In Focus

Peter Phillips' recent statement on IMF "negotiations" is a masterpiece of obfuscation and an education on how to say nothing at length.

The Hunger Games, an engaging saga about what life could be like in post-decline America, appears to be on its way to becoming a cult classic. Suzanne Collins' original book version of the story proved extraordinarily popular among teenagers and young adults, receiving praise from a host of reviewers, including author Steven King.

President of the People's National Party and prime minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller, is coming under fire for her apparent lack of leadership. Portia has been described in several quarters as being out of touch with the challenges the country faces, failing to provide direction on the way forward in a time of national crisis.

MY FRIEND Byron Buckley's recent article in The Gleaner of December 27, 2012 challenging the Church concerning attitudes to sexual minorities was a commendably eirenic and creative piece. Though I agree with the general sentiment of the article, I must take issue with a few ideas in it.

AT THE end of the Christmas term, in 1970-something, I noted with dread that my report card was due, and nervous that Miss Ivy (my mother) would give another meaning to Boxing Day, wondered how anything positive could be salvaged from it.

ON THE evening of Saturday, February 25, 2006, after the votes of delegates were cast at Jamaica College in Kingston, Portia Simpson Miller defeated her main challenger, Dr Peter Phillips to take, albeit marginally, the presidency of the People's National Party (PNP).

THERE WAS a time in Jamaica when there was no guarantee for the protection of individual rights and freedoms; it was a case of 'the government gives and the government takes away protection'. After 50 years of independence and, with an amendment to the Constitution for a Charter of Rights, it is fitting to look back and see what has changed.

FOR TWELVE months I held my breath and waited for the government to tell me the details of the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and right now, to avoid asphyxia, I had to come up for air.

IF YOU ARE uncertain or ignorant about your facts as a writer of material purporting to be history then you hedge your bets by using vague terms, skillfully avoiding anything that anyone could double-check and blow your cover.

We are stubbornly refusing to ask and to answer the tough question whether education investment is translating into economic performance output.

With the increasing commercialisation and secularisation of Christmas, we often hear the plea to 'put Christ back into Christmas', to remember 'the real meaning of the Christmas', and 'the reason for the season'. But I am saying we should take Christ totally out of Christmas and make it an entirely secular festival!

'The singularity' is a term invented by science-fiction writer Vernor Vinge in 1993 to describe the moment when human beings cease to be the most intelligent creatures on the planet. The threat, in his view, came not from very clever dolphins but from hyper-intelligent machines. But would they really be a threat?