MOVE TO MAKE WESTERN JAMAICA A GOLD/DIAMOND MINE....Tony Hart, has launched a campaign to have western Jamaica's two white elephants - the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium and the Montego Bay Convention Centre - transformed into 'diamonds'.

Western Bureau:The man credited with transforming the Montego Freeport into a gold mine, Tony Hart, has launched a campaign to have western Jamaica's two white elephants - the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium and the Montego Bay Convention Centre - transformed into 'diamonds'.

Hart, in a full-page, full-colour advertisement in The Sunday Gleaneryesterday, demanded "it's time to KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)".

In the ad, he declared the current haemorrhaging of millions of dollars in cost to the nation at both properties could be easily cauterised.

"It's not complicated. Instead of losing $50 million a month, the Trelawny stadium should be turned into the Usain Bolt university of sports and technology and the convention centre, a free-standing casino, giving amazing entertainment at night," Hart told The Gleaner in an interview yesterday afternoon. READ More...

John McCain Refuses To Back Impeaching Obama Over Benghazi (VIDEO)

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) refused to sign on to calls to possibly impeach President Barack Obama over Benghazi.

WASHINGTON -- As Republicans are increasingly calling the Obama administration's response to the Benghazi attacks a cover-up worse than Watergate and even floating impeachment, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) urged a note of caution on Sunday, saying he wasn't yet willing to go that far.

"With all due respect, I think this is a serious issue," said McCain on ABC's "This Week." "I will even give the president the benefit of the doubt on some of these things. We need a select committee."

On Thursday, Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) accused President Barack Obama of overseeing "the most egregious cover-up in American history." He added that "people may be starting to use the 'I word'" before long. READ More...

Cornel West: 'They say I'm un-American'....The American academic and firebrand campaigner talks about Britain's deep trouble, fighting white supremacy and where Obama is going wrong

Cornell West ... ‘I would rather have a white president eradicating 

poverty than a black president tied to Wall Street and drones.'

 Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Cornel West, the firebrand of American academia for almost 30 years, is causing his hosts some problems. They are on a schedule but such things barely move him, for as he saunters down the high street there are people to talk to, and no one can leave shortchanged. Everyone, "brother" or "sister", is indeed treated like a long lost family member. And then there is the hug; a bear-like pincer movement. There's no escape. It happens in New York, where the professor/philosopher usually holds court. And now it's the same in Cambridge.

The best students accord their visitors a healthy respect, but West's week laying bare the conflicts and fissures of race and culture and activism and literature in the US and Britain yielded more than that during his short residency at King's College. There are academics who draw a crowd, but the West phenomenon at King's had rock star quality: the buzz, the poster beaming his image from doors and noticeboards; the back story – Harvard, Princeton, Yale, his seminal work Race Matters, his falling-in and falling-out with Barack Obama. READ More....

New Orleans Parade Shooting Likely 'Street Violence,' Not Terrorism, FBI Says

New Orleans police officer collects evidence at the scene of a shooting at the intersection Frenchman Street at N. Villere on Mother's Day in New Orleans, Sunday May 12, 2013. Gunmen opened fire on dozens of people marching in a Mother's Day neighborhood parade in New Orleans on Sunday, wounding at least 17, police said. (AP Photo/Doug Parker)

NEW ORLEANS — Gunmen opened fire on people marching in a neighborhood Mother's Day parade in New Orleans on Sunday, wounding at least 19.

The shooting – described by the FBI as a flare-up of street violence – shattered the festive mood surrounding the parade that drew hundreds of people to the 7th Ward neighborhood of modest row houses not far from the French Quarter. Cell phone video taken in the aftermath of the shooting shows victims lying on the ground, blood on the pavement and others bending over to comfort them. 

At least three of the victims were seriously wounded. Of the rest, many were grazed and authorities said that overall most wounds were not life threatening. No deaths were reported. READ More...

TERRA INFIRMA: Majority Of Plants And One-Third Of Animals Could Lose Habitats To Climate Change

OSLO, May 12 (Reuters) - The habitats of many common plants and animals will shrink dramatically this century unless governments act quickly to cut rising greenhouse gas emissions, scientists said on Sunday after studying 50,000 species around the world.

The scientists from Britain, Australia and Colombia said plants, amphibians and reptiles were most vulnerable as global temperatures rise and rainfall patterns change.

About 57 percent of plants and 34 percent of animal species were likely to lose more than half the area with a climate suited to them by the 2080s if nothing was done to limit emissions from power plants, factories and vehicles, they wrote in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Hardest hit would be species in sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, the Amazon and Central America. READ More...

IN JAMAICA: Deadly end! - Robbery foiled; cops kill one gunman, injure another

POLICE yesterday foiled an armed robbery in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, killing one of the gunmen and injuring another. However, two of their cronies escaped during a blazing battle along the busy city streets.

The gunmen, police said, went to Larry’s Haberdashery on Princess Street in downtown Kingston and attempted to rob the store about 10:30 am, but their plan was cut short when a police patrol from the Denham Town station was alerted, and the heavily armed officers wasted no time in taking on the criminals.

Eyewitnesses said the armed men tried to escape when the police arrive8d, and during a chase through the streets one of the men opened fire at the policemen, who returned the fire, forcing shoppers to flee in several directions. Read more: 

Jordin Sparks Debuts Bangs, Shows Off 50-Pound Weight Loss (VIDEO, PHOTO)

Before the big change.

Jordin Sparks has never looked better. Debuting a brand new 'do featuring seriously trendy bangs and putting her svelte new self on display (following a 50-pound weight loss), Sparks was all smiles in New York City Wednesday.

The 23-year-old singer attended a Words With Friends event when she surprised everyone with the new choppy, wavy cut. Everyone but her fans, that is -- as Sparksposted a photo of her new cut to Instagramright before she headed out to the event. "New hair!!! What do you think?," she captioned. READ More...

DENNIS RODMAN Rips President BARACK OBAMA Over North Korea Issue: 'Obama Can't Do S**t' (VIDEO)

Dennis Rodman BLASTS Barack Obama Over North Korea -- 'He Can't Do S**t' - Watch More.

Dennis Rodman ripped into President Obama for the lack of dialogue regarding the ongoing issues with North Korea. Here, he arrives at the grand opening of the Sapphire Pool & Day Club on May 5 in Las Vegas. (Isaac Brekken/WireImage)

Well, folks, it appears we're living in times when Dennis Rodman rips President Barack Obama. Yep. The former Chicago Bulls star took aim at Obama this week, criticizing him for refusing to speak with Kim Jong-Un about the ongoing issues with North Korea.

MIRACLE: WOMAN RESCUED FROM BANGLADESH RUBBLE AFTER 17 DAYS...Death Toll Climbs Above 1,000, Still Rising... Comments (190) | Shares (189) | Bangladesh

Rescuers pulled a woman on Friday from the rubble of a Bangladesh garment factory 17 days after it collapsed, astonishing workmen who had been searching for bodies of victims of a disaster that has killed more than 1,000 people.

Hundreds of onlookers burst into cheers as army engineers pulled the woman from the basement of the building after a workman helping to clear the wreckage reported hearing her faint cries of "Save me, save me" from beneath the ruins. Pale, drawn and seemingly unable to walk, the woman, identified by Bangladeshi media only as Reshma, was hoisted out of the rubble on a stretcher, then loaded into an ambulance in scenes broadcast live on television.

Mohammad Rubel Rana, a workman who had been cutting iron rods, said he had alerted rescue crews after hearing a feeble voice. "I heard a faint voice saying 'Save me, Save me'," Rana told Reuters television. "She was given water, biscuits and oxygen." READ More...

Vybz Kartel says Tommy Lee and Popcaan have betrayed him & denies being beaten in jail.

Vybz Kartel

Incarcerated Dancehall superstar, Vybz Kartel insists he has never been physically harmed during his 19-month long jail stay, but claims he has been stabbed in the back by two of his prized protégés. 

The controversial entertainer, whose real name is Adidja Palmer has been the subject of rumors once more after reports emerged last month that he was stabbed and beaten in jail during an altercation.

Kartel’s business associate and the author of his Voice of the Jamaican Ghetto book, Michael Dawson quickly squashed the speculation. READ More...

MARIAH CAREY Feat. Miguel - "Beautiful" (WATCH VIDEEO for NEW SONG)... Click below

Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of Malcolm X, killed

Posted: Thursday, May 9, 2013 4:59 pm | Updated: 6:40 pm, Thu May 9, 2013.

Amsterdam News Staff | 0 comments

The Amsterdam News has learned, and the U.S. Embassy has confirmed, that Malcolm Shabazz - grandson of Malcolm X, was killed in Mexico.

Several reports around the circumstances of his death, stilled unconfirmed, have rummored that he died early Thursday morning, May 9, 2013 from injuries sustained after he was thrown off a building or shot as he was being robbed in Tijuana. "I'm confirming, per U.S. Embassy, on behalf of family, the tragic death of Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of Malcolm X.Statement frm family 2 come," wrote close friend of the Shabazz family Terrie M. Williams on twitter.

Family members have confirmed his death and that he was in Mexico but have not confirmed the exact location or circumstances of how Malcolm Shabazz died. READ More...

IN JAMAICA: Two Policemen Arrested For Carnal Abuse Of 15-Year-Old Girl....Why are these two Police Officers name not published so the public can know who they are?

Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Writer 
Two policemen attached to the St Catherine North Police Division are now in custody on suspicion of carnal abuse. They were held yesterday by their colleagues from the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse. 

It is reported that both men had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl. The child reportedly related her ordeal to a relative. A subsequent report was made to CISOCA and an investigation launched. The probe resulted in their arrest. READ More...

This Video Of One Half-Second Of High Frequency Trading Is Insane, Terrifying

You have no idea just how bonkers high-frequency trading is making the stock market until you actually see it in action.

A terrifying new video by the research firm Nanex offers just such an opportunity: It shows one half-second of trading in just one stock, boring old Johnson & Johnson, on May 2. The video slows down the trades so that the milliseconds -- thousandths of a second -- tick slowly by, and so that human eyes can comprehend what's happening.

What you see is trading gone haywire, hopelessly beyond the control of any regulators that might want to make sure all of these trades are legitimate. This flood of trading confuses even other machines, creating mismatches in orders that high-speed traders can exploit, millisecond by millisecond.

"These guys are not stealing dollars, they're stealing pennies," says Nanex founder Eric Hunsader, who presented the video at a recent Wired conference. "It's like paper cuts instead of first-degree murder." READ More...

AMERCAN IDOL TO FIRE ALL THEIR CURRENT JUDGES...'American Idol' Getting New Judges, Big Makeover For Season 13 (REPORT)

Carey, Jackson, Minaj & Urban

"American Idol" is reportedly getting new judges and a big makeover for Season 13.

According to TheWrap, current judges -- Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban -- will likely get the boot as part of a makeover to save the former ratings champ. "All four are gone," an insider told TheWrap. "They feel they've lost their core audience and they want it back."

Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe will also reportedly be shown the door as part of an effort to reinvigorate the series that's struggling in the ratings department. The rumored makeover also includes getting rid of dated themed-nights -- sorry, Burt Bacharach -- in an effort to attract a younger audience. The dated themes and stale format have been complaints of current "Idol" critics this season as the show has fallen to new ratings lows and is often bested by "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family." NBC's "The Voice" has also dethroned the series in the singing competition category. READ More...

IN JAMAICA: High-end hotel Ritz Carlton Resort to close on May 20th

General Manager Tony Mira told Irie Fm news that the majority of the workers will be given redundancy pay. He adds that they were informed of the development this morning.

Some 400 workers employed to the Ritz Carlton Resort in St James will join the unemployment line in two weeks. The luxury resort has been sold and will have guests until May 20. Meanwhile, in a statement issued this afternoon, Rose Hall Resort L.P confirmed what it described as the mutually planned departure of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company as operator of the Ritz-Carlton Golf and Spa Resort. READ More...

MOTHER'S DAY- “To Mom With Love” is more than a concert...Downsound Records Boss Spearheads Concert To Inspire & Uplift Mothers

“To Mom With Love” is more than a concert. Organizers say the event is to inspire and uplift mothers across the island. Joseph Bogdanovich, one of the organizers and CEO of Downsound Records says the Mother’s Day event is to show people that miracles do happen. Thelma Reid is an 85 year old woman of Waterhouse whose only regret is that she has no children. She got pregnant five times all ending in miscarriages. In addition to renovating her home, Joseph Bogdanovich and his team say they will give Miss Reid a complete makeover and V.I.P treatment at the event on Sunday. TO MOM WITH LOVE will be held at the Lime, Golf Academy, in New Kingston on Mother’s Day, Sunday May 12 featuring The Manhattans, John Holt, Karen Smith, Nature and others.

(VIDEO) Judge Orders Conspiracy Re-Education For LAURYN HILL....we are brought up to believe we can't change anything... that we have no control. We don't need people regurgitating that crap.

YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS!...so AMAZING.....ever hear someone say what you always wanted to but couldn't find the words? SHARE THIS.

DEATH TOLL AT BANGLADESH FACTORY IS NOW OVER 800: Heartbreaking Bangladesh Factory Photo Shows Couple In Final Embrace (PHOTO)

A photo taken among the devastation of a collapsed Bangladesh garment factory has brought the deaths of at least 800 victims into sharp focus.

The photo, which gained initial attention on reddit, a social news website, shows two deceased victims embracing inside the collapsed factory in Savar, Bangladesh.

WARNING: THE BELOW PHOTO MAY DISTURB SOME READERS

Taslima Akhter, the Bangladeshi photographer that took the photo, told TIME that she spent the entire day of the collapse taking pictures, and that she felt like she knew the couple from the moment she found them amid the rubble.

"I looked at who they were in their last moments as they stood together and tried to save each other — to save their beloved lives," Akhter told TIME. READ More...

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HE'S BACK: Mark Sanford South Carolina Victory Takes Him From 'Free Fall' To Rebirth

WASHINGTON –- Americans, journalist David Halberstam once wrote, are "remarkably tolerant of error, particularly if it is self-confessed."

Mark Sanford is thanking his lucky stars that's the case. The former South Carolina governor won his old seat in Congress back on Tuesday, after voters in the state's coastal 1st Congressional District decided to overlook his many misadventures since he first admitted an extramarital affair in 2009.

Sanford, 52, a Republican, defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a 58-year old businesswoman best known nationally as comedian Stephen Colbert's older sister, in a special election to fill a seat vacated by former Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). Scott was appointed by the state's Republican governor to the U.S. Senate after Jim DeMint left his seat early to lead The Heritage Foundation, a D.C. think tank. READ More...

Yoshihide Kiryu, 17-Year-Old Sprinter From Japan, Runs 100m In An Incredible 10.01 Seconds (VIDEO)

At just 17 years-old, Yoshihide Kiryu is a new, lightning-fast star of the sprinting world. On April 29, the teen from Japan finished a 100-meter race in an incredible 10.01 seconds -- which means he tied for the junior world record and he is one of only three men in the world (under-20) to have ever run that fast.

“It’s like a dream. Honestly, I am surprised,” Kiryu said after the race in Hiroshima, Japan, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Watch Kiryu's amazing race in the video above.

Now, the teen has set his sights on a new goal: he wants to beat his own world record.According to New Straits Times, Kiryu wrote down the new time he's aiming to achieve, 9.96 seconds, on a blackboard in his high school. If Kiryu accomplishes his goal he will also break Japan's national record. READ More...

Bob Marley's Music Uprising To Give Artistes A Voice

Marley's Beverage Company, in partnership with Sonicbids, on Wednesday, launched 'Marley's Music Uprising', a contest to discover the next great sound inspired by reggae and influenced by the legendary Bob Marley.

"Our father's music inspires people around the world," said Grammy Award-winning artiste and producer Stephen Marley.

Stephen Marley

"With 'Uprising,' we carry on his spirit to support creativity and give voice to a new generation of artistes who are following in his footsteps."

From May 1 to 15, artistes will submit original music viamarley.sonichub.com to win a series of prizes, including digital downloads, live performances at major summer festivals, and the ultimate prize, a recording session at the legendary Tuff Gong Studio in Kingston,Jamaica and a track produced by Stephen Marley. READ More...

Is Jodi Arias Guilty Of Murder? You Be The 13th Juror....50 Shades Of Jodi Arias: Crazy Moments From A Crazy TrialJodi Arias Jury Deliberates Defendant's Fate (LIVE UPDATES)

The verdict could come in any minute.

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- The Jodi Arias jury began its first full day of deliberations Monday, after listening to testimony since early January.

Arias is accused of stabbing 30-year-old Travis Alexander nearly 30 times, shooting him in the head and cutting his throat from ear to ear in his Mesa home on June 4 , 2008.

The eight-man, four-woman panel, which heard four months of testimony and final arguments, deliberated a half-hour Friday evening before recessing for the weekend. READ More...

Chris Brown On Rihanna Split: 'I Can't Be Focused On Wife-ing Somebody That Young'

Chris Brown and Rihanna have broken up once again, but this time it seems like he is the one behind the split. During an interview with Australia's 2Day radio show "The Kyle and Jackie Show,"Brown admitted he and Rihanna have split, and that she would not be on hand to celebrate his 24th birthday on May 5, E! News notes. "Are you going through this birthday solo?" the radio host asked.

"Yeah, Imma do it solo," he said. "I mean, at the end of the day, shawty doing her thang, she on the road ... It's always gonna be love. I'm just gonna do me. I'm a grown man. Just gotta fast forward." When asked if he feels that he and Rihanna are soulmates, Brown said there will always be love between them. READ More...

(VIDEO) Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus Found Alive In Ohio After Being Reported Missing For 10 Years

Two women who went missing as teenagers about a decade ago were found alive Monday in a residential area just south of downtown, within a few miles of where they disappeared.

CLEVELAND — Three women who went missing separately about a decade ago, when they were in their teens or early 20s, had been tied up but were found alive Monday in a residential area just south of downtown, and three brothers were arrested, police said.

One of the women told a 911 dispatcher the person who had taken her was gone, and she pleaded for police officers to come and get her, saying, "I'm free now."

Cheering crowds gathered Monday night on the street near the home where police said Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight had been held since they went missing and were found earlier in the day. READ More...