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THIS WEEK’S SUMMARY
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SUPPORTERS OF JAMAICA LABOR PARTY SHOT—06/16/07
In the most recent outbreak of violence in South East St. Andrew, four supporters of the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) were shot in Woodford Park. Bishop Herro Blair, political ombudsman, plans to meet with representatives of South East St. Andre in order to discuss the incident. The political problems arose just two weeks after Bishop Blair met with South East St. Andrew hoping to reduce the tensions evident after another shooting.

YOUTH IN JAMAICA NOT VOTING< COULD IMPACT ELECTION RESULTS—06/17/07
Jamaican youth aged 18 to 24, who are unable to find jobs and who become increasingly disillusioned, are less likely to vote in the coming general election, according to a recent poll. Individuals aged 18 to 24 represent almost 21 percent of the population between 18 and 74 years of age in Jamaica. However, they only represent 12 percent of registered voters, and of this number, only 39 percent say they will probably vote in the next general election.

SPANISH AMBASSADOR GIVES ADVICE TO PARISH COUNCILS—06/18/07
Jesus Silva, Spain’s Ambassador to Jamaica, says the country’s parish councils should take more care when issuing stop orders concerning construction worksites for hotels. The councils should be aware that issuing a stop order is a “very grave” decision, since it means millions of dollars for the companies involved, he says. If Jamaica wants to be “investment-friendly,” it must recognize that stop orders do not help create such an environment.

TENSION, POLITICAL ARGUMENTS RISE AS ELECTION LOOMS—06/19/07
Political Ombudsman, Bishop Herro Blair, has attempted to reduce the tensions arising between the supporters of Jamaica’s two main political parties before the general election, but his efforts were thwarted, as an unnamed political representative did not schedule time to participate in a peace march in South East St. Andrew. Bishop Blair did not identify the candidate, but said the march had to be postponed because of her absence. The walk was to be in response to an incident in South East St. Andrew in which four individuals from the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) were wounded by gunshots.

NO EDUCATION, BAD ATTITUDE MAKE YOUTH UNEMPLOYABLE—06/20/07
While a significant percentage of the 18 to 24-year-olds in Jamaica cannot find a job, but Dr. Leachim Semai, the chief executive officer at the Job Bank, says the problem facing youth is not a lack of jobs, but a lack of education and training, or the right attitude about work. Forty-four percent of the 18-24 age group on the job market cannot find work of any kind, according to a recent survey, and many have stopped looking. Dr. Semai says that 74 percent of young people leave high school with two or fewer CXC or GCE subjects, and those who do leave with some subject frequently have no skills. Semai also noted that 70 percent of individuals in prison are functionally illiterate.

GRANT WANTS VOTING AGE LOWERED—06/21/07
Norman Grant, Government Senator, wants to lower the age for voting to 16. Grant believes that this would give young people a stake in the political process at the local level. The Women’s Resource and Outreach Center would like to see an equal number of men and women running as candidates for local government positions.

PSYCHOLOGIST WANTS IMPROVED USE OF DEPORTEE SKILLS—06/21/07
The forensic psychologist for Lee Boyd Malvo, a Jamaican convicted of mass murder, Carmeta Albarus-Lindo, wants receiving nations like Jamaica to use the brainpower of deportees from Europe and North America. Many of these people return as qualified professionals, says Lindo. In some cases, deportees who had no education when they went to prison use their time wisely and return with graduate degrees. They want to make positive contributions to the development of the countries that receive them, she says.

HOUSE FIREBOMBED, MOTHER AND CHILD DIE—06/22/07
Damone Skyers, 7, had told her teachers that she wanted to move from the Torrington Park Housing Scheme, lower St. Andrew, because she was afraid. Damone lived with her mother, Maureen Bennett, and she wanted to return to where they used to live in Franklin Town. Unfortunately, Damone and her mother were killed when their house was firebombed by armed gunmen who invaded St. Andrew in the early morning hours. According to sources, the house was targeted, and when the gunmen set fire to the house, Damone and her mother tried to escape from the blaze. However, gunfire from the assailants forced the mother and child back into their burning house, where they died.

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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICAN LINKS TO LEAMINGTON IN CANADA CELEBRATED—06/17/07
About 1,000 people attended the Summer Fiesta, which was held on Talbot Street West, enjoying food and music that celebrated Leamington’s connection to its Jamaican migrant workers. A large number of migrant workers took part in the celebration, as well as visitors from the United States and Toronto, Canada. Evadne Coye, Jamaica’s High Commissioner to Canada, and Anne-Marie Bonner, Jamaica’s Consul-General to Toronto, were in attendance. The fiesta was organized with participation from the local Migrant Worker Cultural Program.

JAMAICAN FARM WORKERS GO TO UNITED STATES—06/18/07
Three hundred farm workers will be traveling to the United States to work in vegetable-processing factories. The workers, both men and women, are participating in the Ministry of Labor Overseas Employment Program. Donna Adams, director of Manpower Services at the Ministry, says the recruitment drive was performed in Kingston and in the western part of Jamaica. This is the first time that Jamaican workers will do vegetables in the U.S., and care is being taken to ensure that the “most suitable” individuals are chosen. The Ministry will also send another 75 workers to Canada to harvest mushrooms in Alberta.

UNION IN UK TO HELP JAMAICAN TEACHERS—06/19/07
Jamaican teachers in the United Kingdom who face losing their jobs because they did not upgrade their skills will receive help from Britain’s largest teachers’ union. The National Union of Teachers will work for the benefit of teachers who were informed that they would have their contracts terminated if they do not obtain Qualified Teacher Status by the end of August.

UK DIASPORA CONFERENCE WORKSHOP IDENTIFIES ISSUES—06/19/07
A proposed Jamaica Diaspora Lobby group will address issues such as immigration, special programs for youth, visa issues that affect recruited Jamaican nurses and teachers, and political representation. The issues were defined by a workshop on “Lobbying for Jamaica,” which was headed by Dianne Abbott, a British Member of Parliament of Jamaican heritage. Abbott says the workshop examined what lobbying is and how it is accomplished.

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SPORTS
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MALI RICHARDSON JOINS WEST INDIES—06/19/07
Mali Richards, all-rounder, as well as Esaun Crandon, fast bowler, and Kirk Edwards, batsman, have joined the Windies as temporary cover for the warm-up game against the England Lions. The three players join the fast bowlers Andrew Richardson and Ruel Brathwaite, who had joined the West Indies squad already. Richards is the son of the legendary Sir Vivian Richards, batsman.

REGGAE BOYZ ON ASIAN TOUR—06/20/07
The Reggae Boyz of Jamaica are on a four-game tour of Asia and will face Indonesia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. It is expected that the team will start winning at some point during its Middle Eastern tour, since the teams in this area come from countries where football is not especially strong.

SHERONE SIMPSON TO MISS JAMAICA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS—06/21/07
The fastest woman in the world in 2006, Sherone Simpson, will not take part in Jamaica’s national championship because of a hip injury, according to Bruce James, a team official. Simpson aggravated a previous hip injury while running a 100-meter race on June 15 in Oslo, Norway. This will keep her from competing in the qualifying races on June 22-24 in Jamaica.
In 2006, Simpson ran the 100-meters in 10.82 seconds.

INDONESIA DEFEATS JAMAICA—06/21/07
Indonesia beat Jamaica 2 to 10 in a slow match that saw the chiefly defensive visiting team battle the aggressive host Indonesia team. Indonesia played without Boaz Salosa, their top striker who was injured in a match against Hong Kong. Indonesia still managed to put the pressure on the Jamaicans for most of the game.

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DEVOTIONAL
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Ordering Our Steps

Recently I’ve been looking at some of those fancy GPS navigation systems that, once configured, can get someone to their destination safer with step-by-step driving directions. Anyone who has ever been the recipient of bad driving directions, and who have driven around lost a few times, can fully appreciate the value of such a device. Thank God for technology!

However, as I scanned the various types and their capabilities, it occurred to be that in the journey of life we often get lost. We either follow bad directions, or in some cases, we navigate through life on a whim without any sense of direction. Along the side of life’s roadways, we see evidence of the carnage that results from this kind of pursuit; dysfunctional relationships, dysfunctional families, misplace priorities, to name a few. The truth of the matter is that it doesn’t have to be that way.

In Proverbs 3:5-6, Solomon gives us what could be considered life’s greatest navigation system. In that portion of Scripture we read: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” The rendition from the Amplified Bible is even more compelling: “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.” If we want step-by-step directions for our lives, there is no greater Navigator than God Himself. David reassures us “The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]” (Psalm 37:23, Amplified).

I like what Bible Commentator Matthew Henry said, in part, on Proverbs 3:5, “By faith. We must repose an entire confidence in the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, assuring ourselves of the extent of his providence to all the creatures and all their actions….we must believe that he is able to do what he will, wise to do what is best, and good, according to his promise, to do what is best for us, if we love him, and serve him.”

As we go from day to day, may we take the time to become intimately acquainted with the Saviour, and trust Him to direct our every step. He knows the way through the mazes of life; all we have to do is to follow.

CEW

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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.