Smith: Judges should be appointed on merit Jan Pudlow Associate Editor With the passion he summoned in his former role as a prosecutor in closing arguments in a big murder case, Sen. Rod Smith, D-Gainesville, delivered a rousing keynote address at the Bar’s Annual Meeting General Assembly, hitting hard on President Kelly Overstreet Johnson’s top goals. • On lawyer advertising:“Somehow, images of Webster, Darrow, Marshall, and Cox disappear when I am told of a television ad that suggests good legal counsel can be obtained by simply dialing 1-800-PIT-BULL. At the rate we are going, I expect law firm names emblazoned on the shoulder pads of star players of NFL games. Of course, in small print on their wrist bands you will be told that selecting an attorney is an important decision. When we hawk ourselves like has-been infomercial celebrities, the whole profession suffers, public respect is diminished, and legislative support becomes harder to sustain.” • On protecting an independent judiciary:“There are, of course, those in the executive branch or the legislature anxious to blame the courts or use the courts as an excuse for some unpopular social changes. Our governor and legislature, particularly the House, love to assail the ‘activist’ judges, albeit their complaints were noticeably less strident when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Bush v. Gore. “All of us should understand one thing and understand it well: The single most sustaining support structure for our form of democracy has been the independent judiciary.”At that point, the audience broke into applause.“From John Marshall to William Rehnquist, the exercise of judicial review, while differing in many ways, has acted as a critical counterweight to the excesses of the majority or the over-concentration of political powers in the legislative or executive branches. The unique need for balance in our federalism has always required a final arbiter. I want to challenge Justice [Barbara] Pariente [the new chief justice] this morning never to back down from a decision, ever, for fear of legislative reprisal or executive disapproval.” • On the need for judicial nominating commissions free of politics:“Our trial judges need particular courage and judgment as they face ever greater press and public scrutiny. There is always the temptation to simply follow the popular will. Because of my fear of an overly politicized judiciary, I share Kelly Johnson’s concerns that our judicial nominating process should not become an extension of the governor’s office, especially in a state that requires Senate confirmation for every appointment except our courts. Our judges should be appointed and retained on the basis of merit, not political allegiance. • On celebrating courageous lawyers and judges:“It is only when the courts and judges show fear the law is diminished and that which Justice Holmes called our ‘magic mirror’ becomes fogged and unclear. I am so proud that a trial judge in this state, notwithstanding pressure from the governor’s office and an unwise vote of the legislature, had the courage to follow the law in the tragic and private case of Terri Schiavo. To those who criticize the judge, I refer them to the words of the first great trial lawyer in America, Luther Martin, who, during his closing in defense of Aaron Burr, trumpeted to Justice Marshall: ‘It is easy to do our duty in fair weather, but when the tempest rages, when lightning blazes all around us — it is then that a truly brave man stands his post.’” July 15, 2004 Associate Editor Regular News Smith: Judges should be appointed on merit
FaithLifestyleNewsRegional Bible being translated into Jamaican patois by: – December 28, 2011 Share Sharing is caring! Tweet Share
Flag of Jamaica. KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Bible is, for the first time, being translated into Jamaican patois. It’s a move welcomed by those Jamaicans want their mother tongue enshrined as the national language — but opposed by others, who think learning and speaking English should be the priority, the BBC reported.The sound of patois, developed from English by West African slaves in Jamaica’s sugar plantations 400 years ago, has an electrifying effect on those listening.“It’s almost as if you are seeing it,” says a woman, referring to the moment when Jesus is tempted by the Devil.“In the blink of an eye, you get the whole notion. It’s as though you are watching a movie… it brings excitement to the word of God.”The Rev Courtney Stewart, General Secretary of the West Indies Bible Society, who has managed the translation project, insisted the new Bible demonstrates the power of patois, and cited a line from Luke as an example.It’s the moment when the Angel Gabriel goes to Mary to tell her she is going to give birth to Jesus. English versions read along these lines: “And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.’”“Now compare that with our translation of the Bible,” said Stewart. “De angel go to Mary and say to ‘er, me have news we going to make you well ‘appy. God really, really, bless you and him a walk with you all de time.”Stewart says the project is largely designed to bring scripture alive, but it also has another important function — to rescue patois from its second-class status in Jamaica and to enshrine it as a national language. The patois Bible represents a new attempt to standardise the language, with the historically oral tongue written down in a new phonetic form.For example the passage relating the angel’s visit to Mary reads: “Di ienjel go tu Mieri an se tu ar se, ‘Mieri, mi av nyuuz we a go mek yu wel api. Gad riili riili bles yu an im a waak wid yu all di taim.”The New Testament has been completed by a team of translators at the Bible Society in Kingston — working from the original Greek — who intend to publish it in time for the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence from Britain on 6 August next year. But some traditionalist Christians say the patois Bible dilutes the word of God, and insist that patois is no substitute for English.Bishop Alvin Bailey, at the Portmore Holiness Church of God near Kingston, argues that patois is too limited a language to represent the nuances of Biblical text, and has to resort to coarse expressions to makes its meaning clear.“I don’t think the patois words can effectively communicate what the English words have communicated,” he said. “Even those (patois) words that we would want to use to fully explain what was in the original, are words that are vulgar.”Many others see the elevation of patois as a backward step for Jamaica, in a globalised world demanding English.Linguists at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, who have been working on the translation, insist that patois is an authentic language, with its own tenses and consistent grammatical rules.According to the BBC, a bastion of ‘proper’ English, in Jamaican patois plural nouns are made with the word “dem” (“they” or “them” in English) — so the plural of “uoli prafit” (“holy prophet”) is “uoli prafit dem”, and the plural of “enimi” (“enemy”) is “enimi dem”The past tense is marked by the word “did” — so “he lived” is, in patois, “im did liv”The future tense can be marked with ” a go” or “wi” (“will”) — “Im a go siev” is “He will save”, and “Yu wi nuo” is “You will know”Examples:Jos laik ou im did taak chuu im uoli prafit dem — Just like how he talked through his holy prophetsIm a go siev wi fram wi enimi dem — He will save us from our enemiesSo yu wi nuo se wa yu ier a chuu – So you will know that what you hear is true.By Caribbean News Now contributor Share 38 Views no discussions
Press Association Roberto Martinez is placing as much importance on character as he is ability as he seeks to make his first signings as Everton manager. “There is some work going on already and over the next few weeks we need to make sure that we bring the right characters as well as the right players to the football club. “It’s not going to be the case of bringing anyone at any time – it’s important we identify the type of help we need in the dressing room and in the team and make sure they are a type of footballer who will fit in with the train of thought at Everton. It’s more a matter of finding the right players and that will take a little bit of time.” Martinez, who will not meet his entire first-team squad until they join up for pre-season training next month, is hoping to get some scouting done at the Confederations Cup. The Toffees boss is working as a television pundit in Brazil and he hopes that will give him a chance to take a closer look at potential targets. “I think the major events are a first for seeing players and ways of playing,” he told evertontv. “It’s always a unique experience to see footballers under massive, massive pressure of representing their country and representing the expectations of a country and being able to play their football. “There are always footballers that catch your eye under those circumstances. “I always like to follow the big events and to do that with the name of Everton and opening new markets with Everton, it will be a real enjoyment and something I’m really looking forward to.” 
He accepts, having been in the job for less than a fortnight, that may take a while. But he believes being patient will pay off as it allows him to make the right decisions about who he needs to bring in. “As you can imagine, that is something that you need to work early on and obviously the whole football club will work together towards that,” said the Spaniard. 
Luke Heimlich may not be allowed to pitch in Mexico, either.Heimlich’s agreement with a club in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (LMB) is being reviewed by the league’s president, Javier Salinas, who on Thursday expressed reservations about the pact. Heimlich went undrafted after his junior and senior seasons at Oregon State after the Oregonian reported on his crime in 2017. The Royals explored signing him as a free agent last year before deciding against it. A team in Taiwan eventually agreed to sign Heimlich, but the Chinese Professional Baseball League later terminated the deal based on Heimlich’s plea.Heimlich told the Times last May he did not molest his niece and that he took the plea deal to help his family move forward. He also said he had satisfied the conditions of his sentence, that his records had been expunged and that he was no longer registered as a sex offender.The Times reported that Heimlich’s court records are sealed. “We have to analyze his case. It’s very difficult to see him registered in the Mexican League,” Salinas said in Spanish to The New York Times.Salinas is concerned about Heimlich’s criminal past. The former Oregon State pitcher pleaded guilty in 2012 to one count of sexually molesting his niece when he was 15 and the girl was 6. The Times quoted Salinas as saying the LMB needs to “verify that all of our entrants have good conduct.”MORE: Most heinous crimes connected to athletes”We are an example to a lot of boys and girls. And we have to protect the image of the league.” Salinas told the Times.Salinas told the Times that a decision would be made “in the coming days.”Heimlich, 23, agreed to sign with the Tecolotes de Dos Laredos, who divide their home games between Nuevo Laredo in Mexico and Laredo, Texas. The Times reported Heimlich worked out with the club Wednesday. The club’s owner, Jose Antonio Mansur, told the Times that Heimlich has signed a pledge to exhibit good behavior.”I’m not a judge,” Mansur told the Times in Spanish by phone. “I’m just a businessman, and I’ll give him an opportunity. If he was guilty, he’s already been judged. I’m just looking from here on forward.”