IN JAMAICA: Rastafarian Voice In Parliament

Rastafarian Voice In Parliament

Published: Thursday | January 16, 20140 Comments

THE EDITOR, Sir:

If Jamaica is a democracy, where is the Rastafarian voice in Parliament? The Rastafarian movement is older than the two political parties in Jamaica. In other Third and Fourth World countries, movements like the Rastafarian movement is involved in armed struggle for a voice in parliament. Jamaica as a parliamentary democracy should appreciate that the Rasta movement - although a lot of atrocities have been meted to them - still believe that an independent senator should be appointed by Government and Opposition from the Rastafarian community.

While I am writing this article, the world around us is changing. In 2014, a country like Jamaica must become realistic and give the 10 per cent of the population a voice in the parliament business. Jamaica's development cannot come about without Rastafarian's active participation. No civilised democracy or socialist state can deny 10 per cent of its population representation in the affairs of the country.

Give thanks.

Abuna A. FOXE

himchurchorg@yahoo.com

PORTLAND, JAMAICA: Portland rocked by two murders within 12 hours.......Both women, it is reported, died from stab wounds to the abdomen.

PORTLAND, Jamaica — The normally quiet parish of Portland was rocked by two murders within a twelve-hour period between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sobtaier's home in Portland
where she was stabbed to death.

Dead are 48-year-old German Ute Sobtaier, who resided at Park Mount in the Nonesuch area of East Portland, and Janice Linton, 37, of Baker Hill Hope Bay in West Portland. Both women, it is reported, died from stab wounds to the abdomen.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Patrick Bennett said that two women were killed within ten hours of each other.

Three suspects are in custody in connection with the murders, DSP Bennett said. In the case of the incident involving the German, two people including a woman, were arrested. More information later. more

WINTER OLYMPICS: IOC's Mario Pescante Rips U.S. For Including Openly Gay Athletes In Official Delegation To Sochi

ROME (AP) — A senior Italian IOC member criticized the United States on Wednesday for including openly gay athletes in its official delegation for next month's Sochi Olympics.

"It's absurd that a country like that sends four lesbians to Russia just to demonstrate that in their country gay rights have (been established)," Mario Pescante said at an Italian Olympic Committee meeting in Milan on Wednesday, in comments widely reported by Italian media. "The games should not be an occasion and a stage to promote rights that sports supports daily."

The Italian Olympic Committee would not confirm or deny Pescante's comments, but his speech was reported by the Gazzetta dello Sport and the ANSA news agency. Asked for clarification later by The Associated Press, Pescante said he is not against gays. more

These Mesmerizing GIFs Will Change The Way You Look At Everyday Stuff

Ice Cream Sandwich

We're lucky enough to live in a post-industrialized world, where we can pop down to the store to pick up a few groceries without thinking twice. All the growing, harvesting, mining and biosynthesizing happens probably miles away from us in a massive factory, no doubt, by humongous machines and anonymous strangers. There are so many tiny steps in one toothpick's journey from the Brazilian forest to your left incisor that most of us wouldn't stop to think about how it was separated into its package..

CONDOMS- Before being kicked
 into each package, lubricant
 is applied to top and bottom.

Pencils being sharpened

But thanks in large part to the Internet, we can now marvel at all the intricate production processes -- or at least brief snippets of them -- that happen around the world every day. Prepare to be spellbound by these GIFs:: more

Police will remove vendors from Beckford Street, Kingston Mayor warns

Police will remove vendors from Beckford Street, Kingston Mayor warns  8:00 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Mayor of Kingston, Angela Brown Burke has announced that the police will be removing vendors from Beckford Street in downtown, Kingston as the area is a no-vending zone. In a statement on Tuesday recapping 2013, Burke said the vending situation on Beckford Street is the worst she has experienced so far. "The situation on Beckford Street cannot continue. This I believe is the worst of the problem, where people vend all year round without paying a cent to the KSAC, where la ... Read More

IN JAMAICA: ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR REBEL SALUTE

ENTERTAINMENT

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR REBEL SALUTE

FINAL preparations for Rebel Salute scheduled for Richmond Estate, Priory in St Ann, this weekend, are well under way. The annual, two-day music festival is now in its 21st year. "Preparations ... Read More

TRACK & FIELD: ‘Trainer injected me’ Asafa Powell reveals at anti-doping hearing

FORMER world 100m record holder Asafa Powell raised eyebrows when he testified to being administered injections by physical trainer Chris Xuereb for a hamstring injury, even as his defence tried to plead a case of mitigating circumstances during his anti-doping hearing at the Jamaica Conference Centre yesterday.

“Is it the norm for a person who is not a medical doctor to be administering injections?” asked Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission panel chairman, attorney Lennox Gayle.

“Sir, I have gotten the injection once before from the doctor in Germany and I never asked him for his credentials, so I wouldn't know if it is the norm for every physio to do this,” said Powell.

Bolt at hearing

When quizzed by JADCO panellist Dr Jephathah Ford about the frequency of the injections and what were in them, Powell said he received about four injections.

“It was the same injection that Dr Muller- Wohlfahrt uses in Germany… these were anti-inflammatory after I just got the hamstring injury,” said Powell. “These injections were administered by Chris?” asked Dr Ford.

“Yes,” Powell said. As to the nature of what was injected, Powell said he was satisfied with his checks after witnessing Xuereb take the drug from a sealed box before administering at his house.

Powell, 31, who tested positive for oxilofrine at the National Championships last year, revealed he was given approximately nine supplements by Xuereb, but only submitted three names on the doping control form.

Epiphany D1 is the supplement that is said to have triggered his adverse analytical finding and although he took four capsules that morning of the National Championship, Powell said he didn’t remember taking that supplement. more

DEVILS BABY ATTACK GONE WILD IN NEW YORK CITY......SCARY (WATCH VIDEO).... YOU WERE WARNED!

Lupita Nyong'o Covers Dazed & Confused, Proving Yet Again She Is Fashion's New 'It' Girl (PHOTOS).

Fashion's (and pretty much everyone else's) love affair with the stunningly flawless actress Lupita Nyong'o continues with the Febraury issue of Dazed & Confused.

The "12 Years A Slave" star is certainly securing her "it" girl status while striking a pose for the glossy's “Girls Rule the World” issue, which was shot by Sharif Hamza and styled by Robbie Spencer.

It also helps that she's currently on the cover of W magazine and one of the faces of the Miu Miu Spring 2014 campaign. Major! Oh, and we can't forgot how shecompletely shut down the Golden Globes red carpet this past Sunday in Ralph Lauren. Has Lupita stolen your heart yet? If not, just check out these amazing photos from her Dazed & Confused editorial and get ready to fall in love. more

Maya Angelou Tells The Story Behind This Touching Photo......Amiri Baraka Photo

A few days after poet Amiri Baraka died, Maya Angelou shared the humorous story behind a famous photo of the two friends dancing.

According to her telling, they were attending a tribute to the late Langston Hughes in 1991 when photographer Chester Higgins, Jr. snapped the image. The caption, published in the New York Times, described Angelou and Baraka as performing an "African Custom of ancestral return." But, as Angelou explains below, that wasn't exactly how they remembered it. 

Amiri Baraka was already the people’s poet when he answered to the name LeRoi Jones. We had a very famous photograph taken in 1991 by Chester Higgins, Jr. The photograph appeared in the New York Times. At the time the legend under said in effect, two of America’s great poets dancing a traditional African rite dance over the remains of Langston Hughes at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black C...

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CHRISTIE CAUGHT WITH CAPO DURING DEBACLE.......GOV. LAST WEEK: 'I Have Had No Contact With Him In Long, Long Time'... Gives 'State Of State' Address Tonight Amidst Widening Scandal... Will Address Fiasco... NYT: 'Fired Aide Called Loyal Team Player, Not Rogue Operative'... Lawmakers Push Prosecutor To Investigate...

UPDATED | Gov. Chris Christie was with the official who arranged the closure of local lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 11, 2013 — the third day of the closures, and well after they had triggered outrage from local officials beset by heavy traffic.

It isn’t known what, if anything, Mr. Christie discussed with David Wildstein that day, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official was among the delegation of Mr. Christie’s representatives who welcomed him to the site of the World Trade Center for the commemoration of the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks there.

Christie spokesman Colin Reed said, “Of course, Governor Christie attended the September 11^th ceremony as he has done every year since he took office.  He had numerous interactions with public officials that morning, including representatives of the Port Authority.  They were all there for one reason – to pay tribute to the heroes of 9/11.”

Mr. Wildstein did not respond to a request for comment through his attorney.

Also present with Mr. Christie that day were Bill Baroni, the authority’s deputy executive director, who was helping Mr. Wildstein manage the fallout from the closures among local officials, subpoenaed documents show. Also there was David Samson, the Port Authority chairman and close Christie ally, who has said he didn’t learn of the lane closures and traffic in Fort Lee, N.J., until an email from a New York port official ordered the lane closures reversed. Messrs. Samson and Baroni didn’t respond to requests for comment. more

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Jamaicans Soon To Know The Sweet Reggae Wine

Jamaicans Soon To Know The Sweet Reggae Wine

Excellent, awesome, fruity, sweet, those were just some of the words used to describe the newest sweet wine soon to be on the Jamaican market. Reggae Wine is a product of Easley Winery in Indianapolis, Indiana. ...

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Massive Crowd Welcomes Tessanne Back - Homecoming Concert A Resounding Success

Fireworks and confetti were the perfect end to a jam-packed event that to celebrate Tessanne Chin's major achievement.

Jamaicans from all walks of life apparently wanted to welcome Tessanne Chin home, packing Ocean Boulevard in downtown Kingston. People stood in the road and some even made their way on to the tops of high buildings just to get a proper view of proceedings on Sunday evening.

Tessanne Chin performs during
her homecoming on the waterfront.

The sea of people on the street and on the waterfront screamed as Tessanne took the stage, singing The Reason, while confetti filled the air.

She went quickly down memory lane with older songs like Black Booksand Messenger, the audience singing along.

The mayor of Kingston, Angela Brown Burke, also got in on the act, presenting Tessanne with a gold medal of recognition for her winning display in American talent competition, 'The Voice'. read more

ARIMA, Trinidad: Gunmen shoot and kill pregnant mom in T&T

ARIMA, Trinidad - A GUNMAN shot and killed a pregnant Arima mother of two on Sunday night, moments after she and her husband arrived at their home in Maturita Village, Arima.

Police said that around 8.45 p.m., the victim, Abigail Persad, 34, along with her husband and six-year-old daughter returned to their home on Manhattan Drive when her husband exited the car to open their gate.

As he did so, the car was approached by a gunman dressed in all black.

The man drew a pistol and opened fire on Persad, hitting her five times about the body.

Her husband reportedly ran off when he saw the gunman..

The gunman fled after he fired the shots, following which the husband returned to the car and took Persad to the Arima District Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. read more

Damning evidence in Kartel trial Lizard texted he feared being murdered

BY PAUL HENRY Co-ordinator – Crime/Court Desk henryp@jamaicaobserver.com

DAMNING texts painting a picture of events leading up to the disappearance of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams on August 16, 2011 were read in court yesterday during the murder trial of entertainer Vybz Kartel and his four co-accused.

Vybz Kartel ( second right) and co-accused
 Shawn ‘ Shawn Storm’ Campbell entering
the Supreme Court for their trial last year

In a flurry of texts, believed to have been exchanged between Williams and his girlfriend Onieka Jackson, Williams said Vybz Kartel was going to kill him and repeatedly begged her to call the police and a person he referred to as Nadine. “U have to save me,” he said in one message.

Williams said he was running scared and that he was in a car heading to Havendale and begged desperately for Jackson to “hurry”.

Kartel and his co-accused sat in the prisoners’ dock straight-faced as the texts were displayed and read by Corporal Sean Brown of the Organised Crime Investigation Division to an attentive jury in the Home Circuit Court. read more

Shooting Over Movie Theater Texting Leaves 1 Dead, 1 Injured (UPDATE)

UPDATE 5:45 p.m. -- According tomultiple reports, the shooting occurred after an apparent argument over an audience member texting during a screening of "Lone Survivor."

The suspect was identified as Curtis Reeves, a retired Tampa police officer,according to News 13. He has been charged with second-degree murder.

The Orlando TV station website identified the victims as Chad and Nicole Oulson, a married couple.

ORIGINAL STORY -- An argument between couples over cellphone use at a Florida theater Monday led to one man being fatally shot and woman wounded, according to police who said a suspect was in custody. read more

WALLS CLOSE IN ON Chris Christie Facing Federal Investigation Over Sandy Funds: Frank Pallone

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is facing a federal investigation into whether the governor used Hurricane Sandy relief money to produce tourism ads starring himself and his family, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) told CNN Sunday. The New Jersey lawmaker said the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development conducted a preliminary investigation, and concluded that a full investigation is warranted.

Christie

The investigation comes as the New Jersey governor is facing a separate federal probeinto revelations that his top aides engineered the temporary shutdown of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge as political retribution.

Pallone wrote a letter to the inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in August, asking why a firm with a more expensive pitch won the project to make a New Jersey tourism campaign with Hurricane Sandy relief funds. The winning firm's bid was $4.7 million, while a comparable firm cost $2.5 million. The more expensive idea included the Christies, while the cheaper pitch did not. read more

Pastor Tim's 1-Minute Worship Service 1/12/14 Pastor doesn't want to miss 49ers game Pastor Tim Christensen of Gold Hill Lutheran Church in Butte, Montana. (VIDEO)

Beyoncé Pens AMAZING Essay About Gender Equality

Beyoncé Pens AMAZING Essay About Gender Equality

Steve Granitz via Getty Images

If Beyoncé's video album left any question as to her feminist credentials, the pop star'scontribution to The Shriver Report has us bowing down all over again.

Led by journalist and former first lady of California Maria Shriver, The Shriver Reportis a media initiative which documents the influence cultural trends have on American women. The 2014 special report, "A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back From The Brink", examines the financial insecurity among American women and the impact it has on the U.S. economy.

"We need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality. It isn’t a reality yet," Beyoncé wrote in the excerpt. She goes on to address men and their roles in promoting gender equality:

• Comments (136) 
• | Maria Shriver
• • 
    

Why indeed should Jamaica lose out on the ganja medicine industry?

Why indeed should Jamaica lose out on the ganja medicine industry?
News this week out of Uruguay that foreign firms have expressed great interest in opening laboratories there to study the potential medicinal uses ...... Read More

COLUMNS: SHAGGY & FRIENDS... First, the good news...

COLUMNS

First, the good news...

First, the good news. Shaggy & Friends, supported by corporate Jamaica, showed that if we gather top talent, if we have a convincing message, and if we are well-organised we can galvanise wid .... Read More

ENTERTAINMENT: SHABBA RANKS, Making of the 'Grammy kid'.

ENTERTAINMENT

Making of the 'Grammy kid'

THE Grammy Awards are scheduled for January 26 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Five nominees (Beres Hammond, Ziggy Marley, Sizzla, Alpha Blondy and Sly and Robbie) are up for Best Reggae Album ....Read More

Bahamas police seize drugs worth US$3 million

Bahamas police seize drugs worth US$3 million  7:44 AM

NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) – Bahamas police say they have seized over three million US dollars worth of drugs and arrested two men during a police operation on Sunday. They said that the two men, ages 49 and 36, will appear in court later this week after the cocaine and marijuana drugs were found in a house in the capital. According to the police, acting on a tip-off they went to the house where a black duffle bag and three boxes were discovered and found to contain 102 kilos of taped packages ... Read More

Jamaica sitting on medicinal plant potential......"We have about 3,000 different plants in Jamaica and about 27 per cent, just over 800 of that, are not found anywhere else"

DEAN of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of the West Indies Professor Paul Reece said that Jamaica needs to tap into the huge medicinal potential that exists in its natural products.

Researcher Dr Roger Laine of Louisiana State University
in the United States (right) captures the attention of (from left)
Dr Andrew Lamn of the University of Technology in Kingston,
researcher Professor Reinhard Neier of the University of
Neuchatel in Switzerland and Professor Ishenkumba Kahwa,
deputy principal at the University of the West Indies (UWI)
in Mona, Kingston during the opening day of last week’s
 four-day Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry
symposium at UWI. (PHOTO: ASTON SPAULDING)

"We have about 3,000 different plants in Jamaica and about 27 per cent, just over 800 of that, are not found anywhere else, but very few plants have been studied and even then, over 2,000 that are found in other countries, sometimes in Jamaica, produce different products because it is dependent on the soil and climate that it is grown in," he said.

"We have barely scratched the surface and there is so much more to be done," added Professor Reece, who was speaking to the Jamaica Observer following the opening ceremony for the Natural Products and Medicinal Symposium hosted by the Chemistry Department in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the university in Mona, Kingston, last week. read more

Kerry Washington Is Pregnant And Glowing On The Golden Globes Red Carpet

Kerry Washington confirmed her pregnancy news as she stepped out on the red carpet at the 2014 Golden Globes on Sunday (Jan. 12). The "Scandal" star's baby bump made its big debut as she posed in NBC's 360 cam.

Kerry Washington-Getty Image

Washington, who tied the knot last June with Nnamdi Asomugha, looked radiant in a grey Balenciaga dress, telling E! News as she rubbed her belly, "I feel like I have the best date of the night, my little accessory here." The 36-year-old actress is nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Olivia Pope on the hit ABC show.

"I'm enormously grateful to the Hollywood Foreign Press for this honor," she said of her Golden Globe nomination. "It's humbling to be nominated alongside such great talented and hard-working women whose work inspire me." more

'12 Years A Slave' Wins Best Picture Drama At 2014 Golden Globe Awards (VIDEO CLIP)

"12 Years A Slave" was named Best Picture - Drama at the 71st annual Golden Globes awards. Steve McQueen's film, based on the 1853 memoir by Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped into slavery in 1841, was the most-nominated drama of the night with seven total nods. The Best Picture win was its sole award of the night. 

"12 Years A Slave" first debuted at the Telluride Film Festival in August, and had its official premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. McQueen's film, his third feature following "Hunger" and "Shame," is favorite to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards in March.

The other Best Picture - Drama nominees were "Captain Phillips," "Gravity," "Philomena" and "Rush." Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the 71st annual Golden Globes, which were held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Last year, "Argo" won Best Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes. Ben Affleck's film went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards as well. read more

Steve Kornacki Floats New Theory About Chris Christie's Bridge Scandal (VIDEO)

FOLLOW:

Chris Christie, Mark Sokolich, Chris Christie Bridegate, Chris Christie Bridge Scandal, Chris Christie Traffic Scandal, Chris Christie Traffic Study, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Development Project, Politics News

MSNBC host Steve Kornacki floated a new theory as to why New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's staff and appointees engineered the closure of two lanes leading into the George Washington Bridge last year.

Kornacki

"It wasn't just the everyday lives of commuters and residents that were altered or in some cases jeopardized by what happened in Fort Lee," Kornacki explained. "Something else was affected and possibly jeopardized, something of enormous economic and political significance."

Kornacki explained that there is currently a billion dollar development project in Fort Lee, right next to where the lane closures occurred. The project is a keystone of Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich's tenure. As Kornacki explains, the closure of two of the three access lanes may have been part of a larger effort to shut them down for good, which could have significantly diminished potential investors' interest in the project. Close the lanes, and the entire project could be derailed. read more

Sujari Britt, kid cellist with White House show under her bow......Most professional musicians dedicate at least a decade to their instruments before being invited to perform at high-profile venues in front of dignitaries. But at age 9, classical cellist Sujari Britt has already played for a packed house before President Obama and members of Congress, becoming one of the youngest musicians ever to perform at the White House.

Post by TheGrio.

George Thompson, 104, still puffs away at his cigar Father of 18 recounts a lifetime of struggle

AT 104, George Thompson seems to be debunking medical beliefs that smoking kills, as he continues to puff away at cigars, a habit that he picked up over 47 years ago.

"Yes man, mi still smoke. When my wife left me, that is when I started the hard smoking," Thompson stated as he sat in his kitchen at Greenwich Town last Wednesday, six days after celebrating his birthday.

George Thompson at his home in
 Greenwich Town, along with neighbours
 (from left) Martina Rowe and baby Michael,
Carolyn Bailey and Iona Masters.
 (PHOTO: KARL McLARTY)

"That was when my last daughter was one year and two weeks. My daughter died nine years ago and she was 39," he said.

Thompson insists that he only smokes tobacco, and believes that smoking marijuana could be a killer.

"Mi nuh smoke ganja, but mi will drink the tea because I find use in it," he said. "You see why I might live so long? I don't mix myself with ganja, just tobacco mi smoke. And I will only smoke cigarette if I'm here now and I see somebody out the road have a cigarette I will take it and smoke, but mi not smoking it off, mi just take a draw and give it back. It is just a dirty habit," Thompson said as he reached for a small 'scandal' bag with tobacco which he was about to prepare for smoking. "Now I just smoke when I feel like I want to smoke," he said. read more 

Jamaica For Us! Majority Of Jamaicans Would Turn Down The Chance To Migrate

It appears that most Jamaicans would turn down the chance to migrate despite the many problems facing the country, with a little more than 30 per cent saying they would pack up and leave today if given the chance.

Jamaicans hoping to visit the United States
 wait outside the United States Embassy on
 Old Hope Road in St Andrew. - File

A recently concluded national survey has revealed that despite the tough economic conditions, the high levels of crime and corruption, and several other problems, just over six in every 10 Jamaicans would not leave if they had the chance to migrate today.

For those who would leave, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Cayman Islands are the countries of choice.

ISLANDWIDE POLL

That's according to an islandwide poll commissioned by the Jamaica National Building Society and conducted by Bill Johnson Survey Limited between December 7 and 15, 2013. The poll used a sample size of 1,008 Jamaicans age 18 years and older.

According to the findings, 62 per cent of respondents would not leave the 'Land of Wood and Water' to take up residence abroad, while 36 per cent of respondents said they would leave today if possible. Only two per cent were flat-footed, vacillating between the two options. read more