Shutter Speeds the camera will not allow me to select "bulb" even in manual mode

Nothing is going on. Your camera is working as designed.
Most cameras have an upper limit on the shutter speed when used with flash. This is called the flash sync speed. At speeds higher than this the shutter is never opened completely, and as a result you would get only a narrow slit of a picture.
Usually this is not a problem since the exposure is determined almost exclusively by the flash and the aperture. Any action is caught and stopped by the brief flash, not the shutter. The primary reason for controlling the shutter speed is to use a slow speed to allow the background to expose.
Your camera may have a special high-speed flash mode that fires off multiple flashes coordinated with the shutter movement. Since you didn\'t say what model Canon camera you\'re using, I can only suggest you check the manual.

Like many point&shoot cameras the JZ300 doesn't give you direct control over the shutter speed; you're expected to just point and shoot.

You can indirectly affect the shutter speed by changing scene modes. For example the sports mode will try to use faster shutter speeds while the landscape mode will narrow the aperture for greater depth of field resulting in a slower shutter speed.

If your camera is a Rebel XS you should have a dial on the top right with a series of letters and icons. To set your camera so you manually control the shutter speed turn this dial too "TV" (Time Value). This setting will allow you to select the shutter speed and the aperture will open or close to achieve the correct exposure. The "M" is (Manual) where you would select both the shutter speed and aperture "AV" is (Aperture Value) where the user selects the aperture they want and the shutter speed increases or decreases to obtain a proper exposure. The "P" (Program) mode allows the camera to automatically select the shutter speed and aperture

In S and M modes you control the shutter speed directly by turning the command dial on the back of the camera. In A mode the dial controls the aperture which indirectly affects the shutter speed. In P mode the dial shifts the exposure to another equivalent exposure, which also changes the shutter speed.

You can download a manual from http://www.butkus.org/chinon/nikon.htm

According to what you say, it seems that you selected B (Bulb) as shutter speed (and MANUAL mode).

First, check whether you are on MANUAL mode ("M"); then, check your shutter speed. If it's really in "bulb" mode, all you have to do is dialing the speed button down to figures that match your subject's light conditions and your other preferences involved in the exposure (ISO, lens apperture).

You can't.

In Auto Pict mode the camera selects the best of the pre-set Scene modes for the photograph which you're about to take. It's basically a variation of fully automatic mode, so the camera selects everything for you.

Auto Pict and Auto are designed to let anyone pick up your camera and take a fully automated snapshot without needing to worry about what settings to use.

To alter the shutter speeds you need to select an appropriate mode such as shutter priority or manual.

Select Manual mode by turning the mode dial to M. Press the +/- button, then up/down to change the aperture or right/left to change the shutter speed.

This is on page 14 of my copy of the manual.

Your're probably using a flash with TTL disabled. So 1/200 is the highest sync possible with that kind of flash. Did you try removing the flash off the body and setting faster shutter speeds?

When you set the camera to "Full Manual" mode, you should be able to dial in your shutter speeds, for most film cameras, including the N55 30 Seconds is the slowest shutter speed. If your camera features a "Bulb" mode, then the shutter stays open as long as you are holding down the shutter release button.

The Interlace Scan (IS) mode the camera uses a mechanical shutter with shutter speeds up to 1/640th second. It also uses the maximum resolution that is possible with the CCD (5.0 MP). In the Progressive Scan (PS) mode the camera operates with the electronic shutter with shutter speeds up to 1/4000th second and a 1/18000 second shutter speed (1/18000 in Shutter or Manual Priority modes only). In this mode the resolution is reduced in half (2.5 MP).