Read the full text of Hon Douglas Orane speech to the Rotary Club of St. Andrew, “How to transform Jamaica at this defining moment in our history” at the link below.

Download speech

The Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Honourable Olivia Grange, MP has announced that the late cultural icon and educator Professor, the Honourable Rex Nettleford, OM will be accorded an official funeral.

Read the full article here.

Jamaican-born scientist making strides in nerve research

Published: Monday | January 4, 2010

Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter

Dr Patrice Smith, Jamaican-born scientist living in Canada who discovered a new way to repair damaged nerves. - Contributed

Who would have thought that a little girl from Darliston in Westmoreland would turn out to be a First World scientist who may have discovered a new way to repair damaged nerves?

Now living in Canada, Jamaican-born Dr Patrice Smith and her colleagues at Harvard have discovered a way to repair damaged nerves by allowing the adult brain to respond to repair signals that are induced after injury. Dr Smith explained to Flair in an email interview, that as we get older, we lose the ability to repair damage to the brain and spinal cord, because our nervous system is actively preventing the immune system from sending out repair messages. If we get a cold, for example, the immune system kicks in and helps with our recovery. However, if our brain or spinal cord is damaged, this repair message is blocked. What they have discovered is that this mechanism is blocked by a molecule called SOCS3.

“In the absence of SOCS3, the damaged nerves were able to regenerate themselves in an adult. My hope is that the research will help people who suffer from brain and spinal-cord injuries by helping to repair the injuries they may have received in an accident, or just through the natural ageing process,” said Dr Smith.

A curious child

She said she has always been interested in how things work. As a child she was very good at taking apart small appliances and seeing whether she could put them back together.

Her interest in how the brain works began when she migrated to Canada, and took up a summer research job in a neuroscience lab at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Dr Smith grew up with her grandparents because her mother, Elaine, was just 18 years old when she was born and had to move to Kingston to find work. Her mother later got married and migrated to Canada. Dr Smith joined her after completing her studies at Mannings High school in 1995 at the age of 18.

Her CXC results were not recognised in Canada, so she had to repeat her final year in a Canadian high school. She excelled and obtained a scholarship to attend the University of Ottawa. She received the highest average in her graduating year and was awarded a medal by the Ottawa-Carleton education school board. “I felt that my Jamaican education provided a strong framework for this,” she told Flair.

After completing her doctorate in 2005, she received a scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to attend Harvard University, which was where she began her current research. The research took about two years to complete. “I am currently working on extending this research in my own lab back in Canada to look at ways of functionally repairing damaged nerves, following spinal cord and brain injury.”

Benefits of hard work

Dr Smith is currently making waves in the scientific world in Canada, but it is hard work that has put her where she is today. She explained that when she first moved to Canada, it was difficult to adapt to the weather, especially the snow. But she notes that she was fortunate to have met and interacted with some wonderful people throughout her career, who have helped her along the way.

Her field is a male-dominated one, but she has persons around her who are generally “accepting” of a female scientist, although she says she has become used to being the only black female (sometimes the only black person) in her circle.

“And I am still not used to being called ‘Dr Smith’.”

Although her job is challenging, she considers herself blessed to be able to do what she loves as a career. The added incentive is that what she is doing will someday help persons suffering from brain and spinal-cord injuries.

Best friend

Dr Smith told Flair that in 2008 she married her best friend, Ryan, who has been her biggest fan and most avid supporter. “I am truly blessed that we found each other (we met in Canada). Ryan was the one who actually encouraged me to go to Harvard.”

She is currently heading up a medical research lab in Canada, and will continue her research into ways to promote health and well-being.

5 Jamaican athletes cleared of doping

By ANTHONY FOSTER (AP)

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Five Jamaican athletes were cleared Monday of doping at their national championships two months ago after the country’s anti-doping panel failed to determine whether the banned substance was on the prohibited list.

The athletes reportedly tested positive for the stimulant methylhexanamine. But Kent Gammon, chairman of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission’s disciplinary committee, said it was unable to prove they had breached any doping policy.

“Therefore, we have not found any of the athletes in violation of the (anti-doping) code,” Gammon said.

The athletes had previously been identified as Yohan Blake, Sheri-Ann Brooks , Allodin Fothergill, Lansford Spence and Marvin Anderson.

The athletes are now cleared to compete in the world championships in Berlin , but the International Association of Athletics Federations — track and field’s governing body and organizer of the worlds — could review the ruling.

The IAAF can challenge any judgments in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, world sport’s highest court of appeal, based in Lausanne , Switzerland . The IAAF can also provisionally suspend athletes until the CAS delivers a verdict.

The anti-doping panel started its hearing last week. None of the five athletes are considered among Jamaica ’s top talent, but the positive tests were a blow to a nation that takes great pride in the accomplishments of its sprinters.

Monday’s announcement came after Jamaica ’s Amateur Athletic Association warned another five athletes that they would be barred from the worlds if they did not attend a training camp this week.

Those athletes included 100-meter Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser and Asafa Powell, a former 100 world-record holder. The others are 400 hurdles Olympic gold medalist Melaine Walker, hurdler Brigitte Foster-Hylton and sprinter Shericka Williams.

Institute of Caribbean Studies Announces A Message from…

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release June 2, 2009

NATIONAL CARIBBEAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2009

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Caribbean Americans have made lasting contributions to our Nation’s culture and history, and the month of June has been set aside to honor their cultural, linguistic, ethnic, and social diversity.

Generations of immigrants have preserved the traditions of their homelands, and these traditions have defined our Nation’s identity. Caribbean Americans bring a unique and vibrant culture. This multilingual and multiethnic tradition has strengthened our social fabric and enriched the diversity of our Nation.

Millions of individuals in the United States have Caribbean roots. Unfortunately some Caribbean Americans were forced to our country as slaves; others arrived of their own volition. All have sought the promise of a brighter tomorrow for themselves and their children.

In their pursuit of success, Caribbean Americans exhibit the traits all Americans prize: determination, a devotion to community, and patriotism. They have made their mark in every facet of our society, from art to athletics and science to service. Caribbean Americans have also safeguarded our Nation in the United States Armed Forces.

This month we also recognize the critical relationship the United States maintains with Caribbean nations. In a world of increasing communication and connectivity, this friendship has become even more important. We are neighbors, partners, and friends; we share the same aspirations for our children; and we strive for the very same freedoms. Together, we can meet the common challenges we face.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as National Caribbean-American Heritage Month. I urge all Americans to commemorate this month by learning more about the history and culture of Caribbean Americans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

# # #

About Caribbean American Heritage Month

In 2000, ICS began leading the celebration of June as Caribbean American Heritage Month in Washington DC, building on efforts started by a now defunct Ad-Hoc Group of Washington DC residents to have a Caribbean Heritage Month in Washington DC in 1999. The official Campaign for a National Caribbean American Heritage Month began in 2004, when the Bill was tabled in Congress by Congresswoman Barbara Lee. The Bill was reintroduced and passed the House in June, 2005, and the Senate in February, 2006.

During Caribbean-American Heritage Month, we celebrate the great contributions of Caribbean Americans to the fabric of our Nation, and we pay tribute to the common culture and bonds of friendship that unite the United States and the Caribbean countries.