In these columns, I keep teaching that most worldly barriers to peace, love, and understanding are man-made illusions. One of the most insidious, soul-destroying enemies of humanity is individualism. Over centuries, we’ve cultivated the concept...
As you would know by now, I am not a big fan of prayer breakfasts, national days of prayer, and other such noble gatherings. And it is not because I believe that prayer has no use. I am aware that there are many people who lean on prayer as the...
Anybody as tired of COVID as I? Anybody as sick and tired of arguing with commentators who begin tirades against the vaccines with “I’m not an anti-vaxxer but …” then end up sounding very adjacent to an anti-vaxxer? Anybody as impatient with anti-...
After 30 years of public life, which started in 1991 with my appointment as the youngest trade administrator and CEO of the Trade Board Ltd. through to being the first CEO of the Fair Trading Commission, and also after 26 years in the Parliament (...
What is the basis upon which people are chosen to run government ministries? We would all prefer not to assume that it is the whims and fancies of prime ministers. So what exactly is it? Quite a few politicians have got a touch of two or more...
In this edition of Reparation Conversation, a collaborative initiative between The Gleaner and The University of the West Indies’ Centre for Reparation Research (CRR), we pay tribute to the late anti-apartheid leader Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu...
In one litter, my daughter’s cat had kittens from three different tom cats. One was extraordinarily fluffy, coloured white with tabby patches; one was shiny, sleek and jet black; and the third one was white with a single gray spot, and short,...
This is the sad tale of an elderly couple trying to be boosted against Omicron. The Old Ball and Chain and I received second doses on June 15 so were scheduled for boosters as of December 15. But Old BC was ill (not with the plague), so on medical...
A grim statistic seen on the COVID-19 vax live website last Thursday morning stated that ‘vaccines administered for COVID-19 in Jamaica, currently at rate of about 0.01/second or 851 each day’. That is about 40.4 doses per 100 people (~2.97...
During the past few years, seaweed has been considered a nuisance in the Caribbean, with its presence tarnishing pristine beaches and deterring tourism. The “weed” within its name doesn’t help public perception, therefore, “seaplant” will be used...
This year, the construction industry shall remain buoyant. This shall augur well for citizens’ associations and neighbourhood communities that are organised and vigilant. Citizens shall know their rights and enforce their covenants while at the...
Recently, Jamaica saw the establishment of a Mango Agro Park valued at nearly $100 million and there is a commitment to growing the fruit as reported in the news. The Agro Investment Corporation estimates an Internal Rate of Return of 59 per cent...
It’s the time of year when New Year resolutions should be recommended. So here goes. How about we resolve to stop policing other people’s garment choices, especially when those other people are women? Recently there was a furore when Rihanna went...
The second part of a two-part series on the way that the hyperscalers now control our digital world. The hyperscalers that control the Internet have become so rich and powerful because there is a natural tendency for public Internet spaces to...
First there was the unprecedented nine-month lockdown in 2020 when the country was caught up in the uncertainties of an unwanted visitor: COVID 19. Then in 2021 as we swore we knew enough about it, the Government instituted haphazard versions of...
The British and other cultures make a big deal about not having your cake and eating it too. Unlike we Caribbean people, they see the possession and demolition of a cake belonging to you as two mutually exclusive options. The Germans say, “You can’...
The destruction by tornadoes of Kentucky, a south-eastern State of the United States of America (US), on December 12, has lessons for the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as 2022 dawns amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and...
In 2021, we witnessed moments that are significant enough to alter the trajectory of a sector’s energy bill or to mark a shift into a resilient development pathway through breakthrough policy mandates. The UNDP Multi-Country Office in Jamaica has...
“No healthcare worker should be working unless they are FULLY VACC-INA-TED!” said the mayor of May Pen, banging his hands on the lectern for the emphasis no one needed. The mayor was certainly uninhibited when he spoke earlier this week on this...
With non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounting for almost 80 per cent of deaths in Jamaica, we have witnessed the exacerbation of these lifestyle diseases due to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic throughout 2021. Statistics from the...
Skin bleaching and hair straightening are indicators of self-hate. Chemically processing oneself to look like a contrived version of brown or white people shows the internalisation and reproduction by Africans and other people of colour of racist...
This is part one of a two-part series on the way that the hyperscalers now control our digital world. The world’s social, economic, and cultural systems are being transformed by the digital revolution. It has already upended the media and...
My good friend, (retired) US Ambassador Luis Moreno called recently to ask my advice on how to help two former State Department colleagues get their ambassadorial nominations confirmed by the US Senate. After all, I managed to get Moreno’s...
This edition of Reparation Conversations highlights utterances of Britain’s Prince Charles, who represented Queen Elizabeth II at the presidential inauguration ceremony in Barbados . His acknowledgement of the “appalling atrocities of slavery”...
Recently, Nationwide conducted at least two interviews with senior people at HEART/NSTA Trust, which is that huge agency whose mandate attempts to correct at the back end some major systemic flaws in Jamaica’s education. A 16-year-old student from...
