All entries by this author

Pat Robertson, God and the Devil

Jan 16th, 2010 | By Kadene Porter | Category: Headlines, Opinion

Televangelist Pat Robertson’s demented claim that Haiti’s disastrous earthquake was the result of a pact the Haitian slaves signed with the devil to win their freedom has probably gained more converts to atheism and agnosticism than have the efforts of Dawkins, Hitchens and the rest of the ”new atheists” vanguard together. In the midst of [...]



Whence Cometh These Prophets

Jan 6th, 2010 | By Kadene Porter | Category: Religion

It is regrettable that the Gleaner has again found it fit to publish the so-called “prophetic utterances” of Steve Lyston and his unstoppable band of seers who insist they speak on behalf of the Almighty.
It made the ”News” again this year, but is it really news, and is it really necessary? When you read through [...]



Double Standards: One for the Poor, One for the Rich

May 30th, 2009 | By Kadene Porter | Category: Opinion

“What a day that will be in Jamaican politics when politicians associated with a scandal will rise and say “I relinquish the office!””
“Jamaica’s electorate needs to progress to a point of strong reciprocity, where a politician with the slightest whiff of scandal will have 30 seconds to say, “I relinquish.”
“British voters have been screaming for [...]



The Germ of an Uprising

Feb 26th, 2009 | By Kadene Porter | Category: Opinion

A friend urged me to be thankful for Bruce Golding and stop beating up on his pandering to popular opinion and his plodding, indecisive approach to solving the nation’s critical problems. She said if it wasn’t for Bruce and his “honourable” team, Jamaica would still be under the three-inch-heel pumps of the Most [...]



Golding – All that Glittered

Feb 12th, 2009 | By Kadene Porter | Category: Opinion

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding needs to do some dusting of his cabinet. But only after he’s dusted himself off. The abundance of divisive nonsense-statements that he and his band of ministers seem to come up with is drawing more than ribaldry from a nervous and watchful public.
Following his diagnosis of “termites” in the brain [...]



What Now Church?

Feb 5th, 2009 | By Kadene Porter | Category: Religion

Now that the Unites States and indeed the nations of the world are engaged in a fierce battle for economic survival, it will be interesting to watch the antics of the evangelical church, since its message has been so pegged to the dollar over the last few years.
The prosperity gospel, aka the miracle-for-money theology, or [...]



E-mail Con Artistry

Feb 5th, 2009 | By Kadene Porter | Category: General

You should feel lucky if your email inbox has escaped the curse of the con artists. It seems like quite a few have made it their new year’s resolution to fleece as many of the unwitting as possible.
My email inbox has been inundated with notifications of winning sweepstakes in competitions I never even entered. It [...]



English Faces 21st Century Challenges

Jan 28th, 2009 | By Kadene Porter | Category: Arts & Leisure

The pre-eminent French language society L’Académie Française is stepping up its activity. Its barely concealed contempt for English language intrusion into the beloved français is legendary, but there are some signs that the protective veneer is wearing thin. Through the medium of the internet and the arena of business, English continues to relentlessly chip away [...]



Water Woes and the Twilight Zone

Jan 12th, 2009 | By Kadene Porter | Category: Opinion

The residents of the peaceful village of Sherwood Content in the parish of Trelawny on Jamaica’s north coast are far from content. Their long-standing disquiet and frustration over their sporadic water supply was highlighted over the holiday season when their most famous son was forced to bolt four miles away to the Windsor River just [...]



Prophets, Pundits and Profits

Jan 6th, 2009 | By Kadene Porter | Category: Opinion

The Jamaica Gleaner began its publications for 2009 in fine fettle. As has become the tradition over the past few years, the newspaper starts out the new year on a good foot by publishing an exhaustive list of “prophetic” utterances pronounced as the “Word of the Lord”. To keep its readers in suspense (and I [...]