Andrew Holness has hit the ground running as our new Prime Minister after orchestrating one of the best organized and effective campaigns that the country has seen. One of his first orders of business was to...
The People’s National Party (PNP) has a rich and distinguished history. Founded in 1938 by the brilliant Norman Washington Manley, it is the oldest political party in the English-speaking Caribbean, providing Jamaica with the first prime...
The People’s National Party (PNP) was confident of victory in the last general election. Polls repeatedly showed that they enjoyed a slim lead over the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) among likely voters. Their...
Published:Thursday | February 25, 2016 | 12:00 AMMichael Abrahams
The clock has called time on election day, and I must say that I am grateful, not for the next term of governance by the victorious party, but for the end of the lunacy, at least for now. This has got to have been one of the most interesting,...
Menstruation is a fascinating phenomenon, capable of inducing a vast spectrum of emotions, and physical sensations in those experiencing it. The arrival of a period can be a welcome event to be celebrated, for a woman who had unplanned or...
The reluctance of the People’s National Party (PNP) to participate in the national debates is disappointing. Both parties signed a memorandum of understanding with the Jamaica Debates Commission (JDC) late last year, agreeing to participate....
When we think about dangerous animals that kill people, many creatures initially come to mind, especially large intimidating carnivorous predators such as sharks, lions and tigers. We also think of scary-looking critters that poison us, like...
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Zika virus "is now spreading explosively" in the Americas, and it has been estimated that between three and four million people will be infected in the region over a 12-month period....
President of the Jamaica Association for Guidance Counsellors in Education (JAGCE), Nina Dixon, recently revealed that some of the approximately 800 guidance counsellors who work in schools are refusing to counsel students who identify as gay or...
Chris Gayle’s controversial remarks to female Australian sports reporter Mel McLaughlin, on live television, have elicited a global response of tsunami-scale proportions, sparking a raging debate concerning sexism, professionalism, double...
The week before Christmas, I stopped by a popular pharmacy in upper St Andrew. My friend, media personality Terri-Karelle Reid, was with me at the time, and I saw her diligently searching for something on the shelf displaying dolls. I asked her...
Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially in the season. No, not Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, but the political silly season, and boy is the silliness in full swing. We really need to change our constitution, as our prime minister is apparently...
To say that the populace of this country had lost confidence in the Ministry of Health would be a gross understatement. The inadequate handling of the chikungunya epidemic last year and the delayed response to the fire at the Riverton City dump...
I joined Facebook six years ago, and it has been a very rewarding experience. I have found several long lost friends and made many new ones. Facebook has also opened up a whole new world to me, affording me the opportunity to interact with a...
ISIS scares the living daylights out of me. They really do. And I must confess that I feel a bit conflicted. I do not think that is fair to stereotype people and generalise when it comes to gender, ethnicity and religion. But whenever I walk past...
Jamaica was granted full adult suffrage on November 20, 1944. Before that, voting was restricted to men, and only those possessing certain amounts of property or wealth. Today, Jamaican men and women who have attained the age of 18 years,...
Following immense and unrelenting pressure from the Opposition, the media, the private sector, civil-society groups and the general public, embattled Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson was relieved of his post, and reassigned to lead the...
The recent remark by our minister of health, Dr Fenton Ferguson, that the babies dying during the recent bacterial outbreaks at the Cornwall Regional and University hospitals were "not babies in the real sense" incensed many. It...
The recent selection and subsequent deselection of a head girl at St Hilda’s High School, after the discovery of a possible Jehovah’s Witness affiliation, has created a firestorm. Accusations of religious discrimination are being hurled at the...
Jamaica CAUSE (Churches Action Uniting Society for Emancipation), a so-called Christian group, hosted a rally in Half-Way Tree on September 27 to express their disapproval of same-sex marriage. The theme of the rally was ‘Defending Family...
Published:Sunday | September 27, 2015 | 12:00 AMMichael Abrahams
I have a multitude of issues with the Roman Catholic Church. Their laxity in dealing with clergy who abuse children disturbs me. Their ban on contraceptives, a policy that places women at risk, concerns me. Their...
My last two articles, ‘The God of the Bible is not merciful’ (September 7) and ‘Bible tales from the crypt’ (September 14), have generated so many responses, including eight letters to the editor expressing disagreement...
Published:Sunday | September 13, 2015 | 12:00 AMMichael Abrahams
Last week, my article titled ‘The God of the Bible is not merciful’ riled up Christians islandwide and across the diaspora. Members of the flock penned letters to the editor accusing me of exhibiting “low-level thinking”, quoting “void of context”,...
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of the word ‘merciful’ is: treating people with kindness and forgiveness, not cruel or harsh, having or showing mercy, giving relief from suffering. Christians are in the habit...
Friday, August 28, 2015, was shaping up to be an exciting day for Jamaican sports fans. We fielded athletes in the finals of three events at the World Athletics Championships: the women’s 200 metres, and the women’s and men’s sprint hurdles. The...
