#Caribbean Quarterly

[jahbillah]

On distant drums

The Drums of Count Ossie We need to give proper consideration specifically to the Buru (or Burru) tradition as well. Among the Buru drummers of the first half of the twentieth century was one outstanding and very influential musician who, like Babu Bryan, remains unknown to most Jamaicans, not to mention the rest of the world. The man I am referring to is Watta King. Not to be confused with the…

View On WordPress

#2010 #african #Baba Job #Babu Bryan #Bob Marley #BURRU #Buru #Caribbean Quarterly #Count Ossie #Distant Drums #drumming #drums #grounation #KENNETH BILBY #Nyabinghi #Nyabingi #RASTA #Skully Simms #The Unsung Contribution of African-Jamaican Percussion to Popular Music at Home and Abroad #Watta King

[comicsart3]

Tara, Outlaw of the Universe, was unusual for a Golden Age heroine in that she led an outlaw gang of men, Robin Hood-style, in an effort to save earth from any number of monsters, pirates and aliens looking to destroy it. Tara’s outlaw status, together with that of her sidekicks, Robin and Malo, occurred when they were forced to provoke war between Earth and Mars when the Martian ambassador freed the evil pirate Atto, whom Tara had captured and had brought back to earth to face justice. Although her adventures were action-packed, Tara enjoyed a run of just six comics, the last five issues of Wonder Comics and her final jaunt in a single story in Thrilling Comics. Basically Tara and her friends were an interplanetary version of Pirates of the Caribbean, but despite the silliness, the stories are great fun, and Tara herself a resourceful leader of men.

In the page featured a disguised Tara and Robin are on Mars, hunting for a serum to cure a deadly virus unleashed on Earth by a dancer named Leela who turns out to be a Martian spy. They really should have made an RKO TV series out of Tara’s adventures.

This page is from the Tara story The Death That Grew, published in Wonder Comics #20 (October 1948). Art was by Gene Fawcette.

Source: Darkworlds Quarterly website, March 2020 and comicbookplus

#women in comics #strong woman #wonder comics #Tara pirate of the universe #golden age comic book heroines #golden age of comics #space adventures

[qqueenofhades]

is there a way that colonialism could have been done where it wouldn't be frowned upon by historians? I'm not trying to be condescending or rude or anything. I'm genuinely curious. People have traveled here to start a new life, and they need a place to settle. Honestly, my history is failing me. Did the pilgrims want more land than what they had and drove out the Natives that way?

Hooo boy. There is... a lot going on here.

Basically, and this is nicely as I can possibly say it, "people traveled here to start a new life and they need a place to settle" is straight-up white supremacist mythology about the origins of America and how it was established, and the fact that you're repeating it shows how successfully it has been integrated into what (little) history is actually taught. It's the same school of thought that presents Thanksgiving as a nice hand-holding meeting between the Puritans (the good guys! Founding America! Not at all religious extremists who had been kicked out of England for being, indeed, too religiously extremist) and the friendly Natives! Aww, so much fraternity. Or.... indeed, not so much.

If you are interested in learning how America was actually established as a settler-colonial country by white Europeans through mass violence, centuries-long genocide, and viciously and institutionally discriminatory legal and social measures, the terrible impact that this had on existing Native cultures and peoples, and how this was all retroactively justified and packaged in the narrative of "Manifest Destiny" and religious (Christian) triumphalism, I recommend:

Anghie, Antony. “The Evolution of International Law: Colonial and Postcolonial Realities”, Third World Quarterly (27), 2006, 739-53.

Bushman, Claudia. America Discovers Columbus: How An Italian Explorer Became an American Hero (Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1992)

Churchill, Ward. “The Law Stood Squarely On Its Head: U.S. Legal Doctrine, Indigenous Self-Determination and the Question of World Order”, Oregon Law Review (81), 2002.

Churchill, Ward. A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas 1492 to the Present (San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1997).

Greenblatt, Stephen. Marvelous Possessions: The Wonder of the New World (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992)

Hall, Anthony J. Earth Into Property: Colonization, Decolonization, and Capitalism (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2010)

Huhndorf, Shari N. Going Native: Indians in the American Cultural Imagination (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2002)

Morris, Glenn T. “Vine Deloria, Jr., and the Development of a Decolonizing Critique of Indigenous Peoples and International Relations” in Native Voices: American Indian Identity and Resistance (Grounds, Tinker, & Wilkins, eds.) (Lawrence, KS University Press of Kansas, 2003)

Newcomb, Steven T. Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery (Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishers, 2008)

Saito, Natsu Taylor. Meeting the Enemy: American Exceptionalism  and International Law (New York: New York University Press, 2010)

Tinker, Tink, and Freeland, Mark. “Thief, Slave Trader, and Murder: Christopher Columbus and Caribbean Population Decline”, Wicazo Sa Review (2008) 25-50.

#anonymous #ask #history #history of racism #history of genocide #american history #cw white supremacy

[ausetkmt]

Americas Quarterly: Slavery Reparations in the Caribbean: What to Expect?

[gravalicious]

I speak now as a novelist and teacher, and I do so without any trace of rancour. The literature of social sciences often forces one to consider a distinction to be made between the statistical mind and a creative imagination. The first seek evidence everywhere except through the direct observation of people in the act of living: men and women who never think themselves as a percentage of anything. The creative imagination is always made aware that language is not just a tool or instrument for measuring the statistics of scarcity. Language is at the heart and horizon of every human consciousness, it is the process which enables us to conceive in human experience; the verbal memory which reconstructs our past, and offers it back as the only spiritual possession which allows us to reflect on who we are and what we might become. But it is not inherited, every child, in every culture, has to learn it as their necessary initiation into society. It is, perhaps, the most sacred of all human creations. We abuse it at our peril. It is matter for regret to say that the writing of many of our economists, and the fraternity of social scientists is almost suicidal in its abuse. I make this insistence because the debate on regional integration has been conducted by men and women who are largely of these fundamental truths. My first example concerns the word, development, which has become an inseparable component of every prescription for our survival and progress. It is, perhaps, the most dangerously toxic word in our vocabulary. It encourages a wide range of distortions about the meaning of human personality, and the material base that would allow for the cultivation of a critical and reflective self-consciousness which is, ultimately, the raison d'etre of a human existence. This word, development, is related to the assumption of a hierarchical distance between what are called primitive societies, and their transition to a state of material advancement which emulates the dubious comfort and conveniences of modern industrial societies but the human content of these societies, and the dynamics of social relations within each, often escape the attention of the specialists. It is sometimes a vocabulary which defies all reality.

George Lamming - COMING, COMING, COMING HOME (Dedicated to the Late Gordon Lewis) [Caribbean Quarterly, vol. 39, no. 1, 1993, pp. 43–59]

George Lamming (8/6/1927 - 4/6/2022). Rest In Peace.

#george lamming #development #social science #caribbean #west indies #political economy #regional integration

[grantgoddard]

My elderly mother, secret deregulated telecoms entrepreneur? : 2014 : Virgin Mobile

“Just putting you through, dear.” Thousands of calls received each day demanding telephone numbers of businesses and individuals across the country. Shelves of phone directories and ‘Yellow Pages’ for every area of the UK. Banks of phones with operators wearing headsets sat at desks, staring into flickering screens. An impending deal with the Caribbean island of Nevis to ‘offshore’ customer service to a new call centre opened by the country’s premier where staff could be paid as little as £300 per month. My mother was doing all this?

From the early days of telephony, Britain’s ‘directory enquiries’ service had been a successful ‘public service’ available free by dialling ‘192’ to speak with a helpful human being until … Tory government dogma forced privatisation of the country’s phone system in 1984. You can tell Sid that Thatcher’s promise to Britain’s financially illiterate population that they could sit on their sofa and ‘get rich quick’ by merely purchasing a few shares in former public utilities was an outright lie. In 1991, users of ‘192’ started to be charged for the service, despite British taxpayers having contributed billions since 1912 to build the country’s public telegraphy system. Why were we now required to pay shareholders for the privilege of using a service that generations had already paid for?

A Labour government in 2003 opened up the previously singular ‘192’ service to ‘entrepreneurs’ who were permitted to charge an arm and a leg for a brief call to request a phone number. The government regulator did nothing to control this legalised extortion until 2015, by which time there were 200 competing private ‘directory enquiry’ services, all allocated phone numbers that started ‘118’. How on earth were the public expected to choose between so many companies charging varying prices for exactly the same information? What had once been a universal free ‘192’ service had been transformed into a costly logistical nightmare for consumers in the name of ‘market choice’. Unsurprisingly, the number of callers to directory services fell by 38% PER ANNUM after 2014.

Visiting my mother’s home, I saw no signs of a ‘directory enquiries’ start-up business in her tiny terraced house in the Home Counties. In fact, her landline phone rarely rang at all and quarterly bills I received listed few calls. Neither was there space in her postage-stamp back garden for a ’home office’ shed. No computer was visible in the house either because, in the 1980’s, her workplace accounts department’s upgrade from handwritten ledgers to huge concertinaed computer printouts had traumatised her, necessitating me to help interpret and reconcile them on our kitchen table. Despite this overwhelming lack of evidence, nothing could convince Virgin Mobile that my mother was not operating a ‘directory enquiries’ business on her phoneline … whose number happened to begin ‘0118’, as did all landlines in the Reading area. It started like this:

• 6 December 2014 @ 1600. I phoned my mother’s landline on my Virgin Mobile phone, its roaming function enabled, to let her know I had arrived safely in Spain. We spoke for 11 minutes. • 7 December 2014 @ 2004. I phoned my mother again. We spoke for 3 minutes. • 9 December 2014 @ 1841. I phoned my mother again. We spoke for 13 minutes. • 14 December 2014 @ 1708. I phoned my mother again. We spoke for 16 minutes.

I tried to use my mobile phone later that week and found my account had been suspended. I logged in online and was surprised to find that Virgin Mobile believed my maximum monthly credit limit had already been exceeded. The four calls to my mother were bizarrely billed as “Roaming Directory Enquiries” with amounts of £30.15, £9.30, £36.90 and £44.76 respectively (plus VAT at 20%). I had regularly called my mother from abroad, where I usually worked, and never encountered this problem previously. Her phone number had not changed. Evidently, a fault must recently have been introduced into Virgin Mobile’s billing system. I expected it to be quickly fixed once I explained the mistake. For heaven’s sake, who would call a ‘directory enquiries’ number and talk for 16 minutes?

I was so so wrong. I am sufficiently ancient to recall a long-gone era when ‘customer service’ meant listening to a client’s problem and then doing the utmost to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. I am evidently a dinosaur. Call a helpline now and you might speak with someone in the Philippines whose purpose is to never admit corporate liability for any mistake, to direct you to a non-existent web page and to read a lengthy on-screen script (pre-approved by lawyers) that has zero pertinence to your issue. Having been a customer of Virgin Media for more than a decade, I had already suffered pain trying to get the simplest problems fixed. On one occasion, my wife became so angry with its ‘customer service’ that she had demanded the mobile number of its departmental boss and, phoning it, he answered only to explain he was presently aboard his yacht. How the other half live!

I persevered anyway, phoning Virgin’s customer service to complain twice on 18 December and again on 5 January, calls for which I was charged £12.62 because I was abroad. I was attempting to avoid my impending 6 January invoice being mistakenly inflated. I was lied to, told that my query would be investigated and I would be called back within 24 hours. I was disbelieved, told that I must have forgotten that I had used ‘directory enquiries’ to call my mother, even though her landline is ex-directory. I was fobbed off, told that the issue could not be investigated until Virgin had dispatched my next monthly invoice. I was told I could pay the overcharged amounts immediately so as to restore my credit limit, enabling me to make further calls. I was even told that, because my mother's UK phone number started with '0118', she MUST be a ‘directory enquiries’ service. Remarkably, one customer services person admitted that a previous customer services person I had spoken to had lied to me when having promised to resolve the problem.

Virgin’s invoice arrived and included the overcharges, forcing me to submit an online complaint on 9 January. I received an automated confirmation but no response. I sent the same complaint by letter to Virgin’s complaints department in Swansea. I received no response. I was forced to let Virgin take the £145 overcharge from my bank account or my mobile service would never be resumed.

Now I was unable to call my mother for fear of incurring further crazy charges. Though she had a mobile phone my sister had bought for her, she habitually left it in a drawer uncharged. I added cash to my Skype account but 99% of attempts to call her landline failed as I was told her number did not exist, had been disconnected or was permanently ‘busy’, none of which were true. I had to resort to using phone booths in Spanish internet cafés or calling my sister’s mobile when I knew she was visiting my mother, neither of which enabled frequent communication. To my frail mother, it must have seemed like sudden ‘radio silence’ from her eldest son.

By March 2015, having received no response from Virgin, I registered a formal complaint with ‘CISAS’, the organisation arbitrating customer complaints against Virgin Mobile. In April, it responded that “we have received confirmation from the communications provider that they are settling your claim in full” and it “now has 20 working days to provide you with everything you claimed”. That should have been the end of the four-month affair … except that Virgin Mobile did not pay!

You might imagine CISAS would chase Virgin Mobile for payment on behalf of the customer. You would be wrong. My subsequent correspondence with CISAS to inform that Virgin had still not paid was met with indifference: “We note the points and concerns you have raised and will be contacting the company. We will revert back to you promptly…" Except it never did.

In June 2015, I wrote to CISAS again: “You have failed to “revert back to [me] promptly”, as stated in your correspondence below. It is more than a month since I sent my e-mail to you noting that Virgin Mobile had failed to execute any of the agreed remedies from April 2015. It is more than three months since I submitted my complaint about Virgin Mobile to CISAS. You have failed to address the questions raised in my e-mail of 13 May. I continue to be making expenditures as a direct result of Virgin Mobile failing to remedy the billing problem I initially raised with them in December 2014…”

By July 2015, having received no response, I lodged a complaint about CISAS’ inaction to a related organisation named ‘IDRS’. Although I had been informed in March by CISAS that Virgin Mobile had agreed to settle my claim in full, it appeared that, after refusing to pay, Virgin wished to open up a new attack front on my complaint which it suddenly wanted to pursue to the bitter end. There followed a completely bizarre, intense correspondence in which I had to provide a detailed ‘defence’ to Virgin’s accusations in correspondence with an IDRS employee named “Jean-Marie Sadio BA (Hons) Bsc ( Hons) ACIarb” [sic].

Tellingly, Virgin Mobile now claimed to have sent me a letter dated 10 March 2015 in which it had mentioned the value of compensation I was seeking, a value I had not calculated until nine days later when my complaint to CISAS was submitted. Perhaps Virgin’s litigator had been dozing during Law School lectures, daydreaming that ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ was a reality movie. The reason I had never received Virgin’s letter was because it was evidently a work of post factum fiction.

Another of Virgin’s fictions in March was its assurance that it had “take[n] action to prevent future overcharges” when I called my mother’s landline. Strange because a short test call I made to my mother on 4 April 2015 was still charged at the exorbitant ‘directory enquiries’ rate. At any point during this gigantic waste of time, all it needed was for one of Virgin’s thousands of employees to have called my mother’s phone number in order to verify that it was not in fact a ‘directory enquiries’ service. I am certain my mother would have been happy to give the Virgin staffer a forthright piece of her mind, had they requested the phone number of the nearest pizza takeaway.

Happy ending? Not really. Later in 2015, I did eventually receive the compensation amount from Virgin Mobile I had been promised in March, but only after this ridiculously long and exhausting struggle. What a way to run a railroad!

However, what was not returned to me was the ability to call my mother’s home phone from my mobile without incurring further massive expenses. Skype was still rejecting 99% of my calls to her number, despite attempts every few days. In Spain, the waiting time to install a home landline was more than a year. As a result, between December 2014 and the tragic episode when my mother contracted COVID whilst waiting to be discharged from hospital after a successful minor operation then died at home in March 2021, my ability to communicate with her from overseas had been reduced to almost zero.

In my mind, Virgin Mobile looms large over memories of the final years of my mother’s life. In this brave new world where global communication is supposed to have been made so straightforward, nothing can replace the loss of personal contact I suffered during her last days. COVID travel restrictions conspired against my presence during her final months on Earth and at her funeral.

#Grant Goddard #Spain #travel

[gaykarstaagforever]

I have no idea how many Toy Stories there are now, and I refuse to check.

In my head there is the plot of the first one, and then it ends with them being put in a big fire. And the audience is crying for some reason. Oh and there are creepy ventriloquist dummies that do something? And a pink bear who is an old man? Is this stuff from dreams? I'm not sure.

I'm not taking it away from you if you love all...5? 8? of these. But I also challenge you to tell me the plot of each one of them, from memory. Because I think nostalgia and people mixing and matching scenes from all of them into one probably more interesting movie is most of why people "love" these.

All I know is that the first one is the best but has the wonkiest CG, because they invented a lot of CG specifically for that movie. But it has a timeless charm because of that and a good, if slow and kind of low-stakes, story. The rest are just mid corporate product whatevers made by a gross man until he got fired for being gross.

...This might be akin to the Pirates of the Caribbean situation, where I am the only person on earth who apparently tapped out after the first one (which was only like a B- anyway), and I don't understand why people have a raging passion for what seems to be generally cynical, heartless, quarterly revenue content.

Please tell me why Toy Story is the best franchise ever and I'm a monster for not getting it. Because I'm a toy collector who in real life forms emotional attachments to plastic, and the only thing from these movies that ever really grabbed me was that weird doll-spider.

Good guy. Much love to weird customs. Live your dreams.

#toy story #disney #pixar #tagging dislike

[inveswithdavid]

Fortis Stock: What Your $1,000 Investment in 2014 Would Be Worth Today

Choosing the right stocks for a retirement portfolio is crucial for long-term financial security. One stalwart in this regard has been Fortis (TSX:FTS) stock, providing investors with a sound sleep over the past decade. With its capital doubling and an 84% total dividend raise, Fortis has proven to be a reliable choice. Let's delve into why considering Fortis and other utilities is a prudent move when building a retirement portfolio.

Fortis in the Spotlight

Fortis, an electric and gas utility, boasts $66 billion in assets and serves markets in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean Islands. With an impressive track record of consistent dividend growth over 50 years, Fortis stands as a dividend aristocrat, rivaling Canadian Utilities Corp's dividend growth streak.

A Decade of Growth: Total Return Performance

A $1,000 investment in Fortis stock since January 2014 could have grown to $2,600 today, showcasing a robust 159% total return, equivalent to a 10% compound annual return over the decade. In comparison, a similar investment in the broader TSX would have yielded $2,000. Fortis stock outperformed the market by almost 60% during this period.

Factors Driving Fortis' Success

Several factors contributed to Fortis' impressive performance. Organic business growth through well-planned investment programs, strategic acquisitions – notably, the US$4.3 billion deal for UNS Energy in 2014 and the US$11.8 billion acquisition of ITC Holdings in 2016 – and consistent dividend growth played pivotal roles. The company's resilient, regulated business model ensures predictable cash flows, even during economic downturns.

Dividends: A Key Player

Dividends played a crucial role in compounding investor returns on FTS stock. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 84%, averaging an annual growth rate of 6.6%. Fortis remains committed to its dividend growth plans, aiming for a 4% to 6% annual raise during the 2024-2028 period.

The True Value of a Fortis Stock Investment

Despite facing challenges like rising interest rates and inflationary pressures, Fortis stock's true value lies in its long-term stability and the promise of growing regular dividends. The stock provides investors with less volatile capital and reliable, growing dividends, making it a commendable choice for generational wealth creation.

Is It Time to Buy?

Fortis stock presents an attractive option for long-term investors building stable retirement portfolios. Currently valued at 14 times forward free cash flow, half its 2022 multiple, the stock's plans to retire coal-powered plants by 2032 position it well for a green future. With a current five-year capital investment program and potential 4.3% dividend yield for 2024, Fortis stock remains a solid choice.

Potential Risks and Conclusion

While risks such as extreme weather conditions, increased competition, and regulatory constraints should be monitored, Fortis stock's long-term potential as a retirement investment appears bullish. Diversification across other stocks and asset classes can mitigate risks and enhance the portfolio's chances of meeting investment goals. In summary, Fortis stock stands as a pillar for a robust and secure retirement portfolio.

#TSX FTS #FTS #TSX stocks #FTS stocks

[moremarketresearch]

The Latin American smartphone market grew 17% in Q3 2023, breaking downward trend

The Latin American smartphone market grew 17% in Q3 2023, breaking downward trend. Canalys' latest analysis of the Latin American smartphone market reveals a strong resurgence in shipments in Q3 2023 following six consecutive quarters of decline. Shipments into the region grew by 17% year-on-year to reach 31.8 million units. This surge in growth materialized following a period of channel inventory stabilization, coupled with a favorable consumer environment preceding the peak sales season. Samsung maintained a firm grip on the top spot, growing 2% annually and capturing 31% market share. This was driven by the robust expansion of its budget-friendly A-series, complemented by efficient channel and inventory management tactics. Motorola secured second place with a 19% market share, despite declining 2%. Its decline predominantly stemmed from its mid-to-high-end devices. The standout performers of the quarter were Xiaomi and TRANSSION, who boasted annual growth rates of 43% and 159%, respectively. Xiaomi recovered in its core markets such as Chile, Mexico and Peru, while TRANSSION continues to build on its niche markets-focused strategy via the Infinix and Tecno brands. Apple rounded out the top five with a 4% market share, declining 9% year-on-year. “In Q3 2023, the region’s key markets grew by double-digits amid improved demand and vendors pushing refreshed portfolios ahead of the holiday season,” said Miguel Perez, Senior Consultant at Canalys. “Brazil and Mexico returned to growth, fueled by improved economic projections, inventory stabilization and demand recovery. Chile showed signs of economic stabilization following measures implemented during the pandemic that significantly affected consumption until the first half of 2023. Central America and Peru are emerging as key markets to new vendors, where TRANSSION, HONOR and ZTE grew by triple digits. The Colombian market was the sole exception to the region’s growth, grappling with an 11% downturn caused by diminishing economic activity during the quarter, linked to the strategic decision by the Bank of the Republic to elevate interest rates, a move aimed at stabilizing the economy and mitigating persistent high inflation.” The standout vendors in Q3 2023 were the Chinese players Xiaomi, TRANSSION, HONOR, OPPO and ZTE. Xiaomi's 43% growth allowed it to reach its highest quarterly volume ever in Latin America. Its performance was particularly strong in Brazil, Mexico and Chile, driven by the Redmi 12, 12C, Note 12S and Note 12 4G. TRANSSION continued to leverage the region’s commonly untapped markets such as Central America, the Caribbean and Ecuador, even increasing its shipments. Beyond the top five, HONOR was the highest-growing vendor, up 123% year on year. HONOR is following a similar channel strategy that Huawei employed a few years ago to gain ground and its progress in Latin America is important amid its IPO ambitions. OPPO and ZTE grew 47% and 88% respectively, and have recovered in key markets such as Mexico, Colombia and Peru, amid healthier inventory levels. “Despite the substantial growth in Q3 and the optimistic outlook for Q4 2023, the mid-to-long-term perspective for Latin America remains uncertain,” commented Perez. “Social and political uncertainties are poised to inject volatility in demand, leading vendors to brace for significant fluctuations in market performance. However, the overarching trend is anticipated to be one of growth, as the persistent need for smartphones will drive continued installed base growth over the coming years. Vendors eyeing an established long-term position should prioritize strategic planning over tactical short-term decisions. This includes ensuring local profitability, continuing robust inventory management practices, offering devices with a clear brand message, and nurturing channel relationships. Emphasizing these strategic pillars is crucial, especially with the anticipated surge in the refresh cycle of low-to-mid-range devices bought in 2021 expected next year.” LATAM smartphone shipments and annual growth  Canalys Smartphone Market Pulse: Q3 2023 Vendor Q3 2023 shipments (million) Q3 2023  market share Q3 2022  shipments (million) Q3 2022  market share Annual  growth Samsung 9.7 31% 9.6 35% 2% Motorola 6.0 19% 6.2 23% -2% Xiaomi 5.8 18% 4.1 15% 43% Transsion 3.0 10% 1.2 4% 159% Apple 1.3 4% 1.4 5% -9% Others 5.9 19% 4.8 18% 23% Total 31.8 100% 27.2 100% 17%Note: Xiaomi estimates includes sub-brands POCO and Redmi, and TRANSSION includes sub-brands Tecno and Infinix. Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Source: Canalys Smartphone Analysis (sell-in shipments), November 2023

About Smartphone Analysis

Canalys’ worldwide Smartphone Analysis service provides a comprehensive country-level view of shipment estimates. Read the full article

#latinamerica #markettrends #smartphonemarket #technology #technologynews #technologytrends

[jahbillah]

On Reggae as a part of the inner landscape

On Reggae as a part of the inner landscape

Reggae is a key expression of the Rastafarian inner landscape. As a product which stands on its own merit, reggae is often conceived as divorced from the core Rastafari space and purpose. However, Nettleford reminded us that reggae exists because of Rastafari. He stated: I keep telling people that reggae or ska right through to dancehall appropriated the Rastafarian movement, not the other way…

View On WordPress

#2011 #Caribbean Quarterly #Caribbian #inner landscape #JAHLANI NIAAH #Nettleford #Nettleford and Rastafari&039;s Inner Landscape #RASTA #rastafari #Rastafari as a cultural treasure for humanity

[finishinglinepress]

NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: Questions in Jamaican Patois by Yasmin Morais

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/questions-in-jamaican-patois-by-yasmin-morais/

Questions in Jamaican Patois presents the perspective of a #Jamaican Canadian American woman as she ponders her past, present and the pasts of the strong #women who preceded her. Her poems provide a window into the everyday human experience as she grapples with the meaning of love, loss, heartbreak, nostalgia, adjustment, and survival. It is through her questions that the answers are ultimately found. #poetry

Yasmin Morais was born in Jamaica and later lived in Canada and now the United States. Her poems have been published in Nursing Science Quarterly, The Potomac, and Pen and Prosper. Yasmin also self-published her first poetry collection, From Cane Field to the Sea. Her short story, Rashida’s Letter, placed third in the Tallahassee Writer’s Association competition and was published in the Seven Hills Review. See link: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Review-Tallahassee-Writers-Association/dp/1481148818 To showcase the works of Caribbean poets, she created the blog, Poets of the Caribbean: poetsofthecaribbean.blogspot.com She enjoys traveling, badminton and running in her spare time.

PRAISE FOR Questions in Jamaican Patois by Yasmin Morais Questions in Jamaican Patois by Yasmin Morais

Yasmin’s poetry is powerful, purposeful, poised! In her new collection, “Questions in Jamaican Patois”, she connects with audiences through clever word choices, timely topics, and great emotional range. Readers will become fast fans! From page one, until it’s done, this eclectic collection captivates the mind and captures the heart. Yasmin Morais is an immense talent, and “Questions in Jamaican Patois” is a must-read.

–Jennifer Brown Banks, FOUNDER/PRESIDENT OF POETS UNITED TO ADVANCE THE ARTS

In Questions in Jamaican Patois, poet Yasmin Morais calls us to walk with her along many roads. They’re pavers made of her words. On this journey, we walk along with Morais while seeing and feeling what she sees and feels. Each poem acts as a door to a residence. She walks us to the knob to turn it and look inside the building. Her construction of moments and memories creates a foundation of rich and strong imagery. She takes us there. Her poems introduce us to meaningful topics such as racial issues, health, morality, identity and history. Whether it’s a welcomed piece said in patois, we don’t want to leave. Her reflections of breast cancer feeds us well to sit by her and just listen to her journey. We’re there. We feel drawn and motivated to comfort the warrior. Though she provides the real healing power from her words. Poem after poem there’s a desire to read and see more. Her voice of poignant patois resonates directness and wisdom. Her spirit seems ancient with clarity. She brings a sharp focus and understanding of life experiences which translates well. Morais doesn’t let go as we continue the journey to her last poem. In the end, we’re full like eating a delicious meal. At our table, those questions of life are a part of us. We have some answers and more questions but that’s okay. That’s the meaning of life. She let’s us know with this unforgettable depth as long as we walk together we’ll reach an understanding between each other.

–Henry L. Jones, Inaugural Poet Laureate, of Hendersonville, Tennessee

Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry

#poetry #flp authors #preorder #flp #poets on tumblr #chapbook #chapbooks #finishing line press #small press

[markulyseas]

John Samuel Tieman, of St. Louis, is a widely published poet and essayist. His chapbook, “A Concise Biography Of Original Sin”, is published by BkMk Press. His poetry has appeared in “The Americas Review”, “The Caribbean Quarterly”, “The Chariton Review”, “The Iowa Review”, “Rattle”, “River Styx” “Stand”, and “Vox Populi”. He writes a weekly column for “Axar.az”, a popular online news service in Eurasia.

#poetry #liveencounters #markulyseas

[izatrini]

Are Caribbean Banks Held to a Double Standard? - Americas Quarterly

Are Caribbean Banks Held to a Double Standard?  Americas Quarterly http://dlvr.it/SsVSDD

[desperatehousewitches]

[questlation]

The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Inc. Quarterly https://questlation.com/little-things/the-herzfeld-caribbean-basin-fund-inc-quarterly-distribution-in-stock-and-cash-html/?feed_id=15339&_unique_id=6414221737977

[first-impressions-gaming]

GAMING RECAP (JAN 24-25)

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide’s Console Release Has Been Delayed

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, the latest frantic co-op battler from Warhammer: Vermintide developer, Fatshark, has had its console release and seasonal content updates delayed. Fatshark has released an open letter to its player base addressing these concerns and making the announcement that it will delay both its planned seasonal content and the Xbox Series X|S release of the game, as well as pause upcoming paid cosmetic drops, in order to first respond to player feedback in an acceptable manner.

Continue reading here

Xbox Revenue Is Down For The Quarter But Microsoft Says Game Pass Is Doing Well

Microsoft held its quarterly earnings call this week, where it discussed the company’s performance for Q2 of its Financial Year ’23, including the state of its Xbox/gaming business.

In the presentation, it was revealed that gaming revenue at Microsoft for the quarter declined by 13% with revenue from Xbox content and services down 12% and hardware down 13%. The company cites a strong prior comparable year along with downturns in first-party content and less monetisation across third-part content as other leading causes.

Continue reading here

Mass Effect veteran Mac Walters leaves BioWare

Mac Walter, a veteran of the Mass Effect series, is leaving BioWare. The longtime writer and lead on several major projects at BioWare is moving on after nearly two decades at the company.

As Walters announced on his LinkedIn page, Walters decided at the end of last year to leave BioWare. In his post, he wishes everyone at the studio well.

“These past 19 years have been a life-changing experience to say the least, and it made the choice to go very difficult,” wrote Walters. “I’ve worked with so many wonderful people and had the privilege to be a part of the most amazing teams and projects. It’s hard to fathom it all, and I know I’ll be reflecting on it for years to come.”

Continue reading here

Riot says League of Legends source code has been stolen and is being held for ransom

Riot Games says it has received a ransom demand after source code for two of its games was stolen during a cyber attack.

The studio confirmed on January 20 that its development environment had been compromised by a social engineering attack, a method which involves the psychological manipulation of people into performing actions or divulging confidential information.

The attack led to the theft of source code for League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and a legacy anticheat platform, and has temporarily affected Riot’s ability to release new content.

Continue reading here

Shadow Gambit is announced with a trailer, from developers of Desperados 3

Mimimi Games, the studio behind the superb Desperados 3 and Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun, has unveiled its latest foray into the world of stealth-strategy: zombie pirate adventure Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew.

Shadow Gambit, which unfolds in an alternative Golden Age of Piracy, sees players setting sail across the Caribbean in a living ghost ship known as The Red Marley. Along the way, they'll assemble a crew of cursed pirates with supernatural powers - all of which should come in handy in the fight against the Inquisition of the Burning Maiden and the hunt for the treasure of the legendary Captain Mordechai.

Continue reading here

edited by mertcan kuranoglu

#games #gaming #video game #game news #Youtube