GREETINGS!

Greetings Cyberspace! This is my first post and I'd like to begin by first thanking my God for giving us His Son, Jesus Christ, that I may have life, health, strength, and a sound mind in order to start this blog on 3/12/08. Second, I must thank my ancestors, who endured the Middle Passage and arrived on the island of Jamaica, so that I may breathe and have complete health and strength in order to do what I came here to do. These include the descendants of my parents (Anserd and Yvonne, mother of my two dear sisters, Marilyn and Denia) and paternal grandparents (Joslyn Frazer, father of my dear Aunt Jasmine, and son of Daniel Frazer and Edna Mair ("Miss Edna"); Maudlin Young, daughter of Isola Ramsey ("Auntice," who is mother of Uncle "Reidy," Aunt Annabelle, and Uncle Kingsley and cousin to Uncle Ralston Dunn) and "Cliffy" Linton (who is the father of Aunt "Let," Aunt "Delrose," Aunt "Gem," Aunt Hermine, Uncle "Breezy," Uncle Ezra, Uncle Barry, Uncle Larry, and Uncle "Collie") and my maternal grandmother (Murdelyn Williams, daughter of "Schoolteacher" Williams and "Auntie Bem Bem." Grandma Murdelyn or "Grandma Murdy" is the mother of Aunt Dee, Aunt Lorna, Aunt Marie, Aunt Karen, Uncle Rohan, Uncle Gary, and Uncle Willoughby).

I also thank my maternal grandfather, Cecil O.B. Maragh (father of my dear mother and my Uncle Cecil, who is the son of Ivy Parboosingh ("Miss Ivy"), and my Uncle Sam who is the son of Aunt Shirley in England), who came not from Africa but from India to Jamaica, and endured British oppression (whether consciously or not) so I can live now. Finally I thank my parents, and particularly my Dad and Grandma and fellow journalists Glen Ford and Eric Deggans who helped inspire me just to get this blog started. -RF.