Blackbright News - Etana

BlackBlack - BrightBrightStimulates - Educates - Motivates

WHY DON’T CHILDREN TALK TO US?

- BRIDGING THE GENERATION GAP

What do we need men for?

Issue 23

ENGLISH PRODUCER SCORES BIG WITH

Laiton Holgate

(R.I.P.)

Blackbright - Elena2_Blackbright May 2008 01/12/2010 07:31 Page 1

Editorial

What do women need men for?

During a conversation about the Talkin’ Bluesforum - I was asked: “What do women need menfor, because they have their own homes andmake enough money to look after themselves?This individual looked quite disempowered, whichmade me wonder what other men thought. From what I gather, the majority of women wanta partner if he is going to make a difference totheir lives, which can be in a number of ways thathave nothing to do with income and/or status.Many women who appear to be managing ontheir own would prefer to have someone to sup-plement them, and I am sure there are men outthere, who would like the same. The problem is,for those who have felt cheated in the past(whether it is because they gave more than whatthey got, or for some other reason) they mightfeel apprehensive about relationships for fear of‘losing’ again so they prefer to be non-commital.Who can blame them when relationships haveleft them feeling bitter and afraid? There havebeen manipulative marriages where ex-spousesbenefited from 50% of net assets when they putminimal in; where spouses only married them forvisa/economic status, leaving them when theyhad cultivated sufficient ‘years’ to benefit frombeing in the relationship – so it is easy to under-stand the apprehensiveness of resourceful indi-viduals who choose to stay on their own ratherthan be taken for ride. So is fear going to over-ride impulse, instinct, passion, chemistry andslowly destroy the connubial race? Getting back to the subject - women do need menbut the question is, what are they willing to com-promise in order to keep them? Past challenging experiences/relationships can-not, and should not, drive your decision aboutwhether to have a partner in your life or not.

1

While it is wise to weigh up the pros and conswhen meeting someone new, it is more important-ly to assess whether you have similar natures andvalues. What do men need women for? History tells usit’s to nurture and look after them and to givethem children? However, what happens if youhave a woman and she is not nurturing? Whathappens when the children have grown and lefthome? What then? I believe men and womenwant the same thing. They want someone tomake a difference for the better - to improve thequality of their lives in some way. It might meancoming home to warm hug, a hot bath and dinner;listening to the issue of the day; helping with aproject; taking turns with the housework, allowing‘me’ time, but something to make a difference. It’s in our innate nature to be with someone, so doyour best to cultivate friendships and once in arelationship, try to make sure that you are notmagnifying problems or projecting past issues onnew relationships if you want it to last. There is no need for single men to feel disheart-ened - they need to believe that they are neededby women in areas they could not imagine and inways that might only cost them their time.Similarly, women need to feel they are neededtoo. Partners need to show appreciation, con-sideration and respect, especially since thereseems to be a role reversal in certain situations.But is it really role reversal? I prefer to think of itas compromise!

By Myrna Loy, Chief Editor

Blackbright NewsThe Total Quality, Information-Based Publication that

Stimulates, Educates, Motivates & ElevatesThe Cultural Learning Magazine

developed to redress inaccurate perceptions!

email: [email protected]

www.myspace.com/blackbrightnews

Managing Editor: Myrna LoyGraphic Designer: Elena Andrijauskaite

ISSN No. 1751–1909This is an Online Publication Only


2

1

What Do Women Need Men For?Editorial

3

Media Snubs Government’s Success!Delano Seiveright, Contributor

5

DA-ip Presents“We Don’t Talk Anymore” (Bridging the Gap)

7

DID YOU KNOW?A Mirror or a 2-Way Glass?

A Black Man Buys Gatwick

8

On Aging...Youth Black Faith

9

English Producer Scores Big with Etana

10

Epitaph Laiton Holgate (RIP)

11

Feature Story: My Life In Crisis (A Sickle Cell Sufferer's Life Story)

by Laiton Holgate

15

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3

The respected London-

based weekly The Eco-

nomist, on September

9 carried a refreshing

story on two of the Ja-

maican Government's

major successes: its co-

ordinated and sustained

assault on crime and violence, and the Jamaica

Debt Exchange (JDX) programme.

It comes as no surprise that Jamaica's news media

have not placed more emphasis on the huge suc-

cesses in the economy and on the crime and vio-

lence front. As is also the case in Britain and the

United States of America, too much of the 'news' is

focused on the sensational and usually negative

events. It may very well be that human beings

today are more interested in negative and sensa-

tional headlines rather than more positive stories.

In a relatively competitive local news-media land-

scape, news editors and their owners alike must be

hard-pressed to put out an interesting and sellable

product day after day. This, however, cannot be

used as an excuse for the limited coverage of the

major and very positive happenings in the econo-

my, and on the crime and violence front. While seg-

ments of the local news continue to give weight to

sensational stories such as the Manatt, Phelps &

Phillips saga, many local and international

observers and institutions continue to note the

huge successes happening in Jamaica.

Jamaica debt exchange

The JDX is, arguably, the world's most successful

debt-management initiative. The J$700-billion ini-

tiative saw the voluntary exchange of existing

bonds, excluding treasury bills issued by the

Government in the local market for new bonds of

the same principal value, but which have lower

interest costs and longer maturities. The

Government inherited a country drowning in public

debt of which, over the past 10 years, the cost of

servicing exceeded total revenues and grants by an

average of 112 per cent per annum. Some sort of

debt operation was an absolute necessity in a flat-

lined economic environment characterised by 'per-

manently' high interest rates, high levels of unpro-

ductivity, and little or no growth.

It certainly would have been more difficult to

achieve without the substantive push of the

International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other multi-

lateral institutions, which, eventually, paved the

way for a crucial standby arrangement with the

fund. What is still remarkable is the fact that the

debt exchange was achieved without the much

anticipated, at the time, capital flight or a run on the

dollar. Even more remarkable is the 99.2 per cent

participation rate which, to this day, remains the

highest on record worldwide.

Despite its tremendous success, the JDX rarely

gets rave reviews in Jamaica. The government-run

Jamaica Information Service reported on June 7,

the European Union's ambassador to Jamaica,

Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni giving positive reviews

of the Jamaica Debt Exchange at a social-project

signing in Kingston. The ambassador pointed out

that the debt exchange "has given (Jamaica) very

important breathing space ... We can see it from the

macroeconomic figures that are coming in.

Jamaica is doing well; it is doing better than a num-

ber of countries in the region and worldwide.

Jamaica is doing better than some of the European

Union countries, and it is, because it is, at long last,

tackling this tremendous burden of debt."

Busy reporters

Of course, the news media in June 2010 were

understandably busy reporting heavily on post-

Christopher 'Dudus' Coke-extradition events and

were certainly not in the mood to speak on any

local economic successes at that or at anytime.

Roughly a month earlier, on April 28, The London

Times ran a most uplifting piece pointing to the JDX

as a model that could inform Greece's options for a

way out of its economic crisis. The London Times

noted that "the conventional wisdom, when a

restructuring of Greek debt is discussed, is that

such a move would be disorderly in the extreme.

But that may not necessarily be the case, to judge

from recent events in Jamaica, the one example of

a sovereign default so far, this year." Again, there

wasn't substantial coverage of this glowing story in

the local news media. At this time, Manatt and pre-

Dudus extradition developments dominated.

What is generally covered are the negative spins

on each programme. The negative reactions from

MEDIA SNUBS GOVERNMENT’S SUCCESS!Delano Seiveright, Contributor


some interests regarding the sale of Air Jamaica,

and gripes from the Opposition and a handful of

commentators and 'analysts' about the difficult eco-

nomic realities are given far too much play in the

news media.

There seems to be no interest whatsoever by some

of these 'commentators' and 'analysts' to highlight

the following:

Six-month benchmark treasury bill rates are hover-

ing at eight per cent - the lowest in 32 years.

The re-engagement of the multilaterals, namely,

the Inter-American Development Bank, the World

Bank, and the Caribbean Development Bank, hav-

ing seen Jamaica accessing funds at interest rates

ranging from 0.63 per cent to just fewer than five

per cent - the lowest in decades.

The successes of the JDX.

The JA$10 billion in annual savings that will occur

with the sale of Air Jamaica.

The Government's courage to get out there and

ramp up tax compliance, which has resulted in

increased tax revenues over the past two years.

The passing of the last two IMF tests so far.

There was widespread reporting of possible failure

in the local news media. However, on June 18, JP

Morgan, one of the world's leading financial servic-

es firms, quoted the IMF as saying the following:

"Jamaica has performed very well under the pro-

gramme, and has met all quantitative performance

targets and structural benchmarks for end-March",

and "the prospects for meeting end-June targets

and benchmarks appear favourable" .

Again, there was not much news in the local media

about this. Neither was there any positive news

coming from those regular 'commentators' and 'an-

alysts'.

What is even more fascinating is the unwillingness

of some of these 'commentators' and 'analysts' to

highlight just how broad and far-reaching the eco-

nomic programme is, and that it serves as a tem-

plate to placing the country firmly on track for

growth and development. The IMF agreement, and

the efforts of the Government, have sought to

ensure that Jamaica stays committed to strong fis-

cal consolidation, tight budgeting, divestment, fiscal

responsibility laws, better financial regulation,

improved treasury management, reduced corrup-

tion, and a macroeconomic environment charac-

terised by lower interest rates that ultimately reduce

fiscal deficits and frees up capital for private-sector

investments.

Clearly, it is now crucial that news editors accept

the shortcomings in their reporting and seek to

bring about a better balance. Additionally, the

hypocrisy of the 'commentators' and 'financial ana-

lysts' must be addressed quickly. At the very least,

print and electronic news editors should put out a

brief profile of each 'commentator' and 'financial

analyst', outlining critical aspects of their history

and current life whenever they give commentary.

For example, John Brown is a former adviser to the

former minister of finance, Jill Scott. He is also a

former executive member of the Communist

Association of Jamaica. This is increasingly

becoming the norm in American and British media.

Delano Seiveright is president of Generation 2000

(G2K), the young professional affiliate of the

Jamaica Labour Party.

4


5

WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE..(Bridging the Generation Gap)

In November last, I sat on a panel of auspicious individuals who were divided into two groups. On my right,

there was a group of young people aged between 15 and 25, aspiring to be anything from a forensic sci-

entist to a lawyer; and on my left, adults aged 50+ As for me, I was somewhere in the middle, young in

age and appearance, but seasoned with life experiences and accomplishments!

Hosting this event was Robert Lee (Educator & Music Producer); Pauline Catlin-Reid (Creative Director of

DA-IP (Diversity Arts Incubation Programme)) and Geoff Schumann (Educator & Comedian). Marlonn

Morgan of Jamrock Media was responsible for the video engineering.

The title of the event was “We Don’t Talk Anymore” and the mandate of ‘Generations Together’ (a sub-proj-

ect of DA-ip) was to “get both older and younger people to ask questions of each other and to find

answers”.

There were deemed many reasons for the lack of communication between the two generations. If we

chose the video produced by Marlonn as the foundation for information, we would surmise that it was

because young people have no respect, have no interest, are lazy and have no ambition.

If we opted for the comments from the adult panel, we would surmise that it was because young people

lack parental support, are victims of peer pressure, lack of spirituality and adult guidance.

When Geoff asked the young people why they found it difficult to communicate with adults (or their par-

ents) they admitted that they were fed up of being talked at and down to, although one member felt her

mother had worked so hard that she wanted to ‘pay her back’ by being a child she could be proud of. A

15 year old boy on the panel didn’t like the way the system was today and felt that as a lawyer he could

change things. I deduced that by and large the young people on the panel had made the decision them-

selves to ‘do better.’

As I sat there internalising the comments from different members of the panel and the floor, together with

responses to the questions that Geoff fired at different segments of the audience, I tried to identify the

essence of what was missing and what was needed – the verbal bricks that would bridge the generation

gap.

I believe, after some reflection, that each individual whether young or old, takes responsibility for their own

success, and that would account for why those who were raised from single parent families; were abused,

neglected or raised void of love could still become ‘something’ and be ‘somebody’ - in other words, still


6

be successful despite adversity. According to psy-

chotherapist, John Bowlby, we just ‘need enough’

for our particular circumstances. We blame so much

on the system and our parents, but the most loving

parent can still produce vagrants and will be left ask-

ing where did I go wrong? Many of us believe that

because we are older, we naturally know all the

answers, but even in Matthew 21:16 it prophesies:

“Out of the mouth of babes and suckling’s ..”

Young people have access to the internet and learn

that way, so while they may appear to be ‘disinter-

ested’ or always on the computer, it could be their

way of learning, networking, gathering information

and probably why current teaching methods are not

effective! Young people already know what is being

taught so they get bored and demotivated.

Teachers now need to be assessing levels and chal-

lenging students - setting questions and asking

them to bring back answers. Teaching could be

done remotely like in Sweden! Young people today

are learning in a different way and therefore need to

be taught in a way that gives them more intellectual

autonomy.

How do we bridge the gap so we can communicate

with our young people? By not taking them for

granted; by not stereotyping them as hoodrats, lazy

and lacking ambition, but by appreciating that they

may know more than us in some areas. We should

not feel intimidated or inadequate because of their

knowledge, but should support/supplement them in

areas where we, as parents/grandparents have life

(if not academic) experience, (e.g. when they say

something that could be right in theory, we can illus-

trate the obstacles that may arise in practice)

We don’t have to be academics to support our

young – we just need to be able to offer them knowl-

edge in our areas of expertise and we all have our

area!

‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ was a very valuable forum,

and one where I felt those who attended left feeling

enlightened and motivated!

DA-Ip is encouraging the sharing of skills through

volunteering specifically among the African

Caribbean community and it can be anything from

sharing cooking to business skills. Telephone: +44

01582 878202 if this is something you would like to

offer your skills, from mentoring to supporting in any

way you feel you can be of service.

Myrna Loy

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DID YOU KNOW ... that they can see you but you can’t see them?

A Mirror or a 2-Way Glass? How can you tell when you are in a room, restroom, motel etc. with a mirror or a 2-way

glass? Here's how: I thought it was quite interesting! And I know in about 30 seconds

you're going to do what I did and find the nearest mirror. Do you know how to determine

if a mirror is 2-way or not?

A police woman who travels all over and gives seminars and techniques for businesswomen

passed this on. When we visit toilets, bathrooms, hotel rooms, changing rooms, etc., how many of you know for

sure that the seemingly ordinary mirror hanging on the wall is a real mirror, or actually a 2-way mirror (i.e., they

can see you, but you can't see them)?

There have been many cases of people installing 2-way mirrors in female changing rooms . It is very difficult to

positively identify the surface by looking at it. So, how do we determine with any amount of certainty what type

of mirror we are looking at?

Just conduct this simple test: Place the tip of your fingernail against the reflective surface and if there is a GAP

between your fingernail and the image of the nail, then it is GENUINE mirror.

However, if your fingernail DIRECTLY TOUCHES the image of your nail, then it is a TWO WAY MIRROR!

"No Space, Leave the Place" So remember, every time you see a mirror, do the "fingernail test." It doesn't cost

you anything.

7

Adebayo O. Ogunlesi Bayo Ogunlesi is the Chairman and Managing Partner of GIP and

is based in New York City.

Black man bought GatwickI would never have imagined in my lifetime that this was even possible, a black man buying Gatwick

Airport! Then again, I never thought that I'd see a black man in the Whitehouse either!! I was pleas-

antly surprised to learn about this story, Nigerian born Adebayo Ogunlesi will be the new owner of

Gatwick airport!! I want to take this moment to acknowledge and congratulate Mr. Ogunlesi on what

he's doing and say that he is a huge inspiration and living proof of what IS possible!!! I than Wunmi

for the "tip-off" on this!

Now, my question is, why did the mainstream media keep this so very, very quiet? I was even more

surprised that not even the BBC covered this story, or any of the other major news networks includ-

ing CNN! "What's that all about?" I asked myself and thought it quite strange that a man, Adebayo

Ogunlesi spends over a billion pounds on an international airport in one of the world's major cities,

the city that's recognised as the financial centre of the world and there's no real coverage??

Bayo previously served as Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Client Officer of Credit Suisse’s

Investment Banking Division with senior responsibility for Credit Suisse’s corporate and sovereign

investment banking clients. From 2002 to 2004, he was Head of Credit Suisse’s Global Investment

Banking Department, responsible for worldwide capital markets (debt and equity), mergers and

acquisitions, corporate finance and advisory, industry, country and regional banking businesses.

Bayo was previously Head of Global Power, Utilities and Project Finance in 1994, and from 1997-

2002, served as Head of the Global Energy Group (power, utilities, oil and gas, chemicals, mining

and project finance).

Prior to becoming an investment banker, he was an attorney with the New York law firm of Cravath,

Swaine & Moore. From 1980 to 1981, he served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Thurgood Marshall,

Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.


8

ON AGING...As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself.

I've become my own friend. I have seen too many dear friends leave

this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that

comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until

4 AM or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful

tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a

lost love I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over

a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose

to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And

I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when

a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength

and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being

imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever

etched into deep grooves on my face.

So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier

to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the

right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being older. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to

live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what

will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

YOUTH BLACK FAITH

YOUTH BLACK FAITH/aka the voice of today's youth is a small

recording label with large voices, whose roots spring from the

teachings of Haile Selassie I, through the divine order of the

Nyahbinghi. Through word, sound and power, the Faith deeds to

do the same as their forefathers who fought for liberation of the

minds of African people through the teachings of Rastafari.

Simply, Youth Black Faith represents consciousness movement

and exemplifies it within their music. Their tracks have been

played on radio stations worldwide and international with great

feedback and responses. Please help me introduce to you: Issac Faith, Abnormal, Bucky Ital,Dwayne

rose ,Dann strange, Sammy Dawg, Danjah Q, ItahTorche, Lady blue and Natty kasha - Youth Black Faith!

you can also join them on reverbnationhttp://www.reverbnation/youthblackfaith

Warrior Empress, Director of radio promotions in Trinidad and Boston


9

London based producer Curtis Lynch, of Necessary

Mayhem Records, is riding high from the buzz of

"August Town" -- a song that he produced for the

soulful Reggae crooner Etana. Although Etana has

a wealth of red-hot Reggae music on the rise,

"August Town" has exploded in Europe.

"August Town," the lead single on Lynch's "Inner

City Lady" riddim, propels Etana outside of her soul-

infused rootsy style of music -- introducing her to

dubwise -- a sub-genre of Reggae that is heavy on

drum, bass and dub effects with very sparse rhythm.

Based on the overwhelming response to "August

Town" in Europe, it's clear that the Curtis

Lynch/Etana combination could possibly result in a

number one song.

To further display the success of "August Town" in

Europe, the single has touched down on numerous

charts including dubvendor (England's Choice FM),

soundquake (Germany) and Riddim (Germany).

Additionally, many Radio and club DJs through out

Europe find "August Town" to be a powerful record,

one that speaks to their listeners. In the Fall, Etana

went to England to promote "August Town" and

other new music, which sparked the interest in the

single.

Scores of Reggae music fans have embraced

"August Town" for it's piercing social commentary

and Etana's silky smooth vocals. And of course, the

massive have taken to the raw and edgy dubwise

riddim that "August Town" is built over. Although

"August Town" is an isolated incident in Etana's

community, it speaks to people all over.

"The thing about 'August Town' is that its real and

heartfelt," says the song's producer Curtis Lynch.

"Real Reggae fans can relate to this tune because it

reminds us of what's going on in and around

Jamaica and worldwide." "The day the events in

August Town took place Etana came to the studio

with them fresh in her mind and I wanted to capture

these feelings.....this tune just has all of the ingredi-

ents for it to continue rocking Europe for years to

come and it stays true to Etana and what she stands

for," adds Lynch.

In addition to "August Town," Lynch produced the

lover's rock tune "Heart Broken" for Etana. This

new single, which is a riveting love song over a

slower paced dubwise track, is also making an

impression in Europe. Notably, "Heart Broken"

recently made it's debut on the dubvendor chart.

Curtis Lynch is one of Europe's most visible Reggae

music producers. Over the years, he has produced

for many great artists. Describing himself as some-

one blessed with a hunger to achieve, Lynch regu-

larly lends his talents to established artists and new-

comers. His discography speaks for itself. Proudly,

Lynch runs Necessary Mayhem Records, one of

Europe's biggest Reggae labels, and the online

music portal www.reggaesoundnetwork.com.

However, Etana’s latest new tune is ‘Free’ which is

the title track of her latest album and is produced by

VP Records. “Etana's smooth vocals and soft

melody once again puts her in the forefront and this

song is a great addition to your collection!” says

Shelly Lopez, President & CEO of Dask

Entertainment.

LOOK OUT FOR ETANA'S NEW ALBUM

"FREE ExPRESSIONS" IN

FEBRUARY 2011.

RHONA FOX

VP RECORDS

DIRECTOR OF PUBLICITY

([email protected])

English ProducEr scorEs Big with Etana


10

EpitaphLaiton Holgate (RIP)

(4 February 1954 - 16 November 2010)

On Wednesday, 17 November,

I received a call from a friend

of mine, who told me that our

mutual friend, Laiton, had

died. At first I felt disbelief, and

then I felt immense sorrow. I

could not understand why

someone, who was not my

family, affected me so much.

As I went over it in my mind, I

think it was guilt that made me so sorrowful.

His death reminded me of a very close friend of

mine who died a few years ago, who was talk-

ing to me about how difficult life had become for

her. I left her with the words “try to be strong,

and leave the circumstances since it is so

unbearable”, believing that she could handle

things in a way I would have done. I had not

taken into consideration that she was complete-

ly broken and not as mentally strong as I was. I

had not read in between the lines and three

days later she was dead.

Laiton Holgate was someone I had met through

a friend. I was presenting a sickle cell aware-

ness programme when I used to work as a pre-

senter on Life FM (a NW London radio station),

and my friend suggested I interview him about

his condition on the radio. However, at the

time, he was in hospital (although I didn’t know

it at the time) and had not responded to my

emails and phone calls, so I ended up inter-

viewing the head of the Sickle Cell organisation

in NW London.

Laiton became one of those people who you did

not worry about if you had not heard from him

because he was usually ‘in hospital’, and we

tended to assume ‘in safe hands’. He lived on a

road that bore his name, only a 5-minute walk

from the hospital, and his choice of address

was a deliberate acquisition. He realised that

his trips to the hospital were so frequent that he

needed to live close by to the institution that

became his second home.

When I got the news, somehow, I felt I had

betrayed him.

I wasn’t a relative but I felt I had not been listen-

ing properly to his cries for help. I had often

heard him say he was looking for someone who

was strong enough to see him through his ‘cri-

sis’. His independence made him push people

away when he was in hospital because he felt it

was too much for loved ones to see him with

“tubes inserted”. On reflection, I could have

formed a group of rotational members that could

have been there for him during those times.

So many of us leave the responsibility to care

for friends/neighbours/relatives to ‘someone

else’. “His children were around” I heard people

say – but children have their own lives these

days and could not be with him 24/7 and nor

would he have wanted them to be.

Laiton was always immaculately dressed. He

behaved very independently although his med-

ication made him drowsy. He did not want to

rely on anyone driving him around and often

minimised his condition. It was a culmination of

circumstances which caused his untimely

death.

Laiton lived in Luton and left behind a loving

family, and many friends. Laiton was a qualified

counsellor who ran his own company

‘Life4Living. Laiton was a colleague and a gen-

tleman. I know he will be sorely missed by

everyone who knew him, especially me!

Myrna Loy


11

MY LIFE IN CRISIS(A SICKLE CELL SUFFERER'S LIFE STORY)By Laiton Holgate

When Lenworth Laiton Holgate[Lenny to my friends] - let out awail soon after birth on that coldFebruary day it was the mostrobust cry the hospital had everheard and, as it was coming fromthe first Black baby to enter thehospital it was even more eventful

My mother still has the newspaper cutting to this day,recording the facts, it was 1954 in Ware Hospital, Balham,south London. It was so cold that year that many babiesdied in the first few months from hypothermia.

I was the third of four children from a close family. Myfather worked for British Rail and my mother workedfrom the front room as a dressmaker.

At the age of about two years I became very ill with 'pneu-monia' and had to be placed in an oxygen tent, lookingback I often wonder if this was my first sickle cell crisis.No one realised then that I had the sickle cell disease, in-fact few people today know about sickle cell, so you canimagine the ignorance was rife back in the late 1950s.

As a toddler I suffered very badly with eczema and wasreferred to Woolwich Hospital, as they were the leadingspecialists in childhood skin complaints. I once spent twomonths in hospital. My parents came to visit everySunday. Can you imagine the journey from Battersea toWoolwich; even their trip from the West Indies could nothave prepared them for this. The specialists concludedthat as I was kept very warm my natural oils were dryingout, however if I was not kept warm I became ill. Againthis is a symptom of sickle cell - sufferers need to be keptdry and warm at all times.

We were the first Black family to move into AltenburgGardens which is close to Clapham Common, it was notlike it is today where every other person you meet is a'brother', it was very different, it seemed quieter. We livedin one of the many big houses that have now been con-verted into expensive flats. My parents had a mortgage asin those days having a council house was considered aprivilege and we were far from privileged. In fact backthen the British were so ignorant about ethnic minoritiesthat it was believed to touch a Black baby was good luckMy mother stopped taking me out because wherever wewent we drew crowds of British people. On one occasionmy mother took me to Hyde Park a little way off she sawa large group of people on what she assumed to be a guid-

ed tour, she sat on a bench and watched. It was only thenshe realised it was not a guided tour but the crowd werefascinated at the sight of a Black baby - ME.For my sins I went to the local Honeywell Primary andJunior school. Here my sickle cell symptoms were appar-ent in the fact I was always thirsty, I remember aroundmid-morning when we had our bottle of milk, I was neversatisfied, until I discovered that milk-monitors wereallowed to have seconds. I was a milk monitor from thatday forward.

I also drank a lot from the water fountains that were dot-ted around the school playground. Not realising what waswrong with me I was led to believe I was just plain greedy.Around this time I started running errands for my moth-er, she would send me with a note to the local shop or Iwould have to go to the Town Hall to pay the rates as theywere called then; sometimes I would have to go to theBank to pay in my father's wages. I ran everywhere andbecame well known in the neighbourhood. I was a famil-iar sight dashing across Lavender Hill with cars missingme by inches.

For the most part school was pretty much uneventful. I dohowever remember one occasion when I was crossing theroad and felt really bad, the lollipop lady noticed this sec-onds before I collapsed. I later learnt that both she and thelocal fishmonger took me home.

I worked hard at Secondary school and enjoyed attending.I can remember my mother saying to me "you don't haveto go in if you don't feel up to it", but I loved going toschool and couldn't get enough of it so I went religiously.Between 1968 and 1971 ran for London in the 100 yardsand then in the 100 metres. During this time I had noproblems with my health.

I applied to Ford’s Motor Company for the position ofTrainee Draughtsman but after three interviews I was


12

rejected. However my English friend with fewer qualifica-tions than myself was offered the position. Of course Ihad faced prejudice before in my life but at that stage it hitme more than at any other time, after all this was myfuture at stake.

I was taken on as a Junior Draughtsman on a work expe-rience-training programme at Roehampton Hospitalwhere they make artificial limbs. Although I found thejob very rewarding I found it emotionally difficult whenit came to physically fitting the limbs to children. I decid-ed to go back to school and sit a further three 0 levels.Onsecuring these grades I applied for a place at the LondonUniversity Imperial College. I attended the interview withmy parents and I can remember a member of staff tellingus that we must have made a mistake andcome to thewrong building!! I suppose looking back when theyreceived an application from a " Lenworth L H" born in1954, in England, it did not conjure up visions ofa BLACKMANI!

Wrong building or not I got the place and started myengineering degree course. Here again I had no obvioussymptoms of sickle cell disease and enjoyed my timeimmensely at university. It was while I was at universitythat 1 was offered the position of Trainee Lab Technician.I accepted and about a year later was made redundant.This preceded a run of employment followed by redun-dancies. This was the time of the three day week' andthings looked gloomy, so much so that I saw aGovernment funded job opportunity in Canada anddecided that as Britain did not have much to offer I wasleaving. First I had to be interviewed by my proposedemployers • a large engineering company - and I also hadto have a medical.

Surprise, surprise, I was given a clean bill of health,Canada was calling and I was answering, I felt so pleasedwith myself that I thought I was going to burst. Howeveron the day I was leaving England I remember I felt quitesad, I had never been away from home for any great peri-od, my plane was late so I went to have something to eatas I had time to kill, uncharacteristically I had a SALAD.

Aboard the plane the fun really started. We hit turbulenceand I thought I was going to die. I felt really terrible, I hadthe worst stomach-ache I can remember, I was sweatingand begging for mercy or anything else that would help.There was a spiritualist on board at the time who waspraying for me, but the more she prayed the worse I felt -1 also did some praying myself -1 could not eat as I couldnot swallow. How I regretted not having had more thanjust a salad before boarding the plane.

The arrangement was that when I arrived in Canada Iwould be staying with a colleague's family until I made

my own arrangements. Therefore he was at the airport tomeet me as I was taken from the plane on a stretcherbound for the hospital. The staff there thought 1 was suf-fering from food poisoning. Even I in my state found thishard to believe, I felt as if I had not eaten anything inMONTHS.

The hospital ran tests and thenmore tests. After some hours itwas decided that I should be dis-charged. As it was too late to goto my colleague's house, as wasthe original plan, I was put up forthe night in a hotel. During thenight I felt worse, and to makematters worse, I was now passingblood in my urine. I telephonedthe hotel receptionist and I wastaken to Montreal General

Hospital, as this was a leading teaching hospital.

Here they too tested for everything probable, possible orborderline! Finally I was put in the intensive care unit[meaning NO FOOD] - Both my arms were hooked up toa saline drip and I was fed on ice chips while - yes you'veguessed it - more tests were done.

What complicated matters even more was the only med-ical records Montreal General had for me came from myprospective employers, who in their infinite wisdom hadgiven me a clean bill of health, so of course with me atdeath's door after having been pronounced okay it was alittle confusing to say the least.

As I couldn't sleep I was given a remote control TV. I leantall there is to know about ice hockey and in particular the'Toronto' and Montreal Maple Leafs'.

After three days on ice-chips and water I hallucinated: -Early one morning about 2.30am one of the nurses wasdoing the rounds. I watched her as she poured blackcur-rant juice in with my ice-chips and she told me not to saya word to anyone. She left and continued her rounds. Idesperately wanted a drink but couldn't reach it so I calledthe nurse on duty. To my dismay the drink was plainwater and ice. I had imagined the whole incident.

I told the nurse about this and she noted it down on mychart. The following morning the doctor took out one ofmy drips.

A Senior Physician Mr Small who had eight first yeargraduates under his guidance and after three weeks inintensive care saw me, and yet more tests; Dr Littlemorediagnosed sickle cell disease.


13

In some ways I think I was relieved to hear this. Relievedto finally be able to put a name to what was happening tome and relieved that I was not going to die, not just yetanyway! It was at this time I was finally allowed to have a meal, my first in three weeks.

When I told my parents what the doctors diagnosed theywanted to know how and where I could have caught sucha thing and even now I think it is hard for them to under-stand the complexity of this disease, and so I will try toexplain as simply as I can...

Blood is made up of lots of red cells in a clear liquid calledplasma. Every blood cell will live for about 4 monthsbefore being broken down; new red blood cells are con-stantly being produced. The blood cells are rapidlyreplaced and this explains how people can donate bloodoften.

Blood gets its colourbecause the red bloodcells contain a substanceknown as haemoglobinthis does the job of carry-ing oxygen from thelungs and distributing itwhere it is required. Inorder to do this effective-ly the red cells are roundin shape and very pliable

so they can squeeze through the tiniest blood vessel.However in sickle cell disease when the haemoglobingives off its oxygen the cells can become distorted andform a crescent or 'sickle' shape. These sickled cells clus-ter together and block the flow of blood. This causesimmense pain and is known as a 'sickle cell crisis'. WhenI am having a crisis the pain is so severe that I cannotmove, every part of my body aches, my fingers and feetswell [caused by the blocked blood vessels], I will besweating but feel cold and have this incredible thirst.

'Sickle Cell' is used to describe a number of inheritedabnormalities of haemoglobin that have in common thefact that they sickle.

Haemoglobin SC Disease [which is the type 1 have], is aninherited disease of the red blood cells, Ft IS NOT CON-TAGIOUS ~ YOU CANNOT CATCH IT

Sickle cell is one of the most common inherited geneticdiseases. It is estimated there are 6000 sufferers in the UK.It affects Africans, Caribbean’s, African-Americans,Mediterranean’s and people from the Middle East; to alesser extent sickle cell affects Caucasians.

Historically it is said that people with a sickle cell disease

were less likely to die if they caught malaria. In the past incountries where malaria was very common, people withsimilar blood disorders survived where others died.However whereas malaria might disappear, sickle cellremains.

After leaving hospital 1 wanted to return to England...!was advised not to fly but to travel by sea - I flew.Mercifully I was all right, oxygen was on standby and Iprayed until we touched down at Heathrow.Facing up to sickle cell was traumatic. Do I tell employ-ers? How will it affect future relationships? What exactlydo I tell them? I didn't want pity so I decided only to tellpeople if it was absolutely necessary. Some people are sur-prised when I tell them I have sickle cell and many peopleknow of somebody who has the disorder.

I used to go to hospital every time I had a crisis, or friendswould literally carry me there, the medical staff wouldoffer me pain relief but I always steered clear of any med-ication preferring instead the hot Jacuzzi. On average mysymptoms last for approximately 24 hours.

I would book into hospital under my mother's maidenname, because sickle cell sufferers not only face stigmabut have to deal with all sorts of problems for insurancepurposes when their condition is discovered. However itoccurred to me one day while I was in the hospital, thatshould anything detrimental happen to me it could takemonths before anyone realised who I really was, andbecause of this I decided that this is all wrong and feltangry that I was put in this situation. I have learnt to han-dle my disorder, it's a part of me, it might be responsiblefor the goals I set for myself, it might be despite of it, butnevertheless it's me, the whole package.

I decided to work for myselfonce I returned to England -for a number of reasons - butprimarily so that I could dic-tate when I work and so thatwhen I am having a crisis Idon't have to feel guilty thatI cannot give one hundredper cent. However there aretimes when I work muchharder than if I was anemployee, and since runningmy own security companyfor the past nine years I cer-

tainly have had more stress than even I could havethought possible.

I honestly believe that I owe my outcome largely to theway I have been raised in the fact that I was treated no dif-ferently to my "well" siblings obviously it helped that we


14

did not realise I had a sickle cell disorder. I was neverwrapped in cotton wool and anything I wanted to achieveone have always been encouraged. It sounds simplisticbut I believe that all illness is 50% physical and 50% men-tal, for example if during the course of your work you cutyourself, you could continue working for hours withoutrealising it, however if you stood and watched whilesomeone inserted a needle into your arm, no matter howslight, you would feel that pain. I don't feel that because Ihave sickle cell I am any less of a person. Of course thereare some limitations, I would love to be able to fly an air-craft one day or ski down a mountain slope but I haveresigned myself to being an onlooker but I know thatwhatever I decide to do there will be no one better at whatI do than me.

Note from the Editor:

The above article was written by Laiton on 2 February1990, and Laiton has been trying to live a normal life eversince. He resisted medication because it made him feeldrowsy, he wanted so much to be ‘normal’ but the painfrom the sickle cell condition was debilitating and hefound himself being admitted into hospital on severaloccasions since the beginning of 2010.

Laiton, as I grew to know him, was a man with a generousspirit. He was proud of his children, and said he alwayssought their approval. He spoke often of his conditionand what I remember most about him, was his battle tofind someone who would stand by him when he wentthrough crisis. I remember him saying that he didn’t wantto burden anyone, so anyone he met, he would send themaway so they didn’t have to watch him suffer.

Laiton Holgate, a qualified counsellor and my friend andcolleague, died in his home on 16 November.

May his soul rest in peace and may he dance with angels!

Sickle Cell affects 1 in every 350 black children. Try andget it detected early!

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you can replace the old habits with a newbehaviour pattern and through repetition thosenew habits will form, you will do things differ-ently.

This is not a ‘walk in the park’ for some, and cantake time and effort to achieve, some help maybe required, but once achieved the benefits arerewarding and will change your life. Your habitsand behaviour patterns play a major role in yourlife’s achievements, that’s why there are somepeople who achieve success in almost every-thing they do and others they give it their bestand always fall short. The winners haveobtained through life’s influences behaviour pat-terns associated with winning, such as beingpersistent and not giving up, due to set backs orcriticism from others, they are focussed, theyhave a direct purpose a goal and they persistuntil they achieve their goal. They listen to goodadvice that is going to help them achieve theirgoal, they have good self control and canrespond to their knowledge and are not easilyside tracked by outside influences. That is theirhabit of behaviour; they behave this way ineverything they do, because it is their habit.They do this automatically, they are pro-grammed this way. They respond to positivehabits that allow them to win.

Why do we do wrong or bad things in life, whydo we hurt ourselves and others or the peoplewe care about, it is said that an individual mayneed more education to learn what is right andwhat is wrong, that they don’t understand whatthey’re doing or they had a bad start in life orhad a bad childhood.

As human beings we are one of the highest lifeforms of intelligence on the planet, everythingwe need to know is within us, we know what isright and we know when we have done wrong.When we attend our school or college all we doto retrieve the knowledge is to focus our mindand concentration on what we are being taught,we pay attention and we listen, we repeat it andrepeat it until it is stored in our subconsciousmind. Our minds are equipped with the informa-tion to lead to our success. Our only obstaclesin doing right is our self control, our habits ourtemptations. It’s never lack of knowledge itslack of self control, willpower, our ability tomake the right decision and carry it through,these are our challenges in achieving a fruitfullife.

Our habits are developed from when we areyoung, this is through repetition, for most of usit can be very difficult to change them, ourhabits control our lives, they control the things

SELFMADE by Carl Foster

Habitual ways, your habitsHave you ever wondered why you do the thingsyou do, why do you get the results you get? Whyis it that whatever you do the results are alwaysthe same, you give it your best and it alwaysturns out the same, you may be in a situationwhere you know what you’re doing isn’t going toget you what you want but you do it anyway,you see things getting from bad to worse, butyou continue none the less, well that is theresult of habits. Some call them Paradigms amultitude of habits (good or bad).

When you were a baby, your mind was wideopen, allowing any thoughts and influencesthrough to your subconscious mind, you had lit-tle control over your thoughts, if it was a posi-tive environment then you would take in posi-tive influences, and likewise, if it was negativeenvironment then you would have taken in neg-ative influences. The negative influences is whatyou need to change as this is what’s holding youback and is most likely where your negativehabits formed.

You are programmed to behave the way you do,by your habits, some of your behaviour patternsare inherited and some of it is related to theenvironment you live in e.g. where you live andwho you associate with e.g. family and friendsand life’s circumstances. Your habitual wayscontrol your behaviour, your thoughts and think-ing and the actions you take - it controls yourlife. At this point it doesn’t really matter whatyou know, because you will still take the sameactions as your conscious mind is overridden byyour habitual habits, empowered by your sub-conscious mind.

However your habitual ways can be influencedand changed, you see your habitual ways wereformed through repetition, some habits original-ly formed during childhood, by doing the samethings over and over again, they become habitsand can be difficult for some to change. A lot ofpeople will be aware that what they are doing iswrong or incorrect but they do it anyway. Theysee the results in their lives going from bad toworse but they can’t shake the routine behav-iour, because they’re being controlled by theirhabits, they want to do right and they know bet-ter but they just can’t do it, they can’t get pastthat routine, that circle of doing the same thingday in day out. It is like hypnosis.

However habits can be changed, they can bechanged by replacing them with new habits,


16

we do and the things we say, our behaviour ourreactions to other people situations and circum-stances, these behaviour patterns will deter-mine our success and achievements in life, it willaffect our relationships and the level of successat work and school or college, all of this isdetermined by our behaviour and actions.

If you are not getting the results that you wantin life, isn’t now the time to take action andmake a change? make an adjustment in yourbehaviour and change your attitude, change theway you react to negative situations and chal-lenging circumstances, take a good look at whatyou are doing and think of what you could dodifferently in order to improve your life, some-times just a little change can make a big differ-ence to your life, start responding to what youknow is right, rather than responding to nega-tive habits and unwanted temptation that maydestroy your life. Develop positive habits thatwill bring happiness love and joy into your life.You want an abundance of happiness in all areasof your life, this includes your job, your relation-ships and your health, your overall well beingand understand that joy and happiness is a nat-ural way to live and is worth achieving.

Recovering from adversity As human beings we make mistakes in life. Wegive into our emotions, our feelings of tempta-tion, we give into our anger and frustrations, wereact, we mess up, we lose control and we makemistakes. When the damage is done we some-times sit down and blame our self or we blameothers, not understanding that it is sometimesnatural to give into our constant challenges ofourselves. When we are born we develop nega-tive behaviour, due to our environment or it canbe genetic, negative self destructive behaviourcan be inherited or developed by the environ-ment we live in. The good news is, humanbeings are very resilient and can recover fromour adversities - in most cases we actually growas individuals and become better people.Adversity can be seen as a challenge, we learnto control ourselves and not give in to our inher-ited negative feelings; this self control avoids usfrom taking negative action, it allows us to think

and take control of our lives, instead of reactingto every situation that may arise. Although inlife, we sometimes fall down, we have the powerand greatness to rise up and recover from ourchallenges; we have the ability to recover andcome back more stronger than ever. It’s all inthe power of our minds. Use this power andbuild the life you want; you have your life, youropportunities to achieve what you want, it’s allthere for you, the rest is up to you. Erase yournegative thoughts and actions and win the lifeyou want.

Habitual habits and self image – weightloss (seek medical advice before following any

physical activity mentioned)Are your habitual habits getting you down? Doyou desire a healthier body? So many of us havea poor self image, that the idea of having thebody we want is inconceivable to say the least.But just like anything else, if you put good effortinto your health and well being, you must getresults.

If you desire a healthier body and are havingproblems with weight loss, your current lifestylemay be a contributing factor. You may have fall-en into the pattern of bad eating habits. Somepeople may say I only have one large meal aday and feel that should equal a small waistline.In actual fact one large meal a day will mostlikely increase weight, because your body is reg-istering famine, so it will store the food you eat.Snacking can be another habit to increaseweight gain.

I have detailed below, some of the habits thatcan contribute to weight gain: • Snacking (eating high calorie snacks through-out the day)• Comfort eating (eating comfort foods for hap-piness to replace low self-esteem)• Late night eating (consuming more caloriesthan you are burning)• Non active life style (lack of fitness activity)• Poor diet (non constructive eating habits)

If you seriously want to lose weight and get inshape you can. But you must first look at yourown individual habits. Most people representtheir lifestyle: if you’re a social drinker andsmoker you will have the appearance of adrinker and a smoker. If you live on fast food orhave a high calorie diet, it will show in yourappearance and the same applies to if your lifestyle consist of playing golf or tennis on theweekend or visiting the gym twice a week orswimming all the active healthy lifestyle willaffect your physical appearance for the better.We wear our lifestyles on our sleeves.


17

If you are sure, then sure a low fat balanced dietwill be OK. Whatever your efforts in obtainingthe physical appearance you desire it will be theresult of your lifestyle. How we live shows in ourphysical appearance. You only have to look atsomeone who has had a late night and didn’t getenough rest. If someone who is not looking aftertheir health and wellbeing it will show in theirphysical appearance. So many of us want thebody of our dreams but fail to achieve it.Because of our self doubt, we don’t believe it ispossible. At first it may seem like a milestone,but once you make a decision and start planningit will become a reality. Get confirmation fromyour doctor that you are fit enough to take onphysical activity and start living an active andhealthy life and watch your physical bodychange. Give yourself a 12 month start - after12 months of a healthier lifestyle, it shouldbecome a habit. Once it becomes a way of lifeyou won’t have to work so hard at being moti-vated. You will surprise yourself and others!

Build habits that give you the life youwant.

When a person has made up their mind thatthey are going to have the life they want, no onecan stop them. They have made a decision fromwithin and it must be carried out. They are likea missile heading towards its target. This indi-vidual will use all resources available to succeedin achieving success of their goal. Once youhave achieved total control of your habits,through repetitions of your chosen behaviourpatterns, your result will look something likethis: You will be able to naturally give 100% atwork/career, you now give 100% in your rela-tionship, families and friends, you now give100% towards your health and fitness. Successin abundance in all areas of life. You are nowhappy at work, you are now happy in your homewith your partner, you are now happy with fam-ily and friends, your health and well being islooked after, you are now fit and well to be moreactive in life. All of this is achieved by a strongwill and commitment to achieve more. Itrequires repetition of productive behaviour in allareas of life. This level of achievement isn’t forthe faint-hearted as it requires a high level ofdedication and commitment in order to achieveit. Only a very few do this naturally. But withgood practice and commitment it can beachieved by any individual. How far we go in lifeis determined largely by our behaviour patternsas this determines what action we take. If yourhabits are holding you back, from the life you

want, Make the change and achieve thelife you want.

Whatever lifestyle you have, it will affect yourphysical wellbeing in one way or another. Inorder to lose weight and have the body youdesire you have to first make a definite decisionto lose weight and start planning. You need tolook at your current lifestyle. What is it that youeat regularly? How often do you eat? Your dietand your genetics is a contributing factorregarding your physical appearance and wellbeing.

The challenges for most people who want to loseweight are their habits. Other factors can be lowself esteem and comfort eating. They get into aroutine of eating for certain reason or at a cer-tain time of the day. Whatever the reason thefact is this lifestyle isn’t getting them the resultsthey want and now it’s become a habitual way oflife. A person may decide to start join the Gymor go on a diet and try to change their lifestyle.

Once a habit takes root and becomes a way oflife, it can become a task to remove it. We’velived this way for so long that it becomes painfulto change it. However it can be changed. Thechange starts with the individual. They have tomake a decision that they want to lose weightand have the body they desire. You could starttoday, enquire about local fitness classes/gymsin your area and Start a new diet.

• Lifestyle (increase the physical activities inyour life e.g. walk more) • Gym (have your gym put together a fitnessplan for you – with recommendation from yourdoctor) • Diet (put together a healthy balance diet froma nutritionist or get advice at your gym or Dr)• Take up sports and leisurely activities that youenjoy and love

Through repetition the above activities will formas habits and you will find it easy to incorporatethem as a way of life. Those who do not desirevisiting a gym on a regular basis, will need toincorporate activities in their daily life. They willneed to be more active and eat less and have ahealthier low fat diet. Incorporate walking more;eat at least three small meals per day. Eliminatethe habits of having one large meal per day,snacking and replace comfort eating for a moreactive pass time. Another way of becomingmore active is to walk more, take the stairsinstead of the lift, get off the bus a few stopsbefore your stop. I have detailed some sugges-tions. However before you take any physicalaction you should always seek medical advicefrom your doctor. Make sure you are fit and wellenough to take on a more physical life style.


18

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