OBAMA: 'TRAYVON COULD HAVE BEEN ME' : Obama Takes Over White House Press Briefing To Speak On Trayvon Martin (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama made an unexpected appearance at Friday's White House press briefing to talk about the outcome of the Trayvon Martin case and, more broadly, how the United States continues to grapple with racial bias.
"When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is, Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago," Obama said.
Obama said he understands why people are so upset that George Zimmerman was found not guilty for shooting and killing Martin, an unarmed teen who was walking down the street one night in his Sanford, Fla., neighborhood, in February 2012. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, pursued Martin for no clear reason and ultimately shot him in what he said was self-defense. Read More...

The Interview : Jamaican singer Diana King to marry her girlfriend of 7 years, Simone?

DIANA KING, The First Jamaican Artist To Ever Come Out & Dinah 2013 Performer, Puts A Ring On It! Turning "Impossible" into "I'm Possible" with dreams of Dinah and end of DOMA coming True! 



If you attended Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend 2013 in Palm Springs, CA, you surely remember the electrifying performance by the iconic Diana King at our Sunday Pool Party.
Diana King
Diana King and friend, Simone
The Reggae/Dancehall legend, who is responsible for chart topping hits like "Shy Guy" and "Say a Little Prayer", gave such a phenomenal performance and an inspiring speech about her coming out a year ago and breaking a major taboo in Jamaican culture, she instantly became our new hero! 
Moving on to Marriage Equality, she proceeded to explain how her 7-year relationship with her Jamaican girlfriend Simone had over the years been extremely challenging as a direct result of DOMA. 
Because Gay marriages until June 26 of this year, were not officially recognized at the federal level, bi-national same –sex couples were not legally allowed to sponsor their “non-American” partners for a green-card, and consequently denied them the right to stay in the United States. For almost a decade Diana and Simone had to deal with the gruesome constraints of a long-distance relationship inflicted by strict immigration laws and, yes, DOMA.  Read More...

'Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom' Trailer: Shall We Begin? (VIDEO)

mandela a long walk to freedom trailer
"Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom" trailer arrives.
"Shall we begin?" Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela asks in the first trailer for"Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom." As it turns out, marketing for the Weinstein Company release already began last week, when an international teaser for the Oscar hopeful debuted online. That clip showed precious little in the way of Elba, though it did feature his uncanny vocal impersonation of the South African leader; the "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom" trailer that debuted on Thursday provides interested parties a whole lot more in the way of Elba and the film's story. Read More...

REFUGEE CITY : 6,000 Syrians Forced To Flee Their Homes Every Day... At Least 1.8 Million Displaced... UN: One Of The Worst Humanitarian Crises In Recent History

An average of 6,000 Syrians a day have fled their war-torn country since the beginning of 2013, in what the United Nations considers one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history. More than 1.8 million Syrians have officially registered as refugees since the start of the conflict in March 2011, taking shelter in neighboring countries Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Lebanon.
The photos below, taken during U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's trip to Jordan, are a shocking reminder of the scale of the Syrian refugee crisis. According to AFP, Zaatari is now home to 160,000 Syrians, a number that would equal the population of Jordan's fifth-largest city. The AP puts the population at 115,000.
According to the U.N., the war in Syria is the worst humanitarian crisis since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, with more than 93,000 people already having lost their lives. Read More...

Jamaica Advocay Youth group calls for legalisation of abortion... Read more by clicking below

Lisa Hannah, Minister of Youth
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- The Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) has commended the Minister of Youth, Lisa Hanna, for addressing the issue of reproductive health and rights of women and has called for the legalisation of abortion. 
According to Jason Madden, a youth advocate with the organisation, “the illegality of abortion has not prevented about 22,000 women and girls between 15 and 44 years to procure an abortion every year in Jamaica."
 “Many women and girls are endangering themselves because of the inaccessibility and un-affordability of abortions in Jamaica. We believe the time has come for us to protect and promote the reproductive rights of women and girls,” Madden argued. “Far too many are in desperate need and we eagerly anticipate the leadership of Minister Hanna on this important issue.” Read More...

Former MP George Lyn Hailed As A Champion Of The Poor

George Lyn (seated), former member of parliament for North Central Clarendon, is lifted on stage during a People's National Party (PNP) motorcade in the parish in the run-up to the 2011 general election. In background is PNP President Portia Simpson Miller. - FILE
George Lyn (Seated)
Colin Campbell, the political figure who ran on the People's National Party (PNP) ticket in the December 2011 general election for North Central Clarendon, yesterday described the former Member of Parliament (MP) George Lyn as a grassroots politician who has left an indelible mark in the constituency.
Lyn, 81, died in the May Pen Hospital yesterday morning after a long illness.
The former MP suffered a stroke four years ago, and a heart attack about two weeks ago that sent him back to hospital. Lena Lyn, his wife of many years, was by his side when he took his last breath.
"The most outstanding feature of his tenure and beyond is the significant amount of personal resources he dispensed in solving the problems experienced by the people whom he served," Campbell said of Lyn.
Pearnel Charles, the current MP in the constituency, described his long-time political rival as an indefatigable champion of the poor in the constituency he represented for two terms, between 1993 and 2002. Read More...

Vybz Kartel Jury Released Until Next Tuesday

The 12-member jury trying the murder case of dancehall entertainer Vybz Kartel and his two co-accused has been released until Tuesday because the hearing that is taking place in their absence is expected to end on Monday.
Yesterday, Justice Bryan Sykes told the jurors that the process was taking some time to be completed.
The hearing began on Tuesday morning and the prosecutors had said that the process would be completed at mid-day. It was not completed by that time and the jurors were asked to return yesterday morning.
The prosecution is making an application under Section 31(D) of the Evidence (Amendment ) Act. The section addresses the admission of statements in cases where witnesses cannot be found or are not available.
Sykes will make a ruling at the end of the hearing.
Three witnesses have so far testified at the trial which began on Monday in the Home Circuit Court. Read More...

Portia Out Of Her Lane: Parents Wary Of Proposal To Test High-School Athletes But Principal Gives PM's Plan Thumbs Up

A proposal by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to subject high-school athletes to drug testing is not finding favour with some parents.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said the testing of highschool athletes would be in accordance with appropriate approvals from the Ministry of Education, the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association, and parents and guardians.
Portia Simpson-Miller
The proposal was put forward by Simpson Miller in Parliament on Tuesday, just days after news broke that five Jamaican athletes, including high-profile sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson, had tested positive for banned substances.
Yesterday, Kirk Grey, who is making preparation to send his child to Wolmer's High School for Boys come September, said he found distasteful the idea of having his son - an avid sports competitor - tested for drugs in high school.
"For children at that age, it is more about the competition and less about the money. Athletes who are in the business for money, you will find them taking the drugs but not the children," Grey argued.
"To have them being tested paints a picture that Jamaica is a drug country and this is what our children are doing." Read More...

THE GLEANER MINUTE: Doping sanction... Athletes walk out... Mandela day... Highway crash...(VIDEO)

JAMAICAN TRAVIS SMIKLE "I Never Attempted To Cheat" after Positive Drug Test

Traves Smikle – File
Traves Smikle
Discus thrower, Jamaican Traves Smikle has released a statement confirming that he returned an adverse analytical finding at the recent national trials. 

In the statement, Smikle did not identify the substance for which he has been tested positive. However, he said he did not knowingly or willfully ingest any banned substance. 

"I have never attempted to cheat and have always considered myself an ambassador for the sport and a strong supporter of drug testing," he said.  Read More...

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To listen, click PLAY icon above then unmute speaker icon at bottom left on player after a brief commercial. Enjoy the sweet music.To chat below, please sign in with your RBN account. Scheduled shows are PALVS & SSSJamz w/ RULA BROWN, Sir ROCKWELL w/ Golden Sundays, Foundation Radio Networkw/ CLINTON LINDSAY is broadcast daily. TONY RYAN w/ Tony Ryan Showcase every Mon-Fri. Pleasesupport the scholarship program by considering to donate at least $10.00 at www.PALAS1.org. Thank you very much.

IN JAMAICA : 5-y-o boy hit by stroke; father seeks divine help......"doctors told me that they found that one side of my son's brain is bleeding and the other side is swollen,"

Errol Campbell and his 15 y-o son O'Tar
 IN the last two weeks, cabinetmaker and father of three Errol Campbell has been faced with a challenge that would send any parent into a tailspin.
Without warning, the 42-year-old has been thrusted into a race against time to save his ailing five-year-old son Kevrol, who remains unconscious in hospital. The once-active boy was suddenly struck by what they believed as a mysterious illness, which has since left Campbell and his wife Melene on their knees in prayer.
On being rushed to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), "doctors told me that they found that one side of my son's brain is bleeding and the other side is swollen," the obviously distraught father told the Jamaica Observer. Campbell said doctors have, in the last few days, performed an emergency surgery on the child and are now closely monitoring his condition. But this has done little to calm Campbell's fears.
"Doctor seh it don't look like him going make it; but I am just keeping my fingers crossed," the Linstead resident said as he disembarked a bus inside the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre, tears streaming down his face. Read more: 

 

This man shouldve been the Prosecuting Attorney. Please Share Does It Get More Honest Then This?: Man Explains Why Zimmerman Is Guilty & How The Fight With Trayvon Martin Went Down. (VIDEO)

USAIN BOLT : Eyes Fixed On King Bolt - As Doping Scandal Rocks Athletics, Italians Hope Poster Boy Is Clean

JAMAICA'S IMAGE has taken a battering in Italy as a result of the positive dope tests of ace sprinter Asafa Powell and countrywoman Sherone Simpson, Italian consul to Jamaica, Carla Gullotta, told The Gleaner from her homeland.
Usain Bolt
Bolt
"It is serious, and I am so very sorry and concerned that this can somehow compromise the beautiful image of Jamaican athletes, and Jamaica, in front of the whole world," Gullotta said.
She said that Italian newspapers have been carrying articles which indicate that the positive tests have been seen as disheartening and pitiful.
"Their wins and their talents were looked at as something new happening in the scenario of sports. People are very sorry and they hope it is not true," Gullotta said.
She said focus has been turned on the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, "praying that he is not involved in the same thing because they say Bolt represents something for Jamaica, something for the rest of the world". Read More...

MUMBAI, INDIA: Insecticide-Laden Lunches Killed 22 Children, Doctor Says....Indian principal on the run after 22 students die from school lunches


STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Police are searching for the headmistress and her husband for questioning
  • At least 75 men attack a kitchen used to prepare school meals
  • The cook refutes claims that she had raised concerns about the cooking oil
  • Authorities believe the poison is a sarin-like nerve gas used in agriculture
Bihar, India (CNN) -- The headmistress of the school where poisoned lunches killed 22 students is on the run.
Local police chief Sujit Kumar said authorities are looking for the principal, who was not named, and her husband for questioning.
The students started soon after their first bite of rice and potatoes at the school in the northeastern state of Bihar on Tuesday. Some fainted.
Twenty four remained hospitalized Thursday.
Now, attention is turning to government accountability over the school food program that feeds more than 100 million children -- often with different standards across the country.
"It is just a reflection of the sort of neglect ... and these sorts of concerns in that state and states around that area," said Reetika Khera of the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi.

"In the southern part of the country, children get not only good quality food, they also get very nutritious food," she said. "But this is not the case in Bihar." READ More...

Matthew Flugence Confesses to Stabbing Murder of 6 Year Old Ahlittia North

Matthew Flugence Confesses Murder New OrleansNEW ORLEANS -- A suspect in the stabbing death of a 6-year-old girl whose body was found in a trash can only days after she disappeared from a suburban New Orleans apartment has confessed to the killing, a sheriff said Wednesday.
Matthew Flugence, 20, was captured Tuesday night after authorities received tips he had been sighted, said Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand. Flugence was booked on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Ahlittia North. "We began interviewing Matthew through the evening and he admitted to the murder of Ahlittia North," Normand said at a news conference.
The 6-year-old had been put to bed Friday night and was found missing early Saturday from an apartment where she lived with her mother and stepfather in the Jefferson Parish community of Harvey, near New Orleans. Read More...READ More...

John Henry Spooner Shooting 13 y-o African American youth in chest and killed him ( VIDEO): Evidence Shows Darius Simmons Killed (GRAPHIC)

John Henry Spooner video
Spooner shoots 13 y-o in chest and killed him
A video entered as evidence in the murder trial of John Henry Spooner on Tuesday appears to show the 76-year-old shooting his 13-year-old neighbor Darius Simmons dead.
The Milwaukee senior is charged with first-degree homicide after the alleged incident in May last year. Jurors saw the video (below), taken from Spooner's own surveillance camera, that shows the suspect walk out of his house, brandishing a gun. After a short argument, the man in the video waves the gun around before he shoots Simmons in the chest. Simmons manages to flee outside the scope of the camera before dying. READ More...

Talia Joy Castellano Dead: Inspirational YouTube Star Dies After 6-Year Battle With Cancer (VIDEO)

Talia Joy Castellano Dead
Talia Castellano
Talia Joy Castellano, the charming teen that inspired thousands with her YouTube make-up tutorials, died at 13 of cancer.
With wise beauty tips and an inspirational story, Talia became an Internet sensation and captivated many with her extensive cosmetic knowledge as well as her experience fighting two forms of aggressive cancer: neuroblastoma and preleukemia. On Tuesday, a message appeared on the teen’s Facebook page announcing her death.  READ More...

AFRICAN AMERICAN woman, Terry Ragland Diagnosed With 'Ghetto Booty' By White Tennessee Doctor Timothy Sweo after back pain complaint



©2013 MapQuest  -  Portions ©2013 Natural Earth | Terms
They don't teach terminology like this in medical school.
Terry Ragland, a woman in Tennessee, was incensed after her doctor, Timothy Sweo, diagnosed the source of her severe lower back pain as "ghetto booty."
I think I blacked out after he said ghetto booty. I think my mind was just stuck on the phrase because I couldn’t believe he said that,” said Ragland, 55, in an interview with area news outlet WREG. READ More...

LAUREL K. BROWN with NYC MAYOR, MICHAEL BLOOMBERG AND SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES COMMISSIONER WALSH PRESENT 12th ANNUAL NEIGHBORHOOD ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS AT GRACIE MANSION

Mayor Bloomberg at Gracie Mansion with Laurel Brown (Far Right) 

MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES COMMISSIONER WALSH PRESENT 12th ANNUAL NEIGHBORHOOD ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Awards Honor Organizations and Individuals for Their Outstanding Impact on New York City’s Neighborhoods

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel, and New York City Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Robert W. Walsh presented the 2013 Neighborhood Achievement Awards today to recipients from all five boroughs for their outstanding impact on New York City’s neighborhoods. Established in 2002, the awards honor organizations, businesses and individuals that have demonstrated excellence in enhancing New York City neighborhoods by fostering economic opportunity. This year’s awards included a new category called the Helping Hand Award, to honor a business, organization, or individual that went above and beyond to help the people, businesses, and neighborhoods affected by Hurricane Sandy. The awards were presented at Gracie Mansion. The BID Leadership Award was presented to three individuals.

  • Laurel Brown / Jamaica Center Business Improvement District, Queens  Laurel Brown, Executive Director of the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District (BID), is responsible for making Jamaica Center a thriving business hub and enjoyable destination to work, live and visit. The BID provides sanitation, graffiti removal, maintenance, and marketing services to the district. Last year the Jamaica Center BID's Clean Team logged over 17,000 hours removing 1,100 tons of litter from nearly 50,000 trash bags from Jamaica Avenue, averaging three tons of garbage every day. Laurel manages her large district with limited resources, yet she is constantly encouraging her staff, colleagues, and youth in the community.  READ More...

Asafa Powell's hotel room raided by Italian police, with a stash of pills and medicine found

Asafa Powell's hotel room raided by Italian police, with a stash of pills and medicine found Italian police have reportedly discovered a stash of unidentified pills and medicines in the hotel room of Asafa Powell, the Jamaican sprinter accused of doping. Carabinieri officers searched Powell’s hotel room overnight, a day after it emerged that he had tested positive for a banned stimulant, oxilofrine, at the Jamaican championships last month.

Powell and other Jamaican athletes have been training in the area, part of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region which abuts the border of Slovenia.
Police from a specialist drug and food safety unit found around 50 boxes and vials containing medicines and pills, according to Italian press reports.
“For the moment there have been no arrests,” a police source told the Italian press. READ more...

Miracle X 3! - Manchester Teenager Gives Birth To Triplets After Being Told By Doctors She Could Never Get Pregnant

Danielle Young and two of her daughters. The third baby is in the hospital being treated for a minor injury.
Danielle Young and two
of her daughters. The third baby
 is in the hospital being
treated for a minor injury
After being informed by her doctor that she would never get pregnant, it was a miracle when 19-year-old Danielle Young gave birth to not one, not two, but three girls at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) in Kingston two weeks ago.
Having given up hope of ever having children, Young, a resident of Christiana in Manchester, went for medical treatment at a private doctor, after experiencing stomach pains. The piercing intensity of stomach pains in January prompted her doctor to rush for the ultrasound machine.
Shocked at the revelation that she was pregnant with triplets, Young recalled that she wept uncontrollably.
"I knew from the time I found out that I was pregnant that it was triplets, but at the time, it came as a shock to my doctor and myself," Young toldThe Sunday Gleaner. Read More...

American Tyson Gay Tests Positive For Banned Substance

Tyson Gay - AP
Tyson Gay
American Tyson Gay has been tested positive for a banned substance. The American has since pulled out of the World Championships slated for next month in Moscow. "I don't have a sabotage story... I basically put my trust in someone and was let down," he said. 

"I know exactly what went on, but I can't discuss it right now. "I hope I am able to run again, but I will take whatever punishment I get like a man." READ More...

ASAFA POWELL & SHERONE SIMPSON TESTED POSITIVE FOR BANNED SUBSTANCES: Difficult Time, Says Sherone, Asafa Devastated … See Full Statements

Asafa Powell - FileMVP Track Club stars Sherone Simpson and Asafa Powell have released statements confirming that they have tested positive for a banned substance. 

In their statements both athletes said the substance - a stimulant called oxilofrine (methylsynephrine) – was found in their samples taken at the National Trials in Kingston in June.  “This is a very difficult time for me,” said Simpson, a 2004 Olympic relay gold medallist. Meanwhile, Powell, a member of Jamaica's Beijing Olympics gold-medal-winning relay team said he was surprised at the finding. READ More...

55 new PALAS scholarship recipient names to be announced 7/14/13 on 9 Radio Networks. 110 scholarship awards & 10 computers in the past 3 years. Please donate online at www.PALAS1.org or send a check payable to PALAS, P.O. Box 5461, Alpharetta GA 30023 USA.

Peace and Love Academic Scholarship, Inc. (PALAS) will be announcing the names of the 2013-2014 scholarship recipients. The names will be announced this weekend on www.RulaBrownNetwork.com (RBN) via Sultry Sunday Slow Jamz, (7/14/13) and eight other radio networks including CaribbeanRadioShow, RockDaBox, Mixx102, FoundationRadioNetwork, Reggaenostalgia, WDBM, Paramountent and USTREAMtv. Showtime is 3-7 pm ET/8-12 pm GMT.

We will also speak with Ms. Angelita Elliott of International All African Inventors Museum (IAAIM), who is sponsoring 3 scholarships with PALAS. The phone lines will be opened. We will also announce the many partners with PALAS (PWP) and the contributors who make this all possible. We still need donation to assist these high school and tertiary level students residing in the Caribbean region. 


We received applications from 128 students.  Over 1,000 files were evaluated; Summary Stats :  age range 12-32 yrs, 87 females, 41 males, 39 High School students, 89 University students, 21 Medical Students, 12 Law Students, 9 Nursing, 9 Science & Engineering and additional liberal and fine arts applicants. The program awarded fifty-five (55) scholarships and five (5) computers over the past 18 months. PALAS goal is to award one-hundred (100) scholarships and computers in 2013-2014 academic year.


Please help us in "Preserving Young Minds for Posterity" by making a donation online up to July 30th, at www.PALAS1.org or send a check payable to PALAS, P.O. Box 5461, Alpharetta GA 30023 USA. PALAS is a non-profit, 501 (c)( 3)
 entity, tax deductible foundation. READ More...