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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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PRIME MINISTER ORDERS REVIEW OF INFANT’S SHOOTING—03/08/08
Bruce Golding, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, has ordered the police commissioner and attorney general to review an incident in which an 11-month-old child was shot to death during a police chase. The infant was hit by a stray bullet when the police allegedly shot into a taxi they were chasing. The Prime Minister has apologized to the family of the victim.

JAMAICAN FILM INDUSTRY TO RECEIVE HELP—03/09/08
The creation of the Jamaican Film Academy is expected to raise the profile of Jamaican films throughout the world. The Academy was created in February, “Reggae Month,” as an initiative under the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth, and Sports.

REGGAE SINGER WRITES SONG FOR OBAMA—03/09/08
Cocoa Tea, a Jamaican reggae singer whose style made him a popular dancehall star during the 1980s, has recorded a song tribute to Barack Obama, a candidate for President of the United States. Cocoa Tea says he sees Obama as an inspiration and a force for change.

CLIMATE CHANGE MAY ELIMINATE REGIONAL FISH SPECIES —03/10/08
Many valuable types of fish could be lost to Jamaica and other countries in the region as a result of higher temperatures in the Caribbean Sea, says Kenrick Leslie, executive director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center in Belize. He predicts that a one-degree rise in the water temperature, the fishing industry in the Caribbean region could essentially collapse.

POSTPONEMENT HALTS EXTRADITION OF JAMAICAN DRUG LORD—03/11/08
Norris “Deedo” Nembhard, labeled a “Drug Kingpin” by the United States President George W. Bush, was ordered to be extradited to the U.S. in 2005. Since then, his lawyers have battled to keep him free in Jamaica, saying that prosecutors have no case against him. A hearing was to be held on March 9, 2008, but was postponed to May 5

GROUP STUDY ATTACKS JAMAICAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM—03/12/08
Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and the George Washington University Law School have issued a joint report called “Killing Impunity: Fatal Police Shootings and Extrajudicial Executions in Jamaica.” The report charges the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and the island’s judicial system with bias and inept practices. The report was submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

HOLNESS SAYS TEACHERS SHOULD HAVE POLICE POWERS—03/13/08
Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s Minister of Education, has suggested that teachers be provided with limited police powers to handle disruptive students legally. The idea arose from the death of Jordan Manners in 2007 and a report on school violence issued as a result of his murder. Holness says that teachers are more aware of problems in the schools and would know what to do if they had the appropriate authority. Under his proposal, teachers would be allowed to search students for cause and hold them until police arrive.

POLICEMAN TO BE SENTENCED ON GUN CHARGES—03/14/08
Constable Rahul Khourie, 31, will be sentenced on gun-related charges after being convicted in Western Regional Gun Court. His conviction occurred after the arrest of three men, two of them members of the St. James Police division, on suspicion of robbery. Dr. Beverley East, psychiatrist at the Family and Parenting Center in Montego Bay, says the situation is “demoralizing” for the police force and puts them in an awkward position.

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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICAN TO ENCOURAGE TOURIST BUSINESS FROM EUROPE—03/10/08
Ed Bartlett, Tourism Minister, joined other government officials, hoteliers, aviation experts, and other stakeholders in the tourist industry at the world’s largest travel fair in Berlin, Germany. Bartlett believes that the European market could result in “big business” for Jamaica, and he is part of an effort to obtain new business from Europe.

JAMAICAN MORTGAGE BROKER WANTED FOR FRAUD—03/12/08
Yvette Scott Patterson, 41, and her husband, Delroy, 45, are wanted in the United States on multiple charges of fraud. The Jamaican mortgage broker left Fort Lauderdale, Florida in order to escape charges stemming from a multi-million dollar mortgage scam.

JAMAICAN TO SERVE PRISON TIME FOR ILLEGAL ENTRANCE TO U.S.—03/13/08
Donovan Wayne Tucker, 42, has a long criminal history, and he was sentenced to five years in prison for re-entering the United States illegally after he was deported. He was arrested by Miami, Florida’s Fugitive Operations Team on October 1, 2007. It was also found that he had resided in Canada for most of his adult life.

“THE HARDER THEY COME” ON STAGE IN UK—03/14/08
A theatrical version of “The Harder They Come,” the Jamaican film that provided the world with its introduction to reggae music, is being performed at the Barbican Theater in London. The case is from the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, and the show has been called “exhilarating” when they sing Jimmy Cliff’s songs.

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SPORTS
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NO MEDALS FOR JAMAICA ON OPENING DAY—03/08/08
Jamaican athletes did not win any medals on the first day of the 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics in Spain. Dorian Scott, who won a silver medal at the Pan American games, posted 20.62 meters in the shot put. This was a record for Jamaica and advanced him to the finals from Group A. He did not medal after a throw of 20.29, putting him in sixth place.

AITKEN TOUTED AS FAVORITE AT ANZ CHAMPIONSHIP—03/09/08
Jamaican Romelda Aiken is one of the crowd’s favorite net ball players at the semi-professional ANZ Championship. Aiken, 19, is 196cm tall, and is being called a future star of the sport. She met expectations during her first appearance in Australia as she easily made shots for the Queensland Firebirds. Firebirds’ coach Vicky Wilson recruited the Jamaican.

REGGAE BOYZ EYE WORLD CUP POSITIONS—03/10/08
Members of the local Jamaican Reggae Boyz team are looking for a place in the World Cup qualifying squad led by Rene Simoes. The Boyz will meet Parana’s Second Division Operario team in a practice game in Brazil. Two of the team’s regulars will not play because of injuries, although their conditions are not serious.

BOLT RACES TO RECORD—03/11/08
Usain Bolt, 21, a silver medalist in the 200 meters at the World Championships, ran a record-breaking 10.03 seconds in the 100 meters at the Lucozade Sport/G.C. Foster Classics. His time worked out better than the hand-timed 9.9 seconds achieved by Asafa Powell in 2003.

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DEVOTIONAL
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Experiencing Joy

Most of us have at least one person we enjoy being around. Whether we see them every day or only occasionally, the times we anticipate seeing them in person can be absolutely delightful. Our desire for relatedness, stoked by our desire to know and be known, influences the connections we make with others and often time give birth to these meaningful relationships. Maybe even now you’re sitting across from, or thinking about, such a person, and if you are, you’re probably smiling as well. I know, I’ve been there.

I thought of this as I reflected on what David was likely feeling when he wrote of God, “in thy presence is fulness of joy” (Psalm 16:11, KJV). Though Peter used this Psalm in reference to Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection (see Acts 2:25-28, KJV), for those of us who know the feeling, we can agree with the Psalmist that there’s a “fulness of joy” that we experience whenever we’re in the presence of the Lord. This is especially so during times of individual or corporate worship. The word ‘joy’ in the text could also have been translated ‘exceeding gladness’. Not just mere gladness, but exceeding gladness – a state of being chraracterized by emotions such as tears and/or laughter. Being in God’s presence is our ultimate place of refuge from the hustle and bustle of our day to day living. It is the place where we can take our doubts, our fears, our anxieties, and our burdens, and leave with not only His peace, but also His joy.

Though all humanity is in His presence, God invites the believer into a more personal realm of intimacy, and it’s this realm that I believe David was talking about. The beauty in all this is that we can enter into it from anywhere. Being stuck in traffic, being in a lineup, sitting at our desks, it really doesn’t matter. There is no need for the child of God to walk around joyless. Just thinking about Him , who He is, what He had done for us, and the hope we have in Him, through Christ Jesus, should provoke unspeakable joy (2 Peter 1:8, KJV). If we ‘ re able to get to that point in our thoughts, can you imagine what it would be like to enter more intimately into His presence?

“In thy presence is fulness of joy.” Have you experienced that with Him lately?

CEW

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CREDITS/SOURCES
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The weekly news is compilation of new articles from top Caribbean and Jamaican news sources.