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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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DEPORTED CLERIC RETURNS TO JAMAICA—01/23/10

Radical Muslim cleric Abdullah al-Faisal was deported from Kenya and arrived in his homeland of Jamaica. A South African firm paid the cost of the flight. Al-Faisal said he was “too tired” to speak with reporters about his deportation.

TEEN DIES IN CROSS-COUNTRY RACE—01/24/10

Jaime Brown, 13, died during a Cornwall College cross-country race on Sewell Avenue near the school. The seventh grader is thought to have become exhausted during the race, telling another student that he needed a drink of water. His father said he was “not doing well” after the death. Brown’s mother was in Miami, Florida at the time of the incident.

AUTHORITIES CONCERNED ABOUT MARRIAGES OF CONVENIENCE—01/25/10

Jamaican authorities are stepping up efforts to prevent “marriages of convenience” between island citizens and Haitians after the earthquake there. Dwight Nelson, National Security Minister, appealed directly to citizens not to aid in such marriages with “foreign criminals.” The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency will be watching to ensure these marriages do not further criminal actions.

SHOPKEEPER WILL NOT SELL TO THOSE WITH HIV—01/25/10

A shopkeeper in St. James has refused to make sales to individuals who suffer with HIV. The shopkeeper is one of many people who are afraid to touch anything that has made contact with HIV-positive individuals. They are afraid that contact of any kind will lead to infection with the disease.

JAMAICA EXPERIENCES OVER 200 TREMORS EVERY YEAR—01/26/10

The island of Jamaica has over 200 earthquake tremors every year, which could be why it has not had a major quake in 15 years. Dr. Lyndon Brown, head of the Earthquake Unit, says that the smaller earthquake experienced, the less like it is there will be a larger quake along the same fault line. In 2009, there were 220 tremors measuring between 1.9 and 3.9 on the Richter Scale in Jamaica.

ARCHBISHOP BURKE DIES—01/27/10

Archbishop emeritus Lawrence Burke of Kingston has died. His death at home followed a battle with cancer. Burke was the first Archbishop of the Bahamas, where he served for over 20 years before returning to Jamaica to take the role of Archbishop for the Diocese of Kingston in 2004. He retired in 2008.

US BOTANIST GUILTY OF MURDER PLOT—01/28/10

A jury in Jamaica has found an American-born Botanist of plotting to kill his wife on the island. George Proctor, 89, has lived in Jamaica for 60 years. His wife was not harmed, but Proctor conspired with his chauffer, Glenmore Fillington, to murder the 66-year-old woman. Proctor gave Fillington $90,000 to commit the murder in 2006.

JAMAICA EXPLAINS ITS REFUSAL TO EXTRADITE DRUG TRAFFICKER—01/29/10

The government of Jamaica will provide an explanation to the United States for refusing to extradite Prestley Bingham, an accused drug trafficker. The U.S. had asked that the St. James businessman, whom it said had a major role in international drug trafficking, be extradited to face trial. Dorothy Lightbourne, Minister of Justice and an attorney, cited a breach in Bingham’s rights as the reason for the refusal.

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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICAN CHEF SHARES RECIPES AT WHOLE FOODS MARKET—01/25/10

Jamaican chef Nigel Spence, a two-time winner of the Food Network’s “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” contest, was the host of a cooking demonstration at the Whole Foods Market in New York City. Spence, known as the “king of jerk,” shared his secrets for preparing Jamaican cuisine with cooking fans and critics.

BUJU BANTON SAYS HE WAS ENTRAPPED—01/27/10

A lawyer for Buju Banton, Jamaican reggae singer, has filed court papers stating that he could use an entrapment defense in the singer’s federal drug case. The papers allege that the confidential source used by authorities to investigate the musician had wanted Banton to enter into a cocaine deal with him. Banton faces charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm to aid co-defendants during the distribution.

JAMAICAN WOMAN CONVICTED OF OVERSTAYING VISA IN BAHAMAS—01/28/10

Camilla Simona, a native of Kingston, was charged after overstaying the legal two weeks of her visa. Simona, 32, was permitted to stay in the Bahamas for two weeks beginning October 4, 2009. Instead of leaving, however, or applying for an extension, she stayed in the Bahamas for more than three months. Simona did have gainful employment during that time.

JAMAICAN CHARGED WITH CHILD SEX ABUSE—01/28/10

Dexter Wason, a 39-year-old Jamaican, will face the High Court in Antigua on charges of unlawful carnal knowledge of a 10-year-old girl. Wason, his wife, and his child live in the same house as the victim and her mother. The court has ordered Wason to move out immediately. The victim’s mother alleges that she came home to find the man having sex with her daughter.

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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY
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HAITI ENDS SEARCH FOR EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS—01/23/10

Haiti’s government has called of the search for earthquake survivors, and British rescue teams are returning to the United Kingdom. A total of 132 individuals were rescued. The United Nations also confirmed that the search and rescue efforts were over 11 days after the earthquake.

SUMMIT OF 20 COUNTRIES TO PLAN HAITI AID EFFORTS—01/24/10

An emergency meeting of 20 nations will be held in Montreal, Canada, to coordinate aid efforts for Haiti. Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State, will be among those attending the summit to plan for long-term reconstruction and a donor conference scheduled for March 2010.

MICHIGAN HAS TIES TO VIRGIN ISLANDS SAILING SCHOOL—01/25/10

The toughest sailing school in the Virgin Islands, Fair Wind Sailing School, operates in Red Hook, St. Thomas, and also out of Jefferson Beach Marina in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. The owner, David Bello, spends ten days every month overseeing the business in St. Thomas, as well as teaching advanced classes.

AMERICAN ON CRUISE KILLED IN ANTIGUA—01/26/10

Nina Nilssen, a graduate student at San Francisco State University, was stabbed and killed in Antigua while on a cruise to celebrate her sister’s marriage. Nilssen, 29, had gone ashore with the wedding party when she was attacked. Police have found no motive for the killing nor do they have any suspects in the crime.

SURVIVORS IN HAITI BATTLE FOR FOOD—01/27/10

Haitians continue to suffer from a lack of food many days after the earthquake that caused wide spread damage to the country. Hundreds of people in Port-au-Prince, the capital city, crowded around trucks carrying food to another location and grabbed what they could from the supplies. People fought with each other over bags of food, according to witnesses.

PIRATE CANNON GOES TO INDIANA—01/28/10

In a partnership between The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Indiana University’s Underwater Science Conservation Lab, Captain Kidd’s pirate cannon will be seen above water for the first time in 310 years. The cannon will travel to the children’s museum, the world’s largest, to be put on display. The cannon is the first pirate’s cannon recovered in the Caribbean region.

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SPORTS
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CAMPBELL-BROWN SEEKS VISA VICTORY—01/25/10

Jamaican Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown is looking for another Visa women’s 60-meter Millrose win since 2006. In a battle with United States indoor champion Lisa Barber at the Millhouse competition in that year, Campbell-Brown and Barber both clocked 7.10 seconds at a photo finish. The photo ultimately resulted in Campbell-Brown declared the winner.

CHRISTINE OHURUOGU GOES TO JAMAICA—01/26/10

Four-hundred-meter Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu is coming to Jamaica from her home in London for a three-week training period. She will spend intensive training time with the Racers Track Club, the training location of Usain Bolt. Ohuruogu, 25, plans to focus on outdoor competition and the European Athletics Championships.

JAMAICA GIRLS DEFEATED BY TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO—01/27/10

Jamaica’s under-20s women’s competition at CONCACAF saw a defeat, being beaten by the Soca Princesses, theTrinidad and Tobago team in the championship meet. Both teams entered the competition after having been eliminated from semi-final contention.

JAMAICAN SURFERS WIN ISA SCHOLARSHIPS—01/28/10

Armani Green and Ronald Hastings, two junior surfers from Jamaica, have received International Surfing Association Scholarships. The organization’s scholarship program has grown since its establishment in 2007 and funding from Bllabong. ISA has provided 25 scholarships in 2010 for junior surfers under the age of 18 in 20 countries. Recipients of the scholarships are inspirational individuals, excellent surfers, and students who want to succeed in both their sport and in school.

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DEVOTIONAL
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Too Stressed To Be Blessed

“And God said to Moses … Therefore say to the children of Israel: … So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they would not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.” (Exodus 6: 2a, 6a, 9, NKJV).

Our reference text is nestled in the context of the plight of the Israelites, God’s first-born (4:22), in Egypt. Their suffering was of such that “the children of Israel groaned because of their bondage and they cried out, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remember His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them” (2:23-25). God then called Moses and commissioned him to go to Pharaoh and lead his people out of Egypt (Exodus 3-4), but He also sent with Moses a personal message to the stressed out and oppressed children of Israel. A message – a Word – that would have lifted their spirits and from which hope would have sprung in the dry and barren places of their hearts, yet this very group that had labored for generations as slaves under Egyptian rule, and who had cried out to God for deliverance, “would not heed (listen) to Moses because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.” In today’s language we would probably say there were too stressed to be blessed! Does that sound like you?

Amidst the hustle and bustle of your days, what is God saying to you that you are not hearing? God speaks in various ways; through the words from a song, a verse or portion of the scriptures, something from your pastor’s sermon or that of a televangelist, a conversation with a trusted friend whose walk with the Lord has been proven. If our minds are constantly busy with worry and fear, it is possible to not hear Him speak in the quite places of our minds. I do strongly believe however that it is not God’s plan for His people to be too stressed to be blessed.

As we pass through this life we will have situations and issues to deal with. However the child of God has to remember that we serve One who is able to do for us far more than we can ask or think according to the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20), and as such we do not have to get caught up in, or be overtaken by, our individual circumstances. I think this was the realization of the Psalmist that caused him to pray: “Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.” (Psalm 61:1-4, NKJV).

One word from God can change your life. Quiet your mind and take refuge under the shelter of His wings. It is my prayer that whatever that Word is, you will hear it, meditate on it, act on it, stand on it, and then expect that Word to change your life. Oh, I almost forgot: once you start doing that, you will be become too blessed to be stressed.

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.