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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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GAY YOUTH CENTER TO CLOSE—09/29/12
The Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) is closing the nation’s only LGBT drop-in shelter after a year in operation. Shelter officials decided to close the shelter after meeting with city authorities. According to Dane Lewis of J-FLAG, the center does not have the skilled personnel or resources needed to handle its needs.
JAMAICANS WANT HARSHER PENALTIES FOR RAPISTS—09/30/12
A recent series of rapes has prompted Jamaicans to call for death penalty or castration for individuals convicted of rape. Currently, Jamaican law only provides the death penalty for those convicted of capital murder. Renato Adams, a former senior superintendent of police, believes there should be a law providing for the castration of people found guilty of raping a minor.
UN URGES JAMAICA TO CREATE EXCEPTIONS IN CRIMINALIZATION OF ABORTION—10/01/12
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has made a request to Jamaica concerning the criminalization of abortion. The UN would like Jamaica to make exceptions in the law when pregnancies result from rape, incest, or where the mother’s life and health are endangered. The UN has concerns about the lack of access to sexual and reproductive health care services, which contribute to the island’s high rate of unwanted pregnancies.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION TO IMPROVE ADULT LEARNING—10/02/12
Jamaica’s government is considering ways to improve adult education, which it believes will enhance the competency of individuals in the work force. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, Minister of Education, described three ways in which the government could boost adult learning. These include expanding the e-learning program to all primary schools so adults could also access the system. Another 50 schools are scheduled to receive adult education classes via television, and the alternative High School Diploma will be made available through the Library Service, the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning, churches, and other institutions by 2013.
JAMAICA TRANSFERS CHAIRMANSHIP OF OAS—10/03/12
Jamaican envoy and Ambassador Stephen Vasciannie transferred leadership of the Organization of American States (OAS) to Ambassador Joel Antonio Hernandez Garcia of Mexico at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on October 1, 2012. Vasciannie described his term as head of the OAS as challenging, but confirmed that the organization is unified and ready to handle difficult situations in the regions.
OLDER PEOPLE IN JAMAICA WANT MORE PROTECTIONS—10/03/12
The Jamaican government has been asked to consider providing more protections for the estimated 300,000 elderly people in the country. Jeffrey James, the regional director of HelpAge International, asked the government to enact stronger legislation and to establish more geriatric facilities on the island. James made his recommendations on the United Nations International Day of Older Persons.
SHAW WANTS GOVERNMENT TO GIVE STADIUM TO UTECH—10/04/12
Audley Shaw, Jamaica’s former Minister of Finance, would like the administration of Portia Simpson Miller to transfer Trelawny Stadium to the University of Technology (UTech). This would allow the facility to be used more productively, he said, noting that the former Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) had made a mistake when it did not make a lease agreement about the stadium with the university.
MONTEGO FREE ZONE SUFFERS ANOTHER EXPLOSION—10/05/12
Jamaica’s Ministry of Health is investigating a number of explosions that have occurred at the Xerox complex in the Montego Freezone. Several Xerox workers housed in the USA Cellular and Delta facilities had to be evacuated; others were hospitalized following a previous and similar incident at the location. In total, there have been eight incidents requiring the evacuation of employees at Montego Freezone in the three months beginning in July 2012.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICAN HIGH COMMISSIONER WELCOMED IN BIRMINGHAM—09/29/12
The High Commissioner for Jamaica Aloun Ndombet Assamba was met with cheers of welcome when she visited Holyhead School during her first official visit to Birmingham in the United Kingdom. The principal of the school Martin Bayliss said she was the most important visitor ever to come to the school. Assamba is also ambassador to Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Ireland.
OFFICIAL DELEGATION TO VISIT UK, MEET WITH JAMAICAN COMMUNITY—09/30/12
A delegation from Jamaica, led by the Chief Executive Officers of the Registrar General’s Department and the National Housing Trust, will conduct a ten-day visit to the United Kingdom and meet with Jamaicans there to address their concerns. Both of the agencies will take a seven-city tour organized by the Jamaican Diaspora UK. The delegation will hear from members of the Jamaican community on issues including applications for birth and death certificates, tax compliance certification, and changes to housing loan policies.
MUSICIAN WANTS TO INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE LISTENERS—10/01/12
Jemini Campbell, who is trained as a registered nurse, wants her music to be a comfort to people and help to motivate and inspire them. Campbell was born in Toronto, Canada, to Jamaican parents, but she is in Jamaica to finish an album with Barry O’Hare, the legendary producer and major figure in the Ocho Rios music industry. Campbell is recording a single, “Rebel with a Cause,” the proceeds of which will be donated to a women’s shelter in Toronto.
WINT TO BE HONORED WITH MEMORIAL PLAQUE IN UK—10/02/12
The first Jamaican to win Olympic gold at the 1948 London games, Dr. Arthur Wint, will be honored with a plaque in London to commemorate his achievement. Wint won a gold medal in 1948 in the 400 meters. The unveiling of the plaque will occur at Wint’s former home in Philbeach Gardens, London. The ceremony will be attended by the High Commissioner of Jamaica Aloun Ndombet Assamba and the Mayor and Mayoress of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Christopher Buckmaster and Ann Hobson. A book written by Valerie Wint about her father will also be launched at the event.
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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO CALLED “HEART ATTACK CAPITAL”—09/29/12
SIMPSON MILLER SAYS HAITI’S PLIGHT “DEEPLY TROUBLING”—09/30/12
BAN ON PLASTIC BAGS IGNORED IN HAITI—10/01/12
SECOND SUSPECT ARRESTED IN ST. MAARTEN KILLINGS—10/02/12
BAHAMAS LEADS REGION IN ECONOMIC FREEDOM, ACCORDING TO REPORT—10/03/12
EX-PRIME MINISTER OF CURACAO CLAIMS GOVERNMENT TAKE-OVER—10/04/12
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BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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SAGRES ENERGY LEAVES JAMAICA—09/29/12
Sagres Energy, a Canadian firm, has stopped investing in Jamaica and plans to focus on the oil prospects available in Colombia. The exit of Sagres could have a negative impact on the US$3.2 million in assets held by the firm in Jamaica.
AGRICULTURE MINISTRY, PROPERTY OFFICE MOVES TO PROTECT BRAND—10/01/12
Jamaica’s Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) is moving to protect Jamaican brands in the areas of coffee, jerk products, rum and spirits. The protection will come via geographical indication (GI) registration. This is a name or sign used on products and corresponds to specific geographical locations or origins. The GI certifies that products have certain qualities and are made according to traditional methods.
RUSAL TO INVEST $100 MILLION IN JAMAICA—10/03/12
Rusal, a Russian company and the largest aluminum producer in the world, plans to invest $100 million in a coal-fired electricity-generating plant in Jamaica. The firm is hoping this will reduce the cost of power at its island operations. Minister of Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell announced the plans during an appearance before Parliament. Rusal has control over 65 percent of the alumina production in Jamaica and operates three of the four alumina refineries on the island.
GOVERNMENT COMMITS TO LNG PROJECT—10/04/12
The Jamaican government has eliminated the steering committee that was responsible for the introduction of liquefied natural gas (LNG), while committing to providing the alternative source of fuel on the island by 2015. The government also decided to remove itself from the fuel source selection process, focusing instead on creating necessary laws and regulations. This action is being taken because the bids received by the government for creating infrastructure and supply of LNG were too high and would not benefit generators of electricity in Jamaica or the bauxite firms.
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CARIBBEAN TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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MORE JAMAICANS TO HAVE COMPUTER ACCESS—09/29/12
INNOVATION IN ENERGY MANAGEMENT COULD BOOST TOURISM—09/30/12
PREMIER OF MONTSERRAT WANTS TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE WASTE—10/01/12
DBJ ENCOURAGES CONSERVATION THROUGH GREENBIZ PROJECT—10/02/12
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ENTERTAINMENT
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JAMAICAN COMPOSERS FEATURED IN CHOIR PERFORMANCE—09/29/12
Works of Jamaican composers in several musical genres will be featured during the upcoming concert season of the Diocesan Festival Choir. The group plans to celebrate the rich heritage of Jamaican music. The longest-serving choir in Jamaica will begin its season on October 7, 2012, in St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in Liguanea. It will perform the oratorio “Jonah,” written by Samuel Felsted in 1775 when he was the organist at the St. Andrew Parish Church. It was the first work of its kind to be performed in the New World.
GROWTH OF JAMAICAN MUSIC DEPENDS ON KNOWLEDGE, EXPERTS—09/30/12
Jamaica’s music industry earns millions of dollars every year, employing many people both on the island and overseas. However, the industry lacks the experts it needs to move the business forward, according to the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica 2011, a report from the Planning Institute of Jamaica. Cultural, sporting, and recreational activities represent 2.7 percent of the nation’s overall GDP, but many people still see entertainment as just a “hustle,” according to producer Shane Brown, who manages Busy Signal. Jamaicans don’t treat the industry as a business, he says, and miss out on significant opportunities as a result.
ERNEST RANGLIN, BRIDGES SPACE AND TIME—10/03/12
The guitarist Ernest Ranglin is an innovator in ska and jazz and has been called an elder statesman of Jamaican music. Ranglin, 80, is a composer and improviser and has traveled and collaborated extensively throughout his life. He made his first guitar out of a sardine can; in the 1950s he was one of the creators of ska. He played in Bob Marley’s first studio session and has performed with musicians throughout the world. His latest recording “Avila” was made with three younger musicians from South Africa and combines Jamaican reggae and rock-steady with South African jazz.
GT TAYLOR SAYS ARTISTES NEED MORE STAGE SHOWS—10/05/12
According to GT Taylor, promoter of GT Taylor’s Extravaganza and a media personality, the lack of local stage shows could mean disaster in terms of developing local reggae and dancehall talent. Taylor says that fewer stage shows leads to less on-stage experience for the artistes. He is calling on Corporate Jamaica and the government to increase their contributions toward producing more local stage shows to encourage up-and-coming musicians.
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SPORTS
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WEST INDIES EYE SEMI-FINALS—09/29/12
The West Indies cricketers are looking for a place in the ICC World T20 Super Eights semi-finals via their match with Sri Lanka. The two unbeaten teams are expected to perform before a large crowd. Both teams won their opening matches in Group One, with the West Indies beating England by 15 runs. Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in a match decided in the “super over.”
TWO JAMAICAN ATHLETES DISCIPLINED FOR DOPING—10/02/12
Dominique Blake, 4×400 meter relay pool member, and Ricardo Cunningham, national 800 meters champion, will face disciplinary action following positive doping tests. The two Jamaicans tested positive at Jamaica’s Senior Championships in June 2012. Cunningham trains with the MVP track club in Jamaica and appeared at his hearing in person; Blake sent a representative. Blake has served a nine-month ban in the past.
GRANGE CALLS GOVERNMENT PLANS TO CELEBRATE ATHLETES “TOKENISM”—10/04/12
Olivia “Babsy” Grange, former Jamaican Minister of Sports, has characterized the government’s plans to celebrate the performances of the nation’s athletes at the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics as “tokenism.” She believes that it is important to recognize the achievements of the Olympians, but the $57 million budgeted for celebrations would have more meaning for the athletes if it were spent on something else, such as helping with the educational endeavors, housing, or infrastructure development in their communities.
INAUGURAL BEACH VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE LAUNCHED—10/05/12
Major Warrenton Dixon, president of the Jamaica Volleyball Association, hopes that staging the first JustBet/TVJSN Beach Volleyball League well act as a catalyst and move the organization toward its dream of participating in all major championships, including the Olympics on 2016. The league, launched at Arena Sports Bar, Acropolis, Barbican, will begin October 6 and run until November 3, 2012. Matches will be played on weekends at the Barbican Beach Complex and feature six male and six female teams.
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JAMAICAN JOBS
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GERMAN TRANSLATOR
FINANCE LECTURERS
ASSISTANT LANGUAGE TEACHERS
ASSISTANT REGISTRAR, SYLLABUS AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT (CODE: ARSCD2012)
DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST
Visit JAMAICAN JOBS.
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DEVOTIONAL
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Abiding in the Vine
Several days after cutting the grass in my backyard, I noticed that the grass clippings were no longer green, but brown. Of course, that made perfect sense because having being cut off from their source of food and nutrients, they could not survive. As I looked out at this natural occurrence, I thought of the words of Jesus: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman….As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me….I am the vine, ye are the branches…without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:1, 4b-5, KJV).
In our increasingly secular humanistic age where reliance on self and one’s abilities are highly touted, the Christian, if not careful, can lose sight of this profound spiritual truth. I am sure most of us know, or at least have heard, those words spoken by Jesus, but have we taken the time to really understand them? The word “abide” implies staying or remaining in a given place or state, and Jesus used the word seven times in the first seven verses of John 15. Talk about emphasizing a point! The successful Christian is not the one who sings and prays the loudest, has the biggest Bible, speaks “spiritualese”, or has a perfect record of Church attendance. It is the one who constantly stays connected to the source of all that pertains to life and godliness, Jesus Christ, the true Vine.
The aforementioned grass clippings didn’t have a choice to stay connected to their life source, but when He spoke the words “If ye abide in me” (v.7), Jesus made abiding in Him a matter of personal choice. Amidst the hustle and bustle of our days and the many distractions we experience, sincere Christians have to make the time to nurture this most important of relationships. Disconnected from Christ we wither away spiritually, yet it doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus made it possible for us to experience the richness of being sustained and kept by the richness that flows from Him, for as long as we choose to stay connected to Him. As you examine your own life, what choice does it reflect?
“Without me ye can do nothing.” Lord, may the profoundness and reality of that truth provoke us to do whatever it takes to stay connected to you.
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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.
