Britain reports £60m (approx 11.0 Billion JMD) of cocaine seized in Caribbean Sea in January.....1.3 metric ton of cocaine had been seized during the counter-narcotics operation
Britain reports £60m of cocaine seized in Caribbean Sea in January
British Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois told Parliament Tuesday that the 1.3 metric tone of cocaine had been seized during the counter-narcotics operation in the Caribbean Sea on January 22.
LONDON, United Kingdom, Wednesday February 26, 2014, CMC – Britain says cocaine estimated at 60 million pounds (One British pound = US$1.66 cents) had been seized in the Caribbean Sea last month as part of a joint operation with the United States Coast Guard.British Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois told Parliament Tuesday that the 1.3 metric tone of cocaine had been seized during the counter-narcotics operation in the Caribbean Sea on January 22.
“The Ministry of Defence routinely deploys a Royal Navy frigate or destroyer and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel to the Caribbean under the Atlantic Patrol Task (North),” Francois said.
“We are also working to improve our co-operation with regional partners,” he said, noting for example, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary has recently concluded an agreement with the US Coast Guard to allow their helicopters to operate from an RFA vessel. more
VYBZ KARTEL MURDER TRIAL VERDICT WATCH: ???????? STAY TUNED.......Meanwhile, defence attorney Tamika Harris completed her address to the jurors Wednesday afternoon
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- There will be no verdict in the Vybz Kartel murder trial underway in the Home Circuit court downtown Kingston until after next week.
Justice Lennox Campbell had hoped to start his summation of the evidence on Friday because a member of the 11-panel jury would not be available on Thursday.
But the Forewoman Wednesday afternoon informed the court that another member of the panel is scheduled to do surgery and would not be available. The juror said that she would be available next week Thursday, when the judge will then begin his summation.
Meanwhile, defence attorney Tamika Harris completed her address to the jurors Wednesday afternoon by asking them to find her client Andre St John, and all the other accused, not guilty. “You cannot ignore what is rotten in this case. You just cannot wuk wid it. You cannot put on blinkers...,” she said.
Entertainer Vybz Kartel, along with St John, Shawn Campbell, Shane Williams and Kahira Jones are on trial for the August 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams, believed committed at Kartel’s Havendale, St Andrew house. more
The things that dog us; what they say about us, JAMAICA........A week before, an 11-month-old British girl, Ava-Jayne Corless, was mauled to death by her parents' pit bull while she slept in their Blackburn residence.
Grace VIRTUE
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Three disparate entities, three potent symbols of why, with all our wonderful potential and big dreams, it is so hard to climb out of the hole we have been digging since Independence.
Despite many pit bull attacks, several of them fatal, no action has been taken to address the issue. Even as Dr Barbara Carby, a certified dog trainer, writing in this newspaper recently, sought to make a case for why the breed should not be banned outright, there continues to be far more persuasive evidence for why it needs to be, as well as the need for 21st century animal control legislation overall. In the meantime, the pit bull's extreme aggressive tendencies and unpredictable nature make it an unwelcome addition to an already undisciplined and highly stressed environment.
A week ago, in Westmoreland, a man was shot during an argument which developed because a pit bull killed a dog owned by one of the victim's relatives. A week before, an 11-month-old British girl, Ava-Jayne Corless, was mauled to death by her parents' pit bull while she slept in their Blackburn residence.
"What will it take to convince people not to keep dogs like these; and to get across to owners of every breed, that no dog should ever be left unsupervised with a baby? asked Jack Straw, member of Parliament for Blackburn.
Will it take the mauling of a tourist to get our responsible ministries to treat this as a serious issue?
Forget the clichéd it's-not-the-breed-it's-the-owner argument snatched from American gun right activists talking points — the same ones who oppose legislation aimed at reducing mass murders. For that argument to make sense there would have to be a prototype of an owner that would guarantee only positive outcomes. No such thing exists. Equally misleading is the idea that pit bulls are a loving, gentle breed. They were created by crossing Old English terriers and Old English bulldogs to combine the fighting abilities of the one and the strength and speed of the other. They were created to be dangerous, and they are. This is why they are banned in their land of origin — Great Britain. Additional legislation will be introduced there this spring to include tougher sentencing for violations. more
Will it take the mauling of a tourist to get our responsible ministries to treat this as a serious issue?
Forget the clichéd it's-not-the-breed-it's-the-owner argument snatched from American gun right activists talking points — the same ones who oppose legislation aimed at reducing mass murders. For that argument to make sense there would have to be a prototype of an owner that would guarantee only positive outcomes. No such thing exists. Equally misleading is the idea that pit bulls are a loving, gentle breed. They were created by crossing Old English terriers and Old English bulldogs to combine the fighting abilities of the one and the strength and speed of the other. They were created to be dangerous, and they are. This is why they are banned in their land of origin — Great Britain. Additional legislation will be introduced there this spring to include tougher sentencing for violations. more
No visa for Chinese visitors to Jamaica.....According to the Minister, China is now the largest spender globally in international tourism.
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Citizens of China will now be able to enter Jamaica without a visa.
Speaking at the Jamaica House Post Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday, Minister of Information, Sandrea Falconer said that government has approved a new regime that will allow Chinese nationals to visit Jamaica as tourists for up to 30 days without a visa.
Falconer said that it has been difficult to achieve substantial growth in arrivals from China as many Chinese citizens have had to travel great distances to obtain a visa from the Jamaican Embassy in Beijing.
“This administration recognises Chinese potential for growth as a tourism market in Jamaica, but also recognises the difficulties entailed in developing it,” she said.
According to the Minister, China is now the largest spender globally in international tourism.
She added that the government has been making concerted efforts to develop new markets in the tourism industry by relaxing its visa requirements for several countries in Latin America, Russia and Eastern Europe.
Falconer said these efforts have been successful thus far producing double digit performance in a short period of time. Visa requirements have already been relaxed for Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Ukraine and the Czech Republic among others. more
Candiese Leveridge
KINGSTON, Jamaica: Double murder in Caribbean Terrace.....opposite Harbour View in east Kingston
Wednesday, February 26, 2014 | 2:13 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Police have stepped up their presence in Caribbean Terrace, opposite Harbour View in east Kingston following a double murder in the seaside community Tuesday night.
Police report that at about 9:00pm Tuesday two men were attacked and shot dead by unknown assailants.
The two men up to Wednesday afternoon have still not been identified. more
Kimmo Matthews
Reggae music has lost a significant figure, Radio personality in Philip Smart of New York who died from cancer Tuesday night.....The first hit recorded with Pro Tools was Dirtsman's "Hot This Year....He later produced and worked on "Rikers Island”" by Cocoa Tea and Nardo Ranks, making the edits in the system. Later that year, Shaggy recorded "Mampie" with Philip; Red Fox and Screechie Dan's "Pose Off"; and "Shot Mek You Wiggle" by Junior Demus
Reggae music has lost a key figure, personality in Philip Smart of New York who died from cancer. Philip has been battling cancer for quite awhile in New York.
Smart's career spans over five decades. While in high school, he produced his first record with reggae instrumentalist Augustus Pablo and vocalist Lee "Scratch" Perry.
 |
| Philip Smart at the Radio Controls |
The transition to recording engineering came when the Augustus Pablo's album Java was being recorded. Errol Thompson was the project engineer and Philip was taught how to record to sixteen-track tape machines and how to make rough mixes to two-track tapes. This was followed by working with King Tubby and then for producer Bunny Lee, who gave him the nickname Prince Philip. He was in fact King Tubby's first trainee, recording and mixing such hits as "None Shall Escape" byJohnny Clarke, "Jah Love" by Yabby U, and most of Dr. Alimantado's albums.
HC&F Recording Studio was built in 1981 and opened in 1982. The first recording project was with the group Monyaka, titled "Go Deh Yaka," which was an instant hit, and reached #14 on the UK charts. Since that time, the studio had several very successful projects such as Jah Life Productions, which featured such artists as Sister Carol, Scion Success, Barrington Levy, and Carlton Livingston. He is also known for his work with artists under labels other than his own, such as Island In the Sun Productions artist Horace Andy; Narrows Records artist Mr Easy; Donovan Germain Productions artists Audrey Hall, Owen Gray, Tanto Irie, and Johnny Osbourne; and Witty's Music Master Productions artists Shelly Thunder, Junior Wilson, and Barrington Levy.
With the nineties came digital recording and the introduction of Pro Tools' two-track computer-recording program to the studio. The first hit recorded with Pro Tools was Dirtsman's "Hot This Year," which was released on TanYah records. He later produced and worked on "Rikers Island”" by Cocoa Tea and Nardo Ranks, making the edits in the system. Later that year, Shaggy recorded "Mampie" with Philip; Red Fox and Screechie Dan's "Pose Off"; and "Shot Mek You Wiggle" by Junior Demus, which was later used in the film "Dancehall Queen". During 1993–1999, Shaggyrecorded five albums from with Philip, which included "Boombastic" and "Hot Shot."
As dance music got bigger in 2000, multitrack Digidesign Pro Tools TDM was in demand, along with 24-track tapes. Mixes such as "Headacke," "All Out," and "Blue Drawers" were synced with 24-track tape and Pro Tools technology to achieve fatness and warmth placing emphasis on digital mixing and editing features. Philip's early Pro Tools and analog technology knowledge gave him a cutting edge in the 1990s, which provided reggae artists with the ability to record Jamaican-quality sound in New York.[1]
JAMAICANS are becoming more conscious of climate change.....Oral Khan, one of the conceptualiser of the green paper tabled in Parliament
JAMAICANS are becoming more conscious of climate change as their knowledge of the phenomenon and the risks it poses to the country increase.
That is the feeling of chief technical officer in the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Oral Khan, one of the conceptualiser of the green paper tabled in Parliament in November 2013 titled Climate Change Policy Framework and Action Plan.
 |
| A section of the crowd at the public consultations on the green paper titled Climate Change Policy Framework and Action Plan. |
The paper supports the goals of Vision 2030 to reduce the country's risk to hazards and adapt to climate change, and recommends actions to mitigate the effects on the agriculture, water, health, coastal and marine resources, disaster risk and response management, energy, forestry, waste management and transportation sectors.
Khan, who was speaking with the Jamaica Observer at The Pegasus Hotel in Kingston last Thursday on the occasion of the final in a series of public consultations on the green paper, said with the influence of the media and public awareness campaign initiatives globally, there has been an increase in the interest of Jamaicans in climate change.
The previous sessions were held in Port Maria, St Mary; Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth and Montego Bay, St James.
"With regard to climate change, everywhere we go, people are keenly interested in what is happening," Khan said. He didn't have statistical evidence, but provided anecdotal references to support his claim. more
Jamaican Govt cuts budget by $21B......The cut was much more than the J$12 billion to J$16 billion which was expected
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 | 8:27 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- The government has cut the 2013/14 budget by J$21 billion. This was indicated in the first Supplementary Estimates which were tabled in Gordon House Tuesday afternoon.
The cut was much more than the J$12 billion to J$16 billion which was expected, primarily due to an $11-to-$12 billion hole created by under performing projected tax revenues up to the end of January this year.
The estimates show that despite predictions that the major cut would be from the Capital A and B budgets, $12 billion was cut from the recurrent budgets, mainly affecting interest rate payments on the public debt and $1.8 billion on pension payments.
Increases were granted to the ministries of education and health under the recurrent estimates.
Balford Henry
Obamacare Enrollment Reaches 4 Million......call center has handled more than 12 million calls so far and is open 24/7
 |
| President Obama |
WASHINGTON -- Approximately 4 million individuals have now signed up for health care plans under the newly created Obamacare insurance exchanges, a senior administration official told The Huffington Post on Tuesday.
The numbers mean that roughly 700,000 people have signed up for health care plans since the end of January. And with five weeks before the enrollment period deadline at the end of March, they put the administration on pace to come close to the Congressional Budget Office's initial projection that 7 million individuals would sign up for insurance coverage during the period.
"With individuals and families enrolling in coverage every day, we continue to see strong demand nationwide from consumers who want access to quality, affordable coverage," reads a statement from the administration, passed in advance to The Huffington Post. "Consumers are shopping and enrolling in plans on HealthCare.gov every day; system error rates are low and response times are consistently less than half a second. Our call center has handled more than 12 million calls so far and is open 24/7 to assist consumers in English, Spanish and more than 150 languages." more
GEORGETOWN, Guyana : Commission of Inquiry appointed to probe Walter Rodney's death
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 | 5:01 PM
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – More than two decades after renowned academic Dr Walter Rodney was killed by a bomb, a three-member Commission has been appointed to probe his death.
 |
| Walter Rodney |
The Commission is headed by Barbadian jurist Sir Richard Cheltenham and includes Jamaican Queen’s Counsel (QC) Jacqueline Samuels-Brown and Trinidad and Tobago Senior Counsel (SC) Senath Jairam. They all took the Oath of Office before President Donald Ramotar on Monday.
Rodney, the co-founder of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), was killed on June 13, 1980, after a walkie-talkie, given to him by now deceased Guyana Defence Force member Gregory Smith, exploded as he sat in car.
The then ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) has long been blamed for the murder. But the party has continuously denied any responsibility.
Sir Richard sought to assure nationals of the importance of the Commission of Inquiry in light of the passage of time since Rodney’s death.
“The fact that it happened 30 years or so ago need not be any bar to a full exposure of what took place and for the commission to make some firm conclusions,” he said, adding that he had been advised that there will be over 100 persons testifying.
He said there were many potential witnesses who did not want to give statements until the commission had been established. more
Canadian doctor gets 10 years conviction for sexually assaulting 21 sedated women during surgeries was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison.....victims between the ages of 25 and 75 took the stand against Doodnaught, a 26-year veteran.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 | 12:05 PM
TORONTO (AP) — A Canadian anaesthesiologist convicted of sexually assaulting 21 sedated women during surgeries was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison.
Ontario Superior Court Justice David McCombs said Dr George Doodnaught exploited the extraordinarily high degree of trust the patients placed in him and his conduct was "reprehensible in the extreme".
Doodnaught was convicted in November.
He reportedly committed the acts while concealed from other medical staff only by a surgical drape. The first six assaults were spread over 3 1/2 years and 15 others in the last six months before he was stopped. All but one of the assaults happened at North York General Hospital in Toronto.
During his trial, most of the 21 victims, between the ages of 25 and 75 took the stand against Doodnaught, a 26-year veteran. They gave generally similar accounts of being kissed and fondled by him, and of having his penis placed in their mouths or hands. The women testified they were conscious enough to be aware of what was happening, but were not able to move their limbs.
An anaesthesiologist since 1981, Doodnaught had worked at North York General for 28 years.
The hospital's chief of staff, Dr David White, had said at the time of Doodnaught's arrest in March 2010, that it was possible for an anaesthesiologist to be alone with a patient. Doodnaught's lawyer said he will appeal the convictions......
Vybz Kartel Trial: Near End this week....Police acted maliciously, attorney tells jurors
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Defence attorney Pierre Rogers Tuesday continued his address to jurors in the Vybz Kartel murder trial telling the 11-member panel that the police acted maliciously in creating a message about chopping up Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.
"It shows malicious intent on the part of the police," Rogers said. "The police created this with one aim in mind, one aim. This is malicious.”
Rogers called what was done in the case by the police "nastiness" and said that the prosecution has failed to address critical inconsistencies in the case. "It disappoints me and I suspect that it disappoints you," he said. "If this is not a set-up then what is? If this is not a conspiracy, what is?
“Why is the Crown making castles in the sky and asking you to join him up there? Rogers told the jurors.
Rogers started his final argument to the court last Friday. Kartel (Adijah Palmer) and four co accused Shane Williams; André St John; entertainer Shawn Campbell, popularly known as Shawn Storm; and Kahira Jones -- are on trial for the August 16, 2011 killing of Williams. more
Paul Henry
STELLAR performances highlighted the Dennis Brown Concert held at Downtown Kingston......pays tribute to Brown who died in 1999 at 42.
STELLAR performances highlighted the Dennis Brown Concert held at Downtown Kingston's waterfront on Sunday.
 |
| John Holt |
Sunday's free concert drew a sizeable audience who were appreciative of the musicial offerings.
John Holt, who has been performing for over four decades, showed he had not lost his edge.
With the audience eating out of his palm, the veteran singer delivered a hit-filled set which included Police in Helicopter, Sweetie Come Brush Me and Stealing Stealing.
Johnny Clarke was also in fine form as he Moved Out A Babylon.
Special mention must be made of 2009 Rising Star winner, Shuga, whose command performance displayed her vocal range and confidence. Marla Brown — daughter of late Dennis Brown, Crown Prince of Reggae — proved herself worthy by effortlessly offering renditions of her father's songs to the audience's delight. more
'Never say die'...... St Jago hopes to honor fallen athlete who DIED in Trinidad & Tobago, Cavahn McKenzie with Champs win.....Quitters never win and winners never quit, that was part of his philosophy
 |
| Cavahn McKenzie’s schoolmates are comforted by a teacher as they mourn his untimely death during morning devotion at the school yesterday. |
INDOMITABILITY pushed through the heavy pall of grief that engulfed St Jago High School yesterday morning as Cavahn McKenzie's colleagues fixed their minds on winning the upcoming ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys' and Girls' Championships in tribute to his 'never say die attitude'.
"We want to do it (win champs) for him, we want to follow what he left off. Quitters never win and winners never quit, that was part of his philosophy and he was that sort of person," said coach Donald Hawthorne.
D'Jean Allwood, captain of the St Jago athletics team, agreed.
 |
| St Jago High School students grieve for their departed schoolmate Cavahn McKenzie yesterday during morning devotion. McKenzie died in Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday after competing in the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association Cross-Country Championships. (PHOTO: LIONEL ROOKWOOD) |
"We lost someone valuable to the team. We will use this as a reason to go forward and not backward," Allwood said as he led members of the team to an emotion-filled devotion where students and teachers wept openly for the promising athlete who died on Saturday in Trinidad and Tobago.
While the St Jago team were competing at the annual Gibson Relays inside the National Stadium in Kingston, McKenzie was representing Jamaica at the three-day North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association Cross-Country Championships.
But 17-year-old McKenzie collapsed at the end of the six-kilometre event and died shortly after being rushed to Scarborough General Hospital. more
Please donate to www.PALAS1.org or send a Check to PALAS, P.O. Box 5461, Alpharetta GA 30023. PALAS awarded 115 scholarships in the past 3 years. You may partner with PALAS (PWP) by donating a minimum of $350.00 and have a scholarship in your name, company or loved one. No amount is too small. You may donate online using PAYPAL. Thank you very much. LIKE & SHARE.
KINGSTON, Jamaica : Farewell Bunny Rugs
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- The funeral service for noted reggae singer William ‘Bunny Rugs’ Clarke was held on Monday (February 24), at the Holy Trinity Cathedral North Street, downtown Kingston.
Bunny Rugs, lead singer for the Third World band for over thirty years died in Orlando, Florida on February 2. more
Vybz Kartel Trial: Defence closing arguments continue on Monday
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Defence attorney Pierre Rogers Monday in the Vybz Kartel murder trial cited the alleged tampering of evidence by the police and the action of the Crown as reasons he thinks there was a conspiracy to imprison the five accused men.
"There is something stink in the state of Denmark," Rogers told the 11-member panel of jurors during his final argument to the court.
Rogers also pointed to what he said are various inconsistencies in the testimony of the prosecution's star witness as further evidence that the prosecution had no case against the accused men.
The five are on trial for the killing of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams believed to have been committed at Kartel’s Havendale home in August 2011. Kartel (Adijah Palmer), Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones, Shane Williams and Andre St John will most likely know their fate by the end of this week.
Two more defence attorneys, Tamika Harris and Everton Dewar, are expected to present their final arguments after Rogers. Justice Lennox Campbell will then present his summation before the matter is handed over to the jurors for their deliberation. more
Alec Balwin retires from public life...... Actor blames the ‘Gay Department of Justice’
 |
| Alec Baldwin |
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Actor Alec Baldwin has announced he is retiring from public life blaming the “Gay Department of Justice”.
Baldwin made his announcement via a lengthy article in the New York Magazine titled ‘I Give Up’, following a scandal-plagued 12 months.
According to News.com, Baldwin’s troubles began after fellow actor James Gandolfini’s funeral last June, when a reporter accused his wife, Hilaria, of live-tweeting the funeral. Baldwin responded by calling the reporter a “toxic little queen”.
After that, Baldwin was reportedly involved in a scuffle with a photographer, whom he allegedly called a homophobic slur.
These two incidents led to a string of accusations of homophobia from members of the gay community.
The controversy surrounding Baldwin’s clashes with the media last year also led to the cancellation of his talk show ‘Up Late with Alec Baldwin’. Now, he says he’s done with all of the appearances — interviews, talk shows, red carpets — that are a part of a professional actor’s life. more
Acts Warm Music Fest.....Chronixx repeated: "The breeze cold, eeh?!!".....Tanya Stephens blamed the altitude and thin air, along with old age, when she forgot the lines to one of her popular tracks
HOLYWELL Recreational Park's chilly climbs took on a life of its own on Saturday's opening night of the two-day Blue Mountain Music Festival.
Every artiste who took the stage made mention of the less that tropical air.
 |
| Chronixx |
Tanya Stephens blamed the altitude and thin air, along with old age, when she forgot the lines to one of her popular tracks; Kabaka Pyramid paid respect to all the persons who could just wear one layer of clothing — he was wearing three; and reggae's man- of-the-moment Chronixx repeated: "The breeze cold, eeh?!!".
A strong line-up, however, allowed patrons to forget the temperature and be warmed by the pulsating sounds of reggae.
Dub sister Jah9 was impressive as she kicked off the evening's major acts. Delivering all the popular tracks from her debut album New Name, she was able to get patrons going with a strong performance. more
JAMAICA call to decriminalising ganja.......Ganja green light this year Paulwell says Jamaica must not be left behind as world takes on marijuana
JAMAICA will this year join a virtual tidal wave of countries across the globe in decriminalising ganja, forerunner to the establishment of a medicinal marijuana industry estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
 |
| Paulwell |
The undertaking was given to the Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Research Taskforce (CCMRT) by Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives Phillip Paulwell, according to one of the main taskforce leaders, Delano Seiveright.
In a press statement yesterday, Seiveright said Paulwell, who is also the minister of science, technology, energy and mining, told members of the taskforce at a meeting last Thursday that “ganja will be decriminalised in Jamaica this year and emphasised that Jamaica cannot be allowed to be left behind on the issue”.
“He also reiterated the multiple economic, social and cultural benefits that Jamaica stands to gain if the laws are adjusted sooner rather than later,” Seiveright said.more
NATION WIDE MANHUNT.....Child Rapist Escapes: Eric Eugene Hartwell, 51, was convicted of raping a 6-year-old Flees After Cutting Off Ankle Monitor, Police Say
A convicted child rapist living in a Denver group home has cut off his ankle monitor and escaped, police say. Eric Eugene Hartwell, 51, was convicted of raping a 6-year-old in 1991 and attempting to sexually assault a teen in 1996, according to 7 News in Denver.
 |
| Hartwell |
Hartwell was released on parole in December after serving part of a 5-year sentence for failing to register as a sex offender in Texas. That conviction came after he cut off an ankle monitor and fled to Texas from a group home in Washington state in 2009 just one week after being placed on parole, the Department of Justice stated.
Hartwell is wanted by both federal officials and the Colorado Corrections Department. "This is an active investigation of an absconder that we are hoping not to send even farther underground," Colorado Corrections Department spokesman Roger Hudson told CNN. more
IN JAMAICA: Police commissioner gets warm welcome downtown......"A who dat? Nuh di man who me see pon TV every day. A wha him a do down here so?"
BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, February 24, 2014
YOU got the feeling that a rock star was in town.
 |
| Police Commissioner Owen Ellington (left) talks with a vendor during a tour of the busy downtown Kingston market district last Thursday. |
Vendors, shoppers and business owners reacted with glee as Police Commissioner Owen Ellington and some of his officers walked downtown Kingston's busy streets last Thursday.
"Big up yuself, me boss. Mi feel safer from mi see you," shouted one vendor, who halted his activities near Coronation Market to shake the commissioner's hand.
"A who dat? Nuh di man who me see pon TV every day. A wha him a do down here so?" one vendor was overheard asking her colleague. "Nuh di big policeman Owen Ellington; it good to see that him come out an' a visit the area," said another woman.
One young female vendor rushed from her spot on a sidewalk to shake Ellington's hand and have a word with him.Others walked with him for some distance, sharing their daily experiences on the streets. Still others wanted to take pictures with the commissioner, while a few youngsters engaged him in a long discussion. more
UPDATE ON JAMAICAN ATHLETE WHO DIED IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Cavahn 'Jaguar' McKenzie's spirit lives on — Hawthorne......
 |
| Promising St Jago High athlete Cavahn ‘Jaguar’ McKenzie (far left) in action in the 6K event in which he collapsed and died on Saturday, sending a shock wave of grief through the local track and field fraternity. McKenzie was competing at the three-day NACAC Cross Country Championships in Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday as part of a Jamaican team. Left: On site medical officials attend to McKenzie after he fell to the ground at the end of the fateful race. (PHOTOS: PAUL VOISON/ TRINIDAD EXPRESS) |
BY HOWARD WALKER Observer senior reporter walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, February 24, 2014
THE young and promising St Jago High student Cavahn 'Jaguar' McKenzie who collapsed and died while representing his country, was said to be a young man with a big heart.
McKenzie, 17, was part of the 10-member Jamaican team to the three-day NACAC Cross Country Championships that started on Thursday in Trinidad and Tobago.
McKenzie is said to have collapsed at the end of the 6K event and died shortly after at the Scarborough General hospital.
Donald 'Danny' Hawthorne, the long-serving head coach of St Jago's track team, told the Jamaica Observer that McKenzie, popularly known as 'Jaquar' by his teammates, was a fighter to the end.
"He is a very quiet, sometimes unassuming and a fun person. One of those persons who was resolved in doing good in whatever he does. He never quits," said Hawthorne.
"I remember last year at Trials (Carifta), he was doing the 3,000 and he was injured. I left the stands and went down there and called to him twice to stop and he continued. The third time, I went to the official and begged him to take him off the track and he kept on going and finished the race and completed the 3,000m with a sprint," noted Hawthorne. more
IN JAMAICA: Bloody Mystery Uncertainty surrounds how babies, parents got blood all over them.... twin girls woke up with fresh blood all over their bodies, swollen faces and teeth marks on their skin.....“We have to sleep on the floor because is one bed we have and is seven of us,”
 |
| Half of the face of this one-year-and-five-month-old baby was swollen and smeared with blood while she slept in her Kingston 5 home. |
BY DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE Sunday Observer staff reporter husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com
LINVAL Grant and Vicky Forrest have a lot of issues on their plates. One such is trying to figure out how their twin girls, aged one year and five months, woke up with fresh blood all over their bodies, swollen faces and teeth marks on their skin.
The incidents occurred in August last year and January this year, and have left the family of seven in fear and reluctant to sleep at night. “We have to sleep on the floor because is one bed we have and is seven of us,” Grant told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.
“The room cannot hold another bed, not even the smallest, so what we have to do is spread some sheet on the ground and sleep on it,” he said.
 |
| On January 16, Linval Grant and Vicky Forrest woke up to find one of their babies covered in blood. |
When mi look the whole of mi blood up and the pillow blood up. It was more than a pint of blood. The baby blood up and when you look underneath the bed you have some baby footstep in blood,” Grant stated.
“So me now assume that is drop the baby drop off the bed,” he said. “But when mi look on the top of the bed where the other twin was sleeping, I realise that she (Forrest) blood up too. So I say this weird. But it don’t look like when somebody bleeding out, it look like when you throwing something and it drop on you — like in drops.
And it wasn’t on any of the other kids, it was just she (Forrest), me and the baby. So mi still assume that is drop the baby drop off the bed and she hold the baby and that’s how she blood up.
“So mi check the baby mouth and there was no damage or anything at all. I checked her nose, eyes, ears, and nothing. I took off her clothes and look ... and nothing.
So I called some friends and show them and they assume that maybe the baby drop and one assume that is ghost walk over the child. But I didn’t pay that any mind. I just leave it at that,” a still puzzled Grant said. Then, on January 16, he said that a similar incident occurred. It was around the same time of morning as the first, but this time the other baby was affected. “Her face blood up, but the way it was blood up was weird.
Nothing was wrong with her right cheek, but her left cheek swell up. So half of her face swell and the half that swell blood up, like she was sleeping on one side and the blood just get on the side that was up.
So I look on it and I said this is not real,” he revealed. After closer examination, Grant realised that the other twin had blood spots on her.
“So I’m saying it seems impossible because I was sleeping on the ground, they were in the middle and my girlfriend on the other end, and no blood didn’t touch us this time, no form of blood, not even a spot.
more
 |
| O’Neil Irey, 11, takes care of his twin sisters by feeding bag juice to one at their home in Kingston 5 on Friday. (PHOTOS: LINVAL GRANT) |
“So mi check the baby mouth and there was no damage or anything at all. I checked her nose, eyes, ears, and nothing. I took off her clothes and look ... and nothing.
So I called some friends and show them and they assume that maybe the baby drop and one assume that is ghost walk over the child. But I didn’t pay that any mind. I just leave it at that,” a still puzzled Grant said. Then, on January 16, he said that a similar incident occurred. It was around the same time of morning as the first, but this time the other baby was affected. “Her face blood up, but the way it was blood up was weird.
Nothing was wrong with her right cheek, but her left cheek swell up. So half of her face swell and the half that swell blood up, like she was sleeping on one side and the blood just get on the side that was up.
So I look on it and I said this is not real,” he revealed. After closer examination, Grant realised that the other twin had blood spots on her.
“So I’m saying it seems impossible because I was sleeping on the ground, they were in the middle and my girlfriend on the other end, and no blood didn’t touch us this time, no form of blood, not even a spot.
more
UPDATE: 18-year-old JAMAICAN athlete, Cavahn McKenzie dies in Tobago.....Two more Jamaican athletes were taken to hospital late yesterday.
TRINIDAD EXPRESS -- Jamaican Cavahn McKenzie died after completing the junior men’s six-kilometre event at yesterday’s North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) Cross Country Championships, at the Mt Irvine Bay Golf Course, in Tobago.
 |
| McKenzie competes in the steeplechase at the Vere High School track meet last week. (Photo:Bryan Cummings). |
McKenzie finished 21st in 20 minutes, 26 seconds, but then collapsed. The St Jago High School athlete reportedly died in an ambulance while being taken to hospital.
National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) president, Ephraim Serrette told the Express that 18-year-old McKenzie’s death was “cardiac related”.
Two more Jamaican athletes were taken to hospital late yesterday. At press time, no information about their condition was available. more
43 graduate from animation programme....which has provided the graduates with certification to get a foothold in the growing US$222.8 billion global animation industry.
FORTY-THREE Jamaican students have received certification and graduated from the inaugural six-month 'Animate Jamaica' certificate programme that was being offered by the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) in association with GSW Animation Limited and Toon Boom Animation Inc.
The graduation occurred in the form of two ceremonies.
 |
| The students who graduated from the inaugura l six-month 'Animate Jamaica' certificate programme.. |
The first graduation was held on February 8 at UWI, Mona, at which 28 students graduated. The other 15 students graduated on February 12 from the Western Jamaica campus where they were trained.
Professor Archibald McDonald, principal, UWI, said the institution is pleased with the fruitful outcome from the newly formed tertiary level training programme which has provided the graduates with certification to get a foothold in the growing US$222.8 billion global animation industry...
"This is indeed a joyous and monumental achievement for our students, this institution and Jamaica as it heralds a revolution in education for our country. This first group of animators have become Jamaica's first real hope of breaking into the global animation market, a prospect that will certainly drive international investment for our country," Professor McDonald said during his address at the graduation ceremony for the cohort of students who were trained at Mona.....more
WHITE GOLD - Jamaica Looking To Earn Millions From Cotton......The Japanese government is investing just under US$107,000 (J$11 million).
The Japanese government is investing just under US$107,000 (J$11 million) to resuscitate the local West Indian Sea Island Cotton industry, for which there is an annual global demand of six-million pounds of lint.
 |
| Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Roger Clarke (left) looks on |
Less than one per cent of that amount is being supplied now.
The money from the Japanese will be used to purchase a row-crop tractor, a high-crop tractor, two boom sprayers, and a cultivator which are vital to get Jamaica on track to tap into this lucrative market where it enjoys significant competitive advantages.
Sea Island Cotton is grown commercially in Antigua, Barbados, Nevis and Jamaica. However, Jamaica is the only island capable of large production at this time.
 |
| Bales of Sea Island Cotton |
Addressing the signing ceremony last Tuesday, Dalkeith Hanna, chairman of the Jamaica Agricultural Development Foundation (JADF), said that there is a niche to be filled.
Hanna - who represents Jamaica on the Board of the West Indian Sea Island Cotton Association (WISICA), the organisation which owns and controls the trademark - said there are few other crops which can compete with its potential for value addition. more
IN JAMAICA Careers & Education : Iris Gelly Primary shines.....MANY of its students are from poor single parent households or are orphans whose parents' lives were snuffed out through gun violence....manages to churn out scholarship recipients, talented athletes and socially aware students each year from its Arnett Gardens locale.
 |
| Grade 3 students take time from their lessons to greet our cameras. (PHOTOS :KARL MCLARTY) |
MANY of its students are from poor single parent households or are orphans whose parents' lives were snuffed out through gun violence. Still, Iris Gelly Primary School manages to churn out scholarship recipients, talented athletes and socially aware students each year from its Arnett Gardens locale.
The institution is highly regarded by parents from the surrounding communities in the Kingston 5 area, because the majority of students at the institution are able to get placement at some of the most sought after traditional high schools in the Corporate Area each year. The school's GSAT examination results surpass the national average and its present literacy rate is over 80 per cent. But perhaps even more encouraging for principal Veronica Gaynor is the fact that most parents have realised the role the school has been playing in the lives of their children to unearth their potential and give them a chance to extend themselves beyond their circumstances.
 |
| The Iris Gelly Cub Scouts |
"Parents in here will call us the prep school of Arnett Gardens. 'Ghetto Prep', that's what they call us," said Gaynor.
"We try to ensure that the children achieve success and we try not to keep them in the inner city. We try to expose them as much as possible. So if a child wants to choose Campion College, we try to work with the child, work with the parents, and offer guidance," she said.
Gaynor said many of the students had not been made to venture far outside their immediate environs prior to going to the institution. As such, the school has sought to get them more acquainted with life outside the inner city. more
38th GIBSON RELAY SIMPLY BRILLIANT: Outstanding performances highlight at Gibson Relays in JAMAICA.....CALABAR High School produced some scintillating performances
 |
| Calabar changed baton ahead of Kingston College |
CALABAR High School produced some scintillating performances at the 38th staging of the Gibson Relays in breaking the Class One and Class Three 4x100m relay records, while Kingston College responded by smashing the Class Two record in what could be a prelude of what is to come at next month’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships yesterday.
Calabar, with World Youth 200m champion Michael O’Hara anchoring, sped to a magnificent 39.61 seconds, erasing their old mark of 39.95 done in 2009.
The expected challenge by KC never materialised with news filtering through that star sprinter Zharnel Hughes was injured and the famed ‘Purples’ eventually messed up the final exchange and failed to finish.
But by then, the elegant, high knee-lifting O’Hara and Calabar were out of sight. St Jago World Youth 400m champion Martin Manley showed that his 10.42sec run at the Camperdown Classic was no fluke, carrying St Jago to second in a pretty good 39.99 seconds.
The outstanding Akeem Bloomfield and Jevaughn Matherson responded for KC and lowered the Class Two record of 40.76sec done by JC in 2012 to 40.65 seconds. more
Woman Attempts To Kill Husband Via Oral Sex By Adding Poison To Vagina......CAUTION, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU LICK! COZ THIS TING MAYBE POISONOUS.
An unidentified Brazilian woman is being sued by her husband for allegedly trying to kill him, reports theUK Mirror. And what was the woman’s weapon of mass destruction? Her poisonous vagina!
According to court documents, the woman actually painted a poisonous substance on to her vagina and lured her unsuspecting husband to bed. She then asked him to perform oral sex on her.
The man, who is also unidentified, was reportedly more than willing to oblige his seemingly sex-fueled wife, but when he began to perform his husbandly duties, he noticed an unfamiliar odor emanating from her privates.
The man reportedly became so concerned about the strange smell — fearing that there was something medically wrong with his wife — that he insisted she accompany him to the nearest hospital to be examined by a physician.
After the pair arrived at a Sao Jose do Rito Preto hospital, the woman was put through a series of tests in order to find the root of the foreign odor. The wife’s ruse was reportedly discovered when doctors detected the poison and it was revealed the woman had in fact concocted a plan to orally poison her hubby with her vagina. more
Fire! 13 homeless.....6 houses razed in East Kingstonn tenement......"I lost everything," she said, as she struggled to hold back the tears.
 |
| A policewoman offers a drink to Jacqueline Shawna Russell who lost all her possessions in yesterday’s fire in East Kingston. Russell was one of 13 victims of the blaze. (PHOTOS: KARL MCLARTY) |
Thirteen people, including five children, were yesterday left homeless when fire of unknown origin gutted six houses in a tenement yard in East Kingston.
Police report that at about 11:30 am residents in the area saw smoke coming from a house located off Wellington Street and raised an alarm.
"I was on the road talking to a friend and I heard someone shout out fire," said Deadre Lewis.
The 47-year-old female resident said she rushed to investigate and found that her house was among several buildings on fire. The discovery triggered a mad rush as residents, armed with buckets of water, made a desperate attempt to put out the blaze.
They were forced to beat a hasty retreat as the heat and smoke from the angry blaze made their task difficult.
 |
| Residents remove furniture from one of the houses gutted by fire off Wellington Street, East Kingston yesterday. |
As the fire razed the houses, residents from neighbouring streets rushed to remove furniture and other items from their homes in fear that the fire would spread.
Lewis was not so lucky. "I lost everything," she said, as she struggled to hold back the tears.
Jacqueline Shawna Russell, 36, was another female resident counting her losses as she was left with only the clothes on her back. "Everything I work hard for gone," said the obviously distraught Russell, who sat on a sidewalk, her head in her hands as she wept. more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)