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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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GOLDING WAITS FOR INFORMATION FROM JAPAN—03/12/11
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding expressed his concern about Jamaicans who live in Japan and was awaiting word about them after the major earthquake and tsunami that occurred in the country. Golding said he was attempting to contact Claudia Barnes, Jamaica’s ambassador in Japan, to find out about her safety and the safety of other Jamaicans living there.
SPANISH TOWN GANGSTERS USE CHURCH AS COVER DURING ATTACK—03/13/11
According to police investigators, one of the worst criminal gangs in Jamaica is taking more than $400 million per year from its activities. The Clansman gang is based in Spanish Town. Most of the gang’s wealth derives from extortion and contract killing. It was responsible for a recent attack on a police station in Spanish Town.
RADIO PROGRAM DISCONTINUED—03/14/11
Nationwide News Network has been told by the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica to stop transmitting the program called “Ragashanti Live.” The station also had to take required steps to make its programming conform to its public service license and broadcasting regulations. The directive was made after a number of complaints about the program from the public and after its own review, which was conducted between February 7 and March 2, 2011.
HOSPITAL INVADED BY GUNMEN NOW PATROLLED BY POLICE—03/14/11
A public hospital in Jamaica was invaded by gunmen, but it has been put under 24-hour police patrols. Spanish Town Hospital reported that the patrols are designed to protect its staff members and patients. According to Dwight Nelson, National Security Minister, the patrols will remain in place as long as they are needed and warned gangsters that any future attacks on the hospital will be undertaken “at their own peril.”
20 PERCENT OF JAMAICA’S POPULATION LIVES IN POVERTY—03/15/11
According to the Planning Institute of Jamaica, the nation’s poverty level passed 20 percent in 2010, an increase from 16.5 percent in 2009. In 2007, 9.9 percent of the population lived in poverty. Economic conditions in Jamaica are characterized by rising poverty levels, according to a report from the Institute, which attributes the cause to fiscal stabilization measures, extreme weather conditions in 2010, and May 2011 civil unrest.
MOTORISTS IN JAMAICA TO RECEIVE GAS PRICE REDUCTION—03/16/11
Petrojam, Jamaica’s state-owned oil refinery, announced gas price reductions for the first time in six weeks. Prices for a liter of E10-87 and E10-90 gas have been lowered by 30 cents. The decrease is the result of changes in U.S. Gulf Reference prices. Diesel oil, propane cooking gas, kerosene, and butane will also see lower prices.
FOREIGN MINISTRY FINDS JAMAICANS IN JAPAN—03/17/11
Claudia Barnes, Jamaica’s ambassador to Japan, reports that all 250 Jamaicans who live in Japan have been contacted. All are safe after the 9.0 earthquake and devastating tsunami that occurred in Japan. Fifty-five Jamaicans who are participating in the Jamaica-Japan partnership program are among the 250 contacted.
BANTON TO WAIT ADDITIONAL TIME FOR SENTENCING—03/18/11
Federal judge James S. Moody has decided, without explanation, to delay the sentencing of Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton from June 16, 2011, to June 23, 2011. Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, could receive 20 years in prison after being found guilty to three charges relating to cocaine. Banton was acquitted of a firearms charge.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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SAMUDA IN LONDON ON INVESTMENT MISSION—03/15/11
Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Karl Samuda, is traveling to London on a trade and investment mission designed to encourage demand for Jamaica’s product on the international market. Samuda also wants to generate new direct foreign investments and develop partnerships among stakeholders in the United Kingdom and Jamaica.
“GHETTOUT,” JAMAICAN HIT PLAY, PERFORMED IN SOUTH FLORIDA—03/16/11
The Sunshine Theater Company and Stages Production are presenting the hit Jamaican comedy called “GhettOut” in April 2011. The play is written by Michael Denton and involves a murder mystery combined with comedy entertainment. According to Bunny Allen, the chairman of Stages Productions, there is a strong demand for this type of show locally and overseas. More people have seen this play than any other Jamaican play to date, Allen said.
ELEPHANT MAN REPLACES IN NAIROBI CONCERT—03/17/11
Organizers of an Easter concert in Nairobi, Kenya, replaced Elephant Man with Busy Signal when Elephant Man reported he would not be part of the performance because he received a better offer to perform in the United States. The concert will also feature other Jamaican artistes. Busy Signal is popular in Kenya, said representatives from Fishborne Entertainment.
LONDON FOOD EXPO TO FEATURE JAMAICA DAY—03/18/11
The International Food and Drink Expo in London celebrated Jamaica Day on March 15, 2011. Jamaica was the featured nation on the “Meet the World” stage at the all-day event. Colin Brown, Jamaican chef based in the UK, and famous storyteller Joan Andrea Hutchinson were also featured at the Expo.
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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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CARIBBEAN WORRED ABOUT TSUNAMI WARNING—03/13/11
CARIBBEAN TOURIST OFFICIALS WANT EUROPEAN CONCESSIONS—03/14/11
TOURISM MINISTER OF ST. LUCIA APOLOGIZES TO GAY TOURISTS—03/15/11
VENEZUELA TO STOP NUCLEAR PLANS AFTER JAPAN TRAGEDY—03/16/11
PORT OF TAMPA TO BEGIN CAR FERRY SERVICE TO CUBA—03/17/11
ARISTIDE TO RETURN TO HAITI, ENDS EXILE IN SOUTH AFRICA—03/18/11
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BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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CLARO-JAMAICA ACQUIRED BY DIGICEL—03/12/11
Digicel, Jamaica’s premier mobile service provider, has announced an agreement with America Movil to acquire that company’s Claro business on the island. The financial terms of the agreement remain secret, but will involve a net cash payment to Digicel. The deal means that Digicel will provide its businesses to El Salvador and Honduras, maintaining its dominance in the Caribbean without having to worry about Movil.
WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS GET $113 MILLION FROM NCB—03/13/11
Jamaica’s National Commercial Bank is making $113 million in sponsorship funding to the support of women-owned and operated developing businesses. Another $100 million will be provided by the bank to support loans. The arrangement involves a partnership with the Women Business Owners of Jamaica Ltd. (WBO) and will run for three years. The program will provide training opportunities for women.
JAMAICAN DENIS O’BRIEN HAS NET WORTH OF MORE THAN US$4 BILLION—03/14/11
Denis O’Brien, the founder and chairman of Digicel, has watched his net worth increase to US$4.2 billion. He is now 254th on the Forbes rich list, moving up four spots from his previous ranking at 458. O’Brien, 52, has grown the Digicel businesses to 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America, and the Pacific.
CARIBBEAN PROMOTED BY T&T, JAMAICA PARTNERSHIP—03/17/11
Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago will join their efforts to promote the Caribbean region at London’s Olympic Games in 2012. The partnership agreement provides for a team to represent major groups and organizations in the region in a general campaign known as “Caribbean Calling.” The program seeks to enhance the Caribbean’s profile on the international tourism and business stages.
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TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY
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NORWEGIANS VISUALIXZE WI-FI SIGNALS VIA LIGHT-PAINTING—03/12/11
Timo Arnall, Jorn Knutsen, and Einar Sneve Martinussen of Oslo, Norway’s School of Architecture and Design are using light-painting to make the invisible Wi-Fi signals in the city easy to visualize. They use the light-painting with long-exposure photography. The researchers have made a documentary called “Immaterials” that depicts the Wi-Fi light painting powered by a 13-foot “measuring rod” with 80 lights designed to illuminate various levels that correspond to signal strength.
MILITARY OFFICIALS IN U.S. WANT FACEBOOK “PHANTOM ARMY”—03/16/11
The military in the United States has provided funding for a software project that will create fake Facebook profiles. The fake profiles are designed to counter foreign enemy propaganda. Commander Bill Speaks, spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command, the agency with oversight of military operations in Asia and the Middle East, provided information about the project. A company in California is creating an application that is designed to influence conversations occurring on social media among people speaking languages other than English.
SCIENCE MAKES USE OF OLD X-RAY MACHINE—03/17/11
Researchers in the Netherlands are using an x-ray machine from 1895 and compared it to machines available today. They noted that images have gotten sharper over the years. The original x-ray machine was constructed by a local doctor and educator 116 years ago. It was discovered in a warehouse and cleaned up by Maastricht University Medical Center researchers. Modern x-ray machines use 1,500 times less radiation to make images than the old version.
AMAZON TO OPEN APP STORE—03/18/11
Amazon is likely to present significant competition to Android when it opens its new app store. The highly anticipated distribution center from Amazon will be the Google store’s major rival.
Android users checked out the apps stores and found most apps available for just pennies. Prices at Amazon were about half of Google’s prices for the same products.
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CARIBBEAN TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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DIGICEL-CLARO DEAL COULD HARM TELECOM CONSUMERS—03/13/11
3GPP LEADS CARIBBEAN, LATIN AMERICAN MARKETS—03/14/11
MOBILE MARKET IN CARIBBEAN INCREASING—03/15/11
ISSUES AT TELEBERMUDA IMPACT VOICE SERVICES—03/16/11
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SPORTS
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GARDNER TO SHOW COYLE HIS VALUE—03/12/11
Ricardo Gardner has joined the Preston North End team as a midfielder. With this move, he ends 13 years of service at the Wanderers to join first-team football at Deepdale in the United Kingdom. He is recovering from a knee problem. Gardner played against Leeds just a few hours after joining his new team.
CARIBBEAN ATHLETES SHOW MIXED PERFORMANCE AT NCAA INDOOR—03/13/11
Keiron Stewart and Andrew Riley performed well in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA D1 Indoor Championships in Texas. Stewart ran the competition at 7.76 seconds. Kierre Beckles of Barbados did not make the final cut after running a time of 8.23 seconds in the women’s 60-meter hurdles.
JAMAICAN TRACK STARS TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERCOL COMPETITION—03/16/11
Anneisha McLaughlin and other national representatives plan to compete in the 2011 Intercol Track and Field Champs at Usain Bolt Track and the University of the West Indies at the end of March. In addition to McLaughlin, Selcia Slack, Winston Barnes, and Darrion Bent will participate. The competition is special in 2011 because this is the 50th anniversary of intercol.
REGGAE BOYZ WIN AGAINST BRAZIL IN PRACTICE MATCH—03/17/11
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz, the Under-20 team, showed how impressive they can be when they defeated the Brazilian counterparts, the Sociedad Esportive Palmeirihna, at the Traffic Football Academy. The Jamaicans began the scoring with an effort by Marvin Morgan after 35 minutes. The Boyz won the match with a score of 2-0.
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DEVOTIONAL
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Staying Committed
It is difficult, if not almost impossible, to walk away from a very good thing. People who find themselves in such situations, whether in a relationship, a career, or whatever else, usually cherish the experiences. Perhaps the relationships are the most fulfilling. To know and be known to the point where words seem unnecessary for communication; where the person we are with seem to know our thoughts and are able to complete our sentences. They feel our hurts even when we try to hide it from them; they are in tune with our feelings. All of this is mutual of course, for if the relationship is one-sided it is not much fun.
I like to think that as David reflected on the sheep-Shepherd relationship, the “intimacy” was not lost on him. The Shepherd knows the sheep and the sheep knows the Shepherd. The Shepherd gently leads His sheep over mountains and valleys, protecting them from all kinds of danger. He provides safe pastures for feeding and still waters for rest and refreshing. He takes care of the bruises that come with the journey, checking each sheep individually and pouring in the oil when needed. After a long day, He provides an overflowing cup from which each sheep drinks; not rationed amounts but enough until it is satisfied.
The sheep trust their Shepherd. They “know” that He will do everything in His power to ensure their welfare. Despite the tendency to wander, they are never out of the Shepherd’s sight. Even if one goes astray, the Shepherd will secure the others and go looking for the one that strayed. In today’s parlance, they have it good. It is no wonder therefore, that David closes his psalm with the words, “And through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place” (Psalm 23:6b, The Amplified). Where else would he go? Who else could take care of him the way the LORD, his Shepherd, could and would? This was the same Psalmist who said in another place, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11, KVJ).
Like David, we too can experience the richness and intimacy of our relationship with our Shepherd. It starts with trusting Him with the things that pertains to us; to abandon ourselves in absolute surrender to His care. That is not an easy thing to do because like sheep we do not always know what is best for us. But our Shepherd can be trusted. There is no one like Him and if we allow Him to, He will lead us home – safely.
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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.
