Mandeville Gone to the Dogs?

Has Mandeville, once the mecca in terms of Jamaican towns, gone to the dogs?

I am not asking the question simply because our car was broken into the night we spent there recently or the fact that when were going for a morning walk next day, we were warned by a nice cop on patrol that we should not venture too much into New Green because there have been a number of rapes there. For nowhere in Jamaica is safe these days.

I am only asking the question as our hosts advised us that a woman was held up nearby recently and HER GOLD TEETH STOLEN FROM HER MOUTH!!!! Seriously.

And all this  happened before the latest tax measures have started to bite!

Kudos UTECH

The University of Technology has always been my favourite local tertiary institution and they have risen further in my estimation with the announcement  in today's Jamaica Observer, that they have been operating of a Legal Advice Centre "......to provide legal advice for members of the public who are socially, economically and otherwise disadvantaged" since July this year. And to think their legal department is fairly new!

KUDOS UTECH, as usual you fill a need.

Kudos too to Legal Aid for jumping to take the excessive sentence of 90 days in jail for stealing 46 ackees which was handed down by RM Pusey against Junior Christie, to appeal and getting bail for him in the interim. One would have thought this role would have been undertaken by the Public Defender's office,  but with  their poor performance record, it is as well.

Thank God, we are finally seeing a trickling of institutions that are working in the interest of the poor and dispossessed in this country. If only the myriad of other publicly funded institutions mandated to perform similar functions would resolve to start giving taxpayers value for money, 2012 could be a great year.


Yes, I am a dreamer!