Social Impact with Emma » Bahamas : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Living Online with Humans and Birds: NAOC 2020

August 12th, 2020

In this COVID-19 life (yes, we’re “living with COVID,” aren’t we?) I, for one, am mostly living online. Whether it’s writing blog posts, posting on social media, or attending Zoom meetings, I spend a lot of time in front of a screen. It is actually quite tiring, sometimes. But I am staying home. This is […]

Celebration Time at IDB Caribbean

December 7th, 2019

Jamaicans know how to put on a great show – and how to do it right. When I arrived at the headquarters of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) (actually in my neighbourhood), I imagined that the 50th anniversary of the bank’s presence in Jamaica would be – well, a bit stiff. How wrong I was. […]

More Jamaicans Should Learn to Swim

September 4th, 2019

“Swim! Swim! Swim!” urged a man in the Bahamas during Hurricane Dorian’s onset. He was shouting to a group of people, shoulder-deep in flowing seawater. One of them, at least, clearly could not swim, but somehow they managed to help each other to safety, without panicking. In such situations, perhaps even a capable swimmer would […]

Jamaica AIDS Support for Life: Celebrating Its 25th Birthday in Style, and Despite Challenges

November 29th, 2016

Thursday, December 1 is World AIDS Day. This piece is my personal, small (and probably very inadequate) tribute to all the men and women who have worked so hard to establish, build and maintain a non-governmental organization that has had more than its fair share of trials and challenges: Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL). […]

The Uncertain Life and Times of the Jamaican Weather Forecaster

October 5th, 2016

In the wake of Hurricane Matthew – who is still churning around Cuba and giving the Bahamas and Florida the jitters – one thing struck me. Our friends at the Meteorological Office of Jamaica received unjustifiably harsh criticism from the Jamaican public. It is almost as if some Jamaicans felt cheated that they had gone […]

Action, Not Words: Pericles Maillis Likes to Get Things Done

July 31st, 2015

Pericles Maillis is an extraordinary man, and as his first name suggests, a great fighter and champion (the ancient Greek Pericles is normally portrayed with his helmet firmly on his head). I had the honor of meeting him, if only briefly, at the BirdsCaribbean 20th International Meeting in Kingston, which ended yesterday (July 29th). The […]

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