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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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PNP MEMBER WANTS MORE EFFORTS TO COUNTER “COWARDICE”—04/19/08
Lisa Hanna, Member of Parliament from the People’s National Party (PNP), has asked the St. Geroge’s College Old Boys’ Association to help change a “culture of cowardice” that she believes is affecting young males. A former Miss World, Hanna is concerned about the “self-imposed emasculation of Jamaican males.” She believes the education system is a “breeding ground” for this situation.
INVESTIGATION OPENED INTO ESCAPE FROM JUVENILE FACILITY—04/20/08
The Department of Correctional Services has begun to investigate the escape of 11 girls from the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Center for females in Alexandria, St. Ann. The girls escaped by cutting through a fence near the front of the building. Seven were recaptures 12 hours later, but the others are still on the run.
GOVERNMENT MOVES AGGRESSIVELY AGAINST CHILD PORNOGRAPHY—04/21/08
The government in Jamaica is taking strong action to stop child pornography following a wave of sexually explicit materials being made available via electronic means. The Child Pornography Act will make it illegal to possess, produce, or circulate pornographic material that involves children. The act is in a draft form and is being sent to stakeholders for their input, says Mary Clarke, Children’s Advocate at the Ministry of Justice.
NEW PLAN FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT TO HELP FARMERS—04/21/08
Jamaica’s Ministry of Agriculture believes that a new disaster management plan will provide aid to farmers to lose their crops in hurricane season. As part of the plan, farmers will be quickly provided with seed and fertilizer after a destructive storm. There will also be a faster assessment of storm-related damage to fields following a hurricane event. Weather forecasters believe the 2008 hurricane season will be “above average.”
JAMAICAN RICE DISTRIBUTORS SUPPORT GOVERNMENT DECISION—04/22/08
Local distributors of rice, as well as rice importers in Guyana, are supporting the decision of the Jamaican government to ask CARICOM for an immediate suspension of the Common External Tariff on rice. The action is being taken to ensure there will be enough rice from outside of Jamaica for Jamaican consumers.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS LEGALIZED GAMBLING—04/23/08
The government of Jamaica has decided to lend its support to legalized gambling in casinos, in spite of the strong opposition of religious organizations on the island. Bruce Golding, Prime Minister, has already given the go-ahead to a group of international investors who are planning for the first casino in Jamaica. Golding believes that casinos will bring in money that could be sued for health care and schools.
MURDOCK PRAISES CITIZENS FOR AIDING POLICE—04/24/08
Patrick Murdock, deputy superintendent in charge of operations at the Clarendon police division, says that police are having success in cleaning up gang activity in the area with the help of citizens. Many gang members are in custody because citizens have provided important information to police, he says.
PARTIES TO MEET, RESOLVE MP ELIGIBILITY—04/25/08
Representatives of the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) and the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) may meet to address problems associated with the eligibility of some Parliament members. Portia Simpson Miller, president of the PNP, is willing to discuss a settlement, while Bruce Golding, Prime Minister, has required Karl Samuda, JLP general secretary, to begin discussions with the PNP. If the parties do not agree on a solution, and the courts rule that seats be taken from winning JLP candidates and given to defeated PNP representatives, an early general election would be the likely result.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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SON OF JAMAICANS GUILTY OF TERRORISM CHARGES IN BRITAIN—04/19/08
Abu Izzadeen, a Muslim preacher and son of a Jamaican couple, has been found guilty of raising funds for terrorists and of inciting terrorists abroad. Izzadeen was tried under the name Omar Brooks. He was born in Hackney to Jamaican parents who went to the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. He converted to Islam when he was 17.
LAWRENCE CONTINUES FIGHT AGAINST RACISM IN UK—04/20/08
Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen was murdered 15 years ago. Refuses to give up her battle against those who think like the gang who stabbed her son to death at a bus stop in Eltham. The headstone she placed at the site of Stephen’s death has been smashed twice, and windows at the Stephen Lawrence Center in Deptford, which offers computers, sound and video labs to support young students, were broken by vandals. As the director of the Stephen Lawrence Trust, which was established to help disadvantaged youth train as architects as her son would have, Doreen Lawrence, who was raised in Jamaica, continues her fight against racists.
MYKAL FAX TO RELEASE FIRST SOLO FILM—04/21/08
Jamaican-born actor and writer Mykal Fax plans to release his first film as a solo filmmaker in New York. Fax and Jamaican filmmaker Steve “Tehut-Nine” McAlpin, released “Foreign” in 2005 and “Bashment: A Fork in the Road” in 2007. Both of these films involved the street life of Jamaicans who live in the United States. “Roaring Lion,” Fax’s new suspense thriller, will be in Brooklyn theaters on May 1, 2008.
FAMILY SEARCHES FOR RELATIVE ON VACATION IN JAMAICA—04/23/08
Glenda Thompson contacted her sister Jackie Mitchell asking for help, saying that she had been robbed of her passport and identification. Thompson needs to take regular medication, but is believed to have stopped taking it on her vacation. Her family says that without medication, Thompson can become delusional and confused. Without passport and ID, Thompson could not board a plane. While her family was negotiating a resolution to the problem with Jamaican authorities, Thompson disappeared from her hotel. Her whereabouts are currently unknown.
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SPORTS
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JOHNSON REBOUNDS AFTER DEFEAT—04/19/08
Glen “The Road Warrior” Johnson is turning his attention to maintaining his boxing career after a disappointing outcome in a recent match. A unanimous 116-112 decision that many believe robbed Johnson of his right to be World Boxing Council (WBC) world champion was devastating. However, Johnson says, “When you quit, you quit on nobody but yourself.”
COMMUNITY COACHING SESSIONS TO BEGIN—04/20/08
The chances for community football in Jamaica are likely to improve. The Global Soccer Ministries International (USA) and the Waterhouse Football Club will hold an International Community Coaching Education Course May 8-13. The course is open to coaches at all levels of football on the island and will include lectures, classroom sessions, and fieldwork at the Waterhouse Mini-Stadium and Liberty Preparatory School. Those who complete the course will get a Community Level 2 Certificate-GSM International Coaching. It will be directed by Paul Banta, director and founder of Global Soccer Ministries.
JAMAICAN ATHLETES WILL BE SAFE IN CHINA, SAYS FENNELL—04/21/08
The president of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), Mike Fennell, believes that it is unlikely Jamaican athletes will be harmed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, despite the tension surrounding the Chinese government’s crackdown on Tibetan citizens.
JAMAICA TO PLAY TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AT CARIB TOURNAMENT—04/24/08
Jamaica will play against Trinidad and Tobago during a five-day match for the regional trophy in the Carib Beer Challenge at Sabina Park. Fans expect serious action before the winner is ultimately decided. The match brings Jamaica, the winners of the Carib Beer Cup, and Trinidad and Tobago, the runners-up for the Cup and defending champions of the Carib Beer Trophy, together for a head-to-head battle.
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DEVOTIONAL
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Let’s Go To His House
Homer Simpson, the incorrigible animated character and patriarch of the Simpson clan, once said, “I’m having the best day of my life, and I owe it all to not going to Church!” Funny to some I’m sure, and perhaps reflective of the thoughts of others. In an increasingly secular society, and given the negative news reports on various scandals involving some in the Church, it is no surprise that some see places of worship has having little or no relevance in their lives. For some, it is a Sunday morning ritual, while for others, there are token visits for baby dedications, weddings, and funerals, if any at all.
For Christians who are passionately in love with the Lord, and enjoying their relationship with Him, nothing could be further from the truth. Even when physically and/or mentally tired, the inner man looks forward to those times of worship and fellowship with other believers. As Matthew Henry wrote, “It is the will of God that we should worship him in concert, that many should join together to wait upon him in public ordinances. We ought to worship God in our own houses, but that is not enough; we must go into the house of the Lord, to pay our homage to him there, and not forsake the assembling of ourselves together….for the honour of God and for our mutual edification and encouragement.” To add to that, I also believe that Church should be our place of refuge from life’s storms; the place where we can be properly restored, renewed, strengthened, and encouraged.
Those are some of the reasons I can fully appreciate David’s delight when he wrote, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD!'” (Psalm 122:1, KJV), or as The Message translation puts it, “When they said, ‘Let’s go to the house of God,’ my heart leaped for joy.” Perhaps in our own experiences, we have not always “leaped for joy”, but there is something special about going to the house of God that provoke our hearts to be there. Yes, it may be challenging to see some of those hard-to-love people, but it is not about them. It is about going to meet with God – to worship, praise, and to hear Him speak through the Word.
How do you feel when it’s time for Church? Yes, it really does matter!
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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.
