Over the past few weeks, the media and the public at large have been in an uproar, and rightly so, concerning the increase in school violence occurring in different parts of the country. The case of a teenage girl stabbed to death by a female peer...
People have been raising questions about the operations of (some) organisations doing human rights and anti-corruption work and they are often ignored and/or chastised (typically by those external to the organisations) for doing so. Yes, it is...
Early in September, news broke that Poland would be seeking reparations from Germany in the amount of US$1.3 trillion for the crimes and unimaginable destruction committed against Poland during the Second World War from 1939-1945. This announcement...
There once was a time when you and your loved ones could drive out on a lazy Sunday afternoon - Cane River out by Nine Miles or further east to a beach stop or a jerk pork joint somewhere in Portland. But then the spin of the dice could send you...
So the vexed issue of squatting has once again reared its ugly head due to the Government’s demolition of illegal structures near Clifton, St Catherine. PNP social media trolls are irate, while JLP social media trolls soberly (because no political...
I once managed a project that drew attention to the fine-print exclusions usually hidden in agreements that ‘entrap’ the clientèle of banks and insurance companies. These clauses are constructed to protect the interests of the banking and insurance...
Some people are beneficiaries of the high level of crime and violence in our society. They include owners of security companies. The security sector has expanded in response to insecurity in Jamaica – capitalism can create a market out of anything...
“… A treaty is an agreement between states. Another word for treaty is convention. To be binding, a treaty must be in writing, made between states, intended to be binding, and governed by international law …” elaborates David Batts in ‘The Law and...
The strong, nauseating smell of caustic soda, white froth, brown water, and countless dead fish in the Rio Cobre are tell-tale signs of pollution from the West Indies Alumina Company’s (WINDALCO) Effluent Holding Pond (EHP) located in Ewarton, St...
Recent statements from the Prime Minister (PM) have me concerned about his ability to finish the race. It was not exactly along the lines of an appeal to God, the sort of a rut that seems to affect security ministers when the barking of criminal...
The controversy regarding the hairstyles of Jamaican students is ongoing, especially at the beginning of each academic year when students are routinely examined and accepted or rejected entry to school based on the existing rules of the particular...
The May 20 issue of The Economist forecasted a foreboding future of mass hunger and malnutrition from a battered global food system dependent on wheat from Russia and Ukraine. Together, these two countries produce nearly 30 per cent of the world’s...
At 7.30 a.m. on a Saturday in the depressed community of Turpitude (not its real name), Tish enters Paul’s board shop and says to no one in particular, “A gwine chap har up!” Seventy-year-old Paul giggles ever so knowingly. He runs the shop with...
A social tsunami has threatened cultural norms for decades but remains under most weather monitors’ radar. In recent decades, marriage rates have declined. Warning: Those among you who believe “marriage” can only take place in a church may want to...
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to move online. However, parallel to the explosion of online/remote work and conducting business online is an increase in cyber breaches. Increased remote work and remote data sharing via cloud apps have...
Jamaica has been developing tobacco control legislation for almost 20 years in an effort to protect its citizens from the death and sickness produced by tobacco use. The achievement of that objective is now within reach: A bill to improve Jamaica’s...
Three weeks ago, I revealed the contents of a memo written by Michael Manley to David Coore (chairman of a Constitutional Reform Parliamentary Committee) dated May 25, 1994. In that seminal memo, Manley postulated : “Jamaica’s ‘first past the post...
“… If it rains heavily enough and long enough, there will be flooding … ” wrote L.C. Nkemdirim and Eleanor B. Jones in ‘Flood Regions in Jamaica’, having studied, mapped, and published in 1978 the flood pattern on the island. The peak period,...
The Hon Louise Bennett-Coverley always encouraged us not to take ourselves too seriously. Miss Lou said to laugh at yourself! This is a sure antidote for depression. I got a superchance to take this advice recently when I went to the Jamaica Public...
A few days before Tropical Storm Ian entered Jamaican territory, just about every foreign met office reporter was showing the system steering south of us. To add luck to it, it was also heading sufficiently east to remove the mental unease from our...
Recently, Jamaican politics has been indulging its favourite pastime, namely, majoring in the minor. We the people have endured loud and cantankerous political squabbles (hyped up by media) about the square root of nothing. Take, for example, the...
Breastfeeding provides more than just nutrition for your newborn. It supports bonding and facilitates healthy, emotional development from birth. The first milk that is secreted, the colostrum, is your baby’s initial source of immunity as this thick...
Jamaica defines Crown lands as “… government lands owned or held in trust by the Commissioner of Lands by virtue of the Crown Property (Vesting) Act …” (1960) in the 2015 ‘Manual for the Divestment of Government-owned Lands.’ Looking back to 1661...
The objective of the annual recognition of World Lung Day is to promote lung health and empower lung health advocacy and action. Lung health is an essential aspect of overall health because the lung is responsible for removing carbon dioxide and...
Africans and their descendants in Latin America have long fought for recognition of their humanity, justice, and equality in the face of oppression. Key examples throughout the region include the Palenque de Yanga in Mexico, San Basilio de Palenque...
