It never fails to bring a smile to my face as I watch my dearly beloved people post sunsets on social media as if it rises and sets in its magnificent beauty only over the island of Jamaica. While it is imperative for us to do all we can to promote our little slice of paradise we should soon get around to accepting that the shape and geographical beauty of our hills, its contours, valleys and the beauty of our people are the only features on a physical level that are still unique and outstanding about the island. While some may not agree, if you think about it, our culture is just as indigenous as any other. Reggae can be enjoyed in any corner of the world, oxtail, salt fish and ackee can be prepared wherever you choose to have it and the Rasta culture with its proclaimed consciousness can be found everywhere on the planet as well. It has been 178 years since the Emancipation of Slavery in Jamaica and 54 years since Jamaica gained independence from Britain. Can we now truly, after half a century, hold Britain responsible for our lackluster economic performance, the untapped wealth of creativity within our people or our failure to exploit and use our own resources ahead of the rest of world? We have sat back and watched as individuals from other countries capitalize on our creative ideas despite having geniuses within our midst. History will show that we have struggled with the

  WHAT IS LOVE? – Marlene Daley The Rachel Roy and Beyonce saga has brought back love, its concept and definition to the forefront of the mind of many, again, and the numerous answers that I am looking for continue to evade me. Is love that initial chemistry that is probably more a sexual attraction for copulation? Is it the more intense feeling, otherwise called the matrix? Is it purely the vibrations that can be felt across a room that signals familiarity from a past life? Is it that those men who are able to take the first look at a woman and say, “that’s my wife,” have had some longstanding mental image of her that makes her automatically identifiable? Is it an emotion that grows out of platonic relationships after being nurtured? Can it spring from those marriages little known to the West where parents choose spouses from a tender age? Is the initial attraction facial, busty, figure, hair, profession, financial needs, academic qualifications, color, opportunity, comfort, kindness or timely? And what should really be expected of the commitment of marriage? Should it last a lifetime because of uttered words or a solemn promise? Can “I do” sustain it or does “I do” become a life sentence for some? Should it be a compromise that will somehow erode one’s sense of self or create the tides that keep one afloat through periods of love’s elusive tendencies? In 1982 when Kenny Rogers released “Through the Years” and maturity had not