In Focus

I have decided to take up the challenge of the indefatigable Anglican Internet minister, Dr Lucien Jones: "This Sunday ... we are celebrating Easter - the time of the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Now it is time to put away the celebration of the greatest and most competitive high school athletic competition in the entire world ... Champs. It's time to shift focus away from extradition matters. It's time to change gears and get away from IMF agreements, the new budget and other pressing national issues.

This article is submitted as part of a series by the Department of Economics, UWI, Mona.

"But those who wait for the Lord shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired." - Isaiah 40:31"Macka a juk...

'Dysfunction' means impaired or abnormal functioning.

In 1899, imports from the United States first exceeded those from the United Kingdom, the Handbook of Jamaica, referenced in the National Library of Jamaica, tells us.

Over 95 per cent of people live in the land of their birth, and where you are born is a matter of chance.

The year 2010 can be deemed to be the 50th anniversary of Jamaican popular music. While a couple of recordings were composed before that date, notably by Laurel Aitken, there was little commercial thrust of any magnitude. It was in 1960 that Jamaican popular music became sufficiently energised to emerge as a promising cultural medium.

The following is a condensed extract from the presentation delivered by Dr Alison Cross at the seventh Annual Buxton Thompson Lecture.

On February 4, the latest instalment of Jamaica's relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was made official. A year and a half after the crash of Lehman Brothers, signalling the world financial and economic crisis, the support under the IMF programme was a welcomed move, and the attendant other multi-lateral support should be useful as Jamaica pursues economic and social prosperity, at least in the short term.

The Spokespersons' Council (Shadow Cabinet) of the Opposition People's National Party held an important retreat on March 6 and 7, last weekend. This was part of its preparation to resume its role as government, whenever the electorate asks it to.

Dennis Chung has abandoned the usually narrow economistic concerns of financial analysts and is focusing almost exclusively these days on Jamaica's urgent need to fix our social problems, particularly crime and the lack of respect for public order. That's priority number one for Jamaica, not balancing the books.

Mr Prime Minister, tear down those walls and set yourself and the other captives free! You have promised to dismantle the garrisons and there is no better time than now. From The Gleaner of June 1, 2005: "Opposition leader Bruce Golding on Tuesday, May 17, appealed for the implementation of crime recommendations to dismantle garrisons and reshape politics in these communities.