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December 2010

Jamaican journalist John Maxwell is dead

Death has taken away another brilliant Jamaican this year. This time it’s the pre-imminent journalist John Maxwell. Jamaica, the Caribbean and the world is poorer off for it. The 76 year-old veteran journalist died at his home in Jamaica after a long battle with lung cancer. He fought the cancer vigorously, including two visits for treatment in the Netherlands. On his second visit, he was told by doctors they could do no more to fight the cancer, and Maxwell chose to return home to end his days in his beloved Jamaica.
As a demonstration of the love and admiration he enjoyed, Maxwell was able to raise US$80,000 in less than a week to meet the cost of an air ambulance to bring him home as he could not travel by commercial airline. He is survived by his wife and two children
Maxwell was a columnist with the Jamaica Observer and was also a lecturer at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication, University of the West Indies, Mona in Jamaica. He entered journalism in 1952 when he joined The Gleaner Company's staff. Later he worked with Public Opinion and then the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC). He also worked at the British Broadcasting Corporation from 1967 to 1971.
He was a David, battling many Goliaths ranging from George W. Bush to prime ministers to multinational corporations, armed with his pen as the slingshot for justice, the environment and many other just causes. He was fair and fearless. Haiti has lost a great friend as with his weekly column in the Jamaica Observer newspaper he waged a long, often biting campaign for justice and recognition for Haiti.
He achieved international acclaim as the sample of tributes below attests:

Randall Robinson: "… no matter how great the odds, no matter how mighty the foe, on issues of right and wrong, justice and injustice, truth and its opposite, John Maxwell never tired."

Ezili Danta of HLLN, Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network: "…he was our living library, an energy so knowledgeable and immersed in the life and history of African people's liberation journey the world over, especially the Haiti struggle; an energy so connected to the Ancestors' goodness, courage and force, he was them in the flesh to us. "

Desmond Allen, Editor of The Observer: " JOHN William Maxwell, the gladiator-journalist whose biting pen helped to shape a generation of news men and women."

Gordon "Butch" Stewart, owner of Sandals chain of Caribbean Hotels: "The passing of John Maxwell represents an event of seismic proportions in the journalism profession."

(For samples of his work see: 

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Haiti racked by cholera and presidential elections

Cholera
The cholera epidemic in Haiti has so far killed 2120 people, and nearly 100,000 cases have been treated, according to the Haitian government. A French disease expert has reportedly confirmed what many in the Haitian community have been saying for months now – that the cholera epidemic sweeping Haiti is largely linked to U.N. troops there. Epidemiologist Renaud Piarroux, who conducted research in Haiti on behalf of the French and Haitian governments, has been cited in leaked reports as saying strong evidence suggests that the cholera outbreak was caused by contamination of a river by UN troops from Nepal.
The UN mission in Haiti, Minustah said it has neither accepted nor dismissed the findings. The strain of cholera has been matched by the Center of Disease Control to one from South Asia, although it is present in other Latin American countries.  UN peacekeepers have been in Haiti since 2004.

Presidential elections
With 1.3 million people still displaced by the earthquake, the bulk of promised aid has failed to materialize, and Haiti is still in disarray, nevertheless they decided to spend $29.6 million for presidential elections. These elections were filled with such violence and fraud that they too turned into another disaster. The $29.6 million spent on wasteful elections could have been spent on water treatment plant, sanitation treatment plant to help save Haitian lives, stop the cholera public health crisis. As well as a new president, Haitians were voting for 11 of the country's 30 senators and all 99 parliamentary deputies.
Fraud was so rampant and obvious that 12 out of the 18 presidential candidates in Haiti's elections demanded the vote be canceled, alleging widespread fraud. Even the front-runner, Mirlande Manigat denounced the elections, calling for a complete annulment of the vote due to irregularities and ballot-box stuffing. But later the two leading opposition contenders, Mirlande Manigat and pop star-turned-politician Michel Martelly, sensing victory, reversed their position, saying the result of the election should be respected.
A run-off looms but even that is shrouded in controversy. The three leading contenders are Mr. Jude Celestin, the preferred successor of outgoing President Rene Preval, Mirlande Manigat and Michel Martelly. However, the constitution requires only two candidates for a run-off, so rules may have to be bent.

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PM Gonsalves' slim win in St. Vincent

Incumbent Prime Minister Dr, Ralph Gonsalves saw his party win by the slimmest of margins. His Unity Labour Party’s (ULP) chalked up an 8-7 victory in general elections on December 14, 2010. The main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Arnhim Eustace, has increased its representation in Parliament, wresting from the ULP four of the seats it won in the 2001 and 2005 elections and moving its total to seven.
Preliminary results show that the ULP got 27,648 votes or 51.61 percent of the popular votes, while the NDP garnered 26,231 ballots or 47.78 percent. The Green Party mustered 123 votes, a mere 0.21 percent.

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Jamaican scientist, Dr. Lawrence Williams, is being lauded for finding an effective treatment for some types of cancer. The Scientific Research Council of Jamaica (SRC) says Williams has been awarded an international patent on a compound isolated from the Guinea Hen Weed as a protein complex of dibenzyl trisulphide. The SRC said the protein complex has the ability to kill a wide range of cancers.

Williams said that the next stage is conducting clinical trials of the compound and the development of a pharmaceutical agent.

`This remarkable breakthrough comes at a time when the world is crippled by the effects of cancer, as it is one of the leading killers globally,` the SRC said in a statement.

The Guinea hen weed is indigenous to the Amazon rainforest and tropical areas of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Africa. It is native also in parts of South Florida. The plant is widely used in tropical herbal medicine and also as a veterinary medicine (for hunting dogs) and as a fungicide and pesticide.

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Jamaican scientist makes prostate cancer breakthrough

Another Jamaican scientist, Dr Henry Lowe, recently announced that he and his research partners have reached the final stages in the development of a formula that can reduce and eliminate prostate cancer. He said that the formula is derived from the main ingredient in the ball moss and has been shown to have major prostate anti-cancer activity.

Prostate cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths among males. Jamaica has one of the highest prostate cancer rates in the world with approximately 150 men diagnosed each year. Medical experts believe that a large percentage of affected men are undiagnosed.

Of equal importance, though, is Dr Lowe's establishment of the Bio-Tech Research and Development Institute which brings together the University of the West Indies, University of Technology, Northern Caribbean University and the Scientific Research Council — Jamaica's four leading research institutions — in order to develop pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals from indigenous Jamaican plants.

These pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals will be manufactured here in Jamaica, creating new jobs and opportunities for young scientists and skilled persons, as well as generating small business opportunities for university graduates, as well as small and large investors in the agriculture sector.

Dr. Lowe has described as a "brand Jamaica" partnership with the largest nutraceutical company in China, which will distribute his formula in that extremely large market. Gaining even one per cent of the Chinese market will amount to tremendous US dollar value export earnings So, essentially, what Dr Lowe and his partners have presented here is an opportunity for economic growth through job and wealth creation. It is, as he rightly said, an avenue to bring together science and business.

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Former deputy prime minister of Guyana and the country`s shadow minister of finance, Winston Shripal Murray, passed away at a Georgetown Hospital on November 22, 2010 at the age of 69. He was considered a Presidential front-runner for the opposition People`s National Congress Reform in elections next year. He had been hospitalized on Nov. 11th after suffering a serious fall.

Guyana President, Bharrat Jagdeo, said the former government minister`s death `has robbed this country and especially the National Assembly of an articulate and intelligent debater whose presentations in the House were always of an exceptionally high standard. Murray was an economist and a practicing attorney and was deputy prime minister under the Desmond Hoyte administration.  He was born on 31 January 1941 on the Essequibo Island of Leguan where he grew up.
Mr. Murray was a respected and valued member of the PNC/PNCR for more than thirty (30) years and served the Party in many capacities, including that of Chairman. Murray had been a Member of Parliament for the PNC/PNCR since 1985 and served as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee until May 2006. He was the Shadow Minister of Finance and Economic Development and acknowledged as a most outstanding Debater in the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana.
Murray obtained a Certificate in Public Finance from the IMF. He later attended the University of Guyana where he obtained the LLB degree and attended the Hugh Wooding Law School where he obtained the Legal Education Certificate.

Murray served the Government of Guyana in many capacities including that of: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Consumer Protection (1983-84); in the Guyana Embassy in Brussels; Head of the Department of International Economic Cooperation; and Head of the Presidential Secretariat (1985). Murray was a senior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister from 1985-1992.
He is survived by his wife, Marva and children, Mark, Shawn and  Makeba.

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Posthumous OJ award for Jamaican UWI Professor Chevannes

 Professor Barry Chevannes died on November 5, in the University Hospital after being admitted in September. He has been awarded posthumously the the Order of Jamaica (OJ). The honour of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) is conferred on any Jamaican citizen of outstanding distinction or upon any distinguished citizen of a country other than Jamaica (Honorary Member).  A member of the Order is styled "Honourable’ and the motto of the Order is ‘For a covenant of the People’.

In paying tribute to Professor Chevannes, Prime Minister Bruce Golding said his death had dealt a tremendous blow to the academic, religious and cultural communities. Mr. Golding said that in addition to his outstanding contribution to the University of the West Indies where he lectured for many years, Professor Chevannes will be remembered   as a leading activist for peace in Jamaica as he headed the Violence Prevention Alliance which launched a safe community campaign in 2006.

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Rising water swamps Jamaican town

They say rising water lifts all boats, but not in the little town of Newmarket in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. There they say rising water floods all homes or at least a lot of homes and for good reason. Since Jamaica was pounded by rains oftropical storm Nicole all the way back in September, water has continued to rise in the town. Many homes and businesses are under water. Grocery shops, a jerk center, an auto repair garage and even a farm have been put out of commission, forcing alternate means of earning an income.

And the water is not going down but is still rising. This is not the first time the community has been affected by rising waters. The community was submerged in 1979 and was also affected in 2002. Even worse, with the rising water has come swarms of mosquitoes to plague the town.

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Sugar shortage hits Jamaican bakers

Can you believe it? Sugar producing Jamaica has been hit by a sugar shortage for over three weeks. It has takena toll on bakers, especially the small companies, as they have had to cut back on their products such as cakes, bullas, and pastry. The Bakers’ Association of Jamaica report that the sugar shortage was so bad that it would not only affect the production of breads, buns and bulla but it might force some bakers to ask their employees to stay home. For example, one baker paid for 200 bags of sugar and received only 50. Subsequently the baker only got another 50 bags of sugar after a customer failed to collect it.

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US House passes Dream Act

The Dream act lives! The US House of Representatives approved a controversial measure recently providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who came to the United States before age 16.

The "Dream Act" passed by 216-198 after sometimes heated debate. The Senate is scheduled to vote on Thursday on whether to begin debate on a slightly different version of the bill. It appears unlikely backers will win the 60 votes needed in the 100-member chamber to advance the measure.

The legislation would provide legal residency to undocumented young people who graduate from high school, complete two years of college or military service and have no criminal record.

The measure is backed by President Barack Obama and Hispanic and Caribbean activists.

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Mine disaster in Suriname

Surinamese authorities have declared three days of mourning following a deadly mining disaster at an area known as `Gowtu Bergi` or Gold Mountain, near Langa Tabbetje, in Eastern Suriname.

Authorities say seven gold miners were killed on Saturday evening, Nov. 20th in Suriname when the walls of a shaft suddenly collapsed in a mine at Gold Mountain. The seven victims were all Surinamese nationals between the ages of 18 and 50. Officials are trying to determine if more people are buried beneath the sand.

Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, who was born in Suriname, has extended his condolences to the families of the seven miners. He described the incident as tragic and called for the enforcement of laws regulating mining operations.

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Bermuda to ban plastic bags

Bermuda is planning to follow China and impose an island-wide ban on plastic bags. A Governmant official told the House of Assembly that the bags had a lifespan of up to 400 years and caused serious harm to the environment. "We are proposing to ban plastic bags," he said, adding, "plastic bags have been around since 1950. Some of those bags will still be around."

He said when the bags got in the sea and were eaten by fish, they could be deadly. "Right now, you can get the biodegradable corn-starch bags instead of plastic bags, so there are alternatives to plastic." Burgess said that "some severe laws and penalties" would be introduced to punish fly-tippers, as well as householders who put dangerous items in their trash, such as animal faeces and acid.

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Dolphins threaten Jamaica fishermen

All over the world dolphins are loved, but not in the little fishing village of Leith Hall, St Thomas, Jamaica. There dolphins are a nuisance that threaten the livelihood of fishermen. It seems the fishermen set their nets and the dolphins are constantly bursting them. The dolphins are attracted by the sounds of the fishing boat motors, accompany the boats and then damage the nets when they are set. This of course reduces the catch and the nets are very expensive to repair. So, fishermen are unable to keep up with the demand for fish.

Ava Tomlinson, senior public education and community outreach officer with the National Environment and Planning Agency, said nothing could be done about the dolphin nuisance, as they were protected under the Wildlife and Protection Act.

Stephen Smikle, the acting director of fisheries within the Ministry of Agriculture, agreed.

"The fishermen will have to adjust their fishing patterns. There is no simple solution," he said.

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