Today we embark on another trip across the galaxy to our favourite fantasyland, Apocrypha. This time, it’s Opposition leader Bark Balding who was forced to consult Oma D’unn. Regular readers remember Oma, a former politician and finance minister...
If Horace Chang’s remarks to this newspaper are taken at face value, there would not be a by-election any time soon to fill the South Trelawny parliamentary seat, unless Prime Minister Andrew Holness plans to call a national poll in short order....
I am a human-rights advocate. As such, I empathise with and speak out against injustices affecting vulnerable communities and their members, such as children, women and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) folks. I do not tolerate bigotry,...
Happily for Sir Patrick Allen, he does not have to stand in a queue at the British High Commission in St Andrew to apply for an entry visa if he wants to visit his boss, King Charles III, in London. As the governor general and the king’s avatar in...
I remember the first time Fitz Jackson’s resolution to limit the fees which banks can arbitrarily charge their customers came up for debate in the House of Representatives. Several government members were obviously in favour but, to a man and a...
The distribution of numbers under Jamaica’s new ‘658’ area code has begun as the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) assigned numbers to telecommunication providers. There is a push to encourage businesses, government ministries, agencies and...
It seems that the Holness administration remains uncertain about what should be the fate of the Office of the Political Ombudsman, which has remained vacant since Donna Parchment-Brown’s term expired nearly a year ago. Like the Private Sector...
“...Fire deh a mus-mus tail him t’ink a cool breeze...,” is a famous Jamaican proverb of caution. Here the mouse [mus-mus] is actually in a fire, yet he is thinking it is cool tropical breeze. All Jamaicans should know that construction development...
CHAKA-CHAKA SPELLING Pon May 1 dis ya year, di govament a South Africa gi Peter Tosh one national honour: di ‘Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo.’ From 1967 to 1991, Tambo was di president a di African National Congress. Im did plan di...
It’s one thing for the powers that be to give our less fortunate citizens (especially their grassroots voter base) a ‘bligh’, but it’s quite another thing to facilitate breaking the laws designed to protect the public. Such blighs feed into the ‘...
Imagine a 15-year-old boy, who lives in a garrison community, whose only influence are road scullers; not Rhodes scholars. There is a firearm placed in the house shared with his uncle or placed in one of those blue shipping barrels in the backyard...
Confident black women, who rejected the notion that chemical straighteners would smooth out kinky hair and enhance their beauty, may have done much more than boosted their self-esteem – they may have saved their lives. News emerged this week that...
Public Wi-Fi is a staple in our fast-paced society. We have all used it, at the park, on the bus, at restaurants, hotels and at the airport. Using these free Wi-Fi hotspots is extremely convenient but, how safe are they? Meet Nathaniel, a...
This week’s agreement between Nicolás Maduro’s government and the Venezuelan opposition on the broad parameters for holding next year’s presidential election has material significance for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), including Jamaica. One...
After their postponement in February this year (after previously being postponed in 2020 and 2022), the local government elections are now due by February 2024. The given reason why they were postponed this year – the COVID-19 pandemic – is not...
“Purple! I have never seen you wear purple nail polish!” exclaimed my Vietnamese nail tech who has been doing my nails for about 10 years. I sighed as I now had to explain the obsession with purple of my Kingston College friends and that I was...
It was shipped over three months ago from the Caribbean, arriving in Jamaica a week ago. The experience begins with the knowledge that one is unable to ship direct from some islands. All cargo must therefore go past Jamaica to Miami, before coming...
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and at the time of this writing, I promise I’m wearing my pink polo shirt in support of the movement to spread awareness, encourage screening, and find a cure. So forgive me if I take a slight detour today...
Juliet Holness can rightly claim that having only recently assumed the Speakership of the House – and with it the job as the legislature’s accountable officer, to whom its administrative staff ultimately reports – she has not had much time to...
“I’m not accepted in my new country, Not my language, my culture, nor my religion. A hated immigrant Asylum Seeker Spat in my face. But I will endure In my search for peace and opportunity.” Hope - A Poem about Refugees By Chris...
Last week, I mentioned that October would see meetings between member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and main traditional trading partners in the Western Hemisphere. Last week was the meeting of the US-CARICOM Trade and Investment...
On the face of it, there would hardly be a reasonable complaint against the 35 per cent increase in fares, to be implemented in two tranches, the Government approved for public transport operators last week, although the compounding effect could...
For my sins, in 1969, while in fifth form at Campion College, I was appointed a Prefect. Despite my carefully constructed, spotless disciplinary record, I was NOT Prefect material. For example, although I dutifully mouthed the Roman Catholic prayer...
On September 10, it was reported that baby mother of politician and sitting Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell and their 10-month-old daughter were missing. It was alleged that the woman, Toshyna Patterson, told friends she received a phone call...
