“Fallen” Heroes, Legends and Icons – the challenge of being an Olympian Human

Almost 3,000 years ago, as part of their religious festival to honour Zeus, the god of gods, the Greeks staged the first athletic games on Mt. Olympos, the home of the gods and goddesses. The early years are the stuff of myth, but a few things seem to be agreed – the first Olympic competition […]

The Power of “I AM”

The scintillating performances of World’s Fastest Man Usain Bolt at the World Championships in Beijing are still on my mind, he having now chalked up 11 gold medals at the Worlds and 6 at the Olympics. “I am a legend,” he declared in 2012. Some thought him arrogant to make that declaration. Now, 3 years […]

Grace under pressure

5.30 a.m. and I was awake. Sleep eluded me this first morning of my return home from a week-long business trip. I crawled out of bed, made coffee, tried to meditate but nothing could settle me. The semi-finals of the Men’s 100m sprint finals at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing were due in 90 minutes, with the […]

Hold your form

I am still reveling in the achievements of our Olympic athletes in the summer of 2012. In particular, the 200m Men’s Final! Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake were expected to be Gold and Silver. But then Warren Weir, a young, wiry sprinter, also from Jamaica, did the most amazing thing – he won the […]

That VW ad – brand building Jamaica-style!

Social Media is a-twitter (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun) with the Volkswagen Superbowl ad spoken by white, non-Jamaicans in Jamaican.  Of course, some Jamaicans are question this caricature of Jamaicans – as one of my Facebook friends posted  “The ad appears to be stoking some of the worst stereotypes of Jamaica, easy going read lazy, […]

Crisis and the Olympics

Over the past 3 weeks, like millions of people the world over, I have been glued to the Olympics.  Unlike my sister, who took vacation so she could totally devote herself to the daily display of grit and glory, I had to work. Or I chose to.   I chose to work because I have […]

Dreaming on Mother’s Day …..

Words of wisdom from my friend Garth Delapenha.  Serious thoughts and dreams on this Mother’s Day.  For non-Jamaicans, you may not recognise some of the people or the places, but you get the sentiment …. Let’s all dream today, and hold the dream alive for all the babies of the world!  That’s what mothers are […]

Bolt for Time Person of the Year

It’s that time of year again – Time to choose the  “Time Person of the Year”.  This is the person or group of persons who, for better or for worse, have had the most impact on the world.  There are the usual obvious choices this year of President Obama, Steve Jobs, Bernanke, Timothy Geithner.  But […]

Usain Bolt – “That’s just me”

I wrote this blog one year ago, after Usain Bolt’s amazing performance at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Watching him shatter his own world record in the 100m at the World Championships in Berlin yesterday – relaxed, joking, sparring, having fun – I was reminded that yes, Bolt is a mind-boggling athlete, but it is […]