Multiple Award-Winning Businessman Touts Jamaican Woman Who Could Be Next US President
Multiple award-winning businessman and philanthropist Joe Issa, who has spoken out against women being side-lined when top positions are being filled, is touting Kamala Harris’ bid for the next president of the United States.
“I have heard of her,” Issa said. “I think she is strong in her views and her actions. She showed much vigour in questioning Trump’s nominees.
“She seems committed to bringing Americans together, who are now divided more than ever following the last presidential election.
“She is also strong on equality, justice and decency, which are strong values of western democracy. She could be the one to beat Donald Trump.”
Issa was touting Kamala Harris, a first-term senator with Jamaican roots and former California attorney general known for her rigorous questioning of President Donald Trump’s nominees, who has recently entered the Democratic presidential race.
According to the AFP, if Harris succeeds, she would be the first woman to hold the presidency and the second African-American.
Harris, 54, who reportedly grew up in Oakland, California, is one of the earliest high-profile Democrats to join what is expected to be a crowded field.
She made her long anticipated announcement on ABC’s Good Morning America.
“I am running for president of the United States,” she said. “And I’m very excited about it.”
Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, reportedly faced at least one question about her heritage. When a reporter, who noted she is both African-American and Indian-American, asked how she would describe herself, Harris replied: “How do I describe myself? I describe myself as a proud American. That’s how I describe myself.”
She is said to have portrayed herself as a fighter for justice, decency and equality in a video distributed by her campaign as she announced her bid. “They’re the values we as Americans cherish, and they’re all on the line now,” Harris says in the video. “The future of our country depends on you and millions of others lifting our voices to fight for our American values.”
On ABC, she reportedly cited her years as a prosecutor in asserting: “My entire career has been focused on keeping people safe. It is probably one of the things that motivates me more than anything else.”
Harris launched her presidential bid as the nation observes what would have been the 90th birthday of the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The timing was a clear signal that the California senator — who has joked that she had a “stroller’s-eye view” of the civil rights movement because her parents wheeled her and her sister Maya to protests — sees herself as another leader in that fight, said Associated Press.
According to the report, the opening hours of Harris’ campaign included a number of cultural touchstones aside from her decision to announce her bid on the Martin Luther King Jr holiday. Staffers said her timing, and the design and colour of her campaign logo, were a nod to Shirley Chisholm, the New York congresswoman who sought the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination 47 years ago this week. Upon returning to Washington, Harris spoke to reporters at Howard University, the historically black college that she attended as an undergraduate and yesterday described as “one of the most important aspects of my life”.
She reportedly skipped the formality of forming an exploratory committee, instead going all in on a presidential bid.
She plans a formal campaign launch in Oakland on January 27. The campaign will be based in Baltimore, with a second office in Oakland.
Harris joins what is expected to be a wide-open race for the Democratic presidential nomination. There’s no apparent front-runner at this early stage, and Harris will face off against several Senate colleagues, the article said.
Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York have both formed exploratory committees. Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota are also looking at the race.
If Booker enters the race, he and Harris could face fierce competition for support from black voters.
Only recently, Issa hailed the election of Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke who is of Jamaica desent, as vice chair of the United States House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee, stating it is a feather in the cap and only a ripple away from the island.
“I think having a Jamaican in such a powerful position in the lower house is a feather in our cap and could benefit Jamaica tangibly, as energy and commerce which she is in charge of are areas in which we are critically linked with the US, which is our main trading partner and source of technology,” said Issa then, citing previous interests shown by Trump’s nominee for US Ambassador to Jamaica, Donald Tapia, to work with Jamaica to develop its renewable energy sector.
Issa notes: “It is great to have a Jamaican in the US Lower House; It would be even greater to have another in the Oval office.”
Joe Issa Extends Condolences to Family and Friends of Ambassador Frank Pringle
(L-R): Mark Kovinsky, Pringle and daugher, and Mark’s wife. Head of Cool Corp, Joe Issa
Executive chairman of Cool Group Joe Issa, who once run the largest chain of all-inclusive resorts, has expressed condolences to the family and friends of former tourism minister Ambassador Frank Pringle, who passed away recently.
“I would like to express my condolences to the family and friends of Ambassador Pringle and to wish him a peaceful rest above,” said Issa, who is Eucharistic Minister of the Roman Catholic Church in Ocho Rios, St Ann, where his Cool Corp group is headquartered.
Issa adds: “He was a respectful and a good man as far as I heard, and he served his country well, through the tourism industry for which he had a passion, spending most of his adult life in the sector. Apparently, he was able to easily separate his work from his politics and served his party well.
“Ambassador Pringle became Minister of Tourism around the time I returned home from university nearly three decades ago. I remember his involvement with Air Jamaica, Round Hill Hotel and Villas, and the Senate. That’s quite a lot of contribution!”
Ambassador Pringle was said to be educated in both Jamaica and England, and is a founder and director of the Tryall Club. He was also involved in the development of the home of the rich and famous – the fabulous Round Hill Hotel and Villas.
Having had a rich association with tourism in its various forms for the greater part of his adult life, Ambassador Pringle is said to have served as a director on the board of Air Jamaica for eight years and became a cabinet member and minister of tourism during 1989 to 1992, while serving as senator from 1989 to 1998.
For his birthday recently, Ambassador Pringle was honoured with the naming of a sitting porch in the Golf Pavilion of the exclusive Tryall Club in Hanover in his honour.
A luncheon was staged by the board of directors of the club, and in attendance were members of his family, former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson; custos of Hanover, David Stair; mayor of Montego Bay, Glendon Harris; and Senator Noel Sloley, among several others.
Several other dignitaries, including Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, who it is said was looking forward to honouring Ambassador Pringle at the upcoming Golden Tourism Day Award Ceremony, have also sent condolences.
Issa Pleased: Light At End Of Tunnel Not Another Train Coming
Canada’s environment minister, Catherine McKenna Cool Corp Chairman, Joe Issa
Environment advocate Joe Issa welcomes news that a light in the tunnel is not another train coming, as fast as the UN climate talks is concerned.
“I am glad they are making real progress; that should bring real money to poor states who need financial help to enable them to combat global warming,” said Issa, following a positive Associated Press reports on the final day of the climate change conference, COP24, in Katowice, Poland.
According to the report, a deal on the rules that govern the Paris climate accord appeared within grasp, as officials from almost 200 countries worked to bridge remaining differences after two weeks of U.N. talks in Poland.
The 2015 (COP21) Paris Agreement, during which Issa supported the ‘1.5 to stay alive’ campaign, is said to have been a landmark moment in international diplomacy, bringing together governments with vastly different views to tackle the common threat of global warming.
But while the accord set a headline target of keeping average global temperatures from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) — or 1.5 C (2.7 F) if possible — much of the fine print is said to have been left unfinished.
The meeting in Poland’s southern city of Katowice was meant to finalize how countries report their emissions of greenhouses gases — a key factor in man-made climate change — and the efforts they’re taking to reduce them.
Poor countries also wanted assurances on financial support to help them cut emissions, adapt to inevitable changes such as sea level rise and pay for damage that’s already happened.
“We’ve come a long way,” Canada’s environment minister, Catherine McKenna, reportedly told The Associated Press ahead of a planned plenary meeting on the last day. “There’s been really late negotiations, there’s been big group negotiations, there’s been shuttle diplomacy all through the night, and now we are coming to the wire.”
One major sticking point during the talks, the report said, was how to create a functioning market in carbon credits. It cites economists’ belief that an international trading system could be an effective way to drive down emissions and raise large amounts of money for measures to curb global warming.
“We want billions to flow into trillions. And I’m someone who believes that it’s not just about national governments,” McKenna reportedly said. “Ultimately the market is going to play a huge role in the cleaner solutions that we need, supporting countries and being efficient and how we do this.”
According to the article, emerging economies such as Brazil have pushed back against rich countries’ demands to cancel piles of carbon credits still lingering from a system set up under the 1997 Kyoto accord.
“There are still a range of possible outcomes and Brazil continues to work constructively with other parties to find a workable pathway forward,” said the country’s chief negotiator, Antonio Marcondes.
The talks in Poland took place against a backdrop of increasing concern among scientists that global warming is proceeding faster than governments are responding to it.
A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reportedly concluded that while it’s possible to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) by the end of the century compared to pre-industrial times, this will require a dramatic overhaul of the global economy including a shift away from fossil fuels.
Alarmed by efforts to include this in the final text of the meeting, the U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reportedly blocked endorsement of the report mid-way through the talks, prompting uproar from vulnerable countries and environmental groups.
While some officials questioned the format of the meeting, which has grown to a huge event with tens of thousands of participants, the head of Greenpeace International, Jennifer Morgan, reportedly stressed how important it was to bring all countries of the world together on the issue.
“We need a multilateral process especially for the poorest and smallest countries that don’t go to G-20,” she was quoted as saying, referring to the Group of 20 major and emerging economies that met recently in Argentina. “But the lack of ambition by some rich countries, like the European Union, is worrying, especially as we are staring the 1.5 report in the face.”
The COP21, for example, means the 21st Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Paris from November 30th to December 12th, 2015. The agreement was adopted on December 12th, 2015. Some 196 countries are party to the agreement.
Gender Equality Advocate Says New Study Could Make Movie Making More Inclusive, Urges More Women Participation
Joes Issa Frozen 2013
Encouraged by a study which found that films with female leads that pass the Bechdel test did better than male-led equivalents at every budget level, Champion for gender equality Joe Issa is urging more women to enter traditional male-dominated professions.
“I think the study should encourage more women to enter the male-dominated profession both in front and behind the camera. It should also inform the decisions of movie executives and help remove the stigma that women are a risk in a male-dominated world,” said Issa
The report, which is compiled by media research agency Shift7 in collaboration with leading agency CAA, assessed the revenue for 350 high-grossing films released between 2014 and 2017, and found that the average results for female-led films did best, at every budget level.
CAA agent Christy Haubegger reportedly said in a statement: “Women comprise half the box office, yet there has been an assumption in the industry that female-led films were generally less successful. We found that the data does not support that assumption.”
In reinforcing the findings, the report also reportedly analysed films that passed the Bechdel test – the informal measure that records if female characters interact and have agency in films independent of male characters.
The report reportedly concluded that, again, Bechdel test-passing films also outperformed those that failed. These included all the films that passed $1 billion at the global box office in the time period (though not all are female-led), including three Star Wars films (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and Rogue One), Beauty and the Beast and Finding Dory. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey from 2012 was the last $1 billion-plus film not to pass the Bechdel test.
Amy Pascal, former head of Sony Pictures, reportedly said: “This is powerful proof that audiences want to see everyone represented on screen … Decision-makers in Hollywood need to pay attention to this.”
Producer Liza Chasin is said to have added: “The Bechdel test is a low bar to clear, and it’s surprising how many movies don’t clear it. Understandably, the studios think about the bottom line, so it’s great to see a growing body of data that should make it easier for executives to make more inclusive decisions.”
The Bechdel test (/ˈbɛkdəl/ BEK-dəl) is a measure of the representation of women in fiction. It asks whether a work features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The requirement that the two women must be named is sometimes added.
Sometimes called the Mo Movie Measure or Bechdel Rule, the test was popularized by Alison Bechdel’s comic Dykes to Watch Out For, in a 1985 strip called The Rule.
It sounds like a simple enough request that all movies should be able to pass with flying colors, but a surprising number fall flat. (The entire original Star Wars trilogy, for one, only contains three female characters — and none of them ever say a word to each other.)
Many films are said to have passed the Bechdel Test and they include classic movies like Mean Girls, Bring It On, The Princess Diaries, Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Titanic and Frozen.
Some Blockbuster films that fail the Bechdel Test are The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003), Ratatouille (2007), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Avatar (2009), The Social Network (2010), 21 Jump Street (2012), The Avengers (2013), and The Imitation Game (2014).
Beware of Hackers This Christmas: Joe Issa Urges Caution When Creating Passwords, Shares Instructive Article
SplashData CEO Morgan Slain Head of Cool Corp Joe Issa
Technology savvy Joe Issa is warning that hackers are on the prowl this Christmas for Internet users unwittingly creating certain passwords, and shares an intuitive story.
“It’s a very informative article. I for one always use a password manager when creating one. I learnt early to avoid some passwords but was amazed at the extent of the list. I think everyone should read it for their own good,” said Issa.
Issa was referencing a Yahoo News article, which found that there are passwords that make it easier to hack than others and that using one of the worst passwords of 2018 is a great way to get hacked.
It said “no matter how much we read about hacks and data breaches and the importance of taking solid security precautions, one of the unchangeable truths of the world is that people on average are absolutely terrible when it comes to choosing passwords. We use the same ones over and over, to the delight of hackers, and the ones we come up with tend to be pathetically easy so that we’re able to remember them.”
It cited SplashData, which is said to be out with its eighth annual compilation of the Worst Passwords of the Year, a ranking it produces after evaluating more than 5 million passwords that have been leaked on the Internet.
According to SplashData, if you use any of these passwords, we can’t stress this enough, saying, anyone using any of these passwords is putting themselves “at substantial risk of being hacked and having their identities stolen.”
SplashData reportedly noted about this list, that this year was the fifth straight year that saw these passwords in the Number 1 and 2 spots for being the absolute worst: “123456,” and “password.” It said the five worst passwords after those two are just numerical strings.
A provider of password management applications TeamsID, Gpass, and SplashID, SplashData assures that “our hope by publishing this list each year is to convince people to take steps to protect themselves online.”
SplashData CEO Morgan Slain said, “It’s a real head-scratcher that with all the risks known, and with so many highly publicized hacks such as Marriott and the National Republican Congressional Committee, that people continue putting themselves at such risk year-after-year.”
SplashData’s “Worst Passwords of 2018” list include 123456, password, 123456789, 12345678, 12345, 111111, 1234567, sunshine, qwerty, iloveyou, princess, admin, welcome, 666666, abc123, football, 123123, monkey, 654321, !@#$%^&*, charlie, aa123456, donald, password1, and qwerty123.
It reportedly estimates that almost 10% of people have used at least one of these 25 passwords and that some 3% of people have used the worst password, 123456.
In this regard SplashData shares some tips on how to be better at password security. It said use passphrases of twelve characters or more with mixed types of characters and use a different password for each of your logins, that way, if a hacker gets access to one of your passwords, they will not be able to use it to access other sites.
SplashData also advises to “protect your assets and personal identity by using a password manager to organize passwords, generate secure random passwords, and automatically log into websites.”
SplashData is said to be a leading provider of security applications and services for over 10 years. The company’s secure password and record management solution SplashID Safe has over 1 million individual users worldwide as well as hundreds of business and enterprise clients. SplashData was founded in 2000 and is based in Los Gatos, CA.
According to its website, CEO Slain is an expert on password management and identity protection and is regularly quoted in mainstream and tech media.
SplashData CEO since 2006, Slain has over 20 years of experience in technology, 17 years in web and mobile. He is a prior executive at MDM/Quickoffice (acquired by Google), Palm, and The Walt Disney Studios. He is a nonprofit leader, volunteer and town commissioner. He has an MA and BA (Honors) from Stanford University
Joe Issa Hails Stunning Defeate, Urges Repeate
Like all cricket lovers around the Caribbean, Joe Issa is thrilled with the latest stunning defeat of England by the West Indies, urging a repeat to stardom, after many years in the doldrums.
“I must admit that after the catastrophic performance in the first test, the last thing on my mind was a victory in the second match, but West Indies has surprised us in the past and they have done it again.
“They’re a young team and we need to encourage them to maintain their composure and put their best foot forward in order to bat long and give us a much-awaited series victory, let alone one against England.
“We also need to move up the ranks; we’ve been uncharacteristically at the bottom for too long while people lose interest in cricket.
“A series win over England will push us up the value chain and our players will earn more and increase the contribution of cricket to social and economic growth in the region,” said Issa, whose charities contribute towards, among others, the organisation of sporting activities like football, cricket and tennis.
Issa was reacting to reports of a West Indies victory over England in the second test match at Heading, Leeds, in the United Kingdom.
According to AFP, Shai Hope led the West Indies to a remarkable five-wicket victory over England in the second Test as he became the first batsman to score two hundreds in a first-class match at Heading.
Set a seemingly imposing 322 for victory, the West Indies finished on 322 for five with 28 balls to spare. Hope was 118 not out following his first-innings 147. 
“Victory saw West Indies level the three-match series, 1-1 as they recorded their first Test win in England since 2000.
“It was all the more impressive given that just over a week earlier they’d suffered an innings and 209-run defeat inside three days in the first Test at Edgbaston,” AFP said.
Joe Issa Expresses Condolences on Passing of Scholar and Educator Lady Ivy Cooke
Businessman Joe Issa, a former tourism practitioner in Montego Bay, the home of former Governor General of Jamaica Sir Howard Cooke and Lady Cooke, has expressed condolences at the recent passing of Lady Ivy Cooke. She was 100 years old.
Former Governor General of Jamaica- Sir Howard Cooke and Lady Cooke
Widow of Sir Howard, who died in 2014 at the age of 98 years, Lady Ivy Cooke is said to have passed away at the Andrew’s Memorial Hospital in St Andrew. The union is believed to have produced three children – Justice Howard Cooke Jr, Richard and Audrey.
“From what I know of Lady Cooke, she was a very bright student and a committed educator, who spent the rest of her life in the classroom teaching,” said Issa, executive chairman of Cool Group of companies, noting, “That’s awesome service to people and country.”
Issa, who continues to give towards the education of underprivileged Jamaican children through his Cool Charities subsidiary, said Lady Ivy Cooke is owed a debt of gratitude for her dedication to teaching.
Both Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his predecessor Portia Simpson Miller, who reportedly made the first announcement, have hailed Lady Cooke for her contribution to education in Jamaica.
Joey Issa
Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Ruel Reid, who has also paid tribute to Lady Ivy Cooke, said “the former Ivy Tai graduated with honours from Bethlehem Teachers College in the early 1930s and went on to spend 43 years teaching.
“She was also the first person from Jamaica to study child development at the Institute of Education, London University, in the United Kingdom”.
The Education Minister said Lady Cooke and Sir Howard, who was also an Education Minister, “spent their early years as educators in the small community of Bell Castle, Portland, where they earned the respect of students and the wider community alike,” according to newspaper reports.
He said “this was as much for their giftedness as teachers as well as for their humility and community involvement.”
“Lady Cooke lived a life of exemplary service and commitment to the people of Jamaica,” Reid is quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Simpson Miller said, “Prior to being thrust onto the public stage, Lady Cooke had already made a name for herself as an outstanding scholar who later developed into a superb educator, and one who was dedicated not only to the task of enlightening young minds, but also to tending to their welfare.”
Joe Issa’s Love for Quality Socialization: His Best Characteristic
It has become generally accepted that nothing is constant except change. And for Mr. Sociable Joe Issa, the changes are lavish, such as the quality of the people he meets and the events he attends, from welcome and farewell parties, to all the in-betweens like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, awards, launches, dinners, cultural, heritage and music festivals.
“You name it and Joey (pet name for Joe Issa) is in the forefront of the social scene, either as host or guest,” says a colleague of his, adding, “In fact, my friends and I believe that most of the time he is out socializing, he is the one hosting; he has a sense of occasion and a passion for entertaining, and needs no excuse to do so.” 
By his own admission, birthdays and weddings are Joey’s favourite occasions, especially as he has had a blessed life since birth and an even better one since his marriage.
“When you’ve had a blessed life like I’ve been fortunate to have, birthdays are important; it’s an occasion to respect and to treasure the life it has brought you. As for weddings, it’s such an overwhelming occasion … that’s why so many people cry their hearts out … birth and marriage are really sacred; that’s why I like birthdays and wedding anniversaries above all occasions,” says Joey, a Catholic Eucharistic Minister.
Then a youth with big eye glasses, a sign of the time and working at his father’s SuperClubs chain of resorts, Joey is said to recall with much nostalgia, Pope John Paul 11 visiting his family in Barbican and singing happy birthday to his sister Zein.
Similarly, but only older and is Executive Chairman of his Cool Group of companies, Joey recalls with even more melancholy, walking down the aisle with his bride Asha, as Jimmy Cliff sang his favourite, heart-rending song “Many Rivers to Cross”. The occasion was said to have been a washed with tears as many guests wept involuntarily.
Joey is also said to have several other fond memories of nights out, such as a reception hosted by HE French Ambassador Pierre-Antoine Berniard and his simply elegant wife Luisa Berniard; and hosting former British Prime Minister John Major and his wife, who were in Jamaica to celebrate his birthday.
The inaugural appearance in Jamaica of American singer and songwriter, Jimmy Buffet, at the opening of Margaritaville Restaurant and Bar in the Island Village Shopping and Entertainment Centre in Ocho Rios was also a remarkable occasion.
Joey is also said to recall fondly, hosting three honeymoon couples at the Grand Lido Negril resort. The couples Kris and Debbie Bergstrom, William and Sandra Tavares-Finson and Mark and Wendy Lalor were married on the same day and spent their honeymoon there. The resort was Jamaica’s newest all-inclusive and it was Joey who had turned it into a paradise for honeymooners.
And as Resident Manager of Grand Lido Negril, Joey has also been captured in his usual relax mood, striking up a tune for guests in the Piano Bar while Helen Leyden, Grand Lido’s classical pianist assisted.
OF FAMILIES, BIRTHDAYS, AND LOVE
In addition to record temperatures, and a downpour of mosquitoes, the city has been buzzing this week.
Congrats to Joey and Asha. Tatler saw the rock, thank God I was wearing my Gucci shades……
Rebecca Brandt blew her candles out to the strains of the 50/50 Band at the Jamaica Pegasus and Boscobel did their first anniversary thing, in the most breath-taking setting. A great time was had by all. Jeff McKitty needs to take a bow as well as well as Valrie Fearon from the Grounds Department of Beaches Boscobel. She displayed excellent customer service, as unlike her seniors, who pointed with total nonchalance, she took time to take guests to where they needed to go. Congrats again, Valerie.
Looking spectacular were Louis Grant of Sandals Dunn’s River and his gorgeous wife, Debra.
The gorgeous, one Allen Michael Chastenet, now a very proud dad, with plans by the way to have many more, (little Raquels and Allens) is returning to his native Saint Lucia, to manage the family’s 20 room boutique style Villa Creole. We’ll miss the class and sophistication, but at least he’s not too far from the Rock.
Out-going Canadian High Commissioner John Robinson, is part of that formidable group of diplomats who came to Jamaica, and has so endeared himself that we really need to make him an honorary Jamaican. Thalia and Mike Lyn hosted what has got to be the most formidable party of the year last week Thursday for John. Let’s just say the book can now be written on choosing the right mix of guests.
A bientot!
PS. Congrats to Jean Wilson on her latest publication No more ‘Smalling Up’ of Me.
Source: The Observer
Socializing with Joe Issa! 
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