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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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JAMAICAN CHILDREN TO RECEIVE AID FROM TRINIDAD & TOBAGO—07/10/10
The government of Trinidad & Tobago has promised J$50 million to establish a fund for helping Jamaican children who need surgery that is not easily obtained in local facilities. T&T’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the fund is similar to one operating in her country, where TT$100 million has been pledged to meet the medical needs of children facing life-threatening conditions.
GOLDING AYS CARICOM CONFERENCE SUCCESSFUL—07/10/10
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that the 31st Regular Meeting of the CARICOM Conference was a success. Despite the fact that some discussions between the heads of state were contentious, they were constructive as well.
SUGAR MINOTT, REGGAE ARTISTE, DEAD AT AGE 54—07/11/10
The Jamaican singer, songwriter, and DJ died July 10, 2010, at a hospital in Kingston. Minott reportedly suffered from a heart condition. He was born in 1956 and began his career as part of the African Brothers musical group. In the 1970s, he recorded at Studio One Records and has been credited for moving the studio from roots reggae to the dancehall style. He founded his own label in 1978, recorded a popular cover of the Jackson Five’s “Good Thing Goin'”, and mentored other dancehall musicians like Tenor Saw and Junior Reid.
GOLDING PRAISES CLARKE—07/12/10
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding has characterized Horace Clarke, a former PNP Member of Parliament, as dedicated and serving Jamaica with distinction. Clarke left an “indelible mark” on Jamaica through his business ventures and more than 30 years in politics, said Golding. Clarke emphasized making improvements to rural life and the conditions of small farmers. Upon Clarke’s death on July 10, 2010, Golding expressed condolences to the family.
JAMAICAN ROADS SEE FEWERE AUTO ACCIDENTS—07/13/10
There has been a significant reduction in fatal accidents in Jamaica between January 2010 and July 7, 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. There were 132 collisions and 144 deaths as of July 7, 2010, while in 2009, there were 169 collisions and 195 deaths. In January 2010 there was a 16 percent reduction in collisions compared to January 2009.
FAIR TRADE COMMISSION FINDS DIGICEL HARMFUL TO CONSUMERS—07/14/10
Jamaica’s Fair Trading Commission issued a report representing a major victory for consumers. The report supports the claim of LIME that Digicel abused its dominant position in the market by utilizing unfair pricing practices and reducing competition. LIME had complained to the Commission that Digicel acted in an anti-competitive manner when it charged LIME a wholesale rate for calls from LIME landlines to Digicel mobile phones. This was 62 percent higher than the retail rate charged to Digicel’s own landline customers.
CHINESE AMBASSADOR PROVIDES AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT—07/15/10
The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Chen Jinghua, represented a batch of agricultural machines and irrigation equipment to the Jamaican government. The equipment includes tractors, rice harvesters, electric water pumps, diesel generators, plows, sprayers, brush cutters, and rice seedling machines. The machinery will be used to revamp Jamaica’s rice industry.
NEW ISSUES WITH MANATT—07/16/10
The company Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, is back in the news with a story that the law firm paid US$15,000 via a local attorney Harold Brady in March 2010. The funds were allegedly disbursed one month after Manatt had claimed to have cut ties with Jamaica’s government. The new information has garnered the attention of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP), which has called from a commission of enquiry to determine the facts in the Manatt case.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICAN NAMED TO WORLD HEART FEDERATION BOARD—07/10/10
The recent naming of Deborah Chen as vice-president-elect of the board of the World Heart Federation (WHF) represents the first time that Jamaica has a presence on the board. Chen is executive director of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) and was appointed to the board at the World Congress of Cardiology Scientific Session in China in June 2010. The WHF is based in Switzerland and is committed to helping people through prevention and control of heart disease and stroke. It focuses on low-income and middle-income nations.
JAMAICAN SENTENCE FOR ARMED BANK ROBBERY—07/11/10
Dwayne K. Lewis, 28, a Jamaican national living in Bridgeport, Connecticut, pled guilty in February 2010 to armed bank robberies in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York. The robberies netted a reported $269,000. Lewis faces deportation after completing his sentence of 120 months in a United States federal prison.
CHINA REPRESENTS NEW MARKET FOR JAMAICAN COFFEE—07/13/10
Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Coffee Industry Board signed an agreement with Hangzhou Coffee and Western Food Association of China that will create an additional market for distributing Jamaica’s premium coffee. According to the agreement, the Chinese organization will be the exclusive importer of Jamaican coffee for China for two years.
JAMAICAN MUSICIAN DISAVOWS SEXUAL ASSAULT ACCUSATIONS—07/15/10
Sean Kingston, Jamaican singer, faces accusations of sexual assault for an incident that allegedly occurred at Crowne Plaza in Seattle, Washington. According to the claims of two women, Kingston was present at a party in a hotel room and had claimed Kingston took advantage of them when they were in an intoxicated state. Police have expressed skepticism about the claims of assault the women made against Kingston, citing their behavior during the same night at the party.
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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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DEA ELIMINATES “HARD CORE” DRUG TRAFFICKERS FROM PUERTO RICO—07/10/10
HAITI, SIX MONTHS AFTER EARTHQUAKE—07/12/10
PASSPORT FEES TO RISE—07/13/10
CRUISE PASSENGER KILLED IN GANG VIOLENCE—07/14/10
CITI GETS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE—07/15/10
CALIX UNIFIED ACCESS PORTFOLIO DEPLOYED—07/16/10
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SPORTS
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DEXTER LEE RUNS 100 METERS in 10.16 SECONDS—07/10/10
Jamaican Dexter Lee ran a personal best in the 100 meters with a time of 10.16 seconds at the Miting International D’atletisme Ciutat De in Barcelona, Spain. Lee just missed the first place spot, coming behind Dwayne Chambers of the UK, who ran a record 10.14 seconds.
POWELL LOSES TO GAY IN BRITISH GRAND PRIX—07/11/10
Jamaica’s Asafa Powell was edged out of a win in the 100 meters at the British Grand Prix by the American Tyson Gay, who clocked 9.94 seconds. Gay’s time was just 0.02 seconds faster than Powell’s. Powell was disappointed, being the fastest out of the blocks in the race. He said he eased up a little too much.
ANTI-DOPING BOARD DISSOLVED—07/12/10
Jamaica has decided to dissolve the board of directors of the Anti-Doping Commission following potential conflicts of interest. Mike Fennell, president of the Jamaica Olympic Association, said that all 15 members of the board were fired by Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s national sports minister. Fennell said the firing allows a restructuring of the entire organization. Conflicts of interest were noted as some panel members also lead sports associations in Jamaica.
BOLT TO RUN IN PARIS, NOT BRITAIN—07/13/10
Usain Bolt, Jamaica’s triple Olympic champion, has decided not to compete in the Diamond League meet at Crystal Palace in London because of the tax laws in Britain. Bolt said he would definitely not run in London because he was told that he would lose more money than he would earn running there. The tax situation in the UK has kept several sports stars from participating in events in Britain, said Bolt’s agent Ricky Simms.
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DEVOTIONAL
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A Matter of Perspective
According to Numbers 13, when the twelve spies returned from spying out the land God had promised them, ten of them returned with a negative report. The land was as God said it would be, “neverthless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan” (vv. 28-29, KJV). Caleb, one of the two with a different opinion, “stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we” (vv. 30-31).
One would think that after all the miracles God had performed in taking them out of Egypt, the last thing they would do was to doubt whatever He told them. However, they got so wrapped up in what they saw that it affected their perception of themselves. Verse 33 tells us, “We saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” and therein lies the problem when we look at our challenges with our natural eyes instead of seeing them as God sees them. There is no doubt that God often takes His people through seemingly impossible situations, but He does so fully expecting His people to trust Him in the journey. It is as the saying goes, “If God takes you to it, He will lead you through it;” something we tend to forget when we stand before what seems like insurmountable challenges.
Yet, God desires to show Himself strong in the lives of His people. If we are constantly faced with situations that we can overcome on our own, we would be totally self-reliant and God would take second place in our lives. However, in order to claim all the things He declares to be ours, we have to have faith in His ability to do all that He says He will do. There are no situations too difficult for Him to handle, none so far gone that is beyond the reach of His power and might.
It is absolutely important that we remember that God can be trusted. He “is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). Because His track record is perfect, His promises are one hundred percent guaranteed. Once we are fully persuaded of this fact it will change the way we think; it will change the way we see ourselves.
Amidst life’s challenges, are you believing God for what He has promised 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.
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