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THIS WEEK’S SUMMARY
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DEATH OF PAKISTAN COACH SUBJECT OF INQUEST—03/24/07
The death of Bob Woolmer, Pakistan cricket coach, will be investigated in a coroner’s inquest, which has been ordered to occur as soon as possible. Woolmer, 58, died from asphyxia that resulted from manual strangulation during an attack in his hotel room at the Jamaica Pegasus. Lucius Thomas, Commissioner of Police, said the coroner ordered that Woolmer’s body stay within his jurisdiction until after the inquest is completed.

PAKISTAN CRICKET TEAM LEAVES AFTER FINAL ROUND OF QUESTIONING—03/25/07
The Pakistan cricket delegation left Jamaica on route to London to connect with a flight to Asia. All but two of the members were on the flight to Heathrow Airport after police held a second round of questioning with three team members in regard to the death of their coach, Bob Woolmer. According to Deputy Commission of Police Mark Shields, Mushtaq Ahmed, assistant coach, Inzamam-ul-Haq, team captain, and Talat Ali, manager, were interrogated a second time to clear up ambiguities expressed in earlier statements.

ABOLITION OF TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE CELEBRATED—03/26/07
Twelve individuals boarded a Coast Guard vessel in Kingston Harbor in a symbolic action to commemorate the capture and enslavement of Africans some 400 years ago. The ship boarding was part of the Ancestral Funeral Rites ceremony held to observe the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. The Jamaica Military Band performed at the ceremony, and about 500 people attended the event. Many attendees, including Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, appeared in African dress.

WOOLMER INQUEST DELAYED—03/27/07
Five days after Lucius Thomas, Police Commissioner, ordered an inquest into the death of Bob Woolmer, Pakistan cricket coach, the coroner’s office is still waiting for a report from police. Woolmer, 58, died from strangulation after being found unconscious in his room at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel. Patrick Murphy, coroner, has not yet received the police report in the case, but has begun to call potential jurors. Mark Shields, Deputy Commissioner of Police, says that the report will be sent as soon as possible.

WOMAN IN ST. ELIZABETH CHARGED WITH TRADING DAUGHTER FOR MONEY—03/27/07
Meleta Taylor, 47, and Natalie Waite, 27, were charged with aiding and abetting carnal abuse and cruelty to a child for allegedly permitting Taylor’s 13-year-old daughter to be sexually molested in exchange for food and money. Taylor is a domestic helper, and Waite is the mother of three children. Both live in the Balaclava Police Division of St. Elizabeth parish. At least four men are running from police in regard to the carnal abuse of the 13-year-old girl, who has been taken into state custody.

WEST INDIES, AUSTRALIA MATCH SUSPENDED BY RAIN—03/28/07
Australia and the West Indies had to suspend their match due to unseasonable rains during the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. The teams are expected to meet again at the same venue and same pitch at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in St. John’s, Antigua. The match was suspended after Australia batted.

NINE BOYS FROM KINGSTON TECHNICAL IN POLICE CUSTODY—03/29/07
After a brawl at Kingston Technical High School on Hanover Street, at least five boys were left with stab wounds. Police were called when violence broke out at the school, and nine boys were taken into custody. According to reports, several male students in the 10th and 11th grades were involved in a knife fight in which three boys received wounds to the forehead, torso, and wrist. Another student received a stab wound to his head from a belt buckle.

$380.4 BILLION BUDGET PROPOSED FOR 2007/2008—03/30/07
Dr. Omar Davies, Finance Minister, presented a budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal year that is six percent higher than the budget for fiscal 2005-2006. The $380.4 billion budget is only two percent higher than revised estimates approved by the government in February 2007, however. No immediate reaction to Davies’ budget was received from the Opposition or the private sector. In real terms, the budget represents a decrease in overall expenditures, since inflation for the current fiscal year will be approximately 6.6 percent.

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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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LINKS TO JAMAICAN SLAVES FOUND IN CUMBRIA IN THE UK—03/25/07
Jamaicans with the surname of “Sill” are likely to have ancestors who came from the village of Dent in Sedbergh in northwest England. The name of this area was changed to “Cumbria” in 1974. The abolitionist, William Wilberforce, is thought to have lived at Rayrigg in Cumbria. Dent dates from the 13th century, and the cellars of two of its houses, High Rigg End and Whernside Manor, which were owned by the Sill family, had “slave pens” in their cellars. African slaves from Jamaican plantations were held in these cellars before being returned to the West Indies.

TOOTS & THE MAYTALS TO PERFORM IN NYC—03/29/07
Often called the “true architects” of reggae music, Toots and the Maytals will perform at the Manhattan Center Studios Grand Ballroom in New York City. The event, sponsored by TSO Productions, LLC, and Manhattan Center Studios, Inc., is an attempt to expand the options for people desiring after-work networking and leisure opportunities. The Reggae Cabaret event will present authentic Jamaican food and the chance to meet important new talent in an intimate setting.

PHILADELPHIA HOLDS “BICKLE” NIGHT—03/29/07
The officials of the Team Jamaica Bickle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are ready to continue their “Restaurant Night” in the city best known for the Liberty Bell and the Penn Relays annual track and field contests. Organizers will hold the event to raise money to help pay for food, transportation, and accommodations for Caribbean high school athletes participating in the 113th Annual Penn Relays.

CARIBBEAN NATIONALS IN NYC INVITED TO MEET AMBASSADOR CAUCUS—03/29/07
In Brooklyn, New York, Caribbean nationals are invited to meet with the Caucus of Caribbean Ambassadors and Consuls General. A Town Hall forum represents part of an attempt to gain support for a planned Caribbean Diaspora Conference in June 2007. The conference will be held in Washington, D.C. The leaders of CARICOM nations want to tap into the wide range of human resources available to help spur significant development in home nations while continuing to foster good relations between the United States and the countries in the Caribbean.

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SPORTS
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WEST INDIES DEFEAT IRELAND AT WORLD CUP—03/24/07
The excellent batting of Shivnarine Chanderpaul lead the West Indies to defeat Ireland with eight wickets in hand and 9.5 overs to spare. This ended the Windies first-round assignments in the Cricket World Cup 2007 tournament. They finished in first position in Group D.

WEST INDIES TO MEET AUSTRALIA AT ICC WORLD CUP—03/27/07
Racing for the championship in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the West Indies will meet Australia at Sire Vivian Richards Stadium in St. John’s. The Windies have a perfect three-from-three record after beating Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, and South Africa in the first round. The Windies are ranked eighth in the world, while Australia is tanked second. Neither team has really been challenged thus far in the tournament.

UNINSPIRING START FOR WINDIES AT CRICKET WORLD CUP—03/28/07
West Indies’ bowlers could not tame the batsmen of Australia at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Rain stopped the match in the second-round, with the Windies poised to make a reply to Australia’s 322 for six off the allotted 50 overs. Play will continue with the West Indies needing 323 off 50 overs.

BRIAN LARA AT BATTING BEST AT ST. JOHN’S—03/29/07
West Indies batsman Brian Lara showed the best in the art of batting at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in St. John’s, Antigua, in the match against Australia. Lara provided a demonstration to a the highest class of batsmanship before an embarrassingly small crowd in his attempt to defeat the Australian team in an extended first math in the second round of the Cricket World Cup 2007. Unfortunately, Lara’s team members did not play as well, and the Windies lost.

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DEVOTIONAL
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Being With Jesus

It is not unusual for people who have close and personal relationships to demonstrate very similar attributes, neither is it unusual for a “student” to adopt some of the attributes of a mentor. According to Webster’s Dictionary, a mentor is someone who is “a trusted counselor or guide, a tutor, a coach”, and such a person is in a position to exert a tremendous amount of influence over another person’s life. Over time, good mentors will see characteristics of themselves in their “students”.

When Jesus chose his group of twelve, they were called his disciples. The Greek word translated “disciple” also mean “a learner/pupil”. In ancient times, a pupil was not only expected to learn from his mentor, but to also be like him. It is as if the mentor was replicating himself in the life of the pupil. Unknown to Jesus’ disciples, they had signed on for something that would revolutionize not only their lives, but the whole world. From the day they said “yes” to Jesus, they would never be the same again.

In Acts 5, Peter and John were arrested for preaching the resurrection message which had resulted in about 5,000 male conversions (v.4). The next day, upon being interrogated by the High Priest and his cronies, Peter, being filled with the Holy Ghost (v.8), preached Christ even more with unparalleled boldness. Luke tells us, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (v.13).

What an amazing testimony? These ordinary men, unlearned and ignorant, being filled with the Spirit, had taken on the attributes of their mentor, Jesus Christ, so much so that others could not help but know that “they had been with Jesus”. They had become “little Christs”, which is really what the word ‘Christian’ was meant to convey. What about you; when someone stop to check you out, can they tell where you have been?

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.