Jamaican Centenarian Violet Edwards Celebrates 100 Years Says Steve Higgins

Contributed

Violet Edwards

When Violet “Miss Vie” Edwards walked into her 100th birthday celebration in Parkland, Florida, she was greeted with thunderous applause, music, and the embrace of a community that adores her. The Jamaican-born centenarian, originally from Manchioneal, Portland, has lived a life marked by service, determination, and an unshakable positivity.

Her story began humbly as a telegraph assistant at the Post Office. Through dedication and hard work, she rose to become Postmaster and later a Postal Inspector before retiring. Yet, her greatest act of commitment was leaving Jamaica to ensure her daughter Christine received a university education in the United States. That sacrifice bore fruit—Christine became a physician.

Miss Vie’s own hunger for knowledge never faded. At 96, she proudly completed her bachelor’s degree, proving it’s never too late to learn. “I’ve never been on a diet,” she laughed when asked about her secret to longevity. “Just have everything in moderation.” She remains steadfast and serious about education- and proudly asks that I remember to mention the Violet Edwards Scholarship, which has been established for students enrolled in the University of the West Indies.

She is quick to offer advice on matters of the heart as well: “Be patient and work things out. And if you find the one, hold on tight.” On family, she counsels: “Love your family, stay together, and always take care of the children.” And on life itself? “Don’t take on stress. Live one day at a time. Never negative—always positive.”

The celebration reflected her vibrant spirit. Hosted by her daughter, Dr. Christine Edwards, and son-in-law, Everett Smith, Esq. The event featured performances from the Tallawah Mento Band, reggae queen Marcia Griffiths, Jamaican tenor Steve Higgins, and her grandson, Ian Smith. Guests included the Mayor of Parkland and the Consul General of Jamaica.

As Griffiths sang, Dr. Edwards danced with her mother, a moment that captured the joy of the evening. Miss Vie, who jokes she hasn’t had a boyfriend in nearly 20 years, insists she doesn’t feel her age. “I’m just thankful for every day,” she said, smiling.

For those who know her, Violet Edwards is more than 100 years old; she is 100 years young and an enduring source of inspiration.

The Queen, Miss Vie makes her grand entrance escorted by Everett and a friend.

Violet dancing with her daughter, Christine.

Contributed by

Steve Higgins

St. James High One Of The Leading Schools In The West!

St. James High, under the leadership of Principal Joseph Williams, supported by his staff, has done the unthinkable. A school which was once known as Ketch Man High, where violence and indiscipline prevailed, has now become one of the top schools in the west. This is a feat of no mean order against the background that there have been challenges between the school board's leadership and the school administration. I have been told that the board has not had a meeting for an extended period. It is expected that the Minister will appoint a new board soon.

On Monday, October 6, 2025, from 1200  to 1300 EST, listen to Vernon Derby during SpotOn on Omega Radio talk with two top graduates from St. James High. They are Hope Hamilton and Marco-Dean Gordon.

Tune in to Omega Radio at 89.1, 89.3, 89.5, 89.7 and 89.9. What can other administrators learn from the miraculous turnaround of St. James High?  Click here to listen to the programme online.

If you are a past student, a parent, or a community member, and you want to contribute to the programme, please send a voicemail or a video to 876 816-5261. The duration of the voicemail/video should be no more than 1 minute.

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Breaking News - More WhatsApp Accounts being Hacked - Protect Your WhatsApp, Credit and Debit Cards

The hackers and scammers are hard at work. I am getting a few reports of WhatsApp accounts being hacked. We all must be vigilant. These are some of the things to note carefully:

1. Install an antivirus programme on your computer and your phone.
2. Set up a two-tier verification system for all your emails.
3. Set up a two-tier verification system for WhatsApp.
4. Bookmark your banking page and click on the bookmarked page when you are going to do a transaction on your account. This will prevent you from logging on to a fake bank site and giving your username and password away.
5. Request that the bank send you a message when there is activity on your bank account.
6. Do not lend your credit card or your debit card to anyone.
7. Do not record your PINs for your bank accounts in your address book on your phone. 
8. Do not share your PIN with anyone. In an emergency, you might need to share the PIN with someone else. Have that PIN changed shortly after.
9. Do not give your debit or credit card to the cashier when you are making a payment. Let the cashier place the machine on the counter, and you put the card in the machine. You remove it when the machine tells you that the transaction was successful.
10. Unless your computer is set up so that only you can log into your user account, do not allow others to log in and use your account. Passwords can be stored by browsers, and anyone using that computer might be able to access your accounts.
11. Do not email confidential things. If you have to email something confidential, then put the information in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, for example, and save the document with a password. You can then send the password via WhatsApp to the addressee.
12. Do not allow persons to stand close to you when you are using your debit or credit card. Gadgets are available that can grab the information from your card. The person who grabbed your credit card information can go online and use your credit card. 
13. Change your credit card and ask the bank to supply you with a new card which has the credit card number on the back of the credit card. 
14. People standing close to you can capture the information with miniature cameras or commit the card number to memory.
15. Ensure that you check your credit card settings, such as the maximum that can be used, locking the card and also locking it from Internet purchases.
16. The banks now allow cashiers to just tap your card, so there is no need to enter a PIN for some transactions. You need to tell your bank not to allow the tapping of your credit card on the machine. If your card is lost, then someone can use it without entering a PIN. When the cashier asks you whether you want to tap your card or insert it for a transaction, it really does not matter.
17. No one should enter the ATM with you.
18. Select a password for your email account which is difficult to guess. This is an example of a difficult password to guess—[LcxE851#].

Let's hope that in the near future ATMs will only allow you to enter by using the facial recognition software.

I am sure that I have left out other guidelines. Please add them as comments at the end of the blog.

You must forward this message to all your friends in your address book. If your friend's WhatsApp account is hacked, the hackers will also have access to your information.

Click here to see another blog on this matter.

Print screen of messages sent to my phone by the hacker.

The hacker is still waiting for me to comply with his directives. WhatsApp notified me when he tried to capture my WhatsApp account. I had set up two-tier security, so when he tried to access my account, I was notified.

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Remember that Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day without your support. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

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Should The Doctor Be Interdicted Because He Represented a Political Party?

There have been discussions on social media and elsewhere about public servants being involved in party politics. The regulation regarding this matter has been part of the Staff Orders for many years. If this were not a part of the regulations, then many civil servants would be directly involved in politics.

Let me advise our political leaders and political parties to be careful of what they post on the Internet. An interdiction is what it is. What is unfair about it? Was a rule broken? If the answer is yes, then interdiction will follow.

If those who have the power to deal with broken rules fail to do so, this would be a form of corruption and unfairness.

Have a look at the post below.

If you condemn the state for acting within the law, then one might assume that you are corrupt. Lock up the ackee tief, but leave others to do what they want to do. No sah, no sankey, no sing so

The Civil Service Staff Orders state that no civil servant should be involved in any political activity. If you publish an article about a political matter, you could also find yourself in big trouble. 

If we don't like the law, then take it to the people and let them lobby for it to be changed.

It is stated clearly in section 4.2.6 of the Staff Order that officers are not to engage in partisan matters.

One might take this matter up to the Privy Council level, but what matters in reality is how the government will deal with one of its staff spouting anti-government sentiments. 

If you berate your company, you should start looking for a new job. A party is in power, and you join another party that is seeking state power? Where does your commitment lie? 

Notwithstanding what I have written, I would humbly suggest that the doctor be rehired in the near future.

Click Here to read the Staff Order.

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My Experence With Prostate Challenges is a Rough One

A side-view diagram of the pelvic area.

I now have a new self-appointed position: The  Minister of  Action Against Prostate Cancer. Prostate cancer is a serious problem, especially in Jamaica. At the early stages, there are no signs. Some of you will be busy going from girl to girl while the cancer is growing from day to day. Many of you will be on herbs every day, and you swear you can never get prostate cancer. I lost a friend recently who was taking herbs. His PSA was low, but the cancer was growing.

Some people, when they suspect they have prostate challenges, will start drinking soursop leaf tea every day and rejoice that their PSA is going down. The PSA might be going down, and the cancer is going up. I just lost a friend two weeks ago with a similar experience. If the prostate cancer metastasises, then the horse has gone through the gate. Sometimes the cancer spreads even after the prostate gland has been removed. One person told me that he ended up getting stage 4 cancer after his prostate was removed. If my memory serves me right, his medical expenses cost him approximately JAD3 million monthly. He is still alive and fighting.

I am lucky that it seems mine was caught early. The doctor suspected something was wrong, and a blood test was done. PSA was elevated. So I was off to the urologist. The urologist had to do his/her checks. So in seconds, I was on my side with pants pulled down, waiting for the doctor to do the DRE. That's the check, which many men fear more than they fear a gunman.

The doctor explained to me that by feeling the prostate, the doctor can easily pick up abnormalities. While the doctor was checking me, I was concerned about my health and not about the doctor sticking his finger in my bottom. Sex was far from my mind because I don't connect sex with my bottom.

The doctor felt something abnormal, and a biopsy had to be done. I was unfortunate that I got an infection after. I experienced excruciating pain for about a month. Sometimes the tears were streaming down my face, but I was not crying. I had to go to the bathroom sometimes five times for the night. Each time I urinate, it felt like someone inserted a firestick inside of me.

The biopsy is just one of the many tests one has to do. The blood test, ECG, bone scan, MRI, and two ultrasounds. All these tests and seeing doctors cost about JAD 300,000. The urologist requires all these tests to be done so he knows the state of your health. My blood pressure has to be reduced to normal before the operation.

I felt I was ready for the operation, and then there was a report indicating that all is not well with the kidneys. So off you go to see the nephrologist. Oh, I missed one—I had to go to the oncologist before.

Now it is waiting for the big day, which will be life-changing. If you have been doing your annual prostate checks, then it will not be a death sentence for you. It could be a death sentence for that little fellow for a while after the operation. You will have to wear a catheter for sometime to extract the urine from your body. 

This is the big shocker. You might not die from prostate cancer, but when you see the cost for the operation to remove the prostate and related medical care, the cancer might no longer be a problem, but a heart attack might be. The cost of the operations can range from JAD3 million to JAD4 million.

Check your status now. What you don't know can kill you. I forgot to tell you about another test. I had to do a sperm test. I went to the laboratory to give my sperm, and the gentleman who attended to me said, "Sir, you need to give us a sample of your sperm." 

I said to him, "At my age, I don't remember how to do that. He got the sample subsequently.

Thanks to those who came forward to assist. The sad thing is that at least three people reached out to me but I don't have their contact information. Their initials are JP, JE and TW. Please send me a WhatsApp message at 876 816-5261.

Member—mek di doctor check yu prostate NOW!!! Mi can' Bark Di Trute any louder fi yu, fi 'ear. Yu 'ear mi!

Undergoing an ECG test.

MRI Machine

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Click the icon below and join a group of people who want to learn more about the prostate and prostate cancer.

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Subscribe Now!

• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
• Subscribe to my Emergency News Advice Service.
• Make a financial donation now.

Remember that Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day without your support. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar so you can see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles.