Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Patrick Robinson
Law will remain an area of underachievement in Jamaica once it's in the imperial embrace of the British Privy Council, says International Criminal Tribunal president Patrick Robinson.
Like most of the British Commonwealth, the Privy Council has been the final court of appeal in Jamaica and most Caribbean countries since 1833. The Caribbean has its own final appellate court - the Caribbean Court of Justice - which only adjudicates cases from Guyana and Barbados.
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Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Prof. Rex Nettleford
By RON FANFAIR
He was expected to be front and centre at last Saturday night's University of the West Indies (UWI) inaugural gala to celebrate distinguished Canadians, charitable and corporate entities and raise funds for the university's regional endowment fund's scholarships and bursaries.
But vice-chancellor emeritus Rex Nettleford, who had been the face of the university for decades, passed away a month ago while on a visit to Washington to garner much needed financial support for the Caribbean institution of higher learning he had been associated with for 58 years.
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Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Dr. Nigel Harris
There can be little debate that the institution that has contributed the most to the intellectual, cultural, social and economic development of the English-speaking Caribbean in the latter half of the 20th Century is the University of the West Indies (UWI), says vice-chancellor Dr. Nigel Harris.
The university was established in 1948 as the University College of the West Indies (UCWI) in a special relationship with the University of London.
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Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Dr. Chris Spence
"I believe that you are resources to be developed and not problems to be fixed."
That was the message Toronto District School Board (TDSB) director Dr. Chris Spence delivered to nearly 310 African-Canadian youth from 31 high schools at a one-day student conference last week.
The aim of the event was to get a better sense from the students what the board could do to enhance their learning opportunities and enable them to attain successful outcomes both academically and in life.
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Dr. Dambisa Moyo
By RON FANFAIR
Foreign aid that's supposed to be a policy designed to help Africa is in fact actually hurting the continent, says Zambian-born economist Dr. Dambisa Moyo who Time magazine last year named one of the world's 100 most influential people.
Speaking last week at a Black History Month reception at the Law Society of Upper Canada, she said the aid system has perpetuated a cycle of poverty and dependency, fostered corruption and hindered economic growth.
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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Professor Rex Nettleford
Eminent Caribbean scholar and cultural historian Rex Nettleford is dead.
The distinguished Jamaican professor and University of the West Indies (UWI) vice-chancellor emeritus passed away last Tuesday night in a Washington hospital six days after suffering a massive heart attack while in the American capital for a UWI fund-raising gala. He was taken off life support after failing to come out of a coma.
Renowned for his intellectual brilliance, oratorical skills and artistic creativity, Nettleford would have celebrated his 77th birthday yesterday.
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Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Glen Murray
By RON FANFAIR
Glen Murray is no stranger to elections which he says he relishes.
The social advocate served as Winnipeg's 41st mayor and he unsuccessfully ran as a Liberal Party candidate in the 2004 federal elections in Canada's seventh largest municipality.
Murray is now attempting to make his mark in Ontario politics as his party's candidate in the February 4 by-election in Toronto Centre, which includes Regent Park and St. Jamestown communities.
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Dr. Eric Pierre
By RON FANFAIR
In the best of times, Lakay Caribbean restaurant in Scarborough is a meeting place for Haitian nationals and their friends in the Greater Toronto Area to socialize and share stories about their youthful days growing up in the world's oldest Black republic.
Ever since the devastating earthquake struck Haiti nine days ago, the restaurant has turned into a makeshift drop-off centre for cash donations that are being sent to the Canadian Red Cross and a gathering place for Haitians to pray and network in an attempt to find out if missing relatives are dead or alive.
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Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Reaching out for help
By RON FANFAIR
The Haitian community in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is rallying to provide support to the Caribbean country rocked by a massive earthquake last Tuesday afternoon that caused mayhem and widespread destruction.
Honorary Consul General Dr. Eric Pierre and several prominent leaders, including community worker Antoine Derose, were engaged in an emergency meeting last night to devise a strategic action plan in the aftermath of the catastrophic tragedy that may have left thousands dead.
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Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Billy Newton-Davis
Having HIV/AIDS is a closely guarded secret for many who are unsure how family and friends would cope when told a loved one is afflicted with the disease.
Award-winning Canadian singer Billy Newton-Davis was no different. For four years, he did not tell anyone he contracted the HIV virus for fear that it might also ruin his musical career.
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