I was booed and almost quit, says Usain Bolt

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The world’s fastest man Usain Bolt has revealed that he came close to giving up sprinting in 2006 when he was booed by Jamaican fans for pulling out of a race injured.

The star, who was only 19 at the time, began his leg of a 4 x 400m race at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, but soon had to stop after pulling his hamstring.

As he limped off the track, some home fans decided to boo him. Some even shouted that he'd simply given up because he knew he wasn't going to win. In an exclusive extract from his new book, Faster than Lightning: My Autobiography, serialised in The Times, Bolt describes how the incident left him questioning his ability as a top-level sprinter and his desire to continue his promising career.

Bolt wrote: “Honestly, I had never imagined a time when a Jamaican crowd — my own people that had cheered me on so loudly when I'd won the World Junior Championships in 2002 — would boo me as I came off the Kingston track. read more...

IN JAMAICA: Hard Work Paid Off - Kimberly Burnett Achieves 10 Ones In CSEC Exams.

Kimberl Burnett

MEDICAL RESEARCH is her driving passion. In fact, 17-year-old Kimberly (Kim) Burnett is fiercely determined to make a significant contribution in the field of genetic and cancerresearch that will, hopefully, one day lead to the cure for the world's most deadly disease.

Kim's dream was inspired by the story of Henrietta Lacks, the African-American female who died of cancer in 1951 and her cells harvested and used in medical research. The cell line, called HeLa, became immensely valuable to research studies and led to major medical breakthroughs. Lacks' cells were, in fact, the first known human immortal cell line for medical research.

"My interest in medical research was really piqued by her story. And I realised that, more than anything, I wanted to dedicate my life to genetic and cancer research, and I know I will succeed in that field, because I am willing to put in the hard work," said the Immaculate Conception High School student. read more...

FULL TIME: 'Tuffy' Anderson Scores As Jamaica Ends 1-1 With Costa Rica

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz secured a 1-all draw against Costa Rica at the National Stadium tonight but the result wasn’t enough to keep them in contention of qualifying for the Brazil 2014 World Cup. 

Local-based Jermaine ‘Tuffy’ Anderson scored in the 90th minute to hand the Reggae Boyz their second draw inside five days. 

Randall Brenes had given Costa Rica the lead in the 74th minute. With the draw, the Reggae Boyz climbed to four points but remained bottom of the six-team table with two matches to go. 

Costa Rica moved to 15 points but slipped to second position as the United States beat Mexico 2-0 at the Columbus Crew Stadium to take a one-point lead. read more...

Rumor Control: Mighty Sparrow Is NOT Dead

Mighty Sparrow

The Caribbean community was sent into mourning today after news surfaced claiming that legendary calypsonian the Mighty Sparrow, aka Slinger Francisco, is dead.

However, multiple sources confirmed with Urban Islandz that Sparrow is still alive and is receiving treatment at a New York hospital for an undisclosed illness.

“Mighty Sparrow is still alive and people should stop spreading false news,”one source told us. “His condition has not changed and he remains in thehospital.”

On Monday, the singer’s family confirmed via a short statement that he is in fact hospitalized in a New York hospital, but did not disclosed his illness. read more...

Men With Big Testicles Less Likely To Be Caring Fathers, Study Shows.

Men with larger testicles tend to be less involved fathers than those with smaller testes, a new study suggests.

The findings, detailed today (Sept. 9) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are correlational, so they can't say exactly why the trend exists but only that there is a link.

But men who produce more sperm have bigger testes, and sperm production is extremely energy intensive for the body, so it may be that fathers "face a trade-off between investing energy in parenting and investing energy in mating effort," said study co-author James Rilling, an anthropologist at Emory University in Atlanta. [Sexy Swimmers: 7 Surprising Facts About Sperm]

Involved dads

Scores of studies have shown that children with involved and caring fathers tend to do better emotionally, socially and educationally. read more...

XLCR Too Strong For Waterford in 2-0 Win at Courtney Walsh Oval.

Excelsior's Romaine Hosang (centre)
 is double teamed by Waterford's
 Rojeau Tomlin (left) and Domario Morais
 during first half action in their group B
 fixture of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports
 LIME Manning Cup football competition
 at the Courtney Walsh Oval yesterday.

Former champions and favourites Excelsior began their quest to win this year's Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/LIME Manning Cup with an easy 2-0 victory over Waterford at the Courtney Walsh Oval yesterday.

Romario Hosang (12th) and Kareem Banton (85th) were the goalscorers for the Mountain View-based institution.

Leebert Halliman, coach of Excelsior, was somewhat pleased with his team's efforts. "I think we played a bit poorly in the first half, probably a bit of nerves, but at the end of the day we wanted three points and that what we got," said Halliman, whose team last won the competition in 2004. read more....

FALMOUTH, TRELAWNY: Traffic cop pursuing bus dies in crash.

FALMOUTH, Trelawny — The Trelawny police division was plunged into mourning yesterday following news that one of their colleagues died from injuries he sustained in a motor vehicle collision here.

Twenty-two-year-old Constable Omar Elliot, who joined the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) just under three years ago, died at the Cornwall Regional Hospital yesterday afternoon while undergoing treatment.

Constable Omar Elliot,
who got married just two months
 ago to a member of the
 JCF, with his one-year-old daughter.

 

Persons claiming to be eyewitnesses said that the cop was driving a police service motorcycle in hot pursuit of a minibus plying the Falmouth to Montego Bay route when he collided with a SUV.

According to head of the Trelawny police division, Senior Superintendent Noel Christie, about 8:15 yesterday morning, the constable, who is assigned to the Traffic Department at the Falmouth Police Station, was on patrol along the one-way Duke Street main road when he collided with a Toyota Harrier, which was in the process of making a right turn. Read more: 

Real Reels Bring 'Harder They Come' To Life - Henzell's Directing Style Helped Movie's Authenticity

Jimmy Cliff describes Henzell's approach to directing as one in which the actor was deeply involved.

"Perry, when him shooting the scene, him never seh, 'I would like you to do this'. Him seh, 'How would you do that, Jimmy?'," Cliff said.

"That was very intelligent to try to get out of me the reality. That is why that movie came off so real.

"That is what he wanted. He said, 'I don't want any actors'. Because actors going to come in with the methods that they learn. So he just wanted real people who he could say 'do your thing'.

"That is why the movie came off so real. For everybody was real, for real," Cliff said.

Although much is said of Henzell, Cliff did meet the script's co-author. "I was introduced to Trevor Rhone maybe the first or second week of shooting," Cliff said. It was then that he knew Rhone was part of writing the script. read more...

Extortion Menace - Crime On The Rise As Downtown Kingston Returns To Pre-Tivoli-Incursion State......Most shoppers at the Coronation Market in Kingston have to pay 'parking fees' to men on the corner to do business in the market.

Most shoppers at the Coronation Market
in Kingston have to pay 'parking fees'
to men on the corner to do business
 in the market.
 - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Raging illegality, rampant indiscipline and flagrant criminality that have, again, overtaken the bustling downtown Kingston commercial district have left influential players in the redevelopment exercise troubled.

The actions of re-emerging extortionists, unlawful shoppers and illicit vendors are, once again, generating high drama daily on the streets of the busy business community, bringing back terrifying memories of the period prior to the 2010 incursion into Tivoli Gardens.

Unlike the days shortly before the military incursion that crushed extortion in Tivoli Gardens and neighbouring communities, the scourge has, in recent times, been rearing its head.

For Chairman of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) K.D. Knight, complacency is to blame for the resurgence of criminality in the area. read more...

Low Cholesterol Is Dangerous......THERE IS great confusion in the minds of many on the issue of cholesterol.

THERE IS great confusion in the minds of many on the issue of cholesterol. Due to powerful propaganda from the drug manufacturers, most people worry about the cholesterol level in their blood being too high. Unfortunately, they never give a thought to the dangers of low cholesterol, especially when it results from taking medication.

This almost religious dedication to lowering cholesterol levels at any cost has become so common that nearly every reader will know someone trying to do so or has been struggling to do so himself.

Doctors are now prescribing cholesterol-lowering drugs even to people with normal cholesterol levels on the pretext that it will lower their risk of a heart attack. read more...

IN JAMAICA: St James Hits 100 Murder Mark... Nonetheless, Cops Says Murder On The Decline.

As it has done every year since 2006, the parish of St James, home of the nation's tourism capital Montego Bay, has hit the 100 murder mark, albeit that the police are reporting a 17 per cent decline in killings.

"We have a 17 per cent reduction in murders this year, which shows that we are going in the right direction," said senior superintendent Andrew Lewis, the parish's crime chief, noting that some parishes were seeing 30 and 40 per cent increases.

"However, 100 murders is nothing to celebrate... one hundred is one hundred too many...we wish we did not have any," added Lewis.

St James registered its 100th murder last Tuesday night when 22-year-old Kafi 'Adie' Simms, a resident of Rose Heights, was shot dead by two gunmen who accosted him along a roadway in the community.

In seeking to explain the policing strategy, which has led to the 17 per cent decline and made the police optimistic going forward, Lewis said the police's murder reduction plan is working well. read more...

LISA HANNA: 'They're Sick' - Hanna Says Many Of Nation's Children Have Mental Disorders

Lisa Hanna

Youth Minister Lisa Hanna says a large number of children with behavioural problems are afflicted by various mental conditions and the change in the legislation to decriminalise those deemed 'uncontrollable' would allow the Ministry of Youth and Culture to administer specific interventions.

Hanna, who was speaking at a Gleaner Editors' Forum last Friday, revealed that her ministry had engaged a group of psychiatrists, who will be assisting in assessing and recommending appropriate interventions for children who have been placed in state care for behavioural problems.

According to the youth minister, "over a third of juveniles in detention centres were there for uncontrollable behaviour".

With the change in legislation that is to come shortly, she said those children deemed 'uncontrollable' will be removed to a special facility that is to be established, where they would be assessed by a council of psychiatrists who would recommend the appropriate intervention. read more...

Premila Lal, 18-Year-Old Colorado Teen, Shot Dead In Prank Gone Wrong

A Colorado teen was shot and killed Friday evening after a prank on a friend went horribly wrong.

Police say that Premila Lal, 18, and a cousin planned to scare her 15-year-old brother and an older friend, Nerrek Galley, by making noise and jumping out of a closet. But when Galley thought there was an intruder wandering the house, he opened fire, fatally injuring Lal.

"They somehow entered the house and my son and Nerrek didn't know it was them," Lal's father, Pravenn, told KDVR. "After she was shot, then Nerrek realized it was Premila." read more...

8 Ways To Make Your Guacamole That Much Better

We don't mess around when it comes to guacamole. We understand the importance of this simple avocado dip. It makes happy hours that much better, parties worth leaving our house for, and Cinco de Mayo a holiday to that can rival (almost) Thanksgiving. Without guacamole, margaritas wouldn't go down as smoothly and tortilla chips wouldn't even matter anymore.

Guacamole is just one of those foods that makes life a little bit better. So, when making it homemade it's important to get it right. We've whipped up countless recipesand have eaten even more bowls of the stuff than we care to admit, all in search of the perfect guac. This abundant avocado dip consumption has gotten us to the bottom of what makes a guacamole great -- and all the simple tips and tricks that can make your homemade guacamole that much better. read more...

KARMA, KARMA, KARMA ? George Zimmerman in Custody After Gun Incident....3rd running with the law since acquittal of killing Trayvon Martin (VIDEO)

George Zimmerman is being questioned by police after a domestic incident with his wife and father-in-law that may have involved a gun, according to police.

Zimmerman is being held at the home of a relative after the incident, which involved his wife, Shellie, and her father, Colin Morgan, police in Lake Mary, Fla., told ABC News. Police are investigating whether a gun found at the scene was used in the incident.

"There was some kind of a domestic, we know that with his wife and father-in-law. Apparently there were some weapons involved and threats," the deputy police chief in Lake Mary told ABC News.

Zimmerman has not been charged with any crime. read more...

WAR WITH SYRIA MAY BE AVERTED....Syria Welcomes Russian Proposal To Put Chemical Weapons Under International Control

MOSCOW, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Syria welcomes a Russian proposal to place the nation's chemical weapons under international control, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday after talks in Moscow, praising the Kremlin for seeking to "prevent American aggression".

Moualem, who spoke to reporters through an interpreter after Russia expressed hope the proposal could avert military strikes against Syria, stopped short of saying explicitly that President Bashar al-Assad's government accepted it.

"I state that the Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the Russian initiative, motivated by the Syrian leadership's concern for the lives of our citizens and the security of our country, and also motivated by our confidence in the wisdom of the Russian leadership, which is attempting to prevent American aggression against our people," he said. (Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Alison Williams). read more...

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ALL IN ON WAR....Obama Grows Isolated On Syria As Support Wanes.....Major Push Begins Monday... Obama Meeting With House Members... Courting Media... Addressing The Public... VOTE LOOMS: 233 Lean No... Just 39 Yes... Poll: Americans Against... McDonough: Lack Of Support 'Understandable'...

WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) - White House efforts to convince the U.S. Congress to back military action against Syria are not only failing, they seem to be stiffening the opposition.

That was the assessment on Sunday, not of an opponent but of an early and ardent Republican supporter of Obama's plan for attacking Syria, the influential Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee, Mike Rogers.

Rogers told CBS's "Face the Nation" the White House had made a "confusing mess" of the Syria issue. Now, he said, "I'm skeptical myself."

Congress will be in session on Monday for the first time since the August recess. Debate on Syria could begin in the full Senate this week, with voting as early as Wednesday. The House of Representatives could take up the issue later this week or next. read more...

IN JAMAICA: Some doctors accused of harming prostate cancer patients

ONE of the country's leading oncologists is warning general practitioners to desist from using only the results of a transrectal ultrasound to diagnose prostate cancer.

Dr William Aiken, consultant urologist at the University Hospital of the West Indies, is also urging general practitioners to immediately refer a cancer patient to the urologist once an abnormal PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level is detected or if they suspect that the patient has cancer, and to end the long wait.

Transrectal ultrasound is a procedure used in the diagnosis of prostate cancer after an abnormal PSA is detected in a patient.

But Dr Aikens said: "In the evaluation of men with prostate cancer, a transrectal ultrasound must always be combined with a biopsy, because the inherent characteristics of an ultrasound cannot differentiate between the prostate cancer and the absence of the cancer." Read more: 

Denham Town Bids Goodbye To Irreplaceable Tassanique.....Residents of Denham Town take a final look at 11-year-old Tassanique James, outside the home she once lived, before a thanksgiving service held at the Regent Street Seventh-day Adventist Church, Denham Town, west Kingston yesterday. Young James was shot in her community last month by gunmen.

Residents of west Kingston, particularly Denham Town, say the Clan Carthy Primary School student, who was gunned down on Emancipation Day, will not readily be forgotten.

Scores attended her funeral yesterday and lamented the extinguishing of a life that held much promise.

There was regret at the grade six desk she never got to use; the high school and university she would never attend; and the profession she would not get to pursue.

Member of Parliament Desmond McKenzie bemoaned that Tassanique "could have gone on to be another great person coming out of the constituency." read more...

JN Rewards 33 GSAT Top Performers With Scholarships

Leighann Dacres-Jones' eyes gleamed like the sunshine on a bright sunny day as she made her way from the podium, she was beyond delighted to be the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) GSAT scholarship recipient for the parish of Manchester.

The 12-year-old was among 33 students who were formally recognised as JN Scholars by JNBS yesterday at the scholarship reception. The event took place at the JN Half-Way Tree Branch.

Each of the awardees received five-year scholarships to cover their fees throughout their high school tenure.

"I am very grateful to JN and I am thankful for my parents, as they were able to put me through school. It was long journey, but thankfully I made it and I'm ready for the next stage of my life," she told The Gleaner. read more...

CAN HE MAKE THE CASE?....Obama Faces High-Stakes Week On Syria......Full Court Press: Interviews With 6 Anchors On Monday... National Address Tuesday... Americans Skeptical.... EU Pleads: Wait For UN... Inspectors' Report Could Come Next Week... House Vote Edging Toward Defeat... 41 Lean Yes, 229 Lean No... Kerry: Obama Doesn't Need Congress... But Could Return To UN

President Obama (Photo by Sergey Guneev/Host Photo Agency via Getty Images)

PARIS — The U.S. tried to rally support on Saturday for a military strike against Syria, running into resistance from the American public and skeptics in Congress and from European allies bent on awaiting a U.N. report about a chemical attack they acknowledge strongly points to the Assad government.

President Barack Obama prepared for a national address Tuesday night as a growing number of lawmakers, including fellow Democrats, opposed the use of force. The American public didn't yet appear persuaded by Obama's argument that action is needed to deter the future use of chemical weapons. Meanwhile, a U.S. official released a DVD compilation of videos showing victims of the Aug. 21 attack near Damascus. read more...

Syria Chemical Weapons Footage Shown By Obama Administration To Senators: CNN (GRAPHIC VIDEOS)

CNN released graphic footage Saturday from 13 different videos showing apparent use of chemical weapons in Syria.

According to the CNN report, the Obama administration has shown these clips to the Senate Intelligence Committee, noting that the videos are from the Aug. 21 attack. AU.S. government assessment released in August said that attack is believed to have killed at least 1,429 people, including 426 children. read more...

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEOS BELOW

Adults Stuck In 'Youth' Care - Hundreds Remain In Homes After Age 18 Years

Lisa Hanna

Hundreds of Jamaicans remain in the care of the State even after turning 18, as abandonment by families haunts them from infancy through adulthood.

Figures from the Ministry of Youth and Culture, the umbrella ministry for the Child Development Agency (CDA), indicate that 354 adults remained in state care, 76 of whom were able-bodied, and 278 mentally and intellectually challenged.

According to the CDA, the oldest person remaining in the State's care is 47, but has the psychological age of a child.

Though these individuals do not remain in children's homes, the Government spends more than $6 million each year, through the CDA, to contribute to their care. read more...

IN JAMAICA: Boring Churches Spooking Men - Money Demand Scaring Men From Houses Of God!

The male-depleted congregations of many of the island's churches have become increasingly worrisome to some members, and at least one pastor believes the Church is to be blamed for being less-than-welcoming to men.

REV DON STEWART: You can't expect young,
 strong men to come to church week
after week to sit down, sing and clap
hands and listen to a pastor speak.
There is no fun in that.

In some churches, females outnumber males three-to-one, and the dream of many Christian women to find Christian husbands is becoming more improbable year after year.

The Reverend Don Stewart, pastor of the Portmore Lane Covenant Community Church in Portmore, St Catherine, said churches must target and tailor their activities towards men, without abandoning the loyal female congregants. read more...

GLENMUIR HIGH STUDENT with 22 DISTINCTIONS in CXC, CAPE to do MEDICINE AT UWI.....Canaan Heights teen has highest average of UWI's 2013 intake

PURSUING a Bachelor's degree in medicine or surgery has always been one of Andrew Ellis' dreams. What he never imagined, however, was that he would be awarded a full scholarship

Andrew Ellis 

Ellis, 19, matriculated into the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona with the highest average for the 2013-2014 academic year, having aced 22 Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations — 11 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and 11 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). 

Even with all that success, he never saw the honour coming and was surprised when campus registrar Dr Camille Bell-Hutchinson made the announcement at the annual matriculation ceremony for freshmen Thursday evening, where he symbolically signed the Matriculation Register on behalf of all first year students. Read more:  

107-year-old man killed in police shootout in Arkansas, authorities say

 

(CNN) -- A man who police said was 107 years old was killed in a confrontation with SWAT officers Saturday night.

Police were called to a home in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where suspect Monroe Isadore was. "When they arrived, they were able to determine that an aggravated assault had occurred against two people at the residence," Lt. David E. Price, a Pine Bluff police spokesman, said in a statement.

The two victims were led out of the house. It was not clear what role the suspect had in the aggravated assaults or what they were. read more...