Nicola's Blog

And now the end is near....

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:29:54 EST

Well…it’s finally here. of another semester; and what a semester it is has been, for me anyway.

This posting is as I’m going to miss doing this; maintaining this blog. It’s added another element to my learning experience that I have found quite fulfilling even though it has taken me out of my comfort zone a little. The amount of time required though, trying to come up with interesting content and doing searches for the images and the like, I probably won’t miss as much as it can get exhausting, though it pales in comparison to the feeling of accomplishment after each week’s posting.

I hope I have been successful in providing content that has been .

For different reasons this has been and will be an interesting week for me. I celebrated my third wedding anniversary on December 16, 2008. The way time passes these days I remember December 16, 2005 as if it were only yesterday. I’m sharing a couple photos from that day.

Here’s one of my favorite photos

This is one of Conliffe and his best man

Naturally I need to show a photo of the both of us together

And this one is of my college mates from Emerson

This week also marks

My month long vacation begins this week, the beginning of a new chapter in my life begins this week, and this is also the end of scheduling time to sleep in between reading, assignments, work and my many other obligations at least… until the beginning of the Spring 2009 semester.

So I think I’d like to celebrate a little.

Celebration and December seem to go hand in hand though differing cultures celebrate for different reasons. So whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or whatever other occassion you choose to celebrate, ENJOY IT and truly cherish the time you get to spend with your loved ones.

To all current students I wish you , in this the final semester for 2008.

For those of you for whom this is your last semester in the program .

To prospective students, alumni and faculty, as this year ends and another begins, whatever the future holds I wish you all the best.

And as I write my final lines for this semester, I leave you with this final song:

Two weeks to go...

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:53:43 EST

Whatever time you’re reading this, greetings! Believe it or not we only have left in this semester.

I can barely believe it myself. For me, the end of this course will mark the completion of my first year in the IMC program. My how
I know from past experience that this is the time when things really start to get intense or rather more intense than usual. We all are trying to tweek, revise, etc. past assignments for that final project, while still having to manage to remain focused on the assignments/postings for the next couple weeks, and that’s only the IMC aspect as there is also work, family, friends, and whatever else monopolizes our time, that we must try to balance as effectively as we can in the hopes of trying to stay afloat .

For those of you who are , don’t let this phase you though. Things do get intense in some courses, but in real life, we all have to meet which will not be our only priority, so this program provides excellent practice or further practice, as the case may be in this respect.

As I’ve mentioned before, this semester, I’m taking IMC 615. Each week, with the exception of last week, I’ve tried to incorporate elements of how creative strategies can and should be used in the different subject areas I have been covering. So this week, given that my focus appears to be the IMC Master’s program, let’s look at a few of the creative strategies that West Virginia uses to keep us engaged. (I say appears because this wasn’t my intent when I started writing, but… the words just flowed and now, it is, so I’m going with it!)

Naturally, I can’t cover all and there may be one specific creative strategy that appeals to a current or prospective student or alum that I may miss, if that’s the case, please feel free to share.

First things first, the IMC student blog idea to me is a brilliant one. Interestingly enough, the first student blogger was Anne Lineberger, who at the time was taking what else, IMC 615. The responses on the blogs, from time to time if you check the history can get lukewarm, but as we are all aware, it’s a rather hectic undertaking doing a master’s program, in addition to your usual routines. Add to that, the extra time it would take to read, respond and even more importantly MAINTAIN A BLOG, and
, finding the time can be likened to a complicated balancing act!

In addition to student blogging, the IMC program also has its own community, where information on faculty, students and alumni is accessible through profiles and video testimonials, to members of the community.

The newest addition to the creative strategies for the IMC program is the introduction of The Link, which started this year and will be a bi-annual publication. It offers information on current and past students and faculty in addition to milestone achievements, information on courses and the like. All current and prospective students, faculty and alumni are strongly encouraged to make submissions. I’m hoping that before completing this program I’ll be able to make a submission, but only time will tell.

Facebook usage is another creative strategy of the program where interested persons can join the WVU IMC group and have an additional link to others in the program that way. This is also available on LinkedIn.com if you have not yet set up an account please do so, you won’t be sorry trust me.

Prelimary research showed that the IMC Program has roughly 200 students currently enrolled which isn’t a bad number. All of us who are going through the program, have gone through the program or are teaching the program I’m sure can all attest to the fact that it has had some positive effects on our lives. To those of you intending to do this course, there is quite substantial information available. A targeted ”” search in google reveals that at least the first five results provide information on West Virginia’s IMC program. In fact and this is probably the most telling of how effective WVU’s marketing strategy is, a targeted “imc graduate programs” search brought up only three results of which this program was at the top of the list, with its FAQ’s.

The creative strategies for West Virginia’s IMC Program are continuing to evolve with the needs of its students and the times. All courses provide students with an opportunity to share their views on what they like and dislike through a survey. Even though, I have only been doing this program for a year, there have been notable changes in the program which have all served to enhance my learning experience. Believe me, though I’m oh so grateful, for the break coming up in the next two weeks, I’m truly looking forward to what my next year in the program has to offer.

Till next week, I’ll leave with a song from one of my favorite musical groups THE BEE GEES.
The lyrics may not necessarily relate to the theme of this post, but the title of the song “Staying Alive” can be said to apply, if only figuratively. Enjoy!

Accept life as it comes!

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:21:47 EST

I have been avoiding touching this subject matter for weeks, but since the trend is continuing I can resist it no longer. Accepting the phrase ‘into everyone’s life a little rain must fall’; I begin this week’s blog posting.

Both my early and late Fall semesters have been filled with introspection, due in part to the fact that my husband and I are approaching a new phase in our life together, which has its own set of worries and complications; but majorly because since about September we have been experiencing what I consider significant losses.

Roughly a couple weeks shy of the end of my early Fall semester, one of the oldest and dearest friends of my mother Mrs. Anna Jno-Baptist, whom I’ve known all my life lost her battle with cancer. In and of itself knowing that she was sick for a while, it shouldn’t be that much of a shock. But other losses came in quick succession which created a theme of loss for consecutive weeks.

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Just last week my husband attended the funeral of one of his good friends and colleagues, only 38 years old who died of a heartattack. Not even a week later, the father of one of my co-workers, who has made significant contributions to our Carnival celebrations, for years, lost his battle with cancer. And just this week, another cultural icon, who’ll be buried later today, lost her battle with cancer. Another notable personality in our society lost his battle with cancer, this week as well. It’s not me right, this looks like a trend/pattern doesn’t it? And next Wednesday, my godmother will lay her husband to rest.

You’re probably thinking, wow, that’s heavy, and you’re right it is very heavy. But as we know, death, is in fact a part of life, that at some point in time we all most deal with. We just need to cope with it the best way we can.

That said, this week, I want to encourage all of you reading this to take the time to . Because as they say:

Last week I mentioned, how much I LOVED music, and how it gets me through pretty much anything, so to lighten the mood a little I’ll share this:

This week’s post will be shorter than usual, as my thoughts aren’t flowing the way they usually do. I just want to encourage all of you to appreciate your friends and family. Tell them often how much you love them and try to live the best life you can, always finding the time for humor, as there is an excellent case to support laughter as an essential part of everyday life.

I’m not sure how many Monty Python fans there are out there, but they tell us to “Always look on the bright side of life”.

To truly, truly lighten things up, let’s go back in time and enjoy what eventually ended up being a huge phenomenon: ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. Every once in a while it’s nice to step outside of one’s life… into another dimension maybe?

Cultural awakening!

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:23:17 EST

Music, is one of the joys of my life. It helps me unwind, relax, get energized and sometimes sleep. In the recent past, it greatly aided me in soothing my over active unborn child who thought gymnastics was a necessary requirement for his entry into the world, and in the next few weeks, it will help me to prepare for and enjoy my favorite time of the year.

Musical instruments, are used to create beautiful music. One such instrument, invented in the 20th century is the steel pan.

I am proud to say, that my part of the world, the caribbean, is responsible for this feat! I am even more proud to share, that in the history of pan in the Caribbean, Antigua & Barbuda can boast a history of firsts. Also, it has been stated, though unfortunately not documented, that the guitar pan originated out of Antigua.

The steel pan instrument, though coming out of Trinidad, the land of soca music, has great versatility; the steel pan is a wonderfu instrument that can make all types of music sound fantastic! Take a listen:

The oldest steel orchestra in Antigua & Barbuda, and the world is the Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra.

Steel pan music is very much a part of the Antiguan and Barbudan culture, evidenced by the fact that it is a feature of the Sunday night lime at Shirley’s Heights.

Shirley Heights is one of the MUST SEE spots on Antigua, even if only for the breathtaking view. Here’s what the view looks like during sailing week in the day, and here’s a glimpse of the same view not during sailing week.

Postcard perfect, isn’t it?

Steel pan music is also a feature of our biggest cultural event, the greatest summer festival, further emphasizing how important it truly is on Panorama night, when steel bands compete for the Panorama Championships. Sadly, this event, is the least attended of all the Carnival activities, but hopefully, this will change as there are ongoing efforts to revive pan in Antigua & Barbuda, through various creative strategies.

For instance, a pan solo by one of Antigua’s renowed pannists, Lacu Samuel was an ‘instrumental’ element in Antigua’s first feature film
‘The Sweetest Mango’ by husband and wife, director and producer team, Howard & Mitzi Allen.

One of the pan orchestra’s that has made, and is still making tremendous strides in ‘keeping pan alive’, is the Gemonites Steel Orchestra, through its Mood of Pan festival. This creative strategy is now an event on the country’s calendar of events. This year, Gemonites will celebrate its 10th year of its Moods of Pan Festival beginning tonight. Here’s a short video of highlights of day two of Moods of Pan 2007.

I have played the pan both for church and with Gemonites steel orchestra and I can tell you, it’s not the easiest of instruments to master. As someone who used to play the piano fairly well for years reaching as far as grade 5 in my studies, piano is a lot easier. Rolling, is a skill all on its own. As seen in a previous video where the young lady was playing ‘Flight of the Bumble Bee’, to hit the right notes on the pan and have the music flow smoothly and not disjointed, is truly a skill! Listen again, if you need to and compare the smoothness of this audio, and her rolling the same melody. It’s simply remarkable!

A couple of the steel orchestra’s here, have schools of pan, where they teach young and old alike, not only the rudiments of music with regards to musical theory, but also the fundamentals of playing the pan effectively, which includes how to roll properly, which enhances the listener’s appreciation for the music played on Pan.

So I leave you this week, with a video of the Gemonites Steel Orchestra playing their version of a Simon & Garfunkel classic.

Creativity in Tourism

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:27:12 EST

Greetings all! I’ve been racking my brains all weektrying to decide what topic to discuss and nothing’s been coming, until today when I came across this release announcing Tourism Week.
Good thing too, I had forgotten about the new creative strategy used to promote our tourism product. This year’s Tourism Week should be especially interesting.

As you would have read in the release, tourism accounts for a substantial portion of the country’s economy. There are two ways to get on or off of Antigua by sea or by air. With rising fuel costs, the loss of credit being extented due to the financial crisis being experienced in both the US and the UK, where our heaviest tourist arrivals are from, the future looks dismal for our tourism product and by extension the country’s economy. Thus far, according to the statistics for non-national stay-over arrivals on Antigua we have not yet experienced any significant declines as evidenced here:Non-resident air arrivals

This year, a new initiative was introduced by the Ministry of Toursim, a music festival called Romantic Rhythms. Here is a video from the Tourism Minister, Honourable Harold Lovell, inviting persons to the festival.

The music festival was the first of its kind for the island and from all accounts it was a resounding success. I had the opportunity to be back stage as my husband was on the organizing committee. I stood literally inches, yes I said inches away from Lionel Riche. Not only that, he smiled and said hello to me and of course I was too awestruck to ask for an autograph. At least I didn’t giggle, I had the sense to respond with hi and smile. At least,... I think I said hi. It’s silly I know, but he sang my all time favorite song, even if it was with Diana Ross.

So in my book, Romantic Rhythms deserves an The atmosphere surrounding the concert must have been truly romantic since the festival produced a romantic proposal under the stars. The romantic tone was set by the incredible performances, especially from the two muscial stalwarts of romance, Lionel Riche and Kenny Rogers. Romantic Rhythms had an all star line-up and with any luck, this festival will be the first of many drawing artistes with the appeal of the first year’s line-up. The success of this year’s festival will hopefully result in the becoming a permanent fixture on the country’s This may be tricky as this type of event does not come cheap and in the current global economy…well…you just never know. But I remain hopeful.

One of the local artistes who performed at Romantic Rhythms was Shermaine Jeremy. This daughter of the soil is on her way up, and her web site, is her creative strategy propelling her towards her choosen career goal.

Creativity will definitely need to play a crucial role for the next year or so in the Ministry of Tourism’s advertising/marketing strategies as it looks doubtful that the current global financial crisis will get better any time soon. Therefore, imaginative ways need to be found to promote, the country’s calendar of events like Carnival, Sailing Week and other events.

It will also require a collaborated effort on the part of all the Ministries of Tourism in the Caribbean to promote the region as a mutiple island destination sharing advertising costs which would significantly reduce their individual, which at least for a time will aid in easing the squeeze.

Collaborations are the way of the future. Like it or not, its the key to survival. It’s almost impossible these days to listen to the news, watch the news, open a homepage, without finding out about some merger or another.

Keeping the importance of working together in mind, I’m going to digress a lot from the current topic as I wind up this week’s post. To all of you out there in the blogosphere please visit Stephanie’s blog. She’s currently taking IMC 613 and this week she’s discussing ‘Where does marketing to children cross the line?’ I found it to be very interesting and I’m hoping you will too.

This week I leave you with the up beat song by the 3peat Soca Monarch Queen of Antigua & Barbuda Claudette ‘CP’ Peters.

Can creativity save Ford?

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:42:50 EST

The excitement is over , the dust has settled, so it’s back to reality.

Last week, history was made, but after all the jubilation, reality bites!

The current financial crisis is taking prisoners and the latest victim is the automobile industry. Specifically the Big 3 car companies in Detroit; GM, Chrysler and Ford Motor Company. This financial crisis is now so serious that GM & Chrysler have held preliminary merger talks.

There has been speculation in the media as to whether the government is going to bail out these three companies, AGAIN. However, the latest news reveals another bailout may be unlikely at present.

Considering that less than two months ago, the Big 3 received $25 billion, in loans to help keep them operational, this is not surprising.

What is alarming however, is that they’re still in trouble and naturally due to the economic conditions they want more .

But, is more money really the answer? Should the government give another $25 billion to these companies, after it has already provided $700 billion in an attempt to stimulate the US economy?

As I mentioned in my first post, this semester I’m taking Creative Strategies IMC 615 with Dr. Stultz. To those of you who have not yet taken this course and for those among you who are prospective students, I’m sure my fellow classmates will wholeheartedly agree with me when I say that this course is truly designed to

That said, I would like to use this week to engage all of you in an interactive discussion as to whether you agree with my point of view that more money is not what the auto industry needs. This is a perfect opportunity for these companies, to prove their worth. Since there is a school of thought that believes they helped create the problem so they should be instrumental in fixing it. This semester I’m using so
I’m hoping the discussion will focus on Ford primarily, though I’m open to all discussions and points of view on this topic.

A visit to some of the blogs, news sites and other sources reveal that Ford’s reputation for customer service is not good at all. This is unfortunate for Ford, since when consumers are they’re more inclined to drop the companies that provide the least customer satisfaction.

If we use the ‘delighted customer’ premise of the video, do you think the possibility exists that Ford will be able to retain its current customers and maybe attract new ones to ‘delight’ through creative advertising?

In a time when consumer reports indicate that conscious consumers are more inclined to spend their hard earned money with socially responsible companies, does Ford even stand a chance pushing their brands of gas guzzling trucks and SUV’s which are not environmentally friendly? Or is Ford making strides with the production of smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles?

There are very few people who do not know of the James Bond franchise; and Ford’s creative strategy in getting its new models featured in the recent Bond films seems like a positive step, would you agree?

The 2009 Ford Ka will be featured in the upcoming Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace’, just as the Ford Mondeo was featured in the 2007 film.

Another creative strategy used by Ford is the mini-movie promoting its Lincoln MKS.

I’m sure you may be asking how will advertising help those who can’t afford to pay their mortgages and don’t have jobs. That’s a very real concern. But if Ford uses its creative strategies to engage those who can afford its vehicles through creative advertising what do you think its chances of survival are? And what are some of the creative strategies you feel Ford should use?

One major initiative I’m recommending Ford employ is utilizing Ford Credit Company to its advantage to gain significant ground on its other two competitors.

I share with you two points from my Ford Creative Brief that may serve to spark discussion:

What is the single most persuasive idea we (Ford) can convey?
Ford Motor Company is committed to manufacturing vehicles that are affordable, innovative and ideal for the customer.

Why should they (customers) believe it?
Ford has a history of meeting the needs of the consumer evidenced in its different brands.

I’m encouraging all feedback including the not so good ones, I’m sure to hear about Ford.

It was a little challenging finding a song in keeping with the content of this week’s blog post. Truthfully I didn’t really search that hard. I’m feeling like I want leave you this week with one of my favorite musical artists, who’s lyrics are so powerful they never fail to keep me feeling uplifted. The LATE, GREAT Robert Nester Marley. He truly was a man, ahead of his time.

His legacy lives on through his children. Here’s a video with Nas and Damien Marley that is one of my favorites.

Until next week!

Creative strategy for change

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:56:19 EST

Politics and religion can be considered two very contentious subject matters for discussion, and usually most persons, myself included, tend to stay away from discussing such topics openly due to the emotions they can stir up. This week I will not get into a political discussion, but it would truly be remiss of me, if I did not discuss the historic event that took place on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

For the first time in American history, an African- American in quite literally the truest sense of that terminology, is the President-elect of the United States of America

Barak Hussein Obama has direct linkages to the ‘the motherland’
unlike many who need to go back decades to find any in that he is the son of a native of Kenya in Africa, Barack Obama Sr.

and an American from Kansas Ann Dunham.

Barack Obama for the past 21 months has been promoting the need for ‘CHANGE’ in America, and change he got!

Obama used different creative strategies in his bid to win the election. The most important of which was the embracing of information technology using it in different ways to obtain his ultimate objective. First, he used technology to put feelers out to determine the level of support he’d receive on his campaign bid to the presidency, by releasing a video, available online. Is a presidencial campaign for me? Is there a better way to test the waters in a comprehensive fashion. Think of the time, man power and the like saved using this medium as opposed to having hundreds, maybe thousands of persons on the ground doing surveys to get the same responses.

Most importantly, Obama set up a web site. This to me was one of his greatest communications tools which can be considered instrumental to his victory. The web site allowed persons to make , get to know him and his wife better, meet his running mate, get information on his policies, know where to vote, how to volunteer, etc.

As if this wasn’t enough to generate buzz, Obama made history by announcing his vice-presidential candidate using text-messaging. What an ingenius !

Given that the younger generation thrives on technology, using this medium so comprehensively worked in Obama’s favor as seen in these elections statistics.

Separate from using technology, Obama also had a 50 state strategy to increase voter registration
resulting in winning the necessary electoral votes.

Obama’s creative strategy for the 2008 presidential election enabled his campaign to function like a worked like a well oiled machine and afforded him the distinction of being the first African-American to be elected president and as of January 20, 2009, to enjoy another distinction as the 44th president of the United States.

Winning campaigns by using creative strategies seem to be the new wave of this century. In 2004, history was made in Antigua & Barbuda as well. Since gaining Independence in 1981, the government of Antigua & Barbuda was the Antigua Labour Party. Sir Vere Cornwall Bird, considered the father of the nation, was the country’s first prime minister until his son took over the reigns in 1994, until that fateful day on March 23, 2008.

Not that it would be fair to compare Obama’s campaign strategy to that of the current administration, but the to me was the same. Both campaigns focused on ‘change’, both worked to energize persons to register to vote and in both instances the voter turnout was a key factor, resulting in decisive victories. In our 2004 elections, the new UPP administration won 12 of the 17 parliamentary seats available.

President-elect Obama has a challenging road ahead of him and only time will tell how he copes.

As usual, I leave you this week with a video, “yes we can” in keeping with this week’s topic.

Till next week, happy reading.

Creative strategy for 'cricket lovely cricket'

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:40:17 EST

Ok, first things first, to all of you who helped me achieve my five comments for my first blog post, I say

To those of you who read and gave verbal comments, thanks as well. It seems that I’ve passed my first week’s
Now back to business!

This week, was a busy one, many things happening. On the family side my husband celebrated his birthday on Monday, October 27 and on the following day, my mom celebrated her birthday on Tuesday, October 28.
(this is one of my favorite photos of us together)

So join me in wishing them

hoping that they both live to see many, many more.

On the national side, the last week of October usually wraps up the various activities celebrating our Independence. This year, however, there is a special twist in that on Independence day, which is November 1, 2008, we will have the historic Stanford Superstars vs. England included in this year’s celebrations. Before we get into this however I would like to share the following, an instrumental of the first stanza of our national anthem :

Antigua & Barbuda gained Independence from Britain on November 1, 1981, a momentous occassion for the twin island nationa as it meant that we were no longer under British rule.

Since I provided a brief history on Antigua & Barbuda last post I’ll simply share our national symbols this week.

This link shows you the calendar of events to mark our 27th Anniversary of Independence.

A creative strategy used by the current administration to increase participation in our Independence celebrations was the introduction of the Independence Homecoming Festival, started four years ago. This was aimed at encouraging Antiguans & Barbudans living abroad to return home thereby making Independence celebrations truly a family affair.

The introduction of cricket to this year’s Independence celebrations I find an interestingly creative strategy. Antigua, arguably has produced one of the greatest cricketers of our time, Sir Vivian Richards, the masterblaster.

If you don’t believe me, then believe the 100 former cricketers and journalists.

In fact, one of our beloved calypsonians, The Monarch has a very well-known and enjoyed song within these parts about the masterblaster, extolling his cricketing skills. King Short Shirt_02_Vvian Richards

Cricket lovely cricket is one of the highlights of the year’s calendar of events for us.
As mentioned in last week’s blog we had the 2007 Cricket World Cup in this part of the world for the first time ever, and the matches were played in the newly built
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

An added feature to cricket in Antigua & Barbuda is another form of the limited overs match called 20/20, introduced by Sir Allen Stanford. This introduction served to highlight the talents of West Indian cricketers who don’t usually get selected for the Test Matches or One Days throughout the cricket season. Personally, I feel it has also served to bring back some pride in our West Indian cricket. For years, there was West Indian dominance in cricket. This pride for many has been lost in recent times with our chronic losing streak.

The 20/20 matches has brought some of that pride in West Indian cricket back.

The Stanford 20/20 creative strategy has been serving the game of cricket well. Stretching beyond the traditional boundaries of cricket to Fort Collins, Colorado. Only time will tell how successful this is, and if other areas of the US will be interested in our ‘cricket lovely cricket.’

That said, this week, I leave you with the video of the 2007 20/20 theme song, performed by one of the Caribbean’s greatest soca artist Machel Montano and our very own Claudette ‘CP’ Peters.

Until next week, happy reading!

Greetings from Wadadli!

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:59:00 EST

For those of you who have been following Matt’s blog you know that I have a very tough act to follow. However, I will try my best to bring you content that is interesting and will encourage lots and lots of feedback. At least five comments each week. A little ambitious right?

I will admit, I cheated a little as I have told my past lecturers, my last IMC class, my current IMC class, and my friends and family members not wary of the Internet to check out my blog and make comments. So I anticipate at least no less than three comments each week from that group. So guys don’t disappoint me, in front of well… everyone! That leaves only two comments needed from the WVU community, I should be able to get at least that right? Pretty please?

That said, let me introduce myself.
I am your Late Fall Student Blogger Nicola . This December will make three years since I’ve been married to my best friend in the world Conliffe Clarke . We have a beautiful little boy Israel who is almost 2 going on 6, if you catch my meaning.

Thought I’d drop in this family photo for good measure.

I got my first degree at Emerson College in 1999. It’s a brilliant place to study for anyone interested in the Communications field. I wish I could have spent four years there instead of just the two I did. Not only for the academic content I was able to absorb but also for the overall experiences. Not to mention, the friendships I made which I am blessed to still have today. More on that as the semester moves along I’m sure.

Currently I am taking IMC 615 Creative Strategies. This is my fifth IMC course and for all you prospective students out there, this program is as the french say ‘incroyable’. I have learnt so much already that can be applied to my job and my future career goals.

You may be asking where is Wadadli? Well, wadadli is the name used for Antigua by the indigenous people who lived here before Christopher Columbus came to the island in 1493.
Wadadli is also the name of the island’s locally brewed beer aptly named Wadadli Beer.

Here’s one of our promotional tourism videos to give you a taste of the island.

During the period 1995-1999, Antigua endured its fair share of hurricanes, we have however, been blessed these past few years as we have had no major hurricanes affecting us. This year, however, our luck ran out.

As a nation, we followed the advisories of our meteorologists, many employers sent their workers home early last Wednesday afternoon, October 15, 2008. On the following day, Thursday, October 16, 2008 when the rains came down, the lightning flashed brilliantly and the ear-splitting thunder roared, we were all taken unawares by the flooding from Hurricane Omar. In November of 1999, Hurricane Lenny hit Antigua and left significant flood damage. So upon hearing that we’d only be getting the tropical storm rain bands, no one was too worried. Little did we know that the rains bands would leave so much water in its wake.

In some instances it was water, water everywhere.

Hurricane Omar caused persons to lose their homes and other valuable possesions but gratefully there was no loss of life. Here are a few photos of the flooding.

It is often said a picture’s worth a thousand words. No matter how many words I use these photos will do a much better job of showing the flooding we encountered.

Not too worry though, the ones who suffered loss have some recovering to do but Antiguans are a resilent people. That spate of hurricanes mentioned earlier, taught us how to be.

Since I’m taking creative strategies this semester it seems only fitting that I incorporate elements of creative strategies in my blogs for the next nine weeks. Therefore as I close, I will share two things with you. The first, the creative strategy used by our Ministry of Tourism; using a song from one of our popular SOCA bands, El a Kru. This initiative was used during the promotion of the ICC 2007 Cricket World Cup.

Now for the second thing- MY CREATIVE STRATEGY. For the remainder of the sememster I will be sharing different aspects of Antigua with you as a means of encouraging you to visit my blog to learn more about a different culture. I am also hoping to encourage participation through questions or comments. On that note, I leave you this week, with a video of a very popular song by the soca band I’m featuring this week. The song is called EXPOSE. Enjoy it and see you next week!