THIS DAY IN OUR PAST

The following events took place on November 17 in the years identified:

1972:seat Jamaica gains a

on an advisory committee set up by the International Sugar Organisation in London to prepare the draft of a sugar agreement to be negotiated by a conference of the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development to be held in Geneva in May and September 1973. A primary health1987:care

education programme being conducted by Girl Guides and Scouts, with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund, is officially launched at Scouts Headquarters, Camp Road. The programme, called Help Children Grow, involves the use of Guides and Scouts to carry primary health-care messages with special emphasis on environmental health, immunisation, nutrition and gastroenteritis to their peers in their communities. 1997:bill Cabinet approves a

to mark, by commemorative legislation, Jamaica’s qualification for the World Cup football finals in France in 1998. The bill is approved at the sitting of Cabinet and will be presented at the sitting of the House on November 18, 1997, and to the Senate on Friday, November 21, 1997. Prime Minister P.J. Patterson’s decision to declare Monday, November 17 a public holiday to celebrate the achievements of the national football team turns out to be a controversial one. While thousands of public- and private-sector workers and students benefiting from an extended weekend, some persons questioned the wisdom and even the legality of the prime minister’s declaration.

– The Gleaner Archives

Today’s Gem

“When the solution is simple, God is answering.” – Albert Einstein