Category: Language

Draw Your Brakes–A Jamaican Creole Shout

The Harder They ComeSome art, like the 1969 Hopper/Fonda film, Easy Rider, flashes boldly in its moment and ages to insignificance or embarrassment. Some, like the soundtrack of the 1972 reggae film, The Harder They Come, are timeless.

I owned the soundtrack early and played the cassette until it was lost. Almost 35 years later, I bought the CD as a present for my wife. She played the entire CD five times in succession, dancing through the house.

There isn’t a bad song on the album. The second cut, “Draw Your Brakes” by Scotty (Jamaican David Scott), begins with a shout-out in Jamaican Patwa (patois). Continue reading “Draw Your Brakes–A Jamaican Creole Shout”

Will There Be Water in Lake Chad?

Lake Chad 1973-1997Much of the talk about unsettled times ahead looks to oil as a cause: economies will undergo transition and regional conflicts will increase.

Lake Chad mapThink also about water.

Lake Chad is an exemplar. At one time the world’s sixth largest lake, included in four African countries (Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria), it has, in less than a half-century, shrunk to one-tenth its former size. Continue reading “Will There Be Water in Lake Chad?”

A Singular Eating Experience

clamSeveral years ago my brothers (Lanny and Doug) and I were on Long Island where Doug, a well-known performer of modern Jewish music, had a concert scheduled. The show was set for 7:30 p.m., with a sound check an hour earlier, but it was just 4:45 and Doug was hungry. Because a full stomach does not make for a comfortable and melodious performance, Doug opted for a snack at a nearby Sunrise Highway diner.

Continue reading “A Singular Eating Experience”