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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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ORGANIZATION SAYS TREATY PRINCIPLES NOT EVENLY APPLIED—03/26/11
The Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA) believes that the Treaty of Chaquaramas is not being applied evenly by the members of CARICOM. According to Omar Azan, president of the JMA, the treatment of Shanique Myrie at the Guntley Adams airport in Barbados was alarming. Myrie claims she was subjected to abusive and negative treatment by immigration officials at the airport because she is Jamaican. Azan believes this represents a failure of the provisions of the Treaty being applied the same way to nationals of all member states.

INVESTIGATOR SAYS JAMAICA "ROBBED" BY CORRUPTION—03/27/11
According to Greg Christie, Contractor General, there is evidence that law enforcement officials and the institutions responsible for preventing corruption in Jamaica are not effective in catching the major players driving corrosive practices in society. An independent investigator acting on behalf of the nation's parliament believes there should be a special entity created to battle corruption, saying that official graft is rampant on the island.

ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE TO BE HEARD BY CARICOM—03/28/11
Shanique Myrie, a Jamaican woman, has claimed that immigration officials in Barbados sexually and verbally abused her and then denied her entry into the country. The Jamaican government has decided to cite the incident in its complaint to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) concerning the mistreatment of Jamaican nationals by its neighboring countries. Dr. Kenneth Baugh, Jamaica's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, reported that the issue would be presented at the meeting of the Community Council in Belize. He asked Jamaicans to come forward if they feel they have been mistreated by their Caribbean neighbors.

STERN NOTES CRITICAL ROLE OF BUSINESS SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS—03/29/11
Michael Stern, Jamaica's Minister for Industry, Investment, and Commerce, emphasizes the critical role that business support organizations have in helping local businesses. He made his remarks at the opening of the CARIFORUM Regional Meeting of business support organizations. Stern notes that these organizations allow small and medium-sized businesses develop technical capabilities to avail themselves of current and emerging trade and business opportunities.

LAND PROGRAM HELPS JAMAICANS BECOME TITLE HOLDERS—03/29/11
Many Jamaicans have been able to become landowners due to the aid of the Land Administration and Management Program (LAMP). The program, which is now in its eleventh year of operation, is making it even easier for Jamaicans to get titles to land. The goal of the program is to end poverty and enable economic growth, as well as to develop efficient markets for land in urban and rural areas on the island. A new program will focus on the areas of St. Elizabeth, Manchester, and Clarendon.

RHODES WANTS TO PROMOTE RELIGIOUS TOURISM—03/30/11
Dr. Paul Rhodes, an hotelier and medical practitioner, has proposed transforming downtown Kingston into a destination for religious tourists. He says that the several churches located in the area make Kingston an under-utilized "cultural gem" of the Caribbean region. Rhodes notes that Christian heritage tourism could mean success for downtown Kingston and reports that Great Huts Hotel has partnered with Olde Jamaica Tours to provide visitors with an eight-night tour of the "church treasures" of Jamaica.

BOOK FESTIVAL ATTRACTS JAMAICAN AUTHORS—03/31/11
Literary professionals participated in the Kingston Book Festival 2012 Preview held at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston. The event was sponsored by the Book Industry Association of Jamaica (BIAJ) and included authors, poets, illustrators and others who took the opportunity to display their literary interest. Attending the event were Diana McCaulay, author of Dog Heart, and Edward Seaga, author of My Life and Leadership.

JAMAICAN OFFICIALS TRAVEL TO BARBADOS TO DISCUSS ABUSE—04/01/11
A five-member team of Jamaican officials is going to Barbados to discuss the incident involving Shanique Myrie, a Jamaican woman, who claims she was mistreated by immigration workers at the Barbados airport. Authorities in Barbados have denied any wrongdoing, but Bruce Golding, Jamaica's Prime Minister, says he is not satisfied with how they explained their actions. Golding says the treatment of Caribbean visitors by officials in Barbados has long been a problem.

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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICANS ENRAGED BY TREATMENT OF WOMAN IN BARBADOS—03/26/11
The report citing sexual abuse of a Jamaican woman by an official at the Barbados Grantley Adams International Airport has led to anger and condemnation from Jamaica's government and public. Dwight Nelson, the island's National Security Minister, said he was outraged about the incident and intended to have discussions concerning it with ministers in Barbados. Anthony Hylton, Opposition spokesman on foreign affairs, called the woman's treatment as a "serious breach" of the Treaty of Chaquaramas and could represent criminal conduct by the airport officials.

WOMEN WRITERS' CONFERENCE TO BE HELD—03/27/11
Lovers of Caribbean literature are getting ready to attend the first Caribbean Women Writers Conference, which will be held in Brooklyn at Medgar Evers College. The conference will feature many experts participating in panel discussions on works from all Caribbean regional cultures. These include English, Creole, Dutch, French, and Spanish cultures. The event is sponsored by the English and Foreign Language departments at the college together with the Center for Women's Development and Center for Black Literature.

JAMAICAN CONSUL HANDS IN RESIGNATION—03/28/11
Marlon Gordon, Jamaica's former Honorary Consul to Barbados, has resigned in protest of the treatment of Jamaican nationals in the eastern Caribbean nation. He says his advocacy on behalf of Jamaicans cost him his job. Gordon resigned in January 2011. According to Gordon, the government of Barbados had not welcomed his position on their country's general disdain for Jamaicans. Gordon admitted that some Jamaicans cause problems in Barbados, but that is no reason for all Jamaicans to be targeted for discrimination by officials in the country.

ABBOTT OBJECTS TO PATOIS BIBLE—03/29/11
Diane Abbot, a British member of parliament of Jamaican descent, is campaigning against the Patois Bible. She has stated that she does not think Patois is a legitimate language and therefore the Bible should not be translated into it. Abbott says she cherishes the Jamaican dialect, but notes the importance of Jamaicans speaking English as their first language. English is the language of global commerce, she says, and Patois is not essentially a written language.

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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM MUST IMPROVE—03/26/11

AIR TRAN STOCKHOLDERS APPROVE SALE TO SOUTHWEST—03/27/11

FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER TO MEET WITH RAUL CASTRO—03/29/11

DUVALIER LEAVES HAITIAN HOSPITAL—03/30/11

FOREIGN MINISTER OF COLOMBIA VISITS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC—03/31/11

FOXY BROWN MEANT TO LEAVE SHIP AT GRAND CAYMAN—04/01/11

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BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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PROFITS AT FIRST CARIBBEAN BANK DROP BY 63 PERCENT—03/26/11
The First Caribbean Bank of Jamaica saw a first-quarter drop in net profits totaling $127 million for the period ending on January 31, 2011. This represents 63 percent less than the amount recorded in the first quarter of 2009. Net interest income and total operating income rose during this period, but loan loss impairment increased significantly. According to Michael Mansoor, chairman of the bank, its performance is being impacted by the slow rate of global economic recovery.

MAGGOTTY GETS HYDROELECTRIC PLANT—03/27/11
The Jamaican Public Service Company plans to build a hydroelectric power plant in Maggotty in St. Elizabeth. The firm conducted meetings with Maggotty residents to inform them about the project. The Black River will be utilized to provide 6.3 megawatts of electric power, which will be added to the national grid, according to Clava Mantock, general manager of business support and administration for Jamaican Public Service. The plant is expected to create some 200 local jobs during its two years of construction.

SCJ HOLDINGS FAILS TO MEET REPAYMENT SCHEDULE—03/28/11
Failure to maintain a repayment schedule established in an agreement between SCJ Holdings Ltd. and Jamaica Cane Product Sales has forced SCJ to obtain a J$500 million loan facility from National Commercial Bank. The loan will provide sufficient funding to complete the sugar crop of 2010-2011. JCS is the marketing portion of the sugar industry. It will use the funds to pay sugar manufacturers on the first two shipments already sent to Tate & Lyle. This arrangement will reduce the revenue normally used to finance these payments.

HAMATY-SIMMONDS WINS BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARD—03/29/11
The Florida International University Alumni Association has awarded Jamaican Monique Hamaty-Simmonds, the CEO and president of Tortuga Rum Cake Company/Tortuga Imports Inc., with the Charles E. Perry Young Alumni Visionary Award. The award is presented each year in recognition of a graduate who had significantly contributed to their field of endeavor early in their careers.

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY
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AT&T, T-MOBILE MERGER EXAMINED BY NEW YORK STATE OFFICIAL—03/29/11
Eric Schneiderman, New York's Attorney General, plans to closely examine a proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. He will analyze the merger to determine if any anti-competitive impacts will accrue to consumers or businesses in the state. The proposed acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T was announced just last week. It would result in a combination of the second-biggest wireless operator with the fourth-largest one.

ANDROID AND WINDOWS PHONE TO DOMINATE MARKET—03/30/11
A new report from IDC, a market research firm, states that Android and Windows Phone will become the dominant products in the smartphone market in the near future. Over 450 smartphones will be sold in 2011, and IDC believes that Android will represent 39.5 percent of all these shipments. This will surpass Apple's 20.9 percent market share. Windows Phone will be among the top five products shipped in 2011.

SO-CALLED ANONYMOUS DATA IS NOT TOTALLY PROTECTED—03/31/11
Privacy advocates have identified a new threat to personal data. SmartPlanet has determined that "re-identification," which is the ability to identify the real individuals behind so-called anonymous data, has become a growing problem. According to Paul Ohm former attorney with the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the United States Department of Justice, notes that social media networks and sharing have made it easier to perform re-identification activity.

BASEBALL'S OPENING DAY ONLINE—04/01/11
Baseball fans can now watch their favorite teams anywhere they can get a broadband Internet connection and on nearly any digital device. MLB.TV makes it possible for fans to access local sports networks over their Internet connections. Viewers can use their smartphones or tablet PCs with high-speed WiFi connections to watch the favorite teams.

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CARIBBEAN TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TOP WEB USER IN CARIBBEAN—03/28/11

LATIN AMERICAN OPEN SOURCE FESTVAL HOSTED BY CUBA—03/29/11

SCHOOL CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM MICROSOFT, COMMONWEALTH PLAN—03/30/11

JAMAICAN MOBILE SECTOR CONTINUES STRONG GROWTH—03/31/11

Visit  Caribbeantopnews.com for the weekly Caribbean News Summary, Caribbean Events &  Announcements and Caribbean Recipes.

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SPORTS
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JAMAICAN OVERCOMES HARD TIMES TO WIN—03/26/11
Jamaican-born Atari Bigby, 29, overcame considerable adversity to play with the American Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers football team. Bigby plays strong safety in defense and believes his journey to the top of one of the major sports events in the world represents a significant personal achievement. Bigby has had to defend his Rastafarian beliefs many times while devoting himself to the game of football. Despite his hardships in being accepted, he was determined to play in the major football leagues and his persistence paid off with the Super Bowl win.

KINGSTON COLLEGE SETS PACE—03/30/11
Kingston College has been successful in setting the pace toward boys' supremacy in the opening day of the 2011 Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships. The games are being held at National Stadium. Kingston College leads with 13 points, while the defending champions Wolmer's is among the top five teams. Jerome Wilson, captain of Kingston College, took third place with a jump of 7.45 meters.

REGGAE BOYZ DEFEAT EL SALVADOR—03/31/11
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz managed to win against El Salvador despite questionable decisions by the referees and the expulsion of one of their players in a hostile game environment. The Boyz obtained a victory of 3 to 2 in what may be the first friendly international victory in Central America. Theodore Whitmore, the head coach, said the team was organized and in control and gave an overall good performance.

TORONTO SIGNS JAMAICAN DEFENDER—04/01/11
Dicoy Williams, Jamaican international defender, has been signed by the Toronto FC, reports the Major League Soccer club. Aron Winter, Toronto FC coach, noted that Williams is a solid and strong defender with many good qualities. He said Williams performed well during training but could not be signed until the team was assured of an international spot. Williams, 24, most recently played for Jamaica's Harbor View FC.

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DEVOTIONAL
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Growing Where You Are Planted

Despite what some ministers and televangelists would have us believe, not every Christian is living on top of the proverbial mountain with everything going on in their lives the way they want it to be. Some are living with challenging circumstances: sicknesses, broken relationships, job that pay the bills but are unfulfilling, difficult bosses, unemployment, to name a few. From their vintage point, the grass is definitely greener on the other side.  Unfortunately, this view often produces negative attitudes and behaviors that reflect poorly on the individual displaying them.  Somewhere between feeling sorry for ourselves and our being on "the wrong side of the tracks," we have forgotten that we are God's workmanship, uniquely created and called to "declare the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9b, NIV).

It is not easy to be a good Christian when it seems nothing is going our way; when we feel that life has dumped truck loads of dirt on us.  However, in those situations the perspective we miss is that because God has sovereign control over our lives, where we are is not a surprise to Him. We may be there because of things we have done and for which we are experiencing the consequences; it could be that we are on one of God's night shift, those periods of time in which He ordains a difficult path we must walk.  We may not understand it, but somewhere in those experiences He is working things out for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28-29).  

It is our Lord's desire that as branches on the vine we bear fruit and that those fruit remain.  Jesus said to His disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain" (John 15:16a, KJV).  In other words, no matter where we find ourselves, our lives must bear fruit that last; we must grow where we are planted.

In John 12:24 we read, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." To focus on ourselves and where we find ourselves is not God's intent. To bear fruit means dying to self and living for others and if we truly believe we have been called, gifted, and uniquely assigned to the positions in which we find ourselves, then the time has come for us to learn how to grow in the dump.  We can still praise God and allow His love and light to shine through us to impact others and bring glory to our Heavenly Father.

So while things around us might not be what we would like for them to be, let us be mindful of our attitudes. It is not by chance or by accident that we are where we are. Our sovereign God, by His divine or permissive will, has every one of us were we find ourselves for a purpose.  Here every challenge is a growth opportunity; we can and must grow where we have been planted.

How much have you grown 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.