On the way to work. I don’t know how that truck was still moving.

TripAdvisor has named Jamaica as one of its top 25 destinations for 2017. Check out their blurb:

Is there anything better than stretching out like a cat in a warm patch of Jamaican sun? Only if you sprinkle your island vacation with a dash of adventure. Known fondly as “the land of wood and water,” Jamaica’s forests feature prime hiking and bird watching. History buffs can the heritage sites of Trelawny, while reggae and dancehall fans will love the authentic music clubs of Kingston. Montego Bay is perfect for snorkeling and shopping, while the spas of Ocho Rios can make any stresses melt away.

Happy Friday. Some blooms in Hope Gardens

This Pepsi commercial was pulled yesterday as a result of its lack of awareness and trivialization of the Black Lives Matter Movement. I wonder how Skip Marley, whose song is feature in the piece, feels?

On the weekend we visited Hope Gardens Zoo. It was a humid, rainy day, so we had the place mostly to ourselves. We visited the zebras, lions, monkeys, iguanas and so many birds, with which my daughter got into a yelling match. There were also indigenous animals like mongoose and donkeys, which you can see anywhere in Jamaica. The conditions of the zoo could be better and the animals seem to be crammed into relatively small spaces, but they seem well cared for.

Yesterday was a field trip to the HalfWay Tree Magistrate Court, a local civil and criminal court in Kingston. My students were required to attend a court session, report on it and write a story, not for publication.

We arrived at 9:00am to enter court at 9:30am, as had been previously arranged. Our entrance was smooth, however, several court sessions were delayed. The students, all dressed in business attire, were divided into groups of five (the boys had to tuck their shirts in and take off their hats. I did not have to tuck my shirt in.) A police officer gave us a short description of each courtroom (petty matters, sexual offenses, criminal court, etc) and told us which courtrooms we could not attend due to privacy issues.

After a short wait, the students were directed to each room. I attended one courtroom with several students. Unfortunately. I say unfortunately as it had to do with a heart wrenching sexual attack on a female. The male offender was in the courtroom, as was his defense lawyer. The judge heard the case and made a decision to move the case along. The judge was also very gracious, acknowledging our presence, and explaining some details of the proceedings.

My students seem to have learned a lot and to have enjoyed it. Thank you to the staff for accommodating us.

My article on lottery scamming in Jamaica appeared in the Guardian yesterday. Although the story has received a lot of coverage over the years, including on CNN and CBS, it has been a few years since anyone did a comprehensive piece. It has also been a few years since the new legislation was passed that updated a century old act that did not reflect technological improvements.

My piece is only about 800 words- it could have been more than double that, but I was advised by the editor to keep it as close to 800 as possible, as it would be more likely to be published. Alas, there was a lot of information I had to leave out. I did more than a dozen long interviews, spent hours researching and met with anonymous sources. These investigative kinds of stories take a lot of work, and even more work to condense complex issues. You must also leave on the cutting room floor fascinating quotes and stories.

This is where a good editor comes in, as you get very attached to these kinds of stories that you spend a long time on. An editor can spot repetition and what is unnecessary to the story. The editor I’m working with is perhaps the best I’ve worked with in my career of 20-plus years.

I’ve also come to think that not only do I get too attached to the stories and subjects, but perhaps academia has altered me as a journalist. Since writing a 70 page thesis and doing over a year of research on a topic, I can’t seem to do anything half-way anymore in terms of research and writing. Unfortunately, this is not so conducive to the news business, which eschews nuance and complexity, unless you have an editor who gives you free reign. This is rare, however, when news web sites are fighting with millions of competitors and readers with short attention spans and advertisers with small wallets.

I think the story turned out well, but deserves longer and more complex treatment. Perhaps it will appear in a different form elsewhere.

Champs, an annual track and field competition for high school students that often highlights upcoming stars, has started for this year and the city is abuzz with excitement. Green and purple are everyone, for the two leading schools, Kingston College and Calabar.

In honor of this event, my daughter’s school had Sports Day. It was hilarious and beautifully chaotic. My daughter lost both of her events (running and buggy racing) as she was a little bit overwhelmed, but as her father said, next year no one will be to catch her.

Good luck to all the athletes at Champs.

Oh dear, a repentant husband paid some good money for an apology for the whole world to see in Jamaica’s Sunday Gleaner. Good luck to him.

LGBTQ network Logo has a video about what it is like to live in Jamaica. The video, called “This is Who I am: Stories of LGBTQ Survival from Jamaica.” Check out the story on Huffington Post here.