THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
JAMAICA HAS SECOND-HIGHEST RATE OF “BRAIN DRAIN” IN THE WORLD
A report from TheGlobalEconomy.com has ranked Jamaica second in the world on its “human flight and brain drain index” in terms of talent migrating overseas in pursuit of better opportunities. The index ranked 177 countries on the basis of data gathered from central banks, national authorities, the World Bank, the United Nations, and the International Monetary Fund, among others, between 2007 and 2022: 0 is the lowest score and 10 is the highest. Jamaica’s final score was 9.1 index points, second only to Samoa, which ranked a perfect 10. The highest the number, the greater the rate of human displacement due to economic or political reasons that may affect a nation’s development, according to Global Economy.
JAMAICAN SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS CONCERNED ABOUT PENDING LOSS OF TEACHERS
School administrators in Jamaica have become increasingly concerned about an expected mass migration of teachers over the summer holidays, with 100s of teachers reportedly seeking better job opportunities overseas for the coming school year. According to Linvern Wright, the president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS), principals are feeling “a sense of dread” and are working with school boards to mitigate the anticipated problem. While no set figures are available at present to define the extent of the problem, Wright said he knew of a prominent school where 23 of 100 teachers are leaving; at his own school, 11 teachers of 63 are leaving.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
SECRETARY OF CARICOM WORRIED THAT REGION’S COUNTRIES LACK INFORMATION ABOUT ONE ANOTHER
Dr. Carla Barnett, the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), is concerned that in spite of a plethora of media, social media, and inexpensive ways to access information, countries in the Caribbean are still facing the issue of not knowing enough about each. She made her remarks to the 53rd General Assembly of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU), in which she noted that the many attempts to address the issue have not succeeded. Barnett called for a review of how communications and knowledge can be implemented and shared throughout the region to facilitate solutions that take advantage of available technology to enhance information sharing among CARICOM members.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
LEADERSHIP PROGRAM AT U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT NAMED FOR JAMAICAN-AMERICAN COLIN POWELL
The United States State Department has named its new leadership program after the first Black and first Caribbean-American individual to serve as US Secretary of State, Colin Powell. The program is designed to give individuals the chance to pursue careers at the State Department and to advance the department’s commitment to workforce diversity and modernization. The program will offer paid fellowships to college graduates and paid internships to students enrolled at accredited institutions of higher learning. A statement from the Department noted that Powell understood that diversity is a “source of strength” and success and that he displayed his leadership values, both in his military career as a general and the 12th Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as US Secretary of State by “putting people first. Powell was born in the Bronx, New York, to parents who were immigrants from Jamaica.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS
BUSINESS IMPROVING AT DOLPHIN COVE AS ATTENDANCE MORE THAN DOUBLES
The number of visitors to the marine parks at Dolphin Cove more than doubled during the second quarter of 2022, which ended in June. This resulted in an increase in revenues totaling 81 percent, bringing in US3.8 million. However, even the surge in attendance was insufficient to equal the earnings seen in 2021. The quarter’s earnings for Dolphin Cove for the quarter were lower than the same period in 2021, but they were also seven percent higher than pre-pandemic numbers in 2019. This was attributed to high average spending per visitor.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
DOCUMENTARY ABOUT MARCUS GARVEY PREMIERS ON ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH
Marcus Garvey, Jamaica’s first national hero, was born in St. Ann’s Bay on August 17, 1887. The anniversary of his birth was marked by the premier showing of the award-winning documentary film “African Redemption: The Life and Legacy of Marcus Garvey” by Roy T. Anderson in New York. New York’s Senator Cordell Cleare also issued a proclamation that declared August 17 as “Marcus Garvey Day.” Anderson is a Jamaican-born producer and director how began his career as a Hollywood stuntman. The film, which uses both live-action, voice-overs, photographs, and interviews to tell the story of Garvey’s life, has already won several awards, Best Diaspora Documentary – Africa Movie Academy Awards (2021), Best Historical Documentary – Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival (2021); Best Feature Documentary – Zanzibar International Film Festival (2022); Best Feature Documentary – Charlotte Black Film Festival (2022); and Best Documentary – Greenwood Film Festival (2022).
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
JAMAICA’S POWERLIFTING TEAM WINS FIRST MEDAL IN HISTORY AT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
The Jamaica Spartans, Jamaica’s powerlifting team, made a spectacular international debut at the NAPE Regional Championships in Panama City, Panama, by taking home their first medal at a global competition in history. Scott Jennings, who won a gold medal and also established a deadlift championships record of 312.5 kilograms, or 688.94 pounds, in the 83-kg. weight class. Jennings won in the squat event and achieved a competition record total of 732.5 kg., or 1,614.88 lbs. Jamaican Sami Depass, the only woman in the competition, also broke several competition records. She is the first Jamaican woman to medal in the sport and broke the squat record with 185.5 kg., 408.96 lbs. and also the deadlift record with 220.5 kg. (486.12lbs.). Depass said she hoped her performance would encourage other Jamaican women to participate in the sport.
