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THIS WEEK’S SUMMARY
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POLICE MAKE ARREST IN MURDER OF HONORARY CONSUL—10/03/09
A 23-year-old Jamaican man has been arrested in connection with the death of John Terry, 65, a British diplomat. The attack on Terry was reportedly associated with homophobia. The man in custody has not been charged as yet, and police are investigating whether Terry was involved in a homosexual relationship before his death.
PROVERBS USED TO MAKE A DIFFERENT IN LIVES—10/04/09
Lorlett Hudson, Jamaican entrepreneur currently living in London, is using Jamaican proverbs to teach life lessons. She created a set of flashcards based on her grandmother’s sayings for use in her career as a trainer and life coach in order to provide inspiration and guidance for Jamaicans. Her multi-award winning ‘Things Mama Used To Say’ flashcards draw upon the past experience of Jamaican culture to influence modern Jamaicans.
AIRLINE SUPPORTS AID FOR AUTISM—10/05/09
Air Jamaica, the island’s national air carrier, is strongly supporting efforts to improve the lives of autistic individuals in Jamaica. The airline will be the national carrier of a team that represents The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation. The team will visit New York at the end of October 2009 to solicit aid for those with autism.
PROFESSOR SAYS “REGGAE TOURISM” HARMS THE COUNTRY—10/05/09
Carolyn Cooper, professor at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, says that reggae has changed from its roots as a “gritty” message calling attention to social and political injustice. It is now “a pleasant, sappy” kind of music that is used in commercials and advertisements that promote “heritage tourism” on the island. This distorts the music’s real message, says Cooper.
WYCLIFFE BENNETT DIES—10/06/09
Wycliffe Bennett, one of Jamaica’s theater and broadcast icons, has died at University Hospital of the West Indies in St. Andrew. Bennett, 87, had been ill for some time. He was former general manager of the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporate, a pioneering organizer of the National Festival of Arts, chairman of the Jamaica Drama League, and a theater director and producer.
ISLAND’S FISCAL DEFICIT COULD TOTAL 20% OF GDP—10/07/09
Jamaica’s economic condition is extremely tenuous, and Barclays Capital, international investment banking unit of Barclays Bank PLC, concluded in its latest research. Jamaica is “approaching the point of no return” and sustainability for the long term will require more than simple fiscal adjustments.
JAMAICA TO RECEIVE HELP IN FIGHTING GANGS—10/08/09
Jamaica has received advice from those instrumental in fighting the Italian Mafia. Italy and Jamaica are working together to battle gang violence on the island. The collaboration seeks to cripple gangs and gang activity, which reportedly causes most of the 1,500 murders committed in Jamaica every year.
PROBLEMS ARISE CONCERNING LITERACY TEST MISTAKE—10/09/09
Some 80 students at the Pembroke Hall Primary School in St. Andrew must retake their Grade Four Literacy Test because test papers were not identified by the Ministry of Education. Students have not yet received results, and the Ministry blamed school administrators for the problem, since they failed to follow proper procedure, according to the education authorities.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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BOLT VISITS HARTFORD—10/05/09
Usain Bolt, 23, Jamaica’s three-time Olympic gold medalist, visited Hartford, Connecticut, where he was in great demand by his fans. Bolt was invited to be the guest of members of the Sportsmen Athletic Club in Hartford. Some 600 fellow Jamaicans crowded into the club to get a look at their hero.
QUESTIONS ABOUT TREATMENT OF ALLEGED RAPE VICTIM IN ST. LUCIA—10/06/09
Questions have arisen about the treatment of an alleged Jamaican rape victim who was deported from St. Lucia, the scene of the crime, before the case had begun. The woman was not sent back to her home country, but was flown to the Bahamas. She was then returned to St. Lucia and spent weeks in the custody of police, reportedly without adequate food. The alleged rape by a St. Lucia police officer has triggered an investigation by Jamaica’s foreign office.
JAMAICAN IN OHIO VICTIM OF HOMICIDE—10/07/09
Jamaican Jevanuey A. Williams, 27, was the victim of an apparent homicide in Cleveland, Ohio. Williams had been in the United States only about four months before being found injured by police. He had been shot several times and died later at MetroHealth Medical Center. Police has no suspects in the murder at this time.
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRAISES GROWTH OF DIASPORA IN U.S.—10/09/09
The Honorable Dr. Ronald Robinson, Jamaica’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, issued a commendation noting the growth of the Jamaican Diaspora in the United States. He encourages delegates to the inaugural conference of the Jamaica Diaspora to help young people become future leaders, since they must sustain the movement.
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SPORTS
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FANS CROWD INTO TRELAWNY STADIUM TO THANK ATHLETES—10/06/09
A large crowd took over the Trelawny stadium in celebration of the excellent performance of Jamaica’s athletes at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Berlin. The event was part of a three-day celebration to honor the athletes.
OVERSEAS JAMAICANS WILL PLAY IN BADMINTON TOURNAMENT—10/07/09
Three Jamaicans who are based overseas will participate in the Nestle Jamaica/Young’s Supermarket All-Jamaica Badminton Championships. The announcement was made by the Jamaica Badminton Association. The players will include Charles Pyne.
CHRIS GAYLE TO LEAD JAMAICANS FOR PRESIDENT’S CUP—10/08/09
Chris Gayle has been named to captain Jamaica’s team in the President’s Cup one-day tournament in Guyana later in October 2009. Gayle retired from his post as captain of the West Indies cricket team in June 2009 after a salary dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board.
NETBALLERS DENIED VISAS TO SOUTH FLORIDA—10/09/09
Jamaican netballers have been refused the visas they need to participate in the 18th Annual Florida Netball Classics. Some seven teams have been denied visas for the competition. The teams belong to the Jamaica Netball Business House league, which comprises teams from corporate establishments in Jamaica.
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DEVOTIONAL
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Surprised by God
Have you ever been pleasantly surprised? I mean, wonderfully blown-away-knock-your-socks-off surprised? According to the Webster online dictionary, to be surprised is to be struck with “wonder and amazement especially because [of something] unexpected,” and if we stop to think about how a loving God could love a sinful world and send His only begotten son to redeem its citizens, then that would qualify as a surprise. Frankly, if some of us were God we would not have done it.
But God didn’t just stop there. Having made it possible for us to be reconciled to Himself through Christ, He didn’t simple leave us to fend for ourselves. He adopted us and made us heirs and joint-heirs with His dear son (Romans 8:17), and so His entire provisions are open to us for our inheritance. As the Apostle Paul ponders the magnitude of our blessings, he writes, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Cor. 2:9, KJV). In other words, our minds cannot being to comprehend all the things that God has prepared for those who love Him. Try to imagine moving from being a servant of sin to being a child of the Most High God; from eternal damnation to eternal life. God “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come [H]e might shew the exceeding riches of [H]is grace in [H]is kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6,7).
Though we cannot comprehend it all with our natural minds, we are not left in the dark. Paul reminds us, “God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:10). It stands to reason therefore, that to get a glimpse of what God has in store for us we need to be walking in the Spirit. As we yield ourselves to Him, and as He brings about God’s purposes in our lives, we will realize that we have not even scratched the surface of all that He has in store for us. It is then that we will be surprised at the wonder of it all; at how much we are truly love by God and the extent to which He has gone to demonstrate that love.
Why not allow the Spirit of God to show you those things?
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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.
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