Is it an exaggeration to call this an “epidemic”? I think not. If we look at the hallmarks of depression—anhedonia (loss of interest), fatigue, and a sense of hopelessness—and map them onto our national productivity figures, the correlation is staggering. We are a nation in a state of prolonged, untreated grief and systemic burnout. By pretending we are a “chilled” people, we ignore the high-cortisol reality of Jamaican life. We have one of the highest murder rates per capi

Our seismic exposure, hurricane vulnerability, grid scale and fiscal realities make FOAK SMRs an imprudent gamble. If we are serious about competitiveness, we must look beyond brute-force energy expansion and towards precision. The real opportunity lies in aligning Jamaica’s renewable trajectory with the emerging quantum frontier. Quantum is not brute force; it is precision force. This distinction matters for Jamaica. Our renewable trajectory — solar, wind, storage and

A leader who voluntarily discloses, who invites independent audit, who answers hard questions without defensiveness, strengthens legitimacy. Transparency builds resilience. When scrutiny is welcomed rather than resisted, trust deepens. Conversely, when scrutiny is framed as hostility, when legitimate questions are dismissed as partisan attacks, polarisation intensifies. The public discourse coarsens.

Yours has been a faithful, disciplined, and luminous ascent. Jamaica and the wider Caribbean await your integrity, vision, accountability, and fearless national service.

Hurricane Melissa again revealed the cost of centralised fragility. But, distributed rooftop solar offers households resilience where transmission lines repeatedly fail. When households generate energy, they gain protection from outages, fuel price shocks, and rising living costs.

Black River is one of our oldest towns of elegance, enterprise, science, and firsts: electrification, motor vehicles, cinema, trade, and progressive civic life. It carries a legacy of outward-looking innovation that must not be allowed to fade. Its river, coastline, mangroves, and wetlands form a priceless natural defence system and ecological treasure—one which Melissa has reminded us is fragile. To rebuild Black River in the same way it was before would be a national mis

For decades, our health system benefited from physicians trained in Burma, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Ghana, Hungary, India, Latin America, Nigeria, Russia, the UK, and the United States. Their children sat in our classrooms and their parents were among the most trusted doctors of our families. No one questioned their competence. Why then the sudden disdain for Jamaican youngsters graduating with Chinese diplomas? Is it because they did not enter medical school with enough

A hypothetical government programme to install a minimum capacity of 150 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload speeds in every Jamaican household would not be a mere infrastructure upgrade; it would be the foundational act of a profound national transformation, catalysing economic growth, social equity, and democratic renewal. High-speed, reliable internet is the central nervous system of modern commerce. For Jamaica, this would unlock several tiers of economic potential...

We are faced with a dilemma: The Integrity Commission had gone on record saying that there are at least eight current parliamentarians whose statutory declarations have not been certified. How, then, can the electorate go to the polls to vote intelligently and with a clear conscience on current members on both political sides without knowing their honesty and financial status? It’s like “ buying puss in bag!” Such a dilemma could be one of the reasons for apathy among most of

Wayne joined the T&T Police Service, graduating at the very top of his class, and serving faithfully in some of the most dangerous zones of North Trinidad. Roughly 30 years ago, he heeded God’s call to full-time ministry and took up the pastorate of a Nazarene congregation in Laventille, one of the most crime-plagued, drug-ravaged, gang-controlled, and economically underprivileged districts in the country. There was no fanfare or applause.Yet for 30 years, Wayne gave his

Last Sunday's  compelling Gleaner editorial reflecting on MAGA's coercing impact on American academic freedom prompted me to revisit and refine my original proposal. With A-QuEST having mentored/coached 11 Rhodes Scholars and over 1,300 PhDs and other doctorates (overwhelmingly drawn from my A-QuEST International Students educated in the USA) over the past 45 years, and, significantly, with Jamaica and CARICOM facing Haiti's urgent capacity-rebuilding needs, now humbly offer

Accountability must be swift. As with a surgeon lancing a wound, credible allegations- whether nepotism, enrichment, or abuse-must trigger immediate action. Delay breeds suspicion, silence breeds cynicism. Reports from the Auditor General and Integrity Commission must not be ignored. Consequences must follow, or investigative institutions become ceremonial, and public faith withers.

Published: Sunday | January 19, 2025 | 12:11 AM Contributed to Jamaica Gleaner Author: Trevor Blair In a move that has left many energy...

/the former, when students ascended tothe heights of innovation and excellence; the latter when their potential is siphoned..[BPO machinery]