Last Tuesday was the 10th anniversary of Louise Bennett's death. There was a lot of talk in the media about the value of her creative work. Miss Lou played many roles: folklorist, poet, storyteller, playwright, actress, TV host, radio broadcaster...
A week ago, the foreign ministry, on behalf of the Jamaican Government's review task force on CARICOM, for which it acts as secretariat, invited public submissions on its work. These submissions, they hope, "would facilitate a more comprehensive and...
I suggest that the recently convened Panel on Values and Attitudes make it illegal for impressionable young children to read the newspapers. It will only corrupt them. One has to be very sophisticated to digest all the recent 'disclosures' of...
The Republican National Convention preceded last week's edition of the Democratic National Convention. These conventions provide for the formal ratification of the parties' standard-bearers in the lead-up to the general election set for November 8,...
Fully aware of the cynicism with which many of your readers view statements from politicians, especially on subjects for which we had ministerial responsibilities when in government, I have been measured in my public utterances on water resources...
The graveyard shift is a work period that runs through the early morning hours, typically covering the period between midnight and 8 a.m. It is also the title of a Stephen King short story and the 1990 movie based on it. The synopsis reads, "In a...
"Here in Jamaica, there is just not enough honesty regarding the guns that have been here since the 1970s and 1980s. Furthermore, I am tired of the grand narratives about missing fathers when, in many of the hotspots, the young 'shottas' were well...
In the search for positives from that Papine, St Andrew, police incident that has been the subject of much public discussion this week, one takeaway, even by the non-cynics, may be that no one died. Indeed, no one was fired upon, unlike the...
As I write this, Solar Impulse is already in the air on the last 48-hour leg of its remarkable journey: the first round-the-world flight by an aircraft that uses no fuel, except sunlight. Pilot Bertrand Piccard...
As times change, the dominant values that guide society change, and not always for the better. In recent times, we see a slow shift away from values that promote the common good towards those which centre on individualism.Those who seek the common...
Whether we term it 'dash weh belly', 'abortion' or 'termination of pregnancy', the conversation around this issue has taken place among various groups in Jamaica and internationally. This argument has once again gained traction because of the...
I wouldn't be surprised if West Indies coach Phil Simmons is having sleepless nights as he ponders what should be his starting eleven for tomorrow's start of the second Test against India. Only Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels are...
Three months ago, given the recency of her appointment, we gave Shahine Robinson a pass for her sugar-coating of the issues facing Jamaica's National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and her blanket assurance to contributors of its long-term viability. Ms...
The recent school rankings based on performance at CSEC examination level tells a tale of woe for all-boys schools. The figures are calculated based on each secondary school enabling its cohort at the end of its five years of secondary education to...
It feels almost like a bad case of vertigo, just attempting to follow the Government's statements on auxiliary fees for high schools. We can imagine what it's like for principals who not only have to make sense of the policy, but to actually...
In another two weeks or so, the news cycle will turn its attention to the education system - well, CXC passes to be exact - and then the usual, sometimes niggling issues, such as length of tunics and how fitted pants are, that we tend to complain...
In his contribution to the 2016-17 Sectoral Debate, Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Karl Samuda recognised as an imperative his "mandate to mobilise, harness and encourage the potential of the micro, small and medium-sized...
Published:Tuesday | July 26, 2016 | 12:00 AMKavion Grant
The most recent development in the Caribbean financial sector is that of the threat of correspondent bankers continuing to provide their services to the region. Prominent local financial institutions such as Jamaica National Building Society and...
Portia Simpson Miller, the opposition leader, this week substantially expanded transparency in public life with the most comprehensive release to date by a politician of his or her assets and liabilities. She gave media organisations copies of the...
Sunday gone, I made a day trip to Montego Bay for the opening of an exhibition of paintings by Michael Lester at National Gallery West. We sped across the length of the island in two hours and 15 minutes using the new highway. Twice we were stopped...
So here comes Dr Enoch Karl Blythe, riding into the PNP leadership contest on his dray, being pulled by a lone tick-infested mule with a small head, spindly legs and a belly looking not dissimilar to Loud Senator's girth.Dr Blythe's vehicle to the...
I'm an unrepentant dinosaur, as obsolete as back-stop on a cricket field.I still own a VCR. VHS remains my preferred method of recording from TV. The Old Ball and Chain's second son, The Ampersand, has made it his mission to drag me, kicking and...
Published:Monday | July 25, 2016 | 12:00 AMAdam McIntyre
First, let's ambush and mercilessly murder every vile attitude that leads to self-destructive behaviour, and then launch an assault on the immoral, invading forces that threaten to destroy our youth.Then let's go on the prowl in camouflage outfits...
Pokemon Go was launched around the world in July, and the global output plummeted. Grown men and women (but mostly men) are dedicating hours of what could be productive time to catching mythical creatures that virtually pop up on their phone screens...
Each year, around 20,000 Jamaicans emigrate to the United States of America. They have been doing so for generations. By most estimates, more Jamaicans live in America than the 2.7 million of us who reside in the island.And apart from the Jamaicans...
