Harvard University Announcement: No tuition and no student loans.....If you know of a family earning less than $60,000 a year with an honor student graduating from high school soon, Harvard University wants to pay the tuition

For another year, Harvard University announced on Friday, September 20th, 2013 that undergraduate students from low-income families will pay no tuition.In making the announcement, Harvard’s president Drew Faust (he replaced Larry Summers) said, “When only ten percent of the students in elite higher education come from families in the lower half of the income distribution, we are not doing enough. We are not doing enough in bringing elite higher education to the lower half of the income distribution.”

If you know of a family earning less than $60,000 a year with an honor student graduating from high school soon, Harvard University wants to pay the tuition. The prestigious university recently announced that undergraduate students from low-income families can go to Harvard for free… no tuition and no student loans! read more...

A Positive and Inspiring Story : From selling 'bag juice' to teaching in the classroom.......OLYMPIAN, Olivia McKoy fits in nicely at Hydel Group of Schools.

INSTEAD of toting bagged juices on the streets of Kingston, these days Olympian Olivia McKoy has her arms filled with books and markers as she heads to teach classes at the Hydel Group of Schools.

OLYMPIAN, Olivia McKoy pays
special attention to a student
 as she tries to further explain
the transposition
of formulae in Algebra.

 

McKoy, who was in July spotted at the intersection of Oxford Road and Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston peddling bagged juices in a desperate attempt to make a living, has been given a place in the classroom by Hyacinth Bennett, director of the group of schools after her story was published in the Sunday Observer on July 21. On Friday, when the Jamaica Observer visited the school, McKoy stood in front of 32 students in a grade eight classroom, eloquently delivering the Mathematics formula to eager students bent on grasping just what was being written on the board. McKoy's professionalism and method of putting across the information resulted in the students positively responding to her questions after being shown an example in the transposition of formulae in algebra.

That was just one of McKoy's classes. She later explained that she teaches Mathematics and Literacy to grades seven, eight and nine students, while also helping out in the coaching of javelin throwers."I am teaching Math to seven, eighth and ninth graders, along with Literacy," McKoy said outside her classroom. read more...

IN JAMAICA: Businessman's murder shocks Mandeville......The house in which Mandeville businessman Alphonso Joseph was killed.

The house in which Mandeville
businessman Alphonso Joseph
was killed.

 

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — The local business community has responded with shock and sadness at news of the shooting death of businessman Alphonso Joseph, 48, at his McKinley Drive home late Thursday.

President of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce Wendy Freckleton urged the police high command in Manchester to conduct "the most thorough investigations to bring the criminals to justice".

Against the backdrop of a perception of rising crime in Manchester and the wider south central Jamaica in recent weeks, Freckleton told the Jamaica Observer that her organisation was "asking for more vigilance (from the police) throughout Manchester". She said that citizens, including the business community "were very concerned about their safety and were increasingly taking the necessary steps to protect themselves". The police said that Joseph, who operated a loan facility on Brumalia Road, was at home around 8:30 pm, when men entered the premises and demanded money. read more... 

Doctors: Anti-psychotic meds overused for dementia, kids

Anti-psychotic medications should not be the first treatments doctors or patients think of when dealing with dementia in an elderly person, behavior problems in a child or insomnia in an adult, a leading group of psychiatrists says in a new statement.

The American Psychiatric Association's (APA) new list of questionable uses of anti-psychotic medications is part of a broader campaign to educate patients and doctors about unneeded and possibly harmful medical treatments and tests. The campaign is called Choosing Wisely, and so far more than 50 medical groups have chimed in with lists of common practices that patients and doctors should question — everything from ordering too-frequent colonoscopies to using antibiotics for colds. read more...

IN JAMAICA : Baylis Joins Beauty Elites, Eyes Miss Universe Crown

Kerrie Baylis- Jamaican Beauty

Kerrie Baylis, a 24-year-old investment banker with a law degree, joined an elite cast of beauties who have won both the MissJamaica World and Miss Jamaica Universe crowns. She is the fourth woman to take the Miss Jamaica/Universe double, preceded by Sandra Foster, Christine Straw and Yendi Phillipps. However, Phillipps has been Jamaica's highest placed Miss Universe contestant to date, finishing second in 2010.

Baylis, who was crowned Miss Jamaica World in 2009, won the Miss Jamaica Universe pageant last Sunday evening at Jewels Resort in OchoRios.

She beat 10 rivals in the Uzuri International-hosted event, walking away with two sectional prizes: Most Aware and Best in Swimsuit. Baylis will represent Jamaica at the Miss Universe final in Russia in November.

With such a short time to prepare, Baylis told Flair she is very nervous. read more...

Dudus, Zekes' Relatives Among Long List Of Persons Of Interest

Dudus- File Pic

Individuals associated with well-known family names in the volatile Kingston Western and Central police divisions have appeared on a list of 35 persons of interest released by the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) yesterday.

Amid a protracted gang war raging in the two police divisions, the CIB released the names of relatives of former Tivoli don Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who is serving time in the United States after pleading guilty to gun and drug charges last year.

According to the police, the Coke relatives are associated with a gang known as Tivoli/Young Generations in the Kingston Western Division.

They are Leighton Coke, otherwise called 'Livity'; Michael Christopher Coke, otherwise called 'Titty Man'; and Lester Coke.

Others from the Tivoli/Young Generation Gang who have been summoned to the Denham Town Police Station are Okieve Rose, otherwise called 'Sugar'; Daniel Reid, otherwise called 'Mashi'; a man known only as 'Oliver' of a Wellington Street address; and a man known only as 'Sassa Frass'. read more...

LIFE CHANGER! Bolt Says Near-Death Experience Put Him Closer To God

The world's fastest man has admitted that he now has a different perspective on life and is closer to God after his involvement in a car accident in 2009.

Usain Bolt, the six-time Olympic gold medallist and 100m and 200m worldrecord holder, walked away with minor injuries after losing control of, and wrecking his BMW M3 motor car along Highway 2000 in April 2009.

That experience, the superstar sprinter said, has changed his life.

"I definitely think that I am a different person as a result of that car crash," said Bolt during an hourlong BBC 5 Live interview last Thursday. Bolt is currently promoting his second autobiography - Faster Than Lightning.

Bolt, who noted that he has since attended church on a more regular basis, also stated that he is now convinced his purpose is not just to win medals and break records, but also to inspire people. read more...

Man Performs CPR On Wallaby....'Lucky' The Wallaby Saved From Creek By Recent CPR Trainee

Would you perform CPR on a wallaby? One Australian man was able to utilize his newly-learned rescue skills on a very unlikely victim.

Mick Hussin was on holiday in Byron Bay, New South Wales enjoying a beer when he saw a pack of dogs chase a wallaby joey into a nearby creek, according to NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES). Hussin jumped into the creek and was able to grab the animal by the tail and pull it to shore. Hussin cupped his hands into a funnel and began performing CPR on the joey.

"I thought I might've been wasting my time, but I thought I would keep trying anyway," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "After ten minutes of performing CPR, the wallaby's hands started to move. It was the greatest feeling when I saw its paws move," Hussin said according to a WIRES press release. read more..

BREAKING NEWS > MALL MASSACRE... 30+ DEAD......Qaeda-Linked Militants Storm Upscale Shopping Center In Kenya... Opened Fire With Assault Rifles, Threw Grenades... Hostages Still In Mall... Attackers Let Muslims Walk Free

NAIROBI, Kenya — Terrified shoppers huddled in back hallways and prayed they would not be found by the Islamic extremist gunmen lobbing grenades and firing assault rifles inside Nairobi's top mall Saturday. When the coast was thought to be clear, crying mothers clutching small children and blood-splattered men sprinted out of the four-story mall.

At least 30 people were killed in the assault, with fears the toll could rise further, said Kenya Red Cross official Abbas Gullet.

The al-Qaida-linked gunmen asked the victims they had cornered if they were Muslim: If the answer was yes, several witnesses said, those people were free to go. The non-Muslims were not.

Somalia's Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility and said the attack was retribution for Kenyan forces' 2011 push into Somalia. The rebels threatened more attacks. read more...

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REPUBLICAN House Votes To Cut Food Stamps By $40 Billion

WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Thursday approved sweeping reforms to the nation's food stamp program that would cut some $40 billion in nutrition aid over 10 years and deny benefits to millions starting in 2014.

By 217 to 210, the House said yes to the measure, with its Republican backers arguing it would help more people find jobs.

House Speaker, Boehner

"This bill is designed to give people a hand when they need it most. Most people don't choose to be on food stamps. Most people want a job," said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) "Most people want to go out and be productive so that they can earn a living, so that they can support a family, so that they can have hope for a more prosperous future. They want what we want."

While most proponents of the bill similarly argued that they were just promoting work, there was also an undercurrent of accusation that many Americans are abusing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to sponge off taxpayers. read more...

IN JAMAICA : Demons, or health scare? Students flee Sydney Pagon High School

SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Hysterics, fainting spells, and reports of "demonism", described by Education Minister Ronnie Thwaites as a "health scare", have caused a mass exit of students from the Sydney Pagon Agricultural High School at Elim in north-east St Elizabeth over recent days.

Thwaites and the Ministry of Education's Regional Director Nadine Leachman told journalists yesterday that they were hoping for a resumption of "full" operations at the boarding school on Monday. "There is a health scare. I am pleased that the regional director has acted quickly and so have the health authorities, and I am told the worst has passed. We are very sorry to hear about it and we trust that on Monday there can begin full and secure operations. I am told that this morning (yesterday) things are much calmer, students who were affected are improving...," Thwaites said.

Leachman, who along with Thwaites, were guests at Siloah Primary School's prize-giving ceremony, told journalists that many parents came and collected their teenaged children following news that "students (were) getting all hysterical about spirits and things". She said some students were still on the campus, though the majority had left. read more..... 

IN JAMAICA: Cari-Folk Singers celebrate their 40th anniversary......with a concert season at the Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Avenue, StAndrew

Lovers of Caribbean (especially Jamaican) folk music have an offer of a special treat this weekend. It comes from the Cari-Folk Singers, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary with a concert season at the Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Avenue, StAndrew.

Opening today and closing on Sunday the season, named simply Celebrating 40, features 40 singers and musicians performing 45 items over two hours. The story told is the birth, growth and current life of the ensemble.

In front (from left) are Sherell Charles, Patricia Newland,
 Dalaiah Reid-Thomas, Marilyn Brown
 and Samantha Oates, as the
Cari-Folk Singers do 'Wade in the Water',

Many and varied musical forms are employed in the telling. They are kumina and nine night (directed by Hugh Douse), reggae (directed by Grub Cooper), Caribbean island music (Noel Dexter), sacred music (Godfrey Taylor), and folk (Angela Elliot).

The show's artistic director is Winston 'Bello' Bell, while the National Dance Theatre Company's (NDTC) Kevin Moore is the movement director. Nadia Roxburgh is the lighting designer and Karen Bellamy the costume designer. Included in the group's band are master drummers Calvin Mitchell and Philip Supersad. read more...

New Hand Written Statement from Vybz Kartel.....WOW! "If roach was killed on Mannings hill road Sunday morning. What kind of intelligence could have led the police to horizon remand centre Sunday at mid day"....

Vybz Kartel

From ADIDJA PALMER aka Vybz Kartel. 
Before I begin to talk about the real issues as to why the police are taking a set on me. I must first say that the Jamaican police are the worst inefficient set of police in the world. Who say they act on intelligence when it is completely the opposite . If roach was killed on Mannings Hill Road Sunday morning. What kind of intelligence could have led the police to horizon remand centre Sunday at mid day, I have never spoken to roach or anyone associated with him nor do I have any altercation with him. I was laying on my bed on Sunday at about midday when I heard my cell door shaking. It was the police without giving me a reason for the search about to be conducted. They ask me to step out of my cell. During the search a hammer was used to tear apart a section of the wall between my cell and a cell occupied by "zebra". read more...

Chicago Park Shooting: 12 People Shot On Basketball Court including 3 y-o (VIDEO)

Twelve people, including a 3-year-old child, were shot on Thursday night in a park on Chicago's South Side, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The shootings reportedly occurred at a basketball court in Cornell Square Park in the city's Back of the Yards neighborhood. Francis John, 70, was upstairs in her three-flat home near the park when she heard gunfire. "It was a lot of boom, boom, boom,” John told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Ten adults and the 3-year-old were transported by Fire Department ambulances to area hospitals after the attack. A 12th victim was believed to have driven himself to the hospital, The Tribune reported. At the time of this writing, all of the victims are alive, Fire Department Deputy District Chief James Mungovan said. Four of the victims are in critical condition, five are in serious and two are in stable, KABC reported. No word yet on what prompted the shooting. And no details have been released about a suspect. read more...

10 y-o ASIA NEWSOM- Super Business Girl...... Detroit's Youngest Entrepreneur, Asia Newson, Is Both Adorable & Ambitious (VIDEO)

Asia Newsom, 10 y-o entrepreneur

Asia Newson, wants you to know she's Detroit's youngest entrepreneur, and she "likes to do what she likes to do!"

Not only is Newson running a candle company with her dad called "Super Business Girl," she also has ambitions to go on to become mayor of the city, and ultimately the president of the United States.

And based on her track record, we won't be surprised if we see her in the White House in a few years. Thus far, the spunky 10-year-old has achieved whatever she has put her mind to. For example, she pitched Quicken Loans founder, Dan Gilbert, on the street and convinced him to meet with her. In an interview with Local 4 WDIV Detroit, little Newson's infectious energy shines through as she explains her business and her mission. read more...

(VIDEO) Cholesterol Drugs Linked to Parkinson's Disease People who stop taking fat-soluble cholesterol drugs may be at an increased risk for developing Parkinson's disease, according to a new study.

People who stop taking fat-soluble cholesterol drugs may be at an increased risk for developing Parkinson's disease, according to a new study. Taiwanese researchers found that when people stopped taking fat-soluble statins, like simvastatin and atorvastatin, their risk for Parkinson's disease increased.

“The notion is that fat-soluble statins are able to penetrate the brain because they can cross, what we call, the blood-brain barrier," says Hubert Fernandez, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic. "The blood-brain barrier is our defense mechanism in preventing brain infections or unwanted substances in the brain."

They studied nearly 44,000 people who were taking statins and didn't have Parkinson's disease. After stopping, 58 percent were more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those who kept taking the drugs.

“We should all be encouraged that there may be a drug that is generally safe and commercially available that can lower the risk for developing Parkinson’s disease," Dr. Fernandez says. "But the warning here is this is just a population-based study. We’re looking at risks, not absolute certainties.” read more...

ELITE Jamaican sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce yesterday implored scholarship recipients.....Seven get scholarships from Pocket Rocket Foundation

ELITE Jamaican sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce yesterday implored seven recipients of scholarship grants awarded by her Pocket Rocket Foundation to strike the correct balance between sports and academics as they strive to become world beaters.

Sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
 (fourth left) poses with the Pocket Rocket
Foundation scholarship awardees

 

Fraser-Pryce donated more than $700,000 to seven high school students as part of her effort to give back to aspiring youth in her country. Speaking at the award function, held at Devon House in Kingston yesterday, Fraser-Pryce warned the awardees that her foundation would be keeping tabs on their academic and sporting progress.

"Keeping up to date on school is very important because, as you know, balancing both, it's very good to know that you can do two things at one time and accomplish both of them at the same time. So I want you to have that balance. I want you to make sacrifices," Fraser-Pryce said. read more...

Contraband Found In Kartel's Jail Cell As Police Probe ‘Roach’ Murder - CCN

Kartel

As investigators intensify their investigations into the murder of popular music producer Patrick Samuels, otherwise called ‘Roach’, according to reports from Constabulary Communication Network (CCN), police intelligence have led them to carry out a search of the jail cell of Adijah Palmer, otherwise called ‘Vybz Kartel’. 

The CCN reports that, on Sunday, Detectives seized two cellular phones and three thumb drives from the cell occupied by Palmer. The cell of Garfield Vassell, otherwise called ‘Zebra’, was also searched and the officers seized a sim card, as well as a piece of paper containing instructions purportedly written by a popular entertainer. On Monday the lawmen went back to the prison and during further searches, one DVD player and an apple iPod were taken from the cell of Palmer and a DVD player seized from the cell of Shawn Campbell, otherwise called ‘Shawn Storm’. 

The items taken from the cells will now be analyzed for evidential purposes in the Police’s search for clues as they seek to find the perpetrators behind the murder of Samuels. read more...

According To Math, Here's When You Should Buy A Powerball Ticket

The Powerball lottery jackpot has hit a whopping $400 million, and the question on everyone's mind is "At what point should I actually start caring about the Powerball Lottery"?

Answering this question is not so simple, because in addition to calculating the odds of winning a potential jackpot, you also have to figure out the odds that you will have to split the potential jackpot. And the odds of a split change all the time, because the bigger the jackpot, the more people buy tickets. So we've decided to really drill down into the math to combine all the factors, including jackpot size, and the odds you will have to split the pot if you do win.

Powerball is interesting in the sense that there are a number of stagnant cash prizes that you can win, as well as an ever-increasing jackpot. 

The expected value of spending $2 on a Powerball ticket is actually  -$1.58 when you ignore the jackpot. That's right, the expected value of playing when you ignore the jackpot is negative. read more: 

The Habits Of Supremely Happy People

Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, theorizes that while 60 percent of happiness is determined by our genetics and environment, the remaining 40 percent is up to us.

In his 2004 Ted Talk, Seligman describes three different kinds of happy lives: The pleasant life, in which you fill your life with as many pleasures as you can, the life of engagement, where you find a life in your work, parenting, love and leisure and themeaningful life, which "consists of knowing what your highest strengths are, and using them to belong to and in the service of something larger than you are."

After exploring what accounts for ultimate satisfaction, Seligman says he was surprised. The pursuit of pleasure, research determined, has hardly any contribution to a lasting fulfillment. Instead, pleasure is "the whipped cream and the cherry" that adds a certain sweetness to satisfactory lives founded by the simultaneous pursuit of meaning and engagement. read more...

Paul Campbell aims to break typecast....."No More Mr. Bad Guy"

Paul Campbell,... I want that role
that will allow me to use my diction

 

ACTOR Paul Campbell is not satisfied with the film roles coming his way, but says he accepts them to stay in the system.

Speaking at the Jamaica Observer's Monday Exchange, Campbell added that the lack of suitable roles may be due to his turn as a heavy in films such as Dancehall Queen and Third World Cop. "I am not only a bad guy. I want that role that will allow me to use my diction," he stressed. "That strong character — the eloquent lawyer — that's what I would like."

Campbell, who also had an endearing role as Aloysius in The Lunatic — the screen adaptation of the Anthony Winkler novel of the same name — is in Jamaica for the premiere of his latest film, Home Again. "Paul is where the money is," joked Campbell, in his signature tone when asked about other films.

"I have been working on a few projects, Home Again, Out The Gate, Machete Joe, and now filming Jamaican Mafia in Brooklyn, New York. But like everybody who is not getting the roles we want, I am looking to roll out my own production company to produce material for film and television," he explained. read more: 

IN WESTMORELAND, JAMAICA: 'Shoot First!'... In Clashes With Criminals, Sav-La-Mar Mayor Tells Cops

Frustrated by high levels of crime in Westmoreland, Savanna-la-Mar Mayor Bertel Moore has urged the police to adopt a "shoot-first" policy to help bring the situation under control.

Bartel Moore, Mayor of Sav-la-mar

"We cannot have these killings continue to happen in our parish, so I am suggesting to the police to shoot first and then ask questions later," said Moore. The mayor was addressing last Thursday's sitting of the Westmoreland Parish Council. "These crimes cannot continue to happen like that," he said.

The parish of Westmoreland ranks as the fourth bloodiest police division this summer, National Security Minister Peter Bunting said in the House of Representatives last week. Assistant Commissioner of Police Warren Clarke, the commanding officer for Area One (Westmoreland, Hanover, St James and Trelawny), was dismissive of Moore's suggestion.

"The advice runs counter to our rules of engagement," he told The Gleaner when asked for a comment. read more...

IN JAMAICA: School Lockouts Spark Debate.....The move by two Corporate Area high schools yesterday to lock out dozens of students who showed up late

Dozens of Camperdown High students
who showed up late for school were
 locked out of the compound yesterday.

The move by two Corporate Area high schools yesterday to lock out dozens of students who showed up late and were in breach of the dress code has drawn fresh attention to some of the punitive measures being used by school administrators to curb the escalating problems.

For nearly two hours, students from Camperdown and Dunoon Park Technical high schools who had lined up outside the east Kingston-based compounds were denied entry by school staff and security guards.

This approach, according to some school administrators, is just one of several forms of punishment meted out to students who are increasingly showing scant regard for punctuality or the way they are attired for learning.

Other punitive measures include suspension, detentions and the assigning of demerit points.

Ruel Reid, principal of Jamaica College, said that he has had to demonstrate tough love at the all-boy institution. He recalled the backlash he faced from angry parents who accused him of trying to deny their children of an education. read more...