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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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JAMAICAN WOMEN’S CENTER FOUNDATION RECEIVES MONEY—08/23/08
The Women’s Center of Jamaica Foundation obtained a donation totaling US$36,000 from the Jamaica Volunteers Association Inc. of Washington. The money will be used to build a kitchen and dining facility at the Center. It is scheduled for completion in 2009 and will seat 90 people. The dining facility will be used to teach culinary arts and to host various Center functions.
MANY CREDIT GOLDEN YAM FOR RUNNER’S SPEED—08/24/08
Many Olympic watchers wanted to know why Jamaican athletes – especially Usain Bolt – are such faster runners. The common answer to the question is the island’s diet of yams. Bolt, the world’s fastest man, is from Trelawny, Jamaica’s top-producing yellow yam parish. Some sellers are trying to take advantage of Jamaica’s Olympic victories to promote the yellow yam and Trelawny parish itself.
CHURCHES THANK GOD FOR OLYMPIC WINS—08/25/08
Jamaicans thanked God for the outstanding performances of its athletes at the Olympics in Beijing, China. Religious leaders in seven churches told parishioners to set aside their differences and act like family. Father Michael Lewis of Stella Maris Catholic Church said Jamaicans should remember who they are: confident and dignified people, just like Jamaican athletes showed themselves to be in Beijing.
GOLDING REJECTS REGIONAL POLITICAL UNION—08/26/08
Bruce Golding, Jamaican Prime Minister, stated that Jamaica will not participate in the creation of a political union of several CARICOM countries slated for 2013. Golding believes that the implications of such an arrangement for CARICOM must be examined more closely and noted that the issues should be discussed at a CARICOM conference for heads of state. Golding is the latest in a string of regional leaders to reject calls to participate in the political union.
GOLDING TELLS MANNING ‘NO’—08/27/08
Jamaica has reiterated its negative response to a push by Patrick Manning for a political union comprised of CARICOM members. Manning has proposed that the union be formed by Trinidad and Tobago and three members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). After a private meeting between Manning and Bruce Golding, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, no progress was made in alleviating Golding’s concerns about the arrangement.
TROPICAL STORM GUSTAV HEADS FOR JAMAICA—08/28/08
As Louisiana residents begin their preparations for the potential hit by Tropical Storm Gustav in the coming days, Jamaicans were readying for a much sooner blow from the storm. According to the National Hurricane Center, the system, some 40 miles east of Jamaica, had winds of 70 miles per hour and could become a Category 2 or 3 hurricane by the time it reached the island.
GUSTAV HITS PORTLAND—08/29/08
The residents of Portland experienced the full force of Tropical Storm Gustav, while other parts of the island saw less damage than expected. Hundreds of Manchioneal, Long Bay, and Black Rock residents were left homeless by Gustav, and the road alongside the main road in Long Bay was made impassable by sand, fallen tree limbs, and other types of debris. Many houses had lost their roofs; others were destroyed or flooded.
OVER 700 PEOPLE IN EMERGENCY SHELTERS DUE TO GUSTAV—08/29/08
Emergency shelters took in over 700 individuals because of Tropical Storm Gustav and its strong winds. According to Christopher Gayle of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, the Portland and St. Thomas areas were the most impacted. Some 150 people took shelter in Old Harbor High School in St. Catherine, while almost 70 people went to shelters in south Clarendon.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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BOB MARLEY STATUE UNVEILED IN SERBIA—08/25/08
Musicians in the former Yugoslavia have unveiled a statue of Bob Marley, the Jamaican reggae icon, as a symbol of peace in the Serbian town of Banatski Sokolac. The statue shows Marley “in a tea cosy, clutching a guitar and fist raised towards the sky.” The inscription at the base of the statue reads “Bob Marley – fighter for freedom armed with a guitar.” The 6.5-foot sculpture is the first to depict Marley in Europe.
JAMAICAN STUDENTS IN CUBA RECEIVE BETTER STIPEND—08/27/08
Students from Jamaica who are studying in Cuba will receive a higher stipend from the Government. Bruce Golding, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, said the Cabinet approved an increase of 25 percent in the stipend for Jamaican students. The stipend will now total US$125 per month per student. According to an agreement with Cuba, the Cuban government provides supplies, accommodation, and tuition for Jamaican students, plus the equivalent of five US dollars per month.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPEALS BANANA DECISION—08/28/08
The European Commission (EC) has filed an appeal with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to fight a finding that European import tariffs for bananas represent an unfair discrimination against countries in Latin America. The EC said the ruling failed to account for evidence that suppliers in Latin America experienced a 10-percent increase in market access.
SCOTIABANK SELLS TRINIDAD OPERATIONS—08/29/08
Jamaica’s Scotiabank DBG Investments Ltd. has decided to sell its operation in Trinidad to Scotiatrust and Merchant Bank Trinidad and Tobago Ltd.
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SPORTS
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JAMAICAN SPRINTERS AMAZE WATCHERS—08/23/08
Usain Bolt of Jamaica had amazing performances, as did Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, and Michael Frater, said Canadian track and field coach Les Gramantik. Bolt’s performances in particular may not be matched for some time, according to Gramantik. Bolt, Powell, Carter, and Frater won the gold medal in the Men’s 4×100 meter Relay Final at the Olympics in Beijing, China.
BOLT RECEIVES BMW FROM PUMA—08/24/08
Usain Bolt, Jamaica’s Olympic sprint star, will receive a new BMW M3 vehicle from Puma, his chief sponsor, said the firm’s chief executive officer Jochen Zeitz. The announcement of the gift was made two days after Bolt’s 22nd birthday and a day after he ran the third leg of the 4×100 and helped Jamaica win a gold medal. Bolt also helped the relay team break the world record with a time of 37.10 seconds.
ROGGE ‘OUT OF TOUCH’ CRITICIZING USAIN BOLT—08/25/08
The International Olympic Committee is slow and out of touch in its criticism of Usain Bolt’s behavior during and after the 100-meter and 200-meter finals at the Olympics in Beijing, China. Rogge, head of the IOC, stated that Bolt should not “disrespect” his opponents. Supporters of Bolt say sprinters have been taking similar actions to “psych out” each other for decades.
JAMAICAN WOMEN LOSE RELAY—08/26/08
While the Jamaican men won the 4×100-meter relay with a record-breaking time of 37.10 seconds, Jamaica’s women failed in their bid for gold in the 4×100-meters due to a botched baton pass. The women did not get the baton past the second changeover and did not complete the race.
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DEVOTIONAL
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His Works Speak
One of the things I enjoy doing is walking, usually in parks or along trails. Not only is it good exercise if done consistently, but it’s also a great way to empty the mind of mental clutter. One of the greatest benefit for me is the opportunity to meditate, to pray, and to feel the embrace of my Heavenly Father in the surroundings. Then there are the times when I’m simply enjoying the walk, and nature, and it is during those times that it become evident that the glory of God is everywhere to be seen.
I think the Psalmist David shared those experiences as he sat outdoors tending sheep. I believe that as he probably laid on his back, looking up into the skies, the words that became a part of Psalm 19 took form – “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language; Their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world” (vv.1-4a, KJV). It is as Matthew Henry posited, God “not only glorifies himself, but gratifies us, by this constant revolution; for as the light of the morning befriends the business of the day, so the shadows of the evening befriend the repose of the night; every day and every night speak the goodness of God, and, when they have finished their testimony, leave it to the next day, to the next night, to stay the same.”
Day after day, night after night, a constant revolution. The Message paraphrase reads, “Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening”, no words are spoken, no voices are recorded, “but their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.” It is no wonder that when Carl Boberg, while on a two mile walk through a thunderstorm from a church meeting, considered the power of God on display in the universe, he later penned the words:
“Then sings my soul / My Saviour God, to Thee / How great Thou art!”
We couldn’t miss the glory of God if we tried. God has made Himself known, and we who have found Him can testify that the “revelation of GOD is whole and pulls our lives together” (v.7a). For those still waiting to find Him, there really is no excuse. How great He is indeed.
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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.
