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あらためまして、始めまして、私の名前はジェイドです。

Started by Abbess Jade, May 06, 2010, 11:46:42 PM

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East Coast Hustle

Quote from: BadBeast on May 12, 2010, 12:03:05 AM
Quote from: Exit City Hustle on May 11, 2010, 10:23:17 PM
it is Christianity-based (though it's about as crazy an interpretation of Christianity as I've ever seen), but it's attraction to white hippie-types has mostly to do with it's embrace of marijuana use.
I would say it is Bible based, rather than Christianity based. Christianity bases it's tenet upon accepting Jesus as Messiah, and Rastas don't do that.  It's more Old Testament, than New, and places more relevance in the older Prophets, like Elijah, or Judah than on Jesus.
Also, there are not nearly as many Jamaicans, or West Indians generally in America,  as there are in Britain. West Indian Black Culture is quite different to African-American Culture, or even African Culture.
The British, when they were Slave owners, tended to keep their Slaves in the colonies, and not at home, as it were. So there hasn't been the same kind of racial tensions that there has been in America. We had hardly any West Indians in Britain until after the War. And many early Rastas came to Britain, because we gave Haille Sellasie asylum after the Italians overthrew Ethiopia. (In fact, I used to squat in Haille Sellassie's Mansion, in Bath during the 80's, but that's another story)
In America, Black Power has been a much longer and steeper uphill struggle than in Britain,  don't misunderstand me, we had a lot of racist attitude to overcome against our West Indian British Communities, but it has all pretty much been Ironed over in  the 4 or 5 generations that we have had  West Indians  here. Rastafarianism really took off during the second and third generations here,  and had a lot of positive influence in building a cultural Identity among British West Indians. It may have been instrumental in our stoner culture, but not nearly as much as you might think. From the early 70's, most white people who smoked dope, smoked Hashish, from the Middle East. But the Rastas only ever smoked weed, and had their own connections, mostly Jamaican. Weed only really became a staple here with the advent of Hydroponically grown Skunkweed. But even now, British Rastas still generally smoke Jamaican Lambs bread, preferring to leave the Skunkweed alone.
And Reggae music has always been very popular among white British youth. Even our original British Skinheads, listened to nothing but Jamaican Dancehall, and Ska, before the movement got hijacked by the National Front. Racism was not part of Skinhead culture, until the early 1980's, and even then, it mostly consisted of middle class white boys, with their own cultural issues, whilst the original working class
Skins tried to distance themselves from the political and racist element. But even now, people think that all Skinheads were Neo-Nazi boot boys, and this is simply not true. The influence of Reggae in Britain is huge, culturally, and in the music industry.And the original, spiritual Roots Reggae is still well respected and widely listened to, and there is still a big crossover between Jamaica, and Britain musically.
I'm starting to go a little off thread  here, I think, so I'll maybe come back to this later, and see how it develops.   (Monster indeed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy2xshUutdQ

I'd agree about rastafarianism being more bible-based than christianity-based, and wish I had thought to make the distinction myself.

other than that, umm, thanks for the lesson.  :roll:

ECH,
real live West Indian.
Rabid Colostomy Hole Jammer of the Coming Apocalypse™

The Devil is in the details; God is in the nuance.


Some yahoo yelled at me, saying 'GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH', and I thought, "I'm feeling generous today.  Why not BOTH?"

BadBeast

Quote from: Exit City Hustle on May 12, 2010, 12:36:59 AM
Quote from: BadBeast on May 12, 2010, 12:03:05 AM
Quote from: Exit City Hustle on May 11, 2010, 10:23:17 PM
it is Christianity-based (though it's about as crazy an interpretation of Christianity as I've ever seen), but it's attraction to white hippie-types has mostly to do with it's embrace of marijuana use.
I would say it is Bible based, rather than Christianity based. Christianity bases it's tenet upon accepting Jesus as Messiah, and Rastas don't do that.  It's more Old Testament, than New, and places more relevance in the older Prophets, like Elijah, or Judah than on Jesus.
Also, there are not nearly as many Jamaicans, or West Indians generally in America,  as there are in Britain. West Indian Black Culture is quite different to African-American Culture, or even African Culture.
The British, when they were Slave owners, tended to keep their Slaves in the colonies, and not at home, as it were. So there hasn't been the same kind of racial tensions that there has been in America. We had hardly any West Indians in Britain until after the War. And many early Rastas came to Britain, because we gave Haille Sellasie asylum after the Italians overthrew Ethiopia. (In fact, I used to squat in Haille Sellassie's Mansion, in Bath during the 80's, but that's another story)
In America, Black Power has been a much longer and steeper uphill struggle than in Britain,  don't misunderstand me, we had a lot of racist attitude to overcome against our West Indian British Communities, but it has all pretty much been Ironed over in  the 4 or 5 generations that we have had  West Indians  here. Rastafarianism really took off during the second and third generations here,  and had a lot of positive influence in building a cultural Identity among British West Indians. It may have been instrumental in our stoner culture, but not nearly as much as you might think. From the early 70's, most white people who smoked dope, smoked Hashish, from the Middle East. But the Rastas only ever smoked weed, and had their own connections, mostly Jamaican. Weed only really became a staple here with the advent of Hydroponically grown Skunkweed. But even now, British Rastas still generally smoke Jamaican Lambs bread, preferring to leave the Skunkweed alone.
And Reggae music has always been very popular among white British youth. Even our original British Skinheads, listened to nothing but Jamaican Dancehall, and Ska, before the movement got hijacked by the National Front. Racism was not part of Skinhead culture, until the early 1980's, and even then, it mostly consisted of middle class white boys, with their own cultural issues, whilst the original working class
Skins tried to distance themselves from the political and racist element. But even now, people think that all Skinheads were Neo-Nazi boot boys, and this is simply not true. The influence of Reggae in Britain is huge, culturally, and in the music industry.And the original, spiritual Roots Reggae is still well respected and widely listened to, and there is still a big crossover between Jamaica, and Britain musically.
I'm starting to go a little off thread  here, I think, so I'll maybe come back to this later, and see how it develops.   (Monster indeed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy2xshUutdQ

I'd agree about rastafarianism being more bible-based than christianity-based, and wish I had thought to make the distinction myself.

other than that, umm, thanks for the lesson.  :roll:

ECH,
real live West Indian.

Yeah,  :) I do tend to ramble on a bit, don't I ?  I really should try and be more focused. But I do mean well. (mostly)
"We need a plane for Bombing, Strafing, Assault and Battery, Interception, Ground Support, and Reconaissance,
NOT JUST A "FAIR WEATHER FIGHTER"!

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Whoever puts their hand on me to govern me, is a usurper, and a tyrant, and I declare them my enemy!

"And when the clouds obscure the moon, and normal service is resumed. It wont. Mean. A. Thing"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpkCJDYxH-4

East Coast Hustle

I was just busting balls anyway. Few other people here were likely to know all that and I wasn't likely to bother typing all of that, also I would have been unable to make any points about the cultural connections to and influences on the UK since I'm not British. Interestingly, despite the seemingly more progressive British attitudes towards race, the ex-British islands tend to have more economic instability and social problems than most of the rest of the islands. Though there are certainly success stories (Barbados and the BVI most notably), Jamaica, Trinidad, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua all suffer from rampant poverty and violent crime, more so than the French, Dutch, or Spanish islands (Haiti being the obvious exception).
Rabid Colostomy Hole Jammer of the Coming Apocalypse™

The Devil is in the details; God is in the nuance.


Some yahoo yelled at me, saying 'GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH', and I thought, "I'm feeling generous today.  Why not BOTH?"

East Coast Hustle

Of course, when it comes to corruption and violence in the Lesser Antilles, nobody does it better than St. Thomians.

:ECH:
Rabid Colostomy Hole Jammer of the Coming Apocalypse™

The Devil is in the details; God is in the nuance.


Some yahoo yelled at me, saying 'GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH', and I thought, "I'm feeling generous today.  Why not BOTH?"

Kai

Quote from: Exit City Hustle on May 12, 2010, 01:02:43 AM
I was just busting balls anyway. Few other people here were likely to know all that and I wasn't likely to bother typing all of that, also I would have been unable to make any points about the cultural connections to and influences on the UK since I'm not British. Interestingly, despite the seemingly more progressive British attitudes towards race, the ex-British islands tend to have more economic instability and social problems than most of the rest of the islands. Though there are certainly success stories (Barbados and the BVI most notably), Jamaica, Trinidad, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua all suffer from rampant poverty and violent crime, more so than the French, Dutch, or Spanish islands (Haiti being the obvious exception).

Yeah. My university has a research station in Dominica, and it seems to be doing well in comparison with the rest.
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. --Loren Eisley, The Immense Journey

Her Royal Majesty's Chief of Insect Genitalia Dissection
Grand Visser of the Six Legged Class
Chanticleer of the Holometabola Clade Church, Diptera Parish

East Coast Hustle

Dominica has buddied up to China. A few years back, China invested a massive sum in the infrastructure of Dominica in exchange for being allowed to build a refinery there. They've always been a poor island, but quite stable and peaceful and with an excellent record of environmental protection. Hopefully the economic benefits of this deal won't cause them to forget that they have one of the most amazingly beautiful and biodiverse pieces of land on the planet and that it needs to be carefully protected.
Rabid Colostomy Hole Jammer of the Coming Apocalypse™

The Devil is in the details; God is in the nuance.


Some yahoo yelled at me, saying 'GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH', and I thought, "I'm feeling generous today.  Why not BOTH?"

Doktor Howl

Quote from: Exit City Hustle on May 12, 2010, 01:56:42 AM
Dominica has buddied up to China. A few years back, China invested a massive sum in the infrastructure of Dominica in exchange for being allowed to build a refinery there. They've always been a poor island, but quite stable and peaceful and with an excellent record of environmental protection. Hopefully the economic benefits of this deal won't cause them to forget that they have one of the most amazingly beautiful and biodiverse pieces of land on the planet and that it needs to be carefully protected.

Well, it's not like the Chinese are known for ecological abuse or anything...

Molon Lube

Kai

Quote from: Exit City Hustle on May 12, 2010, 01:56:42 AM
Dominica has buddied up to China. A few years back, China invested a massive sum in the infrastructure of Dominica in exchange for being allowed to build a refinery there. They've always been a poor island, but quite stable and peaceful and with an excellent record of environmental protection. Hopefully the economic benefits of this deal won't cause them to forget that they have one of the most amazingly beautiful and biodiverse pieces of land on the planet and that it needs to be carefully protected.

Seems it will continue that way, if the trends our research has seen continue. The research station is for biodiversity monitoring and agricultural sustainability.

There's been talk of a Dominica University...don't know how long it will be before that happens.
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. --Loren Eisley, The Immense Journey

Her Royal Majesty's Chief of Insect Genitalia Dissection
Grand Visser of the Six Legged Class
Chanticleer of the Holometabola Clade Church, Diptera Parish

East Coast Hustle

In theory, there's no reason the refinery can't be built without trashing the island's unique ecology. It's not like Africa, where the Chinese are pit-mining everything in sight.
Rabid Colostomy Hole Jammer of the Coming Apocalypse™

The Devil is in the details; God is in the nuance.


Some yahoo yelled at me, saying 'GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH', and I thought, "I'm feeling generous today.  Why not BOTH?"

Doktor Howl

Quote from: Exit City Hustle on May 12, 2010, 02:02:41 AM
In theory, there's no reason the refinery can't be built without trashing the island's unique ecology. It's not like Africa, where the Chinese are pit-mining everything in sight.

One of the reasons I was hired as the maintenance chief at the refinery I'm at is I have some background (now a LOT of background) in pollution control technology.  It isn't difficult or expensive to keep things clean, especially if you start that way.

But China won't.  And I doubt the Island's government will be able to stop them.
Molon Lube

East Coast Hustle

Believe me, I'm as concerned as anyone about the inroads they're making in the region, especially given their de facto control of the Panama Canal. I'd kind of hate for St. Thomas to be a possible flashpoint in a cold war-style regional standoff between two nuclear powers.
Rabid Colostomy Hole Jammer of the Coming Apocalypse™

The Devil is in the details; God is in the nuance.


Some yahoo yelled at me, saying 'GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH', and I thought, "I'm feeling generous today.  Why not BOTH?"

Suu

I wouldn't hold it against the Chinese threatening to take over Dominica if the island bitches about pollution.
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"Add a dab of lavender to milk, leave town with an orange, and pretend you're laughing at it."

East Coast Hustle

I hope you mean to say that you wouldn't put it past them.

I would most certainly hold it against them.

But they wouldn't overtly invade and occupy, that's not their style. They'd put the economic squeeze on HARD, and maybe send a small force of marines to protect the refinery from angry locals. It wouldn't take much. Dominica is a poor island, primarily rural with an agriculture-based economy. China is building paved roads and schools. Dominica is in no position, once having spent Chinese money on these projects, to act in an obstructionist manner towards Chinese interests.
Rabid Colostomy Hole Jammer of the Coming Apocalypse™

The Devil is in the details; God is in the nuance.


Some yahoo yelled at me, saying 'GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH', and I thought, "I'm feeling generous today.  Why not BOTH?"

Doktor Howl

Quote from: Exit City Hustle on May 12, 2010, 02:32:07 AM

But they wouldn't overtly invade and occupy, that's not their style. They'd put the economic squeeze on HARD, and maybe send a small force of marines to protect the refinery from angry locals.

This.
Molon Lube

Requia ☣

So how long till China has enough leverage over the US economy to do that to us?
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