding the recognition, Dawuni said, “I truly feel honored and at the same time humbled. I’ve always focused on giving my best in my work and it’s a good feeling to know that it is being appreciated. I am grateful for the recognition, Branches of the Same Tree, is about stressing the common roots that we all share in this human family. It inspires the listener to aspire to a place of hope. It’s about having faith in the power of compassion and oneness.”

The final ballots to determine Grammy winners are due by January 15, 2016. The 58th Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS.

Posted By: C. Harrison/Dec 16, 2015/6:55 pm

ARTIST SPACE AVAILABLE

Housed in the 1895 landmark building, the original Office of Register, JCAL, finished its second phase of renovation in 2009 and turned this landmark building into a multi-functional arts  & education center with state-of-the-art music classrooms, and rehearsal studios. JCAL has 4 different size dance studios feature central air system, wall to wall mirror, brand new hardwood floor and plenty of light through large window. These studios are  perfect for rehearsals, workshops and teaching sessions.

161-04 Jamaica Avenue, Queens, New York.

Posted By: C. Harrison/Dec 16, 2015/6:22 pm

THEY ARE CALLING IT THE ULTIMATE COUPLES & LOVERS PARTY

Just in time for the holidays, the ultimate couples & lovers party is taking over the Resort World Casino in Queens, NY.  This annual event, presented by Irie Jam Radio, has New York abuzz, as the sweet and soulful sounds of top DJs will fill the Casino’s Upscale ballroom. Love is truly in the air, so come and rock to the sounds of Reggae, Soul and more this Saturday, December 19, with your “soulmate.'”

See ticket locations and more details on the flyer below.

For more information call: 888-474-3692 …… http://www.iriejam.com

Posted: C. Harrison/Dec 16, 2015/6:08 pm

HAVE A VP RECORDS CHRISTMAS

        Get all at your favorite  VP Records retail outlet for your Christmas Gift