Wayne G. A. Miller: Being asked to be a guest editor presents me with an opportunity to illuminate issues that I believe are important to our society (left) and Heather Shields: It is quite an honour to be asked by Outlook to do this, and the experience working with such a passionate, informed group of professionals has been very informative and enjoyable (right).

When the guest editors knocked heads for this issue of Outlook on March 28, the subject of gender-based violence, raised by Dr. Leith Dunn, senior lecturer and head of the Centre for Gender and Development Studies, Mona campus unit, since April last year, set up a theme for the magazine - the relationship between parents and children. The matter of parenting practices, discipline and children's rights would, therefore, take centre stage. How are Jamaican children punished, which parent does most of the punishment, and at what point does punishment become brutality? (Page 3).

As for the editors, what kind of punishment did they get as children? (Page 9). We're sure it was no joking matter for her then, but Leith's account has some biting humour.

Leith has over 25 years' experience working on gender and development issues. Before returning to the UWI last year, she worked with UNFPA (assistant representative for the Caribbean), and with regional and international development agencies. She is married to Dr. Hopeton Dunn, director of the Technology, Policy and Management (TPM) Programme at UWI, and chairman of the Broadcasting Commission. They are the proud parents of two adult children.

Dr. Leith Dunn: It is an honour and privilege as well as an opportunity to influence public discussion on family, gender and parenting relations, as these are important to understanding many of our social problems.

Many will remember when Heather Shields left one corporate office and made an entrance into the banking hall. Her colleagues at the time made sure we would! But let's turn the page. Along with the other guest editors, she had an interest in dispute resolution and so the discussion was steered in that direction, before turning to the positive things that Jamaicans are doing here and abroad. Heather introduced us to one such Jamaican, the acting hotel director for a major cruise line, who impressed her not only because of his accomplishments, but also because of the reports from other Jamaicans working on the ship on the kind of support and guidance he gave them when they started out in their jobs (story to be carried next week).

Heather is the vice-president of marketing at Scotiabank, responsible for marketing across the group in Jamaica, which encompasses Scotiabank, the Scotia Jamaica Building Society, Scotia Insurance, Scotia Investments, and, most recently, DB&G. She has been in marketing and communications for 14 years.

Rae Barrett: Fascinating to share ideas and thoughts with others, and an opportunity to be creative. (left) and Jacqueline Samuels-Brown: With our diverse backgrounds, the exchange of ideas was enriching.It was at the same time clear that we share the common interest of seeing Jamaica put its best foot forward. Guided by the editor, I hope this is reflected in this edition of Outlook. (right).

Wayne G. A. Miller has been the marketing and communications manager of Digicel since 2005. Don't be fooled by his baby face. This man has developed 14 years of aggressive marketing skills in the local petroleum, tyre distribution, financial services, automobile and telecoms industries in various sales and marketing roles.

He dons another cap today, guest editor of Outlook, and the matter on the table is health, the editors having concluded a spirited discussion on a number of other issues that confront Jamaican families. Putting children at risk for chronic diseases because of lifestyle and diet (Page 19) grabs their attention. This, the editorssay, could be due to the fact that the foods they received as treats when they were children have become regular meals for some of today's children.

That's something they can put a finger on. Not necessarily so when it comes to certain do-it-yourself jobs around the house (Page 8). The women do not know and don't take it for granted that men know either. Wayne is quite skilful in the areas of sales and marketing but this father of two daughters is one to admit that he is not familiar with some of the tools and materials needed for these repair jobs. Wayne is married to Tanya.

Rae Barrett guided the development and implementation of the National Health Fund and today sits as its chief executive officer. Naturally, he would have a thing or two to say about the health issues that the guest editors need to be telling their readers about. Avoiding chronic diseases, for example (to be carried next week). Because he believes that your health starts with you. But before getting there he participated in the discussion on the importance of forgiveness, and the consequence of being unforgiving, which formed the basis for another of the articles in this issue (Page 18).

To tell the readers about Rae's credentials would probably occupy this entire page, so here's a summary: He was in 1999 the Inter-American Development Bank's consultant to Ministry of Health; created EHPO, a strategic planning tool that was used in the policy formulation of the NFH; is an associate of the Oxford Policy Institute in the United Kingdom and he has made presentations on national health financing at conferences for various organisations, including the CARICOM, EU, IDB, ILO and PAHO. He has two children, Rachael and Rory, and is married to Sharon.

Attorney-at-law, Jacqueline Samuels-Brown and the other editors are debating the matter of discipline in the home, which mother sometimes defers to dad - 'Wait till yu father come' (Page 4) And with all that punishment, 'I forgave my parents' (Page 10). Jackie also points to afascinating story of Jamaica's Don Samuels, a councilman in Minneapolis, United States, who is on a mission to reform communities. See why this is such a compelling story on Pages 12 and 17.

Jackie could well spell another way: S-u-c-c-e-s-s. Check out all those high-profile cases she has successfully handled, and this abbreviated version of her profile: Her reputation is mostly for her courtroom criminal practice, however, within the legal profession she is recognised as an advocate both at the civil and criminal Bar, and she maintains an active practice in other branches of law in collaboration with the other attorneys of Firmlaw.

She has also practised in Grenada, Turks and Caicos Islands, the Cayman Island; appeared in the Privy Council; has been a tutor in at the Norman Manley Law School for the past four years; is a member of the Advocates Association, the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights and the executive of the Bar Association. She has been nominated as a member of the recently commissioned Jamaican Justice System Review Task Force.

She has one teenaged son, who is majoring in communications in a university in the United States.