We drove the newest leg of the North/South highway yesterday. With the expansion, it took us 2.5 hours from Montego Bay, a trip that used to take five hours sometimes (with stops). It was glorious and opens up so many possibilities in terms of travel, business, employment. It appears a rest stop is also under construction. However, we had it to ourselves much of the time. Perhaps the tolls are prohibitive? It cost $1,850 for just one leg.

We enjoyed a beautiful day at the Topeekeegee Yugnee Park for Mother’s Day. It was bustling with families walking, running, biking, barbecuing and even an event for new or unregistered voters. It was a lovely day for my first Mother’s Day.

Contemplating

There is always a need for skepticism with these lists as the methodology and motive can be suspect. However, this list is based on per capita murder rates, and Kingston fares surprisingly well. I would be interested to see how the per capita rate changes when factoring in St. James and St. Catherine, where the murder rates are considerably higher.

In any case, Kingston takes the 33rd spot in the World Atlas list, out of fifty cities. Where are the Middle Eastern cities? It seems to include only the Americas, with the exception of South Africa. Venezuela, Honduras and El Salvador take the top three spots, respectively. St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit and New Orleans represent the U.S.

This list is timely, considering my post yesterday about CNN anchor Ashley Banfield’s comment that Jamaica is “extraordinarily violent.”

Many commentators stated that the violence is restricted to those associated with crime. But then, illustrating what a paradoxical nation Jamaica is, along comes a story about a young woman taken from a party, raped and murdered in a rural parish.

Yesterday CNN journalist Ashleigh Banfield caused some controversy when she said on her evening program that Jamaica is an “extraordinarily violent” place. She stated:

“It’s astounding to think that a lot of people think that Jamaica is a paradise but it is an extraordinarily violent country with a remarkable murder rate,” said Banfield on her programme ‘Legal View’.

The Internet reacted, of course. I like this tweet from media personality Fae Ellington:

It is yet another instance of the nation being stereotyped by outdated and inaccurate beliefs, and another instance of the responsibility the media has, especially when you have an audience of millions.

Jamaican journalists are able to practice in one of the most free environments in the world. In fact, the World Press Freedom Index released today situate Jamaica at the 10th spot. Finland, the Netherlands and Norway take the top three spots. Jamaica’s strong ranking is in part attributed to a 2013 law that decriminalizes defamation. Eritrea, Turkmenistan and North Korea take the bottom three spots, respectively. In 2013, Jamaica also scored a ‘Free’ press from Freedom House.

Check out this Slate article on the state of how Jamaica is evolving in terms of how it treats  LGBTQ citizens. It makes a lot of great points, including how the foreign media come for short visits and focus on the worst instances of homophobia, which perpetuates a narrative of victimhood. But lest we not forget the youth who are living on the streets, who are regularly attacked and who feel their only way to survive is to leave the country. In the past few months alone, I know of at least three youth who have migrated to Europe.

So clean, so efficient. In foreign.

When you have to pack and someone wants to run around, suitcase = playpen.