Yemalla Edwards in Atlanta, Georgia days before he heads back to Jamaica for PALAS 4th awards presentation at UWI-Mona
Post by Rula Brown.
YEMALLA EDWARDS hanging out in Atlanta, Georgia before he heads back to JAMAICA for the PALAS awards ceremony on Saturday, August 23, where he will collect the PALAS scholarship along with 71 other students. Last year this time Yemalla was homeless on UWI campus while being a medical student. Thanks to PALAS and great samaritan, Ms. Judy Grant.www.PALAS1.org
YEMALLA EDWARDS hanging out in Atlanta, Georgia before he heads back to JAMAICA for the PALAS awards ceremony on Saturday, August 23, where he will collect the PALAS scholarship along with 71 other students. Last year this time Yemalla was homeless on UWI campus while being a medical student. Thanks to PALAS and great samaritan, Ms. Judy Grant.www.PALAS1.org
Usain Bolt eases to first 100m win of 2014 in 10.06secs Bolt rocks Rio
Monday, August 18, 2014
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt won his first 100-metre of 2014 yesterday in an exhibition race run on Rio's iconic Copacabana beach, two years out from the 2016 Olympics.
The Jamaican superstar won in a time of 10.06sec although Bolt had predicted a sub-10sec time when he faced the press on Friday.
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| Jamaican sprinter and Olympic multi-champion Usain Bolt (right) competes during an exhibition race at Leme Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yesterday. (PHOTO: AFP) |
Britain's Mark Lewis Francis (10.42sec) and Jefferson Liberato of Brazil (10.44sec) shared the podium with Bolt who, after an injury-hit season, was running his first 100m since Brussels in September last year when he won in 9.80sec.
"I had a poor start but I regained some of my poise later in the race," Bolt told TV Globo.
"I felt a bit heavy, and I need to compete in more races... I will be in better shape after that."
The 27-year-old Bolt will compete in his final Olympics in Rio in 2016 before calling time on his career in 2017 after the World Championships.
Meanwhile, Rosangela Santos of Brazil won the women's equivalent in 11.33 seconds ahead of Schillonie Calvert of Jamaica, and Carmelita Jeter of US.
IN JAMAICA: Eleven Early Childhood practitioners in Hanover honoured
Sunday, August 17, 2014 | 11:00 AM
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Eleven Early Childhood practitioners in Hanover were recently recognised by the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) for their years of service.
“Wi glad bag buss! Humility and pride weltering within me and my fellow honorees for the recognition accorded to us”, is how an elated Beulah Pryce summed up the show of appreciation by the ECC.
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| Hanover awardees: Dr David Stair (back row, right), Custos of Hanover; Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughn (second right), Chairman of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC); Dr Joan Reid (back row, left), Executive Director of the ECC; and Hillary Foster (third left, back row), Regional Director of the Ministry of Education join the ECC tenth anniversary awardees for Hanover. |
Pryce was among the eleven early childhood practitioners who were honoured for giving between 35 and 43 years of service to the early childhood sector as part of the ECC’s tenth anniversary celebrations during a ceremony held at the Tryall Club in Hanover.
The parish-wide anniversary celebrations, which continue until November, also seek to recognize Early
Childhood Institutions (ECI’s) who have made significant progress in meeting the required standards. Based on the ECC’s inspection, the top ten institutions in Hanover attaining the highest legal standards for this year are: Haughton Grove Basic; Pondside Basic; Sandy Bay Basic; Hopewell Basic; Logwood Basic; Bethel Infant; Askenish Basic; Mount Hannah Basic; Miles Town Basic and the Salvation Army Arthur Wint Basic. more
YEMALLA EDWARD'S STORY IS ONE THAT YOU MUST SEE & HEAR FOR YOURSELF.....Show time is 3-7pm ET and the interview starts at 5:00 pm ET on www.RulaBrownNetwork.com today Sunday, August 17, 2014.
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| Yemalla Edwards |
Yemalla was homeless at UWI for his 1st year as a Medical student sleeping in the elements wherever he could find a place to rest his head outside.
He went on to maintain 3.83/4.0 GPA, and in 2014 applied for one
of PALAS' coveted scholarships and on 8/23/14 in JAMAICA, will receive his scholarship package from Hon. Lisa Hanna.
He recently was granted a visa to visit USA to work on a cultural exchange program, where he worked in Carolla, North Carolina. In the process visited 6 different States and a number of cities.
Now he is in Atlanta, GA hanging with Rula Brown, visited Martin Luther King Center & home and other historic places and having lots of fun. Come and check out his 1 hour interview LIVE on camera with Rula. Show time is 3-7pm ET and the interview starts at 5:00 pm ET
on www.RulaBrownNetwork.com today Sunday, August 17, 2014.
St. Catherine, JAMAICA: Child hero, a stunning act of bravery displayed by 11-year-old Toni-Ann Miller has landed her a Badge of Honour for Gallantry.... Needs Saviour.....Saved 2 boys from burning house in her neighborhood.
Jodi-Ann Gilpin, Gleaner Writer Published: Saturday | August 16, 2014
A stunning act of bravery displayed by 11-year-old Toni-Ann Miller has landed her a Badge of Honour for Gallantry, which she will receive at the National Honours and Awards Ceremony, come October.
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| Toni-Ann Miller who rescued two boys from a burning house. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer |
On her way home from school on the afternoon of May 15, 2013, Miller, along with her friends in the community of Mount Hermon, St Catherine, noticed thick black smoke coming through the windows of a nearby house. They also heard a child crying inside. Without a moment's hesitation, and with no thought of her personal safety, Miller ran into the house and pulled the child to safety.
In an interview with The Gleaner yesterday, Miller said she, at that point, realised that her task was not done.
"When I took the boy outside, he told me that his brother was sleeping inside. So I ran inside again and saw the bed burning and grabbed him and carried him outside," she said.
Due to her quick thinking, the older of the two brothers age six, escaped unhurt. The younger boy, age five, sustained minor burns to one of his arms.
As scary a situation as that would have been for an 11-year-old, Miller, who attends Good Hope Primary School in St Catherine, said she would do it all over again. And she's quick to shrug off praise. "I don't see it as a moment to celebrate, really. I just want to be in a position to offer any assistance I can whenever somebody needs help," she said.
"Somehow, I wasn't scared when I saw the fire. I saw the little boy at the gate and he was crying that his little brother was sleeping in the bed and I was saying to myself that I had to save him," she recalled. more
MURDER of MICHAEL BROWN : Ferguson Erupts Again; Tear Gas Fired, Three Molotov cocktails hit a pizza store causing it to catch fire
After a relatively calm day in Ferguson, Missouri, tension flared again early Saturday morning as protesters were met with tear gas from police wearing riot gear afterreportedly rushing into a convenience store that Michael Brown was accused of robbing. Multiple stores were said to be robbed, and protesters protected several storesfrom looting.
Protesters took up position near the convenience store. Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson said that someone in the crowd began throwing rocks and other objects, prompting police to deploy tear gas, but no arrests were made. Three Molotov cocktails hit a pizza store causing it to catch fire, CNN reported.... Source Huffington Post (Andrew Hart).Sponsors persuade Bolt to run until 2017...."I think I'm going to do another year"
Saturday, August 16, 2014 | 2:22 AM
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) - Sprint superstar Usain Bolt revealed Friday that he will put back his planned retirement until 2017 at the request of his sponsors.
The six-time Olympic gold medallist and 100m and 200m world record holder had intended to retire from the track after the 2016 Rio Olympics, but he told a news conference Friday that he will compete for a further extra year.
"I think I'm going to do another year. My sponsors asked me to do one more year, so I will compete until 2017," said the 27-year-old Jamaican.
If he sticks to his plan then Bolt's last competition is likely to be the 2017 world championships in London.
IN JAMAICA: Deejay’s climb up ZIP FM tower sparks radio play debate..... Getting playedEmcee Nuffy said I Kon D Link acted out of frustration, which many persons like himself can relate to. "The greatest thing is that he didn't jump," he said.
BY CECELIA CAMPBELL-LIVINGSTON AND RICHARD JOHNSON Observer staff reporters Saturday, August 16, 2014
POPULAR dancehall figure Emcee Nuffy is urging radio disc jocks to give up-and-coming artistes a break.
Nuffy, whose given name is Andrew Nelson, made the suggestion against the background of this week's stunt by deejay I Kon D Link, who climbed up ZIP FM's tower in St Andrew and threatened to jump if his songs were not played. He was subsequently charged for creating public mischief.
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| DJ Nuffy |
"They claim that you should submit your songs to the library... I did that. I have given it to other jocks and still nothing," said Nuffy, who has also tried his hand at producing.
"As someone in the music business, I feel that kind of frustration. Unless you have money nothing gets played. Me haffi tek a stance against it," he said.
The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica, the regulatory body for the electronic media, recently recommended that payola be made a criminal act with harsh penalties for offenders.
Payola is the illegal practice of payment or other inducement for the broadcast of recordings on music radio.
"They can't just look at the artistes that can spend a money and those on top, or else it will always be this way. It's stressful," he said.
"I'm not bashing disc jocks, but they need to know that when they play a struggling artiste's song, someone may like it and they could get to do a dub plate or jingle," he continued.
Emcee Nuffy said I Kon D Link acted out of frustration, which many persons like himself can relate to.
"The greatest thing is that he didn't jump," he said.
FAME FM's Colin Hines said resorting to disruptive behaviour isn't the solution. He said up-and-coming artistes must be armed with what he termed the "basic elements".
"The basic elements to a great song are lyrics -- which must be funny, sensible or smart. A catchy melody and an infectious beat along with God-given vocal talents and quality production go a far way in getting music on air," said Hines.
The radio jock further noted that if all radio stations are circumventing the work of an artiste, then chances are one or a few of these required elements were missing. more
FAMILY: COPS TRYING 'CHARACTER ASSASSINATION'....White Officer who shot and killed Brown names is Darren Wilson....n EARLIER: Cops Say Brown Involved In 'Strong-Armed Robbery' Before Death... Release Photos... Video... Officer Who Shot Brown Identified... Skipped Town?... Why It Doesn't Matter If Brown Stole Cigars... Chief: Officer Who Shot Brown Did Not Know He Was Robbery Suspect... LATEST UPDATES...
The family of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teen who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri last week, released a statement Friday.
The statement, from both the family and their lawyers, was tweeted out by attorney Ben Crump after police announced Darren Wilson as the officer who shot Brown, and named the teen as a suspect in a robbery that occurred before the shooting.
Read the full statement below:
Michael Brown’s family is beyond outraged at the devious way the police chief has chosen to disseminate piece mil information in a manner intended to assassinate the character of their son, following such a brutal assassination of his person in broad daylight.
There is nothing based on the facts that have been placed before us that can justify the execution style murder of their child by this police officer as he held his hands up, which is the universal sign of surrender.
The prolonged release of the officer’s name and then the subsequent alleged information regarding a robbery is the reason why the family and the local community have such distrust for the local law enforcement agencies.
It is no way transparent to release the still photographs alleged to be Michael Brown and refuse to release the photographs of the officer that executed him.
The police strategy of attempting to blame the victim will not divert our attention, from being focused on the autopsy, ballistics report and the trajectory of the bullets that caused Michael’s death and will demonstrate to the world this brutal execution of an unarmed teenager.
Benjamin L Crump, Esq.
Anthony D. Gray, Esq.
Daryl D. Parks, Esq.
Anthony D. Gray, Esq.
Daryl D. Parks, Esq.
Two Jamaicans, 25-year-old Wellington Brown and 21-year-old Sheena Dume charged by Feds in US for sex trafficking of minors
Friday, August 15, 2014 | 9:47 AM
KINGSTON, Jamaica—A Jamaican man and his female accomplice were jointly charged with sex trafficking of minors in Connecticut, USA recently.
The two are 25-year-old Jamaican Wellington Brown and 21-year-old Sheena Dume.
According to media reports, the two were indicted by a federal grand jury for sex trafficking of five minors. It is said that Brown and Dume “conspired to recruit, entice, harbour and transport the victims for sex acts” from June 2013 to February of this year.
They were arrested in Glen Burnie, Maryland, on July 30 after being indicted, and they remain detained.
IN JAMAICA:Hundreds mourn cruel murder of Manchester businessman Bennett’s murder a great loss to society
BY KARYL WALKER Editor — Crime/Court Desk walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com Friday, August 15, 2014
FOURTEEN years ago Birkley Bennett was sleeping inside his Christiana, Manchester home with his wife and three children when gunmen barged in and fired two shots.
The gunmen demanded that Bennett hand over his licensed handgun and a shotgun he used for bird shooting.
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| Mourners inside Bryce United Church shed tears for murdered businessman Brinkley Bennett during a thanksgiving service in Coleyville, Manchester yesterday. (PHOTO: GREGORY BENNETT) |
They herded his wife and children into a back room and eventually found his handgun under his pillow and escaped without harming any member of the family.
The incident shook up his wife, Rose, badly and she convinced her husband that the family should migrate in order to escape the escalating crime wave that was sweeping the country.
The family moved to Florida, USA where he eventually opened a dry cleaning business.
But life in America was not enjoyable to Bennett, who, while he was in Jamaica, operated a grain store and enjoyed tilling the soil and animal husbandry.
So, homesick, he returned to the land of his birth and restarted his business.
Soon he was joined by his family and life seemed to return to normal.
But in a cruel twist of fate Bennett fell victim to gunmen's bullets on July 24 as he waited for friends who had just arrived from the United States to join him at a house he had prepared for them in Christiana.
His daughter had gone to pick up the foreigners at the airport and when they arrived at the premises they were held up by gunmen who ordered them inside.
The gunmen called Bennett by name and before he could pull his weapon, they shot him multiple times in front of his child and friends before taking his gun and proceeding to rob those who were still alive.
Yesterday, Bennett was laid to rest after a heart-rending thanksgiving service at Bryce United Church in Coleyville, Manchester.
Anger, sorrow, and despair were etched on the faces of the hundreds who packed the church, an additional hall, a tent, and the grounds of the church. more
34-year-old policeman Neil Gordon charged with murder of popular dancehall Mavado’s associate granted bail
Wednesday, August 13, 2014 | 9:19 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- A policeman charged with the murder of an associate of popular dancehall artiste Mavado was granted bail when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
The court heard that on June 13, 2011, 34-year-old policeman Neil Gordon was hired as a security officer to manage the entrance to the VIP section at the Quad night club in Kingston.
It is alleged that on the night Mavado told Gordon that it was OK to allow the member of his entourage to enter the club. However an altercation developed with the security officer who insisted that the man would not be allowed inside.
It is further alleged that the officer pulled his firearm and fired one round, which hit the man who was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital where he died on June 16, 2011.
But Gordon’s attorney Alando Terrelonge denied the allegations and told the court that his client was attacked by 17 men associated with Mavado and physically abused while performing his duties.
Gordon was subsequently granted bail in the sum of $1 million and a date fixed for officers of the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) to make disclosure.
He is to return to court on October 6.
Racquel Porter
Holness congratulates successful CSEC Mathematics candidates... Procedure at improved schools should be used as template
Thursday, August 14, 2014 | 7:39 AM
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Leader of the Opposition and former Education Minister Andrew Holness has congratulated students who did well in their CSEC Mathematics exams, and encouraged those who did not, to continue to strive for better.
Speaking to the schools which achieved improvements in their CSEC Mathematics results, Holness said “To leaders within the school community and to those dedicated teachers and parents who never give up on their students and who continue to commit themselves to improving their teaching and parenting skills, I and Jamaica say thank you. Your hard work is bearing fruit.”
The former Education Minister said that he was extremely pleased that the work done under his administration to prioritise literacy and numeracy was being continued to good effect.
He added that these improvements should continue to be built on, and in this regard he called on the Minister of Education to examine the specific steps taken within the schools with the largest improvements, and to develop from that information, a list of recommended practical steps to be encouraged within all schools seeking improvements.
“It is important that when we see these major shifts that we learn from the most important source of the shifts – the teachers and the school leaders -- exactly how they implemented the Ministry’s guidelines, and what if anything they did to supplement them. That’s how together the Ministry and Teachers can move our children from strength to strength, and build on current achievements.” Source Jamaica Observer
New police shooting in US suburb reeling from teen death
Wednesday, August 13, 2014 | 7:09 PM
WASHINGTON, USA - (AFP) - Missouri police Wednesday shot and critically wounded a man brandishing a gun, in the same suburb where an unarmed black teenager was killed by police just days ago.
Aspiring college student Michael Brown, 18, died Saturday in a police shooting in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, sparking rioting and stirring comparisons to the February 2012 fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.
Early Wednesday police fired several shots at a 19-year-old who pointed a handgun in their direction as they dispersed around 30 people who had gathered near where the rioting had occurred, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The young man was taken to hospital and his name has not been released.
Officials meanwhile urged demonstrators to remain calm.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles called for "any groups wishing to assemble in prayer or in protest do so only during daylight."
"Unfortunately, those who wish to co-opt peaceful protests and turn them into violent demonstrations have been able to do so over the past several days during the evening hours," said the statement issued by Knowles and the Ferguson City Council.
Looters targeted more than a dozen businesses in the St. Louis suburb overnight Sunday after a vigil on the sidewalk where Brown died erupted into clashes with police armed with tear gas, clubs and rubber bullets.
On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama appealed for calm after what he called a "heartbreaking" incident, noting that the FBI had opened a civil rights investigation into Brown's death.
Witnesses and police have given conflicting versions of how the teenager was shot in broad daylight, two days before he was due to start college.
IN JAMAICA: UWI reports chikungunya case on Mona campus.... chikungunya is a viral disease (genus Alphavirus).... Earlier this month, the health ministry reported that there were two imported and two locally acquired cases of chikungunya in Jamaica.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
THE University of the West Indies, Mona was yesterday scheduled to fog the campus as well as a 500-metre radius into the surrounding community following confirmation of a chikungunya case there.
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| UWI Buiding at Mona in Kingston |
No information was given about the chikungunya case and university administrators were not immediately available for comment on the matter.
It was also not clear last night if the chikungunya case reported by the university was one of the two locally acquired ones earlier reported by the Ministry of Health.
Yesterday, in a notice to staff and students of the campus, the university asked that they:
* ensure that there are no containers (such as plant saucers or vases) where water may have collected and created a mosquito breeding site;
* protect themselves from mosquito bites by covering their bodies as much as possible and use mosquito repellents containing DEET on exposed skin; and
* seek medical help if you develop acute onset fever and severe joint pain.
Staff and students were told to be alert but not panic.
Earlier this month, the health ministry reported that there were two imported and two locally acquired cases of chikungunya in Jamaica.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), chikungunya is a viral disease (genus Alphavirus) which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes, including Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. more
KINGSTON, Jamaica: Dancehall Artiste, Ikon D Link climbs ZIP FM transmitter, threatens suicide if song not played on radio....his song was played twice on the station as a part of the strategy to get him to come down....the crowd which joined in singing “I am stress, I am broke, I need something to smoke, it ain't no joke.”
Tuesday, August 12, 2014 | 8:43 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- An upcoming dancehall artiste created a stir in Half-Way-Tree Tuesday evening when he climbed a transmitter pole at ZIP FM radio station on Courtney Walsh Drive and threatened to jump if his song was not played.
The artist, who was identified as Ikon D Link, was reportedly observed climbing the tower sometime about 5:00 pm and drew scores of onlookers to the scene before he was rescued by the police and firemen and carted off to jail.
Another upcoming artiste, who gave his name as Sanchez Pinnacle, gave an account of the incident.
“I was sitting in bar when I saw him about quarter way on de pole and me and fren rush go over ZIP and see him a climb and say play man tune,” he said.
A woman who was one the scene said she also heard him saying, “I am not going down till you play my song, play my tune.”
According to Senior Superintendent Fitz Bailey who was on the scene, the entertainer’s song was played twice on the station as a part of the strategy to get him to come down from the pole but he did not hear it and was shown a copy of the programme.
Bailey said that the artist appeared to be in a logical state of mind based on a mental assessment that was done and that he will be charged by the police for a number of breaches.
Shortly after the artist was rescued his song titled Stress was played on a loud speaker from a van much to the delight of the crowd which joined in singing “I am stress, I am broke, I need something to smoke, it ain't no joke.”
The crowd erupted into cheers when Ikon was transported from the compound in a police service vehicle as many onlookers blocked the path of the vehicle in an attempt to video and to take pictures of the artist.
IN JAMAICA: Police charge two for murder of St James children 10-year-old Meleeka Mitchell and 12-year-old Omari Sterling
Tuesday, August 12, 2014 | 7:34 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Detectives from the Falmouth Police Station have charged two men for the deaths of 10-year-old Meleeka Mitchell and 12-year-old Omari Sterling of Paradise in Norwood, St James who were reported missing on Sunday, July 13. Their bodies were found in the Martha Brae River on Tuesday, July 15.
Twenty-year-old Jason Grey, a tattoo artist and 21-year-old Cashwayne Morgan, both of Hague Settlement, Trelawny were charged on Monday, August 11 for murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Information received is that on Sunday, July 13 Meleeka and Omari allegedly went to the ‘One Man Beach’ in Montego Bay, St James when they took a minibus with the accused men to the Martha Brae River in Trelawny where they were killed. Their bodies were found on Tuesday, July 15.
Both men are to appear in the Falmouth Resident Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, August 20.
JLP Opposition Leader Andrew Holness calls for establishment of human rights commission to safeguard the fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled....cited the controversial death of 31-year-old construction worker Mario Deane of Rosemount, St James.
BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com Tuesday, August 12, 2014
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Opposition Leader Andrew Holness is calling for the establishment of a Human Rights Commission to safeguard the fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled.
He suggested that the Office of the Public Defender be promoted to such a commission.
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| Leader of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Andrew Holness (second right) and JLP spokesman for national security, Derrick Smith (right), engage senior members of the St James police during a tour of the Barnett Street Police Station, yesterday. (PHOTO: PHILLIP LEMONTE) |
"We now believe it is time that the Jamaican State establish a commission on human rights. We already have the public defender [who does] some amount of work in protecting human rights, but we need to elevate that office now into a human rights commission," Holness argued.
He, however, noted that the commission should not be founded merely to react to human rights violations, but to detect emerging tendencies early on.
"A commission that will not just respond when there is an issue, but a commission that could look at trends and see where the trends are pointing to human rights abuses and intervene through the courts or by making proposals for changes in policies or laws," Holness argued.
The Opposition leader was speaking yesterday at a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) press conference held at the Wexford Court Hotel in Montego Bay to look into the controversial death of 31-year-old construction worker Mario Deane of Rosemount, St James.
Deane died last week Wednesday at the Cornwall Regional Hospital after he was allegedly beaten by other inmates while being detained at the Barnett Street Police station for possession of a ganja spliff. more
IN JAMAICAL : RENT-A-DREAD IN NEGRIL
Post by Jamaica IS Nice.
So recently i went to Negril and i notice alot a Rasta man with white woman and i was thinking they were some tour guides till i see 2 a dem a fight over one of the woman and i hear someone say dem a rent a dread and then i realise there was alot a rent a dread down Negril
So recently i went to Negril and i notice alot a Rasta man with white woman and i was thinking they were some tour guides till i see 2 a dem a fight over one of the woman and i hear someone say dem a rent a dread and then i realise there was alot a rent a dread down Negril
Three sisters from a family of nine graduate from college years early....They are all bound for successful careers.
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Meet Grace, Gabrielle and Gisla. They are all bound for successful careers.
The sisters were enrolled in the dual program at Florida Atlantic University while in high school. All three now have college degrees. "I am 16-years-old and I want to be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court," Grace Bush said.
Gabrielle wants to be a Secretary of Health and 19-year-old Gisla, who is named after her mother, said she wants to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. "I would stay up really late at night and get up really early in the morning, I had to study constantly," Grace said. Gabrielle says the hard work paid off. "Limited access to social media and the internet and made sure I stayed focus on what I had to do and seek help if I needed it." more
IN JAMAICA: Vybz Kartel, Gaza Slim corruption trial to pervert the course of justice delayed due to the unavailability of witnesses and the late serving of documents by the Crown.
BY TANESHA MUNDLE Observer staff reporter mundlet@jamaicaobserver.com Tuesday, August 12, 2014
THE corruption trial of entertainers Vybz Kartel and Gaza Slim yesterday suffered yet another delay and failed to start in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court.
Vybz Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer; Gaza Slim, whose given name is Vanessa Saddler; and their co-accused Andre Henry are facing charges of attempting and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
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| Vybz Kartel |
However, the case was postponed due to the unavailability of witnesses and the late serving of documents by the Crown.
The absence of defence lawyer Pierre Rodgers, who is representing the female entertainer, also factored in the postponement.
Rodgers, who had an emergency and had to leave the island, was yesterday represented by Attorney Nicole Burgher. However, when the trial was about to start, Burgher informed the court that she had just received five witness statements and would need time to peruse the documents and to get instructions from her client.
She also told presiding magistrate, Simone Wolfe-Reece that she had not received two compact discs with telephone evidence and asked for an adjournment.
Prior to Burgher's request for an adjournment, attorney Christian Tavares-Finson, who was standing in for his father, Tom, complained to the court that he had not received full disclosure of the documents in the case. Tom Tavares-Finson, who is also off the island, is representing Vybz Kartel.
The issue of disclosure was eventually settled, but the court was then informed that the prosecution, too, was experiencing some challenges with the availability of witnesses for the matter.
The prosecutor told the court that one of the technical witnesses from telecoms company Digicel was also overseas on vacation, while another lived overseas, and that communication was normally done through the one who is on vacation. more
GREAT NEWS FROM JAMAICA: Dream alive for Medical Student SHENORDO Blagrove....Education ministry, Observer readers helping brilliant Shenordo who wants to study pathology.
BY VERNON DAVIDSON Executive editor - publications davidsonv@jamaicaobserver.com Tuesday, August 12, 2014
SHENORDO Blagrove, the first-year medical student who was forced to drop out of the University of the West Indies (UWI) because of lack of funding, has been given a lifeline by the Ministry of Education and Jamaica Observer readers.
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| Blagrove & Thwaites |
Yesterday, Education Minister Ronald Thwaites told the weekly Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange that he met with Blagrove on Monday, August 4, a day after her story was published in the Sunday Observer.
A number of readers who commented on the story on the newspaper's website offered to help the 20-year-old former Convent of Mercy Alpha student get back into medical school.
"She has been very kindly assisted by a number of your readers who have called her... and so she is going to get from those persons who telephoned, the amounts that they would contribute and the Ministry of Education will pick up the balance, so Shenordo will be in medical school," Thwaites said.
Blagrove, who said she had always wanted to be a doctor, specialising in pathology, was one of a number of students whom the education ministry assisted with $2 million each towards their tuition last year.
However, she was unable to find the balance of the fee, which Thwaites yesterday revealed was a further $600,000.
Shortly after the start of the second term she applied for a semester break, but submitted the request late. Then, to make matters worse, she fell ill and had to be hospitalised in April this year.
Yesterday, Thwaites said that Blagrove was one of 34 students for whom the education ministry contributed $64 million in grants of $2 million each for medical studies.
"These were people who came to us with needs and no other way of supporting themselves," he said.
Blagrove, he said, represents "a growing cohort of students from the first and second quintile of the Jamaican society", that is, those at the lowest economic level who... "have done everything right and have qualified to go to university".
The epic importance of that, he said, was that these students stayed in school and did not allow themselves to be dragged into any anti-social circumstances that could derail their future. more
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