Last year at this time, the Ministry of Health was warning us to help control the mosquito population. We needed to get rid of standing water and trash and use repellents. This warning was a result of the horrible ChikV outbreak.

This year, after a long drought and now a bout of heavy rain (Thank God), the mosquitos are out in full force. They are huge and fat and descend on you in seconds. I have been a victim the past couple of evenings, my legs are all scratched up. However, this year, according to the Ministry of Health, the mosquitos of 2015 are not a threat.

This letter to the editor in the Gleaner makes some good points. Why is the Ministry telling people not to be concerned about these “vectors”? Instead, they are saying that they can cause “discomfort.” What happened to ChikV? Dengue? ZikV?

The Ministry is also asking people to contact them to indicate which areas need fogging. Do they not have a “vector control” plan? Did they not foresee the drought letting up and the rains coming? It seems to happen every year…

For the first time in history, a Jamaican has won the Man Booker Prize. Congratulations to Marlon James, whose novel A Brief History of Seven Killings, tells a fictional story of the murder of Bob Marley. In an interview, James revealed that a previous novel was rejected 78 times. A lesson in believing in oneself no matter what.

As it should be, James’ win is the top story for both the Jamaica Gleaner and Observer. Congratulations!

I continue to work with Global Reporters for the Caribbean and was delighted to learn last week that their investigative television program 18 Degrees North won an award for its coverage of the Tivoli incursion in May 2010.

The episode looked at the victims of one of Jamaica’s bloodiest incidents, in which at least 70 people were killed when authorities attempted to extradite convicted criminal Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke to the United States on drug charges. Producer and CEO Zahra Burton and her team worked diligently to uncover the real number of civilian deaths, which is still shrouded in uncertainty. They also paid tribute to the lives lost.

The episode was so well-received (and perhaps in an indication of just how little is still known about the incursion) that the current chairman of the ongoing West Kingston Commission of Enquiry, INDECOM and several other notable parties requested copies of the 18 Degrees North episodes. The episodes have also been mentioned several times in the ongoing testimony.

The team was awarded third place, with the honor officially called the Jamaica Broilers Group Fair Play Award for Excellence. Congratulations to Zahra and the team! Here is the link to the story on the topic. It is clear that more of this type of investigative journalism is necessary here in Jamaica and the Caribbean at large.

Our beautiful baby girl arrived this Tuesday morning. She is perfect and we are in love and blessed and grateful.

This is really cute- Usain Bolt on the Ellen Show challenged by an 8-year-old boy.

A new documentary on the epidemic of the sexual abuse of children here in Jamaica, by Sarah Manley. Check it out here.