Tag: downtown

Toots Hibbert in the Hall of Fame (and Maybe a Jamaican One?)

October 9, 2020

One of my blog followers and friends whom I love to hear from is Roger Steffens, the reggae archivist, author, trained Shakespearean actor and more, who has rooms full of reggae memorabilia. Roger has contributed to countless music anthologies as a writer and photographer – including the ten-CD series entitled The Complete Bob Marley & the … More Toots Hibbert in the Hall of Fame (and Maybe a Jamaican One?)

Climate change and COVID-19: We humans are not in control, and we know it

October 7, 2020

“And on the pedestal these words appear: ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains.  Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”  ― Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias How arrogant we humans are, in the edifices we … More Climate change and COVID-19: We humans are not in control, and we know it

Staying Inside

March 28, 2020

Life under COVID-19 is starting to bite. Online, we share memes and videos all day long (and half the night too – I am turning into an insomniac). We are turning to nervous eating. Comfort food continually pops up on my Twitter timeline, whether it’s hominy porridge or just a series of snacks at odd … More Staying Inside

Design Week and Kingston Creative: A Flowering Downtown

September 24, 2019

Kingston is our creative city. It always has been really, but now the enthusiastic team at Kingston Creative and increasingly, private sector supporters, are taking it to another level of possibilities (yes, more than one possibility – there are myriads). There is a bit of a flowering going on in downtown Kingston. As a cynical … More Design Week and Kingston Creative: A Flowering Downtown

The International Seabed Authority, Greenpeace and Deep Sea Mining

July 23, 2019

Five years ago, I attended one of the annual meetings of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). It was their 20th-anniversary session. In case you did not know, this UN body is headquartered in Kingston, and meetings take place once a year at the Jamaica Conference Centre. At the time, I wrote about the crisis facing … More The International Seabed Authority, Greenpeace and Deep Sea Mining

International Reggae Day logo by Michael Thompson.

A Reggae Hall of Fame is a Must for Kingston (Part Two)

July 4, 2019

Some years ago, we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It is all glassy and modern, on the shore of Lake Erie (think: Kingston Harbour). It is packed with memorabilia- odd bits and pieces designed with the rock music fan in mind. There are quirky little things to amuse … More A Reggae Hall of Fame is a Must for Kingston (Part Two)