And the band played on...

I am back early from Jamaica. Don't ask exactly why...you don't want to know! But in any case, when I came back, I found a fast paced world with many new developments in the Israaeli-Lebanese conflict. 1. Israel sent in 10,000 ground troops to secure a Southern Lebanese buffer zone. 2. Ahmadinejad said "Israel's destruction is the solution." (well, that's not news, he says that all the time, but yay, let's nuke him up!) 3. More people died - though this includes Palestinians within the West Bank, when Hizballah fired rockets there. 4. Mel Gibson offered an apology for his anti-semitic drunken tirade, and then asked for help "in the healing process." 5. There is mass poverty in Jamaica, and citizens there are without basic necessities for two weeks - but this gets no press. Say what? Oh, that's right, there's more to the world than Israel/the US/Lebanon/Iraq/Middle East in general. Sometimes I guess I forget! But then again, so does the press. Maybe it's because it's not sexy. It's not white people fighting brown people. It doesn't carry the requisite dramatic punch, when the conflict is just poverty, or the strife is between two black people or two brown people. Simply put, Jamaicans are not terrorists. If they were, they would get press coverage, and financial aid. But anyway, I was in Jamaica, and this is the way the poor live:

Yes, that is a shack. No, it's not as bad as it gets. I saw worse shacks in Jamaica, but happened to take a picture of that one. It makes one grateful for being born...well...not there! Then there's the water protest I passed on the side of the road, en route to the airport. I had to take pictures, of course. I actually walked outside of the van, and took pictures...thinking "Hmm...these people may be armed, but I don't care. I just want to take these pictures." Blogger won't let me upload other pictures, so I went to a photo hosting place of mine... and

In any case, the people in Jamaica are some of the friendliest in the world. You want somethingf, and they deliver it with a smile - "Yeah mon, no problem, mon!" Therein lies their problem. Terrorism works, it just works!

As an example...so you see there was this road blockage, using rather primative materials. The van I was traveling in was stuck as a result of this road blockage, but then the protestor immediately helped the van get through the blockage, after he was paid what is American $.75! That is all it took! These people are just nice people! Even their angry protestors are nice people.

And that's why this third world nation gets no press coverage. If they started wearing kafiyehs and terrorizing the resorts, then suddenly their cause would reach international attention, and aid money would fly into Jamaica. It's just so sad, that that's how the world works.

While I was away in Jamaica, the band played on. Only it wasn't the tune I was listening to.