2014-15 PALAS TOP PERFORMERS STORY (2 of 5)….Sadé Dunbar of St. Catherine, Jamaica : Medical Student at UWI with "A" average at Immaculate High, JAMAICA's Spelling Bee Champion, Represented Jamaica in the International Scripps Howard Spelling Bee Washington, D.C. Attained 18 CXC/CAPE passes with 18 distinctions (18 ones)....Currently the Assistant Secretary of the St Catherine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and also a part of the Spanish Town Heritage Trail....Despite difficulties at times for lunch money, finances and food for survival..."I refused to allow these obstacles to render my dreams unreachable and doubled my efforts to remove the shackles of poverty."

SADE DUNBAR, Medical Student at UWI,
 Ranked 2nd at PALAS in 2014-15

Sadé Dunbar is a resident of Spanish Town, Jamaica, she recently graduated from Immaculate Conception High School with "A" average. She has passes in 18 CXC/CAPE subjects with 18 distinctions (grade ones). 

Below is the essay that Sade submitted to the Peace and Love Academic Scholarship, Inc (PALAS) committee for evaluation of one of the sponsored scholarships. Sade earned the 2nd highest score, 28.667 out of a possible 30 points with PALAS this year....

Sadé relates very well with the academic staff and her peers at Immaculate High in Jamaica. She is involved in a number of extra-curricular activities and has managed to maintain an excellent balance between her academic work and other activities as she has always been on the Honour Roll. These activities include: Spelling Bee in which she won Jamaica's National Finals and further went on to place thirteenth in the International Scripps Howard Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. , PAWS (Prevention of Animal Cruelty Welfare Society) , Writer's Club, Science Environmental Technology and Health (SETH) Club, Badminton and Interact Club. 

She also participated in the 2012 Math Olympiad in which she proceeded to the semi-finals as well as a Chemistry Competition. The Chemistry Competition was a team competition which involved fifth form students from all over the island and her team from Immaculate Conception High placed first. Her dedicated work has resulted in her success in her Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) exams where she received grade ones in: Mathematics, English A, English B, Spanish, Information Technology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Human and Social Biology, Caribbean History and Additional Mathematics. This dedication resulted in her being awarded 3rd place for English Language, Top Student at Immaculate Conception High School as well as 2nd overall Science student in Jamaica. This excellence continued in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) where she received ones in Pure Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Communication Studies for Unit 1.

She writes below in her essay to PALAS.... 

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work”
-Colin Powell

For as long as I can remember, I have always dreamt of a career in medicine. This was not a choice concreted by trivial matters of money or even prestige but instead by the satisfaction I knew I would experience having made a difference in someone’s life. Never having been one to accept failures, my school’s motto, “Through Difficulties to Excellence”, is constant motivation. Equipped with this small, yet powerful phrase, I am strengthened by the battles I have and will have to endure.

Life in my household wasn't always easy and has never been. However, my family taught me the importance of cohesiveness, camaraderie and most importantly, to be content despite the circumstances. With this mindset, when we experienced adversities leading to difficulties with lunch money and even just food for survival, I did not give up. Instead, I relinquished some teenage privileges and acquired a Saturday job. I refused to allow these obstacles to render my dreams unreachable and doubled my efforts to remove the shackles of poverty.

Despite going to school and working part-time, I managed to participate in extra-curricular activities, mastering the art of balance. I am currently the Assistant Secretary of the St Catherine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and am a part of the Spanish Town Heritage Trail. This project aims to facilitate historic tours of the town and restore it to its former glory. Additionally, I am involved in the Dispute Resolution Foundation and the St Catherine Tax Relief Committee. Playing an active role in such activities has honed my leadership and time management skills and has given me true insight of Gandhi words, “The best way to find your self is to lose yourself in the service of others”.

PALAS, 'Preserving Young Minds for Posterity'. Please help us to support these brilliant students by donating at www.PALAS1.org or Send a check to PALAS, P.O Box 5461, Alpharetta, GA 30023. more

IN JAMAICA: Police hunt gay murder suspect near 'Shoemaker Gully' at Trafalgar Road in New Kingston, fugitive has been identified as Jevaughn Francis, also called ‘Pebbles’.....The dead man has been identified as 18-year-old Rasheed Samuda of Myers Street in Kingston 12.....it is alleged the gay group are responsible for serious crimes, ranging from murder, shootings, robberies, unlawful wounding, assault, house break-ins, car break-ins, larceny to malicious destruction of property.

BY KARYL WALKER Editor — Crime/Court Desk walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, July 13, 2014    

THE St Andrew Central police have intensified their search for a homosexual man known to frequent the Shoemaker Gully at Trafalgar Road in New Kingston in relation to the murder of a man in May.

The fugitive has been identified as Jevaughn Francis, also called ‘Pebbles’.

Gays living in Shoemaker Gully hold an animated discussion.

Police said that in the early hours of Sunday May 18 this year, a man was using his cellular phone while walking by the spot, now called the ‘Gay Bridge’, when he was attacked and dragged into the gully and stabbed repeatedly after he resisted being robbed.

According to Commander Christopher Murdock, who is in charge of the New Kingston Police Post, the man managed to flee through one of several tunnels in the gully before emerging on Dumfries Road where he was rescued by members of a police team.

The victim died the following day but was able to provide a description of the man who robbed and stabbed him.

“He spoke with the officers and described the man who attacked and his description of them fit Francis,” Murdock told the Jamaica Observer.

The dead man has been identified as 18-year-old Rasheed Samuda of Myers Street in Kingston 12.

Francis is also wanted for several robberies committed in the New Kingston area at nights.

The night before the fatal attack, another man who was walking past the gay bridge was also attacked and stabbed after he resisted attempts by two men to steal his cellular phone.

“The man was walking by using his phone when he felt someone hit the phone out of his hand and when he tried to resist he was stabbed in the arm. He kicked the person and was stabbed in the leg,” Murdock said.

“He almost died on us because the main vein in his arm was severed and he was bleeding heavily. His description of the men who robbed him fit a man known as Ramon Francis, also called ‘Teetus’ or ‘Ishana’,” he added.

Francis was taken into custody in connection with the incident.

Foreign media and gay lobbyists portray the men as the victims of homophobic attacks. However, the police say that the men who live and hang out at the Shoemaker Gully are responsible for serious crimes, ranging from murder, shootings, robberies, unlawful wounding, assault, house break-ins, car break-ins, larceny to malicious destruction of property.

“They are known to have lured people in their environment and robbed them. If you resist the result can be deadly,” a senior cop said.

Weeks ago an overseas-based pilot who had read about the plight of the homeless gays who were living in gully, decided to visit the area to talk with them and take pictures of the gay men, but to his surprise he was attacked by men armed with knives and other implements who relieved him of his camera and other valuables and ordered him to leave the area hastily.

The men who often dress in drag and pose as prostitutes, live subnormal lives and according to the police, pose a serious threat to the New Kingston environment.

The St Andrew Central police say that between December 2013 and May this year 45 major crimes have been reported in the New Kingston area, most of them believed to be committed by the gays who reside in the gully.

The crimes include three murders, two shootings, 24 robberies, 11 break-ins and four larcenies.

Police say that they have strong evidence that more than 90 per cent of the robberies were perpetrated by persons purported to be members of the gay community.

Residents of the nearby Trafalgar Park say they are being held under siege by some of the gay men who prey on their homes and rob them with impunity.

The gay men are seemingly preparing themselves for rest.

One resident said he suffered a broken jaw as a result of resisting robbers.

“I was walking home one evening and they tried to rob me and I resisted. They hit me in the face with a blunt object and broke my jaw. I had to undergo surgery to repair my face. It was very  painful,” the man said.

Other residents said that their homes and cars were broken into regularly and the thieves seem to be targeting laptops, tablets and cellular phones although one homeowner reported losing a flat-screen television set and other appliances.

more

UN: 77% OF DEAD IN GAZA ARE CIVILIANS : Palestinian Death Toll Tops 150... Israeli Ground Forces Make First Raid In Gaza... Israel Issues Evacuation Order, 'Significant' Bombing Coming... Lethal Strikes On Disabled Clinic, Mosque, Charities... Conflict Widens? Israel, Lebanon Trade Rocket Fire... Israeli PM: Prepared For All Options... UN Calls For Peace... Ceasefire Nowhere In Sight...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Ignoring international appeals for a cease-fire, Israel widened its range of Gaza bombing targets to civilian institutions with suspected Hamas ties and deployed ground troops inside Gaza for the first time early Sunday to raid a rocket launching site in the Palestinian territory. More than 156 Palestinians have been killed in five days of bombardment.

Four Israeli soldiers were hurt in clashes during the brief incursion to destroy a rocket launching site in northern Gaza, the military said. It said they have returned to Israeli territory.

Getty Images

It was the first time that Israeli ground troops are known to have entered Gaza in the current offensive. But the operation was carried out by special forces and did not appear to be the beginning of a broad ground offensive.

On Saturday, Israel announced it would hit northern Gaza "with great force" to prevent rocket attacks from there on Israel.

One of the Israeli strikes hit a center for the disabled where Palestinians said two patients were killed and four people seriously hurt. In a second attack, on Saturday evening, an Israeli warplane flattened the home of Gaza's police chief and damaged a nearby mosque as evening prayers ended, killing at least 18 people, officials said.

In New York, the U.N. Security Council called unanimously for a cease-fire, while Britain's foreign minister said he will discuss cease-fire efforts with his American, French and German counterparts on Sunday. So far, neither Israel nor Gaza's Hamas rulers have signaled willingness to stop. more

EXCELSIOR HIGH Alum, DALE VIRGO: The Dale Virgo story Musician, producer talks about his work...has worked with a number of high-profile acts such as Rihanna (on Crazy Little Thing Called Love); GYPTIAN, British band Florence and The Machine, Canadian rapper Drake, Sean Kingston, Cee Lo Green and Amy Winehouse.

By Kevin Jackson Observer Writer  Friday, July 11, 2014  

TEN years ago, Dale Virgo was a student at the University of Technology, a teenaged 'techie' with big dreams of making it in the music business.

Today, the 29-year-old musician/producer is studio manager and resident engineer at Gee Jam studio in Port Antonio.

Dale "Dizzle" Virgo

There, he has worked with a number of high-profile acts such as Rihanna (on Crazy Little Thing Called Love); British band Florence and The Machine, Canadian rapper Drake, Sean Kingston, Cee Lo Green and Amy Winehouse.

A project close to Virgo's heart is resurgent mento band, the Jolly Boys whose Great Expectation album he produced and played percussion.

"I bring experience, versatility, diversity (to producing) and I am not afraid to try new things. I have produced traditional church hymns to the most hardcore dancehall songs," he told Splash.

A self-taught engineer, Virgo's entry into production came with gospel. He co-produced the Gospel Fe Share 'riddim' in 2004, followed by the Spiritual War compilation in 2005 and Spirit Scription (2006).

His big breakthrough, however, was secular. Virgo created the beat for Gyptian's 2004 song Serious Times which opened the door for him to work with other dancehall artistes like Queen Ifrica, D'Angel and Ce'Cile.

Working with international acts, he pointed out, has helped improve his production skills.

"I have learned to accept the dedication to their craft and detail to bringing music to its perfection. I have seen artistes spend days working on one song, and the outcome is an international hit. These experiences over and over have changed my outlook and the way I approach working on music," he said.

Dale Antou Tonye Ian Virgo was born in Kingston but grew up in Portmore, St Catherine and attended Excelsior High School. more

John Boehner's Lawsuit Hits Obama On Health Care Law Changes....This after 20 million new sign ups for Obamacare (Affordable Care Act)

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) lawsuit against President Barack Obama will focus on the administration's unilateral changes to the health care law's employer mandate, according to a draft resolution released on Thursday.

Boehner

The resolution, which Boehner is likely to bring to the House floor this month, would authorize the House General Counsel to initiate litigation against Obama and "compel" the president to enforce the law. In a statement, the speaker said Obama had violated the Constitution last year by delaying the employer mandate under the Affordable Care Act.

"In 2013, the president changed the health care law without a vote of Congress, effectively creating his own law by literally waiving the employer mandate and the penalties for failing to comply with it," Boehner said.

The Obama administration announced last year that the government would not penalize businesses that failed to provide health insurance in 2014, thus delaying the law's so-called employer mandate until 2015. The White House also postponed the start date for some mid-sized businesses.

Administration officials said the decision to delay the provision was made after considering a flood of complaints from business owners, who asked for additional time to meet the health care law's requirements. The officials were unable to pinpointwhen the decision was made, or whether it was ultimately decided by the White House or the Treasury Department.

A Treasury spokesman previously said the delay was based on the department's "longstanding authority to grant transition relief when implementing new legislation," according to the trade publication Government Executive. more

2014-15 PALAS TOP PERFORMERS STORY (1 of 5)….MARIA ATTARWALA, Medical Student at the University of the West Indies (UWI)....Attained 3.96/4.00 GPA, 18 CXC/CAPE Passes with 16 distinctions (Grade ones) & PALAS Gold Star Recipient (Finished first of 140 applicants)...She relates the witnessing, moment of her dad who died only two (2) minutes away from the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Mobay.

Maria Attarwala, Medical student at UWI &
PALAS Gold Star Winner (Top Performer)

Maria Attarwala is a resident of Hanover, Jamaica, she recently graduated from Montego Bay Community College (MBCC) with a 3.96/4.00 GPA. She has passes in 18 CXC/CAPE subjects with 16 distinctions (grade ones). Below is the essay that she submitted to the Peace and Love Academic Scholarship, Inc (PALAS) committee for evaluation to be considered for one of the sponsored scholarships. Maria won a PALAS Gold Star Scholarship by earning 29 out of a possible 30 points......

She writes....

“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”

-Buddha

Growing up most children aspire to be doctors or lawyers, because society deems them as the ‘professions to be’. However, for me, throughout primary school I had no idea what I wanted to become. My parents Zujer Attarwala and Nadine Attarwala worked feverishly to provide for two sisters, Kimberly, Imani, and myself. They worked to ensure that we had no excuse not to be the best in whatever we chose to do. On August 20, 2007, Jamaica was facing a major hurricane and throughout this ordeal, my father received a major heart attack leaving him with only 33% heart functionality.

On the 17th of March of this year, he passed away as he began having severe breathing problems as of lately. On that bright Monday morning as he was taking my sister and I to school when he started experiencing severe shortness of breath, it later got too much to bear and he had to pull over on the highway. It was then my responsibility to get him to the hospital, however my efforts were futile as his pulse and breathing came to a stop only two (2) minutes away from the Cornwall Regional Hospital. Experiencing this calamity taught me valuable life lessons and led me to the realization that medicine is definitely the career in which I want to pursue. It has also made me realize that I have to work extremely hard to make my father proud and fulfill his dream for me of being the best at anything I pursue in this life. more

PRESS RELEASE: PALAS to award 66 new scholarships in 2014-2015. Hon. Lisa Hanna & Attorney Patrick Campbell to deliver keynote addresses at awards presentation at University of the West Indies (UWI)-Mona Campus, Sat Aug 23, in JAMAICA. One-hundred eighty-one (181) total scholarships awarded in 4 years. Winsome Benjamin will provide the entertainment.....PALAS seeks urgent help to add at least 5 more scholarships from the 37 others who met our criteria, and regrettably will be bypassed due to lack of funds. Stats; 15 male & 51 female students, 29 high school & 37 university students, 16 Medical students & all the parishes in JAMAICA were represented, there were 140 applicants. We are still seeking donations at www.PALAS1.org.

ATLANTA, GA – July 9, 2014: Peace and Love Academic Scholarship, Inc. (PALAS) will award sixty-six (66) new scholarships for the academic year 2014-2015 to worthy, but economically challenged high school and University/College students  in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean region. Honourable Lisa Hanna, Minister of Youth & Culture and Attorney Patrick Campbell of Washington D.C will deliver the Keynote addresses at the 4^th annual award ceremony - UWI in Kingston,Jamaica onSaturday, August 23, 2014. Reggae songbird, Winsome Benjamin will provide the entertainment. The Master of Ceremonies will be Mr. Winston Cowans.

PALAS, the Atlanta-headquartered charity organization, has received the support of various corporate bodies and individuals to support the students. The stated mission of the group is to recognize and honor outstanding academic performances of under privileged students residing in the Caribbean region.

The PALAS program was established in December 2010, to honor the memory of young Vanessa Campbell, an aspiring Jamaican artiste who was a casualty of the burgeoning crime and violence problem in Portmore, Jamaica. After Vanessa’s untimely death, an initial scholarship program was created as the SSSJamz/Vanessa Campbell Academic Scholarship to assist high school students from her alma mater, Bridgeport High School. To sustain this effort PALAS has been soliciting funds from all quarters. more

TRELAWNY, JAMAICA: $500-million for Falmouth Tourism ministry to provide vending space, entertainment facilitites...Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment Dr Wykeham McNeill made the announcement ..

 BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, July 10, 2014    

FALMOUTH, Trelawny — In response to grumbles about the perceived lack of spin-offs for Trelawny locals from the US$ multi-million cruise ship pier, the Ministry of Tourism will be spending more than $500 million to establish a complex at the Hampden Wharf which adjoins the pier.

The planned wharf project is expected to provide vending space for craft vendors and a range of entertainment facilities.

Two cruise ships called at the pier in the historic town of
Falmouth, yesterday. (PHOTO:PHILLIP LEMONTE) Tourism mi

Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment Dr Wykeham McNeill made the announcement Sunday evening during the PNP's North Trelawny Constituency meeting at Falmouth All Age School.

"We want to create an artisan village, a performing arts theatre, we might see if we can get a cinema there, shops, different things. Now, the difference is it will be open to everybody because the truth of the matter is (that) Falmouth needs a place where, as Jamaicans, everybody can go and enjoy yourselves. We can sit down and we can have a good time," Dr McNeill said.

He aded: "But it is open to the pier too, so people (tourists) will just walk off (cruise ships)."

After the meeting, the minister told the Jamaica Observer West that the project is now being designed and it is expected that the work will be put to tender by the fourth quarter of this year.

Meanwhile, Dr McNeill, who cited the need for the historic seaside town to become more attractive, also announced a $162-million beautification project to complement the Hampden Wharf project. more

Parents urged to boycott school-leaving excercise....Graduation rip-off - Parents complain about graduation costs...One mother, Myzanne Wallace, said she paid $9,000 to see her five-year-old daughter graduate from an inner-city early childhood institution last week.

BY NADINE WILSON Observer staff reporter wilsonn@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, July 07, 2014    

THE National Parent-Teachers' Association (NPTA) has charged that schools are using graduation ceremonies to raise money, and is urging parents to boycott the school-leaving event.

Everton Hannam, the NPTA president, made the call last week amidst growing complaints from parents about the high costs associated with the events.

Graphic: Rorie Atkinson

"A graduation exercise has, in many cases, become a fund-raising exercise for most of the schools. When I look at what the students get, based on the money they pay, I am inclined to believe that some of them have become fund-raising exercises for those who organise them," Hannam told the Jamaica Observer.

"We have received complaints starting at the primary school and even at the basic school [level] and it's like $6,000 or $7,000 for graduation, and they are getting just a corsage and a certificate. It should not be," Hannam said.

The exorbitant fees being requested for these ceremonies have been a long-standing concern for parents and have even been addressed by Education Minister Ronald Thwaites, who has urged parents to try and minimise spending for such events.

However, scores of parents attended graduation exercises at early childhood, primary and secondary schools last week, and more are in preparation mode to attend this week.

Hannam believes nothing will be done to reduce these costs until parents start to protest the payments. The best way he believes parents can do so is to not attend.

"We need to be more proactive and start acting in a more organised and more serious way," he said.

He said the PTAs also have a part to play in ensuring that parents are not being fleeced of their hard-earned money, and as such, the matter of school graduations will be up for discussion at the NPTA annual general meeting this month. more

IN JAMAICA: GSAT success - Retirement Primary School shines Retirement Primary reaps GSAT success....The school achieved a 75 per cent average which saw all the students being placed at one of their choices for high school.

BY RENAE DIXON Observer staff reporter dixonr@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, July 07, 2014    

Retirement Primary in deep rural St Ann continues to beat the odds to reap success in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) although the institution operates on a multi-grade system. The school achieved a 75 per cent average which saw all the students being placed at one of their choices for high school.

Teacher Camille Campbell and her grade six students
pose for a group photo following the school's graduation.

The students' success has once again highlighted the hard work of the three teachers and principal at the school, and is a particularly high moment for the headmistress Beverley Bailey who goes on pre-retirement leave in September.

Bailey, who has served the school for 25 years, said she was elated by the students' performance.

"I am really proud of them. They did well," she told the Jamaica Observer North East.

According to Bailey, some of the students came from other institutions and were behind, but she was happy that through hard work they were successful at getting a placement at one of the schools of their choice.

Top overall student Ronaldo Dixon will be heading to York Castle High School, while top girl Sasha Kay Campbell has been placed at St Hilda's High School.

Principal Beverley Bailey (left)
 stands with her teachers.

Teacher of grades five and six Camille Campbell said she was overwhelmed by the results.

"I don't even have words to express. I am overwhelmed," she said, adding that she was surprised by the results of some of the students as she was worried about a few of them.

Meanwhile, Bailey said the students have continued a trend of great performance, as last year the school was one of the top GSAT performers in the parish. more