I wrote a letter to the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper about an article in yesterday’s edition by Dr Phillip Phinn, prophet and confidant of Jamaica’s Prime Minister.
Why does the Gleaner (10 January) continue to allow “Prophet” Phinn space in its paper for his absurd and pointless ramblings? First he claims divine Christian inspiration in the number [...]
In the week before Christmas, many of the poorer areas of Kingston get a quick makeover, as hundreds of local residents hack at overgrown pavements and daub the kerbs with whitewash. They are motivated not by a spontaneous burst of civic pride, but rather by the promise of a day’s work, usually paid for by [...]
As part of an ongoing initiative to promote the joys of Yiddish into Jamaican patois, chutzpah is this blog’s second Yiddish word in a week (who can find the first?). Although there is a strong historical Jewish presence on the island, it is derived from the Sephardi branch of the Jewish diaspora, in particular those [...]
The photo of the Prime Minister’s doodling during a no-confidence debate last week caused quite a furore, with radio shows inviting listeners to call in and interpret the symbols. The most outraged were parliamentarians, who passed a motion restricting press access in parliament. The upshot is that journalists will no longer be allowed to sit [...]
Word spread fast that the tanker drivers had gone on strike and soon lines of thirsty robot taxis and Toyota behemoths were snaking around the petrol stations, or at least around those that hadn’t already run out of supplies. I joined the lines and crawled forward, chillin’ in the A/C and with some vintage “Don” [...]
