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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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FOOD POISONING SUSPECTED IN ST. MARY—12/25/10
St. Mary police have gathered statements from tourists related to a case of suspected food poisoning at a Rio Nuevo villa. Aldo Malaspino from Argentina died on the way to the hospital after he and 11 other tourists fell ill after eating fish and potato salad. Dudley Scott, commanding officer of the St. Mary police, stated an investigator has been assigned to the case. Six of the 11 tourists remain hospitalized.
NEW COMPANY TO BUILD LARGE POWER PLANT IN JAMAICA—12/26/10
Conduit Capital Partners, a large private equity investment company based in New York, will construct at US$127 million power plant in West Kingston. The company focuses on investments in energy infrastructure and development in the Caribbean and Latin American regions. While the plant will initially operate on oil, it can also run on natural gas. The company has worked closely with Jamaica’s government and an independent regulator for over two years on the project.
CHAMBER CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT ON SLOW PACE—12/27/10
The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce is unhappy about what it views as the government’s slow actions in moving its offices as part of the downtown Kingston renewal program. In 2009, Prime Minister Bruce Golding said his administration would move several offices into the redevelopment area, but in spite of this mandate, Milton Samuda, president of the Chamber, said few public sector agencies or ministries have taken steps toward moving.
JAMAICAN COURT HEARS THROAT-SLASHING CASE—12/28/10
Cathy Lee Martin, 34, appeared in a Jamaican courtroom with bandages around her neck to testify against her husband, Paul Martin, 43, on charges of slitting her throat. The couple had been vacationing in the Caribbean to address their marital difficulties. However, on the day they were to leave the island, the husband attempted to kill his wife. The couple appeared in a court in Trelawny.
HEALTH MINISTER ADDRESSES SKIN-BLEACHING—12/29/10
Dr. Eva Lewis-Fuller, directory of health promotion and protection at Jamaica’s Ministry of Health, is making strong efforts to educate people about skin-bleaching. She is advocating greater enforcement of existing regulations designed to ensure that all chemicals used in skin-bleaching are safe and legal. Lewis-Fuller notes that many Jamaicans are involved with the practice, but possible remain unaware of the dangers of using the bleaching products. The Ministry of Health has introduced an anti-bleaching campaign that seeks to remove illegal products, including prescription items, from sale.
NEWBORN THROWN FROM HOSPITAL WINDOW—12/30/10
A woman threw a newborn baby from the multi-storey Victoria Jubilee Hospital before dawn. Reports claim that the body was partly eaten by stray dogs before it could be retrieved. Lamasa janitorial workers who saw the body were horrified by the incident. They reported seeing the child’s limbs chewed by prowling animals in the pre-dawn darkness. Employees of Madden’s Funeral Home were called upon to remove the body. The woman who threw the infant from the window has not been found. It is unclear whether she was the child’s mother.
FALMOUTH TO RECEIVE FIRST CRUISE SHIPS—12/30/10
Falmouth will become Jamaica’s newest cruise port when its first cruise ship arrives on January 7, 2011. The Royal Caribbean ship Navigator of the Seas, which holds 3,400 passengers, is due to dock that day, and it will be followed by two ships each week thereafter. Falmouth Port, a 32-acre, two-berth port on the northern coast of the island, represents a joint venture between Royal Caribbean and the Port Authority of Jamaica.
DANGEROUS AMMUNITION MADE IN JAMAICA—12/31/10
The main ingredient used in bullets made locally in Jamaica was found in the luggage of an individual traveling to the island from Miami. Authorities have known since 2000 about how the Dillon Automated Reloading Press is being used to make ammunition in Jamaica, but according to Les Green, Assistant Commissioner of Police, they did not know the machine was being used illegally until now. The press is used to place new powder into shells that have already been discharged from weapons.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICAN KILLED BY DOG IN LONDON—12/25/10
Barbara Williams, a Jamaican woman, was killed by a dog believed to be a Belgian mastiff at a house in Wallington, London. According to Scotland Yard, the dog was shot and killed by police officers at the scene. Police are investigating claims of earlier complaints made about the dog. The owner of the dog, Alex Blackburn-Smith, has yet to be found.
ANTHONY JOHNSON FEATURED IN LONDON MAGAZINE—12/28/10
Anthony Johnson, Jamaican High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, is the subject of a feature article in Diplomat magazine in December 2010. Anthony took office in May 2010. The foreign affairs magazine seeks to provide discussions of interest to the diplomatic community in London. Anthony’s role as High Commissioner is to promote trade and diplomatic relationships between Jamaica and the UK.
DIASPORA PROVIDES HOLIDAY TREATS TO CHILDREN’S HOMES—12/30/10
The residents of three children’s homes in Jamaica received holiday treats sponsored by Friends Reaching Friends, a volunteer organization from Holy Sacrament Church in Miami, Florida. The three homes were Clifton Boys’ Home, St. Monica’s Children’s Home, and Granville Children’s Home. Gifts were donated by parishioners and distributed by the volunteer organization. Every year, the organization supports a mission to disadvantaged children in Jamaica and other Caribbean nations.
EMPLOYEES ON JAMAICAN CRUISE SHIP CHARGE WITH DRUG SMUGGLING—12/30/10
Federal authorities in the United States arrested three Jamaican cruise ship workers on charges of smuggling heroin and cocaine through the Port of Baltimore. Gavin Excell, Swart Garth, and Kishurn Neptune got the drugs in the Dominican Republic and planned to sell them to two individuals from Virginia in a Walmart story in Port Covington in Baltimore.
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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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VOODOO KILLINGS ON RISE IN HAITI—12/25/10
PUERTO RICO STRUCK BY EARTHQUAKE—12/26/10
HAITI EXPERIENCES “CHRISTMAS OF MISERY”—12/27/10
MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK WANT NEW POLICIES—12/28/10
RADIO REPORTER VICTIM OF MURDER IN HONDURAS—12/29/10
PUERTO RICO SUFFERS FROM HIGH ASTHMA RATE—12/30/10
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BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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NATIONAL COMMERCIAL BANK CLEARED OF MONEY LAUNDERING—12/25/10
Jamaica’s National Commercial Bank (NCB) was cleared of all charges relating to the breach of the Money Laundering Act. The charges involve failing to file threshold reports concerning a particular account. Submissions from the bank’s attorneys Garth McBean and Dave Garcia were upheld by Resident Magistrate Georgiana Fraser. These stated that the directive requiring financial institutions to file reports of deposits over US$50,000 was not gazetted and that for the directive to become law it must be gazetted.
TRINIDAD PRIME MINISTER TO MAKE AIRLINE DECISION—12/26/10
The public clash between Jack Warner, Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Transport, and the newly appointed Board of Directors of Caribbean Airlines Ltd. (CAL) has significant repercussions for the operations of Air Jamaica. Caribbean Airlines is owned by the government of T&T. Warner has said that either he or the Board of Directors must go, however, and expects the government to choose between them. The argument centers on whether the Board has the authority to re-evaluate a decision made by the airline’s chief executive officer in the absence of a Board of Directors, when the old one resigned and the new one had not yet taken office, to buy a dozen turboprop aircraft to replace its fleet.
FILMMAKER CREATES JAMAICAN HOLLYWOOD—12/27/10
Junior Heart, who was born in Black River, St. Elizabeth, has made returned to his roots, making Jamaica his home for the past year, shooting films and working to develop the local film industry. He has named the endeavor Collywood Productions, a Jamaican version of Hollywood. Heart moved to the United Kingdom when he was eight years old and later attended City of London College before going to film school. His first solo project was Renk Records in 1989, which became famous as a pioneer in creating jungle music for the UK. Heart is now focusing on Collywood.
ATTORNEYS, BUSINESSES IN CONFLICT OVER TRADEMARK REGISTRATION—12/28/10
Businesses in Jamaica, which must pay substantial fees to register Jamaican products and services internationally, want their country to become party to a treaty they believe will simplify and lower costs linked to brand protections. However, attorneys who must perform the actual duty of lodging intellectual property registrations are opposed to what they view as an action that will potentially decrease their income. The conflict involves the Madrid Protocol, which would allow a one-time registration of trademarks in major international markets.
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CARIBBEAN TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY
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SILICON CARIBE INTRODUCES DIRECTORY OF CARIBBEAN APPS—12/26/10
Web and mobile applications created by Caribbean developers are available through Silicon Caribe. Developers in Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados are experimenting with these applications and industry observers believe they will become increasingly popular in 2011. Silicon Caribe has created a directory for investors, readers, and developers in which entrepreneurs can list all apps that have at least 500 monthly users.
JAMAICANS.COM GETS RECORD NUMBER OF BLOG AWARD NOMINATIONS—12/29/10
The website Jamaicans.com has received a record six nominations for blog awards for 2010. According to Xavier Murphy, founder and chief executive officer of Jamaicans.com, it is his site’s efforts to identify and encourage the best blogging by Jamaicans that has resulted in the nominations. The site competed with 276 blogs in 16 categories. Jamaicans.com received three nominations for Best Overseas Blog, Best New Jamaican Blog, Readers Choice Blog, and Top Blog Post.
FTC TO CONTINUE INVESTIGATION OF DIGICEL 4G—12/30/10
The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) has decided to continue its investigation of Digicel Jamaica concerning the firm’s promotion of its WiMAX residential service offering as a 4G technology. According to David Miller, executive director of the FTC, the agency will have no problem with what Digicel calls 4G as long as its definition is congruent with industry standards. The ITU endorsed WiMAX as a 4G offering three months after the company began its 4G broadband promotions. LIME has argued that WiMAX is not 4G and that Digicel was engaged in misleading advertising.
MOBILE MONEY TO LAUNCH IN HAITI—12/31/10
People in Haiti will soon be able to take advantage of mobile money and expanded banking services. Voila, a wireless operator in Haiti and a subsidiary of Trilogy International Partners and Unibank, the top financial institution on the island, have partnered with Mercy Corps, an international relief agency, to introduce a humanitarian aid program using the island’s first mobile money solution. The program will let recipients of Mercy Corps’ cash-for-work and food voucher programs to use Voila phones as “mobile wallets.” It will provide a safe and convenient way to pay recipients the money raised by donations to organizations like Mercy Corps.
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TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY
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FACEBOOK EXAMINES WAYS USERS EXPRESS THEMSELVES—12/26/10
The team at Facebook is using a text analysis application known as Linguistic Inquiry and World Count (LIWC) to examine the billions of words produced by English-speaking users in the United States. The application was developed with aid from the National Institutes of Health to study how written and verbal language reflects physical and mental well-being. Facebook is using the application to study status updates. The team found that users appeared to like updates that included sexual words, while disliking those having to do with death.
APPLE FACES LAWSUITS OVER PRIVACY IN IPHONE, IPAD APPS—12/28/10
Jonathan Lalo filed a lawsuit in a United States District Court in California alleging that iPhones and iPads, the popular devices from Apple, allow advertising networks track the applications people download, how often they use these applications, and how long they use them. The lawsuit claims that advertisers can track this activity through the use of a unique device identifier (UDID), a number that is specific to each unit and that cannot be blocked by its user. The suit claims that sending personal information without consent violates federal computer fraud and privacy rules.
NEW ANDROID TROJAN THREAT IDENTIFIED—12/29/10
According to Lookout Mobile Security, a security company seeking to fight against threats to mobile devices, the Geinimi Android Trojan malware threat has been discovered in China. It is capable of stealing a considerable amount of personal information from an Android mobile phone and sending it to remote users. Geinimi has qualities of a botnet and has been called the most sophisticated wireless malware observed by Lookout Mobile Security. The malware is “grafted” onto repackaged versions of legitimate applications, usually games, and it is distributed in third-party Chinese Android application markets. Lookout Mobile has already updated all versions of its protective software to guard against Geinimi.
MAN TO FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES FOR READING E-MAIL OF WIFE—12/30/10
Leon Walker, 33, has been charged as a criminal for using his wife’s Gmail password to read her email messages. He obtained the password from a book kept by his wife next to her laptop computer. Walker claims that he is innocent of any wrongdoing because he purchased the laptop and regularly used it himself.
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SPORTS
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SANTOKIE READY TO BOWL—12/28/10
Krishmar Santokie, 26, finished the 2009 Caribbean Twenty20 tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker. Now, he is frequently given the responsibility to bowl at the death, which he says is a challenge that requires maximum effort. He says he is the kind of person who always tries to do his best when given a specific responsibility. While it does add some pressure, Santokie says Twenty20 cricket is a game of pressure “in general.”
SUNSHINE CHALET NEARLY READY—12/29/10
Marva Bernard, president of the Jamaica Netball Association (JNA), says that the renovations of their netball home are nearly completed. The Sunshine Girls hope to move in before the beginning of their three-Test Supreme Ventures Sunshine Series in January 2011. They will face the top team in the world, Australia. The five-bedroom house, named the Sunshine Chalet, is located in Kingston and was given to the JNA by Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding. The Jamaican team is ranked fourth in the world and will face Australia in the first Test match on January 12, 2011.
ASTON VILLA WANTS LOAN DEAL FOR CUMMINGS—12/30/10
Aston Villa is looking to loan Jamaican striker Omar Cummings during the January transfer period. The Jamaican has been impressive in major league soccer and it is believed Cummings could be offered a trial with the option to join Villa on loan. Cummings, 28, is expected to be one of two signings with Villa.
BRAVO DECISION NOT TO PLAY FOR T&T DIFFICULT—12/31/10
Dwayne Bravo, West Indies all-rounder, states that his decision not to play for Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship was difficult to reach. Bravo, 27, has decided to play for Victoria in Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash, which means he will miss the tournament scheduled for January 10 to 23 in Antigua and Barbados. Bravo is one of two T&T players who will miss the tournament. Kieron Pollard will play for South Australia in the Big Bash.
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DEVOTIONAL
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“In the Beginning God”
As we stand on the threshold of yet another year I am reminded of the first four words from the book of Genesis, “In the beginning God,” and it occurred to me that there is no greater way to start the year than by getting God involved at the very beginning of it. If we look back over the past twelve months on how we did when we tried to manage things on our own, some of us would see our pathways littered with mistakes, disappointments, failures, hurts, among other things. For others, it has been a difficult year in other areas as it seems we have been tossed to and fro by the contrary winds of life. Nothing up to now seems to make any sense.
Yet there is something comforting about having God by our side. This does not guarantee that we will not experience challenges because living in a fallen world is a challenge within itself, however, God assured the nation of Israel, “O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour” (Isaiah 43:1-3a, KJV). Because we serve Him who is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), we can trust Him that the same promises He made to Israel can be applied to our lives. It is important to note the use of the word “when” because it affirms that we will go through some challenging times. However, if we engage God at the beginning we have His word that He will be with us in and through every situation.
The importance of engaging God is brought out the Psalmist who reminds us, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1). This principle can be applied in and to every area of our lives. Unless the Lord builds our homes, our relationships, our marriages, our businesses, our careers, our futures, we labor in vain who try to build them ourselves. Because everything – including health, strength, clearness of mind, etc., – is under God’s control, we are ultimately dependent on Him for our success. With that in mind, it makes sense that as we deliberate our plans for the new year, the most important decision we can make is to engage Him.
Moses also understood how important this was. Leading the nation of Israel in the exodus from Egypt, he was not prepared to go anywhere unless God was with them – “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence” (Exodus 33:15). It is my prayer that we will adopt the same attitude as we navigate our respective journeys, “Lord if you are not going to be with me in this thing I want/have to do, please do not let me do it.” Doing anything without Him is never, ever a good idea.
“In the beginning God.” Engage Him.
God’s very best to you and yours for a blessed and successful 2011.
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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.
