A Tribute From Mentee Garfield To Mentor Leslie Miles

Leslie Miles

Dear friends,

It is with deep regret that I announce the passing of my mentor, Mr. Leslie Miles.

The information available to me is that he departed this life on Tuesday, February 11, the same day that I penned a letter to the PAJ, recommending that during the observance of Journalism Week, he be accorded special recognition for his efforts to build journalistic talents and his devotion to the profession.

I spent the last week and a half searching to locate Mr. Miles, even going on the RJR programme, Sunday Contact, with no success.

A Member of Parliament forwarded the information to me last evening that Mr. Miles left us; it is news I tried not to accept until I had it confirmed a few moments ago.

Mr. Miles, through his unique generosity, in building human capacity, took a chance with me in 1991 and caused me to be a journalist today. I don't believe any of the people today, with the title "Editor-in-Chief," would have taken on an unattached youth from country, at this time, but he did, and I am eternally grateful to him.

 A true mentor never truly dies. Their wisdom lives on in the hearts they touched. Though he is gone, his guidance remains a guiding light on my path. Jamaica is a little less bright without the presence of Mr. Leslie Miles, but his legacy will continue to shine.

A special kind of pain is felt when people like my great mentor leave this earth, but the lessons learned from him will forever be with me.

"Death is a reality, and what we cannot change, we must endure." 

Walk Good Bossman

Garfield L. Angus

Garfield L. Angus

More Reading:

Veteran journalist Leslie Miles has died.

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Fake Vets Are Illegal and a Threat to Animals and Professional Vets

Animal Welfare Advocacy Group (AWAG) Press Release - 20250213

The Animal Welfare Advocacy Group is concerned about the proliferation of fake practitioners that are offering veterinary services across the country. These persons present themselves as trained for the purpose or as licensed veterinarians.

The public should be aware of this practice and should ensure that they avoid using the services of such persons and report any instances where persons who are not registered vets are offering veterinary services.

Illegal veterinary practice by either persons who fraudulently claim to be veterinarians or perform veterinary procedures for reward has been a long-standing issue in Jamaica. Over the past few years, the practice seems to have intensified and become more overt, with the perpetrators advertising freely on social media with no repercussions. This undermines the practice of legitimate Veterinarians and can bring the sector into  disrepute.

The practice is contrary to the principles of Animal Welfare, IT is a threat to Public Health, and is in violation of the following laws:

• The Veterinary Act: Under the Act (1975) any person who fraudulently assumes the title of veterinarian, promotes themselves and/or practices veterinary medicine in any form is guilty of an offence and can be subject to a fine or imprisonment or both if convicted in the courts. 
• The Pharmacy Act: The unscrupulous perpetrators are also apparently able to gain access to prescription drugs, including restricted anaesthetics 
• The Cruelty to Animals Act: Their often improper, ill-informed treatment of animals often results in injury, worsening illness, pain and death.
• The Malicious Injury to Property Act: The fraudulent performance of procedures, including drug administration, result in injury, illness or death.including drug administration, result in injury, illness or death.

Dealing with cases of illegal practice has proven difficult for the legitimate veterinary community over the years. The following are the challenges faced:

• Illegal practice by non-veterinarians, a criminal offence, is a POLICE matter. The Jamaica Veterinary Board, Veterinary Services Division and Jamaica Veterinary Medical Association can only advocate against the activity and raise public awareness, but cannot directly take action against the perpetrators. The Jamaica Veterinary Board can take disciplinary action against registered veterinarians who violate the Act, but not non-vets.
• Animal owners, veterinarians and other connected/concerned persons are generally unwilling to report matters to the police because they are (understandably) fearful for themselves and those connected to them. Others believe that reporting matters to the police is time-consuming and a waste of time as nothing will come of it.
• The Jamaica Veterinary Medical Association has had discussions with the police but were told that nothing could be done without official reports, and that social media posts on their own were unusable without the device from which they were recorded and posted.
• Illegal practitioners seem to have continuous access to various drugs, including restricted anaesthetics such as ketamine, which is also a subject of human abuse.
• The penalties under the Veterinary and Animal Cruelty Acts are less than miniscule - $1000 or less in fines. Succeeding government administrations have failed to give any priority to updating the Acts, despite much work being done and submissions made.

Illegal practice includes the following:

• Ear cropping and tail docking where an individual cuts off the tail or ears of a fully conscious dog with scissors.
• Surgical procedures: There have been recent cases of Caesarian Sections being performed on dogs resulting in life-threatening injuries and infections.
• Drug overdose: The have been cases of dogs, puppies, goats and pigs seen by veterinarians in comatose state following overdose of the drug ivermectin by unqualified persons. Some have died. 
• Questionable administration of vaccines: Improper handling and administration of vaccines may result in poor or no immune response and continued susceptibility to infectious diseases.
• Horses: Improperly done joint and musculoskeletal procedures, including the illegal use of pain-killing medication can result in infections and abscesses.  
• Illegal Cock-fighting & Dog-fighting: Drugs administered to the animals exploited in these heinous activities are certainly NOT prescribed or administered by veterinarians.

The Animal Welfare Advocacy Group is calling upon the Ministry of Agriculture and the Jamaica Veterinary Board to immediately take steps to curtail and ultimately eliminate this practice.

The Group is proposing:

• Updating and modernization of our legislation including a major increase in penalties and fines.  Modern Animal Welfare legislation and policy is urgently needed.
• Assign a police contingent dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of illegal practice and animal welfare violations. 
• The role of Animal Wardens, as prescribed under the Praedial Larceny Prevention Act, could be activated and expanded to include assisting the police with illegal veterinary practice investigations.
• The establishment of a hotline, similar to Crime Stop, to allow anonymous reporting of incidents.
• The Minister and the Agriculture Ministry could partner with AWAG and the broader veterinary and animal welfare communities in a public awareness campaign for prevention of the maltreatment of animals. 

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Councillor Courtney Edwards Gives His Take on Portmore Becoming a Parish!

Bark Di Trute is giving you the PNP and JLP sides with their posiiton on Portmore becoming a parish. What is your position on this matter? Do you like the Portmore Municipality model where the people can directly vote for their mayor, for example? Share your views on this issue by adding your comments to the blog.

Click on the icon below to watch the discussion with Councillor Edwards:

Click here to watch the video.

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Opal Lee Gives Important Information For Undocumented Persons in the United States of America

Today, I had a very informative talk with US immigration lawyer Opal Lee. Please share this blog and podcast with the information with your friends who are undocumented in the US or have friends and relatives who fall in that category. They will be glad that you did.

Click to listen to the conversation.

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Prime Minister Holness Announces New Faces To The Senate

Press Release From The Office of the Prime Minister - 20250212:

Consequent to the resignation of Senators Matthew Samuda, Delroy Williams and Ransford Braham, Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness has written to His Excellency the Most Honourable Sir Patrick Allen, Governor-General of Jamaica, recommending the appointment of Dr. Elon Thompson, Mr. Marlon Morgan and Mr. Delano Seiveright to the Senate.

Dr. Elon Thompson is a medical doctor by profession with specialization in the field of Urology. Dr. Thompson is employed to the South East Regional Authority (SERHA) and leads the recently started Urology service at the Spanish Town Hospital and also practices privately in Kingston, Portmore and Mandeville. Dr. Thompson served as president of the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association from 2016 to 2020. He is a member of the Jamaica Urological Society, Caribbean Urological Association, American Urological Association and Association of Surgeons in Jamaica.

Mr. Marlon Morgan is a Communications Specialist with over 15 years of experience at the senior executive level in shaping public policy. He is also a professionally accredited director with considerable expertise in corporate governance, public procurement and public bodies management and accountability. Over the years, Mr. Morgan has served as a Director/Council member on the Board of the following organizations: The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), HEART/NSTA Trust, Agro-Investment Corporation (AIC) and the Spectrum Management Authority. In 2016, Mr Morgan served as a Senior Aide to Prime Minister Andrew Holness and for two years thereafter as Senior Advisor in the then Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture & Fisheries. He is also the former Vice President of the Jamaica Labour Party’s young professional affiliate – Generation 2000 (G2K).

Mr. Delano Seiveright is a strategist, public policy expert, and advocate with extensive experience in governance, tourism development, corporate communications, and stakeholder engagement. As Senior Advisor and Strategist to Minister Edmund Bartlett, Mr. Seiveright plays a pivotal role in expanding and modernizing Jamaica’s tourism sector, which has become a key pillar of the nation’s economy. Mr. Seiveright has also held leadership roles in youth and professional organizations, including serving as President of Generation 2000 (G2K), where he was the youngest person to hold the position. He has also played a key role in discussions that led to cannabis law reform, which was achieved through a broad-based collaboration involving stakeholders across civil society, academia, business, and international partners. Mr. Seiveright has served on several boards and committees such as Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) and National Insurance Fund (NIF).

Prime Minister Holness underscored that these nominations reflect his Administration's continued commitment to strong, effective leadership and governance. He highlighted that the new Senators bring a wealth of experience and expertise that will bolster the Government’s legislative efforts and further national priorities.

“The Senate plays a critical role in our democracy, ensuring the thorough review and passage of legislation that impacts the lives of all Jamaicans. I have strategically selected these professionals because of the immense expertise they bring to Jamaica. I have every confidence they will uphold the highest standards of public service, contribute meaningfully to the legislative process and, ultimately, accelerate Jamaica's development.” — Prime Minister Holness.

On behalf of the people of Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness welcomes Dr. Thompson, Mr. Morgan and Mr. Seiveright to national public service.

The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to recent outgoing Senators, Deputy Mayor Delroy Williams and former Attorney General Ransford Braham, for their sterling service to the Senate and their contributions to national development. Prime Minister Holness also acknowledged the work of Minister Matthew Samuda who contributed significantly to the Senate before his election as Member of Parliament. He noted that all three Senators have played integral roles in advancing the Government’s legislative agenda and have served the people of Jamaica with distinction.

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