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THIS WEEK'S SUMMARY
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AEROSPACE COLLEGE OPENS IN JAMAICA—03/14/09
A partnership between Surrey Paving and Aggregate of Jamaica and Air Transport Training College (ATTC) of Singapore has resulted in the creation of the Caribbean Aerospace College on the island. The college will offer training in the field of aircraft engineering. It will be established as a nonprofit organization and operate as a satellite of the ATTC. Classes are scheduled to start in June 2009.

POWER COMPANY NEEDS RATE INCREASE BEFORE INVESTING—03/15/09
The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has warned that it may not make good on plans to invest billions of dollars for upgrading and improving its facilities if it is not granted an average 23-percent tariff increase from the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR). The utility says it has invested $4 billion per year since 2006, three times the amount it has made over the past five years. The situation can no longer be supported, according to the JPS. If the increase is allowed, the JPS will invest more money toward fuel diversification, improved reliability and service quality, and lower systems losses.

JAMAICA LESS CORRUPT, SAYS USAID—03/15/09
There has been a significant reduction in Jamaica’s corruption since 2006, according to a survey from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The survey in 2006 indicated that 36 percent of Jamaicans had been victims of corruption in the previous year. In 2008, that number fell to 24 percent.

JAMAICA TOURS OFFICES SEARCHED BY AMERICAN AND LOCAL AGENTS—03/16/09
The offices of Jamaica Tours Limited were searched by agents from the United States and Jamaica in regard to the original of email allegedly libeling Gordon “Butch” Stewart. The company is owned by the family of Opposition Senator Noel Sloley.

ACS CONFIRMS TALKS ON POSSIBLE PURCHASE OF E-SERVICES—03/17/09
Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), an American business process outsourcing company, confirms that it is talking about the potential purchase of e-Services, a Jamaican call center operator. The purchase would allow ACS to expand its business process outsourcing and customer care services. E-Services would not be restructured in the deal, and the management team would be retained. Operations would continue to be performed by employees at e-Services at the current locations as well. ACS has over 1,600 workers in Jamaica already.

BROKER SAYS JAMAICAN DOLLAR’S DECLINE TO CONTINUE—03/18/09
Keith Duncan, chief executive officer of Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB), believes that Jamaica’s currency will continue its downward trend if the nation does not increase its production. While sufficient steps have been taken by the Bank of Jamaica to control the falling dollar, the market remains unstable, Duncan said. He hopes that the decline will continue in an “orderly” way rather than with the sharp decreases experienced recently.

ANOTHER BAUXITE PRODUCER SUSPENDS OPERATIONS—03/19/09
Alumina Partners of Jamaica, the largest bauxite and alumina production firm on the island, plans to suspend its business in May 2009. The firm cited the global economic crisis and reduced demand for its products as the reason for the shut down. According to Alberto Fabrini, managing director, the closure is scheduled to last one year.
 
GANJA DEALER FINED $1.1 MILLION—03/20/09
Richard Grey, 58, faces a fine of $1.1 million on charges of being a ganja dealer or six months in prison under a sentence handed down by a Resident Magistrate in Mandeville. Grey and two other men were arrested after their car was stopped and searched by police. In the car were 200 pounds of ganja. The three men were charged with possession, dealing, and preparing to export the drug. While the other two men were freed, Grey was found guilty of the charges.

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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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REGGAE FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN CALGARY, CANADA—03/14/09
The Taste of Jamaica Expo 2009 will be held on April 11, 2009, at the Thorncliffe Greenview Community Center in Calgary, Canada. The Expo will be hosted by the Jamaican Canadian Association Alberta. It is the 13th year that this cultural event has been held. The 2009 Expo will include a cooking demonstration, a showcase of youth of Jamaican descent, performances by dance groups, interactive games, and a live reggae band.

JAMAICAN JAILED IN BRITAIN FOR DRUG DEALING AND MONEY LAUNDERING—03/15/09
Garnet Brown, 39, a Jamaican man who is the focus of an immigration problem, has been jailed in the United Kingdom for dealing in cocaine and on charges of money laundering. Brown has admitted possession of Class A drugs with the intent to supply. He has attempted to avoid deportation since 2007, since he did not have a visa.

19 JAMAICAN STIDENTS ATTEND UN CONFERENCE—03/17/09
A delegation of 19 students from Jamaica participated in the 33rd Annual Conference of the United Nations International School (UNIS) in New York. Their participation was deemed successful because of their ability to enact an initiative labeling slavery as a crime and to start plans for a monument in honor of individuals who were victims of slavery.

USAIN BOLT DONATES TO CHARITY—03/20/09
Usain Bolt, three-time Olympic gold medal winner and the world’s fastest man, has donated three signed pairs of his signature shoes to the Jamaican charity, Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO) Inc. The gold shoes represent part of a limited edition donated by Puma and designed to commemorate Bolt’s world record run of 9.72 seconds in early 2008. The charity is based in New York.

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SPORTS
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JAMAICAN WINS LONG JUMP AT NCAA—03/14/09
Nicholas Gordon won on the opening day of the two-day NCAA Division One Indoor Track and Field Championship in the United States, jumping 8.03 meters to victory in the men’s long jump. Gordon was competing for the University of Nebraska. Julian Reid, a Jamaican who was competing for Texas A&M, jumped 7.83 meters for fourth place.

USAIN BOLT WINS IN FIRST 100-METER RACE OF 2009—03/15/09
Olympic champion Usain Bolt ran 9.93 seconds to win his first 100-meter race of 2009 at the GC Foster College Classic. He slowed down before reaching the finish line and reached out to congratulate his training partner, Daniel Bailey, as the crossed the line together. Both runners were aided by a slight wind.

FIVE VICTORIES FOR CARIBBEAN ATHLETES AT NCAA—03/17/09
Jamaicans Kawayne Fisher, Anna-Kay Campbell, and Shermaine Williams achieved wins at the 2009 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships at Yeoman Field House at the University of Houston in Texas. Athletes from Trinidad and Haiti also won their events at the meet.

BOLT TO COMPETE IN STREET RACE IN MANCHESTER UK—03/18/09
Jamaican Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt will compete in a street race over 150 meters in Manchester, England, at the Great City Games on May 17, 2009. Bolt will race in Europe for the first time in 2009 before taking on races in the IAAF World Athletics Tour in June and July and the World Championships in Berlin, Germany in August 2009.

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DEVOTIONAL
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Spending Time in God's Waiting Room

Wait. Some Christians would rather cut off an arm.  In addition to words like "forgiveness", "patience", and "submission", the word "wait" has to be on the Christian's top ten list of most disliked words!  Whether in the doctor's office, the supermarket line, or stuck in traffic, most of us are galled at the idea of waiting.  Advances in technology have ensured that to a large degree, we are living in the age of the instant.  We want things done and we want them done right now. Patience it seems is no longer a virtue, and in corporate circles the saying is that time is money.  No one wants to wait.

Unfortunately, most Christians bring this "instant mindedness" to their spiritual life. While it is true that God can and often times do the instant miracles, the prevalence of certain teachings have blinded some to the sovereignty of God; His right to do as He pleases, when He pleases, and with whomever He pleases.  The Scriptures are filled with accounts of godly men who spent very long periods in God's waiting room.  For example, who can argue with Abraham's faithfulness, yet he who was a friend of God spent 25 years waiting for the promise of a son.  Joseph endured 13 years of trials, tribulations, and jail before realizing the fruition of what God had ordained for him.  Moses waited 40 years in the wilderness.  David, a man after God's own heart, waited 15 years to become king. It is true that these men were not always poster boys for lessons in unwavering patience, but no matter how many times they wavered, they always found their way back into God's waiting room where they waited patiently for Him.

In many of the places we are required to wait, we have the option of leaving.  We can go to another store, another doctor's office, and so on, but with God there is no other God or gods to go to (Isaiah 45:5; 14).  When we need for Him to do what He is the only one capable of doing, we have no viable option but to wait.

In Psalm 37 David encourages believers to, "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him" (v.7), but not before setting the groundwork for this trust. "Fret not thyself" (v.1), "Trust in the LORD" (v.3), "Delight thyself also in the LORD" (v.4), and "Commit they ways unto the LORD" (v.5).  Until we have done those preliminary steps, and until we come to truly accept God sovereignty in and over our lives, waiting upon Him can become a long and frustrating experience.

But there is good news. Jesus said unto Mary, "if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God" (John 11:40). The same truth applies if we "wouldest" wait.  Waiting is not easy, especially when it seems like nothing is happening, but He promises that "they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). If He says it, or promises it, we can believe it; no matter how long it takes.  He is that kind of God.

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.