“Give us vision lest we perish…” Where is Jamaica’s vision in 2024?

September 28, 2024

Jamaica’s National Anthem is a beautiful, heartfelt poem and a prayer, officially adopted in 1962, the year of the island’s independence. It is also a supplication, a wish, a yearning for a just, respectful, orderly, compassionate society. What have we now? The Prime Minister also said that Jamaica has achieved some sixty percent of the … More “Give us vision lest we perish…” Where is Jamaica’s vision in 2024?

Behind the scenes at the Go-Kart track on Coastal Cleanup Day

September 26, 2024

We were at the Palisadoes Go-Kart Track, a stone’s throw from Kingston’s airport and looking across the harbour at the green hills and the high rise buildings downtown. The coast was fringed with a thick layer of garbage. International Coastal Cleanup Day was dawning. The humidity rising from the surrounding mangroves was like a malevolent … More Behind the scenes at the Go-Kart track on Coastal Cleanup Day

Setting the record straight on Winnifred Beach

September 24, 2024

Why create divisions, when there are none? There is no doubt that the issue of beaches – the use and maintenance thereof, access to the public, and so on – is a continuous dialogue in Jamaica that can become divisive and contentious at times. However, Jamaicans treasure and value their beaches; although some individuals might … More Setting the record straight on Winnifred Beach

One Health: Jamaica seeking to fight infectious diseases on all fronts

September 18, 2024

Infectious diseases have always been a fact of life for us humans. Measles, mumps, chickenpox and whooping cough dominated our youth in post-war England; there were vaccinations galore. However, I cannot help feeling that it has all become very complex in the last couple of decades or so. There always seems to be an “emerging” … More One Health: Jamaica seeking to fight infectious diseases on all fronts

Join BirdLife Jamaica for a session on the “Beach Bums of the Bird World”!

September 15, 2024

What the heck is a shorebird, anyway? Why do they matter? BirdLife Jamaica is about to enlighten you, with a series of events in this coming week. First up, you are invited to join a free information session online with the organisation’s amiable President Justin Saunders on Monday, September 16 at 6:30 p.m. Jamaica time … More Join BirdLife Jamaica for a session on the “Beach Bums of the Bird World”!

Access to Information and Artificial Intelligence: Where is Jamaica heading?

September 14, 2024

Artificial Intelligence. Access to Information. Misinformation. Disinformation. While I was giving a presentation on the use of English online, just yesterday evening, these complex topics were at the back of our minds; it’s probably fair to say that all of them have emerged during the “Age of Information” – the Internet and the rise of … More Access to Information and Artificial Intelligence: Where is Jamaica heading?

Jamaica is a Small Island Developing State: Is it on a path to resilience and climate justice?

September 11, 2024

Back in May of this year an important meeting for the region took place in Antigua and Barbuda: the United Nations 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The theme was “Charting the Course Towards Resilient Prosperity.” Jamaica is a “SID.” There is no doubt that is one of the hundreds of SIDS … More Jamaica is a Small Island Developing State: Is it on a path to resilience and climate justice?

It’s Shorebirds September with BirdLife Jamaica. Time to go to the beach!

September 9, 2024

Weather permitting, it’s a good time to go to the beach (the weather has been fine and breezy, with rain showers gone and Hurricane Beryl becoming a rather more distant memory). If you are heading to the coast, and if you do possess them, take a pair of binoculars! What is that little bird running … More It’s Shorebirds September with BirdLife Jamaica. Time to go to the beach!

Jamaica ranked third globally in plastic bottle collection, says The Ocean Conservancy’s 2023 Report

September 8, 2024

Have you signed up for a coastal cleanup somewhere around the island? As we look forward to International Coastal Cleanup Day (September 21) I am hoping that I can get up an unearthly hour to join the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) annual flagship cleanup at the Palisadoes Go-Kart Track. JET has reached capacity in terms … More Jamaica ranked third globally in plastic bottle collection, says The Ocean Conservancy’s 2023 Report