Citizens, here are 14 misconceptions often promoted about small modular reactors (SMRs) and their feasibility for small island developing states (SIDS) like Jamaica: 1. SMRs are quick to deploy Falsehood: SMRs can be set up quickly and provide...
What was to be a day for honouring our heroes and our highest ideals as a country ended with yet another manifestation of the organised criminal violence that plagues Jamaica. The murder of five people in east Kingston blighted Heroes Day for the...
At the time of writing this column, (last Thursday), 58 million mail-in and early in-person votes had been made in the US elections. The gender breakout was 54 per cent female, 46 per cent men. There was a 10-point gap between men and women in the...
Worldwide, livestock production provides nearly one-third of the protein consumed daily, which is essential for global food and nutrition security. In Latin America and the Caribbean, this activity is not only crucial for the diet of millions but...
I recently read with interest and was moved by the personal story of Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne in which he shared his family’s experience with mental illness. The article was as timely as it was an urgent reminder of the...
United Nations (UN) agencies are autonomous fiefdoms controlled by powerful lords of the manor. One of these potentates was Senegal’s Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow, who died on September 24 in Dakar at the age of 103. The “sacred drama” that erupted around...
You already know that five men were shot dead in Rockfort at a football game on Monday, October 21. This is the third mass murder in Jamaica in the last couple of months. You also know that Jamaica has an astonishingly high murder rate that has...
The University of the West Indies (UWI), long a pillar of CARICOM education, has recently come under scrutiny due to its fluctuating performance in global university rankings. Once celebrated as a regional leader, the UWI now faces declining...
It was puzzling to see an article by Curtis Ward titled ‘Peace not possible if Ukraine and Palestine are occupied’ in The Gleaner of September 30. In his piece, Ward offers Jamaican readers yet another opportunity to expose themselves to the well-...
Diane Austin-Broos, professor emerita of Anthropology at the University of Sydney, Australia has written an impressive biography of Wills Isaacs titled Politics in a Small Island State. However, it is not the political aspects which interest me...
In 2024, Jamaica finds itself gripped by a cultural affliction that has grown more pronounced: aggressive shallowness. This phenomenon, which prizes style over substance, has seeped into the core of Jamaican society, shaping politics, education,...
Recently Vernon Derby, from Omega radio, wrote in his blog; “Recently, when the Integrity Commissioners were invited to Parliament, I became … more concerned. The IC chairman’s behaviour struck me as odd. He made a point of bringing his own water...
The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) ‘opened a can of worms’ by proposing to merge Emancipation Day and Independence Day holidays to create a single, extended weekend holiday period from the first Friday in August to Monday. The main...
Blistering, record-breaking heat waves, prolonged droughts, deadly floods, unusually warm ocean waters, and more powerful hurricanes are taking lives, causing widespread loss and damage, and eroding hard-earned development gains. Even worse, the...
Between 1973 and 1975, Jamaica’s birth rate was 4.5. However, findings from a 2021-22 national survey (the eighth of its kind), revealed that the birthrate has fallen to 1.9 per woman. This research focused on fertility, contraception, and overall...
In recent years, actions by schools like Immaculate Conception High School (ICHS), Westwood High School, and Titchfield High have caused significant harm to some of Jamaica’s brightest female students. What is most disheartening, however, is the...
It is an easy call to label Mr Usain Bolt as Jamaica’s most beloved and admired living icon. One would have thought that those special attributes would have protected him and the substantial funds he had under management in SSL from the pirates and...
Recent statements from the Minister of National Security suggesting that the Government won’t prioritise unexplained wealth orders (UWOs), citing, in part, constitutional concerns, have ignited a pressing dialogue about the Government’s commitment...
This year, the theme for World Food Day on October 16 is ‘Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future’. It’s a timely reminder that all people have the right to adequate foods. But, how do we get from a right to a reality? And, why is it...
There has been much public discourse regarding the proposal for Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) to be incorporated into Jamaica’s legislative framework, with proponents touting it as a potential panacea for all ills. In the interest of furthering...
Jamaica’s political landscape today reveals a concerning trend of deflection and hypocrisy. The public discourse surrounding certain national leaders underscores an uncomfortable truth: supporters prioritise protecting reputations over addressing...
As we recognised World Teacher Day on October 5, there can be no single device that most teachers dislike more in their classroom than cell phones! It was In 1983 that clunky big cell phones first became available to the public, albeit at a steep...
The United Nations General Assembly established September 29 as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste to promote policies that reduce poverty and hunger and help combat climate change. This is a debate that we cannot ignore....
Living in today’s fast-paced world, convenience has become a priority for many, especially in food choices. Processed and ultra-processed foods have gained popularity due to the minimal preparation required, their palatability, and not to mention...
“This administration is committed to ridding our society of corruption as is evidenced by the passage of the Integrity Commission Act, which established the Integrity Commission, an institution of which we are very proud. “Under the leadership...
