Joe Issa Eyes COP24 Outcome In Poland Advocated In COP23 In Paris

As the world awaits with bated breath the outcome of the global conference on climate change currently under way in Katowice, Poland,  environment advocate Joe Issa, who supported the ‘1.5 to stay alive’ Caribbean campaign during the last conference in Paris in 2015, says he remains measurably optimistic.

“I am hopeful for a deeper commitment by those most responsible for CO2 emission into the atmosphere, to keep global warming to within 1.5 – 2 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial level, for the sake of small island states like Jamaica.

“However, if what’s trending is true and we lose the US and Russia, then the desired outcome would be less likely as it will take deep cuts in carbon emission to maintain global warming at the desired level by the end of the century and going forward.

“If so then, woe be unto us, especially if we live near the coast, as most of us do. It will take time but we will lose masses of land due to sea-level rise. This will impact our public sector and major infrastructure and the economic activity as we know it.

“And if that’s not enough, more furious hurricanes fuelled by global warming is already a reality, causing unprecedented damages. All this, because of the burning of fossil fuel, which emits the dangerous carbon dioxide gas or greenhouse gas that fuels global warming,” said Issa, adding, “Don’t believe me, believe the experts.”

Issa, who is Jamaica’s largest indigenous retailer of petroleum products referred to a recent revelation that the earth has failed its last annual physical and is heading in a dangerous direction, and that humans are falling far short in our efforts to combat the crisis.

The findings are said to have added to overwhelming evidence that CO2 concentrations, which fuel climate change, may never fall below the 400 parts per million threshold; so earth is “screwed”.

The revelations were contained in the 2017 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s “State of the Climate” report, which is said to be equivalent to Earth’s “annual physical”.

The report is co-authored by 524 authors from 65 countries, and confirms 2017 as either the second- or third-hottest year on record – the figures differ slightly based on which of two global data sets are used, according to an article first published on HuffPost.

It said the last four years have been the warmest four years on record.

According to NOAA, greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and global sea levels reached record highs in 2017, and that’s without the influence of El Niño – a climatic event that creates warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific and is said to be capable of changing weather around the world. The last El Niño, which spanned from 2015 to 2016, was said to be among the strongest El Niño events since 1950.

Climatologist at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction and a lead author of the report, Deke Arndt, was quoted as saying at a press briefing that last year “was easily the warmest non-El Niño year on record”.

Arndt reportedly said that the last three years have effectively established “a new neighborhood in terms of global temperature.”

The report noted that the rate that humans are pumping GO2 into the atmosphere has quadrupled since 1960, and that last year, the average CO2 concentration reached 405 parts per million, the “highest in the modern atmospheric measurement record and in ice core records dating back as far as 800,000 years.”

According to the findings, in 2017, the global ocean surface temperature warmed to a near-record high, falling just short of the 2016 mark. The world’s oceans are approximately 3 inches higher than they were in 1993 and are rising at an average 1.2 inches per decade.

Greg Johnson, an oceanographer at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, reportedly compared what’s happening to the world’s oceans to a freight train. “The facts are so startling that they make you wonder how much longer it’s going to be before earth becomes inhabitable, and whether we ought not to accelerate the search for other habitable planets.

“We’ve started to push them with greenhouse gases, and that freight train is now moving and actually it will continue to move,” he reportedly told reporters. “If we were to freeze greenhouse gases at the level they are today, the oceans would continue to warm and seas continue to rise for centuries to come.”

Joe Issa Says New Wave Of US Women Legislators Could Have Ripple Effect In Jamaica

New Democratic congresswomen: Rashida Tlaib in Michigan, Ayanna Pressley in Massachusetts, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York and Ilhan Omar in Minnesota.

Civic Leader and gender-equality advocate Joe Issa congratulates the record number of women elected to the United States House of Representatives, stating it could have a ripple effect in Jamaica.

“It’s really pleasing to see so many women get elected in the midterm elections, especially as the period was marred by issues of sexual harassment of women.

“I think it will bring greater balance in American politics and could influence similar outcomes in other areas where women are discriminated against, such as leadership positions in industry.

“Importantly, I think this new era of women in politics in the US will spill over in Jamaica, which could see an emergence of women legislators and greater acceptance of women’s issues,” said Issa, who is no stranger to advocating for equal opportunities for women.

Issa, in a recent blog expressed shock at data showing that on the global stage men outnumber women by 3:1. He lamented the low percentage of women invited to speak at international conferences, arguing that they are denied the opportunity to influence change in gender inequality.

Issa has been joined by Prime Minister Holness who recently complained about the low percentage of women on government statutory boards and promised to address the disparity.

According to the HuffPost, there are currently 84 women serving in the US House of Representatives, citing the Los Angeles Times. The previous record high  was 85 congresswomen, per the Congressional Research Service. But in January 2019, 95 women will take their seats in the lower house.

Women already broke barriers in the lead-up to the general election, with a record number of women nominated in 2018, including an unprecedented number of women of color.

Several women were elected to Congress on Tuesday night and will go down in America’s history books: Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and Ilhan Omar in Minnesota became the first Muslim women elected to the body, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York became the youngest congresswoman ever, at age 29. Ayanna Pressley became the first black congresswoman out of Massachusetts, where Issa went to university.

A wave of women was said to have been inspired to run for office for the first time after Donald Trump won the presidency. In the latest elections, some 19 women reportedly went up for position as judges and they all won.

Civic Leader and gender-equality advocate Joe Issa congratulates the record number of women elected to the United States House of Representatives, stating it could have a ripple effect in Jamaica.

“It’s really pleasing to see so many women get elected in the midterm elections, especially as the period was marred by issues of sexual harassment of women.

“I think it will bring greater balance in American politics and could influence similar outcomes in other areas where women are discriminated against, such as leadership positions in industry.

“Importantly, I think this new era of women in politics in the US will spill over in Jamaica, which could see an emergence of women legislators and greater acceptance of women’s issues,” said Issa, who is no stranger to advocating for equal opportunities for women.

Issa, in a recent blog expressed shock at data showing that on the global stage men outnumber women by 3:1. He lamented the low percentage of women invited to speak at international conferences, arguing that they are denied the opportunity to influence change in gender inequality.

Issa has been joined by Prime Minister Holness who recently complained about the low percentage of women on government statutory boards and promised to address the disparity.

According to the HuffPost, there are currently 84 women serving in the US House of Representatives, citing the Los Angeles Times. The previous record high  was 85 congresswomen, per the Congressional Research Service. But in January 2019, 95 women will take their seats in the lower house.

Women already broke barriers in the lead-up to the general election, with a record number of women nominated in 2018, including an unprecedented number of women of color.

Several women were elected to Congress on Tuesday night and will go down in America’s history books: Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and Ilhan Omar in Minnesota became the first Muslim women elected to the body, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York became the youngest congresswoman ever, at age 29. Ayanna Pressley became the first black congresswoman out of Massachusetts, where Issa went to university.

A wave of women was said to have been inspired to run for office for the first time after Donald Trump won the presidency. In the latest elections, some 19 women reportedly went up for position as judges and they all won.

Joe Issa Gives Thumbs Up to another Jamaican First, Cites Greater Reliability, Better Positioning

Former St Ann Chamber of Commerce President Joe Issa has given the thumbs up to JPS’ 24.5MW energy storage project now under way, calling it another Jamaican first that will provide greater reliability of power supply, support the country’s renewable energy diversification thrust, and better position the island to attract more foreign direct investments.

“From what I have read, when completed it will be the largest of its kind in the world and will provide Jamaica with a more reliable power supply to fuel industry.

“That’s a sigificant development that will support Jamaica’s renewable energy diversification thrust and make the island more attractive to foreign direct investments,” said Issa.

He added: “Jamaica needs consistent power supply in order to increase its global competitiveness and I think this huge storage capacity will give us the edge over other competing coutries.”

Issa was commenting on the recent ground breaking for the JPS 24.5MW energy-storage facility on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston.

According to the Gleaner, Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Dr Andrew Wheatley who represented the government at the ground breaking, said the JPS will provide the energy storage system characteristics that will address the existing and near future challenges to the ministry for utilisation in the national Integrated Resource Plan.

The grid has been experiencing significant reliability issues associated with intermittent renewable ramping and system trips.

“Simply put, renewables are intermittent by nature. A sunny day can be become overcast, winds can die down, etc. When this happens, there is sudden loss of power supply. This, in turn, leads to power outages, which is why it is important we have this storage facility to smooth over the breaks, “Wheatley reportedly said.

The project which is to cost US$21.6 million is to be undertaken by Micro Grids and Distributed General for North America, ABB, and is scheduled for completion by April 2019, the Gleaner reported.

It cited ABB’s vice-president and general manager Steve Looney assuring that the project would be completed on time and that it would be the largest of its kind in the world, placing Jamaica ahead of other already established renewable energy-ready countries. “It will not be one of. It will be the largest hybrid project in the world,” he was quoted as saying.

‘Forget the detractors; global warming is upon us’: Joe Issa Shares Alarming Facts

Advocate of environmental protection Joe Issa has expressed concerns following a recent Observer story which painted gloomy images of what Jamaica could face in the future, stating that the alarming facts have heightened belief that mankind is indeed sewing its own seeds of destruction, and people must be made aware of this.

“The article reinforced my own belief that man-made global warming is very real and we must avoid complacency when it comes to its devastating impact on Jamaica and the Caribbean,” said Issa, noting, “Mankind is indeed sewing its own seeds of destruction, and people must be made aware of the dangers.”

He argues that “scientists have been warning us for quite some time, that if we do not limit the amount of CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere we will pay the price later, in terms of lost property along our coastline as a result of rising sea level,” citing properties like hotels, restaurants and entertainment places, as well as airports and seaports.

“When you factor in the increasingly intensive weather systems that we have seen of late, which is believed to be fueled by global warming, and the resultant loss of lives and property and other resources like agriculture, livestock, fish sanctuaries, flora and fauna, this definitely begs for greater resilience and adaptation of Caribbean nations including our own,” said Issa, who was a big supporter of the 2016 Paris Conference on Climate Change (IPCC).

According to the article, a recently released study by scientists in France on global warming and its effect on sea-level rise should be cause for concern here in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

The report on the study quotes the lead author, Matthias Mengel — a scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany — as saying that “the trajectory of emissions in the next few decades will shape our coastlines in the centuries to come”.

The scientists revealed that globally, about 40 billion tonnes of CO2 – the main cause of global warming – are released into the atmosphere every year. The emissions, which they said had held steady for three years, increased by two per cent last year; and based on current trends, the emissions could increase for at least another decade.

The scientific data showed that global temperatures have, on average, already increased by one degree Celsius since the industrial revolution began, bearing in mind that the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement, which was signed by 197 countries, requires a capping of global warming at below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and pursues efforts to hold it at 1.5 degrees Celsius, the newspaper reported.

Citing that the agreement also sets a threshold of “net zero emissions” by the end of the century, it noted, however, “It appears that a number of countries are struggling to hit the Paris Agreement targets, which have been described as modest, despite the fact that renewable energy is getting more affordable.”

It noted that “Brazil, for instance, is having difficulty controlling deforestation, which fuels greenhouse gas emissions, while a number of countries are looking to coal plants to meet electricity demands.

“In the United States, which has indicated that it will pull out of the Paris treaty, the Government has cut its support for clean energy and increased its backing for fossil fuels, under its ‘America first’ policy. The upshot is an expected increase in emissions by 1.8 per cent this year.

“All this will no doubt have an effect on low-lying coastal lands, including here in the Caribbean. In fact, a United Nations report released late 2010 painted an alarming picture of devastation across the Caribbean that will be caused by rising sea levels in years to come and the heavy cost to the region,” the article informed.

It cited the report stating that for just the 15 Caribbean Community member states, the damage and the necessary rebuilding as a result of sea-level rise could climb to US$187 billion by the year 2080.

“The report also suggests that a sea-level rise of one metre, which is now regarded as highly likely by the end of the century, would result in at least US$149 million in tourism resorts damaged or lost”; loss or damage of 21 Caricom airports; and the inundation of land surrounding 35 of the region’s 44 ports.

“There is much more astonishing information in the report which, we hope, is being taken seriously by Caribbean governments which should, by now, have started to implement measures — some of which have been recommended by the World Bank — to help the region resist and adapt to the effects of climate change,” the Observer article stated, noting, “The goals of the Paris Agreement are admirable, but it’s not yet a done deal and we become complacent at our peril.”

According to Wikipedia, “If a planet’s atmosphere contains radiatively active gases (i.e., greenhouse gases) they will radiate energy in all directions. Part of this radiation is directed towards the surface, warming it. The intensity of the downward radiation – that is, the strength of the greenhouse effect – will depend on the atmosphere’s temperature and on the amount of greenhouse gases that the atmosphere contains.”

It said: “The vast majority of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions (i.e., emissions produced by human activities) come from combustion of fossil fuels, principally coal, oil, and natural gas, with comparatively modest additional contributions coming from deforestation, changes in land use, soil erosion, and agriculture.”

It has been estimated, the publication said, that “if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their present rate, Earth’s surface temperature could exceed historical values as early as 2047, with potentially harmful effects on ecosystems, biodiversity and the livelihoods of people worldwide.”

“Recent estimates also suggest that at current emission rates the Earth could pass a threshold of 2 °C global warming, which the United Nations’ IPCC designated as the upper limit to avoid “dangerous” global warming, by 2036,” Wipipedia added.

Civic Leader Pleased with Planned PR Campaign for New 10-digit Dialing Regime

St Ann Civic Leader Joe Issa, who last year commended the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) for securing Jamaica’s number availability for the next 25 years, describing the move to acquire a new area code – 658 – as responsible and reassuring, says he is pleased with the upcoming public awareness programme, ahead of the May 31, 2018 dead line for the implementation of the new 10-digit dialing system.

“I was looking forward to the campaign to get the country ready for the new system. Jamaicans are very telephone savvy so I don’t expect too many people to have difficulty making the transition.

“I expect the business community to supplement the PR campaign of the telephone providers and the OUR, with its own programme of awareness to employees and customers. It’s good if we can all contribute in making the campaign a national effort,” said Issa, who is executive chairman of Cool Group of over 50 companies.

He was commenting on a Jamaica Observer report in which the country’s major telecommunications providers – FLOW and Digicel – are said to be ramping up activities to launch a massive public awareness campaign at the end of this month, to familiarise Jamaicans with the 10-digit dialling regime which takes effect here on May 31.

Jamaica is believed to be the first North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) country in the region to implement an additional area code.

To allow customers to become familiar with 10-digit dialling, which involves dialling the 876 area code before all local seven-digit numbers, FLOW and Digicel in collaboration with the OUR, will enable a permissive dialing period between May 31 and October 30.

In the meantime, however, customers are being asked to start updating their contact lists with 876 preceding all local numbers in preparation for the new regime, which has been necessitated by the acquisition of a new three-digit area code for the island.

Addressing the Jamaica Observer Press Club last Thursday, Public Education Specialist at the OUR Elizabeth Bennett Marsh explained that “when Jamaica received its 876 area code in 1996, it was thought that this code would have lasted for at least a few decades. But by 2009, there was a heavy demand for numbers, especially with the advent of then new carrier, Digicel, in the telecoms market.

“At the time, she informed, there were 6.2 million numbers issued, out of a projected 7.73 million and it was further projected that another 1.3 million numbers would be needed for the next three years as of 2009.”

She reportedly said that while there has been a tapering off of that drastic demand seen in 2009, expert projections are that Jamaica will soon run out of numbers under the 876 area code. This prompted the OUR, which is empowered under the Telecommunications Act to provide sufficient numbering for the country, to request another area code from NANPA, according to the article.

“Jamaica has now received a 658 area code, but this will not take effect until the 876 code is exhausted. In the meantime, however, preparations must be made for the introduction of 658, as whenever an additional area code is activated within an area mandatory 10-digit dialling is required for all local calls. This is due to the fact that the last seven digits of a number currently being used will no longer identify as a unique address, as those digits will be replicated under the new area code,” it said.

Bennett Marsh reportedly stressed the importance of familiarisation during the permissive dialling period on both networks, and how it will work. “If it is that you dial seven digits you will get a recording whether you dial to a Flow or Digicel number to say this is a reminder that 10 digit dialling is in effect, but we are going to put through your call…however, come November 1, then if you dial seven digits we are going to ask you to hang up and dial 10 digits,” she was quoted outlinging.

She noted that there is no specific timeline for the exhaustion of 876 numbers yet, as this is demand-driven. “But right now from where we sit we are prepared for any demands,” she reportedly said.

Director of Corporate Communication and Stakeholder Management at FLOW, Kayon Wallace, reportedly informed that customers will not be billed for the duration of the recording alerting them to 10-digit dialling. She said that her company is ready for the new paradigm, with the public awareness programme planned to continue through to the end of 2018.

“We have our project team in place; they are on track, all our action items are currently tracking pretty much as expected in order for us to meet the timeline … we do believe that this is an excellent initiative and, under the expert guidance of the OUR, it’s good that we are putting the necessary steps in place to ensure that we are fully prepared at the point when the numbers under the 876 code are exhausted. What we want to ensure is that there is minimal disruption to our customers,” Wallace reportedly stated.

Regional Communication Manager for Digicel Elon Parkinson has equally commended the OUR, for its preemptive move. “We are going to be doing a full-scale public awareness campaign — this month to next year if needs be. We need to hit some critical points concerning simply how people save their numbers. From now on, start saving your numbers with 876,” he was quoted as saying.

He noted that although social media platforms such as WhatsApp already automatically save numbers with the requisite area codes, persons would now have to actively save numbers with all 10 digits.

He pointed out that stakeholders such as advertisers can join the public education campaign by making their own adjustments to 10-digit dialing, in collaboration with their clients. “It’s a good opportunity to get perhaps the advertising association on board, and for them to perhaps send out a circular to their members,” he reportedly said.

Joe Issa Wishes Happy Valentine’s Day, Good Education for All Jamaican Children

Civic-minded philanthropist and businessman Joe Issa, wishes his employees, business colleagues and friends a Happy Valentine’s Day while promoting a good education for all Jamaican children, stating “it is the surest way out of poverty – the scourge of all societies.”

Issa cautioned that “while numeracy and literacy have their uses, such as in functionality – enabling one to follow directions, dispense medicine, cook from recipes and apply agricultural or other chemicals – it is woefully inadequate to take one beyond the ‘bread line’.”

He argues that “sometimes, depending on how enabling the business environment is and the size of the household, more is needed, such as a good education, creativity and imagination, or even retraining, in order to break completely, the cycle of poverty.”

Issa said he chose ‘a good education’ as his thematic Valentine’s Day message not simply because it is the area in which his Cool Group subsidiary, Cool Charities, gives back to disadvantaged children.

As he puts it, “a good education not only opens up opportunities for gainful employment in order to provide for the basic necessities of daily living such as food, clothing and shelter, but it also prepares one to change one’s life entirely by making poverty a distant phenomenon.”

He describes a good education as one that does not merely enable school leavers to get a decent entry level job, but one which allows them to matriculate to higher education such as a college or university, and get a profession.

In 1987, while at the Londoon School of Economics, Issa founded his first charity, “Educate the Children Fund”, to buy books for disadvantaged children in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean; and a year later, he established the “Joe Issa/Holy Cross Scholarship Fund” to send bright, under-privileged students to his alma mater university in the United States.

He has hosted youth camps and disadvantaged children in the St Ann/St Mary area in which his businesses operate, and believes that schools must be progressive in order to churn out university-ready children.

It was with this in mind that he founded “Global Education 2000”, which has twined Jamaican schools with their counterparts in the United States. Several schools have benefited from these exchanges, including Three Hills All Age School in St. Mary, which was twinned with Broward Elementary School in Tampa, Florida.

Issa has described the results of the initiative as “a major development which will see an exciting, rewarding exchange of cultural ideas and thoughts between students and teachers at both institutions.”

He says much of who he is today, is due to his good fortune of having had a good education, and stated, “I wish nothing less for all Jamaican children.”

‘Monetising Education’: Celebrated Valedictorian Urges Greater Sensitisation to Entrepreneurship to Help Graduates

As the country gears for higher economic growth and employment, celebrated valedictorian Joe Issa, who made his first investment in 1995 at the age of 30 with just US$3,000 and now heads a group of over 50 companies, has said that greater sensitisation of students to entrepreneurship could help them better monetise their education.

                      

       Roderick Gordon                                                    Joe Issa

“As it is now, the country needs more entrepreneurs and the younger the better, but I don’t see it coming without sensitising graduates to entrepreneurship, and the earlier they begin to entertain the thought of becoming an employer instead of an employee, the better they will be able to assess the technical and financial viability of their chosen business.

“The importance of being able to do so, is that a bank proposal must be convincing and command an immediate positive response. It cannot be based on sentiments but on solid observable favourable trends.

“Once pitched the project must leave no room for questions and no questions means a probable immediate yes, an outcome that is more likely the earlier students are sensitised to entrepreneurship.

“The importance of getting an immediate yes is because the longer a bank takes to approve a loan the more reasons they will find to not give it,” said Issa, who has served on the board of directors of First Global bank, among other establishments.

Issa’s statements come amid concerns expressed at a recent Gleaner Editors’ Forum that “one of the things that is killing Jamaica is the inability of individuals who study, train and can’t get a job, and the complete disconnect on how to monetise their training”, according to the newspaper.

It cited Attorney-at-law Roderick Gordon, who chairs one of the companies that has the backing of First AngelsJa, making the statement in support of Chairman of First AngelsJa, Joseph M. Matalon, who had earlier said there was no shortage of investors in Jamaica for the right deals, but argued there was an “immaturity in the environmental ecosystem”.

“We don’t get enough qualified deals. We don’t get enough qualified people coming forward who have the attitude, experience, educational background, or the expertise to drive the growth of a new business,” Matalon told the Gleaner Editors’ Forum.

Gordon, who is said to get excited when the group offers support and the investment comes to fruition, reportedly said he likes “seeing the innovation come through, seeing people who are a lot more exposed.

“I have seen entrepreneurs who pitch more than once and the second pitch is vastly improved to the first. So they are learning the discipline. They are learning how to focus. They are learning what sounds good from what can make a profit. That makes me excited.”

Civic Leader Hails New Social Media Efforts to Protect Impressionable Young Minds from Harmful Content

Civic leader Joe Issa, who is an advocate for the protection of children from inappropriate content on social media, says he is impressed by the more concerted effort being made to expedite their removal from the sites.

“There is so much inappropriate content on social media that we don’t know what our kids are exposed to at any one time; so we have to protect them from their young, impressionable minds, especially with IS using the media to recruit young people to commit acts of terrorism and spread hatred.

“I am glad to know that all the major social media networks are on board and are going to start adhering to a code of conduct to guide them in removing more of these harmful messages and in doing so more quickly,” said Issa, who is a past president of the St Ann Chamber of Commerce.

Issa was commenting on an AFP report in which Facebook’s Instagram and the Google+ social network are said to have agreed to join an European Union (EU)-sponsored group of United States (US) internet giants to combat online extremism.

The EU officials reportedly informed that “the existing members – YouTube, Microsoft, Twitter and Facebook – have made progress toward meeting the code of conduct they signed up to in May 2016, promising to look at suspicious content within 24 hours and remove illegal material.”

Justice and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Vera Jourova reportedly told reporters that Instagram had decided to join forces in the fight against illegal online hate speech and wouldl now also apply the code of conduct, adding that she had just received a message that Google+ was joining.

The EU is said to have joined forces with US-based internet firms nearly two years ago, amid growing alarm in Europe over the use of social media as a recruiting tool, especially by the Islamic State group.

Jourova reportedly said she would continue to have the industry regulate itself under the code of conduct after hailing progress among the internet firms to remove threatening material.

According to the article, The Commission – which is the executive and regulatory arm of the 28-nation EU – informed that IT firms had removed 70 percent of the illegal speech notified to them in the last few months, compared to 59 percent before May 2017, and 28 percent in the months after the code of conduct was launched.

Jourova also reportedly informed that Facebook had hired 3,500 new staff to fight online hate speech to add to the existing 4,500 employees.

She added that IT firms had also strengthened cooperation with civil society organisations, including training, to better detect and report suspected cases of hate speech.

The leaders of EU states last year are said to have urged internet firms to do their utmost to combat online extremism or face the possibility of legislation if the industry self-regulation fails.

Stakeholder PICA Likes PAJ Expansions, Says It Will Increase Economic Growth

Chairman of Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) Joe Issa, says he is pleased with the planned expansion of Jamaica’s main ports, stating it will enhance tourism and commerce and the country’s growth prospects.

“Our air and sea ports are critical as trade facilitators, in both goods and services, and any improvement and expansion of those facilities can only enhance their attractiveness and increase shipcalls and throughput.

“The importance of throughput is that the more cargo and passengers the ports can move and the quicker they can do so, the higher will the overall level of trade in the country.

A section of the Kingston Container Terminal 

“And more trade means more goods passing through our ports and more commercial activities in processing, storage and dstribution, which means more opportunities for employment and business development, and ultimately, economic growth. The shippers will also benefit from shorter turnaround time.

“On the services’ side, our biggest export is tourism, with nearly half of the total visitors to Jamaica arriving at cruise ship ports in Falmouth and Ocho Rios; so any enhancement of those facilities, as well as those in Montego Bay and Portland, will improve the visitor experience; and first impression is critical in maintaining and increasing cruiseships calls, tourism revenue and employment, and by extention, in growing the economy,” said Issa.

Issa, who is said to be one of the island’s best known tourism experts, was commenting on a Gleaner report that Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) is to spend $15 billion over the next two years to execute several projects aimed at upgrading and improving facilities at the island’s sea ports.

In making the announcement, Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Dr Horace Chang, praised the PAJ for its timely and successful execution of development projects.

Speaking in Falmouth, Trelawny at a stakeholder meeting, Chang reportedly said improvement works on the Falmouth cruise ship pier, the upgrade and expansion of the Reynolds Pier in Ocho Rios, and improvements to the port in Kingston are among the projects to be undertaken by the PAJ.

He said each port will be upgraded and outfitted with unique features that will greatly enhance the visitor experience, according to the article.

It cited Chang stating that work on the state-of-the-art fishing village and Reynolds Pier in Ocho Rios were far advance, which when completed, would return Ocho Rios to being the island’s leading cruise destination.

Minister Chang also said the marina in Port Antonio would also be upgraded by the port authority.

Save the Children: Joe Issa Backs School Bus System to Increase Order, Safety, Attendance and Punctuality

Educate the Children charity founder Joe Issa is in support of an initiative to save the children from the shenanigans on the nation’s streets and public transport, stating that a national school bus system has the potential of creating a new generation of better behaved and more educated children and less stressful parents.

                                  Reid (L), Yamazaki and Davis  Issa

“Those of us who can drive our kids to school and back every day must feel a sense of relief not having to worry about what happens to them on the way, and for good reason as much is said to happen on the nation’s streets and busses, and one can never tell in what state children get to school, at what time, or if they ever get there.

“The idea of a national school bus system may not resolve all the issues facing parents, children and schools, but it sure can bring much relief to all stakeholders.

“I think parents will be happier not having to find the fares to send their kids to school every day and boarding them in an orderly, safe and reliable school bus system.

“The kids can travel in greater comfort and shield from bad influences on the streets and public transport.

“And schools will benefit from welcoming more orderly kids to their classroms while boosting their record of attendance and punctuality,” said Issa, who is a businessman, civic leader and philanthropist.

He added: “A national school bus system has the potential of creating a new generation of better behaved and more educated children and less stressful parents. “It’s a win-win for all, including society.”

Issa was commenting on Minister of Education, Youth and Information Senator Ruel Reid’s mission to create a national school bus system which will provide transportation for students in all parishes.

This was revealed at the signing of an $8 million grant agreement with the Japan Grassroots Human Security Project to purchase a school bus for Oracabessa Primary School in St Mary. The signing took place at the Office of the Prime Minister recently, in the presence of Japan Ambassador to Jamaica, Hiromasa Yamazaki and Principal of the Oracabessa Primary School, Gregory Davis.

“We’re looking at an overarching plan to provide transportation for all students. We need 1,000 buses to cover the need of the schools. I have that particular aspiration of a comprehensive national school bus system for a number of reasons; not only for safety, but to get our students to school on time and in a managed and regulated way.

“While we have this vision for the rural transportation system, we didn’t just sit back. We have committed over $204 million at the start of this academic year towards this particular rural bus system,” JIS quoted the minister as saying.

He is said to have emphasised the need for a national school bus system in rural areas, adding that students would be transported more safely, parents would save from the high cost of transportation, and there would be less burden on the rural transport operators with privately owned vehicles, according to the government news agency.

“The cost for transportation is extremely high in rural areas. We’re talking about small farmers who are essentially just trying to survive. There is a significant number of students in the rural areas who are on the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), and they will need the transportation system,” the Minister argued.

Pointing out that on average about 20 per cent of students are absent from school each day, Reid cited the recent Survey on Living Conditions, noting “it wasn’t strange to us that an overwhelming majority of those who were interviewed said money was the main fault why they couldn’t send their children to school regularly.”

Senator Reid said he believes a new comprehensive national school bus system would support PATH.

“We’re doing a lot in trying to get the children to school [through PATH], trying to give them lunch for five days, trying to provide insurance, IDs and books. That’s wonderful, but if the children are not able to get to school, all of those efforts are for naught,” he said.

The Japan Grassroots Human Security Project is said to have been developed based on an alliance formed by the Embassy of Japan in Jamaica and the National Education Trust on April 20, 2015. This partnership is aimed at meeting education needs at the primary level in schools in need of assistance.