Spread the love

—————————————————————
THIS WEEK’S SUMMARY
—————————————————————

ECSTASY TABLET SHIPMENT INTERCEPTED IN MONTEGO BAY—01/20/06
A shipment of 950 Ecstasy tablets, valued at more than $2 million, was stopped at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St. James. The shipment arrived on a plane from Canada, and the tablets were hidden in the incoming cargo. A major investigation has been launched, according to Carlton Wilson, Senior Superintendent of Police. He would not comment further about the discovery, citing the investigation’s sensitivity. Ecstasy is an unlawful, manufactured combination of mescaline and amphetamine, which causes mood elevation and hallucinations.

RELATIVES OF MAN KILLED BY POLICE TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE—01/20/06
The family of Edward Morgan, one of the two men shot and killed by police in Glengoffe, St. Catherine, under questionable circumstances, will receive aid from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Lucius Thomas, Policy Commissioner, said the JCF is committed to offering whatever help it can to Mr. Morgan’s family. Morgan was an innocent bystander, Thomas said.

NEW RESORT OPEN IN PEAR TREE BOTTOM, ST. Ann—01/2106
Jamaica’s newest resort, the Gran Bahia Principe Hotel, was opened by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller. The 600-room hotel, the first investment by the Pinero Group in the English-speaking area of the Caribbean, will be important to tourism development on the island. The Gran Bahia Principe is a British Colonial-style resort. It opened to visitors on December 24, 2006, and has been operating at 90 percent occupancy since then. When finished, the resort will have 1,800 rooms.

BRUCE GOLDING TO SEEK FIXED ELECTION DATE IF JLP WINS—01/22/06
Bruce Golding, Opposition Leader, says that if the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) wins in the general election, he will make an effort to amend the Constitution to create a fixed election date. Golding says the JLP government would set such a date within its first 100 days. Golding believes it is not good for Jamaica to spend so much time dealing with speculation and uncertainty.

US REQUIRES SPECIAL SCRUTINY OF JAMAICAN ANTI-TRAFFICKING EFFORTS—01/23/06
Jamaica and Belize are two CARICOM nations that will stay on the Special Watch List for trafficking in human beings. These countries require special scrutiny of their anti-trafficking programs under the United States Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003. The Special Watch List includes nations with significant human trafficking problems.

MOTHER REPORTS DAUGHTER MISSING, MET MAN FROM CHAT ROOM—01/24/06
Jasmine Johnson told her daughter, Diane Andrea Jackson, 27, not to meet a man who introduced himself as a cellmate of her boyfriend. Diane has been missing since she ignored her mother’s advice and decided to follow through with the meeting arrangements. The man in question has been linked to the murder of Patrice Clarke of Windsor Castle in Portland. The body of the 25-year-old woman was found in Elgin Town

BUSINESSES EXPECT MONETARY LOSSES DUE TO ICC CRICKET CUP—01/25/06
Business owners in Sabina Park, downtown Kingston, predict they will suffer losses totaling millions of dollars during the ICC Cricket World Cup because several roads will be restricted to vehicular traffic for at least seven days. If the proposed transportation program is put in place, Michael Ming, who operates M and T Distributors on South Camp Road, says he will lose approximately $100,000 over five days. About ten roads will be restricted to traffic on match days, affecting businesses located on these roads.

RESEARCHER STUDIES IMPACT OF VIOLENCE ON CHILDREN—01/26/06
According to research performed by Dr. Claudette Crawford-Brown, lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies (UWI), 80 percent of children have either been witnesses to five to eight murders or have known five to eight murder victims. The research involved surveying 115 children from two primary schools over a two-year period. All of the children surveyed came from communities with histories of violence. The research also found that ten percent of the children had witnessed fewer than four murders, while another ten percent had seen nine or more murders. Surprisingly, only a small percentage of the children interviewed showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

—————————————————————-
JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
—————————————————————-

BRITISH POLICE SAY JAMAICAN CONVICT SUSPECTED IN LONDON RAPES—01/20/06
Barrington Boothe, 29, has been convicted on rape charges, and is suspected by British police of committing several rapes in London. Police are conducting an investigation that they believe will show that Boothe is the serial rapist they have been seeking. Detectives are asking women, particularly those in the Brixton area, whether they have information about contact with Boothe. Barrington Boothe, a painter and decorate living in Wood Green, North London, was sentenced to 12 years for attacking two women in separate incidents in Wood Green. Boothe lived in the United Kingdom since 2002.

JAMAICAN-BORN SAM D. WALKER ELECTED TO NY STATE SUPREME COURT—01/21/06
Sam D. Walker, who is said to be the first Democrat of color to be elected to a county office in Westchester, New York, was sworn in as justice of the New York State Supreme Court for the 9th Judicial District. His wife, Marie, his mother, and over 300 family members, friends, and supporters accompanied him to the ceremony in the Westchester County Courthouse. Walker won his position in a landslide and will serve for a term of 14 years. Walker attended Calabar and Meadowbrook high schools in Jamaica.

JAMAICAN DIASPORA APPOINTS REGIONAL LEADERSHIP IN U.S.—01/24/06
The Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States has appointed a transitional regional board to encourage the involvement of Jamaicans and Jamaican organizations in the Southern part of the United States. This region is home to about 400,000 Jamaicans. The board was appointed according to the organization’s development plans for the area.

HYLTON PRAISES CONTRIBUTIONS OF OVERSEAS JAMAICANS—01/25/06
Senator Anthony Hylton, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, praised the contributions Jamaicans have made to the development of their adopted countries in the fields of economics, health, politics, and education. Hylton made his comments in an address in Washington, D.C., in celebration of the achievements of four individuals of Jamaican heritage who were elected to posts in the government of the United States.

—————————————————————-
SPORTS
—————————————————————

JAMAICA TO TAKE ON GUYANA AT CARIB BEER CRICKET SERIES—01/20/06
After an excellent recovery in a match against the Windward Islands, Jamaica plans to continue moving toward honors in the regional Carib Beer cricket series by defeating Guyana at Kensington Park. Jamaica took first innings points from the Windward Islands in St. Lucia, and the team feels very confident.

JAMAICA HAS GOOD CHANCE AT CARIB BEER SERIES—01/21/06
Andrew Richardson gave Jamaica a good chance at obtaining first innings points after the first day of the Carib Beer Series game against Guyana. Richardson took three for 21, while Guyana were dismissed for 204. Richardson put pressure on Guyana from the start.

St. JAGO GIRLS, CALABAR TOP 22ND HOWARD JACKSON RELAYS—01/22/06
The girls from St. Jago gained five wins and 87 points to rank first in the 22nd staging of the Howard Jackson Relays, sponsored by Seprod at Paul Bogle Junior High School in Morant Bay. Calabar topped the boys’ division with 76 points. The national boys’ champions, Kingston College, set two of the three records broken at the relays.

JAMAICA WINS FIRST VICTORY IN REGIONAL CARIB BEER SERIES—01/25/06
Jamaica enjoyed its first win in the Carib Beer cricket series, defeating Guyana by seven wickets at Kensington Park. Jamaica obtained victory 15 minutes before lunch as Captain Wavell Hinds swung a short delivery to the backward square-leg boundary. The final scores were Jamaica 375 and 64; Guyana 205 and 232.

—————————————————————-
DEVOTIONAL
—————————————————————

Let’s Praise the Lord

One of my favourite pieces of music is Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus”. There is something immeasurably majestic about it when played up-tempo, and it’s quite the treat watching an accomplished pianist ‘riding’ the waves of emotions that emanates from this piece, fingers literally flying across the keyboard. It is difficult for me to listen to, or watch a performance of it, without feeling a sense of awe.

I get the same feeling when I read Psalm 150. When read with passion, one feels the emotions of the Psalmist who it seem was conducting his own orchestra of things that should offer praise. Listen to the sound of the trumpets, the psaltery and harp chiming in. Hear the timbrel and see the dance, followed by sounds of the stringed instruments and organs. The momentum builds as the loud cymbals come in, then the high sounding cymbals, and to a rousing crescendo of voices he invites his entire audience, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD” (v.6). The most exciting thing about this invitation is that while we may never be able to play Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus”, we are all offered a part in this great chorus of praise. We are encouraged to lift our voices and “Praise God in his sanctuary, praise him in the mighty heavens…for his mighty deeds…according to his excellent greatness!” (vv.1-2).

There is no greater performance than that of praising the Lord. Webster defines praise as to “glorify (a god or saint) especially by the attribution of perfections”, and we who serve the King of Kings know that our God is perfect and the only one worthy of all praise. The angels around the thone spend all their time singing his
praises (Isaiah 6:3); everything that has breath can certainly join in and that includes you. When was the last time *you* really praised the Lord?

CEW

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