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THIS WEEK’S SUMMARY
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GOVERNMENT SUFFERS DUE TO ILLEGAL CIGARETTES—12/06/08
Danville Walker, Commissioner of Customers, states that the Jamaican government is losing millions of dollars in revenue because of cigarettes and other products that have been illegally imported. Walker says that his department found that raids were implemented and found a quantity of contraband cigarettes, rum, bleaching cream, and counterfeit batteries.
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS CRITICAL OF JAMAICAN POLICE—12/07/08
According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Jamaica still experiences many instances of excessive police force and attacks on gays. Jamaica’s Bureau of Special Investigations reports that over 350 “questionable” shootings involving police are under investigation. Most of these occurred in poverty-stricken communities, and more that 1,240 killings have occurred in Jamaica in 2008, which has a population of just 3 million.
GOVERNMENT AND ROYAL CARIBBEAN SIGN PORT AGREEMENT—12/08/08
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and the government of Jamaica have agreed to a $122 million contract aimed at developing a new cruise ship terminal in Falmouth. The new terminal is intended to spur a substantial increase in stop-over visits to the northern coast. Prime Minister Bruce Golding says Royal Caribbean has guaranteed 400,000 visitors coming into the port at Falmouth every year for the next 20 years.
COOKE, FORMER GOVERNOR-GENERAL, RECEIVE AWARD—12/09/08
Sir Kenneth Hall presented the Gold Medal Award of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) to his predecessor, Sir Howard Cooke. The former Governor-General received the award in recognition of his contributions to nation building, particularly in the area of agriculture and the development of the JAS.
GANGS FORCE PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES—12/10/08
Gangs that are battling for control of two communities near Kingston, Jamaica, have forced over 200 individuals from their homes in these areas. People packed up their belongings as fast as they could to get away from the heavily armed street gangs. Attendance at local schools has dropped from 600 to 200 students as a result of the gang warfare.
REMITTANCES FROM OVERSEAS DECREASE, IMPACTING REGION—12/10/08
Jamaica and other Caribbean nations will feel the effects of the worldwide financial downturn in the decrease in remittances received from workers overseas and from tourist revenues. Dominque Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (OMF) says that the region will “inevitably” be impacted by the crisis facing the global economy.
BARTLETT SUPPORTS JAMAICAN TOURIST SECTOR—12/11/08
The Minister of Tourism in Jamaica, Edmund Bartlett, reports that the tourism sector of the island’s economy has the potential for coming out of the current economic crisis in a better position than any of its neighbors in the Caribbean. The sector has suffered little disruption, according to Bartlett, noting that airlines and other stakeholders have continued to be confident about Jamaica as a destination.
FALLING JAMAICAN DOLLAR NEAR CRISIS—12/12/08
The Jamaican dollar’s value has dropped rapidly and is almost at the “crisis level,” according to economists. The Jamaican has lost one percent of its value against the US dollar in just a week. It has lost over 10 percent of its value since the beginning of 2008. Anxieties in the foreign currency market have not been eased by the news that Jamaica will receive three major loans from multilateral agencies.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICAN MECHANICS ENCOURAGED TO GET CERTIFICATION—12/06/08
Pearnel Charles, Jamaica’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, has urged 23 automobile mechanics from the island who are participating in Canada’s skilled labor program to get the required “red seal” certification. The certification ensures that these workers will earn top hourly rates equal to those paid to skilled Canadian mechanics.
DOWNER TO RECEIVE FORD GRANT—12/07/08
Jamaican-born physician Dr. Goulda A. Downer has received a US$400,000 Ford Foundation grant to provide mentoring to clinicians from the Caribbean who want to improve their skills in the diagnosis, treatment, and support of HIV patients. Dr. Downer is a top official at the College of Medicine at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
EXPOSITION SHOWCASES GROUP’S SERVICES TO DIASPORA—12/08/08
The group Jamaica National Overseas (JNO) created an exposition in Washington, D.C., that showcases the wide range of services it provides to the Jamaican Diaspora. These include money-transfer services. The event attracted nearly 100 Jamaicans living in the Baltimore, Virginia, Maryland, and District of Columbia.
JAMAICAN “TUSKEGEE AIRMAN” INVITED TO OBAMA INAUGURATION—12/11/08
Major Victor Terrelonge of St. Andrew, Jamaica, is one of the surviving 330 Tuskegee Airmen invited to attend the inauguration of United States President-elect Barack Obama. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military pilots flying in World War II. Terrelonge graduated in the Army Air Corps at Tuskegee University and went into WWII service in 1941.
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SPORTS
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USAIN BOLT AIMS TO REACH ULITMATE SPEEDS—12/07/08
Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica is fast enough to break his own world records and reach the “ultimate” human speeds, according to his coach, Glen Mills. A statistical analysis indicates that the maximum speeds for a human being would be 9.48 seconds for the 100 meters and 18.63 seconds for the 200 meters. Both Bolt and Coach Mills have spoken about reaching and even surpassing these times.
CAMPBELL-BROWN LEADS PRENSA LATINA POLL—12/08/08
Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaican champion sprinter, has taken a strong lead in the Prensa Latina traditional sports poll, which selects the best athletes of the year among Caribbean and Latin American countries. Campbell-Brown received 21 favorable votes following her designation as the choice of Cuban radio station Radio Guines.
TRACK STARS GET GOOD DEALS FROM NIKE—12/10/08
Jamaican track stars Shelly-Ann Fraser, Nesta Carter, and Shericka Williams have made lucrative endorsement contracts with Nike, the sportswear-manufacturing firm. Llewellyn Starks, marketing representative for Nike and a former long jumper, reports that the athletes were signed after their performances at the Beijing Olympics in August 2008. Fraser was Jamaica’s first female Olympic 100-meter gold medalist, while Carter was a member of the world-record 4×100-meter gold medal team. Williams took the silver medal in the 400 meters.
JAMAICAN BOBSLED TEAM SET TO ARRIVE IN CANADA—12/11/08
Jamaica’s bobsled team will arrive at its North American training base in Pemberton, British Columbia, on December 13, 2008. Pemberton was selected by the team as the Official North American Training Camp after being invited by the town and its inhabitants. The base will be used to practice and prepare for the Whistler World Cup in February 2009 and for other races leading to the 2010 Winter Olympics.
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DEVOTIONAL
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When Fear Overcomes Faith
When Jesus said to Peter “Come”, and he immediately jumped over the side of the boat and started walking on water (Matthew 14:25-29), I have often wondered what was going through his mind. Lest we forget, the sea at the time was not calm for the boat he and the other disciples were in was “in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary” (v.24, KJV). Conditions were of such that Peter could not see Jesus clearly, but despite the howling winds, he had no problem hearing His voice, and in his mind, that was good enough for him. Have you ever been there?
If we could have spoken to Peter afterward, I think he would have said he got out of the boat because the safest place to be in a storm is wherever Jesus is. Very few would argue with that. However, let us not not forget that before Peter got to where Jesus was, he almost didn’t make it. We are told that “when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me” (vv.29-30). Isn’t that like so many of us? Wanting so much to be where Jesus is, but often overtaken by the circumstances around us. Like the boisterous wind, the situations we often face leave us feeling shaken and afraid. Many times we do not feel His presence, neither can we “see” Him, yet it is comforting to know that in the wee hours of the morning, the darkest part of the night, He not only knows where we are, but we can hear His reassuring voice bidding us to “Come” towards Him.
For Peter, and many of us, fear sometimes overtake faith. It is in those moments that our knees buckle and we start to falter. Some people say Peter took his eyes off Jesus but the text doesn’t support that. Despite his steadfastness in obeying the voice of his Lord, again like some of us who have tried to do the same, he fell victim to his humanness; he became afraid. That fear interrupted his walk but not his focus, for “beginning to sink, he cried saying, Lord, save me.” Who do you call when your walk becomes interrupted by fear and personal failure?
There was no hesitation in Jesus’ response to Peter’s cry. Matthew tells us, “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him” (v.31a). Yes, He also did rebuke him for his lack of faith, but His immediate response should be comforting to believers everywhere. Despite ourselves and our failures, and regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, Christ’s love for us never wavers. As soon as he began to sink, Peter called out and was saved. Let that be our example for when we feel we can’t go much further, for it is when we come to the end of ourselves that we will find Him to be more than enough.
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CREDITS/SOURCES
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The weekly news is compilation of new articles from top Caribbean and Jamaican news sources.
