Mrs. Repole
I am sad. This morning Dr. Dahlia Repole died. Quite appropriately, much will be written about Mrs. Repole’s accomplishments. She worked long and hard on education issues in Jamaica. I’ll leave it to those better suited to write those comprehensive reflections on her life and work. I am glad, though, that before she passed away, she … Read more
Of Preachers on Buses and Censorship
For some reason I have agonized for over two weeks about whether to publish this. Yet, here goes… Same knife weh juk sheep juk goat. I am extremely uncomfortable with the recent JUTC ban of preachers on buses. Sometimes it verges on dislike. My discomfort is nothing to do with Jamaica (supposedly) being a “Christian … Read more
Last Week’s News: “Wasting Jamaica” by Diana McCaulay
Ms. McCaulay’s blog post really needs little introduction. Aside from her obvious love of and grief over the treatment of Jamaica’s environment by Jamaicans and the Jamaican government, I was struck by her description of the GOJ’s response to the situation in Pedro Cays. O? Keep it hidden, eh? Don’t be rude? Well maybe the … Read more
Where in the World is Portia Simpson-Miller?
Yes it works to the tune of the Carmen Sandiego game show song, just dip your voice on the “Simpson.” So, where is Prime Minister Simpson-Miller? I wonder for a few reasons…and I gather that I am not alone in wondering. The last I saw of her was at the Jamaica 50 Grand Gala. She … Read more
Last Week’s News: A Proposed Baseball Diamond in Trelawny
In April 2010 the Jamaica Gleaner published this gem There are plans to set up a baseball diamond at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium in the coming months, after lengthy discussions between the Jamaican Government and officials of the United States-based Major League Baseball (MLB) seem to be heading in the right direction. Labelled as an … Read more
Of Nutraceuticals and Pharmaceuticals…Healing Plants
Recently I’ve taken to referring to Mommy as a Bush Woman. Why? Because I can’t even think of clearing my throat before she starts diagnosing and recommending which food, bush, fruit skin, herb, or mix up I should take. And, of course, she’s often right (there, Mommy, I said it!). Even Grandpa is in on … Read more
Celebrating Jamaica’s 50th Year of Independence
Yesterday I sat down to share my thoughts about the celebrations for Jamaica’s 50th year of independence. Despite saving throughout, Word crashed as I was about to print for a final edit. When I restarted Word and opened the file the ready-for-editing version wasn’t there and Auto Recovery couldn’t open its last saved version. So … Read more
Celebrate Jamaica: Each One Teach One, Jamaica at DC’s Flower Mart
Last Friday and Saturday, Flower Mart 2012 hosted over 130 vendors at its annual event…along with special performances and displays showcasing Jamaica. I attended the event on Saturday. As I walked onto the Cathedral grounds I heard Reggae music from speakers, entertaining those who had sought shelter from drizzling rain. Flower Mart was held at … Read more
Marley
On Monday night I saw the new documentary about Bob Marley as part of the 2012 DC International Film Festival. So important is “Marley” that it was introduced by the Tony Gittens, founder and director of FilmfestDC. Marley’s director and producers specifically chose Filmfest DC for a pre-release screening; the film had only screened at … Read more
Celebrate Jamaica: Deika Morrison and Crayons Count
A chance conversation that Deika Morrison was involved in led to the realization that too many young children in Jamaica have little or no access to the learning materials needed for their development. Pushed by the need to do something, Deika drew on the experiences she had working on the Guinness World Record-setting book donation … Read more
