Category: Spirit

Happy Summer Solstice

June 21, 2020

Tonight is the Summer Solstice. It is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the time when the Earth is tilted most closely to the Sun (23.4 degrees, to be precise). At the same time, it is the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, where everything is the other way round. The … More Happy Summer Solstice

“If a Dirt, a Dirt”: COVID-19 and a Reopening of the Jamaican Economy

May 13, 2020

“If a dirt, a dirt.” There is a fatalistic streak in the Jamaican psyche. The point is sometimes reached where people shrug their shoulders and say, “Suh it guh” (that is how things go). In this COVID-19 era, this tendency has kicked in. “Dirt” refers to death. As this current saying suggests (there are many … More “If a Dirt, a Dirt”: COVID-19 and a Reopening of the Jamaican Economy

UNDP Launches Dashboard on Countries’ Preparedness and Vulnerability to COVID-19

May 2, 2020

My recent post on an Oxford University study seems to have stirred some interest (partly, I suspect, because of some Jamaican readers’ partisan political leanings!) On March 25, 2020, the University’s Blavatnik School of Governance launched its COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, (including a Stringency Index), which it describes as “the first ever tool to track and … More UNDP Launches Dashboard on Countries’ Preparedness and Vulnerability to COVID-19

COVID-19 in Jamaica, Physical Distancing, and a Tale of Two Press Briefings tv

April 10, 2020

Here are a couple of useful websites, before I forget to share them: This one is for people to do a self-assessment for COVID-19, and for employers to check on employees’ status. There is another general one that is updated with local and global states, where you should self-report if you have arrived in Jamaica … More COVID-19 in Jamaica, Physical Distancing, and a Tale of Two Press Briefings tv

Let’s Stop the Stigma and Discrimination Around COVID-19

March 25, 2020

“Fight the virus, not the people.” The Ministry of Health and Wellness is still concerned about stigma and discrimination against those who are suspected of having the virus. When there is a major public health issue, this is the last thing Jamaica needs. It reminds me somewhat of what Jamaicans living with HIV/AIDS faced in … More Let’s Stop the Stigma and Discrimination Around COVID-19

Ministry of Health and Wellness Says No Doctor, Nurse or Frontline Staff Member Has Tested Positive for COVID-19

March 22, 2020

Our neighborhood is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop. Everyone is staying home, and no one is making a sound. There is very little traffic. The birds seem to be singing much more loudly; they are almost muted sometimes by the human noise. Now the volume is up on nature sounds in general. … More Ministry of Health and Wellness Says No Doctor, Nurse or Frontline Staff Member Has Tested Positive for COVID-19