BET's Programs: The Game, Let's Stay Together, Mo'Nique and More

The Game and Let's Stay Together will be airing tonight on BET. Read more at: BET's Programs: The Game, Let's Stay Together, Mo'Nique and More.

POEM: Miss Independent by Linette Rabsatt

Pyramid Schemes - A Matrix of Financial Ruin

Pyramid Schemes are not a way to improve your finances. Instead, these plans defraud many people of their money because the returns can never be realized.

In these harsh economic times, persons seeking a quick and high return on their money can be easily swayed to invest. Many people worldwide have lost money in pyramid schemes because of the promise of huge payouts on the initial investments. In recent days, investors in the Virgin Islands have suffered losses in a pyramid scheme. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that persons remain cognizant of fraudulent schemes when investing.

What is a Pyramid Scheme

A pyramid scheme entices investors by offering a huge and quick return on the initial investment with money earned from recruiting more persons to invest. Each new investor is also promised the same high returns once he brings more persons on-board. 

A Live Pyramid Scheme Example

John joins an investment plan where he invests $100 and once he can find four persons to join, he will get $20 for each one that joins. So John can make $80 if he recruits four friends while there is actually $400 being paid in by his four recruits. When each of the four persons, John's second level, invites four more persons, John gets $10 for each of the new investors, now John's third level, and he reaps $160. At John's third level, $1,600 would have been paid in by these new investors.

At John's fourth level, there will be 64 people investing with $6,400 paid in and John will make $320 if his cut is $5 per investor. At a sixth level, the investors increase to 1,024 and at John's seventh level, the numbers soar to 16,384. When the number of investors under John is totaled, it is 21,844 persons and they would have invested $218,440 ($100 from each person) through John's pyramid if there were enough new recruits. This cycle continues because every new investor to the scheme becomes a 'John' starting his own pyramid inviting new recruits.

Why Pyramid Schemes Fail

In the example above, the chances of John being able to increase to the seventh level are slim and an

eighth level would require 87,376 new persons. Problems with recruitment may begin at John's third level because difficulties may have already begun with gathering the 256 investors and as the pyramid grows, it gets worse. According to the Security and Exchanges Commission, "at some point the schemes get too big, the promoter cannot raise enough money from new investors to pay earlier investors, and many people lose their money". After a lower level investor makes his payment and can not find new recruits because of over-saturation, lack of interest or negative feedback, the scheme begins to collapse.

In the Prepared Statement of Debra A. Valentine, General Counsel for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on "Pyramid Schemes", she considered this latest recruit's perspective as they would have started their pyramid of investors but with being unable to gather recruits, would be unable to recoup their investment.

Virgin Islanders are Defrauded

Janice Dorette Rey, an Anguillan who resided in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) at some point and also the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), was arrested in Dade County, Florida on charges of Obtaining Money by False Pretense, Drawing and Delivering Worthless Checks, Securities Fraud, and Being an Unregistered Broker-Dealer. Rey, according to the USVI Department of Justice and the St. Thomas Source online news, defrauded investors in the USVI and in the BVI of over three million dollars with her pyramid scheme "Global Cohesive Economics (GCE)". She promised high returns on the investments and in the end was unable to maintain the promises and was eventually caught by authorities.

Errol George of the BVI Financial Investigation Agency Speaks

Rey's scheme caused the Financial Investigation Agency of the British Virgin Islands (FIA) to remind the territory of the danger of investing without researching first. FIA's Director, Errol George issued a press release about Rey's fraud advising people to be more vigilant because such fraudulent schemes are marketed well and lack of understanding and ease of trust make for easy targets.

The Director, when interviewed, suggested that persons interested in investing should be extremely careful before entering any investment and they should research, investigate and ask questions if there are any doubts. He noted that it is very prudent to seek advice from the general business community and the financial regulatory body in the country, such as the Financial Services Commission (FSC) in the BVI. George also suggested that persons should go with their gut feelings especially if the aura is negative. Everyone wants to make large sums of money in the fastest and easiest way. This makes it easy for thieves to come up with ways to defraud investors who are not investment or business savvy.

Pyramid and Ponzi schemes sound good to the listener but really do cause monetary losses and potential financial ruin depending on the level of investment since there is no way for the scheme to maintain the promised returns. Investors are reminded that they need to think carefully and choose wisely about the type of investment they want to pursue to avoid such schemes. Research, consultation and investigation are key to avoiding financial ruin from pyramid schemes. 

POEM: A New Definition

Check out my poem: A New Definition with Kanye West's "Touch The Sky" instrumental. "Touch The Sky" was inspired by Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up":

Teeth, Ears and Immunizations: Things Parents Should Know

Parents have to stay abreast of their children's growth and ensure that children's teeth and ears are checked and immunizations are up to date.

Parents of infants and toddlers in most countries are constantly reminded that they should maintain their children's health by monitoring the youth's growth and development. Parents need to observe growth milestones and ensure that the children's immunizations are up to date. Before a child is ready to attend elementary or primary school, there are certain tests that should be completed before he starts classes. School-aged children should have already had their first dentist visit. A hearing test is also important to assess if the child has any ear issues.  While some countries require that these tests and vaccinations are completed, parents should also take the initiative to ensure that their children are in good health.

If Parents Choose to, Children Should be Fully Immunized to Enter School

If parents choose to immunize their children, they should be aware of the schedule set out by their country for the vaccinations. Parents who wish not to immunize their children for religious or other reasons should visit their doctor and provide the necessary information to their child's school with the application for admission. When it comes to immunizations, the vaccine for Hepatitis B given in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) is given in three doses and if parents miss the second shot, this affects the child's immunization record by delaying the date for the third dose. By age four, any child entering the school system in the British Virgin Islands would have received the vaccine for Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), Polio, Diphtheria and Tetanus and Pertussis (DTP or DTaP). Haemophilus influenzae type b (HiB) vaccine which prevents meningitis and Varicella for chickenpox and BCG are also administered within the first four years of life.

Five Year Old Children Should Be Regularly Visiting the Dentist

Countries and individual dentists may vary with their recommendation for when a child should first visit the dentist. Upon the recommendation of the local dentist in the BVI, my children had their first visit at age three and were comfortable. Since that first visit, they look forward to visiting the dentist and are comfortable with the procedures. By age five, most children start to lose their teeth and if the teeth are coming in crooked, it is good to already have the child comfortable with the dentist for those extra consultations. Going to the dentist is overall a good habit to get children accustomed to even if your child's school or public clinic does not require it. Healthy teeth are important for our smiles, our consumption of food and overall well-being.

Hearing Test

After birth, babies are usually given a hearing test. However, when a child becomes eligible to enter primary or elementary school, a follow-up hearing test is also important to ensure that your child can hear well. In the BVI, at age three, all children are required to have to have a hearing test at no cost to the parents. Not being able to hear well also affects the way the child learns and speaks. Education and health professionals are basically using the concept of "prevention is better than the cure" when it comes to hearing. Any hearing disability that is detected early can be corrected with further assessment which may range from simply clearing the ear of wax to getting the child equipped with a hearing aid. As stated earlier, requirements for children entering school vary from country to country.

Parents should monitor their children and ensure that their teeth are checked by a dentist at least every six months. Hearing should also be re-checked before entrance to primary or elementary school. Vision screening can be checked during a general physical and if the general practitioner sees the need for further screening, he will recommend the child to an eye specialist. Today, parents are able to work with dentists, audiologists and general practitioners to ensure that their four and five year olds are ready to learn when entering school.

Classic Reggae Music from 1979: Trod On by Culture

The reggae group Culture was very influential in reggae music. Their Trod On album was originally released in 1979 with songs like "Black Rose."

 

Reggae music has had several extremely talented artists who really took the genre to an international level. We always hear about Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.

The reggae group, Culture, was also very popular and influential with their style of performing. They released songs like "Blood in a Babylon," "Weeping Eyes" and "No Sin" on their fourth album, Trod On. Culture's members originally were Joseph Hill, now deceased, Kenneth Paley and Albert Walker.

Reggae Group Culture Gave Us Good Reggae Music*

The reggae group Culture released several albums including Two Sevens Clash, Cumbolo, One Stone, International Herb Culture and Harder Than The Rest." Stoute also shared in his article that Culture was inducted "into the Jamaican Reggae Walk of Fame" and was given a "2005 Independence Award presented by the Prime Minister of Jamaica."

Reggae's Culture Worked with Jamaica's First Female Music Producer

Culture released Trod On in 1979. According to the notes to the Trod On album, "this album is Culture's fourth album for producer Sonia Pottinger."

The Reggae Album Trod On

Trod On has twelve songs including two under the title "Grounation" featuring Count Ossie and the Mystic Revelation of Rastari. While Trod On was originally released in 1979, it was re-released in 1993 on compact disc. Joseph Hill wrote all of the songs and the music was engineered by Errol Brown.

• Title Track "Trod On": "Trod On" has a catchy instrumental and inspiring words. Lyrics include "this is the time when I and I should be free" and "majority of them don't want to see dread survive / but no matter what they do, dread must stay alive." Culture encourages people of all races to "trod on" and keep moving forward to victory and to prosperity. "Trod On" also makes several biblical references to Samson, Jacob, Joseph (in the pit), Daniel and David.
• "Blood In A Babylon": "If Babylon kill one more Rastaman / the sun will stop from shining / the grass will stop from growing" start the first verse of this piercing song. The chorus repeats the words "Blood, blood, blood in a Babylon" and "Fire, Fire, Fire in a Babylon" is added as a second chorus. The artist is expressing his pain for the youth and elders in the community who were being persecuted at that time.
• "Fussing And Fighting (Take Two)": Joseph Hill was basically making an appeal to his people to find unity in this song. The hook contains the simple, yet powerful words "Stop this fussing and fighting, brother." The 'Take Two' is only to reiterate that it does take two persons to make an argument. "It's a shame to see the people fighting in the streets / drawing guns at each other" are lyrics from the first verse.
• "No Sin" with Count Ossie & Mystic Revelation of Rasta: "No Sin" is one of the songs listed under the title "Grounation," which the album booklet describes as a "gathering of Rastafarians who come together to 'reason,' mingle ideas through discussion, chanting and beating drums." "No Sin" has rhythmic drum beats which remind the listener of Bob Marley's "Rastaman Chant" and is the longest track on the album with over seven minutes of chants. One of the popular bible verses, "Let the words from I mouth and the meditation of I heart might able be acceptable in thy sight" from Psalm 19:14 is sung. "No sin, no sin at all... cannot enter Zion" is repeated throughout "No Sin."
• "Ticklish Ghetto": "Ticklish Ghetto" has a classic ska rhythm. "Sometimes it's hard, hard, hard, so very so hard, my friend, to get a job / when you work and get pay and walk go a street, I say / them there a want to shoot you down" describes the singer's thoughts about the perils in the "Ticklish Ghetto." While people may work hard, there is always someone who wants to take what they earn. In the chorus, Culture admonishes "Work hard, natty, work hard, yea, till Jah Jah come."

Culture is a well-loved reggae group who has performed all over the world. Their 1979 Trod On album gives listeners inspirational words, grooving reggae rhythms and a glimpse into life in Jamaica. Culture's Joseph Hill passed away in 2006 but Culture continues to perform with the other founding members, Kenneth Paley and Albert Walker, along with Hill's son, Kenyatta. 

A Sitcom Fanatic - That's me

I am proud to say that I do love TV! I love a good detective/courtroom drama like Law & Order. I love the original, SVU and Criminal Intent. By the way, I still love Matlock.

Sitcoms have fallen by the wayside as more networks seem to want to feature reality shows. I've been a viewer of I Love New York, Flavor Flav, Bret Michaels, Chance & Real and I love America's Top Model.

I naturally love to laugh and that's where my sitcoms come in. From Hanging With Mr. Cooper, Cosby Show, Saved By The Bell, Frasier, Friends - I grew up watching these. The Jeffersons, Sanford & Son, Good Times all can give me a good laugh today.

I think I was devasted when they cancelled Girlfriends. The show ws entertaining an relatable. I am looking forward to seeing the new episodes of The Game and the new Let's Stay Together. On January 11, I will be sleeping late to see these new shows.

I just love me some sitcoms!!!!!!