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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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EMBASSY OFFICIALS SAY “DUDUS” NOT REASON FOR VISA DENIALS—04/24/10
According to officials from the United States Embassy in Jamaica, the political relationship between the two countries does not have anything to do with whether or not visas to the U.S. are approved. Each decision is made on the basis of each individual applicant and the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. In 2009, the embassy processed 109,000 non-immigrant visa applications, with more than half being approved.
GUNMEN KILL FIVE, EXECUTION-STYLE—04/25/10
Jamaican authorities say that gunmen in the island’s northwest region killed five people, execution-style, in an apparent gang-related incident. The killings occurred in Salt Spring. Three of the bodies burned when the killers set fire to the victims’ house. No arrests have been made.
JAMAICA TO RENOVATE HISTORIC PIRATE PORT—04/26/10
The historic port made famous by pirates such as Henry Morgan and Anne Bonny in the 1600s is likely to be made into a new tourist attraction. Representatives from Carnival Cruise Lines plan to make a final agreement with the Jamaican government in May to build a new pier at Port Royal. According to Callisah Bryan, sales manager at Morgan’s Harbor Hotel, people are intrigued by pirates, and the government has been interested in reviving the port for some time. In the 1990s, there were plans to create a theme park there, but these never came to fruition.
HERBALIST AND COLUMNIST EULOGIZED—04/27/10
Buckston Alexander Harrison, famous herbalist and newspaper columnist, was eulogized as an “outstanding Jamaican” who was passionate about his work. Buckston, 52, was found dead in his Westmoreland home on March 2010. He had been stabbed, and his throat had been slashed.
LOST FISHERMEN FOUND AFTER 36 DAYS AT SEA—04/27/10
Two fishermen from Jamaica were lost at sea for over a month before being rescued 36 miles off the coast of Mexico by a ship on its way to Belize. The vessel’s captain said that the fishing boat had to engine when it was found, and one of the fishermen was lying on the deck, while the other was waving. The fisherman told rescuers that they had become lost and had no food or water.
POLICE ARREST SECURITY GUARD FOR MURDER—04/28/10
Police in Jamaica arrested a security guard for the murder of British honorary consul John Terry, a New Zealand native. Terry’s body was found at his home in Kingston in September of 2009. Richard Ewan, 23, was charged with conspiracy to murder for the strangulation death of Terry. Terry, 64, had made Jamaica his home since 1967 and worked as a hotel maintenance manager until his death. Ewan was a security guard in Montego Bay at the time of the murder.
TEACHERS TO FORCE GOLDING TO PAY OUTSTANDING MONIES—04/29/10
Jamaican teachers are making an effort to force Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s government to pay billions of dollars in money that is owed to them. Michael Stewart, president of the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA), noted the work-to-rule stated members would not be involved with extra-curricular activities, but Andrew Holness, Minister of Education, said contingency plans have been established to deal with the situation. The JTA agreed to protest in order force the government to discuss the payment of their outstanding salaries. The government has told the teachers that there are no funds available to honor a pay agreement made earlier.
CARIBBEAN AIRLINES TO REHIRE 1,000 WORKERS—04/30/10
Caribbean Airlines, the Trinidadian firm that has taken over Air Jamaica, says it will rehire approximately 1,000 workers employed by the Jamaican airline. This action provides relief for many workers, since it had been previously announced that only 300 Air Jamaica workers would be given jobs with Caribbean Airlines. Another 1,500 Jamaican Airline workers will receive full redundancy pay and severance money.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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DAMIAN MARLEY CANCELS PERFORMANCE IN ABU DHABI—04/25/10
Damian Marley, youngest son of Bob Marley, cancelled his performance in Abu Dhabi’s three-day WOMAD music festival. Marley told concert promoters that he was feeling ill and could not make the event. Abdullah Al Ameri, the director of culture and arts in Abu Dhabi’s Authority for Culture and Heritage, said the organizers of the event will not replace Marley with another performer.
SECOND BOOK ON AFRICA PUBLISHED BY JAMAICAN AUTHOR—04/26/10
Yvonne Blackwood, who credits her grandmother with sparking her interest in Africa, published her first book on the continent after her first trip there in 1997. In 2002, the Jamaican-Canadian author returned to Africa with two of her cousins, and the result of that trip was the new book, “Into Africa: The Return.” Arts and Culture Jamaica hosted the launch of the new book in Toronto, Canada on April 21, 2010. Blackwood says the book is about the trip she and her cousins enjoyed through Ghana and Togo.
JAMAICAN DJs TARGETED BY POLICE IN TRINIDAD—04/27/10
Police in Trinidad and Tobago plan to block any artiste from entering their country if their music contributes to or seems to influence gang-related behaviors and actions. According to Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Gilbert Reyes, an attempt is being made to deal with these activities, and the police cannot afford to have musical artistes encourage and ignite behavior that leads to the commission of serious crimes. Reyes made his statement after an attempt to prevent the Jamaican musician, Romain “Ryno Di Stinger” Anderson, from entering the country.
JAMAICAN GROUP HONORS COMMUNITY LEADERS—04/29/10
Daianna N. Day, a freshman at Miami Dade College, received the yearly scholarship provided by the Jamaica Ex-Police Association of South Florida. Day, who is from Haiti, started her classes in the fall of 2009 and is pursuing a career in medicine. The award was presented by the Jamaican group at a banquet held in Fort Lauderdale. This is the eighth year that the scholarship program has been in operation.
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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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MOBILE BANKING INTRODUCED BY FIRSTCARIBBEAN—04/25/10
RANGEL REPAYS TRIPS TO CARIBBEAN WITH CAMPAIGN MONEY—04/26/10
OFFICIAL IN ANTIGUA FACES EXTRADITION—04/27/10
TRINIDAD LIFTS BANS ON AMERICAN POLITICAL STRATEGIST—04/28/10
BARBADOS CONSIDERS CRUISE SHIP CASINO OPENINGS—04/29/10
METAL SCAVENGERS PREVALENT IN HAITI—04/30/10
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SPORTS
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CAMPBELL WINS TITLE—04/24/10
Kemoy Campbell won the high school boys’ 3,000-meter race at the 116th Penn Relays Carnival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Campbell, who is from Bellefield High, ran a personal best time of 8.20.14 minutes. This is the fourth fastest time recorded in the history of the meet. Campbell is the first Jamaican to win this event.
BOLT MAKE DAZZLING APPEARANCE AT PENN RELAYS—04/25/10
Thousands of Jamaican track and field fans showed up at the Penn Relays to watch Usain Bolt, three-time Olympic gold medalist, make his return appearance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bolt ran a very fast final leg of the 4 x 100-meter relay, overtaking Ivory Williams of the United States to win the event. Bolt and his team members, Mario Forsythe, Yohan Blake, and Marvin Anderson, finished the relay in 37.90 seconds. This was a record for the competition. Bolt ran an unofficial 8.79 seconds in his leg of the race.
LLOYD LEADS AT DRAKE RELAYS—04/26/10
Jamaican runner Shereefa Lloyd turned in the best performance among the athletes from the Caribbean at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Lloyd, 28, clocked 51.84 seconds in the women’s 400 meters for the win.
WOLMERS’ BOYS BREAK RECORDS AT PENN—04/27/10
Two relay victors were obtained by Wolmers’ Boys as the Jamaican dominated the last day of the 116th Penn Relays Carnival at the University of Pennsylvania. The Jamaicans broke two records: one in the 4 x 100 meters with 39.78 seconds. Chad Wright, national junior record holder, also broke a record when he won Jamaica’s first title in the boys’ discus at 58.50 meters.
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DEVOTIONAL
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Be on Guard!
In the book of Job we read, “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (2:1-2, KJV). It is interesting to note that like a child who is up to no good and is confronted by a parent, Satan did not say what he was doing in his coming and going and the LORD did not pursue it. However, we are not left ignorant because under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Peter exposed him when he wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
That Satan is up to no good is a recurring theme in the Scriptures. Jesus said of him, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). To put it bluntly, he is not our friend! He is not someone we want to befriend, nor is he someone that we want to entertain. As our adversary he not only opposes us in his best interests, but is also opposed to us and what we represent. Because he does not play fair, he will use every weapon in his arsenal. Some of his favorite weapons are fear, doubt, depression, insecurities, distractions, among others, because he knows that if he can get God’s people distracted and discouraged, he can keep them from taking advantage of God’s grace, His favor, and His provisions.
It is no wonder that Peter encouraged us to be sober and be vigilant! In other words, be constantly alert and on guard. As he walks about, Satan is studying our every move. He knows our feelings and our tendencies, and informs himself of all our circumstances; only God can know more and do more than he. But we have God on our side, and because of that we do not have to be intimidated by the lion’s roar.
As we go about our day to day business, let us be diligent and be aware of how Satan works. If we inform ourselves of his strategies, we will be in a much better position to handle the distractions when they come.
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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.
