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IN JAMAICA: Expanded health centre in St Thomas eases pressure on residents, hospital.....“This is one of the best things they could have ever done for us and I am so grateful,” said a senior citizen..... His daughter Aldene said it can cost as much as $4,000 to charter a taxi to take sick relatives and friends to the hospital.

BY INGRID BROWN Associate editor – special assignment browni@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, May 26, 2014    

SEVENTY-two — year-old Donald Dayle has been struggling to find the $400 to travel from his home in Hampton Court, St Thomas to the parish capital Morant Bay every month to see the doctor.

Scores of elated residents turned out for the official
 opening of the Isaac Barrant Centre of Excellence
in Hampton Court, St Thomas, which will ease the burden
 on the Princess Margaret Hospital in the parish.
 (PHOTO: LIONEL ROOKWOOD)

But that struggle is over, as he will now be receiving medical attention at the recently opened Isaac Barrant Centre of Excellence in Hampton Court, which will serve him and hundreds of other residents from 16 communities in the eastern part of the parish as well as neighbouring communities in Portland.

“This is one of the best things they could have ever done for us and I am so grateful,” the senior citizen told the Jamaica Observer North East at a recent ceremony to officially open the facility. Many residents, who recalled when the health centre once operated as a hospital several decades ago, expressed appreciation that the facility would once again be offering some services which they could only previously access at the Princess Margaret Hospital in the capital.

Like Dayle, many of them said the transportation cost from their farming community to Morant Bay to access medical attention was burdensome. His daughter Aldene said it can cost as much as $4,000 to charter a taxi to take sick relatives and friends to the hospital.

“Mi feel so good that here so open. So much so that every night mi pass here mi say ‘Thank you, Jesus’,” she said. Irodel Harrison said the new health centre is well-needed in the parish. Although she doesn’t live in the Hampton Court community, the Port Morant resident said she has been using the facility since the days when it was a hospital.

“This is a sugar-belt community with so many accidents with machete and everybody have to go all the way to Princess Margaret, so this is a good thing,” Harrison said.

Expanded at a cost of $32 million, the type five health centre now boasts an extended waiting area and pharmacy, a well-equipped dental department, a blood lab and upgraded staff accommodation. Minister of Health and member of parliament for eastern St Thomas Dr Fenton Ferguson said the Centre of Excellence is designed to ease the pressure on hospitals as it will offer a wide range of services. The centre will also roll out some specialist services when phase two of the expansion is complete later this financial year.

“Eventually, we will have some rooms but as it is now we don’t want to bring the expectations and hope of the people above and beyond what it was designed to do,” he explained.

Given its history as a hospital, Fenton said the facility has the possibility of evolving into more than a centre of excellence. “For now, it will have an ambulance so you can move patients from there to Princess Margaret Hospital and there is a first class dental clinic which will be good because given the cost of dental care, oftentimes in rural Jamaica even when persons have the need they just don’t have the money to go for private care,” he said. more

Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.Am does a little dancehall on his latest song, Birthday, which samples deejays Aidonia and Bounty Killer.

BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer writer  Monday, May 26, 2014    

Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am does a little dancehall on his latest song, Birthday, which samples deejays Aidonia and Bounty Killer.

Birthday features Aidonia's Fi Di Jockey and Bounty Killer chanting 'Big Ship Sailing'. Birthday was co-produced by will.i.am and Damien LeRoy. It also has an appearance from American singer Cody Wise.

Will.I.AM

Birthday is scheduled to be released on June 7 by Interscope Records.

Stephen McGregor, who produced Fi Di Jockey for his Di Genius label, said his publishers at Sony Music are aware of the sample and approved its use.

"Once the publishers give clearance, then we don't necessarily know beforehand. However, my publishers are aware of it so they are on top of everything," he told the Jamaica Observer.

McGregor noted the significance of will.i.am's nod to dancehall.

"It's definitely a great look when an international artiste samples your work. It shows that there's potential for our music."

The 24-year-old McGregor has a long list of hits to his name. They include From Morning (Never Change) by his brother Chino; Don't Leave Me (Nelly Furtado); the Power Cut, Summer Bounce and Day Rave 'riddims'. He also produced songs for Sean Paul's Imperial Blaze album.

Fi Di Jockey was a chart-topper in Jamaica and the Caribbean last year. more

Columbia Records signs 17 y-o JAMAICAN artist Samantha J.....Columbia Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, has had a number of Jamaican acts on its roster over the years. Previously signed to Columbia Records were Ini Kamoze, Mad Cobra, Tony Rebel, Tiger, Super Cat and recorded for Columbia Peter Tosh

BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer writer  Monday, May 26, 2014    

SAMANTHA J

JUST one year after the release of her breakout hit Tight Skirt, singer Samantha J has signed a record deal with major American label Columbia Records.

The 17-year-old, who is currently on a promotional trip in North America, is upbeat about the Columbia agreement.

"I cannot express how happy I am to be a part of the Columbia Records family. The label has a rich history of developing great artistes and music. As soon as I have my exams under my belt, I can't wait to get back to producing music and most of all making Jamaica proud," Samantha J said in a media release.

Tessanne Chin
& SamanthaJ

The Ocho Rios-based singer won the 2014 Youth View Award for Favourite Breakout Celebrity with Tight Skirt. Her follow-up single is Hot Gal Anthem.

Columbia Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, has had a number of Jamaican acts on its roster over the years.

Previously signed to Columbia Records were Ini Kamoze, Mad Cobra, Tony Rebel and Tiger (through label affiliate Chaos Records), Super Cat and recorded for Columbia Peter Tosh, whose landmark albums Legalize it and Equal Rights were distributed by the label.....

IN JAMAICA: Easier access to public health care for HIV-infected gay men....Minister of Health, Dr. Fenton Ferguson said "That will be very helpful, as a major concern for Jamaica is the MSMs which is now consistently showing a HIV prevalence rate of 32 per cent,"

BY INGRID BROWN Associate editor — special assignment browni@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, May 26, 2014    

HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSMs) now experience little or no barrier in accessing services at the island's public health facilities despite Jamaica's stringent buggery laws which criminalises the practice.

Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson

This has been made possible by the Ministry of Health which recently facilitated the Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) training of some 60 health-care professionals, to sensitise them on dealing with this population.

Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson told the Jamaica Observer that J-FLAG has undertaken the training of a number of health professionals across the island to sensitise them on the need to better treat with this vulnerable population.

Ferguson expressed delight that J-FLAG was able to satisfactorily complete the training programme with the health-care professionals.

"That will be very helpful, as a major concern for Jamaica is the MSMs which is now consistently showing a HIV prevalence rate of 32 per cent," Ferguson said, adding that he will be reinforcing this point when he speaks at the upcoming graduation exercise for those who benefited from the training.

Meanwhile, J-FLAG said Jamaica AIDS Support (JAS) has always operated a fully functional clinic to treat its clients, including MSMs, who shy away from the island's clinics and hospitals.

According to Brian Paul, sub-regional co-ordinator of the Caribbean Forum of the Liberation and Acceptance of Genders and Sexualities (CariFLAGS) and advocate for J-FLAG over the last decade, agencies like JAS were empowered to do work with MSMs and transsexuals because the government's health system was not very embracing of diversity

given that there was a lot of hostility against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

"When you get to the gate security guards would turn you away and nurses and other administrative staff within the compound would have been hostile, and so a lot of LGBT people relied on NGOs like JAS to provide that clinical care," he told the Observer. "However, over the years with greater exposure and education, the health-care providers at all levels are now more knowledgeable on sexual diversity and because of that they are now more sensitive to the needs of the population, so we are seeing a lot

more LGBT people accessing health-care in the public sector," Paul said.

He noted that this has been the result of years of advocacy work. more

JAMAICAN, Oral ‘Nick’ Hillary sues US town in NEW YORK and police.... But his lawyer says legal action has landed him a murder charge for the death of a young white boy....

An image of Oral ‘Nick’ Hillary being taken into custody
 on May 15 by one of the officers who he filed a civil suit
 against in 2012 for wrongul arrest and unlawful search.

Monday, May 26, 2014    

A Jamaican man who sued the town of Potsdam in New York and its police force after he was detained in 2011 in relation to the death of a young white boy, was charged with murder just over a week ago in what his attorney and supporters say is a move to punish him for filing the lawsuit.

The case is mushrooming into a civil rights issue as supporters of the accused football coach, Oral ‘Nick’ Hillary, believe he is being held on trumped-up charges because he, a black man, dared to file a lawsuit against Potsdam and its police officers, one of whom is seen in a YouTube video taking him into custody earlier this month.

Mani Tafari, the lawyer representing Hillary in that civil suit, and who is himself a Jamaican, told the Jamaica Observer that his client was charged because he filed a civil claim in January 2012 against the police for false arrest and unlawful search.

“This case is so political because they (the police) took it personal when he dared to sue them,” Tafari told the Observer via telephone from New York.

On October 24, 2011, 12-year-old Garett Phillips was found strangled and smothered in the apartment he shared with his mother, an ex-police officer, whom Hillary had previously dated. Tafari explained that the police were at Hillary’s home within minutes of the boy’s death and he was kept under surveillance for two days before taken to the police station.

TAFARI... says his client was charged
 because he sued the police (right)
HILLARY... supporters maintain that
 he is one hundred per cent
 innocent of the murder charge

He was detained all day before being released without charge and his name was allegedly leaked to the press as someone the police suspected. According to Tafari, he filed a Federal civil rights lawsuit for false arrest and unlawful search. “I also made it clear that his reputation was tarnished by the report in the newspaper,” he said of Hillary, with whom he played college football.

The complaint filed in the Supreme Court of New York, a copy of which was obtained by the Observer, stated that Hillary was asked to accompany the police to the station some time after 7:45 am on October 24, 2011, and was later prevented from leaving for work. His phone, according to the complaint, was forcefully confiscated and he was placed in a holding area until 5:00 pm that day when he was released without any explanation. more

IN JAMAICA: Careers & Education, Workforce of the future....Students and Parents at Morris Knibb Preparatory School in St Andrew pull out all the stops for their Career Day exercise

Sunday, May 25, 2014 , excerpt from the Jamaica Observer   

Students and Parents at Morris Knibb Preparatory School in St Andrew pull out all the stops for their Career Day exercise on Friday, May 16, 2014. The day was also celebrated as Children's Appreciation Day. Student attended school dressed as the professionals of their choice, and were given talks by actual persons in various fields, including cops from the Duhaney Park Police Station.

For Children's Appreciation Day, a part of Child Month activities, students were also treated to cake and ice cream.

NEW YORK CITY: Al Sharpton Fights For Bronx Teen Pushed Through Window By NYPD Officer....14-year-old Javier Payne and his family joined Rev. Al Sharpton....

May 25, 2014 By NewsOne Staff

Appearing in public for the first time since allegedly being slammed through a window by a New York City police officer, 14-year-old Javier Payne and his family joined Rev. Al Sharpton on Saturday for a National Action Network rally and demanded justice, reports the New York Post.

According to Payne’s family, the eighth-grader needed 50 stitches on his side and staples in his forehead. “All we can say is that nothing justifies these results,” Sharpton said.

Read more details from the NY Daily News:

The brutal encounter began May 17 when Javier and a 13-year-old friend were arrested in the Belmont section of the Bronx after allegedly assaulting a 39-year-old man they had asked for a cigarette.

The teens were handcuffed, and Javier began talking trash to Sgt. Eliezer Pabon of the 48th Precinct, sources said.

Surveillance video captured Pabon shoving Javier from behind, causing him to crash through the window of the Hookah Spot on Arthur Ave., according to sources. more

IN JAMAICA: Taxi driver, Chester Davis, drops pants at police in escape bid... In Court, "What you mean by indecent exposure?" the magistrate asked. "Him drop him pants, your honour," the liaison officer answered. "What happen, the pants belt gave way?" she jokingly asked Davis...."Your honour, I never expose myself, I was wearing a shorts," Davis said.

Sunday, May 25, 2014 Jamaica Observer   

A taxi driver faced the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court last week for reportedly dropping his pants and showing the police his buttocks when they tried to accost him for using indecent language.

The accused, Chester Davis, was arrested and charged with indecent exposure, resisting arrest and driving with no insurance coverage.

However, last Thursday when he appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate (RM) Judith Pusey he denied the allegations.

"What you mean by indecent exposure?" the magistrate asked.

"Him drop him pants, your honour," the liaison officer answered.

"What happen, the pants belt gave way?" she jokingly asked Davis.

"Your honour, I never expose myself, I was wearing a shorts," Davis said.

As a result, his bail was extended for him to return to court on June 26. He was also told to go to the Traffic Court on July 17 to answer to the traffic offence.

According to police reports, on May 16 police personnel were on their way to court when Davis, who was travelling in his motor car, swerved on the road in front of the court and uttered several expletives.

He was reportedly heard by the police who chased him to Molynes Road where he ran onto a business place, pulled down his pants and exposed himself to the lawmen to prevent them from arresting him.

However, the police called for back-up and he was taken into custody and charged.

Man admits to cheating

with his neighbour

There was laughter in the court on Tuesday after an accused man openly confessed that he was a cheater and that his cheating was the cause of the problem between him and his woman.

"All this is coming from cheating," he said. "I am a cheater, I go as near as next door."

Berchel Mayne was dragged before the court for hitting his common-law wife in her back, causing bruises and swelling and assaulting a police officer by tearing his shirt when he was being arrested

Interestingly, Mayne, before his confession, initially blamed the complainant for causing the problem between them.

"Your Honour, she is a very nice woman but she ignorant," he said while claiming that she always attacked him with a weapon.

"Your Honour, one time she run me down on the road in a tights and brassiere with a chopper, a stone and a cutlass," he said.

Mayne then told the court that he was a good man in his community, a good man to the complainant, and treated her well.

The magistrate then asked him if he did not hit the complainant and he admitted that he did but said he was innocent of the other charges of resisting arrest, assaulting a constable and malicious destruction of property.

However, the complainant who fathered three children by Mayne during their 14-year relationship, denied Mayne's report and told the court that he was an abusive man who had hit her several times, even during pregnancy.

"Your honour, that's not true, ask anybody in the community, I never hit her before. I am not a woman beater," he said.

Mayne then told the court that the complainant had thrown him out of the house since the incident and he was suffering. more

IN JAMAICA (Gays pressured UWI to fire Professor BAIN) : Pressure mounts on UWI as Bar Association criticises firing of Professor Group plans 'massive protest' for tomorrow Sunday, May 25, 2014

 Sunday, May 25, 2014    

OPPOSITION to the sacking of Professor Brendan Bain continued to mount Friday as the influential Jamaican Bar Association (Jambar) took the University of the West Indies (UWI) to task while expressing concern that the controversial decision could have an adverse impact on experts giving testimony in Jamaica.

BAIN… fired for testimony in Belize case

At the same time, a group that started an online petition in support of Professor Bain said it has planned "a massive protest" for tomorrow at the UWI's main gate starting at 8:00 am.

The group, which said that more than 1,900 persons have already signed the online petition that has been sent to UWI Vice Chancellor Professor Nigel Harris' e-mail address, stated that the protest was being staged because of Harris' silence in the face of mounting opposition to Professor Bain's dismissal as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Network.

"Stand up for what is right. We will not be silenced. Join thousands of other people from across Jamaica outside the vice chancellor's office (across from UWI Mona Campus main gate). This is not about your ideological background but about the principle of standing up for justice," the group said in an e-mail sent to petitioners and the media.

The UWI has been the target of heavy flak since last Tuesday when it announced that it had cashiered Bain because he has lost the confidence of the community that the CHART was established to serve.

CHART, which is funded by the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), is designed to equip health care workers and counsellors with the skills to treat persons living with HIV. The programme also has an education component aimed at ending stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.

The UWI made its decision after being pressured by a coalition of 33 gay and human rights lobby groups from across the Caribbean to fire Bain because of expert testimony he gave in a constitutional challenge brought by a gay Belizean man against that country's criminal code.

The Belizean, Caleb Orozco, had argued in September 2010 that the code, which states that "every person who has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person or animal shall be liable to imprisonment for 10 years", violates his right to the recognition of human dignity, to personal privacy and the privacy of the home guaranteed by the Belize constitution. more

IN JAMAICA: A Manchester man's horrible St James mystery.....as a result of the severe burns he has gradually lost sight in both eyes; has hearing problems in his right ear and has trouble eating and talking.

BY ALICIA SUTHERLAND Sunday Observer staff reporter sutherlanda@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, May 25, 2014    

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — It's a horror story with no obvious explanation.

In August 2011 Alwayne Smith, who is now 27, woke up in the Cornwall Regional Hospital suffering from severe burns.

Smith after the incident showing
burns over face, back

Incredibly, he claims that he has no idea how or why he was injured. He told the Jamaica Observer that the last thing he remembers prior to waking up in hospital is going to bed at a house in Montego Bay.

Smith's badly maimed face greeted the Sunday Observer recently as he sat on the verandah of his mother's house in Oxford, deep rural North West Manchester.

He also bears scars to his neck, upper back and feet.

Apparently, as a result of the severe burns he has gradually lost sight in both eyes; has hearing problems in his right ear and has trouble eating and talking.

Without having to utter a word, Smith presented a horrid picture of pure trauma.

The way he tells it, he left Oxford for Montego Bay in July 2011 for a job interview in the hotel industry.

Short of money, he decided to stay at an unoccupied house owned by a friend in Long Bay while waiting to see if he would get the job.

Meantime, he took temporary work helping another friend who had a truck and a contract with a large western Jamaica company to distribute mainly food items to businesses.

On August 7, 2011 he was free for the day and went to visit yet another of his friends.

He remembers returning from that friend's house sometime after midnight and going to bed shortly after. He remembers smoking before retiring to bed and when he came out of a coma in hospital seven days later, he was told that he had been found severely burned and left for dead at a roadside. Smith insists he has no recollection of the presumed assault on him.

Smith before the incident

"The doctor did a sey if mi never wake up inna the next two day maybe dem woulda pass mi dead," Smith told the Sunday Observer.

When contacted, the Barrett Town Police in St James - that supports the Long Bay area - told the Sunday Observer that they were unable to find any information on the incident. Up to press time the Constabulary Communications Unit (CCU) had not provided promised feedback.

According to Smith, the conclusion of the police in the initial stages was that his injuries may have been the result of an acid attack. However, according to him, doctors said that it could have been caused by a fire torch. more

BREAKING NEWS: ELLIOT RODGER, MASS MURDERER in CALIFORNIA SHOOTING, UC Santa Barbara Drive-By Shooting Leaves Several Dead .....7 dead and 7 injured

AP  | by  RAQUEL MARIA DILLON

GOLETA, Calif. (AP) — A drive-by shooter went on a rampage near a Santa Barbara university campus that left seven people dead, including the attacker, and seven others wounded, authorities said Saturday.

The gunman got into two gun battles with deputies during Friday night's rampage in the beachside community of Isla Vista before crashing his black BMW into a parked car, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said.

Deputies found him dead with a gunshot wound to the head, but it wasn't immediately clear whether he was killed by gunfire or if he committed suicide, he said.

A semi-automatic handgun was recovered from the scene near the University of California, Santa Barbara. Investigators know the gunman's name, but Brown said he couldn't release it pending notification of relatives."We're analyzing both written and videotaped evidence that suggests that this atrocity was a premeditated mass murder," Brown said.

The rampage broke out around 9:30 p.m. in the student enclave reputed for parties, including an annual spring bash that turned into a violent blowout last month. Brown said the shootings occurred at several sites, resulting in nine crime scenes. more

Miracle Tabernacle Christmas Treat for The Children of Clarendon, JAMAICA

Miracle Tabernacle  

Freetown Church of God

Of Prophecy Outreach

Clarendon, Jamaica

Go to www.ShopSampars.com to send your support.

 

Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller to be awarded Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree....She will deliver the keynote address at the Lafayette College's 179th Commencement Ceremony in Pennsylvania, United States

Saturday, May 24, 2014    

PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller was scheduled to leave the island yesterday for Pennsylvania, United States, where she will deliver the keynote address at the Lafayette College's 179th Commencement Ceremony.

A Jamaica House statement said Simpson Miller will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from the institution.

Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller

Expressing delight at the decision of the Jamaican prime minister to address the graduates and parents, President of Lafayette College Alison Byerly said her visit was expected to provide an opportunity for discussion on ways in which Jamaica's quest to develop its economy and enhance its global connectedness might lead to new opportunities for Lafayette students and faculty.

The college president said consideration was also being given to strengthening Lafayette's academic community with outstanding and highly qualified Jamaican students who are interested in future leadership roles and in helping their country's efforts to transform its economy and civil society.

Lafayette College, at the same time, has decided to establish a scholarship fund to enroll future students from Jamaica. The scholarships will cover the full financial needs of the recipients for four years, in addition to a stipend for overseas study experience. The college has six Jamaicans among its alumni since 1997. more

Cops, West Kingston Residents Mend Fences...."We want to break away from the stigma of the police being seen as the aggressor. We want to work with the police to show that we can get things done," said Carlisle Brown, a Denham Town resident.

Published: Saturday | May 24, 2014

The Denham Town Police Station has often been the flashpoint of the tempestuous relationship that existed for decades between police and residents from that west Kingston community.

Residents of Denham Town in Kingston turned out in
their numbers to help give the police station a
 facelift yesterday.

Claims of extrajudicial killings and police brutality have triggered some explosive confrontations between the two sides, some of which resulted in heavy and sustained gunfire on the police station.

But all of that was a distant memory yesterday as scores of residents - armed with brooms, paintbrushes and machetes - joined employees from the West Kingston Power Partners to give the station house a complete makeover on Labour Day.

There were refreshments and plenty of laughter as they set about improving the working conditions for the police officers whose actions they have not always agreed with. For some who braved the heat, it was an opportunity to bury the hatchet.

"We want to break away from the stigma of the police being seen as the aggressor. We want to work with the police to show that we can get things done," said Carlisle Brown, a Denham Town resident.

Asserting that the police were there to help, Brown underscored that his community and the police can enjoy a good relationship.

"Everyone used to bash the police and the police used to bash us saying, 'Nutten good can't come out a Denham Town'. But this goes to show that we can work together," he noted.

POSITIVE STEP

It was a view shared by Senior Superintendent Steve McGregor, commanding officer for the Kingston West Police Division, who called the commingling of residents and police personnel "a new dawn" in the relationship.

West Kingston Energy Partners' chief executive officer, Wayne McKenzie, said this was one of the things that influenced his company to get involved in the project. more

QUEENS, N.Y: Gays block Queen Ifrica .....Artiste yanked from New York show after protest....According the New York Daily News, the protest is being led by openly gay City Councilman Daniel Dromm.

BY BRIAN BONITTO Associate Editor - Auto and Entertainment bonittob@jamaicaobserver.com Saturday, May 24, 2014   

REGGAE entertainer Queen Ifrica has been pulled as headliner at Amazura Concert Hall in Queens, New York, tonight, due to mounting pressure from the gay community.

Six other Jamaican female acts are also booked to perform.

QUEEN IFRICA

"She is not performing... everyone else will. The show will go on though," John Rios, manager of Amazura Concert Hall, told the Jamaica Observer.

The manager said his mega club is opened to everyone as "there's no discrimination".

"We're not prejudiced against anyone. I welcome the gay community and we get along with everybody," he said.

Yesterday, a 200-strong protest was held outside the club. The organisers called for a halt of the 'Invasion of the Queens' show, which they said contributes to violence against lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals and transgenders.

According the New York Daily News, the protest is being led by openly gay City Councilman Daniel Dromm.

"We don't need homophobic people like her coming to Queens to spread their message of hate," he was quoted as saying.

Queen Ifrica, 39, whose given name is Ventrice Morgan, is known for her strident lyrics, including Keep It To Yourself, Daddy and Times Like These.

The Rastafari entertainer expressed her disapproval of the homosexual lifestyle at last year's Independence Grand Gala celebrations in August which prompted culture minister Lisa Hanna to express regret at the utterances.

In her response, Ifrica's management team released a statement which, in part, read: "Queen Ifrica expresses that, while she remains grounded in her morals which espouses heterosexuality, she wants to make it abundantly and emphatically clear that she does not condone nor has ever supported or advocated violence against any group or community, whether implicitly or explicitly." more

ST. JAMES, JAMAICA: 14-year-old boy arrested & Teenage female becomes 2nd suspect in connection with the brutal killing of 9 y-o Romaine Robinson

ST JAMES, Jamaica -- A 14-year-old boy was Friday morning arrested in connection with the brutal killing of nine-year-old Romaine Robinson, whose body was found bound and gagged in bushes in Plantation Heights, St James, on Thursday.

Information reaching OBSERVER ONLINE is that the boy is likely to be charged for Romaine's murder.

Reports are that both boys had an altercation sometime shortly before the murder.

The police have denied earlier reports that the 14-year-old has confessed to murdering nine-year-old Romaine.

Gwendolyn Todd-Foster, grandmother of
nine-year-old Romaine Robinson, and
 Robert Anderson, a community member, reflect
 on the death of the little boy, Thursday.
(PHOTO: ALAN LEWIN)

A female has become the second suspect linked to yesterday’s murder of nine-year-old Romaine Robinson who was found stabbed to death in Plantation Heights in Cambridge, St James yesterday. 
 
Earlier today, the police reported that a 14-year-old Cambridge High School male student confessed to the killing. The teenage boy, who reportedly committed the murder, was arrested by the St James police this morning. It is reported that the teen who also resides in Plantation Heights fought with the nine-year-old boy before killing him. 

READ:Nine-year-old MoBay boy murdered ... body found in bushes with throat slashed 

The police say arrangements are being made for the teen to be questioned in the presence of his parents and attorneys. Romaine Robinson, a grade-three student at the Bickersteth Primary School, was found by a citizen who stumbled upon his bloodied body about 4:30 yesterday morning. Excerpted from the Observer and The Gleaner.

115 y-o, Jeralean Talley Is The Oldest Living American..... Has Some Perfectly Simple Advice Worth Following 1) Follow the Golden Rule 2) Always have a sense of humor 3) Keep active 4) But don't be afraid to occasionally indulge & more..... (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post  | by  Kate Abbey-Lambertz

Happy Birthday, Mother Talley!

Jeralean Talley is America's oldest living woman on record. And as she turns 115, we'd all do well to follow her example.

"Mother Talley," as she's sometimes called, celebrates her birthday Friday. Born in 1899, the supercentenarian has seen three centuries, and still seems to be going strong. According to the Associated Press, she's visiting the doctor Friday, but still feels healthy.

The Gerontology Research Group keeps a record of the validated longest-living people in the world. According to the GRG, Misao Okawa, who is 116 and lives in Japan, is the oldest living person. Talley is a close second.

Talley lives in Inkster, Mich. but was born Jeralean Kurtz in Montrose, Ga. She lived on a farm where she picked cotton and peanuts, according to Time. She moved to Michigan in 1935 and married her husband, Alfred Talley, in 1936. The two were together 52 years before he died. more

STERLINGS TO SELL THE BASKETBALL TEAM Los Angeles Clippers: Donald Sterling Agrees To Let Wife Negotiate Sale Of Clippers: REPORTS STORY DEVELOPING.

The NBA may be able to find new owners for the Los Angeles Clippers without a protracted legal battle with the current ones. Banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling has agreed to allow his wife, Shelly Sterling, to negotiate the sale of the team, according to TMZ and ESPN.

Donald Sterling & wife, Shelly Sterling,

The longtime owner of the Clippers, Sterling was banned from the NBA and hit with a $2.5 million fine over racist remarks heard in audio recordings that were made public in April. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made it clear when announcing the sanctions on April 29 that he would urge the league's other owners to force a sale of the Clippers.

Shelly Sterling is currently negotiating with the NBA to sell the team, reported TMZ on Friday.

Citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the situation, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN subsequently reported that Shelly and her legal team have been negotiatingwith the NBA since the ban was issued.

STORY DEVELOPING... more 

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What Should I Do If My Pastor Attempts to Sleep With Me?

BY MARIA IN CHRISTIAN NEWS · MAY 22, 2014 

The spirit of sëxual immorality has tormented so many that they do not even realize they are in bondage. It is such a sorry state to know that some men of God allow themselves to be the workshop of the devil and let the temple of the Lord get soiled with sins of sëxual lust. It is God’s will that He dwells in us and for us to be vessels of honor to Him alone. God, through Paul, in the book of 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 says that it is his will that we stay holy and away from sëxual sin. Each and every person should control himself and live in holiness and honor and not in lustful passions like pagans who do not know God and His ways.

Should anyone get caught in a situation where his or her pastor wants him to indulge in sëxual sin, he or she should not condemn him as he is also human and thus subject to temptation. The victim should not give in but firmly stand to his or her Christian values. The victim should without any fear whatsoever let the pastor know that he or she fears the wrath of God as his/her body is the Lord’s temple and defiling it with sëxual sin is too great a sin to commit.

Should the advances continue even after several attempts of warnings, the victim should not go straight ahead to air the pastor’s misconducts since he is neither without blemish. Instead, the victim should try and keep the matter very discreet and try to get the pastor help from the proper source by reporting the matter to the highest authority in church.

We should not let the desires of the flesh overwhelm us as Galatians 5: 19 warn us that when you follow the desires of your sinful nature the results are sëxual immorality, uncleanliness, and impurity which draw us away from God.......by Brian Skyz

CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS: 'It is terrible'.... Painful and rapid spread of new virus in Caribbean....They suffer searing headaches, a burning fever and so much pain in their joints they can barely walk or use their hands. It's like having a terrible flu combined with an abrupt case of arthritis.

By EZEQUIEL ABIU LOPEZ  Friday, May 23, 2014    

SAN CRISTOBAL, Dominican Republic (AP) — They suffer searing headaches, a burning fever and so much pain in their joints they can barely walk or use their hands. It's like having a terrible flu combined with an abrupt case of arthritis.

In this May 15, 2014 photo, five-year-old Karla Sepulveda,
who suffers chikungunya fever symptoms, waits with her
 grandmother for treatment in the paediatric area of a public
 hospital in the coastal town of Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.
The mosquito-borne virus, common in Africa and Asia, arrived
in the Caribbean in late 2013 and has affected more than
 10,000 people in the Dominican Republic. (PHOTO: AP)

Hospitals and clinics throughout the Caribbean are seeing thousands of people with the same symptoms, victims of a virus with a long and unfamiliar name that has been spread rapidly by mosquitoes across the islands after the first locally transmitted case was confirmed in December.

"You feel it in your bones, your fingers and your hands. It's like everything is coming apart," said 34-year-old Sahira Francisco as she and her daughter waited for treatment at a hospital in San Cristobal, a town in the southern Dominican Republic that has seen a surge of the cases in recent days.

The virus is chikungunya, derived from an African word that loosely translates as "contorted with pain". People encountering it in the Caribbean for the first time say the description is fitting. While the virus is rarely fatal it is extremely debilitating.

"It is terrible, I have never in my life gotten such an illness," said Maria Norde, a 66-year-old woman confined to bed at her home on the lush eastern Caribbean island of Dominica. "All my joints are in pain."

Outbreaks of the virus have long made people miserable in Africa and Asia. But it is new to the Caribbean, with the first locally transmitted case documented in December in French St Martin, likely brought in by an infected air traveller. Health officials are now working feverishly to educate the public about the illness, knock down the mosquito population, and deal with an onslaught of cases. more

TESSANNE CHIN and The Dancing Junkanoo at Atlantis in CANADA (VIDEO).

After supper Tessanne was treated to some local form of entertainment as some 
of her fans, who also worked at the hotel got her involved in a little Junkanoo

Sweet 58th Celebration...This year's Sugar Minott's Day Tribute will be a day earlier than Minott's actual 58th birthday, which is on May 25.

Curtis Campbell, Gleaner Writer Published: Friday | May 23, 2014 

Sugar Minott

Minott Movements and Black Roots have collaborated to host the fourth staging of Sugar Minott's Day Tribute, in honour of the late dancehall godfather Lincoln 'Sugar' Minott, tomorrow. It will be held at Youth Man Promotions HQ, 1 Robert Crescent, Kingston 5.

This year's Sugar Minott's Day Tribute will be a day earlier than Minott's actual 58th birthday, which is on May 25.

The event, which started in the US, promises to deliver strong musical displays and performances from some of Jamaica's best entertainers. Minott, who died in 2010, was well known for songs such as Herbman Hustling, Good Thing Going, Mr DC, Buy Out The Bar and Never Gonna Give Jah Up, among many others.

The concert's theme this year is 'Unity is Strength' and Minott's daughter Pashon said it is relevant as Minott's offspring are now combining their efforts.

SPECIAL DAY

CAPLETON

"We are all working together to make the day special. Our father was a very peaceful man, so this is what he would have wanted. Patrons turning out will get a chance to see the Minott children performing. Blaw Minott, Blay Minott and myself will be giving performances, as well as his grandchildren, Destiny M and Swag J," she said.

The Minott family will also host a family and fans get-together on Sunday, May 25, where they will be showing videos of Sugar Minott's performances as well as playing music from his lengthy catalogue. That will also be held at Youth Man Promotions HQ. more