Social Impact with Emma » Guyana : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

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. […]

Her Majesty Still Has the Final Say, and the Man From Hanover is Not Happy

December 1st, 2018

I have always felt that there was much more to the small parish of Hanover than meets the eye. I went along to the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) recently for an event named Salute to the Parish of Hanover, and I discovered that I was right. We in the audience (I wish the beautiful IOJ Lecture Hall […]

The Oil of Corruption

June 30th, 2018

Oil is nasty stuff. Not coconut oil or olive oil, of course. I am talking about petroleum – crude oil, light sweet oil (sounds tasty, but not), Brent crude, and so on. I just read on a travel page that guests at an Azerbaijani hotel bathe in the stuff, believing it to have therapeutic qualities. […]

Why Can’t We Have a Parliament Building To Be Proud Of?

September 23rd, 2015

I spent this morning at Gordon House. It’s a nondescript building that anyone passing down Duke Street would completely overlook, if they did not know Kingston. The thought crossed my mind: Why are we stuck with this sad little apology of a Parliament building? The downtown area has some perfectly splendid buildings, many of a […]

Making The Case, Over and Over: On The Pathway to a Green Economy

February 24th, 2015

It was Kermit the Frog who sang, in that lugubrious voice of his: “It’s not easy being green…” For the Caribbean, it appears, it has not been easy so far to persuade regional governments and private sectors that greening our economies is the way to go. Speaking at the Caribbean Green Economy Conference 2015 in Kingston […]