15 Reasons to Use Apple Cider Vinegar Every Day.....1) Apple cider vinegar can detoxify your home. 2) It can make your hair shine. 3) Natural apple cider vinegar regulates the pH of your skin. 4) Apple cider vinegar can aid in weight loss. 5) Apple cider vinegar will balance your entire inner body system & more.....

BY LISA MITCHELL
May  4, 2012 1:08 PM EDT

Apple cider vinegar is my new obsession. I recently began taking apple cider vinegar shots a few times a day for a quick and effective energy burst. However, I've since discovered so many other useful ways to incorporate apple cider vinegar (ACV) into my daily routine.

It's effective for pretty much anything—your skin, your hair, your house, and even your pets can benefit from its qualities. Raw, organic, unfiltered and unpasteurized, apple cider vinegar is so much more than a salad dressing!

1. Apple cider vinegar can detoxify your home.

It's made from apple juice and is fermented to hard apple cider. It's then fermented a second time to become apple cider vinegar. By using ACV in lieu of other products, we instantly decrease the consumption of unnatural chemicals in our homes and daily lives.

2. It can make your hair shine.

Apple cider vinegar can be used as a rinse for your hair after shampooing, and will boost your hair's body and shine. I recommend recycling an old shampoo bottle, then filling it with 1/2 a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a cup of cold water. Pour the solution through your hair after shampooing several times a week for dramatic results.

3. Natural apple cider vinegar regulates the pH of your skin.

Dilute ACV with two parts water, and spread the concoction over your face with a cotton ball to replace your current toner. You can do this at night after washing, and in the morning before you apply your moisturizer. A dab of apple cider vinegar can also be left on the skin overnight to fade age spots or acne scars. It's also a recommended agent for warts. For warts, soak a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar, then fasten the cotton ball over the wart with a Band-Aid overnight. The skin may swell some as it reacts with the solution. However, the wart will fall off. Once it falls off, the treatment should be continued for a few more days, to make sure the wart doesn't return. more

APPLICATION OPENS April 1 - May 15, 2014: PALAS goal is to award 100 scholarships & computers in 2014 to high school and tertiary level students residing in the Caribbean region for the 2014-2015 academic year. Apply online at www.PALAS1.org . PALAS awarded 60 scholarships in 2013. Please spread the word by SHARING.

Please make a donation online at www.PALAS1.org.

Deadline to donate is June 15th. Thank you.

TRACK & FIELD in JAMAICA: Santos upstages Merritt over 400m; Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce wins JII 200m in 22.53 secs & Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare (11.19) took the Women’s 100 metre

Saturday, May 03, 2014 | 11:13 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- World 400 metre champion LaShawn Merritt was upstaged by Luguelín Santos of the Dominican Republic over the distance in the Jamaica International Invitational meet held at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday.

In a close finish Santos (44.82) the World Championship bronze medallist edged Merritt (44.86).

Santos (right) displays his 400m bronze
 medal on the World Champs podium in
 Moscow 2013 along with silver medallist
Tony McQuay (left) and Merritt, both of
the United States.

Meanwhile, double World and Olympic champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce (22.53) took the 200 metre from American champion Kimberly Duncan (22.61) with Jeneba Tarmoh also of the US in third on 22.69 seconds.

World indoor champion Francina McCrory of the US won the Women’s 400 metre in 50.24 from Jamaicans Stephanie McPherson (50.58) and Novlene Williams Mills in 50.90 seconds.

Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare (11.19) took the Women’s 100 metre from Kerron Stewart with the Men’s equivalent won by Justin Gatlin in 10.08 seconds. more 

MICHAEL JACKSON DANCES TO JAMAICAN DANCEHALL MUSIC

Post by Angel.

MARTIN COBB, 8-year-old boy beaten to death as he tried to protecting his 12-year-old sister from a brutal rapist.....“He was a lovely little boy. He didn’t deserve this,” said the children’s aunt, Geraldine Pitchford

Eight-year-old Martin Cobb (Image via WWBT, from Cobb's family)

by Katie Wall, NBC News | May 2, 2014 at 4:06 PM

The family of an 8-year-old boy beaten to death as he tried to defend his 12-year-old sister from a brutal rape gathered outside their home Friday, grappling with the details of the vicious attack.

They leaned on one another, crying, shaking and struggling to understand the loss of little Martin Cobb.

“He was a lovely little boy. He didn’t deserve this,” said the children’s aunt, Geraldine Pitchford, choking back tears in front of the family’s home in Richmond’s working-class Southside. Martin’s mother was too distraught to come outside.

The neighborhood’s calm was shattered Thursday, when police rushed to the home at 6:30 p.m. The brother and sister had been playing on train tracks behind the family home’s backyard.

The suspect approached the pair, who often played together, and attempted to sexually assault the girl, police said.

Martin tried to help his sister, and the suspect struck him in the head with a brick, reported NBC affiliate WWBT. He died at the scene. more

13.5 inches PENIS man Jonah Falcon To Become Penis Museum's Most Outstanding Member.....The largest penis in the world.

 (NSFW) HuffPost  | by  Buck Wolf Posted: 05/02/2014 2:08 pm EDT Updated: 05/02/2014 7:59 pm EDT

Inner Circle ‘Happy’ with Pharrell’s monster hit.....Last year, American singer/producer Pharrell joined the list of artistes to record at the facility, owned by the Inner Circle band....Jay Z, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, Drake, Rihanna, Lil Wayne, Sean Paul and Shaggy are some of the big names who have recorded at Circle House.

Friday, May 02, 2014 | 10:00 AM 

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Since its launch 15 years ago, the Circle House recording studio in north Miami has been used by a number of major acts. Last year, American singer/producer Pharrell joined the list of artistes to record at the facility, owned by the Inner Circle band.

One of the songs he did was a dance number called Happy which turned out to be a monster hit, topping charts in the United States, the United Kingdom and 20 other countries.

Pharrell and Ian Lewis of Inner Circle

Roger Lewis, founding member and guitarist of Inner Circle, told OBSERVER ONLINE that Pharrell spent considerable time at Circle House working on G I R L, his second album which was released this year.

He says Happy's runaway success is another shot in the arm for Circle House.

"It brings so much credibility to the studio because it's such an international smash record. And the fact that it was recorded at Circle House makes more legitimate producers want to come there and work to try to capture that same creative vibe," Lewis said.

Circle House opened nearly 30 years after Lewis and his younger brother and Inner Circle bassist Ian, re-located to South Florida.

It came in wake of Bad Boys and Sweat (A La-La-La-La Long), two massive hit songs that revived the band's fortunes.

Jay Z, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, Drake, Rihanna, Lil Wayne, Sean Paul and Shaggy are some of the big names who have recorded at Circle House. more

IN JAMAICA: Police vigilant after removing Gaza murals.... High alert following an operation in Portmore, St Catherine, which saw them removing murals of incarcerated entertainer Vybz Kartel from walls in the Waterford community.

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Saturday, May 03, 2014  

THE St Catherine South Police are on high alert as they continue to receive threats while executing their duties aimed at returning law and order to the division.

The section of wall prior to the ‘makeover’.

The police made the revelation yesterday following an operation in Portmore, St Catherine, which saw them removing murals of incarcerated entertainer Vybz Kartel from walls in the Waterford community.

"For the past month, police in divisions across the island have been on alert as the police high command has raised the threat levels to extreme," Senior Superintendent of policeNoel Christie, head of the St Catherine South Police, told the Jamaica Observer.

According to SSP Christie, the division has been on high alert since Kartel's March 13 murder conviction for his role in the disappearance of Clive 'Lizard' Williams. Kartel, whose given name is Adidja Palmer, will serve 35 years in prison before he will be eligible for parole. The entertainer's three associates -- Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St John -- were also found guilty.

"After the conviction, police have received a number of threats and, at one point, we were told that the station in the division would be attacked," he said.

SSP Christie said the recent shooting death of another man, believed to be an "influential person" in the Portmore community, was another reason why authorities remained on the lookout. more

TORONTO, CANADA: Jamaican patois interpreter shortage causes mistrial, leaving alleged drug smugglers in legal limbo....One of the most glaring examples was a misuse of the Patois term “dash wey,” a Jamaicanized version of the English term “dash away.”

Exactly three years after they were arrested at Toronto’s Pearson airport, a pair of accused Jamaican drug smugglers remain unable to stand trial because of a critical shortage of Jamaican Patois interpreters.

With more than 170,000 Jamaican-Canadians in the Toronto area, the region is a Canadian hotspot of linguists able to negotiate their way through the occasional “irie” and “ya nuh see?”

Even Toronto Mayor Rob Ford appears to have an adept grasp of the Caribbean dialect, as per a secretly taped rant released in January.

Related

• Translator error sinks woman’s refugee hearing
• ‘I took the small knife and then the big knife’: Interpreter haunted by alleged honour killer Peer Khairi’s words

Nevertheless, just last week a long-delayed trial of the two accused smugglers ended in a mistrial because the interpreter found by the court in Brampton, Ont., was deemed to be incompetent.

“I am shocked that, in a jurisdiction like Brampton, with the diverse population and the criminal caseload including narcotics matters involving Pearson International Airport, the availability of accredited Jamaican Patois interpreters is so slim,” wrote Ontario Superior Court Justice Clayton Conlan in the April 24 decision to end the trial.

One of the most glaring examples was a misuse of the Patois term “dash wey,” a Jamaicanized version of the English term “dash away.”

In testimony, a defendant had used the term to refer to a lethal threat made against his family; a gangster had threatened to “dash wey” (kill) his father. more

The Fruits And Veggies With The Most Pesticides.....EWG's Dirty Dozen Report Lists The Most Pesticide-Heavy Fruits And Veggies Of 2014

AThe Huffington Post  | by  Sarah Klein

An apple a day usually keeps the doctor away -- unless it's ridden with pesticides.

For the 10th year in a row, nonprofit advocacy agency the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released its list of the most pesticide-contaminated produce, and once again apples top the Dirty Dozen. The Dirty Dozen, part of the EWG's yearly Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, is compiled from U.S. Department of Agriculture data on 48 fruits and veggies with pesticide residue data. About 65 percent of the produce samples test positive.

That's bad news for a few reasons: Pesticides have been linked to developmental problems in children, and may act as carcinogens or throw off the endocrine system, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"For decades, various toxic pesticides were claimed to be 'safe' -- until they weren't, and either banned or phased out because they posed risks to people," Sonya Lunder, EWG's senior analyst and author of the Shopper's Guide report said in a statement. "While regulators and scientists debate these and other controversies about pesticide safety, EWG will continue drawing attention to the fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide loads."

For the third year, the EWG has also included two runners up with traces of some of the more dangerous pesticides that don't quite fit into the Dirty Dozen. This year, that prestigious honor goes to leafy greens (which include kale and collards, according to the EWG) and hot peppers, which ranked 12th on last year's list.

But the Dirty Dozen, listed below, doesn't give us permissions to skip the produce with high loads. Rather, consider purchasing organic varieties of these fruits and veggies, and be sure to pick plenty of produce from the Clean 15. more

U.S. Creates 288,000 Jobs In April, Unemployment Rate Falls To 6.3% from 6.7%....The number of long-term unemployed fell 300,000, the sharpest drop in 2½ years, to 3.5 million.

Posted: 05/02/2014 8:31 am EDT Updated: 05/02/2014 1:59 pm EDT

The U.S. economy added 288,000 jobs in April, as the unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Here's more from the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a robust 288,000 jobs in April, the most in two years, the strongest evidence to date that the economy is picking up after a brutal winter slowed growth.

The Labor Department also said Friday that the unemployment rate sank to 6.3 percent, its lowest level since September 2008, from 6.7 percent in March. But the drop occurred because the number of people working or seeking work fell sharply. People aren't counted as unemployed if they're not looking for a job.

Many of those who stopped looking for work last month had been among the long-term unemployed — people out of work for six months or more. The number of long-term unemployed fell 300,000, the sharpest drop in 2½ years, to 3.5 million. Economists said most of them likely gave up looking for work rather than found jobs. more

MICHAEL JACKSON - "Love Never Felt So Good" (New Music May 2014) #RulaBrownNetwork

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St. Mary & Portland, JAMAICA: Eastern Schools Welcome Food For The Poor Furniture Donations.... Under its School Furniture Campaign, Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica aims to distribute no fewer than 15,000 desks and chairs by the end of the academic year in July 2014.

Gleaner Published: Friday | May 2, 2014 0 Comments

It was the same cry that resonated throughout several schools across St Mary and Portland which recently received timely donations of much-needed furniture. "Thank you, Food For The Poor for making a difference!"

These students of Jacks River Primary School
 in St Mary are far more comfortable and
happy having received new desks
and chairs from Food For The Poor.

The charity organisation's team has, over the last few weeks, been travelling to schools across the parishes as it seeks to alleviate the discomfort experienced by many students, some of whom have had to stand during lessons or share a desk with a fellow student. Under its School Furniture Campaign, Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica aims to distribute no fewer than 15,000 desks and chairs by the end of the academic year in July 2014.

Executive director of FFP Jamaica, Jacqueline Johnson, said the charity organisation has been working since January this year to ensure that as many students as possible are comfortable while learning. "In some of the schools visited by our teams, the conditions under which the students had to learn were appalling. Some of the furniture were termite infested while others were broken. We have a duty to assist our students in their educational development and to fulfil their dreams and aspirations." more

Chikungunya declared an epidemic in the Caribbean....“By definition this is an epidemic since it represents an unusual number of cases of this problem where we would never have it before,” Dr Hospedales told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC)

Chikungunya Is the New Virus to Be Spread by Mosquitoes

ORANJESTAD, Aruba, Thursday May 1, 2014, CMC – The head of the Caribbean Public Health Authority (CARPHA), Dr James Hospedales, has declared the Chikungunya virus has reached epidemic proportions in the Caribbean. “By definition this is an epidemic since it represents an unusual number of cases of this problem where we would never have it before,” Dr Hospedales told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

The mosquito-borne illness was first detected in the Caribbean in December 2013, in St Martin, and last week Antigua and St Vincent and the Grenadines became the latest countries to declare an outbreak.According to Dr Hospedales, as of April 28, there were 4,108 probable cases in 14 countries across the region. He also stated that Caribbean countries have been putting measures in place to address the spread of the virus.

“PAHO (the Pan American Health Organisation) since 2012 had done a preparatory briefing, in July of last year we convened a Caribbean-wide virtual meeting of the chief officers in the countries in the labs, to highlight this emerging threat and to adjust our surveillance protocols and laboratory testing to have early detection..  more 

'Cancer, other charities not sexy enough for corporate Jamaica'....So there are a lot of things working against us because of what we are about," she said of the organsiation established in 1955. Dr K'adawame K'nife, a director of the office of social entrepreneurship at the University of the West Indies, Mona,

Friday, May 02, 2014 Jamaica Observer    

CORPORATE Jamaica views the support of cancer initiatives as unsexy, which results in reduced project funding, according to the charity group, Jamaica Cancer Society.

"Cancer is not glamorous or fun," declared Yulit Gordon executive director at the Jamaica Cancer Society at the Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI) discussion held at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston on Wednesday. "So when we go into corporate organisations and ask for support of your programmes (by nature of what we do at the Jamaica Cancer Society and the product that we sell which is the fight against cancer) you find that there are companies out there (but not all) that would not want to align their brand with a cancer-fighting initiative because when they look at it they do not see the returns.

"It's not something that their customers will embrace."

Gordon added that ethical considerations also eliminate some large companies from being approached.

"You may think that it's only the tobacco companies but there is also alcohol, there are certain foods that when you look at the labelling it's a good cause for cancer diagnosis. So there are a lot of things working against us because of what we are about," she said of the organsiation established in 1955.

Dr K'adawame K'nife, a director of the office of social entrepreneurship at the University of the West Indies, Mona, urged the social enterprises to monetise their services by placing a value on their volunteerism.

"When I ask, 'where is your business plan', you hear, 'we do not operate a business'. But you are in the business of life, which is the most important business," said K'nife, who argued that replacing their services would come at a cost.

"People tend to undervalue your own worth. What if you were not doing the things you were doing, what would have been the situation." If you truly apply the counter-factual then you recognise just how much value you have created from the activities you are doing despite the fact that you do not have the resources you need to do it."

K'nife pointed out that monetising services would allow social enterprises to reduce the need for "begging" international donor support.

The discussion entitled 'Lets Talk-Social Economy Matters' was the first in a series of discussions to be hosted by SEBI, which is part of the JN Foundation. SEBI is designed to create an enabling business environment for non-governmental organisations. more

JAMPRO & EWI HOOKUP: Company with Jamaican connection offers to bail out Energy World Inyernationals (EWI) Jamaicans pay 42 US cents per kilowatt hour for electricity, and it is believed that when the project is fully implemented the cost will be reduced by approximately 30 per cent.....The total cost of financing the project is US$737 million

BY HG HELPS Editor-at-Large helpsh@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, May 02, 2014 Jamaica Observer   

A Chinese company based here has approached the Government's investment company, Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro), with a view to assist with the fallout arising from Energy World International's (EWI's) failed bid to meet all the requirements to construct a booster energy plant on the island.

A usually reliable source told the Jamaica Observer that officials of the Chinese company met with executives of Jampro in New Kingston yesterday and offered to work with the island to get the project off the ground.

"During the meeting with Jampro, the Chinese suggested that they were willing to work with EWI, and vowed that they could secure the necessary financing from China's Ex-Im Bank to get the 381-megawatt project going," the source said.

"The Chinese have said that they were also willing to meet with the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy, and Mining as early as tomorrow (today) to get things started," the impeccable source said.

Hong Kong-based EWI missed its deadline to pay a performance bond of US$37 million last Thursday.

The total cost of financing the project is US$737 million, of which one per cent -- US$7.37 million -- had been paid over as part of the bond arrangement.

However, EWI was pushed against the wall after it emerged that the Inter-American Development Bank, upon which EWI was relying to provide non-equity financing for the project, had opted against doing so, citing breaches of Jamaica's procurement procedures in the award of the contract.

EWI was the preferred bidder to build a power plant that would bolster the national grid by supplying it with 381 megawatts of generating capacity. more

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) : Explosion Rocks Nigeria's Capital Abuja....EARLIER: 200 Schoolgirls Kidnapped... At Least 75 Dead In Attack...

AP  | by  BASHIR ADIGUN and MICHELLE FAUL Posted: 05/01/2014 4:40 pm EDT Updated: 05/01/2014 11:59 pm EDT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A car bomb exploded on a busy road in Nigeria's capital late Thursday, killing at least 12 people days before the city is to host a major international economic forum.

The bomb exploded near a checkpoint across the road from a busy bus station where a massive explosion on April 14 killed at least 75 people. That blast was claimed by the Islamic extremist Boko Hararm terrorist network.

Associated Press

Thursday's bomb comes days before Abuja is to host the World Economic Forum on Africa, with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang as an honored guest. The government is deploying 6,000 police to protect the May 7-9 event, which attracts world leaders, policymakers, philanthropists and business leaders to discuss Africa's economic growth prospects.

Civil Defense Corps spokesman Emmanuel Okeh said rescuers with ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene of the blast on May Day, a public holiday in the West African nation.

Twelve people have been killed and 19 wounded are in the hospitals, according to Superintendent Frank Mba, the national police spokesman. He said six cars were burnt up.

Witnesses said a car laden with explosives drove close to the checkpoint and a man jumped out and ran as it blew up. A deafening explosion was followed by smaller ones as other cars caught fire and fuel ignited, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears for their safety. Mba said six cars were burnt up.

Lines of traffic are normal at the checkpoint where soldiers and police search vehicles since the bombing two weeks ago. more

KINGSTON, Jamaica : Man sold stones for chicken, water for cooking oil for $5,000.00......How on earth can people be so unkind and wicked ? Is this a sign of more to come?

Thursday, May 01, 2014 | 8:32 PM 

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A woman, who thought she was purchasing chicken and cooking oil recently, instead ended up with a box of stones, a bottle of water, and $5,000 out of pocket.

The shifty 'salesman' is to be sentenced on May 21, having entered a guilty pleaded guilty when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court this week.

In entering the guilty plea, Leonard Finn admitted to also grabbing the complainant's $5000 after delivering a box containing stones and a five gallon bottle of water. He fled the scene but was subsequently held.

The woman was expecting 50 lbs of chicken and five gallons of cooking oil.

Resident Magistrate Simone Wolfe-Reece ordered the accused remanded into custody for sentencing. more

Medical Student Auctioning Off Virginity, Highest Bidder At $550,000......The blonde “Med School Virgin” writes that she has attended “excellent private schools,” has a bachelor’s degree and is currently a student in a combined MD/PhD program at a “leading university.”

May 1, 2014 11:09 AM

A 27-year-old med school student known
as "Elizabeth Raine" is attempting to
 sell her virginity for $400,000. |
Courtesy of Elizabeth Raine

Las Vegas (CBS LAS VEGAS) – An American medical student is auctioning off her virginity to the highest bidder, and although the top offer currently stands at $550,000 – she says she does not need the money.

Using the alias “Elizabeth Raine” and operating a blog entitled, “Musings of a Virgin Whore,” the 28-year-old self-proclaimed virgin said she is willing to submit to a medical examination or polygraph as proof to the winning bidder, which will be determined when bidding concludes on May 7.

The blonde “Med School Virgin” writes that she has attended “excellent private schools,” has a bachelor’s degree and is currently a student in a combined MD/PhD program at a “leading university.” The auction website “About Me” section says that she was born in the U.S. but spent much of her time growing up abroad.

She writes on her blog that she is not using the auction “to earn status, money, or feed my own ego.” However, she does note that she obviously wants the financial benefit. more

WAKEFIELD, Trelawny: Grief and Pain Wakefield, Dumfries families mourn brutal killing of loved ones, Terrence Weston and Ralston McLaughlin....A cellular phone and wallets belonging to the men were reportedly taken from them...."My sister had a blood vessel burst in her head five years ago when after the bullet-riddled body of her daughter was found in a car trunk in America,"

BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter  Thursday, May 01, 2014    

WAKEFIELD, Trelawny - LAST week's murder of bread salesman Terrence Weston was the latest in a series of tragic incidents that have plagued the Wakefield, Trelawny, family over the last five years.

Weston, 49, and his colleague salesman, Ralston McLaughlin, 69, of Dumfries, St James, were shot dead while making deliveries in Copse, Hanover.

(L-R) Terrence Weston and Ralston McLaughlin

Police said that about 8:15 am on Saturday the usually quiet morning was disturbed by the echoes of gunshots in the vicinity where the two men were selling bread.

Upon their arrival, they found the two bullet-riddled bodies in a bushy, isolated section of the community. Weston was found lying outside the Toyota Hiace panel van in which they were travelling, while McLaughlin was slumped over the steering wheel.

The investigators suspect that robbery was the motive for the killings. A cellular phone and wallets belonging to the men were reportedly taken from them.

On Tuesday, Carlyle Appleton, a distressed brother of Weston, narrated the seemingly endless, stressful period that has beleaguered his family since the death of his niece, five years ago.

The grieving Appleton said he has been suffering from a lingering headache for the past three weeks since his sister was hospitalised for treatment of severe injuries she sustained in a motor vehicle accident in the United States where she lives.

Brothers Carlyle Appleton (left)
and Keith Bryan are a picture of
grief as they are visited by
 our news team at their
Wakefield residence.

He disclosed that all efforts are now being made to block information of his brother's death from his injured sister, who is scheduled to undergo a surgery later this week, after spending over a week in intensive care.

"Right now my brother die and we can't break the news to our sister. If we were to do that, we would have to wait until she do the surgery this week. Then, based upon her recovery we have to have a doctor in her presence before telling her," Appleton explained, during a visit to his Wakefield residence in Trelawny, on Tuesday.

With a blank stare registered on his face, Appleton recounted that five years ago his sister was also hospitalised after one of her blood vessels burst in the aftermath of the gruesome discovery of the bullet- riddled body of herdaughter in a car trunk in the United States.

"My sister had a blood vessel burst in her head five years ago when after the bullet-riddled body of her daughter was found in a car trunk in America," he recalled. "The good part about it is that the perpetrator fled to Jamaica and was picked up in Spanish Town by federal agents."

He disclosed that from that time, his mother's health started on a downward spiral.

"From those days my mother start breakdown because her granddaughter died from gunshots in the US and her daughter blood vessel burst, so we have been having it," said an obviously distraught Appleton.

But the stress for the family did not end there, as another of Appleton's nieces died after she was diagnosed with "a rare cancer of the thyroid gland". This, he said, has caused his mother's health to decline even further.

more

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: A 40 year-old Woman cop on 100 fraud-related charges of allegedly defrauding the Police Service of nearly $400,000.

Thursday, May 01, 2014    

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) -- A 40 year-old police officer will return to court tomorrow to answer to 100 charges of allegedly defrauding the Police Service of nearly $400,000.

The accused, Elizabeth Hope, a 10-year veteran, was released on $350,000 bail when she appeared before a Port of Spain court on Monday.

She was not called upon to plead to the charges that were laid indictably.

The police alleged that Hope, between 2010 and last March, with the assistance of another accused, Cherisse Austin, who is also before the court, allegedly tendered false bills and receipts of medical services done with an official stamp from a doctor.

Hope, it was alleged, billed the Police Service for medication she reportedly received while she was supposedly undergoing treatment for cancer.

The court was told that Hope had informed the police's Finance Branch that she was ill with cancer and forwarded to them a number of receipts for treatment she allegedly received as well as medication, all purported to have been signed off by a doctor named in the charge.

The prosecution had objected to bail, citing Hope as a flight risk. But her defence lawyer, Keith Scotland, disagreed submitting that his client, who was abroad on 21 days sick leave, had immediately returned to the island after finding out about the investigation against her. more

IN JAMAICA: Andrew Holness wants PM to rein in Phillip Paulwell....on the controversy raging around the process of developing a 381 MW energy plant to rationalise energy costs...."Firstly, it is highly improper and irregular that a minister of government would publicly say that he would bring influence to bear"

Thursday, May 01, 2014 

OPPOSITION Leader Andrew Holness yesterday urged Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to step in on the controversy raging around the process of developing a 381 MW energy plant to rationalise energy costs.

HOLNESS… the prime minister needs to restore the integrity
 of the process (right) PAULWELL… under pressure

Holness told reporters at a brief press briefing inside his office at Gordon House, following the budget debate yesterday, that Simpson Miller must rein in Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell, following the latest disclosures relating to the energy plant.

"I think the PM should look at that very carefully, very seriously and rein in her minister," Holness told reporters.

"Some damage has been done [and], from my perspective, I think the prime minister needs to step in. The prime minister needs to restore the integrity of the process, and the prime minister needs to act decisively and quickly to reassure the nation that we have not lost the project," he added.

Holness explained that the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has been carefully reviewing the events of the past few days relating to the project.

"We have always maintained that this is an important national project. It is an important national goal to have an efficient energy sector and to have cheaper electricity. But what we have seen happened in the past few days is that the way in which the minister is handling the project places this national goal at risk," Holness said.

"Firstly, it is highly improper and irregular that a minister of government would publicly say that he would bring influence to bear, of whatever form, on an independent commission in the form of the Office of the Contractor General. more

Rob Ford Taking Leave Of Absence Amid Reports Of New crack cocaine. Drug Video: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford To Seek Help For Substance Abuse, Lawyer Says...."He acknowledges he has a substance abuse problem and he wants to do something about it,"

AP/ The Huffington Post Posted: 04/30/2014 8:55 pm EDT Updated: 04/30/2014 11:36 pm EDT

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Mayor Rob Ford will take a leave of absence to seek help for substance abuse, his lawyer said Wednesday, as a report surfaced about a second video of the mayor smoking what appears to be crack cocaine.

The Globe and Mail newspaper reported it has viewed a second video of Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine in his sister's basement. The national newspaper reported two Globe reporters viewed the video from a self-professed drug dealer showing Ford taking a drag from a pipe early Saturday morning.

The video is part "of a package of three videos the dealer said was surreptitiously filmed around 1:15 a.m., and which he says he is now selling for 'at least six figures,'" the paper reported.

News reports of the existence of an earlier video of Ford apparently smoking crack first surfaced last May, igniting a media firestorm around Ford.

The latest crack tape report comes as Ford's lawyer, Dennis Morris, said the mayor will take a leave of absence for substance abuse. Ford is seeking re-election in the Oct. 27 vote. Morris said he spoke to Ford earlier Wednesday and said Ford has accepted that he has a problem. "He acknowledges he has a substance abuse problem and he wants to do something about it," Morris told The Associated Press.

Ford, who launched his campaign for re-election earlier this year, acknowledged last year after months of denials that he smoked crack in a "drunken stupor" after police said they obtained a video that appears to show him smoking crack. The video has never been released to the public. more

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Peter Phillips a short while ago announced a withdrawal of the bank taxes

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 | 4:08 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Peter Phillips a short while ago announced a withdrawal of the bank taxes earlier put forward as a part of the revenue package for the 2014/2015 Budget.

"We propose to replace the levy on banks and financial institutions with two measures," Dr Phillips told Parliament Wednesday.

The government proposes to introduce a 15 per cent withholding tax on insurance premiums paid to non-residents by Jamaican residents and more GCT on imported services.

Phillips stressed that his administration listened and wishes to maintain the consensus they have built in relation to the national agenda.

More information later.

JAMAICA CRICKET CHAMPION AGAIN: Rookie leg-spinner Damion Jacobs relishes amazing eight-wicket haul.....turned the Headley/Weekes Trophy Final in Jamaica's favour.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014    

GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) — Rookie leg-spinner Damion Jacobs has hailed a "perfect" day in the field, after his astonishing eight-wicket haul turned the Headley/Weekes Trophy Final in Jamaica's favour here on Monday.

Jamaica’s Captain Tamar Lambert (right)
 receives the Headley/Weekes Trophy from
 WICB Vice-President Emmanuel Nanthan
after his team won the Regional Four-Day
 Touurnament in St Lucia in a draw against
 Windward Islands, yesterday.

The 29-year-old, in only his fourth first-class game, finished with eight for 47 as the Windward Islands crashed from 155 without loss, to 217 all out in their first innings on the third day at the Beausejour Cricket Stadium.

It was the fifth-best figures by a Jamaican in the history of the modern West Indies first-class championship.

"Everything came off perfect today. As a leg-spinner, not every ball is going to come out perfectly. Leg-spinners have a lot of bad balls. But today all the variations came out perfectly — the slider, the googly, the leg-spinner came out well," Jacobs said following the day's play.

Jermaine Blackwood on-drives on his
 way to making a century against Windward
 Islands during yesterday’s final day of
 the Regional Four-Day final in Gros Islet,
 St Lucia. (PHOTOS: WICB MEDIA/RANDY BROOKS)

"So I decided if everything was coming out well I should just take it and get a five or sixer and the team was cheering me on."

"It's a dream come true. Back home you normally get those wickets, you don't expect it at the first-class level, but I thank God for it," he said.

Jacobs only made his first-class debut earlier this month against Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain, finishing with unflattering match figures of two for 90 from 28 overs. more

Mississippi Daycare Worker, Ruth Bennett Dies In Tornado, Found Clutching Toddler She Saved.... “It makes you just take a breath now,” said next-door neighbor Kenneth Billingsley,. “It makes you pay attention to life.”

Apr 30, 2014 By Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Mississippi — Ruth Bennett died clutching the last child left at her day care center as a tornado wiped the building off its foundation. A firefighter who came upon the body gently pulled the toddler from her arms.

RELATED:  UPDATED: Tornadoes Kill 9 In South; Warnings Active In Ala

“It makes you just take a breath now,” said next-door neighbor Kenneth Billingsley, who witnessed the scene at what was left of Ruth’s Child Care Center in this logging town of 6,600. “It makes you pay attention to life.”

Bennett, 53, was among more than 33 people killed in a two-day outbreak of twisters and other violent weather that pulverized homes in half a dozen states from Iowa to Tennessee. The child’s fate was not immediately known.

MEMA officials just upgraded the death toll to 12 broken down in the following areas:

• Nine in Winston County

• One in Rankin County

• One in Issaquena County

• One in Lee County

As crews in Mississippi and Alabama turned from search-and-rescue efforts to cleanup, the South braced for a third round of potentially deadly weather Tuesday. Tornadoes usually strike in the late afternoon and evening.

One of the hardest-hit areas in Monday evening’s barrage of twisters was Tupelo, Miss., where a gas station looked as if it had been stepped on by a giant.

more