Dancehall Reggae "Pull up dat Selekta!!!

Dancehall reggae came on the scene in the 80’s around the same time hip hop was gaining popularity in New York City. This art form was seen as an upstart deviation from years of roots and culture music. The term “dancehall” was used because the crude or “slack” lyrics were not permitted on the Jamaican radio airwaves; consequently the only place where the music got its exposure was in the dance.
Poet Mutabaruka states that “if reggae was red, gold, and green then dancehall was greed and gold”. One of dancehall reggae early notable artists was Yellowman who was famous for lyrics that challenged what was acceptable to say on a record. Like hip hop dancehall reggae was promoted by the “soundman” the “selekta” a.k.a. the DJ, who would spin ’45 records at street parties in Jamaica. Furthermore, one hip hops pioneers Kool Herc, came from the Jamaican DJ scene.
This raw and uncut genre represents the poor, those who come from the slum, the ghetto, the gully. Artist such as Bounty Killer “the poor people’s governor” and Mavado “the real McCoy” “Mr. Casava Peace”remind listeners of the plight of the yut dem weh come from outta dih guttah.
Many individuals focus on the negative aspects of the art form. Critics reference excessively sexual lyrics, homophobic lyrics, and the glorification of the gangster lifestyle as reasons for banning or censoring dancehall music. Although those against dancehall are right about its some of its hatefull natures, dancehall continues to be the voice of many unheard individual and it bridges the gap between the uptown folk and the downtown folk.
I have always had a love and fascination with dancehall reggae, which could be compared to the love for hip hop expressed in the movie “Brown Sugar”. When thinking of music from my middle school and high school I can tend to get a little nostalgic. I remember dancing the peppa seed, the skettel riddim while singing “gyal from yuh born yuh nuh walk wid nuh moli arm wen yuh go walk di street yuh always smellin sweet”. I remember every Beenieman song being a hit, “ol dawg like we, we hafi have dem inna twos and threes”. Who can forget “gimme dih gyal weh got di wickedest slam di kinda gyal weh kno fi luv up she man”.
I cant talk about dancehall without showing love to the real stars of it all the DJ’s. Big ups to Fire Linxx, Stone Love, Tony Matterhorn, Renaissance sound, Adonai, Chinese Assassin, Black Chiney, Mighty Crown “the far east ruler”. Dancehall goes from the streets of Kingston to Flatbush NY to GA Ave in DC (bug up Crossroads, big up Red Gyal Prod. Big up Frenchie from the Setting and the Etheopians outside Citibank across from PG Plaza who sell CD’s), to Miami, Belize City, Panama City (big up Rio Abajo, Juan Diaz and SuperQ radio) to Africa , Japan, UK, Sweden, Toronto. Dancehall is everywhere. I love reggae in its rawest form. There’s nothing that compare to being in Mandeville Jamaica and asking the “cassette man” if he got last weeks dance. Who know maybe next time I’m in Jamaica me and the “cassette man” will light up a spliff and chill to the sounds of Capleton singing ganja! Ganja! Ganja! Ganja! That alone mi se mi want pon mi varanda ganja! Ganja! Ganja! Ganja! spring and summa and autumn and winta… kaboom…. BOMBOCLAAT STAR!!!!

Affirmative Action

The subject of affirmative action has proven to be highly controversial, because a strong case can be made to justify or contend with this procedure. I believe that it is not only a necessary tool, but also one that has proven effective. Although it can be argued not much can be done to help the poor, this project has opened doors for individuals that otherwise would have been possibly overlooked.
Today one is able to see woman minorities in positions that were previously dominated by Caucasian males. Many other positions have also been replenished by women and minorities, such as professional sports coaches, presidents of universities and corporate executives. Although one can say that these leaders have the knowledge and merit for their jobs, the individuals that paved the way for Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton and Tony Dungy needed affirmative action to be able to demonstrate that people of color and women can excel in America. Without affirmative action many individuals would not have been denied the platform to display their talents.
Affirmative action is not exempt from having negative effects, and at times undermines the efforts of minorities who obtain executive positions. Recently, in order to down play Justice Sonya Sotomayor’s credentials, conservatives in the government and media made implications that her appointment to the Supreme Court was from affirmative action. Situations like these, when outstanding intellect is not adequately given respect, give testament to various negative aspects of affirmative action on minorities.
The Hispanic community continues to grow in America at rapid rates, and it is expected by 2042, they will become the majority population in this country. This statistic has become alarming for many white males who ask if affirmative action policies would apply to them. The notion that Anglo-Saxon males would require such policies is absurd because it focuses on population size, and ignores the factors of wealth and power. Europeans, who had established colonies in Africa and the Caribbean, controlled most of the wealth and government, while being the minority. This proves that majority in numbers does not always constitute an advantage.
The problem of black poverty, wealth, and power will prove problematic to resolve. Affirmative action cannot completely solve the problems of black America, but it has helped people of color advance, and acquire economic stability. Dr. Cornel West sums it up best when he wrote, “if affirmative action disappeared from America, people of color would still succeed, but the message to the country would be lethal. It would suggest that the white majority has one less constraint, and black people have one more reason to lose trust in the promise of American democracy".

Negro y Orgulloso (I'm Black and I'm proud)

For years black latinos have had to deny african heritage to identify with their nationality. The problem for many afro-latinos is juggling their desire for common nationalisn and their african heritage. I'm not black I'm dominican puerto rican, colombiano, panameneo must end in 2009! Don't call me a spanish nigga I'm not from Spain! Cuando me hablas no necesito cariñitos de mi piel por que orgulloso soy, no sabias que todas las civilizaciones vinieron del Africa! Ta bien entoces? Mira! Yo no soy mulatito ni morenito, negrito, meztizo nada de esa vaina soy Afro latino afro-caribeño, antillano, mirame pero mirame bien! Has your black ass ever been to a latin restaurant or biusiness and gotten no service till you spoke in spanish. We have been 2nd class for to long!!! Latin america needs a civil rights movement NOW!!!!

Bluemoons, Red Stripes and Budweisers

As race continues being the center of attention I couldn't help but write some of my thoughts on recent events. While watching Larry King Live Mr. Larry Elder said "the Cambridge Sgt. should tell the President to take his beer and shove it". Mr Elder Mr. Elder... the President doesn't need to apologize or shove anything, Sgt. Crawley indeed acted stupidly. Folks this is not an issue of racial profiling its an issue of a civil servant abusing his power. Police officers, fire fighters, and other government employees must serve the community. The difference between a police officer and other civil servants is in the badge and gun. Yes the Sgt. Crawley was doing his job by responding to the emergency call, but the moment it was determined that Prof Gates was in his home his job was finished. Any person being disturbed at night and accused of breaking into his own home would be upset regardless of their ethnicity. The officer should apologize to Dr. Gates for the inconvenience and misunderstanding and left. Instead he expressed a common attitude of arrogance displayed by several members of law enforcement and arrested the professor who was later released with out a criminal charge. I call this POLICE BRUTALITY and FALSE IMPRISONMENT!!!! So now this is been called a teachable situation, and we have learned that u cant offend the police because it takes a President to take on a whole police force. Second even when you are a black Harvard professor you do not deserve respect in your own home, so sucks for me cause I'm young, black and speak with an accent oh yeah I didn't go to an Ivy league school. And last but not least the white establishments of this country have no remorse or empathy for these situation because we have black mayors, governors and a black president. So America cant be racist right? Officer Crawley take your badge and shove it!!!

Nursing and Public Policy

Involvement in politics is an important activity for nurses that advance our profession while improving the public’s health. Participating in the public health arena is key to achieving excellence in clinical practice, scholarship and education for nursing. Pres. John F. Kennedy once said "there are risks and costs to a program of action but they are far less than the long-term risks and cost of comfortable inaction,
All aspects of nursing education, practice and research are impacted by public policy. Hall-Long (2009) states that health care now consumes over 17% of the gross domestic product with 70% of expenditures on 10% of those with a chronic illness. This finding is evidence that it is critical for nurses to direct national and state health policy. State health policy includes the governments action or inaction addressing the well been of its citizens.
Public Policy is a field in which nurses must intervene and be stellar to advance the publics health. Direct public health issue may be varied and include nurse shortage, environmental threats, chronic illness, health inequality, the increase in the number of uninsured and threats to public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Given today’s economy and several global threats, it is imperative that nurses provide guidance in domestic public policy matters.
In an April article (Hall-Long 2009) mentions the necessity for nurses to be involved in community organizing in order to make certain differences. Community organizing entails numerous levels of alliances, human and nonhuman resources, skilled communication, outreach, application of data, and working with the community, neighborhood leaders and policymakers for positive changes. Pres. Barack Obama (1990) stated in his book After Alinsky: Community organizing in Illinois "in theory, community organizing provides a way to merge various strategies for neighborhood empowerment. Organizing begins with the premise that the problems facing communities do not result from a lack of effective solutions, but from a lack of power to implement these solutions. The only way for communities to build long-term power is by organizing people and money around a common vision. Viable organization can only be achieved if broadly based indigenous leadership and not one or two charismatic leaders can knit together the diverse interests of their local institutions. This means bringing together churches, block clubs, parent groups and any other institutions in a given community to pay dues, hire organizers, conduct research, develop leadership, hold rallies and education campaigns, and begin drawing up plans on a whole range of issues jobs, education, crime, etc. Once such a vehicle is formed, it holds the power to make politicians, agencies and corporations more responsive to community needs".
Hall-Long (2009) reports that nurses are educated for a political journey. Example of this theory can be found in skill that most nurses hold such as communication, advocacy, listening and problem solving. Frequent mistakes that nurses advocates make are to be to over zealous in their political approach. Often nurses my underestimate the time amount of time it might take to get a bill passes or regulation changed.
Nurses are part of society on a personal level; therefore our economic and social values may occasionally conflict with certain political platform that our profession may support. It is important for a nurse to be aware of his or her values to avoid political and ethical conflicts.
As nurses we must consider that if no one speaks for nurses on issues who will? It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. In politics how you play the game can determine the outcome of a specific issue. Nurses have great power in numbers and much to offer in crafting policy. If we stick together, "yes we can".
　 　
References
Hall-Long, Bethany (2009). Nursing and public policy: A tool for excellence in education, practice and research. Mosby Nursing Outlook, 57, 78-83.
Obama, Barack (1990). After Alinsky: Community Organizing in Illinois. Illinois Issues, University of Illinois at Springfield, Chapter 4, 35-40.

The Nursing Shortage

The nursing profession is facing a shortage; experts believe that it will reach a crisis level in the next 10 to 15 years. Many of our colleagues are preparing for retirement, while others leave the field for various reasons, making this a problem that requires a lot of attention.
The Journal of Nursing Administration states in an August 2008 issue that “Research clearly links baccalaureate prepared nurses to lower mortality and failure to rescue rates. The latest studies published confirm the findings of several previous studies which link education level and patient outcomes. Efforts to address the nursing shortage must focus on preparing more baccalaureate prepared nurses in order to ensure access to high quality, safe patient care.”
According to a 2008 study by Johnson & Johnson, when patients and families are affected by illness, they instill a great level of trust in nurses. Nurses are on the front-line of health care, providing the comfort, care, and support that families need to heal. By the year 2020, more than 500,000 registered nurses will be needed to meet the fast growing demands of the nation's health care system. Interest in nursing careers remains strong, but nearly 30,000 qualified applicants were turned away from more than 400 entry-level nursing programs in 2008.
How do we resolve this shortage issue? It can be agreed that addressing this healthcare problem and fixing it will result in better patient care. All objectives should be geared towards providing the best patient care to the members of our communities.
According to an article by Johnson and Johnson, enrollment in nursing programs is on the rise for the eighth consecutive year. While this increase indicates a positive trend, it is not enough to meet future nursing workforce demands. Although the enrollment increase is welcome, there are insufficient to meet the projected demand for nursing clinicians, educators and researchers needed for the future. Lack of faculty, clinical sites and classroom space, along with budget cuts at nursing colleges are recognized as the main reasons for not accepting qualified applicants. For nursing schools to effectively address the current and future nursing shortage, ways must be found to expand student capacity and accommodate all qualified applicants.
A collective effort is required to find resolve to the nursing shortage, including using the current workforce more efficiently, retaining RNs that are currently employed, and expanding the size of the future workforce by funding educational programs and recruiting diverse population.
Christopher Musillo Esq. of the Hammond Law Group states in his immigration blog that many have looked at immigration reform as a means of solving the nursing shortage. Foreign nurses are eager to come to the United States and pursue careers in this field. Currently the US government has placed a retrogression act, making work visas unavailable to foreign nurses. This law prevents foreign workers from being able to render their services across all areas of the healthcare system.
Mr. Musillo continues to inform that several individuals are concerned that employing foreign trained nurses will decrease the amount jobs available to nurses who are citizens of the United States. Statistic have proven that there should be no cause for alarm due to the rapid turnover rate of nursing jobs, along with the inability of nursing schools to accept qualified applicants, and the projected increase of the nursing shortage. The problems involving nursing and staffing is both a short term as well as a long problem, and foreign nurses can be used as one of the ways to resolve this issue.
In conclusion, there are several objectives that influence different types of legislature to provide a better quality of care for patients. Having proper conditions, as well as adequate staffing will increase hospital efficiency, and decrease countless mistakes that are made as a result of lack of personnel. Efforts must focus on the fact that there is nothing more important than the health of individuals.



References
American Association of Colleges of nursing (2009). Nursing Shortage Fact Sheet. Retrieved on July 12, 2009. From: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media/pdf/NrsgShortageFS.pdf
Hammond, John S., Keeney, Ralph L., Raiffa, Howard (1999). Problem. Making Smart Choices. Boston, MA, Harvard Business School Press, p. 15 – 28.
Hammond, John S., Keeney, Ralph L., Raiffa, Howard (1999). Objectives. Making Smart Choices. Boston, MA, Harvard Business School Press, p. 29 – 43.
Johnson & Johnson Servicing Inc. (2008). Nurses Shine as America's Most Trusted Profession. Retrieved on July 12, 2009. From: http://www.discovernursing.com/newsletter_view.aspx?id=77
Musillo, Christopher Esq. (2009). National Nurses Week. Hammond Law Group Blog. Retrieved on July 12, 2009. From: http://hammondlawgroup.blogspot.com/