S. Korea to revel with JA in 2012

Spotlight on Jamaican women
Photo courtesy Jamaica’s Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture

In addition to cheering Jamaica to a fourth place finish at the recent World Athletics Championship games in Daegu, South Korea, Olivia Grange, the island’s parliamentarian charged with youth, sports and culture met with elected officials there to discuss next year’s 50th anniversary of independence celebrations.

After meeting with representatives there she received a commitment of assistance with assurances from the Vice Mayor of Political Affairs of Daegu Metropolitan City, Kim Yon Chang that South Korea will provide assistance during the 2012 celebrations.

Grange and Chang discussed Korean assistance for fireworks and lighting effects during Jamaica 50 celebrations as well as exchange in the areas of sports and culture.

“It was a very fruitful meeting with the vice mayor who has committed to giving assistance with certain elements of our celebrations next year,” Grange stated.

“We also discussed how we may work together in the development of sports as well as cultural exchanges. I think there is great scope for the promotion of Jamaican cultural goods in South Korea. Teams from both sides will now be working out the details.”

She also met with the South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chung Byungkuk.

Grange and Chung agreed to explore how both countries could “share knowledge and expertise in sports and culture particularly in the areas of athlete development, coaching and use of technology.”

The Jamaican representative described South Korea as a “strategically important” country which “offered tremendous possibilities for the promotion of Jamaican sports, music and culture as well as the development of mutually beneficial business linkages.”

Jamaican athletes left Asia with a total of nine medals – four gold, four silver and one bronze. The USA led the field which included 33 nations.

Lethal ‘Contagion’ Awash With Fear

The Matt Damon/Gwyneth Paltrow “Contagion” which opened recently screens like a forecast documentary. It presents a world gripped in fear from a lethal virus. The symptoms are scary – seizures, sweats, hacking coughs, then deaths. The cause and cure are unknown. And worse, no one knows where it came from. What is known is that is a rapidly reproductive virus. Therefore everyone is on alert to use hand sanitizers and nose guards.

Needless to say panic ensues whenever anyone coughs. The film is a thrilling exercise in what could inevitable be a threat with bio-terrorism.

The fact germs spread at such a rapid rate when people fail to watch their hands and by coming in contact with others who travel from various regions of the globe, the chance of contamination, epidemic and pandemic are inevitable.

Laurence Fishburne, Sanaa Latham, Jude Law and Kate Winslet also make up this stellar cast. The movie provides eye-opening caution to hygiene, political bureaucracies and the health industry.

Catch You On The Inside!