Out of all the organic matter on our planet I would like to be a tree. Trees grow deep and high at the same time. They can be the tallest, heaviest and mightiest of all. They can live the longest, existing for over thousands of years. They keep the soil from slipping away, they protect from heavy winds, their raw materials have many applications, and they give us rain and provide homes for animals, insects, birds and humans alike. They provide food, medicine, bring healing and give us life by providing oxygen. They never retaliate when we do them evil. They are always patient making the best of their place of birth.

Why can’t I take on the qualities of a tree? Consider this, they live so long and do all they do this because they use less energy. While we can’t stay stable long enough to get the best out of our opportunities. We constantly move around trying to get more, yet still being so dissatisfied. We are forever anxious never patient. Small plants grow quickly but fades away first.

We are wired to make the best of our short time span.

It might sound egotistical to some professionals who have worked so hard to establish them selves as leaders in their varied fields to think that one aspect of a nations culture becomes synonymous to the nation its self. Lets reference music for a bit. Reggae was before Bob Marley and his Wailers, he never conceptualized the genre but his contributions to its development, reach and iconography has propelled him, in so many instances( not a thought respected by many), beyond the boundaries of the music its self. Bob is Reggae, Reggae is Bob. For years men have been winning races, constructing buildings to live and wearing clothes to protect their bodies but until the arrival of the Usain Bolts, Leonardo D Vinci s and the Michael Kors, Chanel s and Vera Wong s of this world none of these items of existence meant much to humanity as we are expressive beings and Art is the means by which we express.

With all said it is only practical that we realize the importance of the Artist, Art, Industry and Indulgents. As an island nation so rich in culture , sorry, so rich in art, my bad, so rich with an ARTS AND CULTURE(artcult/cultart) world revered, a plethora of expression and expressive beings, the time is now to not only to create but to exploit our creativity to redeem our country’s good name.

OK, yes! my thought isn’t fresh, nothing mind blowing, but definitely, you cannot deny consistency and practicality. Like the many who cry out on the governments door steps for them to not only realize the importance of the Arts to our Jamaican Culture but also that of Jamaica’s synonymity ( if there’s such a term, if not give me credit )to the terms “Artistically Endowed”and “Culturally Iconic I to stand in that million man march to the liberation of the Arts towards a culturally progressive frontier. As a nation we are not only renown because of our “gud looks, di amount of red dirt wi dig, naar di thousands of white people dem weh flock wi cuntry ebbry year. We are known for our ability to ” tek wi han tun fashion, tek kin teeit kibbah haat bun an fight even when wi know seh wi can only plant di seed suh wi pickney dem cyan reep di fruit.

Point of my thought for today is let us unite as Jamaicans to have our voices heard and while wi at it make some gud moneys from doing so. HOW DAT SOUN?

Ainsworth Case
Human Resource Officer
Scheed international / Props and More

Life has taught me many things, but the most powerful lesson I have ever opened myself to has been the power of my mind. For every great thing that I have achieved in my lifetime there has been a starting point; a decision taken, and an action persistently followed. Therein lies my greatness, and therein lies yours too.

At an early age I learnt that life can be unpredictable, and that sometimes those we trust most can let us down in the most hurtful of ways. Left to parent myself when I was still a child, I was forced to consider how I would survive; not just for that day, but for my lifetime. Left to my own devices I faced a very brutal realization, there was no Saviour coming to rescue me, so it was up to me to save myself.

I came to understand that the world owes me nothing, because I came to earth with infinite potential. If you are born with hands that work, the capacity to move, the ability to think, and legs and eyes and fingers in good working order, you have already been supremely Blessed.

So I asked myself, “What will you do with your blessings?”

I came to understand that my survival and my success would be my responsibility and no one else’s. There was absolute power for me in that realization, because in understanding that there was no-one responsible for my success, it freed me from the fear of failure.

Then I decided. I decided to shape my life to suit my desires; and in that decision came a paradigm shift…it was my “Aha” moment.

I realized that I had the power to create – and that creation is not an overnight process. In the same way that life takes time and care to develop successfully, whether it is a child within a mother’s womb, or a seed buried in the earth, so too do dreams take time to become reality.

The old adage “patience is a virtue” is one of the most overlooked and powerful life lessons. We have become addicted to “quick fixes”. Cell phones make contact instantaneous, emails have replaced “snail mail”, but in this comes the potential loss or blurring of one of the most valuable lessons I have learnt. Success takes dedicated and committed work.

I have learnt that Time can be a blessing or a curse depending on how you use it. With time comes the ability to create all things; but creation can never be an overnight process. Left on my own at a young age it occurred to me that shaping my life would take time, and that growing up would not be an overnight process. So I chose to use that time wisely, reminding myself that if you stick to something long enough, with passion, determination and vision, you will succeed.

Time therefore became my biggest obstacle, but even more importantly, it became my greatest ally.

Since the start of the 2000s there has been a plethora of colleges and universities popping up all over Jamaica. To walk the streets of Kingston will make my point as obvious as day. For each of these colleges there are hundreds of graduates being produce, almost like a manufacturing plant.Every one who can afford it, or can get a loan to foster it, is trying to get an education and in fact a tertiary level of competency. Should their crave and commitment to higher eduction be a prison or an albatross around their necks. My mother dropped out of high school at the eight grade level, had 8 children  but coached and worked her way to the point where she could enter a college and obtain a degree. She is now a trained teacher, that’s something to commend and be proud of, but, our society causes us to feel as if our achievements aren’t worth anything.

In the past  there was not much care for tertiary level education as mostly everyone, I guess was confident in the secondary level education they had. As long as you had 3 or more subjects inclusive of Maths and or English then you were ok but there was a drawback with that as it was never easy for persons to matriculate into higher positions as they weren’t qualified. Now things have changed, and there are now so many qualified but still unable to attain jobs in the areas of qualification. Those who were in the positions are still there, though most of the work force is underqualified no one has/ will make way for the trained. Why? One might ask . The reason is, with an underqualified work force you can underpay personnel while still over working them. It’s a cruel position very plantocratic but no one except for the disenfranchised will chose to admit the fact. As time changes things remain the same.

It is believed by many that, these people now have a tertiary education and unlike the illiterate, undereducated and unemployable they are able to think. This is true and a point taken. It is believed that since this is so true they should be the ones to initiate and establish our industries, to this again I say, and so will many others, this is true. But, in light of these truths comes the reality most of these trained personnel are inexperienced and unable to get the experience needed to follow through with that thought. For most Tertiary educated, being that most of this grouping are youths without any collateral to their names, it is very hard to get a loan to start-up a business and even if they are able to acquire these loans they are unable to pay them back . That point highlights a point close to heart which is the Student Loan Bureau but not enough space to elaborate.

To conclude, where do we go from this crossroads.  The government must continue on its/ their path to developing  the country’s education and the upgrading of the institutions created to allow the unemployable, uneducated and disenfranchised citizens of this country a productive place in society. With this the government as well as the private sector needs to realize the reservoir of talents, skills, culturally rich and academically advanced resource it has in those who have gone through the tertiary levels of education. For too long these gifted and academically cultured beings have been left to warm corner walls, living room sofas and fluff pillows. The need is obvious for policies to be established which speak tothe fostering of development within this portion of society. Not only should policies arise but there should be the instituting of such along with private sector initiatives to advance these persons experiences so they can matriculate. As wel,l our banks and loan agencies must realize the investments they will make when they contribute to the process of helping these minority group with the funding to start-up their business. Well all need to play our part in advancing the welfare of our brothers/sisters, community, nation and in turn the whole Human Race

Ainsworth Case                                                                                                            Scheed International

The belly full of laughs is guaranteed to continue. But a word of warning, before you decide to sit down, and grab a few laughs to help you face Monday morning. Empty your bladder! Kin teeth caan dun!

Blakka Ellis was reported as saying at the launch, held at the Fiction Lounge , that the madness will continue. And after seeing the filming of the first show I would say he is right on target! The regulars are back! The hilarious Karen “Tandeh deh” Grant, Iceman and Micheal Abrahams, will be accented by the likes of Simon Crossgill, Deon Silvera, or maybe even Dancehall artiste Assassin (fingers crossed). Personally I think anything Simon says will be hilarious. Two puppets have also been added to the show, giving us even more variety.

And of course how can you have a new season without a new set. I wish I could show you the pictures….but I think your just gonna have to wait! Scheed Props and More, has again been given the pleasurable honour of creating this new set, in partnership with Grizzlies. I will not even describe it, but just say, you’ll want to see it for the whole season.

I look forward to seeing what the Ity and Fancy Cat Show do with our honorables: the Prime Minister, Ms. Lightbourn, Dwight Nelson’s “I don’t recall” and KD Knight’s “pathologically mendacious” at the Mannat enquiry, or poor Buju. And lets not forget the viral Clifton Brown’s “Nobody Canna Cross It”. The lyrics for this “song” can now be accessed online!

Jamaican comedy has never been this creative! And I await Season 4 of the Ity and Fancy Cat Show, with eager excitement!

Art clash! Painters go easel to easel at YMCA

Mel Cooke, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Sunday June 26, 2011

Scheed At Work

First there was singing and deejaying, then cracking jokes, dance and fashion.  Now the competitive format which has made steady gains in the performing arts comes to the fine arts with Battleart, a one-day competition among young painters which takes place at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Kingston on Hope Road, St Andrew, on July 30.

It is the first in a series of such competitions, each of which will entail a different aspect of the arts.

Scheed Cole of Scheed International, which is organising Battleart, said: “It is a challenge, a competitive challenge.” He hopes to attract entrants from the secondary-school system, to which letters will be sent inviting participation by students in their final year.

Fifteen contestants will be selected, based on the portfolios submitted, which five judges – including Cole – will assess. Then, on the ‘Battleart’ day, the contestants will be whittled down to five, from which the top three will be selected.

First prize is $15,000; the first runner-up gets $10,000; and a painting set will be presented to the second runner-up. However, there is the prospect of employment, as Cole said “a main reason for this is to find persons who can get jobs”.

As the battling artists will be required to do complete work in two-hour spells, The Sunday Gleaner asked if this would compromise quality. Cole said it would not, as “we are not going to give them a lot of things to paint. Whatever is required of them can be done in that particular time”. Plus, he said, working quickly is important as “you want to increase quality and efficiency at the same time”.

The day’s format is two two-hour challenges, the first to paint geometric objects and the second to paint organic forms. “We are testing their ability to do realism,” Cole said.

In addition to watching the artists at work, the audience will be treated to a Capoeira demonstration as well as have the opportunity to get their portraits done and get involved with fruit sculpting. Also, Cole said, there will be a mural board on which anyone can paint.

Battleart does not stop with the painters. “This is the first of many. We are going to go through poetry, drama, music, you name it,” he said. “For one competition we will select a wall in a particular community and people will do murals. We have no sponsorship and the budget is small, but we are stretching it.”

And he puts Battleart in the context of avoiding a more literal battle. “It takes the negative energy out and puts it in a creative form. It leaves you devoid of anger and it creates employment as well,” Cole said.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110626/arts/arts2.html

Yes we are an Arts based company, and I guess this is not the topic you would expect on our blog, but hey Art is life, and visa versa. And Art is a constant dynamic with the reality we live in and our expression of it.

Any Jamaican woman will tell you horror stories of how men approached them and instead of making them feel attractive ended up making them feel like they had been violated. Phrases like “stiff breast”, “me woulda waan fi breed yuh” and “fat pum pum”, are the worst I have heard personally. But men have gone as far as to say what they would do with these parts of the female body if given the chance. And there are the really really dumb ones that regurgitate pick up lines.

Some women go through heart stopping trepidation at the thought of having to pass a group of men, even worst a construction site. Other women, know exactly where to tell a man to stick his thingy, and don’t fret. Actually I think a Jamaican man appreciates a woman who is able to trade words with him. Keeps it interesting for him, ignore them and instead of hearing him strip you naked, you’ll hear a barrage of other obscenities.

Well it got me thinking. Why do men “look” women in Jamaica? A man could be happily married to his wife at home,the mother of his loving children, he has no desire to cheat on her but he is compelled, when he passes a woman he thinks is attractive, to verbally highlight those features he deems her assets and worthy of commendation.

I have therefore come to the conclusion that it’s not about the woman. You could be the all dolled up in the latest, your skin firm and smooth and your face cute. It’s all about the man. The man feels better about himself for having, “looked” the woman. Again down to the animalistic barbarian hunt. And the chase begins, like a cat who plays with his meal. Jamaican men are born  thinking there is no woman alive who would resist them. “Lots of fish in the sea” and the women make it so easy for them.

Folks I know not all Jamaican men are like this. We have beautiful Jamaican men, not the self loving, ganja smoking, street walking, badwud cussing, all night clubbing, skirt chasing, woman beating, unfaithful lying men. But good men. Women lets pray they are not so few that we have to share them.

All images from Scheed Collections, now available.

We hope you were at the Expo held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel to see the many fantastic booths, and especially the Urban Development Corporation  (UDC) booth done by us.

Not only was our team of ninjas on a short schedule to create this 10’’X20’’X 8’’ booth in four days, but they only had a sketch of an idea to work with. From concept to construction the team assembled, ready to complete the task, their sole mission to AMAZE.

“It took four days and nights, I got no sleep but, we just knew it was something we had to do”, says Rhoan McConnell project manager. “…there was constant evaluation, determining what to scale down and what to embellish.”

The design was a multisensory experience, displaying four biosphere from the swampy but arid deserts to lush forested regions of Jamaica, from waterfall to rivers, to the sea. When visitors went to the booth they felt hot in the desert, and cool by the wet forest, they could touch the animal life and the plant life. To create this environment, with some props being made from scratch on short notice, also meant much of the backdrop had to be painted.

“We did not have enough time to print, fortunately, which made us stand out”. McConnell further explains that the UDC booth was probably the only booth that did not have a printed backdrop of some mountain top or forested region, making it unique to all who viewed it.

Aside from Props and More, this year’s Green Expo was dubbed “the best Green Expo yet”. The entrance was excellently done by Stephen Jones Landscaping, a formidable landscaping company.

To all the Props and More Team Members who worked on this project we salute You!

Oooonu Maaaad!

Gleaner Inna de Yard Interview with Scheed.