The Bahamas tops Caribbean list for wealthy US visitors,,, The results of the survey list the top 10 most visited Caribbean island destinations for American luxury travellers as The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Virgin Islands, St Maarten, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Aruba, Barbados and the Dominican Republic.

The survey sought to understand the plans of affluent Americans in the areas of travel, recreation and the purchase of vacation homes.

NASSAU, Bahamas, Thursday May 2, 2013 – A recent survey conducted by Resonance Consultancy and The Luxury Institute places The Bahamas at the top of a list of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean for affluent American travellers. 

More than 1,200 high-end households in the United States, with incomes of US$150,000 and over, were surveyed for the Resonance Report on Affluent Travel and Leisure.

The survey sought to understand the plans of wealthy Americans in the areas of travel, recreation and the purchase of vacation homes in the next 12-24 months.

Read more: 

Terror Database Grows: Number Of Names In TIDE Jumped From 540,000 To 875,000 In Just 5 Years

WASHINGTON, May 2 (Reuters) - The number of names on a highly classified U.S. central database used to track suspected terrorists has jumped to 875,000 from 540,000 only five years ago, a U.S. official familiar with the matter said.

Among those was suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, whose name was added in 2011. The increase in names is due in part to security agencies using the system more in the wake of the failed 2009 attack on a plane by "underpants bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in Detroit.

Intelligence and law enforcement officials acknowledged in Congress that they had missed clues to that attack despite Abdulmutallab's name appearing in the main database, known as TIDE. READ More...

OVER 400 KILLED : The bloodshed behind our cheap clothes (VIDEO)

(CNN) -- For workers of Bangladesh, the worst kind of tragedy imaginable struck last week when the Rana Plaza garment factory building -- just outside my home city of Dhaka -- collapsed, killing more than 400 workers. Despite the many warnings of dangerous cracks in the walls reported to supervisors, police and the media earlier in the week, thousands were still sent to work on Wednesday to proceed with business as usual.

There's no question that this building collapse is tragic, but for garment workers, it's not surprising.

I began working in Bangladesh's garment industry at the age of 12, making just $3 a month. I went to work because my father had a stroke and the family needed money to cover basic living expenses. I worked 23 days in a row, sleeping on the shop floor, taking showers in the factory restroom, drinking unsafe water and being slapped by the supervisor. READ More...

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Girl, 4, dies after rape in India (VIDEO)

New Delhi (CNN) -- A week after the news of a child rape sparked protests in India, hospital officials confirmed the rape of another girl.

Protesters

The 4-year-old died Monday from cardiac arrest at Care Hospital in Nagpur, India, a spokesman said. A 35-year-old man has been arrested and accused of sexually assaulting the girl, said Mithilesh Shukla, superintendent of police.

Read more: Anger, frustration over rapes in India

It is the latest in a number of assaults that caused outrage and raised questions about how women and girls are treated in India.

The girl was allegedly abducted from Ghansaur, a small town in central India, on April 17, and her family found her the next day, unconscious and with severe head injuries, Shukla said. READ More...

(VIDEO) 5-year-old Kentucky boy fatally shoots 2-year-old sister. the 5-year recently received the gun for his birthday.

(CNN) -- A Kentucky mother stepped outside of her home just for a few minutes, but it was long enough for her 5-year-old son to accidentally shoot and kill his 2-year-old sister with the .22-caliber rifle he got for his birthday, state officials said.

The shooting that took the life of Caroline Sparks in southern Kentucky has been ruled an accident, Kentucky State Police Trooper Billy Gregory said.

"It's just one of those nightmares," he said, "a quick thing that happens when you turn your back."

Young children in the area are often introduced to guns at an early age, Gregory said.

Ferguson: Irresponsible humans, not guns

"In this part of the country, it's not uncommon for a 5-year-old to have a gun or for a parent to pass one down to their kid," he said. READ More...

(VIDEO) BOMB IN SCHOOL: Kiera Wilmot, 16, Arrested And Expelled For Explosive 'Science Experiment'

What Kiera Wilmot claims started as a harmless experiment is now a nightmare for the 16-year-old Florida native.

Wilmot, a Bartow High School student, was arrested at her school last week for allegedly detonating a water bottle filled with an explosive concoction of common household chemicals. According to the Miami New Times, "[A] police report ... indicates Wilmot mixed toilet bowl cleaner and aluminum foil -- a combination that has inspired hundreds of YouTube videos and generally produces a fairly unimpressive explosion."

One teen told Florida-based WTSP News 10 that Wilmot merely wanted to see what would happen when those chemicals mixed. READ More...

DRUG OVERDOSE...Chris Kelly Dead: Kris Kross Rapper Dies At 34 (VIDEO)

Chris Kelly, one-half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, died Wednesday of an apparent drug overdose, The Associated Press reported. He was 34.

Kelly, who was known as "Mac Daddy," and his partner Chris Smith (a.k.a. "Daddy Mac"), were only 13 years old in 1991 when they were discovered by music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri while performing at the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta. Dupri's label, So So Def, signed the boys and sent them into the studio to record their first album.

Kris Kross rocketed to stardom a year later with the release of the single "Jump." The song spent eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, became an aerobics anthem and helped their debut album "Totally Krossed Out" go multiplatinum, CNN reported. READ More...

WAR WEARY: POLL: Little Support For Military Intervention In Syria... Or North Korea

Few Americans want the U.S. military to get involved in the conflict in Syria, even those who think Syria has used chemical weapons against its people, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll.

Only 5 percent of respondents said they would support sending ground troops to Syria, while 68 percent said they were opposed. And support for the military providing weapons to rebel fighters was only barely higher: respondents opposed doing so 51 percent to 12 percent. Conducting air strikes saw 49 percent opposed to 16 percent in favor. Opposition to each type of intervention crossed party lines, with Democrats, Republicans and independents largely in agreement that the U.S. should not intervene. READ More...

Pat Toomey: Background Checks Died Because GOP Didn't Want To Help Obama

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) blamed partisan politics for the failure of his bipartisan push to expand background checks for gun sales. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) revealed that some members of his party opposed expanding background checks for gun sales recently because they didn't want to "be seen helping the president."

Two weeks ago, only three Republican senators voted for the bipartisan background checks amendment sponsored by Toomey and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), despite overwhelming popular support for such a measure. "In the end it didn’t pass because we're so politicized. There were some on my side who did not want to be seen helping the president do something he wanted to get done, just because the president wanted to do it,” Toomey admitted on Tuesday in an interview with Digital First Media editors in the offices of the Times Herald newspaper in Norristown, Pa. READ More...

PORTIA SIMPSON....PM Revives Housing Plan - Inner-City Project Will Positively Transform Lives, Says Simpson Miller

PM Revives Housing Plan - Inner-City Project Will Positively Transform Lives, Says Simpson Miller

Announcing the restart of the Inner-City Housing Project (ICHP), Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller yesterday declared that such initiatives would "lift the standard and thinking of the people" in depressed communites and expressed confidence. READ More...

(VIDEO) Henry Gribbohm Loses Life Savings At Carnival Game, Wins Stuffed Banana With Dreadlocks

Something about this prize is rather a-peeling.

He emptied his bank account, and all he has is this Rasta banana.

Henry Gribbohm, 30, has filed a police report after he says he lost over $2,600 on a carnival game and won only a stuffed banana with dreadlocks, WLKY reported.

The Epsom, N.H., man attended a carnival in Manchester on Saturday where he played a ball-tossing game called "Tubs of Fun." Gribbohm told WBZ-TV his goal was to win an Xbox Kinect for his kids, but after spending $300 on the game without success, he went home to get another $2,300 -- all of the money he had. READ More...

Boston Police Announce 3 More Suspects In Custody For Marathon Bombings

The Boston Police Department announced that three more suspects connected to the deadly bombings at last month's Boston Marathon are in custody.

The police made the announcement with a Twitter message Wednesday morning.The three suspects being held by the police are college students who allegedly helped Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after the double bombing near the finish line on April 15, the Boston Globe reported.
"Please be advised that there is not a threat to public safety," the police announced in a statement. "There is no additional info to release at this time. Additional details will be provided when they become available." READ More...

POPE: BANGLADESHI 'SLAVE LABOR' GOES 'AGAINST GOD' ....Pope Francis Condemns 'Slave Labor' In Bangladesh: 'Goes Against God'

Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned as "slave labour" the work conditions of victims of a factory collapse in Bangladesh in which more than 400 people have been found dead, Vatican radio reported.

"A headline that really struck me on the day of the tragedy in Bangladesh was 'Living on 38 euros a month'. That is what the people who died were being paid. This is called slave labour," the pope was quoted as saying at a private mass.

"Today in the world this slavery is being committed against something beautiful that God has given us -- the capacity to create, to work, to have dignity. How many brothers and sisters find themselves in this situation!" he said. READ More...

St. Thomas, JAMAICA: Conflict over bus passenger load sparks protest in Yallas & Bull Bay, St Thomas

SCORES of commuters in St Thomas were left stranded for hours yesterday after bus operators parked their vehicles from service and blocked sections of the Yallahs main road amidst a disagreement between them and the Island Traffic Authority (ITA) over the number of passengers they are allowed to carry.

The close to 40 operators — who ply the St Thomas, Bull Bay to downtown Kingston route — felt that they were being unfairly pressured by the ITA following its order that the buses should carry no more than 22 passengers. READ More...

 

Jason Collins Comes Out: NBA Player Becomes First Openly Gay Professional Male Athlete In Major Sport

NBA center Jason Collins has become the first male U.S. athlete in a major professional sport to come out as gay.

The 34-year-old, a free agent who has played with the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics this past season, tells Sports Illustrated: READ More...

"I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, 'I'm different.' If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."

GOP Senators in a big downfall after....Gun background check vote

IT SPREADS: 5 MORE SENATORS DOWN AFTER GUN VOTE

MORE POLITICS

McConnell Blood.. GOP Blocks O.. Ron Paul Slam.. GOP Freak-Out.. 'Pathetic' Palin.. Unpopular GOPer

Ashton Kutcher Melee: Actor Gets Into Violent Fight At Stagecoach Music Festival (VIDEO)

Ashton Kutcher allegedly got into a violent altercation while at a country music festival this weekend. On Saturday, the 35-year-old actor was in the VIP area at the Stagecoach music festival in Indio, Calif., when a female fan approached him to say hello. When he went to shake her hand, that's when things took a turn for the worse.

Kutcher got into a melee with a security guard who intervened and shoved both the "Two and a Half Men" star and the fan. Kutcher and the guard reportedly engaged in a violent shoving match until the actor's friends restrained him and he eventually left. Eyewitnesses told TMZ the security guard is to blame for the scuffle. Local authorities had not gotten wind of Kutcher's altercation before it was reported in the media. READ More...

Jada Pinkett Smith's Bikini Body Is A Sight To Behold In Hawaii (VIDEO, PHOTO)

Aloha, Jada Pinkett Smith! We spotted the star looking amazing as she hit the beach in Hawaii. The 41-year-old donned a white bikini while on holiday with daughter Willow Smith in the tropical location.

Pinkett Smith flaunted her flawless, toned figure in her tiny two-piece ... although she didn't look as happy when she took a dip in the ocean, making a face at the cold temperatures. Meanwhile, it was surf's up for her 12-year-old daughter Willow, who looks like an ace on the surfboard.

So, just how does her mom maintain her amazing figure? Will Smith's wife told Essence magazine last summer that she doesn't eat for pleasure, she "eats for nourishment" and only eats anything that's healthy. READ More...

IN JAMAICA: Bloody gun attack leaves two dead in Westmoreland

Oneil Francis and his 2 daughters survived

GENEVA, Westmoreland — Blood-curdling screams disturbed the still wee hours yesterday, as three masked gunmen ran amok leaving a mother and her nine-year-old son dead. Another son of the deceased woman, Mike, aged 12, remains in hospital nursing gunshot injuries. Those killed have been identified as hotel worker Kerisha Ricketts, 34, and her son Jase Francis, formerly of the New Town section of Geneva district, near Grange Hill in Westmoreland. Ricketts' common-law husband, Oniel Francis and their two daughters, Nathalie, 13 and DeJae, 7, managed to escape physical harm. READ More...

 

Obama: 'I'm Not The Strapping Young Muslim Socialist I Used To Be'...Obama's 'Muslim Socialist' Joke Draws Big Laughs (VIDEO)....

President Barack Obama slid in a shoutout during his 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner speech to conspiracists who wonder about both his religion and economic preferences. "These days, I look in the mirror and I have to admit," Obama said. "I'm not the strapping young Muslim socialist I used to be."

Past polls have seen large chunks of Americans incorrectly identify the Christian Obama as a Muslim. During the heat of the 2012 presidential campaign, a May PPP survey found that 52 percent of 656 likely GOP primary voters classified the president under that religion. READ More....

HEALTHY LIVING: Finding a Natural Skin Care Routine

Skin care products can be a major source of toxins for many people. Most are packed with chemicals and artificial ingredients that might have a temporary positive effect on the skin, but will have negative long term effects. These artificial ingredients can also be absorbed in to skin and build up in the body.

The good news is that there are natural, simple and inexpensive options that actually work better than most commercial products without the harmful ingredients. In general, the natural oil cleansing method is a great solution for any skin type, though the combinations of oils varies based on skin type (see below). See the full tutorial here. READ More...

HEALTHY LIVING: 101 Uses for Coconut Oil

I’ve said before that I am with coconut oil like the dad in “My Big Fat Green Wedding” is with windex… I use it for everything. Right now, I have a five gallon bucket of it sitting next to my desk because we use so much and I don’t have anywhere else to keep it… If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of coconut oil, the Virgin Coconut Oil Book is a great resource and you’ll receive a free copy if you order anything from this company and it is your first time ordering (no need to order the book, it will add to cart automatically if you use this link and it is your first order). READ More...

IN JAMAICA: 'We've Been Butchered': Holness Tells Gov't To Backtrack On Taxes, Pitches 10-Point Formula

Opposition Leader Andrew Holness yesterday summoned the Portia Simpson Miller administration to halt plans to impose the revised property tax, even as he launched a broadside against the Government for subjecting Jamaicans to what he characterised as unprecedented hardship."The Government has butchered us with taxes," he said. "I say this in all sincerity, with the greatest respect, it will have a negative effect … ," warned Holness during his contribution to the Budget Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday. Holness also called on the Government to roll back the Transfer Tax and Stamp Duty, which were announced by Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips in February. The opposition leader appealed to the Government not to permit a rate increase for which the National Water Commission (NWC) has applied. "We are not of the view that a rate increase is necessary at this time," he stressed.... READ More...

LATE BREAKING NEWS: Afghanistan Bus Accident: Taliban Insurgents Cause Fiery Collision That Kills 30 Passengers

KABUL, Afghanistan -- An official says a bus in southern Afghanistan has collided with the burning wreckage of a truck that was attacked by Taliban insurgents, killing 30 bus passengers.

Omar Zawak, the governor's spokesman in Helmand province, said the truck was set on fire by Taliban attackers and left burning in the middle of a road, and the bus could not stop in time to avoid smashing into it. The fiery crash happened about 55 kilometers (35 miles) outside the capital of Helmand province. Zawak said Friday's crash also left 11 passengers injured. He said the casualties included men, women and children. READ More...