Health

At the end of September, in Thank God It’s Friday, a column which has now been running for more than 35 years, BC Pires said: “Chances are Thin.” Without a wallow or a moan, but replete with dread details of his beastly struggle with cancer of the oesophagus, he revealed …

What do the deaths of the siblings Faith Peterkin, 10; Arianna Peterkin, 14; Shane Peterkin, 17; and Tiffany Peterkin, 19, have to do with our national budget? Does the death of Shazade Simon, the three-year-old who suffered burns in a cooking-related accident, have any relevance to our budget discussions? What about …

Cruel has to be the word to describe the response of Education Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly to the question of how her ministry was dealing with high temperatures in classrooms. How else could one interpret her offensive comments that teachers and principals are used to it and know how to manage …

When I started what I thought could be a series on cricket and our Caribbean societies seven columns ago, I imagined separating it into two elements: internal and external. My intention was to try to grasp the factors that affect the way our young people process thoughts and information. I …

“[…] Our teacher pinned our small flags on our blouses and we had to hold hands with each other. We then walked clockwise around the school. “Every child had to recite one line of the national anthem. We then had to jump up in the air and, when landing on our feet, shout loudly: …

“[…] The presence of firearms in a household where there is a history of domestic violence increases the risk of lethal outcomes. “[…] The use of firearms by abusers in cases of domestic violence can extend beyond fatal outcomes. Firearms can be employed as tools to exert control, intimidate, and …

Last week, there was high level recognition of the relevance of the steelband movement to sustainable development goals, even though our governments have not published implementable policies for the mutual and sustainable benefit of communities and steelpan music participants—such as players, arrangers, tuners and tutors. By a resolution passed on …

“If the kingdoms of this world are to be transformed into the kingdom of our Christ, qualified Christians need to be deeply involved in political, legal, and economic processes. “Resistance to the calling to address these social issues intelligently and with spiritual force arises within some local churches and Christian …

“[…] So why should Darryl Smith not be applauded on Fathers’ Day? […] Does his ministerial indiscretion of some years ago automatically exclude him from being a good father? “[…] Ms Dennise Demming’s moral outrage against the Guardian for their temerity, and her seeming inability to say to Mr Smith …

Trauma is a loaded word—carrying burdens that are often invisible until something triggers an eruption. The first part is the event that invokes it, some truly cataclysmic occurrence that horrifies and terrifies to such an extent that even if it seems to have dissipated with time, it is a continuous …

“[…] In less than five years, former Minister of Sport Darryl Smith moved from being fired for interfering in the public service while still being actively investigated for sexual harassment to being proclaimed among the recognized fathers of our land. “[…] What is the message being sent to men in …

“[…] This apathy is societal, in which the positive impacts of involved fathers are ignored. And we do not seem to care to make any necessary changes to this for the benefit of our society. “Jamaica recently introduced a clear paternity leave policy. In T&T… nothing—3 or 4 days in …