Let the parties begin

Chester Francis-Jackson, Gleaner Writer

Doomsday scenario and all, my dears, the fab continues to party and with some of the righteous prophesying doom and gloom for non-believers come tomorrow, the hottest parties in town this weekend and across the island are 'end-of-days parties'!

And, my dears, as we all must go sometime, what better way to go but in the company of family and friends, enjoying one's favourite libations and fare? And with the menu for one of those intimate little doomsday soirees being: "black angus steak; escargots in rich garlic butter; breast of chicken in sweetened soursop sauce; jackfruit cheesecake and some freshly ground Strawberry Hill coffee; plus the music of Bob Marley for the occasion, y'all know that Jacks Hill is the place to be this Saturday, and then some. Alas, the event, is restricted to immediate family and a shortlist of friends.

And it's shaping up to be one fine weekend with Monday being Labour Day, a public holiday, the fab are all set to head out of the nation's capital for a weekend of leisure at their favourite north-coast haunts, private villas and fine resorts! While for many the getaway destination of choice is Port Antonio or Ocho Rios, for this here scribe, the weekend pick is the hot Strawberry Hill Boutique Resort and Spa in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Dears, it's all that and then some, and under 30 minutes ride from the city centre, making it ideal in commute for those still wanting the best of two worlds - a weekend getaway with enough time to get back to the city to participate in the Labour Day activities.

And for those wanting some sea and sun, Strawberry Hill's sister boutique resort, the glam GoldenEye, on the St Mary coastline, with all its rich history and fabness, and a beacon that it is to the uber rich and famous, also makes for a fab getaway, considering it too, is a hop, skip and jump away through Junction.

And speaking of fab events, people and places, this here very Sunday, the birthday celebrations for actress and media personality Elva Ruddock, will get under way at Oneil's Place, on Hagley Park Road, near Half-Way Tree, with a galaxy of stars from the music scene, theatre and media expected to attend, and the dress code being 'white and jeans' here, y'all know we are talking about one expected chic affair.

birthdays

And as birthday celebrations continue here on the rock and across the globe, we extend birthday greetings to: legendary dance choreographer Bert Rose; internationally acclaimed musician and former Wailer, Tyrone Downie; publisher of the Western Mirror and columnist, Lloyd B. Smith; publisher of the North Coast Times, Franklin McKnight; the stunning Sheila Benjamin-McNeill; the charming Carol Charlton; Cmdr George Overton, of the Guardsman Group; the lovely Doneth Reid; Dwight Bellanfante; Khamali Thomas of Spanish Town; the original 'hot-girl' Janet Durrant, formerly of Linstead, now resident of New York; San Clemente, California resident and north coast habitué, the fab Bernice Caldwell; the lovely Sarah Blade in Santa Cruz, California; and Tara Starr, in Manitoba, who all celebrate their birthday today.

Tomorrow: the lovely Allison McHayle of Mandeville; Chris Levy; the fab Tesi Johnson; the lovely Debra Banks; and the charming Pettib Brown will make it a very special day of celebrations! On Sunday: former parliamentarian Victor Cummings; the elegant Pip South; the fab culinary diva Michelle Rousseau; the lovely Charmaine Anderson; Garfield Taylor; and Sunil Khiatani in Montego Bay all share the same birthday! Monday will see the civic-minded out labouring all over the island, but it will also see: the engagingly charming Carmen Patterson; stage and media personality, the oh-so-happening Elva Ruddock; the lovely Mellissa Pennant; and Jeff Wright, formerly of Hedonism III, now back in Ontario, Canada, all celebrating. On Tuesday: Johnny Hamilton and the charming Claudette Peart share a birthday!

Next Wednesday: the elegant style doyenne Maureen Shaw; lovely Deborah Levee Lanigan; acclaimed disc jock and musicologist Lenworth Samuels, 'Squeeze' to friends and fans alike; the charming Diane Golding-Frankson; Shawn Moses in Montego Bay; Roland Brammer now in New York; and Lloyd Best in London, England: will all celebrate like the stars they are! And on Thursday, a day after his sister, Deborah, celebrates her birthday, hotelier extraordinaire Kevin Levee, general manager of the fabulously racy Hedonism II, and his daughter Spencer Levee; and family friend Marlon Hill in Florida will make it a family affair! Belated wishes to the fab Dawn Chambers-Henry and Eddie Barbar, who both celebrated on Wednesday.

Many happy returns all around, with champagne toasts and Beluga treats!

Then, my dears, the mealy mouthed apology from the supposedly learned professor should be ignored as, instead of offering a fulsome apology, he is now seeking to blame the media for supposedly misconstruing his thoughts and words.

Really now, how puerile! It is way too curious that the professor sought to lay the blame for all the ills of West Indies cricket on two Jamaicans. Even more curious the pedestrian language he used to coach his broadside of the cricketers in question and his ipso facto classification/comments on the politics of the Government/Jamaica Labour Party! Clearly, he displayed a prejudicial mindset that is tantamount to national profiling, but would be better understood in the context of the pejorative classification used in North America where a group or race of people are lumped together in a stereotypical mode to deny them their humanity, access, and due process!

Professor, a simple "I misspoke" will suffice.