This semester, I've been teaching Yann Martel's wonderful novel Life of Pi in an introductory fiction course. Three-quarters of the class still hadn't finished reading the book by the last day of teaching. It was the first novel on the course!
I can crack a joke with the best of them but have never been able to crack a yolk without getting egg on my hands, on the floor, on the outside of the frying pan and bits of shell in my egg.
The recent increase in the sale of Clarks shoes is, without a doubt, attributed to two songs and one artiste, Vybz Kartel (Clarks and Clarks again) - Popcaan is an extra. These witty songs on one of Jamaica's oldest fashion obsessions have brought back the early 1990s for those who remember sporting Clarks and Bally. The power of words.
I gave this title to one of the first columns I wrote for this newspaper in 1992. It is still appropriate today. Democracy is a good thing, because it gives people the opportunity to choose their government. But what good is democracy if none of the choices offered is of good quality?
The Haitian Revolution is, unquestionably, the product of great intelligence, good organisation, careful planning and fine military techniques - the basic components of a successful revolution. Haiti was France's prize possession in the Americas and its independence would not be a gift or an easy let go; moreso this was the time of Napoleon's military leadership in France.
There are many things wrong with Jamaica. But one of the things that are good about the country is the quality and skill of its foreign service. Just ask foreign service officers of other countries. The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which forms the Government, whose leader is the prime minister and several of whose officers are members of the Cabinet apparently don't share that view.
NOTE-WORTHYKudos to BartlettOn behalf of the members of the Jamaica Rent-A-Car Association, I write to publicly convey the sector's appreciation to Minister of Tourism Ed Bartlett and his team at the Tourism Ministry for the effort that they have been...
There is no gainsaying that Jamaicans believe that corruption is pervasive in our country. And that perception is, in the end, just as important as the real facts of corruption in Jamaica, which is that it is a very corrupt place.
I am seriously conflicted by your current campaign of publishing a running count of the number of murders committed in Jamaica on a daily basis. I feel that I understand your motivation and I sympathise with the elementary logic of your position, even though I think it is being simplistic and a bit naïve.
Arguments for and against the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were to dominate the Budget debates 1978-80. The stage was set when Finance Minister Eric Bell announced on March 14, 1978, that a new IMF programme was being negotiated, with an agreement for a US$250 million extended fund facility expected by mid-May.
On Saturday, the funeral service for the late Dr Dudley Stokes was fortuitously held at Boulevard Baptist Church, the church I pastor. It was very appropriate because Dr Dudley Stokes has been instrumental in my spiritual journey.
The latest episode, in what has been a series of serious attacks on this nation's infrastructure, has been the proverbial straw which has broken the patience of Karl Samuda, et al. The latest victim was the Colbeck Irrigation system and its dependents, and given the litany of reports about other varieties of metal stolen... it is safe to say that the body of our nation's infrastructure is being raped daily.
WHAT WILL it take for the Government to decide that it needs outside help to tame the crime monster? Five hundred murders in four months? Six hundred murders in five months? Ten murders a day? How many more families must bury...
There are persons in our society who believe a sexual offence is a minor crime and, as such, persons accused of rape, for example, should get a tongue lashing and a light sentence from the judge.
Every week, political discussions in Parliament, in newspaper columns, and on radio and television talk shows imply that we are becoming more, or less, 'democratic' as a nation.
I have to commend the writer who was given Letter of the Day in The Sunday Gleaner of April 25, whose article was titled, 'Teachers' protest is immoral'. Highest commendations are in order for Maureen Henry, who said she was a teacher, for having the guts to write such a letter.
One Friday night, the domino game went on into the wee hours. At 1:30 a.m., I gave up "No mas!" I begged, "I'm dead beat." Instantaneously, two new players arrived demanding a game. Autry, anticipating easy pickings, was anxious to oblige.
Kindly allow me the opportunity to respond to the 'noteworthy' letter that was written by Petrina Francis, senior public relations officer at the Ministry of Justice. I would like to apologise for the inaccuracy of naming Carol Palmer as the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice, instead of Robert Rainford, who is her replacement.
Over the years, I have called for the abolition of all guns in Jamaica. I admit that this is a radical and, some may think, unrealistic strategy, but given the seriousness of Jamaica's gun-murder rate, I honestly believe that sooner or later Jamaicans will come to understand that such radical strategies may actually represent a more viable alternative than continuing with the more traditional ones.
The Reverend Franklyn Jackson, a priest in the Anglican communion and rector of the Church of the Transfiguration in Havendale, St Andrew, unfortunately reflects the schizophrenia that is all too common in Jamaica with respect to the matter of crime.
In the context of the high incidence of corruption in Jamaica, the call by Assistant Commissioner of Police Justin Felice and endorsed by representatives of civic organisations at one of this newspaper's Editors' Forums last Friday for a specialist corruption court makes sense and should be supported.
The Port Royal development proposed by Minister Mike Henry, in conjunction with a cruise-shipping entity, is indeed a wonderful and far-reaching idea to once and for all synchronise the tourism product into a unique and exclusive Jamaican product, unable to be copied elsewhere.
