NEWSBREAK: Manhattan High-Rise Fire Has Reportedly Trapped People On Upper Floors (VIDEO).

A three-alarm fire in a Manhattan high-rise building has reportedly trapped some residents on the upper floors.

Over 100 firefighters responded to the blaze at 11 a.m. Sunday at 500 West 43rd Street, where flames can be seen on the 17th or 18th floor, ABC reports. The FDNY tells ABC they are expecting injuries. Resident Mickey Atwal has been tweeting from an upper floor of the building, where he says he and his family are stuck..read more

O.J. Simpson Has Brain Cancer, Begs Obama For Release: Report

O.J. Simpson has reportedly asked President Obama to set him free so he can treat his life-threatening brain cancer outside prison.

O J Simpson

In a story not published online but cited by various outlets including the Telegraph, the National Enquirer reports that Simpson is taking desperate measures to secure clemency after undergoing tests on a brain tumor.

The magazine quotes "a source close to" Simpson who said, "He put off the doctors for weeks after he first started experiencing the symptoms because he was afraid of what they would find." The 66-year-old has been in a Nevada prison since 2008, serving a 33-year sentence for assault, robbery and kidnapping. read more

JAMAICA: Person Of The Year 2013.....Who is the Jamaican most deserving of the title, Personality of the Year? Tessanne, Bolt?????

Orville Taylor

Who is the Jamaican most deserving of the title, Personality of the Year? Such an individual must have captured the imagination of the average Jamaican, stimulated strong nationalistic feelings and made a difference either in the way we see ourselves, or how others see us.

Tessanne Chin

Bolt

Once again, the ubiquitous Usain St Leo Bolt is a strong contender. Still, for all he has done and the copping of another International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) award for Athlete of the Year, there is nothing new that Bolt has done to enhance the image of Jamaica or engender national unity. The fact is, Bolt did, in 2013, all that before, and by his standards, underperformed. His times were modest and he set no world or personal records. read more

IN JAMAICA: Seraphin Flowers, 101 y-o, fed other children before her own

AS one entered the home of 101-year-old Seraphin Flowers, a sense of peace was the first thing that greeted you.

Seraphin Flowers is surrounded
 by her family

Later, we learnt that Flowers was an ardent believer in not just regular prayer meetings at her home, but scripture readings, over the years. "Growing up, she was a very godly lady," Flowers's 75-year-old daughter, Icema Flowers, told the Sunday Observer upon a visit to their Mickleton Drive home in Linstead, St Catherine, last Thursday.

Seven-year-old Jaden Clarke steals
 a kiss from his great-grandmother
Seraphin Flowers at t
heir home last week.

 

"Godly, but strict! When I say strict, I really mean strict. Rigid, man! We didn't get chances like what other children got. And then when you see evening come, everybody have to do Bible reading at nights before we go to bed. And make sure you are there or you going to get a whopping," the centenarian's daughter said. Read more: 

Javon Francis — the schoolboy who amazed the world in Moscow......RJR Sport Foundation People’s Choice Performance of the Year Award Nominee

FOLLOWING his brilliant anchor leg in the silver medal-winning run at the World Championship in Moscow last year, young schoolboy Javon Francis is considered a safe bet to be voted the RJR Sport Foundation People's Choice Performance of the Year.

Francis, 18, of Calabar High, collected the baton in fifth spot, and in one burst of speed, swept past a host of runners to secure silver in the 4x400m relay for Jamaica. It was an unbelievable performance of sustained speed, guts and determination from the youngster that was the talking point long after the remarkable run.

Javon Francis of Calabar

Francis, popularly known as 'Donkey Man', has been nominated alongside footballers Jermaine 'Tuffy' Anderson, National Under-17 and Under-20 female midfielder Khadija Shaw, jockey Dane Nelson and fellow track athlete Yanique Thompson. Francis, who is preparing to defend his 400m title at the Inter-Secondary Schools' Association (ISSA) Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championship, told the Sunday Observer that he was just proud of the nomination. Read more: 

72 Year Old Florida Woman who looks 30 reveals fountain of youth (Video).Grows her own food.

Fountain of youth: Annette Larkin looks at least 20 years younger than her 70 years 
which she credits to eating a completely raw, vegan diet and growing all the food in her garden. Read more: 

Annette Larkin

IN JAMAICA: More Than Just Beaches: 11 Jamaican Cultural Sites to Visit

More Than Just Beaches: 11 Jamaican Cultural Sites to Visit

Monument to the Rt. Excellent Marcus Garvey The monument to the Rt. Excellent Marcus Garvey was designed by the government town planner, G. C. Hodges, in 1964. The work was executed by the staff of the National Trust Commission under the supervision of T. A. L. Concannon, and is located in the country’s capital, Kingston. […]

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New York State Is Set to Loosen Marijuana Laws

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY)

ALBANY, NY — Joining a growing group of states that have loosened restrictions on marijuana, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York plans this week to announce an executive action that would allow limited use of the drug by those with serious illnesses, state officials say.

The shift by Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat who had long resisted legalizing medical marijuana, comes as other states are taking increasingly liberal positions on it — most notably Colorado, where thousands have flocked to buy the drug for recreational use since it became legal on Jan. 1. read more

Reports: Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Rescued By Ecuadorian Navy

Jeff Bezos, chief executive officer of Amazon.com  

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was rescued by the Ecuadorian Navy after suffering from a kidney stone during a cruise on the Galapagos Islands, the Galapagos Daily reports.

“Galapagos: five stars. Kidney stones: zero stars,” Bezos wrote in a statement through Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener in response to a Huffington Post inquiry about the Galapagos Daily report. A spokeswoman for the Ecuadorian Navy told CNN that Bezos was flown in a helicopter from Santa Cruz Island to Baltra Island. more

Natalie Webb Accused Of Molesting Three Of Her Children While Adults Watched (GRAPHIC DETAILS)

An Oklahoma mother faces serious charges after authorities say she sexually abused her children in the presence of other adults.

Natalie Lynn Webb, 30, was arrested in Elk City, Okla., and charged with sexual abuse of children under 12, and child neglect. Police said she abused three of her children from December 2012 to March 2013.

Webb is due in Beckham County Court Jan. 6 for a preliminary hearing, and is being held on a $2 million bond. Her four children now live with their grandparents.

A Dec. 18 police affidavit, obtained by The Huffington Post, contains accounts of repeated rapes, beatings and deplorable living conditions through interviews with Webb and her children.

Warning: The following details are graphic.

Webb's 9-year-old son told investigators that his 8-year-old brother and two 3-year-old sisters were repeatedly raped by their mother as other men and women looked on, according to the document. read more

Jamaica, Like Haiti, Can Make Tablet Computers......Jamaica can "very easily" follow Haiti's lead, Pengelley said. "We certainly have the skills and the capabilities here."

If Jamaica looks to Haiti, it, too, could produce high-tech tablet computers for the local and export markets, according to Brian Pengelley, president of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association (JMA).

The Iron Market in Port-au-Prince was
 decimated by a 2008 fire and the
 January 12, 2010 earthquake. - File

He was responding to a report by the Associated Press last weekend that two rival companies in Haiti had started to produce tablets for the local and export market in that country.

Jamaica's nearest neighbour to the east is still recovering from its devastating earthquake of 2010, but it is now seeing its small manufacturing sector move up the value chain from simple products such as T-shirts to one of the world's most technologically advanced consumer products.

Jamaica can "very easily" follow Haiti's lead, Pengelley said. "We certainly have the skills and the capabilities here." read more

J$50 Million overseas Travel Bill by Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller in 2013.

Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller

Although the numbers appear to be abnormally high in some quarters, in the context of the stubborn financial crunch bedevilling the Government, many Jamaican taxpayers are of the view that there is nothing spectacular about Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller’s overseas travel costs.

For them, it is premature to assess the yields from the overseas visits by Simpson Miller that have cost them in the region of $50 million in 2013.

They are not so opposed, they say, to Simpson Miller dipping repeatedly into the national Treasury to finance her travelling expenditures, ostensibly in search of new investments to bolster a feeble economy, as they do to her continued silence in Jamaica.

“It is inevitable in this global environment that prime ministers and ministers travel, and when they do, it is unavoidable that they have to carry personnel with them,” asserted economist Dennis Chung. read more 

2013 Caribbean year in Review

The year 2013, will be remembered in the Caribbean for the ground breaking judgement by the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as it relates to the free movement of Caribbean nationals across the region.

Peter Richards

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Tuesday December 31, 2013, CMC – Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart won the political battle but loss the economic war in 2013.

His Trinidad and Tobago counterpart, Kamla Persad Biissessar set a record by losing four political battles in a year, while Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell set another record by leading his New National Party (NNP) to a clean sweep of all 15 seats in the February general elections. This was the second occasion he had achieved the feat within a decade.

St. Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas defied calls to debate a motion of no confidence in his administration for a year even though the matter reached the courts and in Nevis, the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) defeated the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) to take control of the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) after a year of wrangling in the courts over the validity of the last elections. Read more:

IN JAMAICA: J$12,000.00 to enter club over the holidays.....In tight economy, party promoters claim business as usual Don’t stop the music

$12,000.00 admission to Club Utopia

PARTYGOERS continued to flock year-end events despite a downturn in the economy, organisers say.

Packed dance floor inside Utopia

In fact, promoters feel the effects of the economic crunch in the form of higher expenses, but they say people are still partying in droves. They were, however, a bit more discerning in their spend this past festive season because of the reduction in disposable income, said Deane Shepherd, an event organiser.

"Individuals were selective with the parties they attended —  they consolidated parties and stuck by the ones they know and trust, but it's not to say that they didn't party", he said.

"In real terms, the revenue may grow, but the expenses we incurred increased, so the profits didn't grow," he explained. Shepherd, a member of the team that puts on Cabana City (December 21), Osmosis (Christmas Eve) and X.clusive (New Year's Eve) pointed out that there was an increase in turnout for his events. Read more: 

Winter Storm Brings Snow, Cold To The Northeast.......MASS. BURIED BY 21 INCHES of SNOW.....Blizzard Cancels Thousands Of Flights... Temperatures Plummet... Schools, Businesses Close. (VIDEO/PHOTOS)

BOSTON (AP) — A blustering post-Christmas snowstorm that has dropped nearly 2 feet of snow just north of Boston, shut down major highways in New York and forced U.S. airlines to cancel thousands of flights nationwide is continuing its bitter cold journey through the Northeast.

The brutal weather — which brought plummeting temperatures to some areas that forecasters predicted could see highs just above zero and wind chill readings of minus 10 degrees and colder by early Friday — dumped 21 inches of snow in Boxford, Mass., late Thursday night and 18 inches in parts of western New York near Rochester. In Central Park early Friday, the National Weather Service said just over 3 inches of snow had fallen..

The snowfall, frigid cold and stiff winds extended Christmas break for some students while posing the first test for New York City's new mayor and perhaps the last challenge for Boston's outgoing one. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,300 flights due to snowfall and low visibility. Read more

16 y-o Indian teenager gang-raped in two separate attacks and then died after being set on fire.

KOLKATA (AFP) — An Indian teenager was gang-raped in two separate attacks and then died after being set on fire, sparking protests in the eastern city of Kolkata and the capital, police said Thursday.

Indian demonstrators hold candles
in honour of a physiotherapy student
who was gang-raped and murdered
at a protest to mark the one year anniversary
 of her death in New Delhi on
 December 29, 2013. (PHOTO: AFP)

 

The 16-year-old was first assaulted on October 26 and then again the next day by a group of more than six men near her family's home in the town of Madhyagram, 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of Kolkata. The second rape occurred as she was returning home from the police station after reporting the first attack.

She was then set on fire on December 23 and died in a State-run hospital late on New Year's Eve, police said. "She gave us a dying declaration in front of the health officials that she was set on fire by two persons close to the accused when she was alone at home on December 23," local policeman Nimbala Santosh Uttamrao told AFP. Police made their first arrests on Wednesday, two months after the initial crime, local police chief Rajiv Kumar told AFP. Read more:

Digicel, Observer partner for Shaggy and Friends Live online streaming and chance to donate to Children's hospital

JAMAICANS here and in the diaspora who are unable to attend the Shaggy and Friends show tomorrow night will be able to watch the much-anticipated event live on the Internet thanks to a partnership between telecoms giant Digicel and the Jamaica Observer.

Shaggy (right), fellow Jamaican entertainer
 Assassin (left) and American singer
Matthew Schuler share a light moment
 at this week’s Jamaica Observer Monday
Exchange. All three are among the line-up
 for tomorrow’s Shaggy & Friends charity
 concert on the lawns of Jamaica House.

 

Digicel is streaming the concert live to its over 600,000 fans on Facebook as well as viewers on the Shaggy and Friends website and on the Jamaica Observer website. The online audience will also have an opportunity to donate during the show which is being staged to raise funds for the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

"Providing the live stream is an important part of how we can help to get the message out about the need to donate funds for the Bustamante Hospital, while at the same time giving online viewers a free opportunity to enjoy some of the best artistes on the world stage," said Shelly-Ann Harris, Digicel's senior communications manager.

Read more: 

Jamaican at US high school chosen to attend Washington DC medical congress.

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Jamaican Vanessa Forrest, a sophomore at Coral Reef Senior High of Miami has been nominated to attend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Washington, DC, USA from February 14 to 16, 2014.

The Congress is said to be an honours-only programme for high school students who want to become physicians or who want to go into medical research fields.

Vanessa Forrest

"The purpose of this event is to honour, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be physicians or medical scientists, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal," a release from the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists (NAFPMS) said Thursday. Vanessa was nominated to represent her school based on her "academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine" by Dr Connie Mariano, the medical director of NAFPMS. Read more: 

Health Benefits Of Sorrel: Good for cancer, diabetis, hypertension and heart disease

Picked sorrel

Every holiday season in Jamaica, a certain type of drink makes an appearance. The main ingredient comes from the sorrel plant. Sorrel is a perennial herb that also goes by the names Narrow-leaved Dock or Spinach Dock. Sorrel tea can be consumed either hot or cold. Sorrel is also used as a dried herb in meals. The taste is a bit sour, and it’

Sorrel Plant

s customary to add flavorings to it, such as ginger or cinnamon to sweeten it. In addition to being a great drink for the holidays, the health benefits of sorrel are many. Sorrel is not at all common in America, but it’s popularity is sure to grow, the more people learn about it’s benefits. Sorrel is most prominent in France, Greece, Egypt, Rome, and the Caribbean. - See more  

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2014's First Big Storm Bears Down On East Coast

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Light snow was falling Thursday in parts of the Northeast as a winter storm bore down on the region, promising significant snowfall, strong winds and frigid temperatures that will make commutes hazardous for the first work day of the new year.

Snow began falling overnight in parts of New England and New York, but the real brunt of the storm wasn't expected to hit until later Thursday. As much as a foot of snow or more was forecast for some areas overnight Thursday into Friday, and temperatures were expected to plummet, with some areas seeing highs just above zero, according to the National Weather Service.

"There will be travel problems," said Hugh Johnson, a weather service meteorologist in Albany, N.Y. "It will be very cold." read more

SOULFUL WAILER - Bunny's tribute to the pioneers.

IT has been 50 years since Bunny Wailer recorded his first song. In a storied career, he has had hit songs in every genre of Jamaican popular music.

Reincarnated Souls, a multi-track set distributed by Tads Record, is his latest production. It contains three compact discs with 50 songs as well as a double DVD titled The Trench Town Experience, which looks at the history of the Kingston community where Wailer's career started.

The set, he told the Jamaica Observer recently, is a salute to the evolution of Jamaica's popular music. "Is 50 years since the birth of ska an' a lotta the people dem wha' play dem music nuh dey roun' again. Man like me wey did dey roun' haffi keep the thing alive," said Wailer. Read more: 

IN JAMAICA: Employers want greater focus on technical/vocation training

EMPLOYERS have indicated a need for changes in Jamaica's education curriculum, with greater focus on technical training, to better prepare persons for the job market.

This disclosure was made by Director of Economic and Social Research in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security Shaine Palmer, during a recent labour market forum hosted at the Planning Institute of Jamaica's (PIOJ) New Kingston offices.

Palmer said approximately 30 per cent of the 606 employers/human resource managers participating in the survey indicated a need to boost the technical/vocational skills training component of the curricula.

Read more: 

Lady Saw says sorry about her demeaning and degrading to women behaviour at Sting 2013

AMONG the talking points of Sting 2013 was the clash between female deejays Lady Saw and Macka Diamond. But at least one party is not pleased with her 'performance'. Lady Saw, who was declared winner of the clash, is today apologising for her behaviour on stage, calling it demeaning and degrading to women.

Deejays Lady Saw (left) and Macka Diamond
 face-off at Sting 2013, held at the Jamworld
 Entertainment Centre in St Catherine
on Boxing Day. (PHOTO: LIONEL ROOKWOOD)

 

"There are a lot of people rejoicing for me out there after the clash at Sting, but there is really nothing to rejoice about," she said in a telephone interview with the Jamaica Observer.

"I am not happy about my performance and behaviour. I have stayed away from such clashes over the years, and always said I would never clash with another female artiste as I find it degrading to women and so I have always avoided a clash," a penitent-sounding Lady Saw continued.

However, the deejay who is still riding a wave of popularity with her track Heels On, revealed that despite her remorse, she was provoked into the raucous performance she gave on the night in question. Read more: 

Bill de Blasio Sworn In As NYC Mayor

NEW YORK (AP) — Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH'-zee-oh) has been sworn in as the 109th mayor of New York City.

He is the first Democrat to occupy City Hall in more than two decades and vows to pursue a sweeping liberal agenda for the nation's largest city. He took the oath of office in a small ceremony in his Brooklyn home Wednesday, minutes after midnight.

Bill de Blasio, NYC Mayor sworn in

The 52-year-old de Blasio was joined by his wife, Chirlane McCray, and their two teenage children. The oath was delivered by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. A grander celebration is planned for City Hall at noon. Former President Bill Clinton will deliver the oath. The new mayor was elected on the promise of being a sharp break from Michael Bloomberg, who leaves office after 12 years. read more

Dr highlights major difference Shaggy & Friends has made to children's hospital. Monday exchange

DR Lambert Innis was lost for words as he attempted to describe the impact that international reggae/dancehall artiste Shaggy and his Make A Make a Difference Foundation was having at the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

Dr Lambert Innis (right), head of
Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
 at the Bustamante Hospital for Children,
 greets recording artiste Assassin at this
 week’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.
 Assassin is one of the acts performing for
 free at the Shaggy and Friends show
this Saturday to raise funds for
the hospital.. (PHOTO: NAPHTALI JUNIOR)

 

Innis, the head of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the hospital, explained that presently the needs at the lone paediatric hospital in Jamaica are great, but things have come a far way, thanks to Shaggy and Friends.

"I don't think I could sit here and accurately reflect the major difference that the Shaggy Foundation and others have had on the Bustamante Hospital since I've been there... a major difference," Dr Innis told journalists at this week's Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.

Dr Innis said that Shaggy (real name Orville Burrell), through his philanthropic efforts, has not only contributed to the facility, but has raised the level of awareness about the needs of the hospital. Read more: 

Complimentary tickets deny Children's Hospital of $15m, Shaggy laments

COMPLIMENTARY tickets have eaten as much as $15 million from the funds donated to the Bustamante Hospital for Children from the Shaggy and Friends show.

Shaggy

The stunning revelation was made by the man behind the charity effort -- Shaggy -- as he explained why he has moved to limit the number of complimentary tickets issued for the show. While acknowledging that event promoters cannot escape issuing comp tickets, Shaggy (real name Orville Burrell) appealed to Jamaicans to remember that the show is staged to raise funds for the hospital.

"We stress to hold the comp tickets down, which is very hard because Jamaica is all about comp; every party every man want a free ticket, ah so it go, is the culture. But this is a charity. It's about raising money," Shaggy said during this week's Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper's Beechwood Avenue headquarters in Kingston. This year's staging of the Shaggy and Friends Show is scheduled for January 4 on the lawns of Jamaica House in Kingston and will feature Tessanne Chin as the headline act. Read more: 

IN JAMAICA : 2013 bloodier than 2012

DESPITE the best efforts of the security forces, the murder rate continues to climb as figures compiled by the Jamaica Observer showed that murders rose by nine per cent last year, when compared to 2012.

Police officers on patrol in Kingston,
yesterday (PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS)

 

Some 1,200 persons were slain in 2013, compared to 1,097 in 2012. Even on the eve of the new year, police were working around the clock to deal with the upsurge in violence. Police said they held a 16-year-old student in Bethel Town, Westmoreland for the stabbing death of 32-year-old Jerome Wilson, unemployed, of Charlesmont, Belvedere, also in the parish.

About 5:00 pm, the police reported, Wilson and the student were involved in an altercation when a knife was brought into play and Wilson was stabbed to death. In Kingston, police were investigating Monday's shooting death of 21-year-old Paul Bailey, also called 'Flakes', who was shot dead by gunmen in the tough community of Majesty Gardens, popularly known as 'Back To'. Police said about 8:00 pm Bailey was walking in the community when a group of gunmen approached him and shot him all over his body. Read more: 

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VIDEO: Shaggy tells how he mobilised the Tessanne votes

On December 17 when host Carson Daly announced Tessanne Chin as the winner of the NBC talent contest The Voice, Jamaicans here and in the diaspora jubilantly celebrated her victory.

But even while many acknowledged that Chin is a phenomenally talented singer, it took a massive mobilisation campaign, led by Orville 'Shaggy' Burrell, to get people to vote for her.

Yesterday, Shaggy, who was responsible for getting Chin to audition for the contest, told reporters and editors at the weekly Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange how he conducted his campaign.

According to the deejay, he hit panic mode when he noticed that American contestant Matthew Schuler was atop iTunes with his rendition of Hallelujah while Chin was nowhere to be seen on the chart. Read more: 

Downtown Kingston Despair - Cops Walk Among Potential Victims As Robbers Wreak Havoc

Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer

A massive police operation has been under way in the commercial district of downtown Kingston as rampaging criminals carry out their promise to hold up and rob the very people who care for them whenever they wound each other - nurses, ward assistants and porters at the Kingston Public (KPH) and Victoria Jubilee (VJH) hospitals.

Another section of the busy Princess Street.

Not only are the hospital workers now at the mercy of well-armed boys, who police say are between 11 and 17, but vendors and buyers, including the elderly, are being held up and robbed at any hour of the day.

Crime-fighters say they are ending 2013 with a covert operation, involving a number of high-profile plain-clothes officers who have been milling among sellers and buyers to nab men from West Street, Matthews Lane, Luke Lane and other sections of west Kingston.

Special Sergeant Christopher Smith said the police have had some success, but there is much more to be done to put a dent in criminality in the area.

"They are coming in numbers same way, them not easing down," Smith said. read more 

Shaggy appeals to diaspora to help Jamaica such as his Make A Difference Foundation, which supports the Bustamante Hospital for Children in St Andrew.

SHAGGY is calling on Jamaicans in the diaspora to contribute to causes here at home, such as his Make A Difference Foundation, which supports the Bustamante Hospital for Children in St Andrew.

The reggae/dancehall artiste explained that there are more Jamaicans living overseas than there are here at home, and added that for the most part, the Jamaicans overseas are in better financial positions than their local counterparts, and are therefore in a better position to offer assistance to the less fortunate.

Shaggy gesticulates as he addresses
yesterday’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.
 Also photographed are artistes Assassin (left)
and Matthew Schuler. (PHOTOS: NAPHTALI JUNIOR)

 

“The majority of our population is poor; whole heap a dem over deh so have money. Dem inna better job, better situation. They can engage, but part of the problem is half of them are scared. Dem don’t want to come down here for a cause because they are terrified... it’s as simple as that.

To mobilise the diaspora is hard,” he told yesterday’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange. He bemoaned the fact that the majority of the Jamaicans living overseas do not have a connection with the island as many have not visited in a while, therefore getting the message to them regarding causes similar to the Bustamante Hospital for Children is hard unless they visit. “Much like how we have leaders in Jamaica who take a stand on certain issues and push things, you don’t have community organisers in the Jamaican diaspora that are active... who are just at it. Read more: 

IN JAMAICA: The Voice's Matthew Schuler has a 'very bright future', says Shaggy

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Matthew Schuler, a top-six finalist on the fifth season of NBC's The Voice who is in Jamaica to perform on the Shaggy & Friends charity show, got high praises from international artiste Shaggy on Monday.

Shuler & Shaggy

Speaking to journalists at the Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper's Beechwood Avenue headquarters, Shaggy, who is known for international hits like ‘Boombastic’ and ‘It Wasn't Me’, said Schuler has a "very bright future". Schuler was among guests at the forum, which included recording artistes Wayne Marshall and Assassin aka Agent Sasco.

"He (Schuler) was the very first person that came up to me and said hi when I went to The Voice to support Tessanne... in fact, it was when it was his very good time and her very bad time (on The Voice)," Shaggy told journalists. " I looked at iTunes and she was nowhere on it and he was at number one."

Shaggy said at that point, Matthew was "so polite". "The thing with this guy is you never see him and he does not have a smile (on his face)," Shaggy shared. "He is probably one of the nicest persons I have ever met. Read more:

U.S. Population Grows At Slowest Rate Since The Great Depression

America's population is growing at its slowest rate in decades, and the sluggish economy is mostly to blame, according to one expert.

The U.S. population grew by just 0.72 percent in the year ended July 1, 2013, the Census Bureau reported Monday. That’s the slowest growth rate since 1937. Population growth has hovered at super-low levels for the past few years, according to William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan research organization. The trend is "troubling," Frey said, and is due largely to the weak economy.

“This real sharp decline has to do with recession-related issues,” Frey said. “Fewer people come into the country because there aren’t as many jobs, and people are postponing child-bearing.” read more