SPORTS: Football is life. Long live Chapecoense.

Football is often a screen on to which we project various aspects of our lives.  Some people identify with underdogs and so they follow underdog teams.  Or they simply, in their own minds, turn their teams into underdogs.  Some dream of being titans so they follow larger than life football teams, or they elevate their teams to the level of titans.  It's like love, the romantic kind where you see your lover as a reflection of yourself or a reflection of what your self needs in order to be satisfied with itself.  If you see yourself as a giant or if you need giants in your life you may support a club like Real Madrid, the team of Galacticos.  If you identify with the small man who stands up to any challenge and becomes a giant in his own right you may be a fan of Atletico Madrid, a team with less money than the giants that often beats the giants.

But even with football, as in real life, at a certain point romantic love transforms into something less self-centred, real love.  You stop getting angry with your team when it loses and you start suffering with the players when they suffer on the pitch. You find yourself worrying about their injuries, angry at other fans for berating them and even curious at times about their personal lives and how they are getting along in life off the field.  You get to know their strengths and weaknesses and you become ok with their imperfections.  Your player may have a poor left foot but he's one of your heroes.  And the lad has been with the team since he was a teenager so he is one of our own, you remind yourself.

There's also the camaraderie with other fans.  It becomes one big extended family sharing victories and defeats together.  It becomes bigger than family.  It becomes a community of shared hopes, dreams and visions of the future.  We get together in groups and in forums online to discuss strategy, to discuss team politics, to discuss management and the way forward.  It even evolves beyond that to interaction with fans from other teams discussing the state and future of the game.  And at this point it feels like so much more than just a game.

This is why the expression "Football Is Life" is so popular.  It is a sport that imitates life in so many ways.  At a certain point, the imitation is so perfect it doesn't feel like an imitation anymore.  The passion is real.  The love is real.  Grown men cry over defeats. They cry tears of joy over the victories.  Boys and girls nurture dreams. There's the anxiety, the suffering with your team and even heart attacks.  Weddings have been scheduled so as not to clash with matches.  Work has been skipped.  Life has been disrupted and life has been celebrated.  Football is life.

And that is why so many football fans around the world, even those who never heard of the Brazilian team Chapecoense before today, feel the heart-wrenching loss of this team that perished in a horrific air disaster, yesterday.  The connection that all football fans share through football, the passion for a sport that takes up such a great part of our lives, makes such a tragic loss so relatable.  In football as in life we are bound by our empathy and our identification with each other. In the world of football those traits are arguably stronger than in any other sport in the world.

That is why I am gutted by the deaths of so many members of a football team in one night.  I am gutted for their families, their friends and their fans.  I am gutted by the photographs of fans crying in the bleachers of their stadium in Chapeco, Brazil.  The most striking thing about these images is the fans facing a football field devoid of players, a field on to which they would normally project their hopes and dreams but now only reflects a shocking emptiness.  I feel that sense of loss as if it were my own.

Any one of us who has suffered a great tragedy in our family knows that these days will not pass easily for the people in Chapeco.  The days and nights will be long and hard.  If I could offer any comfort to the fans now it is that life inevitably goes on with the living and how we cope with the past is often related to how we approach the future.  The vice president of Chapecoense has vowed to rebuild the team.  It is a declaration that he and the fans will have to hold on to in order to survive this trial.  It may seem almost pointless in this moment of despair but with time this statement of intent will exercise a kind of gravity to pull the club forward.

The greatest legacy of the players who lost their lives on that flight can be the continuation and survival of the hopes and dreams of Chapecoense.  The players already set this in motion by achieving what many never expected this little team to achieve.  They rose from Brazil's lower tiers of football to reach the highest tier, the Serie A. This year they reached the final of a major international competition, the Copa Sudamericana, for the first time in their history.  They were travelling to play this final when disaster struck.

Hopefully, the club and the fans will now draw on what makes football so great, the fact that it is a screen on to which we can project our human spirit and our aspirations.  May the club rise like a phoenix from the ashes and may all the fans, families and friends live that painful but worthwhile rebirth. May this spirit of survival and achievement be the legacy of those players and coaches who worked so hard to put a little team on the map, a team that was on its way in an airplane to achieving something great.  Maybe the flight to football glory has just been delayed.  Never stop flying because that is what football is all about.  Football is life. Life goes on. Long live Chapecoense.

HUMAN RIGHTS: #JamaicanLivesMatter

We need to turn some of our attention from #BlackLivesMatter in the United States and put more of our attention on #JamaicanLivesMatter right here in Jamaica. There's a lot going on. A lot. Amnesty International has been giving some attention to Nakiea Jackson's killing a couple years ago so I've become acquainted with this particular case. One of the things that struck me is how the police often have an excuse not to turn up in court on the days when the case is being tried. I remember someone who worked for my family many, many years ago had a brother who was shot by the police and the police used to do the same thing every time the case came up in court. Amazing how not much has changed over all these years.  

If you are interested in keeping up to date on police extra judicial killings and other human rights issues in Jamaica you can follow the Jamaicans For Justice Facebook page, and the Amnesty International Caribbean Facebook page.  You can also get some of the background on Nakiea Jackson's killing from Petchary's Blog in 2014.

RT #Time4JusticeJA - Stay tuned for more about human rights in #Jamaica @JAForJustice pic.twitter.com/Z1u1y04yiy

— Amnesty Caribbean (@AICaribbean) November 19, 2016

Killings by the police in our country have caused the relatives to seek justice for far too long. #Time4JusticeJA @AICaribbean pic.twitter.com/OXvpDH1AAe

— JamaicansForJustice (@JAForJustice) November 21, 2016

SATIRE: Jamaica Prepares To Vote For Hillary

Jamaican people have become so obsessed with the Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump electoral battle they actually think the election is a Jamaican one, and they plan to come out by the thousands to vote tomorrow. Doris MacPherson, a forty two year old hairdresser living in Montego Bay says she is ready to cast her vote for Mrs. Clinton. She laments the fact, however, that the government has put out no information concerning the location of polling stations in Mobay.

“Mi hear say yu have one polling station out by Bogue,” she says “But then mi hear say dem move it go a Bottom Road.  Dem nuh even tell we what time di poll dem a open, tomorrow. Anju Holness need fi organize himself.”

Apparently, the Jamaican government also believes we will be holding an election and has made preparations. Prime Minister Andrew Holness says businesses and schools will close early tomorrow to ensure that everyone in the island has a chance to vote for Hillary Clinton.

“I cannot over-emphasize the importance of this election.” he stated emphatically “Trump must not be allowed to win.  We can’t afford another war.  We lost thousands of Jamaicans in Iraq and Afghanistan.  No more wars, please. No more.”

When reminded that Jamaica did not fight in those wars the Prime Minister appeared momentarily confused and said quietly to himself  “Raas. Is true.”  Nevertheless, he said this election is still important for Jamaica and can affect other issues like the Mexican immigrants pouring into Jamaica at the border and the future of Obamacare in the island.

Prominent Montego Bay psychiatrist, Anthony Patterson, believes that whatever happens at the polls, tomorrow, Jamaicans will need to come together and heal.  “Its scary!” he points out. “The country is bitterly divided and we are on the brink of civil war. We have 99.9 percent of the population on one side with Hillary Clinton, and on the other side we have reggae singer, Etana.  A Trump victory could mean a war between everybody and Etana.”  When contacted for comment Etana furiously dismissed the press saying “A wha di….Unu really bring up dis ting fi come twist me words, again.  Come outa mi house, now!”

At some point tomorrow night the election will be over.  The campaign which began in earnest last year has taken a severe psychological toll on many Jamaicans.  Some have even declared they can’t and won’t speak about any more politics until the election has passed.  Of course, if Mrs. Clinton loses Jamaicans could find themselves in a very uncomfortable position as new Prime Minister Donald Trump grabs all of us by the proverbial pussy.

SPONSORED POST: Get Ready To Celebrate Restaurant Week With MVP Smokehouse In Montego Bay

This year’s Restaurant Week will take place from November 11 to November 19 and of course MVP Smokehouse in Montego Bay is involved.  Montego Bay’s favourite little eatery for Jamaican cuisine has been included in the “Tasty” category of participating restaurants and the establishment's many regular customers are buzzing with anticipation.

So what does MVP Smokehouse have in store for these eight days of culinary celebration now in its 11th year?  Well, expect a very Jamaican menu, of course, reflecting creative twists on popular Jamaican dishes plus a few international items added to enhance the variety.

The appetizers will feature a Jerk Chicken Mousse with Crackers where spicy meets smooth. A Vegetable Quesadilla and Jamaican Peppered Shrimp make up the other offerings in this section before we start turning our attention to the main course.

Ok, now we’re ready.  Are you a seafood person?  Will you be having the Shrimp in Cilantro Sauce? Or are you going full-on Yardie style with the Jerk Pork, Chicken and Sausage Combo?  You can hold on to that Yardie vibe and step it up a notch in sophistication and creativity with the Breast of Chicken stuffed with Gingered Plantains.  Now, that sounds very enticing.

MVP Smokehouse has always kept vegetarians in mind and the Zucchini Noodles served with a Homemade Puttanesca Sauce caters to the non-meat eaters.  But, if you are a meat lover, come back to the light and enjoy the Barbecued Ribs.  Your main course selections are accompanied by a choice of Garlic Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Rice & Peas or Mini Smoked Macaroni and Cheese.

Now, we are at that point where bellies are full but we don’t know how to say “STOP!”.  Yes, we are now in dessert territory.  Space will have to be found for the Sinful Chocolate Cake topped with Strawberry Sauce.  Full stomachs must still rise to the challenge of Banana Bread Pudding Minis drizzled with Creme De Cocoa or make way for the Blue Mountain Chocolate Tiramisu.  You could also choose the Cheesecake Cups topped with Assorted Tropical Fruit as your last hurrah.

MVP Smokehouse has such a faithful following in Montego Bay that its regulars could be called the MVP Smokehouse evangelicals.  Surely, they will consider this week to be even more special than the other weeks of the year.  It will be a Christmas before Christmas so to speak, and if you aren’t an evangelical yet, Restaurant Week 2016 is a very special opportunity to discover this almost religious culinary experience for yourself.