NO TRIPLE CROWN WINNER THIS YEAR: TONALIST WINS THE BELMONT STAKES.....CALIFORNIA CHROME FINISHED 4th. #TRIPLECROWN #RULABROWNNETWORK #BELMONTSTAKES #CALIFORNIACHROME

Tonalist, who didn’t compete in either the Kentucky Derby or Preakness, could be a wild card Saturday. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
Tonalist
Results

1) TONALIST
2) COMMISSIONER
3) MEDAL COUNT
4) CALIFORNIA CHROME

NEW YORK (USA Today) — If there’s a lesson to be learned from recent Triple Crown history, it’s that Saturday’s Belmont Stakes probably won’t be an easy, breezy run in the park for California Chrome, the heavy favorite.
There’s a reason only 11 horses have won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes in the same year. There’s a reason why 12 horses since 1978 have captured the first two races, then failed to add the final leg to join racing royalty.

There are lots of reasons, actually. But one is that there are always a number of other very fast horses ready to run their very best against the one entry many race fans simply can’t see losing. That’s the position in which California Chrome finds himself this year. It’s the same spot others have been in before, and they were beaten.....

JULY1 is New date for Tessanne Chin's debut album, 'Count of My Love', for Universal EMI.

Saturday, June 07, 2014    
JULY 1 is the new release date for Tessanne Chin's debut project, Count of My Love, for Universal EMI. The set was originally slated for June 24.
01
Tessanne Chin
The singer disclosed the new development at a soirée hosted in her honour by telecommunications firm Digicel at their Corporate headquarters on the Kingston Waterfront on Wednesday.
Citing directives from the label, Chin did not go into details.
A month ago she appeared on the NBC talent Show, The Voice, to drop the first single Everything Reminds Me of You.
She said, so far, she is pleased with the feedback.
"The response has been great. I am so happy with the feedback I'm getting. It was this kind of response that caused the label to drop the single earlier than planned... when they saw what was happening on social media after the performance on The Voice, they had to release it... it was not part of the original plan. But it proves that it's all in the hands of the people and I am so happy for the support," said Chin.
The album features tracks produced by the likes of Supa Dups and hitmaker Diane Warren.
"I love her," stated Chin, when questioned about her experience working with Warren.
"I grew up listening to the songs this woman wrote and through the label we were able to get her on board to contribute a song... she is an amazing writer, so versatile and so much fun to be around."
Warren has penned hit tracks for the likes of Air Supply (Lonely is the Night); Celine Dion (Because You Loved Me, Next Plane Out, Love Can Move Mountains); Brandy (Have You Ever) and Whitney Houston (I Didn't Know My Own Strength).
Chin will be using The Voice tour to promote her new project. The concert series begins in San Antonio, Texas on June 21 and ends in late August.
"Dem a go kill me," Chin joked about the gruelling tour schedule. "But it's something I have always wanted to do just take my music to the people."
-- Richard Johnson

Music & violence - Ninjaman rubbishes correlation.....So, is there a link between Jamaica's violent crimes and violent dancehall music? Controversial deejay Ninjaman says no. WHAT DO YOU SAY?

BY CECELIA CAMPBELL-LIVINGSTON Observer staff reporter livingstonc@jamaicaobserver.com  Saturday, June 07, 2014    
IF you are what you eat, do you become what you listen to? Well, according to recent findings, this is the case.
A new study by the American Psychological Association reveals that songs with violent lyrics increases aggressive thoughts and emotions. The findings appeared in the May issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
A series of experiments was conducted with over 500 college students from Iowa State University and the Texas Department of Human Services. They were fed a diet of seven violent songs by seven artistes and eight non-violent songs by seven artistes. The students listened to the songs and were given various psychological tasks to measure aggressive thoughts and feelings.
So, is there a link between Jamaica's violent crimes and violent dancehall music?
Controversial deejay Ninjaman says no.
According to the 'Don Gorgon', the violence present in cartoons and movies far outweighs what is in the music.
"Cartoon nuh violent? Movie nuh violent?" the deejay questioned. "There is a greater level of violence in these. When a man see something, the effect is greater than when him hear it. Movie show you how fi pull down gun and set it up; how to plan, executive, and get away with a robbery. When nuff man a deejay 'bout violence, a what dem see inna movie," he told the Jamaica Observer.
"Music just can't influence a man fi go do badness. If him go do badness, it's based on what was already happening in some of these violent communities," said Ninjaman, whose real name is Desmond Ballentine.
Turning to his own music and the influence some of his lyrics may have on society, Ninjaman stated that it was all about fun.
"When we sing 'bout one house a gun, it was fun and drama. Dem yout' now a sing 'bout shot off yuh head and all the things what they see in the movies — the Matrix-type killing — or things already happening in their communities. Dem a build lyrics based on what dem see on TV."
Consulting psychologist Dr Leahcim Semaj argues that anything consumed transforms the individual.
"Don't just think of metabolism as what you eat. We absorb through our pores, our nostrils, and what you eat," he said. more

Bolt skips Golden Spike, Paris Diamond League meets due to injury....World’s fastest man unsure when he’ll resume competing.....US sprinter Justin Gatlin, who set a year-leading time of 9.87 seconds last month, will replace Bolt in Ostrava, organizers said.

 Friday, June 06, 2014 | 11:26 AM    
PRAGUE (AP) — Usain Bolt said he will skip the Golden Spike meet in the Czech Republic city of Ostrava and a Diamond League meet in Paris because he is behind with his training following a foot injury.
"I had to miss some training in late March and early April due to a foot injury," Bolt said in a message to the organizers on Friday. "Thankfully, my foot is 100 per cent healthy now and I am back in full training."
01
BOLT
But, "due to the training that I missed I am behind where I am at normally at this time of year and will not be ready to race in the Ostrava Golden Spike meet or Meeting Areva in Paris."
The Golden Spike is scheduled for June 17, and the six-time Olympic champion was to race for the seventh time there. US sprinter Justin Gatlin, who set a year-leading time of 9.87 seconds last month, will replace Bolt in Ostrava, organizers said.
The Paris meet is on July 5.
Bolt said it was not clear yet when he might return to competing.
"It is important for me to take my time this year as I have three tough years ahead in 2015, 2016 and 2017 as I attempt to defend my world and Olympic titles," he said. "I definitely plan to compete this season."
Bolt previously said his goal for 2014 was to break his own 200-metre world record of 19.19.
Last year, Bolt won the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay at the world championships. He won the same three races at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and the 2009 Worlds.
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Hotel developers to spend $76 billion on projects in JAMAICA ...through to 2015. Still to come is a $2.2-billion medical tourism hospital facility to be built by Spanish-based Hospiten group.

Friday, June 06, 2014    
HOTEL developers are expected to spend $76 billion through to 2015 on projects already in the pipeline for Jamaica.
Some of the 10 properties, which will add 2,300 rooms to Jamaica's room count within two years, have already begun or have already been completed, according to the Government filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Carib Hospitality is spending $1.8 billion on its ongoing hotel development of the 130-room Courtyard by Marriott in New Kingston, while the RIU group spent $3.9 billion to open the 232-room RIU Palace in December 2013.
Additionally, the Tourism and Leisure Development International (TLDI) group is currently spending some $9 billion to build 520 new rooms for a Playa Hotel.
Still to come is a $2.2-billion medical tourism hospital facility to be built by Spanish-based Hospiten group.
Phase two of the Fiesta Group's Grand Lady Paladium hotel, which is projected to cost $20 billion to build the 800-room hotel, is still awaiting building approval and a casino gaming licence.
"The former Grand Lido Braco, Royal Decameron at Paradise Cove, Ritz-Carlton, Poncianna and Breezes Runaway Bay are under new management and are currently undergoing, and will reopen after, major refurbishment," said the Government filing to the SEC. "Approximately $12 billion has been committed to refurbishing these properties.
"The Grand Lido Braco is under refurbishment and expansion. The Ritz-Carlton is still under construction and expansion to reopen as Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall with an additional 193 rooms."
The tabulation of these projects, which runs between 2013 to 2015, is meant to show that the island can attract investment.
In addition to the private sector investments, the notice speaks to the long-delayed, Government-conceived Harmony Cove project, which once again aims to start this year. more

KINGSTON, JAMAICA: Seaview Gardens in residents beg for peace....One year after CLAUDETTE Lawes' brother Richard Lawes and three other men were slain in Seaview Gardens,

 BY KARYL WALKER Editor - Crime/Court Desk walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, June 06, 2014    
CLAUDETTE Lawes' spirit is still broken.
One year after her brother Richard Lawes and three other men were slain in Seaview Gardens, Kingston she has still not found closure.
01
The March for Peace
Yesterday, she was almost at a loss for words as she recalled her shock and awe at receiving word that her brother was cut down by bullets from the guns of ruthless gangsters who were thirsty for blood. "I am still not over it yet. It was really shocking and hard to take," she said in a soft tone.
Lawes, along with Dwight Robinson, Jerome Anthony Goodness and Omar Smith, were victims of a deadly attack by three gunmen who pounced on a group of persons who were playing cards in a section of the community known as 'Marley'. Two other persons were injured in the incident.
Another grieving resident told the Jamaica Observer that none of the four men were involved in any criminality and that they were killed because they lived at that section of the community. "They killed them for no reason as they were all hardworking and had stable families," the woman said.
Despite the pain, however, the grieving residents want peace in their community.
Yesterday, the St Andrew South Safety and Security Branch and grieving residents organised a peace march and meeting in Seaview Gardens to continue the healing process, with the hope that the community does not descend into anarchy and bloodletting again. more

From VYBZ KARTEL With Love....The 15-song album is available digitally and on compact disc. It is distributed by Tad's Record....includes new tracks such as You Want Me, Miami Vice Episode, My Love, My Love, Guest House and Addi Truth

REGGAE Love Songs, a collection of tracks by imprisoned deejay Vybz Kartel, was released Tuesday.
The 15-song album is available digitally and on compact disc. It is distributed by Tad's Record.
From Kartel With Love
The set includes new tracks such as You Want Me, Miami Vice Episode, My Love, My Love, Guest House and
Addi Truth. There are also collaborations with Keshan on Don't Call This A Love Song and PG13 on
Love Mummy.
Reggae Love Songs is the latest Kartel compilation from Tad's. Last September, the company released the 60-track Kartel Forever: Trilogy. Prior to that, the label distributed the Pon Di Gaza 2.0 and Pon Di Gaza Mi Sey albums.
The 38-year-old Kartel (real name Adidja Palmer) and three co-accused were given lengthy prison sentences in April for the August 2011 murder of Clive 'Lizard' Williams.
Kartel will serve 35 years at hard labour before he is eligible for parole.

CRICKET LOVELY CRICKET: Emotional and teary-eyed Chris Gayle delivers cryptic message during academy launch at Lucas Cricket Club in JAMAICA, West Indies

Friday, June 06, 2014    
Emotional and teary-eyed as his academy was launched yesterday at Lucas Cricket Club, West Indies player Christopher Gayle, known for his hard-hitting style when batting, aimed a few mysterious blows in the direction of the Jamaica government.
STAR CRICKETER, CHRIS GAYLE
Near the tail-end of a substantial speech, relating boyhood stories and his early years at Lucas CC, the Jamaican left-handed opener, who is on the verge of playing his hundredth Test match, changed the pace of proceedings with a cryptic message.
"I've only asked my country for two things ever. I've asked for two simple, simple things from the government and they told me 'no'... and I'm not going to get into details of what it is," the 34-year-old told those in attendance.
Continuing, Gayle, said he will not make a third request, while adding that the late West Indies and Jamaica all-rounder Laurie Williams had also been refused a favour before he died in a car crash at age 33 in 2002.
"I've done so much for hospitals here, schools and everything, and I ask my country for a small favour.
"I remember another national cricketer, Laurie Williams asked for a favour from the government, he died and didn't get it, and that's a man who represented his country. more

MORE GOOD NEWS FOR OBAMACARE: Obamacare Has Drastically Cut The Uninsured Rate For Blacks, Hispanics

A new survey confirms that Obamacare is most helping some of the very people it was designed to help: blacks, Hispanics and low-income Americans.
insured rate
The uninsured rate among blacks has tumbled 6.2 percentage points so far this year, according to a new Gallup poll, based on telephone interviews with 30,430 American adults from April 1 to May 31. The Hispanic uninsured rate fell 5.6 percentage points between the end of the year and the time of the survey. In contrast, the white uninsured rate fell 3 points.
The uninsured rate is still higher for blacks and Hispanics than for whites. Even after the rollout of President Barack Obama's health-care reform law and Obamacare's first open-enrollment period, 14.7 percent of blacks and 33.1 percent of Hispanics remain uninsured. Nationally, that rate is 13.4 percent, according to Gallup, down from 17.1 percent at the end of last year. more
demographics

Look what happened when a grandpa want to play football with young players.

#BringBackOurJamaica: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finishes disappointing 8th again as Bowie takes Rome 100m at the Rome Diamond League in 11:31 seconds on Thursday.....Gatlin romps Rome 100m; Nesta Carter second

Thursday, June 05, 2014 | 2:53 PM 
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Olympic and World 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finished a disappointing eighth over the distance at the Rome Diamond League in 11:31 seconds on Thursday.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
American Tori Bowie won in 11.05 seconds ahead of Jamaicans Kerron Stewart and Simone Facey in 11.08 and 11.13 seconds respectively.
Bowie is coming off a win in the 200 metres in the Eugene Diamond last week where Fraser Pryce also finished eighth.
Earlier on the men’s side, Jamaica’s World Relay 100m gold medallist Julian Forte and compatriot Rasheed Dwyer finished fourth (20.49) and fifth(20.51) respectively in the 200m.
Justin Gatlin continued his fine run in the 100 metres this season taking the Rome edition of the Diamond League circuit in 9.91 seconds.
Jamaica’s World Relay 100m gold medallist Nester Carter (10.02) and compatriot Kemar Bailey-Cole (10.26) finished second and eighth respectively. Great Britain’s Adam Gemili was third in 10.07 seconds. Gatlin leads the Diamond standing on eight points....

Entertainment : The Jamaican invasion, 17 local acts booked for California festival...They are Bull Bay-based band Raging Fyah; vocal trio The Tamlins; John Holt; veteran deejay U-Roy; Sly and Robbie; as well as roots singers Mykal Rose, Horace Andy and UK-based Bitty McLean.

Thursday, June 05, 2014 
A SLEW of Jamaican acts are scheduled to perform at the 21st annual Sierra Nevada World Music Festival set to take place in Boonville, California, from June 20-22.
SLY &  ROBBIE
A total of 17 reggae and dancehall acts have been advertised for the three-day festival.
The Sierra Nevada show, along with another California event, Reggae On The River, are the longest-running 'reggae' festivals in the United States.
Fast-rising roots reggae act Kabaka Pyramid and his Bebble Rockers band are among the headliners for the first night. He will be joined by dancehall act Chuck Fenda and the veteran deejay Josey Wales.
Shaggy heads the line-up for Saturday, June 21, which has seven other Jamaican acts. They are Bull Bay-based band Raging Fyah; vocal trio The Tamlins; John Holt; veteran deejay U-Roy; Sly and Robbie; as well as roots singers Mykal Rose, Horace Andy and UK-based Bitty McLean.
The festival culminates with ska pioneer Derrick Morgan, Morgan Heritage, Tarrus Riley, Carlton and The Shoes, and Barrington Levy.
TAURUS RILEY & DERRICK MORGAN
The Sierra Nevada Music Festival was first staged in 1994 by organiser Warren Smith. Despite its 'world music' claim, it primarily focuses on roots reggae.
This year, California reggae band Rebelution Seun Kuti, Cultura Profetica, SambaDá, Saritah, Candelaria, Jambinai, and Zvuloon Dub System are among the non-Jamaican artistes.
Sound systems Mighty Crown from Japan, Comanche High Power from the US, and Britain's Adrian Sherwood are also on the roster....

LONDON, ENGLAND (BBC) : Hospital feed company 'saddened' by baby death

The manufacturer of a hospital feed "strongly linked" to the death of one baby and illness of 14 others has said it is "saddened" by what has happened.
Baby in neonatal unitITH Pharma managing director Karen Hamling said it was co-operating fully with an inquiry by health officials.
The baby died from blood poisoning at St Thomas' Hospital in south London from suspected contaminated drip food.
Public Health England said babies at six hospitals developed septicaemia from the Bacillus cereus bacterium.
'Establish facts'
Ms Hamling said in a statement: "ITH Pharma is very saddened to hear about the death of a baby in hospital, and that 14 others are ill with septicaemia.
"ITH Pharma is a specialist manufacturer of parenteral nutrition, which is given to babies in neonatal intensive care units.
"The products in question, which are no longer in circulation, are made to order for individual patients on a daily basis, in response to bespoke orders from hospitals.
"We are co-operating fully with the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) in the investigation, and are doing everything we can to help them establish the facts in this case as quickly as possible."
Public Health England (PHE) said the cases were "strongly linked" with a number of batches of a particular form of the intravenous liquid made by the London-based company.
Paul Cosford, PHE's director of health protection, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a possible point when contamination entered the products last week had been identified. more

Prime Minister, Portia-Simpson: I will not fire Phillip Paulwell....PM sees nothing displeasing in Paulwell’s actions..."...And that would be my decision, not yours,"

BY BALFORD HENRY Senior staff reporter balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, June 05, 2014   
PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller yesterday expressed a vote of confidence in her energy minister, Phillip Paulwell, informing the House of Representatives that the job remains his, unless he displeases Jamaicans in a serious way.
PAULWELL… gets vote of confidence from prime minister
"Let me make it quite clear: I have a minister of energy in place. Unless he does something wrong that would affect and impact the Jamaican people in a serious way, and the Government of Jamaica [he will not be fired]," Simpson Miller said, in responding to a question from Opposition Leader Andrew Holness.
"...And that would be my decision, not yours," Simpson Miller said in a sotto voce remark as she sat down.
Prime Minister Simpson Miller was answering questions from Holness in the House of Representatives on the 381 megawatt energy project.
At one stage she asked Paulwell to stand and show Holness that he was not "paralysed" by his recent failure to pin down the energy plant project.
"It is a very important statement you have just made," Holness reacted, recalling that the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) had expressed the view that the procurement process was flawed and that Paulwell's contribution was improper.
Holness criticised the prime minister for not taking any action in response to the comments made by the contractor general in his special report on the matter. But Simpson Miller reminded the House that her administration had disagreed with the report. more

IN JAMAICA: Local entrepreneurs among six recognised — for excellence in microfinance at the third annual Citi Foundation-Caribbean Microfinance Alliance (Citi-CMFA) awards

BY ARLENE MARTIN-WILKINS Associate editor - news martina@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, June 05, 2014    
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Six entrepreneurs, including two Jamaicans, were Tuesday night recognised for their successes as microentrepreneurs at the third annual Citi Foundation-Caribbean Microfinance Alliance (Citi-CMFA) awards, which formed part of the Fifth Caribbean Microfinance Forum (CMF V) now on at Iberostar Rose Hall Suites Hotel in St James.
CITI CMFA Caribbean Microfinance Awards winners Samuel
 Andrew (third left), Eider Romero (5th left) and Eved Jose
 Corado (sixth left) pose with (from left) the Multilateral
Investment Fund's Ryan Tang and Winsome Leslie; Therese
 Turner Jones, Inter American Development Bank; Christopher
 Johnston, Citi Jamaica; and Michell Scott and Ramesh
 Persaud, Caribbean Microfinance Alliance.
The two Jamaicans were noted photographer William Foster, who operates Foster's Photo Studio in Kingston, and Elsa Waysome, who started T&T Herbs in Clarendon which processes and sells dried herbs such as cerasse, sarsaparilla, and Meringa. Foster and Waysome finished second in their respective categories — Best Technology Microentrepreneur and Best Rural Microentrepreneur — at an awards ceremony that saw two Belizeans and a Grenadian winning the three top prizes.
Belizean Eved Jose Corado copped the Best Technology Award — a plaque and US$3,000 cash prize — for a tech company he started in the rural San Jose Village in 2009 with a microloan. The company, Etech Services, offers a range of services covering photocopying, graphic design, video editing and the repair and unlocking of cellular phones.
Meanwhile, the Best Rural Microentrepreneur category was topped by Grenadian Samuel Andrew, another microloan beneficiary, who was honoured for setting up a modern farm in Hartford Village in the Spice Island.
The third category, Best Young Entrepreneur, was won by 16-year-old Belizean Eider Romero, who started his fruit popsicle business in 2009 with a loan from his parents. A micro loan from a credit union later helped Eider to expand ER's Icy Treats to the point where it now turns over US$45,000 in annual sales and employs six people. Another Belizean, 25-year-old Eliel Reynoso, finished second in the category for his business, Hawaiian Ice Parlour, that serves up tangy sweet-and-sour snow cones. more

Protesters demand action after police officer shoots and killed 93-year-old woman, Pearlie Golden....“She was a nice elderly lady,” said Andrew Washington (VIDEO).


HEARNE, Texas — The city of Hearne, Texas, is reeling after a police officer shot and killed a 93-year-old woman.
Neighbors now wonder what could have happened that caused the well-known woman to be gunned down last night outside her home.
“She was a nice elderly lady,” said Andrew Washington, who lives just a few houses down from where the shooting happened. “She didn’t bother nobody.”Washington has lived in Hearne for 25 years; 93-year-old Pearlie Golden was part of his wedding.
Now the elderly woman is gone, shot and killed by a Hearne police officer. “I don’t know why did it get to the point to where he felt that he had to come over here and do that type of policing,” said Washington.
It happened Tuesday evening around 6:30. Cops were called to Golden’s home for a disturbance. When they got there, they say Golden “brandished a firearm.” Officer Stephen Stem fired at least three shots. Golden later died at a hospital in Bryan.... 

Dancehall Rises Again - Young Artistes Begin To Open Doors....With SAMANTHA-J and OMI getting record deals abroad and songs from Jamaican acts being sampled internationally

Published: Thursday | June 5, 2014 0 Com
With Samantha J and OMI getting record deals abroad and songs from Jamaican acts being sampled internationally, it seemsreggae and dancehall are poised to rise again on the world market.
Samantha J
SAMANTHA-J
Earlier this year, Samantha J signed a record deal with Colombia Records, while OMI inked a deal with Ultra Music that will see him working with international label Sony Music Entertainment.
Aidonia and Bounty Killer were recently featured on Will.i.am's It's My Birthday. Last year, Jamaican acts like Popcaan and Capleton were sampled on Kanye West's Yeezus album, while Assassin was featured in a song on the album. Christopher Martin, Jimmy Cliff and Terror Fabulous were recently sampled by Jim Jones, B.O.B and Ace Hood, respectively.
These are just some of the numerous features that Jamaican acts have received on the world stage recently.
This, former Zip Jock Nikki Z, believes, might be a signal of what is to come.
"I think it is set to take a different stride internationally. It's a great thing that is happening, we just have to sit and watch which ones rise to the occasion," said Nikki Z, who is a host on Connecticut's Hot 93.7 FM and her syndicated show Nikki Hot 20.
OMI
OMI
UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS
She said she believes these younger artistes are better able to understand the concept of business and what it means to get a record deal. She stressed that getting a deal does not mean doing less work.
Instead, "it means you go harder now to prove you can get as many numbers as before," she said. more

IN JAMAICA: $18m allocated to help landowners obtain titles

Wednesday, June 04, 2014 | 12:36 PM    
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- The PetroCaribe Development Fund will set aside J$18 million to assist landowners who have applied to the Land Administration and Management Programme (LAMP) for titles, and are unable to complete the process, due to lack of funding.
 Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Robert Pickersgill, who made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2014/15 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 3, said the sum will go towards assisting beneficiaries in paying fees for titling services.
 He said that to date LAMP has submitted 62 files for processing and is awaiting funding in order to deliver the certificates of title to the beneficiaries at a formal ceremony.
 In the meantime, Minister Pickersgill informed that an allocation of $20 million has been provided to his Ministry to fund the operation of the Adjudication Committees in the various communities within affected parishes, to resolve ownership issues, which will result in the issuance of titles for these applicants.
 The committees cover the parishes of St Catherine, St Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, Trelawny, and St Ann.
 It is projected that four committees will be established in St Elizabeth by June 30, while the other committees will be established later this year, in consultation with Members of Parliament.
 The LAMP was launched in 2000 and since its inception; in excess of 25,000 files have been opened, of which approximately 4,000 titles have been issued to new home owners. more

IN JAMAICA: Donnie McClurkin, American gospel singer, donates $60m in medical supplies to Jamaica...Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson accepted the donation of syringes, medication, surgical tools and equipment which, he said, will be supplied on a demand basis to hospitals and health centres across the island...."This year we have a current budget somewhere in the region of $34.7 billion.

Wednesday, June 04, 2014    
The public health sector received a gift of medical supplies valued at more than $60 million from well-known American gospel singer Donnie McClurkin Monday afternoon.
01
 Dr Fenton Ferguson accepts from Donnie McClurkin
Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson accepted the donation of syringes, medication, surgical tools and equipment which, he said, will be supplied on a demand basis to hospitals and health centres across the island.
Addressing the presentation ceremony at The Courtleigh Hotel and Suites in New Kingston, Ferguson said that donations amount to 20 to 30 per cent of the health ministry's overall budget, down from about 80 per cent three years ago.
"This year we have a current budget somewhere in the region of $34.7 billion. But, even as we have that budget, there are still significant gaps in our ability to respond to the needs of our people," the minister said.
McClurkin said he made the donation because of his love for Jamaica and its culture, adding that one of his albums contains tracks that were inspired by Jamaican gospel songs.
Over the last 15 years, the ministry has received external assistance on several occasions; 560 wheelchairs in 2002, $75 million in supplies in 2005, and more than $16 million in supplies last year.
The ministry also receives donations from the World Bank and Global Fund.
— Suzette Bonas

(DRAMATIC VIDEO) Taliban Video Shows Bowe Bergdahl Handover To US In Afghanistan....Published on Jun 4, 2014 The Taliban has released a video showing American hostage Sgt Bowe Bergdahl being handed over to US forces in Afghanistan. The video, emailed to the media, shows him being handed over close to the Afghan border with Pakistan.


KABUL, June 4 (Reuters) - The Taliban have released a 17-minute video showing the handover of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl to the American military close to the Afghan border with Pakistan, in an exchange for five militants held at U.S. jail Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The video shows a Bergdahl, clean shaven, dressed in a white salwar kameez and with a shaved head, waiting in a white pick-up truck as Taliban militants outside lean in to talk to him. He appears to blink in the bright light, assenting as they speak. The video's authenticity could not be independently verified. (Link to video,http://bit.ly/1x4MPOM)

It shows armed gunmen dotting the hills around the valley, as Blackhawk helicopters overhead draw closer to the meeting point. The Taliban reporter speaking over the clip explains: "We told them there are 18 armed fighters and the Americans said that's alright," the male voice said.

As one of the helicopters lands throwing up a cloud of dust, Bergdahl is led to his rescuers by two men, one leading him by the hand and another waving a white cloth crudely tied to a wooden stick.
Most of the Taliban have their faces covered with scarves, while Bergdahl wears his over his shoulders. They are greeted by three men who shake their hands and lead Bergdahl by the arm to the helicopter. The aircraft takes off and the message in English flashes up: "Don' come back to Afghanistan".

IN JAMAICA (BIG BIG CASE- ATL THREE): Judge rules no consent given, but upholds no-case submission.... Magistrate: Trust Deeds for pension scheme valid but consent not given as required...The prosecution had fought strenuously to show that the allegedly forged letters were presented to ATL Group Chairman Gordon 'Butch' Stewart by Barber on December 16, 2010

Wednesday, June 04, 2014    
SENIOR Resident Magistrate Lorna Shelly-Williams yesterday upheld no-case submissions against three former ATL executives charged with fraud, but found that they had no consent to distribute $1.7 billion in pension fund surplus.
The ruling marked the end of almost 15 months of a trial that spun on whether the three had consent to make the distribution covering the years 1998, 2002, 2005 and 2008, and whether they had conspired to forge four letters to deceive that consent was given.
The courtroom of the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court, Half-Way-Tree, was already full when the magistrate walked in at 10:11 am. The tension in the air could be cut by a knife. The accused Patrick Lynch, the former chairman of the ATL Group Pension Scheme; Catherine Barber, the former general manager of the fund; and Dr Jeffery Pyne, former managing director of Gorstew Ltd, appeared glum. Lynch and Pyne chewed nervously. Lynch's high-profile younger brother, John Lynch, the former director of tourism, attended court for the first time since the trial started.
Shelly-Willaims started with an explanation that she really needed more than two weeks to go through the mounds of evidence and described it as "a work-in-progress".
In the end, she agreed with the prosecution that the Trust Deeds for the pension scheme were valid, and that consent was not given as required by the Deeds, but disagreed that the accused had lied, tried to cover up their action, or had intended to defraud. She ruled after a lengthy summation that the prosecution had not sufficently produced evidence against the three to establish fraud and dishonesty.
The three accused thanked the magistrate in unison from the docks after she told them she was upholding their no-case submissions.
The prosecution had fought strenuously to show that the allegedly forged letters were presented to ATL Group Chairman Gordon 'Butch' Stewart by Barber on December 16, 2010, after he made a fuss the day before that consent was not given for the distribution.
They were allegedly backdated to 1998, 2002, 2005, and 2008. According to the prosecution, Pyne, who signed the letters, had left the company seven months before December 15, 2010 when the alleged forgery was discovered. 
Yesterday, defence attorneys Frank Phipps, QC; KD Knight, QC; and Deborah Martin lauded the decision.
 more

IN JAMAICA: Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) expects over $2b more from new game, more draws....and sports betting driven by the FIFA World Cup....That would equate to single-digit growth on the $35 billion in revenues earned last year.

Wednesday, June 04, 2014  
Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) expects to generate up to $2.6 billion in additional revenue this year led by increased draws, a new game and increased sports betting driven by the FIFA World Cup.
That would equate to single-digit growth on the $35 billion in revenues earned last year.
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Betters on the go
"We expect growth from all our initiatives to see an increase in the region of $1.5 to $2.6 billion ," said Brian George chief executive officer and president of SVL, in his address to shareholders at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston yesterday.
A large chunk of the proposed revenue rise between $434 to $869 million will come from the addition of an early morning game draw. That is based on a 30-week sales projection, according to George's powerpoint presentation. That draw will be broadcast at 8:30 am.
The company will also announce a new game called Top Draw.
But George avoided revealing specifics, opting to wait for its launch later this year.
"There is a reason it is called Top Draw," he said, pointing to the game's logo which illustrates stacked cabinet drawers.
SVL expects to grow its sports revenues substantially, valuing the long-term market size at up to $10 billion. Its sport betting brand JustBet earned revenues of $266 million last year, despite regulatory delays.
"That's peanuts compared to when we say the business is worth anywhere between $8 to 10 billion," said George on sports betting.
However, SVL sports betting revenues grew from $75 to $95 million in the March quarter 2014 year on year. SVL operates 28 company-owned sports betting locations across the island compared with over 1,100 lotto agents . more

TESSANNE CHIN - "Don't You Make My Brown Eyes Blue" played by RULA BROWN......Absolutely big massive chune on www.RulaBrownNetwork.com every Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri (9am-12Noon ET), Sun 3-7pm ET. #BringBackOurJamaica


The changing face of Negril in JAMAICA.....THEY tell of an idyllic village some 60 years ago: a time when thick vegetation lined the beach; a time when continuous stretches of coral reef jutted so far out of the water that people could walk on them; a time when the Great Morass was vibrant and healthy.

BY KIMONE THOMPSON Associate editor - features thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, June 04, 2014    
THEY tell of an idyllic village some 60 years ago: a time when thick vegetation lined the beach; a time when continuous stretches of coral reef jutted so far out of the water that people could walk on them; a time when the Great Morass was vibrant and healthy.
It was a time before hotels, before Norman Manley Boulevard, before North Negril River.
Stakeholders maintain that some property owners have built
 too close to the shore. 
But a lot has changed since then and people like Ray Arthur, Nehru Caolsingh, Sophie Grizzle-Roumel and Mary Veira, who either grew up in Negril or have lived there for at least 50 years, have watched as the skyline and shoreline have changed with the rate of rapid human development, often with very little consideration for the natural environment.
Take for example, the distance between some beachfront properties and the shore. Or that on the right side of the boulevard towards Hanover, there are buildings, businesses and car parks on lands that were once part of the morass - a large swamp that is home to, among other things, the endemic Royal Palm.
"It is undeniable that a number of people who have been involved in development on the beach have violated some of the rules and regulations set down and as a result have been impacted from beach erosion today more than others, but also the authorities are to be blamed," said Caolsingh.
He was speaking at a recent meeting of Negril stakeholders convened to discuss their position on government's plan to build two breakwaters 1.5 km offshore west of Negril beach. They are adamant that the project will cause more harm than good and propose that a series of activities to include beach nourishment, enforcement of the development regulations, observation of the marine park rules, and restoration of the morass would be more sustainable, more long-lasting and more beneficial to the entire stretch of the famous beach, as opposed to the small area where the breakwaters are to be constructed.
Negril, circa 1956, shows a densely
 wooded beachfront.
On the subject of government regulation, Caolsingh added that the original setback which indicated how far from the high water mark developers could build was 150 feet.
"As time went by, some developers wanted to add more rooms per acre and they adjusted the setback to 100 feet. Following on that, the Negril planning authority has not always been functioning. There are times when there is a board, there are times when there isn't a board... and we have found people coming in totally violating the building regulations, have built so close to shore that even if you were to walk on the beach today you will see that some are more impacted than others and that is from their own doing," he said.
Caolsingh also spoke of the dredging of the South Negril River which shifted the course of where it entered the bay.... more

Western Jamaica churches stand up for Professor Bain.....yesterday protested against the University of the West Indies' (UWI) recent sacking of Professor Brendan Bain as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Network.

 BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, June 03, 2014   
 MONTEGO BAY, St James — Several church groups from western Jamaica yesterday protested against the University of the West Indies' (UWI) recent sacking of Professor Brendan Bain as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Network.
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Representatives for churches in western Jamaica demonstrating
outside the UWI Mona Western Jamaica Campus on
Queen’s Drive, Montego Bay, yesterday.
Placard-bearing members of the group of demonstrators, clad in black and with masking tape over their mouths, started gathering at the entrance of the UWI Mona Western Jamaica Campus on Queen's Drive, Montego Bay, from 8:30 am.
Some of the placards read: 'Free Speech Is A Right Not A Privilege'; 'Do Not Change The Buggery Law'; and 'Keep Us Free From Evil Powers'.
They got support from horn-tooting motorists as they drove by.
The UWI sacked Professor Bain following concerns from gay advocacy groups across the Caribbean about his expert testimony given in a Belize court case seeking to challenge laws criminalising buggery.
Several critics, including church leaders, said the professor's dismissal was the university's giving in to pressure from gay rights groups.
Supporters of the academic, one of the region's leading authorities on the HIV epidemic in the Caribbean and one of the pioneers in clinical infectious diseases, last week protested outside the gates of the UWI's Mona Campus in Kingston. Protests, in support of Bain, were also held in Belize last week.
Chairman of the St James Ministers' Fraternal Rev Glendon Powell, who was among the demonstrators yesterday, said the groups wanted justice for Professor Bain. more