Social Impact with Emma » Montego Bay : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Here is Something Life-Saving You Can Do: Give Blood!

May 31st, 2020

We are thinking a lot about health, about life and death, these days in the time of COVID-19. But, as the German writer Goethe said, Blut ist ein ganz besondrer Saft. [Blood is a very special juice]. It is remarkable in many ways. Jamaicans are, in general, very squeamish about giving blood. Many are afraid […]

COVID-19 and Our Most Vulnerable – Part 2

May 22nd, 2020

“A population that is left behind.” In the first part I wrote about our most vulnerable citizens, whose immune systems are compromised during this pandemic. People living with HIV/AIDS have more to deal with than physical illness. It’s about how other people regard them, and treat them. Unfortunately, this is also true of all our […]

COVID-19 and Our Most Vulnerable – Part 1

May 15th, 2020

The ongoing pandemic, and our response to it, continues to raise many questions, and fewer answers than I would like. With the slight “loosening” of social restrictions and the pending opening of our borders, how are those who already face so many everyday challenges faring? And one wonders, how do they face up to the […]

Get Safe Online – and Learn Some Life Skills

March 8th, 2020

The Broadcasting Commission is doing a grand job with public education. I do love their television ads, which are vibrant, well targeted and have a big dose of Jamaican energy and humor. Their “What If?” commercial (here’s the hip-hop version) is very well crafted, targeting youth with their warnings about the use or misuse of […]

From a Cause to a Purpose: The Private Sector and Climate Change

November 24th, 2018

A few days ago, I attended a meeting, organized by the Climate Change Division of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation. Towards the end of every year, this seminar highlights the key issues of concern for Jamaica (as part of its negotiating group of island states, AOSIS) as they go off to the […]

Communicating the Weather and Climate Change: How Can We Bridge the Gap?

August 31st, 2018

It’s not easy, we know. Getting the word out, keeping the public informed about the latest developments in weather is a challenge, to say the least. Therefore, it was good to see the Meteorological Service of Jamaica make the effort to invite Jamaican journalists to a 2018 Weather and Climate Media Workshop recently. The turnout […]

Older Entries