It happened this week in 1977 (January 9-15)

Sunday, January 9

- Jamaica's batsmen were under 'heavy manners' at the hands of the Barbados bowlers and were dismissed, before tea, for 154 in reply to 447 made by Barbados. This gave the visitors first-innings points on the third day of their Shell Shield match. Basil Williams held the stage with a grand display after he saw Richard Austin go in a hurry and Lawrence Rowe almost as quickly. The crowd had come to see a long and classy innings from Rowe as they gave him a tremendous cheer all the way to the wicket. But it was not to be. He played late to an inswinger and was bowled between bat and pad.

- Bustamante Industrial Trade Union Vice-president Hugh Shearer has declared the union's rejection of a strategy of increased taxation, reduced imports and frozen wages as instruments to revive the economy. Shearer was addressing a delegates' conference at the Courtleigh Manor Hotel, and answering questions that had been raised about the union's role in the economic crisis. In a statement on the conference, Shearer described the greatest threat to the workers' future as "the rate of expansion of state capitalism, which would establish Government as the sole employer and sole landowner".

Monday, January 10

- Two schools that have been much in the news - one in the Corporate Area and the other in St Catherine - opened their doors for the first time to new students. They are the Donald Quarrie Secondary School in Harbour View, and the controversial Cuban gift school, the Jose Marti Secondary in Twickenham Park. Jose Marti, which is viewed by the Government as a school that will produce the new Jamaican - patriotic, self-reliant and with a sense of social brotherhood and a concern for his fellowman - opened to a large influx of students from all over the island.

- Jamaica Cricket Board of Control selectors met and announced four new faces in the list of 12 players from whom the team will be chosen to represent Jamaica in their second Shell Shield game against Trinidad, starting at Jarrett Park on Thursday. The new names from the team which lost by an innings and 68 runs against Barbados are wicketkeeper batsman Anthony Campbell, fast man Ray Wynter, off-spinner Ronnie Savariou, and fast man Uton Dowe. Savariou is the only newcomer yet to wear a Jamaican cap. Wynter and Dowe come in the final 12 because of the injury of Michael Holding and Junior Williams. The other players are Maurice Foster (captain), Richard Austin, Basil Williams, Lawrence Rowe, Herbert Chang, Jeff Dujon, Linden Wright and John Gordon.

Tuesday, January 11

- 'Capturers' alleged to have been shouting "socialist time now" took over a housing scheme on the outskirts of May Pen, Clarendon, The Gleaner learnt yesterday. The scheme known as Mineral Heights is being developed by Flatlets Jamaica Limited, a subsidiary of Huttons Group of Companies, with a subdivision of 344 lots with houses being built on 250 lots, of which 35 have been completed, awaiting sewerage connections. Recently, a group of more than 100 persons, including men, women and children, invaded the housing scheme and occupied the houses. The police were called in and some of the capturers left but some remained, saying that they would not leave until Prime Minister Michael Manley told them to.

Wednesday, January 12

- Some 1,000 unionised workers at the Seprod Group of Companies went on strike when talks on issues between management and the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union broke down. The Seprod Group of Companies includes Seprod Limited, Jamaica Feeds Limited, Jamaica Detergents Limited, Caribbean Products Limited, and Jamaica Grains and Cereals Limited. Grains and Cereals Limited was shut down by a strike of unionised workers protesting the laying off of six colleagues.

- Israelis, angered by France's release of a suspected Palestinian terrorist, massed outside the French embassy, hurled eggs, denounced the French president and demanded that the ambassador be thrown out of Israel. Outrage over the French action was certain to heighten, with reports from Paris that France has sold 200 Mirage Fl fighter bombers to Egypt. Almost 1,000 noisy demonstrators gathered at the embassy and vilified French President Valery Giscard D'Estaing with obscenities and chants of "Giscard Terrorist".

Thursday, January 13

- All but six members of the new Parliament were sworn in to office in two ceremonies for the Senate and House of Representatives. The packed public galleries of the chambers of Gordon House saw a 20-minute ceremony in which 19 senators were sworn in and Charles Sinclair elected to the presidency. The House ceremony followed with light banter and high spirits, particularly from government members. The swearing-in of members of parliaments was punctuated by bursts of applause, in particular to the two People's National Party members from St Thomas - Selvin Dewar and Vie Thompson, and Percival Minott in recognition of election victories, in the first instance, in traditional Jamaica Labour Party strongholds, and in the latter case for having wrested the seat of veteran Edwin Allen in North West Clarendon. From the Opposition side, strong applause marked the swearing-in of Mavis Gilmour, who had defeated the former minister of local government, Rose Leon, in West Rural St Andrew.

- A bill seeking to amend the Constitution to permit greater flexibility in the composition of the Cabinet was tabled in the House of Representatives. It was the first of two new items of legislation placed before the newly elected House. The second bill seeks to amend the Parish Councils Act to permit parish council members to hold other government office of emolument, except with the council itself. Neither bill was debated as had been anticipated, but the constitutional amendment is expected to be taken next week. The latter bill, which is in the name of Minister of Justice, Senator Carl Rattray, was tabled by Dr Kenneth McNeill, leader of the House.

Friday, January 14

- The film Victory at Entebbe, dealing with the Israeli commando raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda in 1976, where hostages from a plane hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists of the Baader-meinhof gang were rescued, is banned in Jamaica. The decision to ban the film followed a meeting held at the prime minister's office between members of the Cinematographic Authority and Arnold Bertram, minister of state in the prime minister's office, for information, broadcasting, culture and festival. At the meeting, the Cinematographic Authority decided that the film should not be shown in Jamaica but no reason was stated, except that the decision was taken "for security reasons".

- Australian actor Peter Finch died of a heart attack. He was 60 years old. Finch's last film role was as Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin in a recent film of the Israeli raid on the Entebbe airport in 1976. American actor Godfrey Cambridge, who played a leading role in a rival film about the raid, also died of a heart attack last November. Finch won high praise for sensitive portrayals in such films as Sunday, Bloody Sunday, Network and Simon and Laura. He had been mentioned as a candidate for an Academy Award nomination for his role as a mad news reader killed on television in the film Network.

Saturday, January 15

-Congelation of ice on the wings caused the Swedish airplane crash that claimed 22, experts said. In another air crash, 12 persons died in the wreckage of a Twin Otter aircraft that crashed 450 miles north of Vancouver.