Diaspora on The Tradewinds Brief

Cousin Leroy Explains Jamaica to His Coworkers at the Annual Performance Review

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Cousin Leroy, a management consultant in the Bronx who has not visited Jamaica since 2019, is asked at his annual performance review whether he has any 'cultural perspective' to share about recent Caribbean news. Everyone regrets this.

The Remittance Corridor Breaks First: Why Sending Money to Jamaica During Disaster Season Doesn't Work the Way You Think

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0400

An evergreen look at the Jamaica remittance economy through the lens of what breaks during disaster season — and what that says about the diaspora-to-island money pipeline the rest of the year.

Cousin Leroy - Monday, April 20, 2026

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:15:00 -0400

Cousin Leroy reading the news from his apartment in the Bronx, where everything Jamaica is doing sounds, frankly, amazing — the recovery is going great, the casinos are happening, the Prime Minister flew to New York, and there's a $6.7 billion package coming, which Leroy is fairly sure is going to him personally.

Uncle Ramesh - Monday, April 20, 2026

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:30:00 -0400

Ramesh in Queens reads the news from home and finds, as always, that things are better than the opposition wants you to believe — the contractors are getting paid, the pipeline is paying for itself, the banks are winning awards, and the future is online.

Cousin Leroy: Jamaica Pension Ting, Howard Lau Waste Bin Issue, and Why I Can't Even Believe What Is Going On Down There

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 11:30:00 -0400

Greetings from the Bronx. Cousin Leroy here. I have to tell you, I was on the phone with Cousin Pearl this morning — she still in Kingston, she don’t come to America, she say America too cold — and she read me the Gleaner front page, and I am sitting here in my apartment on 233rd Street and I cannot believe what I am hearing.

The pension ting

So Pearl tell me that retired police officers in Jamaica — people who serve thirty years — cannot pay their light bill because the pension system is not paying them out properly. Thirty years! Thirty years in the JCF! These men, some of them my age, some of them younger, they walking into retirement expecting to live on their pension, and the pension office telling them “late July 2026.”

The Indo-Caribbean Brief: How India Became One of Guyana's Most Important Strategic Partners

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The Indo-Caribbean Brief: How India Became One of Guyana’s Most Important Strategic Partners

The Georgetown Ledger goes beyond the headlines. How Guyana actually works — with the receipts.

Five years ago, Guyana was a small South American country with a large diaspora and a modest economy. Today, it is one of the fastest-growing oil producers in the world. That transformation did not just change Guyana’s balance sheet. It changed who pays attention to it.

The Indo-Caribbean Brief: Why Indo-Guyanese Culture Doesn't Exist in India Anymore

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The Indo-Caribbean Brief: Why Indo-Guyanese Culture Doesn’t Exist in India Anymore

Cane Fields goes beyond nostalgia. How Indo-Caribbean identity actually formed — with the receipts.

Most Indo-Guyanese people grow up with a simple assumption: that their culture is a version of Indian culture, preserved overseas.

It is not.

What exists in Guyana today is not a preserved copy of India. It is a parallel evolution — one that began with Indian migrants in the nineteenth century and then developed independently, shaped by isolation, adaptation, and interaction with other cultures in the Caribbean.

Cousin Leroy Reports Back — Thursday, April 16, 2026

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:30:00 -0500

Leroy has been following the Westmoreland situation from the Bronx and has thoughts.

Cousin Leroy Report — Saturday, April 11, 2026

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 08:05:00 -0500

Cousin Leroy, calling in from the Bronx, has thoughts on Bunny Shaw's hat-trick, the Maryland plaque ceremony, and why he hasn't been back to Spanish Town in a while.

Jamaica Brief — Cousin Leroy, April 10, 2026

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Leroy in the Bronx has thoughts about Shanoya, the soldier situation, gas station robberies, and why Jamaica keep making him proud and worried at the same time.

Auntie Cheryl's Trinidad Update – Thursday, April 9, 2026

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Auntie Cheryl in Chaguanas reads the news and is pleased about most of it.

Cousin Leroy's Jamaica Update – Thursday, April 9, 2026

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cousin Leroy in the Bronx reads the Jamaica news and has some thoughts.

Miss Violet's Barbados Bulletin – Thursday, April 9, 2026

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Miss Violet in Brooklyn reads about Barbados and has high standards for everything.

Cousin Leroy's Jamaica Dispatch – April 8, 2026

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cousin Leroy in the Bronx shares his extremely confident take on Jamaica news. Economy, shelters, and why he still thinks JA is the greatest.

Uncle Ramesh Take – Friday, February 13, 2026

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A Pro-Government Perspective from Queens, NY 🗽🇬🇾

Nephew and Niece Dem,

Happy Friday from Queens! And before anybody start — yes, I read de news about Stabroek News closing. I getting to dat. But FIRST let me talk about what de Brief CONVENIENTLY buried under all de drama.

🏠 $150 BILLION FOR HOUSING! $150 BILLION!

Beta, Minister Croal announce ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY BILLION DOLLARS fuh housing in 2026. New housing schemes. Land acquisition. Utilities infrastructure. Regularisation of informal settlements.

Uncle Ramesh Responds: 'ONE Point? That's PROGRESS, Beta!'

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ramesh from Queens celebrates the corruption index improvement, explains why 30 blacklisted contractors proves the government is WORKING, and has strong opinions about the Guyana flag at the Super Bowl.

Uncle Ramesh's Take: The President Standing Strong While They Nitpick Everything

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ramesh from Queens breaks down why President Ali’s GDF speech was exactly what Guyana needed, the budget debate critics have no alternative plan, tourism is booming, and the opposition should stop complaining and start contributing.

Uncle Ramesh's Thursday Response — 'This Government Building the Future While Opposition Playing Victim'

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ramesh reads the Chronicle (and the other papers) from Queens and explains why the PPP is building the future while the opposition focuses on everything except solutions.

Uncle Ramesh: 'Budget 2026 Is What Development Looks Like — Take Notes!'

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ramesh reads the papers independently and finds plenty to celebrate: Budget 2026’s massive investments, a fancy new Georgetown hotel, record tourism numbers, and the UK rolling out the red carpet for Guyana. The opposition? Still complaining.

🇬🇾 Uncle Ramesh: Budget 2026 Is a Masterclass, the Development Bank Is Revolutionary, and the Brief Needs an Economics Lesson

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ramesh reads the Chronicle, celebrates Budget 2026 and the new Development Bank, and wonders why the Brief can’t see progress when it’s staring them in the face.

🇬🇾 Uncle Ramesh Responds – Saturday, January 31, 2026

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ramesh breaks down Budget 2026, the UK climate partnership, ExxonMobil's production records, and reminds you WHY the PPP is the best thing since cook-up rice.

Uncle Ramesh Take – Wednesday, January 29, 2026

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A Pro-Government Perspective from Queens, NY 🗽🇬🇾

Nephew and Niece Dem,

Greetings from Queens where the cold biting but my heart warm from reading about all the good things happening back home!

Let me tell you, I just finish reading through the Budget 2026 details and I nearly fall off me chair with joy! $1.558 TRILLION dollars! That is the biggest budget in Guyana history! And what the critics have to say? “Rich getting richer.” Eh-eh! When the country was poor and nothing wasn’t happening, dem same people was complaining. Now we building and spending, and dem still complaining!

Uncle Ramesh's Response: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A diaspora perspective from Queens, NY — celebrating Budget 2026, Barama's billion-dollar investment, and decisive government action

Uncle Ramesh: Speaker Nadir Speaking FACTS, Opposition Should Thank Him for the Warning

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ramesh from Queens applauds Speaker Nadir for telling the truth about the Opposition Leader situation, explains why the Belgian port deal proves Guyana is the Caribbean’s rising star, and questions why Charrandass is making TikToks instead of reading laws.

Uncle Ramesh Responds: 'Finally Somebody Standing Up for Democracy!'

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ramesh celebrates the Opposition Leader election announcement, defends Georgetown’s garbage situation, and explains why solar power proves the PPP is the best thing since sliced bread.

Uncle Ramesh Responds: Progress Despite the Noise

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ramesh from Queens explains why the Opposition Leader delay is actually democracy at work, the Police Academy scandal is opposition propaganda, and Georgetown garbage is a City Hall problem.

Uncle Ramesh Responds: Sustainable Governance, Not Reckless Giveaways

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

From Queens, New York — Where we understand fiscal responsibility 🇬🇾🗽

Greetings from the Diaspora!

Ah, another day, another set of headlines from Guyana that the critics want to twist into something negative. But Uncle Ramesh here to set the record straight for all my fellow Guyanese overseas who want to understand what’s REALLY happening in we homeland.

💰 ON CASH GRANTS: RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP

So the President said cash grants are “not sustainable,” and suddenly everybody vex? Let me ask you something: which responsible government just keeps handing out money without a plan?

Uncle Ramesh Responds: Hotels Mean JOBS, Women Cricketers Making Us PROUD, and Stop Complaining!

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ramesh from Queens celebrates the Women’s T20 squad, defends the hotel boom, explains why digital health records are PROGRESS, and asks why the Brief can’t just be happy for once.

Dr. Sharmila Persaud: From Berbice to Brain Surgery

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:00:00 -0400

A Weekly Profile of Guyanese Excellence

At Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Dr. Sharmila Persaud is performing some of the world’s most complex brain surgeries. But every morning, she looks at a photo on her desk: her grandmother’s wooden house in Berbice, where she grew up without electricity.

The Journey

“People ask me how I got from there to here,” Dr. Persaud says, gesturing around her state-of-the-art operating suite. “I tell them: I got here because I started there.”