Next Time Someone Says 'White Privilege Isn't Real,' Show Them This.... Roughly 16 percent of white children born into the poorest one-fifth of U.S. families will rise to become a member of the top one-fifth by the time they turn 40 years old

The Huffington Post | By Kevin Short Posted: 
Think white privilege doesn't exist in America? Consider just how much the color of a child's skin changes his or her odds of escaping poverty later in life.
white mobilityRoughly 16 percent of white children born into the poorest one-fifth of U.S. families will rise to become a member of the top one-fifth by the time they turn 40 years old, according to a new study by Brookings Institution researchers for the Boston Federal Reserve.
Those are fairly bleak odds, but for poor black children the odds of making it to the top are even longer: Only 3 percent of black children born into the poorest one-fifth of families will ever make the leap to the top income group, according to the study.
Even if they don't always make it to the top of the income ladder, poor whites escape the worst forms of poverty more often than poor blacks. Only 23 percent of poor white children will still be counted among the poorest Americans when they turn 40, while a whopping 51 percent of poor black children will, the researchers found.
This chart shows the social mobility levels for white Americans. The horizontal axis shows where families start out on the income ladder, and the vertical axis shows the percentage of children from those families that end up at each income level by the age of 40. more

IN JAMAICA: Young Toni-Ann Miller Gallantry Steals the Show.... National honours audience comes alive for heroic, brave awardees

BY RICHARD JOHNSON Observer senior reporter johnsonr@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, October 21, 2014  
THERE were cheers and sporadic rounds of applause throughout the national honours and awards investiture ceremony at King’s House yesterday, but it was the citations for those being awarded for gallantry that evoked the most reaction from the large audience assembled on the sprawling lawns.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (centre) celebrates
with some of the recipients of the Order of Jamaica at
 King’s House, yesterday. From left are: The Most Reverend
 Charles Dufour, Senator KD Knight, track coach Glen Mills,
Professor Joseph Frederick, Dr Max Wellington — who
accepted on behalf of his father Dr Karl Wellington —
 and human rights advocate Flo O’Connor. Dennis Daly
 was posthumously conferred with the Order of Jamaica.
University lecturer Professor Sir Roy Augier also
received the OJ, but is missing from the photo.
(PHOTOS: GARFIELD ROBINSON AND
 JOSEPH WELLINGTON)
When the story about the then 10-year-old Toni-Ann Kacian Miller’s rescue of two young brothers trapped in a burning house in May of last year was recounted, there were more than a few teary eyes.
And as she mounted the platform and shyly acknowledged Governor General Sir Patrick Allen to accept the Badge of Honour for Gallantry for her act of heroism and bravery, the cheers grew. Speaking with the Jamaica Observer after the ceremony, Toni-Ann seemed oblivious to the magnitude of her act of selflessness.
“I was coming from school when I saw the house on fire and went inside for the bigger brother. I then asked him for his little brother and he said he was sleeping on the bed.
Young Toni-Ann Miller with the
Medal of Honour for Gallantry
So I went back for him in the house and saw him sleeping on the bed and took him out,” she said. Were you afraid to go into the burning house? the Observer asked. “No,” she replied. The audience would later be aroused when Corporal Everton Henry received his medal for gallantry. more

Reggae veteran, Marcia Griffiths — Artistes with distinction at the National Honours and Awards investiture at King's House in St Andrew, yesterday.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014    
THE local entertainment fraternity was well represented among the list of recipients at the National Honours and Awards investiture at King's House in St Andrew, yesterday.
01
GG presents award to Marcia Griffiths
The brilliant October morning sunshine paled against the array of some of Jamaica's leading proponents of the arts who ascended the dais mounted on the lawns of the official residence of the Governor General to receive their insignia.
The charge was lead by reggae veteran Marcia Griffiths who was regal in shades of purple as she received the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander.
Also receiving awards in this category were theatre veteran Douglas Bennett; visual artist Laura Facey; poet Linton Kwesi Johnson (who was absent from the ceremony); and dancer Patsy Ricketts.
Bassist Phil Chen was more than pleased with the honour bestowed on him.
Marcia Looking Lovely
"This is a wonderful honour and award. I am humbled by it."
He recalled his early days working with the group The Vagabonds and travelling to London in 1964 to promote ska.
"That tour, through my work with people like Count Prince Miller lead to a number of other gigs including being bass player for Rod Stewart for five year and other greats including The Who, Queen, The Bee Gees, The Doors, Ray Charles and Bb King. more

Oscar Pistorius Gets 5 Years For Killing His Girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

The Huffington Post | By Ed Mazza Email Posted: 10/21/2014 4:24 am EDT 
Oscar Pistorius was sentenced in South Africa today to five years in prison for the 2013 shooting death of his then-girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.
Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius
He was also given a 3-year suspended sentence for a firearms conviction.
Pistorius' attorney, Barry Roux, told Reuters he expects the double-amputee athlete to serve only 10 months of the sentence in prison, with the rest of the time under house arrest, while prosecutors believe he will be jailed for at least 20 months.
Last month, Judge Thokozile Masipa found Pistorius not guilty of murder, but guilty of culpable homicide.
Pistorius, 27, did not dispute that he shot and killed Steenkamp. However, Pistorius argued that he believed she was an intruder when he shot her through a locked bathroom door at his home in Pretoria in the early-morning hours of Feb. 14, 2013.
Prosecutors had called for a minimum of 10 years in prison, while attorneys for Pistorius suggested a lighter sentence combining house arrest with community service, saying prisons would not be able to accommodate his disability, according to The Associated Press.
But the judge didn't buy that argument. more

Louis Farrakhan speaks on Reparation in Jamaica

KINGSTON, Jamaica: 3 Children injured in downtown Kingston shooting .... two 15-year-old children and a 7-year-old admitted to hospital

Monday, October 20, 2014 | 8:37 PM  
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- The police have confirmed that two 15-year-old children and a 7-year-old were shot and injured about 7:20 pm Monday at the Intersection of North and Church Street in downtown Kingston.
The children were reportedly walking in the area when a lone man on foot approached them and opened gunfire hitting all three. 
They were taken to the hospital where they have been admitted in stable condition.
Initial reports are that the children were attacked in a drive-by shooting.

Fashion designer Mogul, Oscar de la Renta dies at 82 in Connecticut

Associated Press By SHELLEY ACOCA  NEW YORK (AP) —
Oscar de la Renta, the worldly gentleman designer who shaped the wardrobe of socialites and Hollywood stars for more than four decades, has died. He was 82.
Oscar
Oscar De La Renta
De la Renta died at home Monday evening in Connecticut surrounded by family and friends and "more than a few dogs," according to a handwritten statement signed by his stepdaughter Eliza Reed Bolen and her husband, Alex Bolen.
"While our hearts are broken by the idea of life without Oscar, he is still very much with us. Oscar's hard work, his intelligence and his love of life are at the heart of our company," the statement said. "All that we have done, and all that we will do, is informed by his values and his spirit. Through Oscar's example we know the way forward. We will make Oscar very proud of us by continuing in an even stronger way the work that Oscar loved so much."
The late '60s and early '70s were a defining moment in U.S. fashion as New York-based designers finally carved a look of their own that was finally taken seriously by Europeans. De la Renta and his peers, including the late Bill Blass, Roy Halston and Geoffrey Beene, defined American style — and their influence is still spotted today. more

JOHN HOLT TRIBUTE - 1 Hour of The Reggae Icon's Classic Music. DEAD OCT 19, 2014. Tribute by Rula Brown on RulaBrownNetwork (RBN)

The cost of chikungunya, also called CHIKV, to Jamaica is now ravaging the island of Jamaica, shutting down court cases, crippling productivity and, in some regretful instances, taking lives from complications associated with the virus...With the prediction that some 60 per cent (1.6 million) of Jamaicans will be affected by CHIKV...estimating a loss to the Jamaican economy of at least $30 million

Kent GAMMON  Monday, October 20, 2014    
THE chikungunya virus, also called CHIKV, is now ravaging the island of Jamaica, shutting down court cases, crippling productivity and, in some regretful instances, taking lives from complications associated with the virus.
BAUGH... dealt with a polio outbreak scare back in 1983
 so effectively hardly anyone remembers it. At right:
 FERGUSON...kept his job in the face of bungling the
 country’s response to CHIKV
The minister of health, when the alarm bells were first rung by the Jamaica Labour Party's caretaker for Eastern St Thomas, said he was politicking and scaremongering on the part of the Opposition party.
The minister of health insisted some weeks ago that only 34 cases were confirmed for chikungunya when, in that very week, almost half of an entire high school in Eastern St Thomas had its student population sick with the symptoms of the chikungunya virus.
The Opposition put on a press conference to inform the nation how to deal with the chikungunya virus and that the virus was spreading at an alarming rate. The minister of health then reluctantly had to admit, after the evidence was overwhelming with Jamaicans down with CHIKV, in an address to the nation that the country was dealing with an epidemic of CHIKV. Worse yet, the minister of health reported that his ministry had been preparing for the onslaught of the chikungunya virus some two years before it reached Jamaica.
The effects of an epidemic on the economic health of a nation are catastrophic and the CHIKV epidemic is no different. With the prediction that some 60 per cent of Jamaicans will be affected by CHIKV, that is one million six hundred thousand Jamaicans, and with a downtime of five to 10 days, we are estimating a loss to the Jamaican economy of at least $30 million using a daily wage of $2,000.00 per day. This is a very conservative estimate and is certainly not the type of loss to the island's income that Jamaica can afford in the throes of an IMF economic straightjacket. more

HERO IN JAMAICA (GREAT STORY): 11-y-o Toni-Ann Miller to be honoured today....Toni-Ann Miller rushed into a burning building to save the lives of two children younger than herself....for her bravery and is to be conferred with a Badge of Honour for Gallantry at the National Honours and Awards Ceremony on the lawns of King's House today. PLEASE CONGRATULATE HER.

Monday, October 20, 2014 Jamaica Observer   
IT is a deed from which many would have shied away, but then only 10 years old, Toni-Ann Miller rushed into a burning building to save the lives of two children younger than herself.
Toni-Ann receiving her award from GG
Her own safety was the furthest thing from her mind when she quickly responded to the cries of a little boy who was trapped in a blazing house, thick billows of black smoke signalling that he was in serious danger.
A year later, she is being recognised for her bravery and is to be conferred with a Badge of Honour for Gallantry at the National Honours and Awards Ceremony on the lawns of King's House today.
Toni-Ann recalls that she was on her way home from school with friends in the Mount Hermon community of St Catherine, when they came upon the burning structure.
After rescuing the six-year-old boy, who came away unhurt, Toni-Ann, who knows the child asked him for his younger brother. Learning that he was still inside asleep, she re-entered the building to take the five-year-old boy to safety.
By this time, “half of the bed was burning”, Toni-Ann said.
The younger boy sustained minor burns to one of his arms.
Eleven-year-old Toni-Ann Miller 
will today be conferred with
 a Badge of Honour for Gallantry at the

 National Honours and Awards Ceremony 
to be held on the lawns of King’s House.
Toni-Ann’s cousin Judeen Cunningham, who is also her caregiver, says she is convinced that “Toni-Ann doesn't realise (the significance of) what she did”.
Recalling the account of an eyewitness, Cunningham says the concrete around the front door of the house gave way just as Toni-Ann emerged with the second child.
She says she's very proud of her cousin, who has been living with her since November of last year, and expressed amazement at the child’s act of heroism, quipping: “(I) myself wouldn't do that”.
The question on many people’s lips: How did she do it? “I saw my father doing it already,” the child says. more

IN JAMAICA: Radio station owner among 711 arrested for alleged electricity theft....According to JPS, the parishes with the highest number of arrests for electricity theft are St James with 128, St Elizabeth with 118, and St Catherine with 112.

Monday, October 20, 2014 Jamaica Observer
The owner of a community radio station was among 711 people arrested in relation to electricity theft since the start of this year, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) reported Saturday.
According to the light and power company, a radio station owner/operator was arrested last week when a meter bypass was found powering the small media entity in St James.
Electricity Thief (File Photo)
“The radio station had been disconnected since February of this year for an outstanding balance, but was discovered this week (last week) to be receiving supply, via an illegal connection,” JPS said in a news release.
The arrests, the JPS said, spanned the period up to October 15 as the company continues multiple operations to counter electricity theft across the island, with the support of the security forces.
In addition, the JPS has also been conducting meter audits and account investigations.
According to JPS, the parishes with the highest number of arrests for electricity theft are St James with 128, St Elizabeth with 118, and St Catherine with 112.
The company also said that a cold storage operation in Cross Roads, Kingston “was recently discovered to be stealing electricity valued to the tune of half-a-million dollars per month. The facility served as a storage plant for bag juice supplies. more 

Farrakhan says Jamaica has let national heroes down ‘You are not free!’...."Breaking away from our colonial slave masters is what we started with in our Independence movement, but we never took it as far as it should be taken," said Farrakhan. DO YOU AGREE or DISAGREE?

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, October 20, 2014    
NATION of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan yesterday criticised Jamaican governments over the years for not adequately building on efforts made by the country’s late national heroes to create an independent Jamaica.
Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan
Addressing hundreds of Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals gathered at the National Arena to celebrate the 19th anniversary of the Million Man March (MMM) yesterday, the eve of National Heroes’ Day, Farrakhan said revamping the current education system was the place to start.
A Rastafarian man, who was among hundreds of
 people at yesterday’s 19th anniversary celebration
of the Million Man March, waves a pan-African flag
 while listening to an address by Nation of
Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan.
“If you want to be free, the first thing you have to think about is what kind of education should we possess that will allow us to continue the journey that Norman Manley, Bustamante and Michael Manley put us on,” said Farrakhan, noting that steps in recent time to introduce in schools the teachings of the country’s first national hero, Marcus Garvey, was a commendable first step.
He also suggested breaking allegiance to the queen of England, which he described as a necessary part of evolutionary growth and development, and a necessity if Caribbean countries are to become a regional power “with a voice that [will] affect the world”.
"Breaking away from our colonial slave masters is what we started with in our Independence movement, but we never took it as far as it should be taken," said Farrakhan. more

JOHN HOLT IS DEAD AT 69

VETERAN reggae singer John Holt died in a London hospital yesterday. He was 69.
Copeland Forbes, Holt’s manager since 2006, confirmed the entertainer’s passing.
“John died at 2:40 am English time. His [John’s] nephew informed of his death,” Forbes told the Jamaica Observer.
The cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
Forbes said Holt did an operation at the University Hospital of West Indies in June and went to England the following month for a series of shows. Holt is one of reggae's most influential singers.
He had a remarkable career with the Paragons during the rocksteady era of the late-1960s.
His solo career is just as impressive. He recorded hits for producers Clement Dodd, Bunny Lee and Joseph Hoo Kim in the 1970s, as well as the classic album 1000 Volts of Holt, a big seller in the United Kingdom. His hits include Stick by Me and Only a Smile. more

ST. THOMAS, JAMAICA: Father, Lorenzo Findley hits children’s mom with building block arrested and charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and was remanded when he appeared in court on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty. WHAT SENTENCE WOULD YOU GIVE HIM?

Sunday, October 19, 2014 Jamaica Observer   
A  delinquent father was last week brought before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court after he got upset at his "babymother" for taking out a summons to take him to the Family Court for child support and for using half of a building block to hit her several times in the head.
The court heard that the complainant was at her home in Bull Bay, St Thomas on May 31, when the father of two of her children, Lorenzo Findley, took up the piece of block and hit her repeatedly in the head.
The matter was reported and Findley was arrested and charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and was remanded when he appeared in court on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty.
On Friday when Findley returned to court for sentencing, the complainant told the court that he attacked her because she insisted that she was going to take him to court.
She explained that on the day in question he was at her home when the police came to serve him the summons but he hid.
However, she said that when the police left he came out of hiding and a quarrel developed between them.
"Him say to me 'you neva send yuh next babyfada a court but yuh waa send me' and me say to him, yuh lucky, yuh a guh," the complainant told the court.
She said after that, Findley then grabbed the piece of block and started to hit her.
The magistrate then turned to Findley and asked him if he had anything to tell her as to why she should not send him to prison. "No, Your Honour," Findley answered. more

IN RURAL JAMAICA: Boy, 13, reaps ganja to support self.... Boy neglected by mom forced into illegal activity to survive....But I have to go ganja bush, Miss. Because anytime she (boy's mom) cook she only give it to the other two children them and don't look pon me, Miss."

BY DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE Sunday Observer staff reporter husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, October 19, 2014    
IN a desperate bid to survive, a boy in rural Jamaica has turned to working in ganja fields, reaping the illegal weed in order to buy his meals.
01But while his actions would be considered illegal and he could have been arrested and later imprisoned if the police had caught him, the lad said that he had no choice.
"My mother don't treat me good, Miss," he told the Jamaica Observer in an interview days ago.
"She do me whole heap of things, Miss, like she don't give me any food for two days straight. I have to be going to ganja bush to pick weed and then she cuss mi 'cause she don't want me to go there. But I have to go ganja bush, Miss. Because anytime she cook she only give it to the other two children them and don't look pon me, Miss."
A relative of the child confirmed that he has in fact been left to fend for himself.
"His parents do not care," the relative stated. "He has no birth certificate, no vaccination paper, no baptismal paper, has to fend for himself, and is dirty all the time. This child has to fend for himself to eat, wash his own clothes and walk on the road daily."
It is a situation that has affected the boy psychologically.
"I feel bad because I was the only one in the field and everybody else a pure big man," he stated. more

IN JAMAICA: Carreras awards over $3 million in scholarships to 30 recipients


Carreras 2014 scholarship awardees pose with Managing Director Marcus Steele (centre).
Scholarship recipients
FFOR the academic year 2014/2015, Carreras awarded a total of 30 scholarships valued at $3.7 million -- seven bursaries, seven teachers' college scholarships, seven community college scholarships, five national scholarships, and four visual and performing arts scholarships. The national scholarships were being awarded for the first time in the company's history, and are full undergraduate scholarships for the duration of the awardees' studies. The application pool was over 300. Marcus Steele, C ..... Read More

IN JAMAICA: Thieves break into funeral home, take casket.... "The casket is very valuable; she [her mother] sell it for $250,000,"

BY VERNON DAVIDSON Executive Editor - Publications davidsonv@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, October 19, 2014
KENNESHA Barnes and her mother Donaree Barnes were left wide-eyed and o-mouthed yesterday morning when they discovered that an expensive casket on display inside their funeral home in downtown Kingston was stolen.
01The thieves, who broke into Barnes Funeral Service on North Street, also took a 14-inch television set.
The younger Barnes told the Jamaica Observer that they were at home when they received a call at approximately 5:00 am informing them that there was a break-in at the funeral home.
"When wi come wi see the door push up and the grille wide open. We went inside and found that the TV was missing and the casket was gone," Barnes said.
"The police came after 7 [am] and they said they would send some other police to come and take fingerprint and we're here waiting all now," Barnes told the Sunday Observer at 10:30 am. "They said we should come back to Central [police station] by 11 o'clock."
Barnes said they have been operating the funeral service since 2008 and had never been robbed before. However, she appeared defeated by yesterday's break-in, pointing out that the casket was very expensive.
"The casket is very valuable; she [her mother] sell it for $250,000," Barnes said. more

THE NEW 'LEFT FOOT-IRIE HIGH CHINO WHINE KISS MI BACK FOOT' DANCE... CAN YOU DO IT?

Human Remains Found In Search For 18 y-o University of Virginia student Hannah Graham: Police

The Huffington Post | By Andrew Hart Email Posted: 10/18/2014 6:05 pm EDT 
Human remains have been found in the search for missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, police said on Saturday.
Hannah Graham
18 y-o University of Virginia
student Hannah Graham
Charlotteseville, Virginia Police Chief Tim Longo said that sheriff's deputies were searching abandoned property on old Lynchburg Road in Albermarle when they found human remains. Officials had not identified the body, but said that it could be that of the missing 18-year-old.
Albermarle Police Chief Steve Sellers said, "This is sadly now a death investigation."
Graham, who was a sophomore at the University of Virginia, went missing on Sept. 13 after a night of partying in the college town of Charlottesville, Virginia. The search initially focused on the town, but had expanded to a wider area. Earlier on Saturday,volunteers were recruited to assist in the search.
The suspect in her disappearance, 32-year-old Jesse Matthew, was charged with abduction with intent to defile, or sexually assault. Matthew was also investigated for two alleged sexual assaults at Virginia colleges he attended, in 2002 and 2003.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

HOPE IN SIGHT? : Canada to send experimental Ebola vaccine to World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday....news release said Canada will send 800 vials of its experimental vaccine in three separate shipments.

Saturday, October 18, 2014 | 2:14 PM  Jamaica Observer  
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — 
The Canadian government said it will start shipping its experimental Ebola vaccine to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday for possible use in the West African countries hardest hit by the outbreak.
The government said in a news release Saturday that the Public Health Agency of Canada is supplying the vaccine to the UN agency in Geneva. The WHO is the international coordinating body for battling the Ebola outbreak which has killed more than 4,500 people in West Africa.
The news release said Canada will send 800 vials of its experimental vaccine in three separate shipments.
The WHO will consult with its partners, including health authorities from the affected countries, to determine how best to distribute and use the vaccine, taking into consideration concerns about using an experimental vaccine on people.
Human testing of the Canadian-made vaccine began last week in the US Twenty vials of the vaccine were sent to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Maryland for testing on about 40 healthy volunteers, Canada's Health Minister Rona Ambrose said last Monday.
The Phase 1 trial will determine if the vaccine known as VSV-EBOV is safe for human use. It will also determine the proper dosage level and test for possible side effects.
Studies have shown the vaccine works in primates both to prevent infection when given before exposure and to increase survival chances when given quickly after exposure.
Canadian health officials said results from the human trial are expected by December. more

WOULD YOU SIT THERE AND MEK SOMEONE SLAP U INNA YU HEAD SO MANY TIMES and talk anu maneh pa tu pa some....IF IT WERE A JAMAICAN DEM WUDDA TUN ROUND AND GIVE HIM ONE LEFF HOOK INNA HIM EYE. CHAT BOUT! OUCHHHHHHH! (LOL)

US SUPREME COURT ALLOWS TEXAS VOTER ID: Law Can Be Used In Midterm Elections... Ginsburg Pens Scathing Dissent... 'Risks Denying The Right To Vote To Hundreds Of Thousands Of Eligible Voters'... 'Strictest Regime In The Country'...


WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Saturday that Texas can use its controversial new voter identification law for the November election.
US Supreme Court
A majority of the justices rejected an emergency request from the Justice Department and civil rights groups to prohibit the state from requiring voters to produce certain forms of photo identification in order to cast ballots. Three justices dissented.
The law was struck down by a federal judge last week, but a federal appeals court had put that ruling on hold. The judge found that roughly 600,000 voters, many of them black or Latino, could be turned away at the polls because they lack acceptable identification. Early voting in Texas begins Monday. The Supreme Court's order was unsigned, as it typically is in these situations. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented, saying they would have left the district court decision in place.
"The greatest threat to public confidence in elections in this case is the prospect of enforcing a purposefully discriminatory law, one that likely imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and risks denying the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of eligible voters," Ginsburg wrote in dissent. more

Jamaica stepped up its preparedness under the multi-agency comprehensive Ebola Contingency Action Plan....Valued at approximately US$300 each, Jamaica has received commitments for approximately 20 of the handheld machines

Thanks To Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's husband, Errald Miller, workers at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston breathed a little easier yesterday, as Jamaica stepped up its preparedness under the multi-agency comprehensive Ebola Contingency Action Plan.
Dr Marion Bullock-DuCasse, acting chief medical officer, tests a handheld temperature machine on a man while Beverly Creary (right), public health nurse, and nurse Sheryl Haynes (white blouse), look on, at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston yesterday. -Rudolph Brown/Photographer
Dr Marion Bullock-DuCasse, acting chief medical officer, tests
 a handheld temperature machine on a man while Beverly Creary (right),
 public health nurse, and nurse Sheryl Haynes (white blouse),
 look on, at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston
yesterday. -Rudolph Brown/Photographer
The workers yesterday received four of the first set of handheld laser temperature machines Miller donated to assist with screening of arriving passengers. The machines will be coupled with training to help airport workers deal with any suspected cases of the Ebola virus which may come to our shores.
Valued at approximately US$300 each, Jamaica has received commitments for approximately 20 of the handheld machines from other private donors to be shared among all ports of entry. These will be in place within two weeks.
The country has also received commitment from a private company for at least one walk-through temperature scanner. The scanners will be used at the high traffic ports of entry.
"There is good indication from one corporate entity that they would contribute one of the walk-through scanners and we are continuing to talk to other corporate entities. These will be used at the ports that have very high volume, like the cruise ship pier in Falmouth, where you have over 5,000 persons coming in," said minister of health, Dr Fenton Ferguson, at a press conference held at the airport following the handing over of the handhelds. more

FABIAN Marley, the 44-year-old Jamaican who claims to be the eldest child of reggae legend Bob Marley, is moving ahead with his musical career.....‘Dem a go tired fi see mi face’

BY RICHARD JOHNSON Observer senior reporter johnsonr@jamaicaobserver.com Saturday, October 18, 2014 
FABIAN Marley, the 44-year-old Jamaican who claims to be the eldest child of reggae legend Bob Marley, is moving ahead with his musical career.
Fabian Marley
This, despite a written request from the family of the late reggae king in August last year, that he "cease and desist" proporting to be a Marley and using the name, or prove through DNA testing that he is who he claims to be.
"Dem ask me for my DNA and me do that long time and give dem, and up to now, I can't hear nothing from dem. So me just a go through with my music career," Marley told the Jamaica Observer.
He, however, said he had received some word indicating he should redo the DNA test at a lab prescribed by the family.
"Me nuh in that with them. Me do my test at Carigen at UWI and give them the result. Don't it up to them, one of the other Marley children, to do their test to match with mine? Something not right, why they don't want to do it? What them 'fraid of?" Fabian Marley questioned.
Fabian Marley claims Bunny Wailer, more popularly known as Jah B, supports his claim. Wailer was a member of The Wailers, which comprised Marley and Peter Tosh.
"Jah B a man who me know fi years. That man send me to school and he has no doubt that I am Robert's son," said Marley.
While he waits on word, Fabian Marley said he is in not arguing with the family, noting that "nothing can be done before the time, and the right time is now". more

LATE BREAKING NEWS FROM JAMAICA: 10-year-old Akaliah Anderson, dies from chikungunya virus (ChikV) complications... The Education Ministry Ronnie Thwaites said it was saddened by Akaliah’s death

Friday, October 17, 2014 | 5:12 PM    
KINGSTON, Jamaica —
A 10-year-old student of the Alpha Primary School in Kingston died Friday as a result of complications brought on by the chikungunya virus, the Education Ministry has confirmed.
A ministry release Friday afternoon said that Akaliah Anderson, who had reported to school for only one day (September 1, 2014), had revealed symptoms of the chikungunya virus.
It was reported that her condition had not improved and she was subsequently admitted to the hospital. She reportedly developed further complications including a swollen spleen and liver.
Little Akaliah died Friday.
The Education Ministry said it was saddened by Akaliah’s death and extended condolences to her family and school community. 
Ronnie Thwaites
A team of counsellors from the ministry will be providing emotional support to Akaliah’s family, students, teachers and administrative staff at the institution, the release said.
“This incident brings into sharp focus the need for school administrators, parents and the entire citizenry of Jamaica to begin the clean-up process in our communities – home, school, workplaces – in order to eliminate the spread of the ChikV caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes,” Education Minister Ronald Thwaites said. more

IN JAMAICA: Homeless gay men operating shop in Shoe Maker Gully, New Kingston...."We have found that men living in the area are running a facility where food items such as bun and cheese and other food stuff are sold"

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, October 17, 2014    
THE police who yesterday discovered a shop being operated in Shoe Maker Gully, New Kingston by homeless gays has expressed concern that the sale of food in such unsanitary conditions could result in serious health problems not only for the men but also the wider commercial district.
Police with homeless men at gully
"We have found that men living in the area are running a facility where food items such as bun and cheese and other food stuff are sold and this is the same location where they defecate and urinate and we are worried that if it is not addressed it could lead to major health problems in the New Kingston business hub," head of New Kingston Police Post Deputy Superintendent Patrick Murdock told the Jamaica Observer, following a raid on Thursday.
"During this latest operation several make-shift houses were removed (from the gully)," said Murdock.
He also warned that the authorities would not allow the men to return and wreak havoc in the area.
"We have carried out several operations in the past and the men continue to return and as a result we are working on more long-term measures to address the problem."
Murdock said this included the establishment of a drop-in centre for the men and the installation of a barrier to prevent them from returning to the area.
"The police have started discussions with political representatives of the area about the establishment of a drop-in centre and so far a number of private sector entities have expressed an interest to assist," Murdock told the Observer.
Police said the drop-in centre would be an area where the homeless men could stay and also learn a skill to prepare them to be reintegrated in society and provide them with the opportunity to contribute positively. more

IN JAMAICA: Cheaper breast cancer tests for National Health Fund (NHF) beneficiaries.... A diagnostic test that would normally cost $10,000 will now be $4,800 per test.

BY ANIKA RICHARDS Observer staff reporter richardsa@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, October 17, 2014  
BBREAST cancer patients registered with the National Health Fund (NHF) will now have their Breast Cancer Receptor Studies done at a reduced cost at the University Hospital of the West Indies Pathology Laboratory.
Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson
A diagnostic test that would normally cost $10,000, through the latest benefit that has been added to the NHF's Individual Benefits list, will now be subsidised by $4,800 per test. The UHWI Pathology Laboratory is the only lab that provides the service locally.
Speaking yesterday at the benefit's launch at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston, Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson said the move by NHF marks a milestone in efforts to improve the health of Jamaicans, while managing and trying to prevent the development of cancer.
"This is important because cancer has a major impact on the health and well-being of the population in Jamaica and this does not only apply to the person who is directly affected, but it impacts on family, it impacts on children, it impacts on community, it impacts on (the) workplace..." Dr Ferguson said.
Approximately 300 Breast Cancer Receptor Studies are done yearly, the health minister noted. Of this total, 60 to 70 per cent are taken from public hospitals, he added.
Chairman of the NHF Sterling Soares said this initiative will cost the Fund an estimated $1.5 million per year. more

3 NEW CHIKV DEATHS IN JAMAICA: VERE Technical High School has been plunged into mourning following the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV)-related deaths of two teachers and a student within two days.

Friday, October 17, 2014
VERE Technical High School has been plunged into mourning following the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV)-related deaths of two teachers and a student within two days.
Vere Technical High principal Dr Henrietta Stewart in her
 office at the Clarendon school.
The Ministry of Education yesterday reported that Shamari Salesman, a fifth-form student at the Clarendon-based school died on Wednesday after showing symptoms of CHIKV. The 15-year-old is said to have developed complications due to an existing tumour in the brain.
Person Toranty, a physics teacher, died later that day after experiencing symptoms associated with the virus. He is believed to have developed complications related to sickle cells disease.
English teacher Claudette Anderson-Hibbert died yesterday morning in the Mandeville Hospital, also from complications related to CHIKV and an existing kidney problem.
"We are so devastated, the staff and also the students alike," Principal Henritta Stewart told the Jamaica Observer.
She explained that other guidance counsellors from various schools in the area, and religious leaders have been visiting with staff and students.
Meanwhile, the education ministry said it has joined the school community in mourning the death of the three.
"The ministry's regional trauma team visited the institution yesterday to provide grief counselling and general support to the school family," the ministry said in a release issued to the media yesterday.
Chikungunya cases development in Western
 Hemisphere from 2013
On September 25, 2014, official authorities in El Salvador report over 30,000 confirmed cases of this new epidemy.[79] The new epidemy is also on the raise in Jamaica.[80][81]Tourists to those countries are bearing the risk to bring the virus to their own countries.