Oakland 17-year-old Akintunde Ahmad, teen’s 5.0 GPA, 2100 SAT score lands him acceptance from multiple Ivy Leagues.....Yale, Brown, Columbia, Northwestern, the University of Southern California, UCLA and Howard, among others.

17-year-old Akintunde Ahmad. (Photo courtesy of YouTube/ABC)
17-year-old Akintunde Ahmad. (Photo courtesy of YouTube/ABC) 
by Lilly Workneh
When most people see 17-year-old Akintunde Ahmad, they find it hard to believe he has earned a 5.0 GPA, a 2100 SAT score and acceptance into almost every Ivy League school in the nation.
This is because Ahmad, who describes himself as a “street dude,” admits that he is often judged by his 6-foot-1 frame and waist-long dreads. In fact, the Oakland teen has been underestimated by his peers to the point where only cellphone images of his grades and test scores provide the most viable proof.
According to ABC, Ahmad — who attends Oakland Tech High in northern California — has been accepted into a number of prestigious schools including Yale, Brown, Columbia, Northwestern, the University of Southern California, UCLA and Howard, among others.
Aside from his exceptional academic record, Ahmad also plays three instruments and is a star athlete on his school’s baseball team. So much so, that he has even been approached by Yale about joining the university’s team.
“Every school he applied to is already Division 1, so he wasn’t taking a step down as far as baseball is concerned,” baseball coach Bryan Bassette told ABC.
Growing up in Oakland also exposed Ahmad to a street crime and cases of gun violence. One particular and unfortunate event involved his brother, Azeem, who invited him to a party one night that resulted in five people shot — one of them his brother. Ahmad declined to attend and instead, chose to stay home to work on an essay.
“There’s plenty of people I know who have been killed,” Ahmad told SFGate.com. “I could write a list starting in elementary school of all the people we grew up with who have been killed. I could have easily been caught up in that life. You don’t have to be a bad person to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Through it all, Ahmad’s hard work has served him well and his parents admire the humble attitude he continues to exemplify.
For now, Ahmad has narrowed down his choices to two schools and two fields of study. However, he remains undecided on whether he will attend Yale or Brown and whether he will pursue pre-med or pre-law. Regardless, it’s clear this young man has a very promising future ahead of him. more

15-year-old Saheela Ibraheem goes to Harvard after being accepted to 13 colleges...including six of the eight Ivy League schools

Shaleea_Ibraheem.jpg
Saheela Ibraheem
15-year-old Saheela Ibraheem goes to Harvard after being accepted to 13 colleges...including six of the eight Ivy League schools.From NJ.com:PISCATAWAY, NJ — Saheela Ibraheem wasn’t sure any college would want to admit a 15-year-old. So the Piscataway teen hedged her bets and filled out applications to 14 schools from New Jersey to California.“It’s the age thing.

 I wanted to make sure I had options,” said Saheela, a senior at the Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison.In the end, 13 colleges accepted her — including six of the eight Ivy League schools. After weeks of debate, Saheela settled on Harvard. She will be among the youngest members of the school’s freshman class.

DC triplets, who all have 3.7 GPA can take their pick of Ivy League schools......Malik, Ahmad and Khalil Jones are triplets who attend Georgetown Day School in Washington D.C., and they have each earned major achievements in both academics and athletics.

Triplets Malik, Khalil and Ahmad Jones. (Photo courtesy of NBC Washington)
Malik, Ahmad & Khalil Jones
Sibling rivalry usually comes with bickering and taunts — but in one household, it has turned into a friendly competition that has resulted in a stellar outcome.
Malik, Ahmad and Khalil Jones are triplets who attend Georgetown Day School in Washington D.C., and they have each earned major achievements in both academics and athletics.
The brothers, who all have a 3.7 GPA, have earned acceptance into some of the nation’s most prestigious schools and only have a few weeks to make their final decision.
The impressive trio credits their success to the discipline and work ethic instilled in them from their parents and the tough competition they have among each other.
“You can’t let the other person be better than you, because you don’t want to be the worst one right?” Khalil jokingly told NBC Washington. “So, it’s kind of like we’re always pushing each other.”
Their strong bond has encouraged the three young men to work hard and in turn, they have collectively accomplished great feats. Now, they have narrowed down their school choices but remain undecided between two Ivy League institutions: Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Either way, the Jones’ brothers are definitely on a road to much success.
Malik said, “If one of them can accomplish something, then without a doubt, I can definitely do it, too.”
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Record haul! Jamaica garner 88 medals at 43rd Carifta Games in Martinique for the 30th consecutive year and their 37th overall since the first staging in 1972.

Howard Walker, Paul Reid  Tuesday, April 22, 2014 Jamaica Observer
Jamaica unofficially racked up a record haul of 88 medals to top the 43rd staging of the Carifta Games at Stade Municipal Pierre Aliker in Martinique for the 30th consecutive year and their 37th overall since the first staging in 1972.
Jamaica’s Jauvaney James (#344) on his
way to winning the boys’ Under-18 1,500m
gold medal.
On Thursday before departing for the French territory, Neil Harrison, the head coach of the 84-member Jamaican team, the largest delegation to ever take part in the games, told the Jamaica Observer that expectations were high for yet another outstanding Carifta Games, and he was right.
The Jamaicans totally dominated the 26 other nations at the Games and garnered 88 medals, comprised of 42 gold, 34 silver and 12 bronze to break their 10-year-old record haul of 84 medals established in Hamilton, Bermuda, in 2004.
Jamaica started the day with 51 medals — of 25 gold, 19 silver and seven bronze — and collected another 37 as they dominated not only in the sprints, but the middle and long distances, hurdles and field events.
Jamaica’s Under-20 4X100m relay gold
 medallists (from left) Jonielle Smith,
Saqukine Cameron, Kadisha Dallas and
 Chanice Bonner pose after their
victory on Sunday.
Janeek Brown and Sidney Marshall got things going for Jamaica by capturing gold and silver in the Under-18 girls' 100m hurdles in 13.48 and 13.62 seconds, respectively, with Trinidadian Jeminise Parris third in 13.79 seconds.
The outstanding Jaheel Hyde won his second individual gold of the championships, running a personal best 13.10 seconds to destroy the field in the Under-18 boys' 110m hurdles final.
The IAAF World Youth Championships gold medallist led from the start and dragged teammate Roje Chin Jackson into second place in 13.46 seconds, with Barbados' Michael Nicholson winning the bronze in 13.79 seconds. more

ABIGAIL RILEYof XLCR High, 16 y-o Peace and Love Academic Scholarship (PALAS) recipient to represent JAMAICA in its first U-19 international floor hockey tournament in POLAND

Abigail Riley, PALAS recipient
April 22, 2014- PALAS student news 
(Kingston, Jamaica)

Sixteen year old Abigail Riley of Excelsior High School has been selected to represent Jamaica in a floor hockey tournament in Poland.


Abigail's trip to Poland to represent Jamaica in it's first U-19 international tournament. Jamaica is new to this derivative of floor hockey and her involvement and role on the team is key. She is the goalkeeper and has learnt very quickly says the coach. 

They are scheduled to leave Jamaica on Thursday, 24th of April to Poland for 10 days. 
Floor Hockey

Abigail is a standout student in the PALAS program, she has excellent grades in school. She plays football and is also a track athlete at Excelsior High School. The PALAS board wishes Abigail and the team the very best on their trip to Poland.

IN JAMAICA (A GOOD STORY): 21 y-o Seidg Rowe, a young volunteer on path to success despite setback....now a nursing student, she was recently selected for the Prime Minister's Youth Awardee for Excellence in Youth Service.

by JIS Tuesday, April 22, 2014 
SEIDG Rowe, a 21-year-old single mother and final year nursing student at the International University of the Caribbean (IUC), has for the past 10 years devoted herself to serving others.
SEIDG Rowe
It was, therefore, no surprise that she was recently selected for the Prime Minister's Youth Awardee for Excellence in Youth Service.
"I'm in love with volunteering... I don't see the change overnight but I know there are youths that look up to me so it's a motivation to continue," says Rowe, in an interview with JIS News.
Her years of service include coordinating health fairs for her childhood community of Rae Town; visiting and assisting the elderly at Golden Age homes; working with the Kingston Eastern Police Youth Club; and serving as assistant co-chair for the Caribbean District Committee of Service. She is also actively involved in her local church.
Rowe fondly recalls growing up in the inner-city as a time filled with fun and laughter. Life seemed to be going according to plan until she was 16-years-old and heard the words that no teen wants to hear, "you are pregnant".
She said: "I went to the doctor for just a general medical check-up and then to find out I was pregnant... I was like three months and two weeks along. It was kind of scary."
She was in shock and denial. Confused and with no help from the child's father, Rowe said she was even more determined to shine through the clouds of despair and self pity that seemed to be closing in on her.
Unable to continue attending high school, Rowe, with the support of her parents, enrolled in the Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation which has a programme for adolescent mothers. The programme assists pregnant girls, 17 and under, to continue their secondary education. 
  
Looking back, she said the experience changed her outlook. "Before I got pregnant, I was like, 'things are going on for me so I don't need to pay much attention to school work'. I didn't like to study but I said a child is involved now, I have to get my subjects... I have to get focused now. I think that she (her child) motivates me to do more," Rowe said.
Her mother, Paulette Williams, a patient care assistant at the Kingston Public Hospital ( KPH ), says when she found out that Rowe was pregnant she was more than upset, especially since she had already paid for her to sit the CSEC Examinations. However, she still decided to give her a second chance.
 more

IN ATLANTA, GA: 9 y-o boy sings gospel song while kidnapped may have saved his life....

Apr 21, 2014 By NewsOne Staff
A young boy’s love of gospel music may have saved his life. Earlier this month, police say a man kidnapped then nine-year-old Willie Myrick from his southwest Atlanta driveway.He allegedly drove the boy around for some time before dropping him off unharmed in East Point.But Willie’s actions during those terrifying three hours are inspiring people around the country. Willie says he sang the gospel song “Every Praise” until the man let him go. Read more

IN JAMAICA: TRAGEDY Beach outing ends in highway crash, many injured ....... when a minibus crashed in St Mary, resulting in most of its approximately 20 occupants being injured.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014    Beach outing ends in highway crash, many injured
A young man carries this injured woman from the
 minibus shortly after it crashed in St Mary yesterday
 afternoon. (PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON)
A beach outing turned into tragedy yesterday when a minibus crashed in St Mary, resulting in most of its approximately 20 occupants being injured.
At press time last night no deaths were reported to the Jamaica Observer, and the Oracabessa police said they had no information on the mishap.
The crash occurred at approximately 1:00 pm on the highway that links the resort towns of Ocho Rios and Port Antonio on Jamaica's northern coast.
Occupants of the bus told the Observer that they were heading from Ocho Rios to a beach in Portland for a day of fun -- a traditional holiday activity in Jamaica.
It was not immediately clear what caused the Toyota Hiace bus to run off the road into a ditch. However, persons on the scene were overheard complaining of bad driving by the driver of another vehicle.

Firefighters take one of the injured
 occupants from the bus
Crash victims, some with blood streaming down their faces and other parts of their bodies, were pulled from the bus and taken to the Annotto Bay Hospital by passing motorists.
The driver of the bus appeared to have suffered severe injuries as he was bloodied and unconscious while being taken to a waiting car.
Police and firefighters rushed to the scene and helped to rescue the victims from the wreckage, while a doctor, who was passing, stopped and examined some of the injured before sending them off to hospital. more

IN JAMAICA: Kingston Collge (KC) crowned Burger King National Schools' Debate champion with 233 points over Munroe's 175 points....The winning team, which consisted of Javair Thomas, Kevonne Martin and Chevaughn Channer, also took home a cheque valued at $300,000.

 BY KARENA BENNETT Observer writer  Tuesday, April 22, 2014  
AFTER 30 nail-biting matches, Kingston College was last Tuesday crowned the Burger King National Schools' Debate 2014 champion.
The competition, which started in January, was staged at Limelight Entertainment Complex, Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew.
Valda Ormsby (left), general manager of Burger King,
 presents the Burger King National Schools’ Debate
 Trophy to the Kingston College debate team (from left)
 Javair Thomas, Kevonne Martin, Chevaughn Channer
 and their coach Tamica Telphia.
Kingston College, which played the role of 'opposition' and argued against the motion 'This house believes that hate speech is free speech', scored 233 points to out-perform Munro, 175 points.
The winning team, which consisted of Javair Thomas, Kevonne Martin and Chevaughn Channer, also took home a cheque valued at $300,000.
Team Munro, which played the role of 'government', consisted of James Erle Kirkland, Ottieno Channer and Omar Hall. They were presented with the second- place trophy and a cheque valued at $150,000.
Chief judge Ricardo Brooks explained that strategy, research, support of definition and the distinction between what constitutes hate speech and free speech were the factors that influenced their decision.
According to the judges, they felt the 'government' had a burden to prove: that within the confines of the right to freedom of expression or the right to free speech, there exists a right to say whatever you want, however hateful or prejudicial. The 'opposition' had to prove that there was inherent harm as a result of hate speech and therefore needed to protect society.
Munro's Kirkland posited that free speech is a fundamental right and everyone has a right, granted by the Jamaican constitution, to verbally express whatever they want to say. He argued that when someone uses hate speech it is indeed free speech, as it falls within the Constitution.
Kirkland noted, however, that while hate speech might incite violence in society, the government is proposing that a hate-speech law be enacted to set boundaries, instead of criminalising the act. more

FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique: Jamaica on top at CARIFTA Games, Bahamas, Barbados also shine....Jamaica flexed their muscles yet again but fell just short of a clean sweep of the sprint relays....The Jamaicans won all but the boys Under-18 4x100 metres final....Defending champs enter last day of Carifta games with 47 medals

Monday, April 21, 2014 | 1:06 PM 
FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique (CMC) – Jamaica flexed their muscles yet again but fell just short of a clean sweep of the sprint relays while Barbados and the Bahamas also grabbed headlines at the 43rd CARIFTA Games Monday night.
The Jamaicans won all but the boys Under-18 4x100 metres final, which they seemed to have in the bag until 100m champion Raheem Chambers pulled up metres from the line.
This allowed the Bahamas to snatch gold in 40.76 seconds ahead of Jamaica who clocked 40.78 and Trinidad & Tobago, who finished with bronze in 42.41.
The Under-20 boys, anchored by Jevaughn Minzie topped the field in 39.38 seconds ahead of the Bahamas (40.35) and Trinidad & Tobago who were once again forced to settle for bronze in 40.71.
On the girls side, the Under-20 quartet of Chanice Bonner Kedisha Dallas, Saqukine Cameron and 100m champion Jonielle Smith, topped the three-team field, coming home in 44.16 seconds.
Trinidad & Tobago’s fortunes improved with silver in 45.32 seconds while the Bahamas were third in 45.47.
Kimone Shaw, the 100 metres champion, then combined with Shellece Clark, Shanice Reid and Natalliah Whyte to lift the Under-17 title in a time of 44.80 seconds, ahead of the second placed Bahamas (45.91) and the British Virgin Islands (46.30).
Minzie, Jamaica’s team captain, expressed disappointment at not winning all the relays.
“The aim was to sweep the relays. We spoke about it, so we must be a little disappointed not to take all four gold medals. We just hope the injury to our teammate Raheem is not a serious one,” he said.
Meanwhile, Barbadian Shamar Rock got Barbados on the podium when he measured 7.56 metres to win the Under-20 boys long jump.
Kevin Philbert of Curacao took silver with a leap of 7.36m while Jebaughn Fowler of Jamaica had to settle for bronze with a mark of 7.19. more

Good News: Canadian lottery winner, 64 y-o TOM CHRIST donates $40 million jackpot to charity....Crist donated the entirety of his winnings to cancer research in honor of his late wife....Still, it took Crist more than six months to tell anybody — including family members — he’d won.

Linda Carroll TODAY contributor 
"You're not getting a smile, nothing," Tom Crist told the cameraman for the required Western Canada Lottery Corp. picture. Crist donated the entirety of his winnings to cancer research in honor of his late wife.
Photo Courtesy of Western Canada
"You're not getting a smile, nothing," Tom Crist
 told the cameraman for the required Western
 Canada Lottery Corp. picture. Crist donated the
 entirety of his winnings to cancer research in 
honor of his late wife.
Unlike most big lottery winners who spend days, or even months, trying to figure out how they’ll spend their newfound riches, Tom Crist needed only a moment to decide where his $40 million in winnings would go: all to charity. Top on the list would be the medical center that cared for his late wife when she developed cancer.
Still, it took Crist more than six months to tell anybody — including family members — he’d won. The retired Calgary executive had been lunching between rounds of golf in Palm Springs when his cell phone rang and he was told the news.
“I was speechless,” Crist, 64, said in a recorded interview with Canadian public radio station CBC. “I really didn’t know what to say.”
Crist hung up the phone, finished lunch and went back to golf.
“I knew where the money was going to go as soon as I got that call,” he told the CBC. “I just didn’t want the media, the press, all that kind of stuff. So I just kept putting it off and putting it off, and putting it off.”
Finally at the behest of the Western Canada Lottery Corp., he agreed to go public and have his photo taken. The fine print on the lottery subscription he’d bought had demanded as much.
The shy and retiring senior showed up for his win photo in dark glasses and a baseball cap.
“They asked, ‘Is that your natural look?’” Crist told the CBC. “I said, yep. That’s all you’re getting. You’re not getting a smile, nothing.”
The former CEO of EECOL Electric said he didn’t need the money for himself or his family.
"I guess I've been fortunate enough through my career, you know, that I had, with the company that I was with, to be fortunate enough to have a good living and be able to remain to have a good living and look after my kids,” he told Reuters. “So, I don't really need the money."
His plan was to donate his winnings in honor of his wife Jan, who died in February of 2012 after a long battle with lung cancer.
“It’s very, very, very important,” he told the CBC, his voice starting to crack. “Because, you know, we lost a wife, a mom and a grandma. She beat it for a while, six years, and it finally caught up with her.”All of which made it supremely important for Crist to donate to cancer treatment and research. “Cancer is dear to my heart because of what happened to her,” he told the CBC. “This just gives me the opportunity to give back.”
Crist delivered his first big check — $1.2 million — on Tuesday to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, which collects donations for Calgary’s Tom Baker Cancer Centre, where Jan had been treated.

IN JAMAICA: What led a 21-y-o police constable Virdon-Ron Taylor to commit suicide? Commissioner appeals to spouses, colleagues, relatives and neighbours to report any signs of emotional unease affecting officers

Monday, April 21, 2014   
MANDEVILLE, Manchester — The Mandeville police say they have launched a detailed investigation into the suspected suicide of 21-year-old police constable Virdon-Ron Taylor at New Hall in Central Manchester, late Saturday.
The police reported that the young constable, who was assigned to the Anti-Corruption Branch in Kingston, was visiting his girlfriend when an argument developed over text messages on his cellphone.
The body of Constable Davian Thompson is placed in the
 undertakers’ vehicle last week. (PHOTOS: LIONEL ROOKWOOD)
He left the bedroom and shortly after, an explosion was heard. Taylor's body was then found slumped in a passageway with his service firearm beside him. Police placed the time of the incident at about 11:15 pm. He was pronounced dead at hospital.
Police say the scene was processed by detectives from the Scene of Crime team from Area 3.
Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington yesterday expressed shock at yet another police suicide stemming from domestic disputes.
Only last week another police constable, Davian Thompson of the St Catherine North Police Division, allegedly killed his wife, and then himself.
Ellington reminded those under his command that "the police force is not short of counselling".
Said Ellington: "We have established a fully staffed chaplaincy unit, which is offering counselling and pastoral services to every geographical division and every police formation in Jamaica. The chaplaincy unit has gone even further by establishing station pastors to further attend to the spiritual needs of police officers and also offer counseling where needed. Incidents like these are appalling." more

If You Support Legal Marijuana, Memorize These 13 Stats....US$10.2 billion: The estimated amount the national legal marijuana market will be worth in five years, according to that same ArcView report...7,500-10,000: The estimated number of marijuana industry jobs that currently exist in Colorado & more.....

Regardless of your feelings about legalizing marijuana, it's hard to deny that legal weed would be a bonanza for cash-strapped states, just as tobacco and alcohol already are.
CANNABISWith Colorado and Washington starting to tax and regulate recreational weed sales, and medical marijuana legal in 18 other states, we can finally start to put some hard numbers on the industry's value.
Numbers like:
$1.53 billion: The amount the national legal marijuana market is worth, according to a Nov. 2013 report from ArcView Market Research, a San Francisco-based investor group focused on the marijuana industry.
$10.2 billion: The estimated amount the national legal marijuana market will be worth in five years, according to that same ArcView report.
$6.17 million: The amount of tax revenue collected in Colorado on legal marijuana sales in just the first two months of 2014.
$98 million: The total tax revenue that Colorado could reap in the fiscal year that begins in July, according to a recent budget proposal from Gov. John Hickenlooper
$40 million: The amount of marijuana tax revenue Colorado is devoting to public school construction.
7,500-10,000: The estimated number of marijuana industry jobs that currently exist in Colorado, according to Michael Elliott, the Executive Director of the Marijuana Industry Group, a trade association that advocates for responsible marijuana regulation.
$190 million: The amount in taxes and fees legal marijuana is projected to raise for the state of Washington over four years starting in mid-2015, according to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, an independent agency that advises the state government on the budget and tax revenue. more

Home T back with album....Their latest project, a 16-track set entitled Send Come Call We....It is co-produced and arranged by veteran musician Mikey 'Mao' Chung and Rudolph 'Ruddy' Manning.

by Cecelia Campbell-Livingston  Monday, April 21, 2014   
HOME T, one of the most successful groups of the 1990s, is back with a new album and look.
HOME T: (from left) Leroy Palmer, Rudolph ‘Ruddy’ Manning
and Orville ‘Bagga’ Case.
Their latest project, a 16-track set entitled Send Come Call We, was recently released by Reggaeology Music. It is co-produced and arranged by veteran musician Mikey 'Mao' Chung and Rudolph 'Ruddy' Manning.
"There is a song on this CD to quench every musical thirst. Every song has its own strength and its own sound," Manning, who is also a member of Home T, told the Jamaica Observer.
A cover of Nina Simone's My Baby Just Cares For Me; Funky Reggae Party, Full A Shape, I Hear Music, Give Me Your Love and the title track are some of the songs on Send Come Call We, Home T's first album in eight years.
Orville 'Bagga' Case and Leroy Palmer, long-time Home T members, complete the current line-up.
Case, Palmer, Mikey Bennett and Winston 'Diego' Tucker were members of what was known as Home T-4 in the late-1970s. The group was formed in 1972.
Renamed Home T in the late-1980s, the quartet had several hits during that period and the early 1990s working with producers Gussie Clarke and Lloyd 'King Jammys' James.
Pirate's Anthem, Don't Throw it All Away, Who She Love and Holding On were some of their big hits.
Bennett produced Stronger Now, the previous Home T album. more

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados : TAMAR LAMBERT strokes century (121 runs) as Jamaica reach 302 vs Barbados at the close on the second day of the Headley/Weekes Trophy semi-final at Kensington Oval on Sunday....Hosts 18 for one at close on second day

Sunday, April 20, 2014 | 6:29 PM    
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Barbados, trailing Jamaica by 57 runs on first innings, reached 18 for one in their second innings at the close on the second day of the Headley/Weekes Trophy semi-final at Kensington Oval on Sunday.
Tamar Lambert stroked 121 in Jamaica’s 302 reply to Barbados 245 in the first innings.
Lambert scored 121 for Jamaica
Scores:
BARBADOS -- 245 (Shane Dowrich 69 not out, Ashley Nurse 45, Omar Phillips 33, Shai Hope 28, Ashley Nurse 25 not out; Sheldon Cottrell 3-28, Damion Jacobs 3-58, Dave Bernard 2-32) and 18 for one.
JAMAICA -- 302 (Tamar Lambert 121, David Bernard Jr 42, Jermaine Blackwood 37, John Campbell 31, Nkrumah Bonner 23; Sulieman Benn 5-102, Ashley Nurse 2-47, Fidel Edwards 2-58). more

Church leader laments increasing hardships facing Jamaicans..... Civil Service Association slams ATM tax....“I have never seen so many needy people in all my life, and they are coming to the church,” said Rev Anglin....“Basically people are fearful, people are suffering financially and the cost of living is just too high."

BY NADINE WILSON Observer staff reporter wilsonn@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, April 21, 2014  
 EASTER is regarded as a time of hope and joy, but spokesman for the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches (JUGC), Reverend Lenworth Anglin, said the church has been challenged to preach this message in the past year, given the increasing hardships Jamaicans have been facing.
01“I have never seen so many needy people in all my life, and they are coming to the church,” said Rev Anglin, who is also the immediate past executive chairman of the Church of God in Jamaica.
“The minister of security says that the crime rate is trending down, but I think there is a higher level of fear now than we have had before. People need to be reassured.
The high unemployment rate is definitely causing some jitters, although the minister of finance is talking right now and trying to appease our minds, but we face it on the ground,” he said.
“Basically people are fearful, people are suffering financially and the cost of living is just too high. People are not earning and then there is the loss of jobs, the unemployment rate is just too high, and so there is a general suffering around, which is evident,” he noted.
Rev Anglin, who was in the middle of preparing his Easter Sunday sermon when he spoke to the Jamaica Observer, said that despite all the struggles, the church has a responsibility to inspire hope and not doom.
This message is even more symbolic now as people around the world take time to remember and commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who endured extreme hardship prior to His death.
Anglin believes this message needs to be preached, regardless of the present struggles, although he is aware that not everyone will be receptive. more

IN JAMAICA: Rastas rally for legalisation of ganja..."The debate is happening here in Jamaica and the Rastafarian community is the leading community in regard to the rights of ganja here. So we want to make sure that our community and our culture is protected as it is developed into a full-blown industry here in Jamaica," .....BUNNY WAILER said,"I have been a lover of high-grade from I was as small as four years of age".

BY NADINE WILSON Observer staff reporter wilsonn@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, April 21, 2014    
A truck travels in Trench Town, Kingston, during
 yesterday’s march, mainly by Rastafarians, calling for the
 legalisation of marijuana.
MEMBERS of the Rastarian community yesterday braved the scorching sun as they marched from Half-Way-Tree to Trench Town in Kingston, as they joined the growing call for the legalisation of marijuana.
The group, which had gathered early at Mandela Park for what was dubbed a "Ganja Legalise It Day March and Motorcade", left Half-Way-Tree just after 10:00 am as they made their way to St William Grant Park in downtown Kingston, and then to the Trench Town Culture Park for a rally. The event, which was organised by Solomonic Productions and the Rastafarian Millennium Council, was well supported by the Rastarians who were adorned in their green, yellow and red while chanting "Jah Rastafari" and "Free up the ganja", some carrying the Ethiopian flag.
One of the organisers, Maxine Stowe, said the Rastarians hope to be at the forefront of the discussion on ganja going forward, given the significance of the plant in their culture. Earlier this month, there was the official launch of the Ganja Future Growers and Producers Association which comprises political officials, medical entrepreneurs and academia who are currently lobbying for the lifting of the restrictions surrounding the use of cannabis.
"The debate is happening here in Jamaica and the Rastafarian community is the leading community in regard to the rights of ganja here. So we want to make sure that our community and our culture is protected as it is developed into a full-blown industry here in Jamaica," Stowe said.
She said the Rastarians also wanted to ensure that the plant is not misused by those looking to gain from it financially.
This poster mounted in Kingston during
 yesterday’s ‘Legalise ganja march’ tells
 what marijuana lobbyists are asking for.
 (PHOTOS: COLLIN REID)
"We don't want no products to be developed like cigarettes that eventually came out of tobacco and made the thing cancerous. So we are also vigilant of all of this dissecting of the herb to make sure when you isolate the compounds, that you are not creating something that God didn't ordain for the herb," Stowe said.
She said the group has been in consultation with those who have been leading the talks on the legalisation of ganja, but they have not been in complete agreement with some of their principles. more

PALAS recipient & Medical Student, 21 y-o NICOLE NATION talks about Maia Chung Autism Foundation on CVM-TV in JAMAICA.....Nicole has received numerous awards in JA for her volunteer work. She is also one of PALAS's standout scholarship recipient and a model Jamaican. (8 mins VIDEO)

SUGAR MINOTT who died in 2010, Tribute Struggles For Sponsorship - Daughter, PASHON MINOTT Asks For Event To Honour Deserving Legend....

PasHon Minott
Pashon Minott, daughter of the
 late Sugar Minott
Published Sunday April 20, Gleaner 
Reggae artiste Pashon Minott is calling for sponsors to come on board for the fourth staging of the annual Sugar Minott's Day Tribute, which is hosted at his studio, Youth Man Promotions in Kingston.
According to Pashon, her father, who died in 2010, is a legend and is deserving of a properly produced event in his honour.
The singer says she has sent several proposals to entities with the hope that at least one would find it in their heart to be the event's title sponsor.
However, there have been no takers.
"Sugar Minott is the Godfather of Dancehall, therefore, this shouldn't be so. This is the fourth staging since Dad died and I always produced it out of my pocket, but I want the event to grow and I need assistance. Dad is a legend and has done a lot to put our music where it is today. Daddy was one of the first artistes to deejay on a computerised rhythm," she said.
Pashon does not believe her father, even while alive, got the respect he deserved and she is urging the music industry and potential sponsors to do the honourable thing and salute the Herb Man singer by contributing to this year's staging of Sugar Minott's Day Tribute. more

Entertainment : Jamaica’s OWN TAMEIKA DORMAN .....AFTER 10 years at Black Entertainment Television (BET), Jamaican Tameika Dorman decided last year it was time to move on. Her current job is at Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) as an associate producer on its highly touted series, Love In The City.

BY CECELIA CAMPBELL-LIVINGSTON Observer staff reporter livingstonc@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, April 20, 2014    
AFTER 10 years at Black Entertainment Television (BET), Jamaican Tameika Dorman decided last year it was time to move on.
Her current job is at Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) as an associate producer on its highly touted series, Love In The City.
The show, which surrounds four best friends who share "life, loss, friendship and sex" premiered April 12.
Dorman (left), associate producer at Oprah Winfrey Network,
and her boss Oprah Winfrey.
Dorman, who grew up in Portmore, says Love In The City is not another 'hot girls' show in the mould of Sex In The City and Desperate Housewives.
"It deals with issues on divorce, cancer, infertility -- issues that so many other women are dealing with on a daily basis," she told the Sunday Observer.
Dorman assists the supervising producer and crew as well as help create storylines and schedules for cast members. Putting the show together, she stressed, was "exciting and exhausting".
"Reality television consists of 12 to 14-hour work days six days a week. The hours were gruelling but working with the crew and cast was also fun," she said.
Working for the queen of American media, Dorman added, makes the job even more fulfilling.
"The thing that surprises me about Oprah is her humility and kindness. You would think she would be glamorous on a daily basis, but no, she is simple in her everyday appearance," she said.
Dorman was born in Kingston "as a healthy triplet" (one of whom died at age four) and raised in Garveymeade, Portmore. She left Jamaica at age 11. Her career in television production began 13 years ago at Bronx Net, a public access station in New York City. more