TRACK & FIELD: Penn Relays joins hands with UTech

THE organisers of the annual Pennsylvania Relay Carnival and the University of Technology (UTech) are discussing ways to forge a partnership in which Jamaican students can benefit from the experience of programmes at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Montreal Olympic Games 4x400m relay gold medallist and former United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Vice-president Hernan Frazier made the revelation to the Jamaica Observer at last weekend's UTech Classic athletics meeting for which he was patron. READ More...

Dean of the Faculty of Science and
Sport at UTech Dr Colin Gyles (left),
 makes a presentation to Penn Relays Hall of Famer,
American Herman Frazier, during the recently-held
 UTech Classic meeet held at the National Stadium.
 (PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS)

 

BOSTON MAYHEM (VIDEO): THE GLOBE 3 Dead, 130+ Injured... Report: 8-Year-Old Killed... ABC: Remote Detonations... Obama: 'We Still Don't Know Who Did This, Or Why'... FBI Taking Over Investigation... Reports: Police Search Apartment In Boston Suburb Of Revere...

Boston Marathon Bombing

The deadly bombing at the Boston Marathon Monday has left at least three people dead -- including an 8-year-old boy -- and more than 130 others wounded.

Two explosions rocked the Boston Marathon near the finish line, causing multiple casualties and sending the city into chaos. Another explosion occurred at the JFK Library, but authorities were unsure if the incidents were linked. The blasts downtown in Copley Square occurred just before 3:00 p.m., according to MyFoxBoston. READ More...

In JAMAICA: Gunmen hit Shell plant in late-night raid using five fuel tankers $15-m gas robbery

A group of gunmen staged a late-night raid on the Shell Company plant at Rockfort in East Kingston last Tuesday and made off with more than 133,000 litres of gasoline valued at just over $15 million.

"I can confirm that the robbery took place," Superintendent Arthur Brown of the Kingston Eastern police told the Jamaica Observer yesterday. READ More...

The section of the Shell Company plant at Rockfort from where an estimated 25 gunmen stole petrol worth $15 million last Tuesday night. (PHOTO: LIONEL ROOKWOOD)

 

BREAKING NEWS: Two explosions leave 2 DEAD & dozens injured at Boston Marathon finish line....MAYHEM: EXPLOSIONS AT BOSTON MARATHON

Police are investigating an explosion that went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon shortly before 3:00 p.m., Monday.

The headquarters of the Boston Marathon is on lockdown following two explosions near the finish line, Reuters reports.

The blasts occurred just before 3:00 p.m., according to MyFoxBoston.

CLICK HERE for live updates:

More from the Associated Press: By JIMMY GOLEN

BOSTON (AP) — Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers in the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts.

Competitors and race organizers were crying as they fled the chaos. Bloody spectators were being carried to the medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners. READ More...

PSY - GENTLEMAN (OFFICIAL VIDEO) HAS OVER 70 Million YOUTUBE HITS IN 2 DAYS. Check out more at www.RulaBrownNetwork.com

WATCH HERE

NRA 500 Suicide: Man Shoots Himself To Death At NASCAR Race (VIDEO)

Drivers take run the main straight during the NASCAR Sprint Cup series NRA 500 auto race at Texas Motor Speedway, Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tim Sharp)

By Brendan O'Brien

April 14 (Reuters) - A Texas man used a gun to commit suicide in the infield of a National Rifle Association-sponsored NASCAR race at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth late on Saturday, local authorities said.

Kirk Franklin, 42, of nearby Saginaw died after shooting himself at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday during the NRA 500 Sprint Cup race, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner. READ More...

Western Consciousness Overloaded With Stars - Coco Tea, Romain Virgo Sacrificed Due To Time Constraint

An overloaded line-up, which resulted in several star performers playing truncated sets and two of the main acts failing to make centre stage, robbed the 25th staging of Western Consciousness of some of its sheen as several patrons left the venue (the Montego Bay Stadium) unhappy when the curtains came down at 6:30 on Sunday morning.

The show, the first such event at the fairly new stadium, started out in a blaze of glory with early acts like Uprising Roots, Karen Smith, A.J. 'Boots' Brown, poet extraordinaire Mutabaruka, the British Invasion - Kiarah Dubwah, True Identity and the veteran King Sounds - Horace Andy, Marcia Griffiths, John Holt, veteran deejay Big Youth, Cherine Anderson and Mr Vegas all delivering sparkling sets. READ More...

Justin Bieber: 'Anne Frank Was A Great Girl, Hopefully She Would Have Been A Belieber'

This kind of makes us cringe. Justin Bieber stopped by the Anne Frank House on Friday (April 12), touring the Amsterdam hiding place of the young Holocaust victim and diarist. But it wasn't his appearance that got people talking -- it was his comments.

According to the Anne Frank House's Facebook page, the 19-year-old singer -- who is now on the European leg of his Believe tour and performed in the nearby Dutch city of Arnhem in the Netherlands on Saturday night -- left a message in the museum's guestbook, writing: READ More...

Trayvon Martin Target: Police Officer Ron King Fired For Bringing Offensive Target To Gun Range

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A police officer accused of bringing targets resembling Trayvon Martin to a gun range has been fired. Port Canaveral Interim Chief Executive Officer John Walsh told WFTV on Saturday (http://bit.ly/175m2lH) that Sgt. Ron King was leading a target practice with two other Port Canaveral police officers and a civilian port employee when he pulled out the targets April 4. Walsh says King asked the group if they wanted to use the targets and they said no, telling King to put them back into his patrol car.

Port Canaveral is about 50 miles southeast of Sanford, where the 17-year-old Martin was killed in 2012 by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. READ More...

GARNET SILK's Remains NOT Stolen (AUDIO)

Garnett Silk

The Garnet Silk Foundation is refuting claims that the late singer’s remains were stolen.

Fabian Smith the second child for Garnet tells Music News that his father’s remains are safe and with his children. READ More...

Top Stars For Today's UTech Classic...A number of the island's top track and field athletes will be on show today at the sixth annual event at Stadium

Top Stars For Today's UTech Classic

A number of the island's top track and field athletes will be on show today at the sixth annual University of Technology (UTech) Track and Field Classic at the National Stadium. READ More...

JUST GOT HERE? THEN GET OUT....REPORTS: Senate Plan Would Deport Undocumented Immigrants Who Arrived After 2011... 'If You Just Got Here And Are Illegal, Then You Can't Stay'

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - U.S. senators crafting an immigration bill have agreed that foreigners who crossed the U.S. border illegally would be deported if they entered the United States after Dec. 31, 2011, a congressional aide said on Friday.

The legislation by a bipartisan group of senators would give the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally a way to obtain legal status and eventually become U.S. citizens, provided certain measures are met. But of the unauthorized immigrants, those who entered after the December 2011 cut-off date would be forced to go back to their country of origin, said the aide, who was not authorized to speak publicly because the bill is still being negotiated. READ More...

PSY- Gentleman 젠틀맨 ( NEW SONG With Lyrics on Screen) Official Music Video!

KILL DEM ALL AND DONE (JAMAICAN MOVIE) FULL LENGTH 2012

WATCH: The Secret to Superpower Memory...TED and The Huffington Post are excited to bring you TEDWeekends

Last weekend in New York City, Ram Kolli defeated the reigning USA Memory Championship Nelson Dellis to win the 16th annual USA Memory Championship. Readers of my bookMoonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything will remember Kolli as the "mental athlete" I went toe-to-toe with when I won that same contest in 2006.READ More...

WATCH: What Doctors Don't Know About the Drugs They Prescribe...TED and The Huffington Post are excited to bring you TEDWeekends, a curated weekend program that introduces a powerful "idea worth spreading" every Friday, anchored in an exceptional TEDTalk.

TEDTalks can sometimes portray science in triumphalist tones, with fabulous innovations that are changing the world forever. But the real action in science is often around dirty, messy, angry problems, and my TEDTalk is about the dirtiest I've seen yet. READ More...

GUNS, GUNS: 6-Y-O Boy Dies After Being Shot By 4-Y-O

6-Y-O Boy Dies After Being Shot By 4-Y-O

NEW JERSEY, (AP):NEW JERSEY, (AP):

A six-year-old boy who was accidentally shot in the head by a four-year-old playmate has died from his wounds, authorities said Tuesday night.

Ocean County prosecutor's office spokesman Al Della Fave confirmed Brandon Holt had died, but said he couldn't provide further details. Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said Holt was pronounced dead at 5 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after the shooting occurred in a neighbourhood that residents described as "very quiet".

The four-year-old, whose name was withheld, was not injured.

Prosecutor Joseph Coronato, speaking earlier Tuesday at a news conference, said the boy got the .22-calibre rifle from his home and it discharged accidentally Monday evening. The children, whose families live in the neighbourhood, were about 15 yards apart.

Cali P To Give 'Reggae Talk' At UWI....The increasingly popular 'Reggae Talks' at the University of theWest Indies (UWI), Mona, continue today at 7 p.m. in the Neville Hall Lecture theatre (N1).

The increasingly popular 'Reggae Talks' at the University of theWest Indies (UWI), Mona, continue today at 7 p.m. in the Neville Hall Lecture theatre (N1).

First it was Jah9, then Protoje, then No-Maddz. This week's speaker is the Swiss reggae artist Cali P, who now lives in Jamaica.

In an exclusive interview with Gleaner writer Jordaine Delahaye, Cali P, whose legal name is Pierre Nanon, said, "I started writing lyrics and singing in Switzerland when I was 14. There were positives and negatives living there. Looking on it as a whole, I had a lot of moments where I really didn't want to be there because I felt unwelcome. Not being white there makes people treat you like a foreigner at all times, and that can get really annoying."

CRICKET LOVELY CRICKET: Jamaica In Full Control - Guyana Demolished For 96

Defending champions Jamaica have taken a commanding lead over Guyana on the second day of their final-round match in the Regional Four-Day Championship at the National Stadium on Thursday.

The Jamaicans lead Guyana by 295 runs with five second-innings wickets in hand after destructive bowling spells from Sheldon Cotterell and Dave Bernard Jr and a 96-run sixth-wicket partnership between Carlton Baugh and Jermaine Blackwood.

At stumps Jamaica, in their second innings, were 183 for five after Guyana imploded for a paltry 96 in their first innings.

The Guyanese had earlier bowled out Jamaica for a first-innings total of 208.

Cotterell exploited overcast conditions to grab four for 31 while Bernard Jr snatched 3 for 18 to engineer a theatrical demise of the Guyana first innings in which five wickets collapsed in the first 30 minutes.

Immigration Bill Could Exclude Hundreds Of Thousands From Citizenship: Senate Aide (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON -- Bipartisan immigration legislation emerging in the Senate could prevent hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S. illegally from ever becoming citizens, according to a Senate aide with knowledge of the proposals.

The bill expected to be unveiled next week would bar anyone who arrived in the U.S. after Dec. 31, 2011, from applying for legal status and ultimately citizenship, according to the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposals had not been announced.

It also would require applicants to document that they were in the country before Dec. 31, 2011, have a clean criminal record, and show enough employment or financial stability that they're likely to stay off welfare. READ More...

Chicago judge lashes out at 'robotic march' of parking attendants who issued 700 tickets and $105,761 in fines on car abandoned by boyfriend in revenge on girl who dumped him (VIDEO)

Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News

A Chicago judge lashed out at city law enforcement on Wednesday for giving a single car more than $105,761 in parking tickets.
'I don’t even know where the room for all the tickets were. Where’d you put them all?' Judge Thomas Allen asked.
The fines were accrued through 678 parking tickets over three years on a 1999 Chevy Monte Carlo that was abandoned in an employee parking lot at O'Hare airport.
Allen questioned law enforcement's 'ridiculous, robotic march to write tickets on a $600 junk car' during a hearing on a lawsuit to dismiss the tickets, according to the Chicago Tribune. READ More...

Kevin Waldrum, UK Man, Billed For $140,000 Worth Of Phone Sex After Bad Breakup (VIDEO)

Love hurts, but so does a $140,000 phone bill.

Kevin Waldrum, a 45-year-old man from the United Kingdom, is learning that the hard way after a rough breakup led to two months of nearly continuous calls to Studio 66 TV, a premium adult chat line. Waldrum was slapped with the phone billafter apparently becoming addicted to the $3-per-minute service, according to a BPM Media report provided to the Huffington Post UK.

Waldrum acknowledges he's responsible for calling the service incessantly for two months in 2012, but says he believes the company should have cut him off before the bills skyrocketed. After a nearly $30,000 bill arrived, Waldrum paid no attention and kept calling. He also ordered a replacement SIM card after his cell carrier, Vodafone, cut him off, company representative Libby Pritchard told The Huffington Post in an email DAILY CALLER.... READ More...

Trial date set for Haitian voodo case: Voodoo, which blends Catholic beliefs with the worship of deities, is deeply rooted in Haiti and also widely practiced outside of the country.

 

MIAMI, United States, Monday April 8, 2013 – A Miami judge has set a trial date for July for a Haitian-born voodoo priest accused of placing a curse on his compatriot then drugging and raping her.

On the weekend, prosecutors charged Pierre Jenty, 66, with sexual battery by drugging and third-degree grand theft.

Prosecutor Jessie Friedman told a Miami court that the alleged rape took place in November 2006, but that Jenty had skipped his bond, escaped to Canada, then to Haiti for six years before returning here late last year when he was re-arrested and jailed. READ More...

 

Cocoa Tea Joins Western Consciousness Line-Up

Reggae veteran Cocoa Tea has been added to the already stellar line-up of the 25th staging of Western Consciousness, dubbed 'The Celebration of Good Over Evil', at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Saturday.

This will be his second appearance on the show and he promises a solid set including old favourites as well as songs from his new album, Inna Di Red.

"I'm hoping to greet the people with an extra-special amount of consciousness. When I come to perform I give of my best," said CocoaTea. READ More...

GUN FIGHT: NRA TO SCORE DEAL : Bipartisan Gun Control Agreement Announced On Background Checks (UPDATE: NRA To Score Vote) (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON -- Momentum grew for Senate passage of gun legislation when a bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday announced agreement on deals to expand background checks and tighten laws against gun trafficking.

The first breakthrough came in a deal on background checks announced by Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who agreed on an amendment that would exempt all "personal" transfers of weapons between individuals, but would close the infamous gun show loophole and also require background checks on Internet sales.

"All personal transfers are not touched whatsoever," said Manchin. "We've done these two [gun shows and Internet sales], and we've done them and done them right." READ More...

WHY CAN'T STUFF LIKE THIS GO VIRAL? Morehouse Whiz Kid is Causing a Stir: 13-Year-Old Dominates College. Stafford has a triple major in pre-med, math and computer science.

Stephen Stafford

At thirteen years of age, Stephen Stafford is causing quite a stir at Morehouse College. Stafford has a triple major in pre-med, math and computer science. Though he loves playing video games and playing his drum set, he is no typical teenager. READ More...

SENATE NEAR GUN DEAL....Gun Control Background Checks Deal All But Done In Senate Between Manchin, Toomey

WASHINGTON -- With hours before gun legislation will get a vote in the Senate, negotiators are close to an elusive compromise over the heart of the bill: expanding background checks on sales.

The compromise, being negotiated betweenSens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) was not yet final on Tuesday evening. But as a sign the two sides are close, the senators announced that they would hold a press conference Wednesday at 11 a.m. to announce the compromise. READ More...

MSNBC Host Responds To Insane Conservative Attacks....Coulter vs. Palin

MSNBC Host Responds To Insane Conservative Attacks

MORE MEDIA

Coulter vs. Palin.. 'Today' Fail.. 'View' Stunner.. Joe Rant.. FBI Madness.. Thatcher Split.. WHCD

TRINIDAD - No Intention Of Resigning, Says Warner PORT-OF-SPAIN (CMC):

TRINIDAD - No Intention Of Resigning, Says Warner

PORT-OF-SPAIN (CMC): Embattled National Security Minister Austin 'Jack' Warner says he has no intention of resigning from his Cabinet post, accusing his detractors of trying to prevent the coalition People's Partnership government. Speaking at a public meeting of the ruling United National Congress in Barataria along the east-west corridor on Monday night, Warner also made reference to international media reports that he is implicated in a probe being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into the financial affairs of the world football governing body, FIFA, of which he was once its powerful vice-president. READ More...

Gunman Robs Downtown Kingston Swiss Stores Of Pricey Watches

THE Police were yesterday continuing investigations into a daring heist at Swiss Stores in downtown Kingston, during which a gunman made off with several high-priced watches and other items of jewellery.

Ueli Bangerter, managing director of Swiss Stores, declined to divulge the value of the items that were taken, but called the incident minor, stressing they were insured.

However, the police confirmed that at least 16 high-end watches - worth a total of between $6 million and $7 million - were stolen. READ More...

No Dis-Harmony - Phillips Declares Luxury Resort Moving Ahead... AFTER a decade of plans to develop a world-class, luxury resort on Jamaica's breathtaking north in Trelawny,

No Dis-Harmony - Phillips Declares Luxury Resort Moving Ahead

AFTER a decade of plans to develop a world-class, luxury resort on Jamaica's breathtaking north coast in Trelawny, the Harmony Cove project is yet to materialise. But this year, development partner Harmonisation Limited is expected to rack up J$55 million. READ More...

TRACK and FIELD in JAMAICA...'Great Ones Should Stay Home' - Top US Coach Advises Jamaica's Finest Athletes To Stick With Local Programme. What Do You Think?

From NCAA champions to Olympic and World Championships medallists, the list of Jamaicans whose images are pasted on the walls of Texas A&M University's Athletic department is an impressive one. But even the legendary Pat Henry, head coach of the highly vaunted 'Aggies' programme, admitted that perhaps its better for the island's best athletes to stay home and develop their talent. The university has aided the development of a number of Jamaicans over the years, including Olympians Simone Facey, Chris Pinnock, Howard Davis and Richard Bucknor. READ More...

Jeneil Williams Makes Pulse Hall Of Fame - Inductees Accepted For The First Time In Five Years

Jeneil Williams Makes Pulse Hall Of Fame  
Discovered, developed and introduced to the international model market by Pulse, Williams is an international superstar and has been the Caribbean's most outstanding model for the past four years.

Williams has earned a body of work that spans the most important clients in the international fashion industry and, for that effort, joins Kimberley Mais, Althea Laing, Nikki Vassell, Romae Gordon, Nadine Willis, Jaunel McKenzie, Carla Campbell, Angela Neil, Lisa Hanna, Sandra Foster and Lois Samuels as inductees into the Hall of Fame. READ More...

Louisville Wins National Championship, Defeats Michigan In NCAA Tournament Final 82-76

ATLANTA — Rick Pitino capped the greatest week of his life with the prize he wanted most of all.

Luke Hancock produced another huge game off the bench, scoring 22 points, and Pitino became the first coach to win national titles at two schools when relentless Louisville rallied from another 12-point deficit to beat Michigan 82-76 in the NCAA championship game Monday night. READ More...

WAR, WAR! North Korea warns foreigners to leave South...warning foreigners to evacuate South Korea to avoid being dragged into a "merciless, sacred, retaliatory war".

The North's latest antagonistic message belied an atmosphere free of anxiety in the South Korean capital, where the city center was bustling with traffic and offices operated normally.

 

Pyongyang has shown no sign of preparing its 1.2 million-strong army for war, indicating the threat could be partly intended to bolster Kim Jong-un, 30, the third in his family to lead the reclusive country.

None of the embassies in Seoul appeared to have issued any directives to their nationals after the warning and airlines reported no changes in their schedules. Schools catering to foreign pupils worked without interruption. READ More...

L-Carnitine, Nutrient In Red Meat, Linked With Heart Disease

The high amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol in red meat have long been blamed for increasing people's risk of heart disease. But now, new research points a finger at another culprit in meat that may be more closely tied to this leading killer.

A new study reveals that a nutrient called l-carnitine, which is found in red meat and is also popular as a dietary supplement, may also play a role in the development of heart disease. READ More...