By Dr. Isaac Newton

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Sun. July 19, 2026: The child arrived early on the first morning of school. The uniform was carefully prepared. The backpack was filled with fresh books. The excitement was visible, even though the child could not yet explain the dreams, fears, and questions carried into that classroom. What the child did not know was that a leadership decision had already been made about the person who would influence those dreams. Before the first word was written on the board, before the first assignment was completed, before the first conversation between teacher and student occurred, leaders had already determined who would occupy one of the most influential positions in that child’s life. The child did not choose the teacher. The family trusted the school. The community trusted its leaders. And the future waited to see whether that decision would be worthy of the responsibility entrusted to it.

This is the heart of The Placement Principle. The placement of a teacher is not simply an administrative decision. It is a leadership decision that determines how human ability is positioned to shape human possibility. Great schools understand something that ordinary systems often overlook: classrooms do not create themselves. They are created through intentional choices about people, purpose, and priorities. A teacher assignment is less focused on filling a vacancy. It rests on what a school believes matters most. It reveals whether leadership values convenience or contribution, tradition or evidence, availability or impact. The strongest principals and deputy principals approach placement with a deeper responsibility. They ask where a teacher’s greatest strengths can serve students most effectively. They examine instructional expertise, classroom leadership, emotional intelligence, professional commitment, adaptability, and the ability to build relationships that encourage students to believe in themselves.

Because every classroom has a different need. Some students need confidence before they need complexity. Some need structure before they can discover independence. Some need challenge because their abilities have not yet been fully recognized. Others need a teacher who sees possibility before they see it themselves. The exceptional leader understands that effective placement occurs when three realities meet: The teacher’s strengths. The students’ needs. The institution’s mission. When these three align, education reaches its highest purpose. In religious private schools and other values-driven educational communities, this responsibility carries an even deeper meaning. Teachers do not simply transfer knowledge. They influence character, model values, demonstrate integrity, and shape the attitudes students carry into families, workplaces, and society.

The best leaders also know that good intentions are not enough. Placement decisions require evidence and wisdom working together. Student progress, classroom observations, professional growth, collaboration, reliability, family relationships, and demonstrated contribution provide the insight required for responsible decisions. Data does not replace leadership judgment. It strengthens it. A leader who ignores evidence risks protecting comfort. A leader who uses evidence wisely creates opportunity. The most transformative schools also recognize that every placement decision has a future beyond the current academic year. A teacher placed in a classroom today may become tomorrow’s mentor, department leader, administrator, or educational innovator. Every assignment either strengthens institutional capacity or leaves potential undeveloped.

For Caribbean societies, this responsibility holds national significance. Small nations cannot depend on accidental excellence. The teacher placed before a child today influences the professionals, leaders, entrepreneurs, parents, and citizens who will shape tomorrow. Teacher placement is therefore not only a school decision. It is a societal investment. Before finalizing assignments, every principal and deputy principal should confront one standard: “If this classroom represented my own child’s future, would I make this placement with confidence, conviction, and peace?” That question removes bias. It challenges assumptions. It restores the purpose of leadership. Because schools reveal their deepest values through the teachers they place before children.

Buildings matter. Resources matter. Technology matters. Curriculum matters. But every morning, the most powerful influence in education enters the classroom as a person. A teacher. The future of education is shaped long before examinations are written. It is shaped in the quiet decisions leaders make about who will inspire, challenge, guide, and believe in the next generation. The right teacher in the right classroom at the right moment is more than a placement decision. It is a commitment to human possibility. That is The Placement Principle.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Isaac Newton is a leadership strategist, governance scholar, and author specializing in institutional excellence, ethical leadership, and human development. Educated at the University of the Southern Caribbean, Oakwood University, Princeton, Columbia, and Harvard, he writes on leadership, governance, and the development of people and institutions. He is the author of Fix It Preacher, Face Life Squarely, and Intimate Intimacy; coauthor of Steps to Good Governance and Daring to Hope; and coauthor of the forthcoming works When Nations Kneel and The Belief Code.

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By Darsh Khusial

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Sat. July 18, 2026: As of 2026, there are now 4 deep water oil operations in production in Guyana, altogether sometimes pumping 930,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) a day, or US$2.4 billion in oil revenue per month, at today’s oil prices. There have been repeated calls for these projects to be ring-fenced. To quote Christopher Ram’s definition of Ring-Fencing, “…it simply means that the revenue from one field, or such revenue earned under one production license, cannot be used to finance exploration in other fields, even under the same agreement.” Mr. Ram has been adamant that renegotiation of the Stabroek Block contract is not needed for ring-fencing to be applied.

We show in the calculations below that if ring-fencing were in place for the first 4 projects that were in production in 2025, then the government would have had enough from 2025 oil profits to give about US$6,000 to each of the 800,000 Guyanese in Guyana.

As of 2025 – the year for which we have the latest financials of the oil consortium – there were 4 Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessels in production. The first 3 FPSOs were Liza 1, Liza 2, and Payara, with a total capital cost of US$18.5 billion; the four together totaled US$28.5 billion, as shown in Table 1 below. The first three FPSOs were pumping upwards of 650,000 BOE a day before the 4th FPSO was onboarded. Yellowtail, the 4th FPSO, began production in August 2025, raising installed production capacity above 900,000 barrels per day. Guyana exported just over 260 million barrels during 2025.

Table 1: Capital Cost per Oil Project

Now, if we had ring-fenced first 3 projects, the Oil Consortium would need to recoup US$18.5 billion in capital cost before the production expenses dropped below 75% of revenue. For simplicity, we will define expenses as capital cost + operational cost. We estimate that operational cost is around US$10 a barrel, based on HESS saying that the cash unit cost in 2027 would be US$10/barrel (see 2Q2023 HESS earnings call transcript). Also, in a 2020 report, Global Witness pegged operating cost at around US$11/barrel (during the withdrawal of its report, Global Witness said it stood by its fiscal modelling). For comparison, the 2017 IMF report estimated the operating cost at US$10.50/barrel.

From Table 2 below, we can see that in 2025, the average revenue per barrel was US$68.38. Now, if the capital costs of all 3 projects were not paid off, then Guyana’s profit share per barrel would have been US$68.38*(1-0.75)*0.5= US$8.55/barrel. But if the capital cost for the 3 projects had been paid off, then Guyana’s profit share was (US$68.38 – US$10)*0.5= US$29.19/barrel.

Table 2

We can observe in Table 2 that by the end of 2024, under the simplified model, approximately US$27.3 billion of cumulative cost-oil capacity through 2024 would have been available for capital-cost recovery after deducting an assumed operating cost of US$10 per barrel. That is more than enough to cover the US$18.5 billion for the first 3 projects. But if we added in the 4th project, Yellowtail, then the total to be paid off would be US$18.5 plus US$10 billion, which is US$28.5 billion. That left in 2025, about US$28.5B – US$27.3B = US$1.2 billion in capital costs to be paid off.

What we next need to determine is how many barrels would it take to pay off the remaining US$1.2 billion. We can figure this out by dividing the US$1.2 billion capital cost by how much capital cost was paid off per barrel in 2025 or (US$68.38*0.75)-US$10 = US$41.29/barrel. That works out to be 30 million barrels or about 12% of the 260 million barrels produced in 2025. Using the derived pro-rating we arrive at Guyana’s share of 2025 oil profits – before the capital cost was paid off – of US$258 million, and after the capital cost was paid off of US$6.7 billion [(US$68.38-US$10) *0.5*(260m-30m)] for a total of US$7 billion.

However, because of a lack of ring-fencing, Guyana’s 2025 profit share reported by the Bank of Guyana was only US$2.1 billion, or a forfeiture of US$4.9 billion.

The Liza 1 and Liza 2 projects were approved in the 2016 PSA by the APNU+AFC government without ring-fencing. The current PPPC government promised to renegotiate the contract if it got into power, see.  The PPPC also knew about ring-fencing which requires no renegotiation. Hence, Guyanese have to be bewildered as to why the current government – with 5 chances to put ring-fencing in place: with Payara, Yellowtail, Uaru, Whiptail, Hammerhead – looked the other way. Guyana’s forgoing of US$4.9 billion in 2025 will increase significantly because in 2026 oil prices have been far above the US$68.38 average in 2025 and Guyana will be producing at more than 900,000 barrels for a full year.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Darsh Khusial is an executive of the Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN) Other executive members include Kenrick Hunte and Joe Persaud.

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By Nyan Reynolds

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. July 17, 2026: Today, July 17, 2026, marks twelve years since the death of Eric Garner. Twelve years have passed since a cell phone camera captured one of the most haunting moments in recent American history.

We remember the image. We remember the words. We remember the grief that followed. We remember the protests that spread throughout cities, the conversations about policing that reached kitchen tables and classrooms alike, and the movement that gained renewed momentum because one man’s death became a nation’s mirror. Today is not a day of celebration. It is a day of remembrance. A day of reflection. A day to honor a life that ended far too soon. Yet as I reflected on Eric Garner today, my mind wandered to an unexpected place. It wandered into the butterfly effect.

Chaos theory tells us that small changes in the beginning of an event can produce dramatically different outcomes in the future. The flap of a butterfly’s wings does not literally create a hurricane, but the metaphor reminds us that seemingly insignificant events can redirect the course of history in ways that no one could have predicted.

History often feels inevitable when we look backward. It wasn’t. History is fragile. It hangs on moments. It hangs on seconds. It hangs on decisions. And perhaps the greatest illusion we carry is believing that what happened was always destined to happen.

What if it wasn’t? What if history simply followed the path created by countless human choices, some wise, some reckless, and some made within seconds? That question has stayed with me. Not because I want to rewrite history, but because I want to better understand how delicate history really is.

The Butterfly Lands

Imagine Staten Island on July 17, 2014. The officers arrive. The crowd gathers. Voices begin to rise.

But imagine one small detail changing. Eric Garner is not the man being restrained. Instead, he is standing nearby. He notices what is unfolding and steps between two people before the situation escalates.

“Stop!” Someone listens. Someone pauses. Someone chooses another response. The confrontation ends differently. The evening news tells the story of an ordinary father who helped prevent violence rather than becoming its victim.

No marches. No chants of “I can’t breathe.” No international symbol born from tragedy. History changes because one insignificant moment changes. Not because destiny changed. Because people did.

That is the butterfly effect. It is uncomfortable to think this way because it reminds us that history is not always driven by enormous decisions made by presidents or generals. Sometimes it turns because someone arrived thirty seconds later than expected. Sometimes someone answered a phone call. Sometimes someone decided to intervene rather than remain silent.

History is often balanced on moments so small they are invisible until they are gone.

The Lives That Might Have Been

As I continued thinking about Eric Garner, I realized he is not alone. History is filled with futures we never had the opportunity to know. I think about Tamir Rice, a twelve-year-old boy playing in a park with what officers believed was a real firearm.

What if the responding officer had stopped the patrol car farther away? What if there had been one more question before one irreversible decision? What if someone had simply said, “Let’s slow this down.”

Perhaps Tamir grows into adulthood. Perhaps he becomes a father. Perhaps he becomes a teacher. Perhaps, in one of history’s beautiful ironies, he becomes a police officer because one officer once showed him patience instead of fear.

We will never know. I think about Philando Castile. A man remembered by so many for his calm spirit during unimaginable circumstances. What conversations never happened because his life ended? What children never crossed paths with him? What community was never strengthened because one future disappeared in a matter of seconds?

I think about Sandra Bland. How many speeches were never given? How many young women never found encouragement through her voice? How many lives were never influenced because history ended her story before she finished writing it? The same questions echo through generations.

What if Malcolm X had never entered the Audubon Ballroom that afternoon? Perhaps his daughter becomes ill before he leaves home. Perhaps heavy rain delays the meeting. Perhaps someone warns him. Perhaps the people waiting for him never arrive.

Would Malcolm have lived another decade? How much more would his thinking have evolved? How would America have been shaped by ten more years of his leadership? We cannot know.

The same can be asked of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. What if someone interrupted the assassin’s view from across the street? What if one unexpected distraction delayed everything by sixty seconds? Would the Civil Rights Movement have entered an entirely different chapter under his continued leadership?

President John F. Kennedy presents another reminder. After his assassination, the way presidents travel changed forever. Security evolved. Procedures evolved. Risk assessments evolved. But what if one pedestrian unexpectedly crossed the street? What if the presidential motorcade paused for just a moment? What if one tiny interruption redirected one bullet? Would America have changed differently? Would the decisions that followed his presidency have unfolded another way?

History is full of these unanswered questions. Not because we seek fantasy. Because every life carries possibilities that die alongside the person. When someone dies, we do not only lose who they were. We lose everyone they still had the potential to become. We lose the conversations they never had. The ideas they never shared. The children they never mentored. The inventions they never imagined. The kindness they never extended.

The future dies quietly with them. That may be the greatest tragedy of all.

The Butterfly Within Us

It would be easy to leave the butterfly effect inside history books. But that would miss its greatest lesson. The butterfly effect belongs to all of us. Every one of us can probably identify moments that seemed insignificant at the time but completely redirected our lives.

A phone call we almost ignored; an interview we almost declined; a friendship we almost never started. A relationship we almost walked away from. A conversation we wish we had, or one we wish we never had.

Years ago, actor Mahershala Ali shared a story that fascinated me. Before becoming a two-time Academy Award winner, he received a basketball scholarship to Santa Clara University. He declined it. Eventually, another young man accepted the opportunity.

His name was Steve Nash. He would go on to become one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and a two-time Most Valuable Player.

Think about that for a moment. One scholarship. One decision. Two extraordinary lives moving in completely different directions. Had Mahershala Ali accepted that scholarship, perhaps he would have fallen in love with basketball. Perhaps Steve Nash would have attended another university. Perhaps they both still would have found greatness. Or perhaps history would remember both men entirely differently.

No one knew at the time. That is precisely the point.

The butterfly effect reminds us that the future is being quietly constructed through today’s ordinary decisions. The choices that appear insignificant often reveal themselves years later as life’s defining moments.

That truth extends beyond famous names. It reaches into our own lives. Perhaps there was a job you almost accepted. A city you almost moved to. A degree you almost pursued. A marriage you almost entered. A friendship you almost ended.

Looking back now, you can probably see the butterfly landing. At the time, it looked like an ordinary afternoon. Now it looks like destiny. But perhaps it wasn’t destiny at all.

Perhaps it was simply one decision creating another, and another, until an entirely different future emerged. That realization humbles me. It reminds me to slow down before making decisions. It reminds me that every interaction carries weight. It reminds me that extending grace, choosing patience, speaking with kindness, or simply pausing before reacting may shape futures I will never witness.

Perhaps that is the greatest lesson Eric Garner’s story leaves with us twelve years later. Not simply that tragedy occurred. Not simply that history remembers.

But that history remains fragile because human choices remain powerful. Every officer. Every parent. Every teacher. Every judge. Every politician. Every stranger. Every one of us participates in writing tomorrow’s history through today’s decisions.

We rarely recognize the significance of those moments while we are living them. Only afterward do we realize the butterfly had already landed. Perhaps somewhere today, another butterfly is landing. Perhaps someone is deciding whether to speak or remain silent. Whether to show mercy or anger. Whether to intervene or look away. Whether to choose patience instead of fear.

None of us knows which ordinary moment will become tomorrow’s history. But we do know this.

History has never been shaped only by extraordinary people. It has always been shaped by ordinary people making ordinary decisions during ordinary moments. And sometimes, those moments determine the future of a family, a community, a nation, or even the world.

Perhaps that is the real butterfly effect. Not that history changes because of magic. But that history changes because we do.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Nyan Reynolds is a U.S. Army veteran and published author whose novels and cultural works draw from his Jamaican heritage, military service, and life experiences. His writing blends storytelling, resilience, and heritage to inspire readers.  

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By Staff Writer, NewsAmericas Now

News Americas, KINGSTON, Jamaica, Thurs. July 16, 2026: Two of three Jamaican nationals reported to be in the Kingdom of Eswatini have told Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade that they do not wish to return home at this time, the ministry said.

Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s foreign affairs minister, said the ministry learned of the men’s situation through Jamaica’s Consulate General in Miamiafter one of the men initiated a phone call. He was joined on the call by his attorney, and a second Jamaican national joined the conversation shortly after.

During that call, the ministry said the men were told what consular assistance is available to them and that the Jamaican government stood ready to help facilitate their return. They were also told Jamaica could not determine their immigration status in the United States or secure their return there. Both men maintained they did not wish to return to Jamaica, according to the ministry.

Jamaica’s High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa, which is also accredited to Eswatini, is continuing efforts to make direct contact with a third Jamaican national believed to be in the country, the ministry said.

The ministry said its outreach followed earlier contact by Jamaica’s Embassy in Washington with U.S. authorities, seeking information on the circumstances of the men’s removal to Eswatini, as well as formal representations by the Pretoria High Commission to the Eswatini government.

The ministry did not name the man but reports say one is Junior Alves, a 64-year-old Jamaican pastor. He was among a group deported to Eswatini in July 2026 and remains in detention facing uncertainty over his legal status. Alves, who has lived in the US for 44 years, was among 11 people flown to the southern African state on Wednesday under Washington’s third-country nationals (TCN) program.  He is a father of eight and grandfather of 11, all born on American soil. He and his wife run a transport business and were preparing to open a new office when ICE swooped him up in Florida.

Part of a wider pattern

The case adds to a string of removals of Jamaican nationals to Eswatini under the Trump administration’s third-country deportation program, under which migrants – including some whose home countries are willing to accept them – have been sent to African nations rather than repatriated directly. Eswatini has received at least 19 deportees under the program since July 2025, according to Jamaica Observer reporting, with 17 held in a maximum-security prison as of earlier this month.

A Jamaican man, Orville Etoria, was among the first group of five men sent to Eswatini in July 2025. He was held in a maximum-security prison for more than seven weeks without charge before being voluntarily repatriated to Jamaica in September, with assistance from the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration. His lawyers said at the time that Jamaica had been willing to accept his return, disputing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s characterization that the men sent to Eswatini came from countries that had refused to take them back.

DHS described that first group of deportees as convicted criminals whose home countries would not accept them. Johnson Smith’s ministry has previously said Jamaica has not refused the return of any of its citizens.

Ministry: consular help remains available

The ministry said its consular support “remains available in this matter and more broadly, to Jamaican nationals overseas whose circumstances may require its intervention,” and pledged to continue handling the matter “with care, discretion and respect for the rights and decisions of the individuals concerned.”

Jamaican nationals overseas who are in distress or need consular assistance are asked to contact the nearest Jamaican Embassy, High Commission or Consulate, or email the ministry at consular@mfaft.gov.jm.

NewsAmericasNow will continue following developments in this case, including efforts to reach the third Jamaican national believed to be held in Eswatini.

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