Jamaica is large!

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

Dears, Jamaica and Jamaicans are definitely the international flavour of the month as the island and its people are featured on many cable stations and are pulling in the audiences like everybody's business!

For those who missed it last week, TCM was airing Bob Marley and The Wailers Live at the Rainbow in London. It portrayed the late reggae superstar at his electrifying best! The airing of the concert, while entertaining and edifying in many respects, forces the interested to focus on the current state of Jamaican music. In doing so, one could not help but come to the conclusion that the music has been failing to fulfil its promise. Artiste after artiste who come to the fore majors in the mediocre and the banal, contributing to the stagnation and degradation of the music and its potential!

And if that was not bad enough, there's the current feminisation of our young men by the evolving dancehall culture which now makes it acceptable for men not only to bleach their skin, wear makeup, shave their eyebrows and bodies, but also to outdress and outdance their female counterparts in an attempt to 'star'. There is still enough injustice in the world to stir national and international conscience and to give new life to protest and conscious music. Sadly, artistes these days have perfected the art of majoring in the minor and so, real issues get ignored to our own peril, while the pettifogging takes centre stage! Anyway, my dears, while our musical Neros fiddle, Rome burns!

However, still speaking of Jamaica and the international spotlight, the Travel Channel is currently featuring international foodie Andrew Zimmern's recent trip to Jamaica, for his Bizarre Foods show, and luvs, one must confess that the programme's content was far less bizarre than some other destinations! No worms, exotic centipedes or other squiggly, crawly-creature dishes here, only commonplace Jamaican foods. He travelled from Ocho Rios to Kingston, stopping at Faiths Pen, fruit stands in Bog Walk, the crab vendors near National Heroes Park and Hellshire. He crowned the experience with a visit to the home of Richard Chin, dad to the fab singers Tessanne and Tami, for a fusion of Chinese/Jamaican cuisine! Dears, with the charming Jackie Sinclair at his side as tour guide for most of his trip, Zimmern sampled dishes like chicken foot and cow skin soup, curried tripe and beans, mannish water (which he described as very "mannish"), blue draws, and a stop by the Yatty Man, for his taste of his famous yatty (basically a vegetable patty)! Luvs, we are talking fab TV here and some mouth-watering moments, which caused this here writer to motor over to Hellshire the very next day for some escovietched parrot and festival!

And the fab Sheryl Lee Ralph is now guesting on CNN's HLN as a commentator and dishing it like only she can, with that Jamaican accent thrown in for good measure from time to time!

Then, back on the rock to the dull and ignorant. Can someone please put on the mute button? Delano Seiveright is on! Such studious drivel is too much a price to pay for the same freedom of speech he would deny others!

And mon congrats to the esteemed legal luminaries: Justices Algernon Smith, Christopher Bovell and Howard Hamilton, QC, on being recognised and honoured for their contribution to the practice and development of jurisprudence in the territory by the Jamaican Bar Association! Well deserved accolades and acknow-ledgement of three who have distinguished themselves in their chosen field with records of public service and philanthropy!

BIRTHDAYS

And happy birthday wishes to: the lovely former model and beauty queen, Parissa Fitz-Henley Ighani; the lovely Melina Beckford in Florida; charming Winsome Hutchinson; Bulby Campbell, now in Florida; and Marcia Stephenson Joas, formerly of Kingston, now in New York, who all celebrate their birthdays today!

Come tomorrow, those celebrating include the lovely Debi-Ann Chen in Mandeville; businessman Owen Chambers; the charming Sharon Peters at the Ministry of Youth and Culture; Sebastian Cartade in Dallas, Texas; and the fab Sharon Campbell in New York.

On Sunday, socialite and philanthropist, the elegant Julie Jones; the lovely Patrice McHugh of Bars-To-Go: Stephen Sukarie, formerly of Hedonism III, now in New York; and the lovely Sandra Smith-Style, in the United Kingdom; will celebrate their special day!

On Monday, entrepreneuring yachtsman P. J. Gibson; model Keisha Patterson; Shekkyna Francis in Montego Bay; and the fab Heather Christian-Simmonds in Toronto, Canada; make it their own day of celebration!

On Tuesday, media personality Milton Wray; Vanessa Jackson in Sommerset, New Jersey; the lovely Joan Martin in New Jersey; and Pam Brown in Akron, Ohio, will all share the same birthday!

On Wednesday, the fab Karlene Lemaire and the lovely Kim-Marie Spence will celebrate their special day, and the following day Michael-Sean Harris and the lovely Michelle Henney will celebrate!

Then belated birthday wishes to media doyenne Janet Silvera, who celebrated her birthday on Wednesday, as did charming socialite Leila Younis. Plus, musical scion Damion Marley and the charming Angela Patterson, who also celebrated. Many happy returns all around!