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| Why we need the likes of an Abe Dabdoub |
Attorney-at-law Abe Dabdoub has been one of Jamaica's most controversial politicians. But hate him or love him as we might, he can best be described as a necessary evil. Indeed, very few politicians in Jamaica at this time can do the things he does and get away with them. Some see him as a maverick, others as a loose cannon; while others dismiss him as an opportunist and some maintain that he is a troublemaker, and for some that feisty party renegade is best described as the gadfly in the island's political arena if not the fly in the ointment.
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Tufton's plans to revolutionise agriculture |
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The tremendous focus now being placed on agriculture is good for the country because increased agricultural production can cut the import bill and prices, feed the people and strengthen our economic position. Minister of Agriculture Christopher Tufton set the pace for discussion in his presentation in the recent 2008-2009 budget debate. The theme of his speech was food security. He outlined proposals to revolutionise agricultural production to meet local demand.
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Wanted — a national anthem |
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Monday, May 12, 2008
What is an anthem? What makes an anthem national? Is our anthem national?
I believe that a nation rises on the spirit of its people and an anthem should feed the spirit. Our anthem is not easy to understand; it has inaccuracies, bad vibes and in 46 years it has not inspired us to unity, peace or development. The authors of the anthem were good men, but not perfect. Here are some comments on the words of the anthem.
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The mixed assembly |
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Monday, May 12, 2008
Hebrews 13:20a and 21: "Now the God of peace makes you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ." Once weekly, people from all walks of life congregate to engage in fellowship and this form is loosely called "the church." These unique collections of individuals come together with many different agendas, some enduring the songs that they are not familiar with or may not even like.
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Eyeing the Obama/Castro meeting |
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Monday, May 12, 2008
As President George W Bush was hurling his latest political insult at Cuba last week, it was becoming increasingly evident that Barack Obama is not only set to emerge in November as the first Black American president, but become the first US head of state to meet with President Raul Castro, brother of the retired legendary Fidel Castro.
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Repetition Compulsion: Breaking the Cycle |
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Monday, May 12, 2008
There is a psychological phenomenon known as repetition compulsion which may manifest itself in individuals. Repetition compulsion, as defined by Wikipedia, is a psychological phenomenon in which a person repeats a traumatic event or its circumstances over and over again.
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Singing for my supper |
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Monday, May 12, 2008
I was delighted to be invited to two lovely ladies' luncheons over these past two weeks.
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We Are Not For Sale |
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Sunday, May 11, 2008
Scott Fitzgerald once confided to Ernest Hemingway - "You know, Ernest, the rich are different from us."
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What will it take to curb crime, Mr Golding? |
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Saturday, May 10, 2008
The headline in the Observer of May 5 screamed: "Blood-drenched weekend." This was in reference to the killing of 18 people, including a baby girl, in two days. Since January of this year, 480 people have been murdered in Jamaica. This averages 120 per month, and this in a society that is not enveloped in a civil war or that is not engaged in open warfare with an offending nation.
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Don't curse the dark, light a candle |
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Saturday, May 10, 2008
In consideration of our recent history, despite what many may construe as our less than sterling performance in our economic and social achievements and our propensity for violent interaction among ourselves, Jamaica has demonstrated an uncommon ability to survive in the face of insurmountable odds. We have survived the vagaries of the weather, the battering of international economic forces, the onslaught of drug pushers and criminal gangs, even the continued ineptitude and dishonesty of our own corrupt politicians. And yet we somehow manage to maintain some modicum of forward momentum as a nation. It has sometimes been difficult to escape the conclusion that even though we have no natural enemies as a people, we have somehow become our own worst enemy.
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Keeping Argument alive... |
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Friday, May 09, 2008
THERE ARE SOME LOCATIONS where you can always find an Argument. Taxi stands are guaranteed to facilitate political discourse. Rum bars have long pedigrees as centres of chat. Beauty salons and barber shops will always provide a good suss. The market is a given. Topics of the day are open to one and all. The more controversial the better.
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Nothing new under the sun |
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Thursday, May 08, 2008
This year marks 50 years since an Avianca airliner crashed in the sea near Montego Bay. When all the passengers were assumed dead from the passenger records of the Colombian aircraft, it turned out that one man was alive but someone else was travelling on his passport and that person died. The point here is that it is not yesterday that things like this have happened. That incident was 50 years ago. But some people speak as if such things started only today.
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The challenge of child destitution in Nigeria |
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Thursday, May 08, 2008
Nigeria ranks near the top of international indices of infant and maternal mortality. Every year hundreds of thousands of mothers and children die in the process of childbirth. Other hundreds of thousands die before the age of one, five or 10 years old. And many who survive envy the dead. Over the years their life expectancy has been shrinking, and now the average Nigerian can look forward to less than 45 years of a very unhappy existence.
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We need caregivers not caretakers |
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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
There are few newspaper headlines that have frightened me as much as the one that appeared on Page 3 of the Monday, April 14, 2008 edition of the Daily Observer. It read: "McKenzie takes control of Kingston Central constituency".
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Don't try to shame them, help them |
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Monday, May 05, 2008
It is well and good to be in cloistered positions and places of privilege where we can deliver positive or negative judgements at will. How rationally and fairly we use the positions we occupy to foster positive changes is quite another matter. In this context, people such as those who write editorials and other columns or who are involved in public commentary ought to weigh and reflect constantly on the impact of their pronouncements and otherwise balanced analysis of the topics that they write or speak on. In this particular regard, I invite reflection on judgements being delivered on some of our high schools by privileged people.
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