The news yesterday morning highlighted a fairly common scene. The PNP held a press conference speaking specifically to the emerging incidents of leptospirosis and the health threat posed to the nation in the aftermath of Melissa. At the podium was Dr Alfred Dawes, PNP spokesperson on health and in the background were party dignitaries headed … More Systems of predation / Systems of service
Tonight makes three weeks exactly since Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica after huffing and puffing and blowing herself up offshore to be the most powerful and devastating storm ever to have hit the island in remembered history. In the aftermath of the absolutely catastrophic, and in some cases, fatally tragic disaster, we the Jamaican … More Future-Focused
The recent issue of raised ‘cane’ (the pun should become obvious in a moment, and yes c-a-n-e, no unintended misspelling) over the Daryl Vaz sprinkling rum to bless and commission new school buses (that very well may have won his government the last election so he could have set an entire thanksgiving table with lit … More Fathers of our Faith and Cultural Continuity
The idea of a Christian vote in the Jamaican context is an interesting proposition. For such a voting bloc to exist and to be of societal value requires an internal cohesion which can only be achieved through common connection to universally trusted sources of information and universally respected voices of authority. Even then, weighing in … More A church voting bloc?
It was just a few years ago that my friend who happened to lead one of the several Father’s support organizations in the island approached me with the predicament that the men’s movement was having. A woman’s organization had announced its launch on Father’s day, which was a perceived affront to all ‘di man dem’ … More Faith of our Fathers and Cultural Friction
“Babylon System is a vampire, sucking the blood of the sufferers.” I’m getting increasingly intolerant of those ignoramuses that still abound whose brains and bellies are tagged ‘product of the USA’ or ‘made in the UK’ schooled in classical *‘Perkinsian’ economics, believing Britain better, trained to smooch the nether parts of political and religious empire, … More Lef’ my people Gold
The time has come to move from rhetoric to action, but even this challenge could become another case of rhetoric, if we do not design the institutions through which action can be achieved. – Michael Manley Errol Miller’s latest two volume work, Elections and Governance: Jamaica on the Global Frontier – The Colonial Years and … More Institutional Design
Long-term problems generally require long term solutions which are best spearheaded by long-term leadership. But in our almost global rejection of dynasty, seen as the source of all evil, we seem to have settled for king-for-a-day governance rather than grapple with the hard task of people empowerment, the requirement for healthy, working democracies. Power still … More Mr. Bombastic
Every Black History Month for the last 20 years I have deliberately sought to circulate articles from my blog “The Half Not Told” in an attempt at kindling a conversation, hopefully a balanced conversation, an honest conversation, a hard-to-have conversation about race … and race like family, like nationality, like social group and faith community … More Sacred Stories – The hard problem of RACE
Having just watched our own national ritual of ancestor worship, I am reminded of Jesus’ frustration: “In vain do they worship me teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.” The New English Translation says “Their teachings are merely human rules/commandments. Jesus knew that for worship to be effective, it has to be both sincere and … More Heroes Day Reflections
YeKengalé 