keepitjiggy.com

Welcome to the NEW-and-IMPROVED KeepItJiggy.com website and blog. Take some time to look around - lots of new things happening around here! The categories in the sidebars will expand (Jamaica & travel topics on the left - reggae music on the right), or mouse over the tabs at the top of the page for drop-down menus. Red text will usually represent a link.

Listen to some great reggae "chunes" (new & classic) while you're here. Open the pop-up in the Streampad player at the bottom of the page (the little icon on the right with box & arrow), and you can surf from page to page without stopping the music each time. Enjoy!

This is my labor of love and a work in progress. I've kept all of the old pages and added some new ones. I hope you like it. I'm adding new info on a regular basis so bookmark us and visit often! Please leave comments or use the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page if you have questions or want to see something added. Bless up and always keep it jiggy!

If all goes well, Newton Marshall should be in Cripple, Alaska sometime tonight - the halfway point of the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race!! I am truly impressed. This rookie is doing a great job both as a musher in this grueling race across mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forests, desolate tundra and windswept coastline, and as a representative of Jamaica. How cool is that??!! Only 12 more checkpoints (and about 497 miles to go!) and he will have his first Iditarod under his belt. More people have climbed Mt Everest than have finished the Iditarod! I hope he's having the ride of his life. Good luck, be safe, and mush mon!

Here's a little excerpt from Terrie Hanke's article for Eye on the Trail, the Iditarod News.

"Just like kids who are ready to return to school after winter break, Newton Marshall left McGrath with a team of happy dogs who were ready to hit the trail. Being lazy in a checkpoint is fine for a little while but they’d rather be running. Newton gave his dogs soup, packed his cooker and dog dishes then set about putting coats and booties on the dogs before putting his own parka on and being lead out of the checkpoint. As Newton’s mentor and coach, Lance Mackey has undoubtedly shared lots of small tricks that make a big difference. Do you know what a shoe horn is? Well, Newton was using a bootie horn to slide booties onto 56 paws. Just as the shoehorn is inserted into the heel of the shoe to make the human foot slide into a shoe easier, Newton inserted a half circle of plastic into the bootie to allow the dog’s paws to slide in easier. The horn was attached to his wrist by a short piece of wire and elastic band making it easy to pull the horn out of the bootie as he was fastening the Velcro strip. It didn’t take him long to get all the booties in place, a task made more efficient with the ingenious little bootie horn. While doing his pre-departure chores, Newton asked what the temperature was. One of the spectators checked the thermometer outside the checkpoint and reported a reading of 8 degrees." (Brrrrrrrr - definitely not Jamaican temps out here!!!)

This sweet voice gets me in the mood for romance...missing my love!

No longer just a fun-in-the-sun destination, this Caribbean country offers energetic options

SERENA JONES
METRO WORLD NEWS
March 11, 2010 11:34 p.m.

Haunted colonial mansions, triathlons and motivational theme parks — not things you think of when you think of Jamaica?

Think again, mon. Jamaica is fast becoming the health and activity capital of the Caribbean.

Feel like you need to recharge rather than merely relax? With direct flights already underway, locals that welcome you with open arms, you’ll be getting your groove back in no time.

WHY GO NOW?
The tourist season in Jamaica doesn’t really get under way until mid-December, and deals at resorts and activity centres abound (as do quiet, empty beaches if you’ve worn yourself out). Recent infrastructure improvements have made the country more accessible than ever, and the weather hovers near 85 degrees with  clear skies year-round — so  your itinerary should rarely suffer from a rainout.

(Continue reading here: Metro - Jamaica jamming to an athletic beat.

I think it's great that these big corporations are doing their best to help.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Montego Bay, Jamaica (Vocus/PRWEB ) March 12, 2010 -- In the two months since the devastating earthquake in Haiti, funds have been used to provide direct assist to those in need in the Port-au-Prince area.

In the days following the unexpected tragedy, the Sandals Foundation announced its establishment of a Haiti Relief Fund to support disaster relief efforts. A special fundraising effort was immediately launched, raising $120,000 within the first two months. The monies were raised online as well as through special events and programs at all Sandals Resorts International locations - which stretch across five Caribbean islands including Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia, the Bahamas, and the Turks & Caicos Islands. The Sandals Foundation is the charitable arm of Sandals Resorts International, which employs 10,000 people, of which approximately 375 are of Haitian origin.

Read more here:

Sandals Foundation Raises More than $120,000 for Haiti Relief Fund.

JamaicaObserver.com

Thursday, March 11, 2010

DOES Usain Bolt ever stop winning? Fresh from winning his second successive Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award, Bolt's presence in three commercials for the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) helped it win first prize in its category at the International Travel Trade conference in Berlin, Germany today.

The three commercials feature the 100 metre and 200 metre world record holder running around the island, pausing to admire Jamaica's beautiful scenery, as well as everyday Jamaicans imitating his famous 'Lightening Bolt' pose.  (Continue reading at JamaicaObserver.com.)

BY DANIEL DURCHHOLZ, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

When he arrived on the music scene in 2004, Matisyahu couldn't help but seem like something of a novelty act — a Hasidic Jew who could beatbox like a hip-hop artist but whose primary music of choice is Jamaican reggae.

"Initially there was a surprise element," the 30-year-old singer says by phone from Connecticut. "And there still is. People don't know what to expect, or they expect something different. And in some ways that helps, because it really makes an impression and draws a lot of attention. But it's hard for people to get past that."

The former Matthew Miller — whose stage moniker is a Hebrew translation of his first name — got plenty of attention during the recent Winter Olympics in Vancouver. His song "One Day" was used as the games' official anthem. (Continue reading in Jewish Light Online.)

To say reggae progenitors The Wailers have a deep and influential catalog is like saying The Beatles were a pretty decent little band.

Whether you're discussing the original Wailers lineup with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer, their union with Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Upsetters, or Bob Marley & The Wailers' classic '70s sides, the music is timeless, and influential. Eric Clapton covered it in the '70s. It's inspired everyone from The Police, to Wyclef Jean, to Jack Johnson. To this day, you can't walk into a club or bar without hearing a Marley tune on the jukebox or some solo acoustic guy scrubbing out a version of "Redemption Song."

The music is deep, and it touches everyone.

Don't know where to begin with The Wailers? Follow these 10 suggestions: (click link below to continue reading)

PhillyBurbs.com:  10 Essential Wailers recordings.

Check this out! Hotel Mockingbird Hill is a fabulous place to stay in Portland Parish and they have a little contest going until March 29th.  Answer the short quiz on their website and be entered to win four nights at the bed and breakfast, and one day of birding in the area with a local bird guide. Great prize! Read more here:

Win a Birding for Two Stay in Jamaica - 371 - Travel News & Reviews - Galavanting Online Women's Travel Magazine and Community ::...

I LOVE this series of articles from the Jamaica Gleaner. They give such a delightful picture of Jamaica's colorful past & history! Today I am adding some hotel, B&B and guest house properties in the various parishes and, when my search turned up this article, I thought I would share it with you. I'll share some the other wonderful articles from the archives here as we go along. Enjoy!

"Jamaica's Grand Hotels" by Jamaica Gleaner

"What are you thinking about, you Northern men and women, who rush to Florida, or Bermuda, or Europe in search of a winter resort? Why, do you not know of this lost Garden of Eden, this incomparable combination of American comfort, English cleanliness and Italian Climate? And such beauty, such glory of colouring, such opulence of Nature's best gifts! There are no reptiles and there is fruit and vegetables enough to keep one well and hearty at small cost with small labour. America cannot be long blind to the wonderful advantages offered by this beautiful spot as a winter resort..."

SO WROTE the much-travelled author, Ella Wheeler Wilcox in the early 1900s. During this time, travellers to Jamaica came aboard United Fruit Company steamers and also New Yorkers, particularly, on the Hamburg-American Line West Indian cruises. A round trip from New York cost $75 and took 5-6 days.

Jamaica has provided first class accommodation since the late 1800s. In 1890 the Jamaica Hotels Law was passed to jumpstart the hotel industry. It authorized the government to guarantee the principal plus 3% interest on all debentures issued by hotel companies. This was done in great part to stimulate the staging of Jamaica's Great Exhibition of 1891. By the late 19th century/early 20th century (prior to the 1907 earthquake) Kingston was a thriving port town and visitors arrived on steamships by the thousands. Banks, life and fire insurance companies, building societies and discount associations flourished and electric lights began to take the place of gas in principal buildings...(continue reading in the Jamaica Gleaner.)

Saturday, March 06, 2010

WITH a good performance at last Saturday's Follow Di Arrow show held at James Bond Beach in Oracabessa, St Mary, Lutan Fyah set the pace for what can be expected of him in 2010.

The singer had to dig deep in his musical arsenal to entertain the vociferous dancehall enthusiasts who were in their element. He appeared on the stage at 2:40 am dressed in a green army jacket, blue jean pants, black turban and black sneakers. The audience roared with approval from the get-go, as he chanted, "Whole heap dem caan believe man say Rastafari now." He did a tight set which included hit songs...(continue reading in the JamaicaObserver).