No disrespect to my late mother but … she always gave me good advice. However, she also did not practice what she preached. Consequently, not only did I receive the benefits of being taught or guided by her to avoid many pitfalls in my life; but I also got to see what happened when she didn’t follow her own advice. Then I knew for sure that her words of wisdom were the right path for me to take.

LOL. I was attending the University of Miami and two of the students got into a similar discussion. The guy was adamant about how smoking was bad for you and the girl was insisting that one of her relatives smoked like two packs a day and was an old fart! I’ll never forget the guy’s response. He said: “The criteria is not longevity of life but quality of life.”

So I guess my question would be: “I’ve heard that smoking ages the skin and make you look older than you really are. So she’s 117. But how old does she look and what do her insides look like? Would they look any different if she didn’t smoke? Would she be enjoying an even better quality of life if she didn’t smoke?” LOL. 🙂

Most of the time older folks are sat in their was so it really don’t do any good to try and tell them what s right and what’s not. Half the time they don’t even like to hear our opinion. I normally just listen in steady of doing too much talking. Plus you always learn something from them anyways.
I have relatives like this. And boy are they say in their ways. Really enjoy listening to what they have to say cause it’s like a history lesson.
So no they shouldn’t even try and give the 117 year ladie advice about what not good for you and what is good for you. They lived longer and experience way more then us.

This is an amazing story. 117 years is not a joke she has really lived her years, we would not know what she does to keep herself going for that long but as you say she’s doing quite well for herself. Considering the century that she was born where she was born could have something to do with where she is at right now. You know back in the days out grannies knew how to take care of themselves especially when it came to food. They knew what worked for them and what didn’t. Unlike nowadays where we eat all sorts of junk food, then we smoke and drink things that have so many chemicals in them how then can we even start to compare ourselves with this old people. Most of them used to get good fresh from their farms. I remember watching a documentary on a woman who is 109 years of age, she looks well kept and can still strike a pose for a picture at that age. When she was asked what has kept her going all this while she says my glass of red wine everyday keeps me a float. And you wonder you, you are being told not to take wine because it’s not good for you. So what do you make it that really. Anyway we cannot match up to their game that’s the reality let them do what they know best. Kudos to that old lady. She got swag hahaha

So you’re saying the average Jamaican probably has the same mindset or attitude as the Native Americans. Who cares who is in charge? It changes nothing for us!

I just have one thing to say to the Jamaican people. There will always be greedy money grabbing power mongers out there. These kind of people don’t see any border lines. There are no countries. They think the world is theirs for the TAKING!

Voting or not voting isn’t the issue. If you don’t care what happens to you, nobody else will either. If you don’t mobilize yourself and stand and defend yourself, your world will be a giant ghetto! Or … you’ll live on a reservation and people will tell you that you have some autonomy in governing yourselves, but if push come to shove and they want to take your land … THEY’LL TAKE IT!! That’s the real world. It don’t just happen in Jamaica.

It’s not about politics. It’s about your survival versus greed and power. Politics is just a system that’s conveniently useful to the TAKERS. If you – Mr. or Ms. Average Jamaican – don’t have a plan, YOU CAN’T TAKE IT BACK! If the political system don’t work for you, use something that does!

I am somewhat familiar with the political and historical situation in Jamaica. My dad was from The Bahamas and had Jamaican friends. My husband also is from The Bahamas and had Jamaican friends. Two generations and they – my dad and my husband – were both in tune with the politics of their countries. All I’m saying is you can’t lift up an apathetic person much less a large group of apathetic people. So somebody needs to inspire them or they need to motivate themselves. Otherwise, life will stand still for them for as long as they live. Do I sound like I’m putting down Jamaica or does it sound like what I’m saying applies to any human being on the planet no matter where they live?

In the 1970s Michael Manley inspired. He put forth a great deal of social legislation, more than before or after. We believed in him. When he retired there was an in house election which was crooked, and PJ Patterson became leader. We put a brave face on it, but he couldn’t inspire. By the time Portia Simpson took over she was a shell of who she had been. Golding replaced Seaga and he is a thoroughly despicable man who resigned, was replaced by Andrew Holness who at first was so obnoxious that he lost, then he developed some ability to act as if he cared about the people and was elected.

There was a 43% turn out for the General…. the lowest in history. At local there was a 30%, the lowest in history.

The entire leadership of the PNP has to change and it must adopt ideas and principles.

I doubt there will be any improvement. As is usually with 4th World nations, the corruption takes over and people go into politics to get money and power, not to do anything positive for anyone.

Right now, Jamaica in 2016 is in worse condition that it was under the British, then it was when Edward Seaga became PM in 1980. Nothing works. There are very few local entreprenuers. I had to search to find a store which sold Usain Bolt tee shirts that were NOT made in China, but made here.