On Independence Day, Vogue has decided, of all things, to celebrate Jamaica’s models.

Check it out here.

Yet another article on scamming, check it out here, in Vice.

This person held the flag aloft out of the window for a long way up Hope Road.

Usain Bolt is about to run his last race in London. The Guardian has a piece on his last press conference here.

Kingston at night from the City View Hotel.

A meeting between Zahra Burton and Jamaica Gleaner columnist to discuss 18 Degrees North and her work as an investigative journalist.

Enjoy!

Building on the topic from yesterday of the American Dream, it seems it is tarnished, or at least the person responsible for selling it is. At least in the eyes of Rolling Stone magazine. They are calling for Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, to take over. Check out the story here.

I spent a lot of my graduate career studying the United States and the concept of the American dream and exceptionalism. So it struck me when I moved here to Jamaica that security and survival superseded everything. Even amongst the upper echelons. This leaves no room to dream, no room to plan, if you are trying to get by day-to-day. To put food on the table and fill bellies.

This premise is confirmed in a survey released yesterday and written about in the Jamaica Gleaner. It is sad and eye-opening. I hold true to my theory- that crime and violence here impact EVERYTHING, and the country cannot move forward until individual citizens feel a sense of basic security. This in turn will knit together more of a sense of community, which is lacking in a lot of ways.

Jay-Z’s newest video from his just-released album 4:44 features Damian Marley and a whole lot of Kingston. It’s almost more of a documentary than music video. Enjoy!