The Intersection of Gender, Culture and Education: Jamaica: The Next 50 Years!

“The flush toilet, more than any single invention, has 'civilized' us in a way that religion and law could never accomplish.”- Thomas Lynch. We all have to go; regardless of whether or not we have the latest lavatory. We live in a world where inventions and technology appear to be ahead of most of us. Smart phones and smart television are now the normal; now technology has brought on the world stage smart toilets. Who would have thought that toilets could be prefixed by the term smart? Smart toilets have been around for quite some time. Many of us have seen and have used them in public places and in some homes. The global smart toilet market size is expected to reach USD 12.7 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. These smart toilets are outfitted with sensors that activate the flushing mechanism. The sensors are able to detect the distance of your body and flushes automatically. Smart toilets are intelligent toilet sanitary wares that automatic...

“More than ever, we need this universal humanist medium, vector of freedom. Without radio, the right to information and freedom of expression and, with them, fundamental freedoms would be weakened, as would cultural diversity, since community radio stations are the voices of the voiceless."- Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO. What is your favourite radio programme? The Colgate Cavity Fighters Club aired on RJR many years ago is among my favourite. The United Nations General Assembly in 2012 designated February 13 as World Radio Day (WRD). Radio is important; in fact some will argue that radio is the most important medium of mass communication in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Jamaica currently has 28 radio stations; some of which are community-based. Radio also serves as a primary means of socialization. There are numerous reasons for the popularity of radio as a mean of disseminating information. The mobility of radio ranks at the top of the reasons for th...

“Female genital mutilation targets little girls, baby girls, fragile angels who are helpless, who cannot fight back. It’s a crime against a child, a crime against humanity. It’s abuse. It’s absolutely criminal and we have to stop it.”- Waris Dirie. In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly designated February 6 as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. The concept of female genital mutilation appears rather alien for most of us who live in the Western world; however, for millions of females this torture is their reality. The United Nations Population Fund states that there are approximately 30 countries which currently adhere to this form of human rights abuse. These include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Togo, Zambia, Senegal, Tanzania an...

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) wetlands are ecosystems saturated with water, either seasonally or permanently. They store water and ensure its quality, providing resilience against drought. Wetlands play a central role in sustainable development by supplying all our fresh water. According to the RAMSAR Convention, wetlands include: “all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peat lands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans. The Convention on Wetlands was signed in Ramsar, Iran, 1971. One of the most common types of wetland in Jamaica is the mangrove wetland, which is found along coasts, coastal rivers, tidal creeks, around ponds, lagoons and on small islands (cays). In Jamaica, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is the agency responsible...