CARIBBEAN MOVIE: Writer and director Alison Saunders-Franklyn (second from left) with some impressed viewers at the American Film Institute in Washington DC last year. From left: Chancellor of the University of the West Indies George Alleyne; former West Indies fast bowler, Wes Hall; Norleen Hoyte and husband Harold Hoyte, Editor Emeritus of the Nation Newspaper in Barbados; and Barbados' Ambassador to the United States, Michael King.

Dr. Karen Gordon

Maxine's Party

-Photo: Juliet Kaye At the Celebration of the Lunar New Year at York College, participants (L to R seated) President Marcia Keizs, Assemblyman William Scarborough, Shiang Liu of Councilman John Liu's office, and (standing) Shihliang Wang, Chinese Student Association, Faculty Advisor and Haixing Li, Chinese Student Association presi-dent. A Celebration of the Lunar New Year was held at York College on Feb. 7th, the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese Calendar and ends on the 15th day. The Chinese year 4706 began on Feb. 7th. President Marcia Keizs called it a celebration of Renewal. This is the year of the rat, a time of change, of looking for-ward at what the next 12 years will bring. Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. There were performances of the Lion Dance by the Dragon Style Kung Fu Company of Chinatown, their second year perform-ing at York.

-Damion Reid Photo: Council Member Comrie (2nd left) congratulates the organizers of the recent Stop the Violence Gang Seminar: (l-r) August Martin High School principal, Anthony Cromer; 113th Precinct Deputy Inspector Kristel A. Johnson; and, Assistant Principal Nestor Payne.

-JIS/NY Photo- Deputy Consul General of Jamaica in NY, Lisa B. Smart and Vincent Heath, co-chair of Team Jamaica Bickle- Philadelphia Organizing Committee, discuss the upcoming reggae concert on Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 7pm, at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts,Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY during last week’s press briefing/reception at the offices of Ruder Finn Agency, 301 Second Avenue, Manhattan. The concert event dubbed “Team Jamaica Bickle on the Road to Beijing”, which will be staged under the patronage of Jamaica’s newly appointed Ambassador to the USA, His Excellency Anthony Johnson, will benefit Jamaica’s student/athletes attending the April 24-26, 2008 Penn Relays Carnival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the national senior team to the Games of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing, China, from August 8-28, this year. In his brief to the media, TJB Founder Irwine Clare, Sr., said that the April 20 event which is being supported by the VP Records Family, will be more than just a concert event.