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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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FORMER MINISTER UNDERSTANDS WIKILEAKS PUBLISHING—05/28/11
Burchell Whiteman, former government minister and Jamaican High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, says he understands why a newspaper published controversial diplomatic communications from WikiLeaks, but also believes timing and selectivity of the releases must be balanced with the need to know.
JAMAICAN WOMEN USING BLACKMARKET ABORTION PILL—05/29/11
The drug Cytotec is intended to prevent ulcers in the stomach, but women in Jamaica are using it without a physician’s prescription in order to obtain abortions. According to the Ministry of Health, there is widespread use of the drug for inducing labor among pregnant women and for the termination of unwanted pregnancies as well. A new ministry policy will limit access to the drug to obstetricians, gynecologists, and hospital consultants.
JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT REJECTS U.S. DEPORTEE PROPOSAL—05/30/11
In 2007, Jamaica’s government told the United States is was not interested in a plan to handle deportees, in spite of appealing to the American government for help on previous occasions. A private diplomatic cable obtained via WikiLeaks shows that the administration of Bruce Golding rejected a program that would have provided U.S. funding to help reintegrate migrants who were returned forcibly to the homeland.
BRITISH COMPANY TO IMPROVE IT SKILLS ON ISLAND—05/31/11
Go Digital All Ltd., a company in the United Kingdom, plans to provide learning services in Kingston and in rural areas of Jamaica beginning in 2012. The firm offers training in information technology and works with schools to train parents as well using school facilities. When the company brings its services to Jamaica, it will also be bringing 27 portable hand-held PCs donated by a high school in Nottingham in the UK for reconditioning and eventual use by Jamaican youth.
FORMER MINISTER MACMILLAN DIES—06/01/11
Col. Trevor MacMillan, Jamaica’s former Minister of National Security and Senator, died at home in St. Andrew from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 71. Prime Minister Bruce Golding paid tribute to MacMillan, saying that he had conducted himself with honor and distinction. MacMillan had also served in the Jamaica Defense Force for 27 years before taking the position of Commissioner of Police.
JAMAICA’S FALLEN POLICE OFFICERS HONORED—06/02/11
At the end of June 2011, a Wall of Honor will be constructed at National Heroes Park in Kingston to commemorate Jamaican policemen and women who have given their lives in the line of duty. Dwight Nelson, Minister of National Security, announced the intent to build the wall at the 68th Annual Joint Central Conference of the Jamaica Police Federation.
JAMAICAN DOCTORS JOIN IN BUSINESS VENTURE—06/03/11
Collie Miller and Winston F.B. Clarke, Jamaican physicians, have partnered, along with the Clarke family, to create Exec Direct Aviation Services Ltd. The new venture involves a new all-cargo airline flying between Jamaica and Curacao. US$1.5 million has been already put toward the startup company, which will initially fly one carrier every week between the two islands.
PORTEOUS OUT OF RUNNING—06/03/11
Sally Porteous, the Jamaica Labor Party’s candidate for central Manchester, will and not run in the next general election in 2012. She has been the JLP candidate for central Manchester since 2007. Porteous says her decision to run for reelection as councilor in the Mandeville Division depends on when the local government elections will occur.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICAN WOMAN DEPORTED FROM UK FOR FRAUD—05/28/11
Semone Welcome, 34, used false documents to obtain work as a care giver in Birmingham in the United Kingdom. The Jamaican will be deported and banned from returning to the UK for ten years. She earned over £36,500 while working illegally in Birmingham. She arrived in the UK on a six-month tourist visa in 1999. By June 2009, her employers at South Birmingham Primary Care Trust became suspicious and checked into her background where it was found she had forged a visa in her Jamaican passport when applying for the job.
GIL SCOTT HERON DEAD AT 62—05/29/11
Gil Scott Heron, jazz and soul musician, has died in New York after becoming ill after a trip to Europe. Heron was born in Chicago, Illinois to Jamaican soccer star Gilbert Heron and the singer Bobbie Scott. His recording career began in 1970. He is best known for his spoken word piece “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” Heron was credited with being one of the pioneers of hip-hop and rap music.
SEAN KINGSTON STABLE AFTER ACCIDENT IN FLORIDA—05/30/11
Jamaican musician Sean Kingston is reported as being in stable condition in Miami, Florida, following a jet ski accident. He was on a watercraft with a female passenger when they collided with the Palm Island Bridge. Kingston was treated at Jackson Ryder Trauma Center.
MARKS COMMENDS NEWSPAPER FOR SPELLING BEE SUPPORT—06/01/11
Audrey Marks, Jamaican Ambassador to the United States, has praised The Gleaner Company of Jamaica for its support and sponsorship of Jamaica’s entry into the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest in the U.S. Jamaica’s entry, Hanif Brown Jr., was welcomed by Marks during a visit to the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, D.C. Marks said the Gleaner’s commitment “speaks volumes” about the development of Jamaica’s youth.
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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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MUSEUM TO HONOR VICTIMS OF TRUJILLO—05/28/11
FIFA SCANDAL FOCUSES ON BLATTER—05/29/11
GUYANA RECOVERING “LOST” TIME—05/30/11
FIFA’S BLAZER WILL NOT END LINK TO BRIBERY LAWYERS—05/31/11
ST. GEORGE’S VET SCHOOL CLOSE TO ACCREDITATION—06/01/11
SLOW SUMMER SEASON EXPECTED FOR CRUISE SECTOR—06/02/11
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BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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WILLLIAMS PRAISES CREDIT UNIONS—05/28/11
Arthur Williams, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Sector, has praised Jamaican credit unions for providing opportunities for many individuals who would not otherwise have eligibility for accessing funds from the financial sector. Credit unions, he said, have stayed true to their core mission and ensured that their members can reach their goals, ultimately contributing to improvements in the overall economy.
NEW TAX DESIGNED TO ATTRACT NEW TOURISTS—05/29/11
Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s tourism minister, believes that an increase in the head tax paid by incoming airline passengers will contribute toward the creation of better marketing campaigns. The $10 increase will prompt improved marketing to attract more visitors from emerging markets. Bartlett says the funds will be placed exclusively toward attracting visitors from Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia, and China. These nations represent the new targets of marketing efforts.
SCOTIABANK SEES DECLINE IN NON-PERFORMING LOANS—05/30/11
Scotiabank Jamaica is experiencing a decrease in the number of loans that are non-performing due to new strategies imposed by the bank. This includes an aggressive strategy for collections. At the end of the quarter on April 30, 2011, non-performing loans still totaled $4.2 billion. This was an increase of $315 million over the same period in 2010, but represented a decrease of $24 million than the amount seen in the quarter ending in January 2011.
CLARO DEAL IN THE CLEAR, SAYS DIGICEL—06/01/11
The problem that had halted the merger application in El Salvador between Digicel and Claro has been removed, and Digicel believes the deal will go through. Digicel’s business in El Salvador and Honduras represents part of a negotiation between the owner of Claro, America Movil, and Digicel. The hold-up involved a procedural issue that has been resolved.
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TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY
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DIGITAL PICTURES BECOME REAL POSTCARDS WITH NEW SERVICE—06/01/11
Postcardly, a new service that is designed to bridge the gap between digital photos and the physical world, will transform these pictures into real-world postcards that can be sent via the mail. With an account at Postcardly, users enter the recipient’s mailing information and create an email account for that person. They then attach a picture to a short message, and Postcardly prints it out and mails it for the sender. The service costs $4.99/month for five postcards, and $9.99/month for 15.
TEENAGER IN CHINA SELLS HIS KIDNEY FOR IPAD 2—06/02/11
Anhui Province Zheng, 17, sold his kidney to purchase an iPad 2, according to the Shanghai Daily. Zheng received 20,000 yen, the equivalent of $3,084.45, for the kidney. However, his health has taken a turn for the worse, and he regrets his decision. He said a broker contacted him over the Internet and offered to sell his kidney for 20,000 yen. Zheng had the surgery at a hospital that was not qualified to perform transplants. When his mother discovered where he got the money for his new iPad, she reported the matter to the police.
SOCIAL ACTIVIST IN MALAYSIA TO TWEET APOLOGY 100 TIMES—06/03/11
Fahmi Fadzil, a Malaysian social activist, has promised to apologize via Twitter to fulfill the terms of a settlement in a case of defamation. Fahmi says he will post his apologetic tweet 100 times in three days. The case involved comments Fadzil said about a friend was had been mistreated by her employers at a magazine. Lawyers for the magazine threatened to take action against him for defamation, but a settlement was reached. The only demand in the settlement is that Fahmi make the 100 tweets, which represents one tweet every 35 minutes over three days.
ACCESSORY ADDS CAMERA BUTTON TO IPHONE—06/03/11
Red Pop is an accessory that adds a large red camera button to the iPhone. This resolves the problems many have with attempting to take photos with the popular device. Consumers find the small shutter-release button on the iPhone difficult to use. The iPhone 4 accessory is estimated to cost $75. Red Pop is looking for funding to take the item into production.
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CARIBBEAN TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR ICT DEVELOPING—05/28/11
TECHNOLOGY USED FOR POSITIVE OUTCOMES—05/29/11
LATIN AMERICA, CARIBBEAN BUY MOST HOLLYWOOD SERIES, FILMS—05/31/11
MALWARE TARGETING MOBILE DEVICES ON THE INCREASE—06/02/11
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SPORTS
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BRYAN INJURY PRECLUDES PARTICIPATION IN GOLD CUP—05/28/11
Kavin Bryan, Jamaican forward, will not be playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition in June 2011 because of a broken leg. Bryan, 27, broke the fibula of his right leg and suffered an ankle dislocation during the second half of a match in the Vietnamese League, in which he scored the only goal in the game. Bryan has said he is disappointed, but that everything happens for a reason.
BOLT HAPPY WITH COMBACK RACE—05/29/11
Usain Bolt, Jamaica’s sprint champion, said he was happy to race again after a lay-off of nine months. Bolt, 24, turned in a somewhat ragged performance, but was still hard to beat. He took the Golden Gala honors in Rome in 100 meters with a time of 9.91 seconds, beating fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell. Powell ran the distance in 9.93 seconds.
JAMAICAN GOLFER GETS BIG BREAK—05/30/11
Carl Whyte, Jamaican golfer, is one of the participants in the reality series “Big Break” on the Golf Channel. The series plays golf professionals against each other for the ultimate prize: playing in the PGA tour, plus over US$50,000. Whyte, who is from Green Mount in Manchester, now lives in Salisbury, Maryland. He attended Knox College.
CAMPBELL-BROWN FINE-TUNES PERFORMANCE FOR NATIONALS—05/31/11
Veronica Campbell-Brown, defending Olympic champion in the 200-meters, continues to perfect her performance to get ready for the Jamaica National Championships. She hopes for a season’s best of under 10.92 seconds in her final race at the Ostrava Golden Spike competition in the
Czech Republic.
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DEVOTIONAL
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Only For A Season
Elijah had just delivered God’s judgment to King Ahab that there would be no rain in Israel until he (Elijah) said so, right after which God told him: “Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there” (2 Kings 17:3-4, KJV). This sure sounded like he would be settled in for the long haul! It is interesting to note that Elijah did not make prior preparations for himself even though he knew what was coming. There was no borrowing of pots and pans to store water for a season. Rather, he did exactly as the Lord told him “and the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook” (v. 6).
We do not know how long he was there for, but what we know is that “after a while . . . the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee” (vv. 7-9). So far, everything had gone exactly as God had said. What we want to note, however, are the following – it was God who had sent him to the brook; the brook dried up; it was time for him to move again. Why didn’t God simply bring food to Elijah where he was by other means? For sure, that wasn’t a big deal for a God who had demonstrated on Mount Carmel that He was the God of everything. I would like to suggest that this wasn’t about God but Elijah. Would he trust God in a situation where he had nothing else to fall back on? His season at the spot was over. God’s faithfulness would continue to and beyond Zarephath.
Life really is about seasons. In Ecclesiastes 3:1 we read, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” and there are times when God have us walk a certain path that is meant to last only for a season. However, we can become so comfortable by our dried-up brook reflecting on the way things were that we fail to trust God with the next step. Maybe we are expecting Him to do something in a way He has done it before, yet being God, He can do anything in whatever way He chooses. For Elijah, the famine was not over but his season by the brook was. Had he stayed by the brook he would have died from starvation. His blessing, food and sustenance, was now commanded in Zarephath and in order to claim it he had to leave where he was. A dried-up brook could be a failed relationship, a failed friendship, a job loss, or some other unexpected challenge. Regardless of whatever it is, it could be that your blessing has been commanded elsewhere. All of this assumes no violation of God’s Word, for He will not give an instruction that conflicts with His Word.
If God has demonstrated His faithfulness in your life, you can trust Him with your next step. He knows what He is doing.
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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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