Community News
Doctors are speaking up about how best to prepare yourself for the Flu Season
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
It is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the bleak, disturbing headlines that continue to pop up during our current COVID-19 crisis:
Coronavirus: Oxford vaccine triggers immune response
James Gallagher Health and science correspondent
July 20th, 2020
Coronavirus: Masks mandatory in France amid fresh outbreaks
BBC News, July 20th, 2020
FACT: There are no medicines that can prevent or treat COVID-19
World Health Organization
Indian government slammed for recommending homeopathy for coronavirus prevention
Thursday, January 30th, 2020
“There are no specific supplements that will help protect against coronavirus and anyone claiming that is being investigated by the FTC [Federal Trade Commission] and the FDA [Food and Drug Administration],”
Melissa Majumdar (Registered Dietitian and Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
Lisa Drayer CNN
March 25th, 2020
Oh Lord!
It is important to stay informed; in some ways, it is the only way that we can take back some control over our lives. Naturally, we our listening to the news, watching the updates, not realizing that it is causing stress, that does impact our bodies immune system.
We are having a tough enough time managing our lives during the pandemic, and this is why it is critical to choose our sources of information carefully. Yes, there is plenty of fact-based content on social media, and with how it is presented; it is also more likely to turn hearsay into misinformation.
As a journalist, who truly cares about her global community, I want you to remember one thing; not all information is created equal. The images that are pushed out to us don’t always have a lot of value.
When we see images of workers in hazmat suits, empty streets and armed guards, our brains detect a threat and will instantly go into fight, or flight mode, which over time can be extremely damaging to the body. When popular media report that rates of infections are “skyrocketing” it can trigger more anxious feelings than if they simply said, “increasing.” Don’t get it twisted for a second; these media companies know exactly what they are doing. I know it is difficult, but I want readers to see through the sensationalistic language and focus on the message they are delivering. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, if a particular news source uses a lot of alarmist language, you should consider avoiding that outlet altogether. Where possible, focus on the facts in the story, not the extraneous details or peripheral images.
“It’s interesting to me that I haven’t really heard anyone talking about boosting our immune systems during this pandemic.” Bruce Clark (Facebook User)
It is truly unfortunate, but what we have been offered as a society to best combat this virus are Band-Aid solutions. Some could go as far as to question the government’s decisions when it comes to managing this pandemic.
Let’s take for example, industries that were considered “essential services.” On July 15th, 2020, the Ontario government amended liquor laws to provide consumers with more delivery options and allow boat operators with liquor sales licences to temporarily sell and serve alcohol while their boat is docked.
Recognizing the continuing need to practice physical distancing, Ontario amended the Liquor Licence Act (LLA) to allow a licensed liquor delivery service to use contractors. This will give consumers more options for delivery services when purchasing alcohol from Ontario retailers, including the LCBO and The Beer Store.
I guess they are aware that people’s efforts to manage the demands of stressful experience sometimes lead them to engage in behaviours—such as alcohol use that also could modify immune system processes, and not for the better (Mental Health Commission of Canada).
According to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, alcohol sales have increased significantly since late March, just around the time of the lockdown. Customers are actually admitting that they are buying more, because there isn’t as much to do.
According to a recent Nanos Poll commissioned by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), it was found that since the pandemic began 25% of respondents between the age of 35 and 54 say they have started drinking more. Apparently, Ontarians are taking heed of health official’s advice to stock up when they shop in order to limit their time spent outside their homes. Not stock up on vitamins, not take more walks, not eat healthier, stock up on liquor because, well, it is an essential service after all.
“Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness.” Earl of Darby
Once again, the team at the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper have opted to take a different approach to educating our community, something that the government has been promising to do. So far, the only education that has been shoved in our faces is to wear a mask.
It is important that we provide our community with information that is going to not only help in the short term, but in the long term as well. WE are not telling you to not listen to government advice. This is a free country, so you are free to do so. What we are offering is ways in which we can build our bodies and strengthen our immune systems so that we can naturally prepare our bodies for the dreaded flu season. For that, I not only did some in-depth research on proven immune boosters, I also had the opportunity to speak with seasoned, and trained physicians who also think that it is important to build our natural defences.
I want to first introduce you to Dr. W. Gifford-Jones, and his daughter Diana Gifford-Jones. Dr. Jones’ medical career began when he attended Harvard Medical School in 1945. Even in his 90s, Dr. Gifford-Jones remains as poignant as ever. He has argued consistently for informed healthcare decision-making based on a fulsome understanding of the facts. He advocates relentlessly for compassionate care, championed by doctors with their patients, not by politicians. He urges us all to take responsibility for our lifestyle choices — most notably, striking a balanced diet, being active, and thinking twice before relying on synthetic drugs and surgical procedures when natural approaches may offer the best preventative medicine.
His daughter, Diana Gifford-Jones is a graduate of Wellesley
College and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Diana has a wide range of global health and health education work experience with: international financial institutions, universities, government agencies, NGOs, and large and small businesses.
In one of their latest articles, they highlighted the fact that we need to ensure our natural defenses are at their strongest. It is a good strategy for everyday living during these COVID times. Their suggestions include loading up on vitamin C (1,000 milligrams (mg) taken three times a day), 3,000 international units of vitamin D, 400 mg of magnesium, 200 mg of zinc, and 100 micrograms of selenium. Let’s take a look at each of these in turn.
Vitamin C
Two-time Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Linus Pauling was the first to realize vitamin C’s crucial importance in the maintenance of a healthy immune system. Recent medical research has confirmed Dr. Pauling’s original idea that regular intake of vitamin C could help prevent and shorten the duration of a common cold. It is also very effective in preventing secondary viral or bacterial complications.
Vitamin C works by stimulating the immune system and protecting against damage by the free radicals released by the body (Vitamin C: Your Ultimate Health Insurance, Hans R. Larsen, Msc CHe). Doses should be divided throughout the day as urinary excretion increase rapidly when individual doses exceed 500 mg.
On March 3rd, 2020, the government of Shanghai, China announced its official recommendation that COVID-19 should be treated with high amounts of intravenous vitamin C (Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, Mar 3, 2020).
Richard Z. Cheng, MD, PhD, a Chinese-American specialist physician, has been working closely with medical and governmental authorities throughout China. Dr. Cheng was encouraging more Chinese hospitals to implement vitamin C therapy incorporating high oral doses as well as C by IV. Interesting, I didn’t hear this press release in the news.
Magnesium
There is over 100 years of magnesium research showing magnesium powerfully supports the immune system. Magnesium is easily lost under stress, which in turn weakens the immune system. Magnesium should be the go-to immune system support strategy, alongside vitamin C, when defending against microbial attack – particularly in the winter flu season. During the winter, we get more stress challenges when it is very cold, and this causes us to lose magnesium. It has also been found that elderly populations tend to have decreasing levels of magnesium, which correlate with the onset of disease.
So, how do we replace, and restore magnesium levels? According to Cleveland Clinic (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/), men need about 400 – 420 mg, and women need about 310 -320 mg. You can get rich sources of magnesium from greens, nuts, seeds, dry beans, and whole grains.
Zinc
Deficiencies in zinc represent a fairly prevalent human health problem, and also accompany many Western diseases and conditions such as gastrointestinal disorders, renal disease, sickle cell anemia, alcoholism, some types of cancers, AIDS, burns and others (Zinc and its role in immunity and inflammation, Paola Bonaventura, Giulia Benedetti , Francis Albarède , Pierre Miossec, 24 November 2014)
Zinc deficiency is said to affect all aspects of the immune system. This indicates that Zinc is essential for the proper development and function of the immune system. According to a World Health Organization report (WHO 2002), Zinc deficiency ranks fifth amongst the most important health risk factors in developing countries and eleventh worldwide.
Meat and shellfish are at the top of the list when finding ways to get more Zinc into your diet. Don’t fret my vegetarians: Legumes like chickpeas, lentils and beans all contain substantial amounts of Zinc. Peanuts, cashews and almonds can boost your intake of zinc, and whole grains like wheat, quinoa, rice and oats contain some zinc. For my chocolate lovers, dark chocolate contains reasonable amounts of zinc.
Selenium
Dietary selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient that affects various aspects of human health, including optimal immune responses. In most cases, studies have demonstrated an enhancement of immune responses by increasing levels of Se intake.
What Selenium does is influence both the innate, “nonadaptive” and the acquired, “adaptive” immune systems (The influence of selenium on immune responses, Peter R. Hoffmann and Marla J. Berry, July 25th, 2013). The innate immune system includes barriers to infection.
In addition, there is a great deal of information regarding how Se-deficiency alters immune responses to a viral infection. When experimenting on mice, researchers compared Se-adequate mice, to Se-deficient mice infected with influenza virus. What they found was that Se-deficiency may result in elevated inflammation perhaps due to higher levels of oxidative stress.
Brazil nuts, fish, pastas, whole wheat breads, whole grain cereals, turkey, chicken, brown rice, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, oatmeal, lentils, banana’s and cashews are all rich in Selenium.
Vitamin D
The story of Dr. John Cannell is an interesting one. He is a California psychiatrist, who is the chief author of a landmark theory that postulates that influenza epidemics are intimately linked to declining vitamin D levels.
Dr. Cannell’s work with African-American patients has been examined routinely. He discovered that African skin pigmentation interferes with the sunlight-driven production of natural vitamin D. This fact, combined with the fact that they were being held isolated in a mental health facility, led Dr. Cannell to suspect that his patients’ blood levels of vitamin D would be abnormally low. He tested and affirmed this to be the case.
After educating his patients about vitamin D’s potential benefits, he prescribed routine supplementation with 2000 IU of vitamin D3 daily. Here is where readers need to start paying attention.
In the late winter of 2005, influenza broke out at the hospital. Just like we have seen on a global scale, ward after ward was quarantined, as patients were gripped with the chills, fever, cough, and severe body aches characteristic of the influenza A (sounds strangely like COVID-19).
One by one, the wards became infected, even though the patients were quarantined.
To Dr. Cannell’s growing amazement, his own patients remained unaffected. They had intermingled with patients from infected wards before the quarantines. He was certain that his patients had been exposed to the influenza virus.
His patients’ enduring health in the midst of a local epidemic profoundly influenced Dr. Cannell’s thoughts on the relationship between vitamin D and immunity to the flu.
An intriguing new theory suggests that diminished winter blood levels of vitamin D increase people’s susceptibility to influenza infection. Patients supplemented with vitamin D appeared to be completely protected against influenza infection, even while living in close proximity to people infected with flu. (FLU LE Magazine, Why is Flu Risk So Much Higher in the winter? February, 2007, Dale Kiefer)
“Prevention” is better than “Intervention”; “Self-care” is better than “Crisis Care”; “Meditation” is better than “Medications” Dr. George Grant
I wanted to end this article with an interview that I had with Dr. George Grant: Professor, M.Sc., Ph.D., Food Scientist, Biofeedback /Stress/ Nutrition/ Author/Editor. He is considered the Canadian authority of Biofeedback and Nutrition as well as the Canadian Wellness Ambassador.
Dr. Grant is an award-winning author of 13 bestselling books. He also holds 5 patents, has published over 250 health related research papers and has reviewed/edited over 375 papers and articles. Dr. Grant has been a guest speaker at many health-related conferences all around the world. With Dr. Grant’s assistance, Canadian and American athletes have been able to reach top 10 Olympic status. He has three Doctorates, three Master’s, and three Bachelors degrees. He is a Toxicologist, and Microbiologist, and was the former Scientist & Quarantine Officer with Health Canada, FDA & CDC for 10 years. Our discussion left me questioning a lot of things that I am hearing in the media.
“Media, and fear mongering,” Dr. Grant began, “suppresses the immune system.
There are three types of lymphocytes that mediate specific immunity: T-helper cells, T-cytotoxic cells, and B cells. The main function of T-helper cells is to produce cytokines that direct and amplify the rest of the immune response.
Early human studies report that chronic forms of stress are accompanied by reduced natural killer cell cytotoxicity, suppressed lymphocyte proliferative responses, and blunted humoral responses to immunization. Diminished immune responses of this nature are assumed to be responsible for the heightened incidence of infectious and neoplastic diseases found among chronically stressed individuals.
Contrary to popular believe Simone,” Dr. George continued, “masks cannot prevent any virus There is no scientist in the world can tell you that masks can protect you from a virus. There is something wrong here. SARS was more fatal than COVID-19, and MERs was even more dangerous. I am curious as to why our doctors are not talking about this. What they are telling you to do is stay inside. It has been researched and proven that indoor air quality is worse than outdoor.
This is not scientific. What Bill Gates is doing right now is not right for humanity. What are his medical credentials again? I can affirm that 80% of all diseases can be avoided if you watch your diet, and supplement yourself with Vitamin D3, Vitamin C (5000 Gr), and Zinc.”
Hmmm! It seems like there are doctors and researchers who seem to be saying the same thing. As media consumers, we bombard ourselves with COVID-19 details, headlines, and images, and this reinforces the threat signal and perpetuates the stress response. Remember, the information we allow in will affect how we feel – and we should monitor that intake with care. We fight infections everyday. Our bodies are built for this.
References
Cleveland Clinic
(https://my.clevelandclinic.org/)
FLU LE Magazine (Why is Flu Risk So Much Higher in the Winter?)
February, 2007
Dale Kiefer
Mental Health Commission of Canada
https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/news-article/13920/choosing-sources-information-carefully-critical-covid-19-mental-well-being-says
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, Mar 3, 2020
http://www.orthomolecular.org/
(Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry, 2004)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361287/?source=post_page—————————
The influence of selenium on immune responses
Peter R. Hoffmann and Marla J. Berry
July 25th, 2013
Zinc and its role in immunity and inflammation
Paola Bonaventura , Giulia Benedetti , Francis Albarède , Pierre Miossec,
24 November 2014
Vitamin C: Your Ultimate Health Insurance
Hans R. Larsen, Msc CHe
http://www.yourhealthbase.com/vitamin_C.htm
Community News
“We want 9-8-8 to become as familiar as dialing 9-1-1,” 9-8-8 Celebrates one year serving the community
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
The holiday season, a time often associated with joy and celebration, can paradoxically trigger a decline in mental well-being for many. Coupled with the ongoing pressures of inflation, rising crime rates, and the abrupt shift of daylight savings time, particularly in northern regions, these factors can create a perfect storm for individuals struggling with their mental health.
Suicide, a tragic reality, knows no boundaries, impacting people of all ages and backgrounds. In Canada alone, a staggering average of 4,500 lives are lost to suicide each year, translating to approximately 12 individuals per day. The impact of each suicide extends far beyond the individual, leaving a trail of grief and devastation among family, friends, and communities.
On November 30th, 2023, Canada launched 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline. It is for anyone thinking about suicide, feeling hopeless, or like they are struggling to cope. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital, leads and coordinates delivery of 9-8-8 nationwide. 9-8-8 is funded by the Government of Canada, through the Public Health Agency of Canada.
A growing network of nearly 40 experienced local and national crisis line partners across the country provide culturally appropriate, lifesaving supports to people who call or text the helpline.
Over the past year, 9-8-8 crisis responders have answered more than 300,000 calls and texts to the national helpline. 9-8-8 answers an average of almost 30,000 calls and texts per month – approximately 1,000 calls and texts per day. In Ontario, 9-8-8 responders answer an average of over 12,000 calls and texts per month (more than 135,000 from the launch to October 31st, 2024).
The goal of the three-digit helpline is to prevent suicide by making it as simple as possible for people to get the help they need, when they need it most. 9-8-8 provides urgent, live support by phone and text to people in every province and territory across the country in English and French, 24/7, every day of the year.
Last week, I had a chance to speak with Nika Khossravi, 9-8-8 Crisis Responder, and she shared with me her reason for becoming a responder, and the importance of 9-8-8.
“Last year I experienced the loss of a friend to suicide,” Nika shares, “When I was grieving the loss, I did a lot of reflection, and I realized that I did not have the tools to assist my friend. I dug deep and volunteered and learned a lot. What many of us don’t take into consideration is how suicide affects survivors of suicide. We don’t like to say suicide is contagious, but sometimes it becomes more of a reality, especially when someone close to you has committed suicide.”
“What are the biggest challenges you anticipate in ensuring equitable access to the 9-8-8 helpline for all Canadians, including those in remote, rural, and underserved communities,” I inquired?
“It serves every single city in Canada. It is the same as 9-1-1. Let’s be honest, when you are in crisis, you are not thinking about long drawn-out numbers. We want 9-8-8 to become as familiar as dialing 9-1-1,”
“Are there mechanisms for seamless referrals and follow-up care?”
“Responders offer follow calls within 24 hours, and some are able to do referrals to local distress centres. 211 is one of the resource databases that we can provide for them.”
9-8-8 also offers support and advice for people who are worried someone they know may be considering suicide. Whatever you are going through, you don’t have to face your problems on your own. 9-8-8 responders are here to listen. No one who calls or texts 9-8-8 will be turned away. Everyone who contacts 9-8-8 will be assessed for suicide risk.
“What are the initial expectations and long-term goals for the 9-8-8 helpline in terms of reducing suicide rates and improving mental health outcomes for Canadians?”
“We want people to be aware. We are a resource to those who think someone in their lives might be thinking about suicide. We want 9-8-8 to be as familiar to Canadians as 9-1-1.”
By texting or calling 9-8-8, people can connect with a responder who’s ready to
listen and trained to help. 9-8-8 responders work with callers and texters to explore ways to cope when things are overwhelming and find a path to safety. Responder training is informed by evidence, best practices and engagement with organizations representing populations most affected by suicide to ensure that anyone, anywhere, can access the support they need.
For more information and to receive the latest updates, please visit www.988.ca or connect with them on our social media platforms:
Twitter: @988Canada
Facebook: 988Canada
Instagram: @988Canada
LinkedIn: 988Canada
Community News
The health disaster caused by the tobacco industry is still ongoing and needs immediate attention
BY PAUL JUNOR
The announced lawsuit seeking $500 billion against the tobacco companies could potentially be settled. The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) issued a press release on October 18th, 2024, in which it expressed reservations. The Ontario government is supportive, but there have been mixed reactions from others.
The proposed lawsuit would dispense the following:
- $24.7 billion over time to provinces and territories, including $6.3 billion up front, and the remainder paid out as a percentage of tobacco company profits, including 85% of net after-tax profits in the first five years, and then 80% declining to 70% in subsequent years, until the $24.7 billion is paid
- $4.1 billion to the Quebec class action plaintiffs
- $2.5 billion to individual victims across Canada beyond the Quebec class action plaintiffs
- $1.0 billion to a Foundation to fund research for the diagnosis and treatment of tobacco-related disease.
Rob Cunningham, lawyer for the CCS and Senior Policy Analyst states, “The approach in the proposed settlement falls massively short and fails to protect the future health of Canadians properly. How can such an approach possibly be justified when we continue to have millions of Canadians who smoke each year and tobacco remains the leading cause of cancer death? This settlement fails to support public health efforts to reduce smoking.”
Cunningham is supportive of the $1 billion funding, which will go towards the foundation independent of the government but expressed concerns that it will not be involved in proactive measures such as: smoking cessation initiatives, awareness campaigns, or public health programs.
Cunningham would like to see specific changes before approval. He notes, “The foundation must have the ability to fund a full range of initiatives to reduce tobacco use, such as smoking cessation and community programs, among others. Moreover, as in the U.S, the settlement in Canada should contain policy measures to reduce tobacco use such as banning remaining tobacco promotion and should require public disclosure of secret tobacco company internal documents.”
Some of the data presented by Canada Cancer Society include:
- Smoking is the leading cause of disease and death in Canada with 16,000 deaths in Ontario and 46,000 in Canada
- The rate of smoking is 11.4% for age 18 and older according to 2023 stats
- About 3.6 million Canadians are smokers
The Canada Cancer Society highlights some of the wrongful actions of the tobacco industry such as:
- Marketing to underage teenagers
- Advertising to women with themes of slimness and fashion
- Denying that smoking caused cancer and other diseases
- Failing to warn consumers adequately
- Using misleading advertising, including for so-called “light” and “mild” cigarettes
- Lobbying aggressively against tobacco control laws
Cunningham states, “Without investing in significant measures to reduce tobacco use, this proposed settlement misses the very intention of the lawsuits in the first place, which is to curtail the damages caused by the tobacco industry. The health disaster caused by the tobacco industry is still ongoing and needs immediate attention, which this proposed settlement fails to do. This is a deal that won’t reduce smoking.”
The three major tobacco companies in Canada include:
- Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. (owned by British American Tobacco)
- Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (owned by Philip Morris International)
- JTI-Macdonald Corp (owned by Japan Tobacco)
Gar Mahood of the Campaign for Justice on Tobacco Fraud acknowledged the settlement is a “Hollow victory. The settlement went from $500 billion in claimed damages (the costs to the health care system for treating smoking-related illness) to just over $24.7 billion. It’s a financial cave-in that will be paid for by current addicted smokers, the most at-risk group in the proposed settlement, and youth who will become addicted.”
“It is a meaningful first step in acknowledging decades of harm,” states Jessica Buckley, President and CEO at the Lung Health Foundation (LHF) notes further, “But financial restitution can’t make up for the loss of life. It can’t make up for the experiences of Canadians who have suffered through lung cancer and COPD. It’s not enough for people who are struggling to breathe right now.”
“It is crucial to ensure that more resources are allocated to lung health prevention programs, research and education efforts.”
She is not sure if the funds will go directly into practical steps. “LHF is pushing fit a Smoke-Free Generation, a move that if enacted, would protect youth from addiction by ensuring that youth born after a certain date would never legally become of age to purchase tobacco products.”
Jacob Shelley, co-director of the Health Ethics, Law and Policy lab at Western University shares that he is pleased that plaintiffs will receive restitution after five years of going through the courts. He states, “It’s not a meaningful individual victory in the sense of like a big payout, but it’s meaningful and there is going to be an opportunity for collection on this claim, which started decades ago, and that there is recognition and an imposition of liability for the failure to warn about the risks associated with the use of this product.”
BY MICHAEL THOMAS
Three-time Canadian Calypso monarch and Saint Lucian-born Mr. Dennis James Sr. has left us. Uncle Dennis as would sometimes call him was an extremely passionate performer. Anyone who attended a Calypso tent where Dennis James sang could testify to this. He was a reticent brother by nature but make no mistake when he hit the stage you knew it was showtime.
Always dressed to the teeth, Dennis left no stone unturned musically. He was not just a Calypso singer, Dennis touched almost every genre musically from: Soca, Calypso to RnB, and more. Every song Dennis James did he brought his fiery touch to it like a stamp.
James was crowned Canadian Calypso monarch first in 2001, then 2002, and 2006. From the day James touched down in Toronto to perform as a Calypso artist, he was loved. Some artists have to grow into that love, the audience gave Dennis that package naturally.
With songs like “West Indians Unite,” “Words I Did Not Say,” “Nothing to Declare,” “The Thunder,” and “Thank You Toronto,” it is said that as a Calypso artist, if you knew you were competing against Dennis James, you better do your homework.
One of the founding members of the Calypso organization here in Toronto and artist Juno D Kanhai aka Juno D’ Lord remembers Dennis James in two words as a “Great crooner.”
Seven-time Canadian Calypso monarch Tara Woods (aka Macoomere-Fifi) told me, “I called him Mr. Toronto. From the time Dennis James landed in Toronto, he was loved by everyone. He was always grateful for the love, and very shy about his talent.”
“Dennis may have looked unassuming, that is until he hit the stage. I will always remember Dennis onstage with that smile that is all his own, and the vocal explosion when he feels the audience’s love.”
“You had to be afraid,” she said. “Dennis was one of the guys you had to watch as a competitor. You could not take him lightly. He has left us a legacy. Rest in peace Mr. T.O.”
I spoke to five-time Canadian Calypso monarch Bryan Thornhill (aka “Structure”) who competed against Dennis in the Calypso arena, “I first met Dennis in 2003 in the Calypso finals. Even though we were fierce competitors we had that admiration for each other’s work. His strong voice and renditions made him a formidable force and added color to the Kaiso mosaic. My deepest condolences to his family. He will always be remembered. May he Rest in Peace!”
Calypso Monarch and Soca king Joel Davis (aka “Connector”) had this to say of James. “He was a giant in the business, a humble but serious man who I considered a cultural ambassador. He executed his vocal range with a vengeance.”
Five-time Canadian Calypso monarch Michael Moore (aka the Lord Beginner) also weighed in on his memory of Dennis James. “What I liked about him was his aggressive nature on stage. Even though we performed in the same tent I told myself, I better watch him. James was smooth, Dennis performed nicely, and he knew how to get the crowd involved in the Calypso. He was a fierce competitor, and I liked him, but you know me, even though we were in the same camp I have no friends when it came to the competition, but I am very sympathetic about his passing.”
One of the things I have learned as an artist from Dennis is to document my work. James would post songs that he recorded in the 70s as well as his latest work, both his music and the pictures from that era he kept. Not many artists have that mindset.
Even though James has lived in the US and Canada he has never forgotten his Saint Lucian roots going back from time to time and even competing in the Island’s national Calypso competition.
I have always liked how Dennis James packaged and presented himself as an artist. He took his craft seriously and I respect that. On behalf of the Toronto Calypso fraternity, I extend condolences to his wife and family. Dennis James, may you fly high King. You will be fondly remembered.
“We want 9-8-8 to become as familiar as dialing 9-1-1,” 9-8-8 Celebrates one year serving the community
The health disaster caused by the tobacco industry is still ongoing and needs immediate attention
The world says goodbye to the Calypso Lion, Dennis James Sr
Has the public not made enough noise about the condition of foods offered to them?
Newcomers and refugees in Canada call for more resources to end gender-based violence
George Brown College Alumni lay the foundation for lasting legacy in Jamaica
YOGA: Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) for sufferers of hypertension or heart disease
Kemtek Development launches new exclusive gated community in Jamaica!
Tourism-Related Live Streaming – The Manifold Ways it Can Create a Buzz for a Destination
Ravi’s West Indian Grocery – Fresh Products Weekly Straight from Guyana!
Send groceries to Jamaica in a flash, how? GroceryList Jamaica
ASA Meats & West Indian Groceries – Serving Freshness & Quality to the Community
Nadine Sutherland – A woman who continues to reinvent herself
Knia Singh – Light Up The Darkness
Spragga Benz – Light Up The Darkness
Kyle Kemper – Light Up The Darkness
David Icke – Light Up The Darkness
Ohio’s Bill 248 and Dr. Sherri Tenpenny’s compelling testimony
-
Community News1 week agoCan AI truly grasp the nuances of culture, history, and the unique spirit of a country?
-
Community News1 week agoDigital Double-Edged – We cannot allow a fragile digital system to control when and how you can travel
-
Community News1 week agoTo navigate complex challenges: Caribbean governments, corporations, and organizations need innovative solutions
-
Community News1 week agoLights Out! United Boxing Promotions shocks fans with unstoppable knockouts!
-
Community News1 week agoPatrick Parson remembered for his: Legacy, impact and influence in the artistic community in Toronto
-
Community News1 week agoOwnership Matters with ACBN, “Just Like Family” Providing essential home care services for seniors
-
Classic Man7 days agoYoung and upcoming Caribbean comedian Dale Elliott Jr.
-
Classic Man7 days agoRico King: Filmmaker, community activist and entrepreneur who brings raw Black stories to the big screen
Nigel Persaud
July 30, 2020 at 2:51 pm
Real information right here. We need to focus on this and not on vaccines. Especially after all of this new censorship on the new information on Hydroxychloroquine, the fact that they are censoring all the doctors coming forward becomes very scary and only proves there is more of a vaccine agenda versus finding a cost affective solution that can help people. People are dying for no reason and we need medias like Toronto Caribbean to bring us truths and not follow the narratives by parroting the same rhetoric.
Well done Toronto Caribbean!
Satishwar Narine
July 30, 2020 at 6:19 pm
Very good write up and good tips of immune build