KINGSTON, Jamaica: Police seize half ton (approx. 1,000 pounds) of ganja in Portland

Police seize half ton of ganja in Portland  5:45 PM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The police on Sunday seized approximately 1000 pounds of marijuana and arrested one man during an operation in Portland. Reports are that about 10:00pm the lawmen intercepted and searched a motor vehicle along the Foreshore main road in the parish when they found 129 parcels of compressed marijuana. The driver of the motor vehicle was arrested and taken into custody. The police say, another vehicle, which was found abandoned along the roadway, was searched and 53 pa ... More

Jeff Chang Talks 'Who We Be' And Why We Haven't Had A Real National Conversation About Race....Who We Be: The Colorization Of America

The Huffington Post | By Braden Goyette Email Posted: 11/03/2014 7:00 am EST 

Jeff Chang, author of Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, has taken on some massive subjects in his latest book: race, and the way America sees itself.

Who We Be: The Colorization Of America follows the rise of the idea of multiculturalism -- and the backlash that followed it -- from the Civil Rights movement through to Obama's election, the fight over the DREAM Act, and Trayvon Martin's death.

The book explores how race has figured in American visual culture since the 60s, and the rhetorical imagery that's driven American politics. "We can all agree that race is not a question of biology," Chang writes. "Instead it is a question of culture and it begins as a visual problem, one of vision and visuality. Race happens in the gap between appearance and the perception of difference. It is about what we see and what we think we see and what we think about when we see. In that sense, it's bigger than personal affinities, preferences, tastes and bonds."

Chang sat down with HuffPost to talk about how the culture wars are still with us today, what it means that we're headed toward becoming a "majority-minority" society in 2042, and why America still hasn't had the kind of "national conversation about race" that it really needs. (This interview has been edited and condensed). more

Destiny starring CHRISTOPHER MARTIN is #1 At Box Offices Islandwide in JAMAICA.....Destiny beat out international films Equalizer, starring Denzel Washington; Fury, starring Brad Pitt; and The Judge, starring Robert Downey Jr, for the top spot.

Shereita Grizzle, Gleaner Writer Published: Monday | November 3, 2014

It may come as a surprise to some as it was revealed that Destiny, a local film with a difference, came in No. 1 at box offices islandwide. According to numbers revealed to the show's producer, Jeremy Whittaker, by Palace Amusement Cinemas, Destiny beat outinternational films Equalizer, starring Denzel Washington; Fury, starring Brad Pitt; and The Judge, starring Robert Downey Jr, for the top spot.

Karian Sang and Christopher Martin star in the Jamaican film 'Destiny'.

Now in its third week of showing, the film has been holding its own on the silver screens and has held the No. 1 spot in its first two weeks of showing. Whittaker is more than happy about the film's box office success.

"It has been doing well! We were No. 1 the first and second week of showing," he said. Because of the movie's success at the theatres, Whittaker believes that the time span on showing will be extended. "This is the third week now and we should get an extension on the theatre run."

Whittaker also wanted to use the opportunity to thank all the persons who have supported the film thus far, but explained that he believed in the film's ability to get to where it is today.

HAPPY, HUMBLED

"I am happy and humbled by the response, but not totally surprised. I made this movie about our 'best Jamaican selves', so it's very relatable and people appreciate a storyline they can connect with." more

IN JAMAICA: Mom's Little Hero - 10-Y-O Ronaldo Hendricks, Saves His Pregnant Mother, Unborn Sibling From Tragedy..."She first started shaking, then it seemed like she was having a seizure and the car was pulling to both sides of the road," said Ronaldo

Janet Silvera, Gleaner Write rPublished: Monday | November 3, 2014

WESTERN BUREAU: A woman who was six months pregnant when she had a seizure behind the steering wheel of her Toyota Corolla motor car two weeks ago is hailing her 10-year-old son, Ronaldo Hendricks, as a hero.

Ronaldo and his mother, Tennielle Green.

Tennielle Green, who spent 10 days at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, delivered a premature baby girl weighing a mere two pounds, is now out of danger, while her baby remains in intensive care.

Green, who is having her first daughter and second child, says the pregnancy was a few days shy of seven months.

Young Ronaldo, recalling the incident that could have seen him losing both his mother and sibling, said it was approximately 6:30 p.m. two Fridays ago that his mother was driving him to his grandmother's house in Norwood, St James, when he noticed she seemed disoriented.

"She first started shaking, then it seemed like she was having a seizure and the car was pulling to both sides of the road," said Ronaldo, a grade-five student of Supreme Preparatory.

Ronaldo Hendricks all dressed for
 school. Contributed Photos

"I realised something was wrong, as she wasn't seeing where she was going, so I jumped in front of the steering wheel, pulled up the handbrake and switched off the engine and called for help," Ronaldo toldThe Gleaner.

"I then ran out of the car calling for help," he said, adding that a man who heard his calls came to their rescue. It was the good Samaritan who called for an ambulance that transported both mother and unborn baby to safety at Cornwall Regional.

Green said the baby is doing fine, but will remain in hospital for the next month.

"Her lungs have matured, and the doctors are trying to wean her from the oxygen she was on," said Green. more

IN JAMAICA: MEDIA personality and attorney Emily Crooks weds former Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields

Monday, November 03, 2014    

MEDIA personality and attorney Emily Crooks yesterday tied the knot with former Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields at the upscale Round Hill Resort overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

Mrs Mark Shields stuns in a YSA Makino couture gown
complete with a bouquet of white orchids created
by Tai Flora Luxe.

The bride was escorted up the aisle by her father Desrick Crooks, while her expectant groom stood at the altar with Reverend Terrence Gordon.

Members of the bridal party included maid of honour Dr Paula Dawson, while the couple's daughter Zuri Shields was the flower girl.

Bridesmaids were Kimm Daley and Andria Crooks-Nelson.

Standing for the groom were John Azar, Michael Meggs, Kimani Robinson, Michael Toy, and the groom's son Nicholas Shields.

SEALED WITH A KISS: Smooch
 time for Mark and Emily.

Among the guests were Hugh Small QC; former Police Commissioner Hardley Lewin; international banker Aubyn Hill; Nationwide CEO/ broadcaster Cliff Hughes; broadcast journalist Abka Fitz-Henley; regional head of Business Risk at Digicel, Joseph Simmonds; MVP Track Club boss Bruce James; JCSC member Carol Narcisse; and Digicel Jamaica CEO Barry O'Brien. more

Wilson Kipsang Of Kenya Wins 2014 NYC Marathon Men's Title

NEW YORK (AP) — Wilson Kipsang, a former world-record holder, needed to force himself to slow down.

The Kenyan star had entered his first New York City Marathon to challenge himself on a hilly course with no pacemaker. A windy morning made for quite the test Sunday, and Kipsang proved he can win a strategic race. "I had to really exercise a lot of patience," he said.

Sen. REID'S FINAL PUSH : THE FINAL SPRINT...GOP Looks Set To Seize Senate... Both Parties See Campaign Tilting Toward Republicans... Right Turn Ahead For GOP... Could Splinter The Party... POLL: Ernst Pulls Ahead... Media Ignoring The Crazy... SENATE POLLS... GOVS PROJECTIONS...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) warned Democrats on Saturday that they couldn't afford a loss in Iowa's "critical" U.S. Senate race, because it would hand Republicans control of the chamber.

Senator Reid

Speaking of Republican candidate state Sen. Joni Ernst on a conference call hosted by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Reid said, "She's so far to the right that maybe even a part of the right wouldn't like what she's talking about."

Reid urged progressive activists to make phone calls to Iowa voters on behalf of Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), whom he described as "a fine man" with "a good record of public service." more

JAMAICAN DA TIEFINEST TIEF..... DEM CAAN TEST WE! LOL

Post by Bring Back Our JAMAICA, #BBOJ.

IN JAMAICA: HAPPY BIRTHDAY Frank Edwards, 103 not out , tailored to fit...Behind his Singer sewing machine that has survived over 60 years to demonstrate his capabilities...."Mi don't use this anymore, so if anybody want it to buy I would sell them,"

 BY DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE Sunday Observer staff reporter husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, November 02, 2014   

THOUGH he no longer practises the craft of tailoring, Frank Edwards' expertise was evident in the skilful way he got behind his Singer sewing machine that has survived over 60 years to demonstrate his capabilities.

His eyes lit up as he reached for the main driving wheel and skilfully put the belt in place as he held onto the small driving wheel attached to the shaft and began to spin, all this time moving his feet back and forth on the treadle. Not even his failing eyesight, nor his stubborn hearing could hinder his movements.

Once a tailor, Frank Edwards demonstrates how he
would press the clothes on this wooden pressing board.

"Mi don't use this anymore, so if anybody want it to buy I would sell them," the 103-year-old said as he positioned himself behind his machine on the veranda at his Clydesdale home in St Ann last Wednesday.

"How much it worth? If mi can get sale for the machine mi might sell it. For none of my pickney dem don't want it. Is a foot machine. I have the iron and scissors. I am not sure where to find the self-heating iron, but it is around. You know anybody who want it to buy?" he asked.

This query came time and again as he emphasised his interest in parting with the machine that was obviously still in working condition.

Edwards, who was simply known as 'Tailor' to community folks, is said to have been so professional at his trade that he would sew suits and various article of clothing for prominent business persons worldwide.

As he displayed two pairs of scissors, one of which was rusted with age, his tailor's pressing board and his square (used to mark fabric), Edwards declared that he was also willing to sell these items. more

Jamaican women raping young boys — officials...."Men who are in the 16 to 20 age groups are reporting rape, men in the 30 to 35 age group are reporting now that older women are raping them.

 BY DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE Sunday Observer staff reporter husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, November 02, 2014    ALTHOUGH a number of Jamaican men still smirk at the idea of a woman raping a man, the increasing number of calls to the Marge Roper Counselling Service and the National Family Planning Board hotline are showing that more and more males are reporting rape and are pointing towards older women as the perpetrators.

"A number of men are now reporting rape," National Family Planning Board Chair Dr Sandra Knight said. "Men who are in the 16 to 20 age groups are reporting rape, men in the 30 to 35 age group are reporting now that older women are raping them.

This is nothing new. Older women have always been having sex with our boys. But I think now, with the sensitisation that is out there, boys are now realising that if I did not consent to it, it is rape," she said.

But some men still say that this cannot be true.

"You cannot rape the willing," said Curtis Benjamin, 42, and father of three. "I don't think it is physically possible for a woman to overpower a man and rape him. What she can do is seduce him and he will get aroused. Then he is not going to walk away he will give in to her. So that is why he now becomes willing. Once you are willing it is not rape."

Ricardo Thomas, 40, shared the view.

"I feel it cannot happen, because if a man really doesn't want to have sex a man will just not have sex," Thomas said. "If another man comes to you as a man to rape you, you are going to fight him off tooth and nail, so if you don't want to have sex with a woman it should be the same thing, you going to fight her off tooth and nail too. What I would call him is a reluctant participant in some respect, but I wouldn't consider it rape," he added. "I would only consider it rape if a bunch of women hold you down and use dildo, etc. But as a man, if I don't want sex, I just don't want it, and if as the woman you decide to force me even further then she would leave with a bloody nose and a black eye, even though I don't believe in hitting women," he went on.

However, Dr Knight said that male rape should be taken seriously. more

TELECOMS company LIME signed dancehall artiste Konshens and former Miss Jamaica World Sara Lawrence

BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer Writer  Saturday, November 01, 2014  

TELECOMS company LIME signed dancehall artiste Konshens and former Miss Jamaica World (2006) Sara Lawrence as its newest brand ambassadors at Ribbiz at Barbican Centre in St Andrew, yesterday.

Konshens and Sara Lawrence 

Carlo Redwood, LIME's vice-president of marketing, said signing was a "no-brainer".

"Konshens is popular with Jamaicans. He loves Jamaica and he's very passionate about music and the charity work that he does. Sara is a genuine person. She has done well and she is the female that we were looking for," said Redwood.

Lawrence was crowned Miss Jamaica (World) in 2006. She placed sixth at the Miss World finals.

She is currently the Caribbean brand ambassador for L'Oréal.

Dancehall artiste Konshens shot onto the musical radar in 2007. He is known for a string of hits including Gal a Bubble, Couple Up, and Walk and Wine.

His Subkonshus Music label has been instrumental in working with new talent including Darrio, Delus, Tamarley and Javada.

LIME's other brand ambassadors are track star Yohan Blake and comedians Ity and Fancy Cat, Donald 'Ice Man' Anderson, and Pretty Boy Floyd.

4 DAYS FROM SEIZING SENATE?.....69% chance that Republicans will take control of the Senate....Do you think the Republicans will go after impeachment of President Barack Obama? Will Hillary Clinton run in 2016?

HuffPost Pollster begins by collecting every publicly released poll on the 2014 Senate races. We then use a statistical model to estimate the trend in support for each candidate based on all the survey data, adjusting for sample size and pollsters’ “house effects.” Interactive charts of those support trends are available here and on the HuffPost Pollster home page.

Mitch McConnell would be Senate Leader

By running a series of simulations (known commonly as the Monte Carlo method), the model allows us to quantify the uncertainty associated with the current polling snapshot. That uncertainty comes from multiple sources: sampling error in the polls themselves, uncertainty about the house effect corrections, and uncertainty about how quickly vote intentions are changing.

The model then calculates a “win probability” for each race that is displayed in the graphics on this page. This probability takes three factors into account:

• The time remaining between the current snapshot and the election.
• The possibility that the polls could be wrong or that some sort of major event could shake up a race in ways that the current polls can’t measure.
• The proportion of “undecided” voters in the polls. If the undecided proportion is high relative to the expected margin between the candidates, the outcome of that race must be less certain. more

23 Things Any 'Scandal' Fan Knows To Be True. Separating 'Scandal' Fans From TRUE 'Scandal' Fans...1) A glance between Olivia and Fitz is equal to another couple's 1000 kisses 2) And you know their relationship is toxic 3) But you want them to be together in spite of yourself and much more.....

Kerry Washington stars as Olivia Pope on SCANDAL

1. A glance between Olivia and Fitz is 
equal to another couple's 1000 kisses

2. And you know their relationship is toxic

3. But you want them to be together 
in spite of yourself


more

Low visitor traffic from Ebola-hit countries to Jamaica

Friday, October 31, 2014    

VISITOR traffic from Ebola-hit West African countries to Jamaica has been relatively low, with 66 persons coming from Sierra Leone; 65 from Liberia and 11 from Guinea, so far this year, for a total of 142. Countries, including Jamaica, have been on high alert for visitors from those West African nations, as fears of the deadly Ebola virus spread across the globe. Of the three countries, Sierra Leone has the largest number of visitors to Jamaica - 279 - in the past four years, broken down as fo ... More

VIDEO: Medical ganja company targets $4b in revenue by 2019; eyes IPO by 1Q next year....said the executive chairman of Medicanja Limited, Dr Henry Lowe. "This will give Jamaicans at home and in the Diaspora a chance to invest"....."We are talking big business, not monkey money," said former Prime Minister P J Patterson, who is a member of the Medicanja board.

BY TERRON DEWAR Caribbean Business reporter  dewart@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, October 31, 2014    

LOCAL medical marijuana company, Medicanja Limited, expects to generate approximately $4 billion in sales within four years.

Executive chairman of Medicanja Limited, Dr Henry Lowe.

"Revenue from the sales and services of over 18 products that we have planned from Medicanja limited, including six product lines, will be in excess of $4 billion," said the executive chairman of Medicanja Limited, Dr Henry Lowe.

What's more, during the first quarter of next year, Medicanja plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) to raise funds from the market to continue product development and research.

"This will give Jamaicans at home and in the Diaspora a chance to invest" in a product that shares a strong brand association with the country, he said.

On Wednesday, the company launched seven new products that will hit the market in December.

VIDEO: Medical ganja company targets $4b
 in revenue by 2019; eyes IPO by 1Q next year

The products are among the first in a line of 18 pharmaceutical and nutraceutical items that the company plans to bring to market over the course of the next year.

'The magnificent seven', as the first line of products are called, was designed to help with the 'pain management of some 84 ailments using products such as marijuana-based rubbing alcohol (CanjaCol), healing oil (CanjaRub), pain-relief spray (CanjaSol), anti-inflammatory cream (CanjaFlam), Arthritis cream (CanjaSolve), sublingual drop (CanjaRelief) and nausea relief sprays (CanjaSure). more

Jazz & Blues signs Mariah Carey.... Best-selling female artiste of all time coming to Jamaica for the world-renowned festival, scheduled for January 29 - 31 at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium on Jamaica's north coast.

Friday, October 31, 2014  

GLOBAL superstar Mariah Carey has been confirmed as the headline act for the 19th annual Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival next January.

Mariah Carey

Carey, regarded as the best-selling female artiste of all time, will be making her first-ever appearance in the Caribbean, and her signing is being seen as a major triumph for the world-renowned festival, scheduled for January 29 - 31 at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium on Jamaica's north coast.

"Welcoming Mariah Carey to Jamaica's shores is truly exciting and we are extremely pleased to announce this iconic star as our headline act for 2015," festival producer Walter Elmore said yesterday. "Her agreeing to perform on our stage is a testament to the quality of our production. We are the only festival in the Western Hemisphere to present Mariah Carey since her last tour in 2006."

Yesterday, Carey was quoted as saying that she was anxious to perform in Jamaica.

"I'm thrilled to be performing in Jamaica for the first time ever," she said. "I can't wait to connect with my Jamaican fans and I am really looking forward to spending some time pon de island as well."

Carey has sold more than 200 million records and has logged 18 Billboard Hot 100 Number 1 singles, more than any solo artiste in history.

With her distinctive five-octave vocal range and prolific songwriting and producing talent, Carey has defined the modern multi-format performer. more

Former Miss Jamaica Universe and media personality, Yendi Phillipps, Files For Full Custody Of Her Child With dancehall entertainer, Chino McGregor...She is also seeking $60,000 per month in maintenance for the child.

Phillipps... is also seeking $60,000 per month in
maintenance for the child.

Barbara Gayle and Jerome Reynolds Gleaner Writers 
KINGSTON, Jamaica: 
Former Miss Jamaica Universe and media personality, Yendi Phillipps, has filed for full custody of her child with dancehall entertainer, Chino, whose real name is Daniel McGregor. 

The application was filed in the Supreme Court this week by the law firm Nelson-Brown, Guy and Francis. Phillipps is asking the court to grant her custody, care and control of the child. 

Chino McGregor

She is also seeking $60,000 per month in maintenance for the child. Phillipps is further asking the court to order Chino to pay half of the child’s 
medical and educational expenses. As part of the custody arrangement, Phillipps is asking the court to grant the dancehall entertainer access to the child twice during the week for three hours and once every weekend for seven hours. 

She has been ordered to serve the application on the defendant. No date has been set for the matter to be heard. 

IN JAMAICA: Shantayaé Grant, 22 y-o to be UWI valedictorian. She has a 4.09/4.0 GPA.... also has under her belt, 19 CAPE/CSEC passes with distinction from Alpha Academy

BY AINSWORTH MORRIS Career & Education writer  Sunday, October 26, 2014   

SHANTAYAÉ Grant, Jamaica Observer teenAGE writer, has been selected as a valedictorian for the 2014 graduating class of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.

Shantayaé Grant, speaking at the launch of Purity’s
breast cancer awareness month campaign earlier this month.

Grant, 22, will be graduating with first-class honours from the first academic cohort of CARIMAC students with bachelor of arts degrees in Integrated Marketing Communication on October 31. She has been on the dean's list since her first year at UWI.

"To be chosen to represent the graduating class of Humanities and Education is beyond an honour. This, I believe, is validation for my years of hard work and dedication. I've always worked hard for my achievements and it is truly humbling to be recognised in such a fashion," Grant, who has a GPA of 4.09 told Career & Education.

Grant was also valedictorian when she graduated from Convent of Mercy (Alpha) Academy in 2009.

Last year, her older sister Shoyea-Gaye Grant was also chosen as valedictorian at UWI. more

Can We Auto-Correct Humanity? Why I Refuse to Let Technology Control Me. You need not delete your social networks or destroy your cell phones, the message is simple, be balanced, be mindful, be present, be here. :)

IN JAMAICA: Daylight murder sparks fear Unease on Kensington Crescent after gunmen chase, kill 43 y-o man Collin Mann

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, October 30, 2014    

THE mid-morning murder of a man outside an apartment complex on the outskirts of New Kingston yesterday has triggered fear among residents and staff at businesses in the area.

Police at the scene of yesterday’s murder of a man by gunmen
 on Kensington Crescent on the outskirts of New Kingston.
(PHOTO: MICHAEL GORDON)

Detectives from the Kingston and St Andrew Major Investigation Task Force report that about 11:30 am Collin Mann, 43, and another individual were standing at the entrance to the complex on Kensington Crescent when a group of armed men, travelling in a car, drove up and alighted from the vehicle.

Mann, the Jamaica Observer was told, made a desperate attempt to escape but was chased and shot several times in the street.

The other individual, who was injured, was rushed to hospital where he has been admitted.

"Reports we received are that close to midday the two men were at the complex when they were attacked by criminals who shot them several times and then escaped in a waiting motor car," said one detective.

Police said a motive has not been identified, but explained that they were following several leads, one of them being that the attack, which they believe could be a contract killing, was linked to the shooting death of a couple in Lea's Flat, Red Hills, St Andrew over a week ago.

That, however, has not eased the fear of some residents, many of whom work in and around New Kingston and in offices in the vicinity of yesterday's brazen murder. more

Suge Knight And Katt Williams Arrested For Allegedly Stealing Photographer's Camera

The Huffington Post | By Michael McLaughlin Email Posted: 10/29/2014 7:45 pm EDT 

Hip-hop mogul Marion "Suge" Knight and comedian Micah "Katt" Williams have been arrested for allegedly stealing a camera from a celebrity photographer.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office charged both men on Wednesday with one count of robbery for allegedly taking a camera from a woman outside a Beverly Hills studio on September 5.

Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, faces life in prison because of a previous conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, KVVU reports. The Associated Press reports that the charge carries a possible 30-year sentence for Knight.

Williams was busted when he showed up for court, according to TMZ. He was appearing in Inglewood on an unrelated assault charge and could be locked up for seven years.

Bail was set for Knight at $1 million and $75,000 for Williams, according to NBC Southern California.

Historic Leap (GREAT NEWS): Jamaica Surges 36 Places In Doing Business Rankings....jumped 36 places to 58 among 189 economies worldwide, according to the just-released Doing Business 2015 report. Last year, Jamaica ranked 94.

Avia Collinder, Business Reporter Published: Wednesday | October 29, 2014

Jamaica has achieved the Caribbean region's highest ranking on the ease of doing business, and has jumped 36 places to 58 among 189 economies worldwide, according to the just-released Doing Business 2015 report.

Last year, Jamaica ranked 94. Its vault up the rankings breaks a nine-year streak of decline.

However, the island has received a rap on the knuckles for the slow place of developing electronic interfaces that accompany its extensive reforms and for higher taxation costs.

Doing Business is produced annually by the World Bank, and is usually dated the year ahead of its actual release.

The 2015 report tracks performance from June 2, 2013 to June 1, 2014.

The new report indicates that six of 12 economies in the Caribbean - The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, and Trinidad & Tobago - implemented at least one regulatory reform making it easier to do business in the year of review.

Overall, they implemented 12 reforms, a historic high for the region.

The World Bank noted reforms for Jamaica in the areas of starting a business, getting electricity connections, getting credit, and paying taxes.

An improved assessment of business-friendliness was widely expected for Jamaica, given its ongoing economic reforms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme - under which gains have been praised both by the IMF's technical team as well as head of the agency, Managing Director Christine Lagarde. more

Jamaica has highest number of illegal immigrants in Trinidad says Trinidad's Minister of National Security...

Wednesday, October 29, 2014 | 1:52 AM  

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - There is no discrimination in the treatment of African illegal immigrants, National Security Minister Gary Griffith said yesterday.

He said there was absolutely no degree of profiling or prejudice by authorities in dealing with illegal immigrants.

Trinidad's Minister of National Security - Gary Griffith

“If you are an illegal immigrant, whether you are from African, the Caribbean or Mars, you are breaking the law and all I am doing as Minister is ensuring that the policy (with respect to illegal immigrants) is adhered to and enforced,” he said.

Griffith said there were 131 illegal immigrants at the Detention Centre, of which 23, or 17 per cent, are Africans (the bulk coming from Nigeria (14) and Ghana (7).

He said Jamaica made up the highest number (46 per cent of the 131) and Guyanese (23 per cent). The rest of those detained came from Venezuela, Bangladesh, China, Colombia, Pakistan, Barbados, Romania, Vietnam, Portugal, Senegal and Dominica.

He was responding to a release issued by the Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago which spoke of the plight of African illegal immigrants at the Immigration Detention Centre in Aripo and which urged Government to review its policy with respect to the deportation on Africans at the Centre in the light of Griffith’s statements about an “amnesty” to illegal immigrants. more

Four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon in sex scandal

Wednesday, October 29, 2014 | 2:00 AM    

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon has said reports of a sex scandal involving him and Nova Peris, Australia’s first indigenous Olympic gold medallist and senator, were a gross fabrication.

Otto Bolden

The report, published in the Northern Territory (NT) News yesterday in Australia, alleges Boldon and Peris had an extra-marital affair back in 2010, when he was “handpicked” by Peris, now a senator, to run the ten-day Jump Start to London training programme.

The paper also alleged in its breaking story yesterday Peris used taxpayers’ funds to finance her “extra martial sexual tryst” with the then 35-year-old Boldon back then.

However, in a statement on his Facebook page yesterday, Boldon accused NT News of gross fabrications, saying Peris “is a former training partner of mine and has been a friend for almost 20 years”.

Boldon said his trip to Australia back in 2010 was for the purpose of holding several youth clinics and that it was a successful undertaking.

“The trip was co-organised by one of my now-deceased colleagues at Athletics Australia,” Boldon said, adding: “I will be following the senator’s lead, including, but not limited to, pursuing all legal action possible for this malicious misrepresentation of the details surrounding my presence in Australia in 2010.” more

Windowless Airplanes Of The Future Look Exciting... And Terrifying....The new aircraft design concept from the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) does away with tiny airplane windows, thus allowing for a thinner and lighter fuselage, lower airfare maybe. Would Board A Windowless Airplane? (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post | By Ed Mazza Email Posted: 10/28/2014 3:15 am EDT 

There's some new concept art out showing a possible airplane of the not-too-distant future. And depending on how you feel about flying, these images will either be exhilarating or terrifying.

The new aircraft design concept from the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) does away with tiny airplane windows, thus allowing for a thinner and lighter fuselage. But if you're afraid of heights, don't celebrate just yet because the interior walls themselves would become video displays for cameras mounted outside, essentially turning the entire aircraft into one giant window.

You can see more in the clip above.

Then again, the displays don't have to show what's really outside. Some people are already having fun with the concept on Twitter:Along with revealing thrilling/frightening views of the world (or the Death Star), the giant displays can highlight landmarks and provide important flight information. Of course, they can also be used to show ads: more

Toronto Elects John Tory As Mayor, Ending Rob Ford Era....John Tory had 40 percent of the vote, compared to 34 percent for Doug Ford, brother of outgoing Mayor Rob Ford.

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto has elected a moderate conservative as mayor, ending the scandal-ridden Rob Ford era.

John Tory had 40 percent of the vote, compared to 34 percent for Doug Ford, brother of outgoing Mayor Rob Ford. Left-leaning Olivia Chow was third with nearly 23 percent. The results were announced Monday night with more than 90 percent of polling stations reporting.

Rob Ford's four-year tenure as mayor of Canada's largest city was marred by his drinking and crack cocaine use. He announced last month that he wouldn't seek re-election as he battles a rare form of cancer. His brother, a city councilor, ran in his place.

Despite the cancer, Ford opted to seek the City Council seat from the Etobicoke district where he launched his political career. He won his old seat in a landslide.

After months of denials, the mayor in 2013 acknowledged he had smoked crack cocaine in one of his "drunken stupors," but he refused to resign. The City Council stripped Ford of most of his powers but lacked the authority to force him out of office because he wasn't convicted of a crime. more

WHITE HOUSE WANNABES WALLOPED: 2016 hopefuls, Governors Cuomo (NY) and Christie (NJ) catch Ebola flak

Potential 2016 hopefuls are facing political peril as they grapple with the spread of Ebola in their backyards.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) encountered those exposed risks this weekend as he faced fierce criticism from a nurse who was quarantined in his state after treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), considered a possible Democratic contender or vice presidential pick, appeared with Christie on Friday to emphasize the risks of the virus. After facing criticism, on Sunday night he walked back a stringent Ebola quarantine protocol and said medical workers with no contact to Ebola patients could self-quarantine at home.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was initially derided for traveling abroad while the first diagnosis was made in Texas, though he eventually cut his trip short to address the situation.

More broadly, Democrats have used the Christie and Perry incidents to argue Republicans are going too far on Ebola, saying that their calls for travel bans amount to fearmongering intended to turn a health crisis into a political advantage in the midterms and beyond.

"To the extent that this is going to be an issue for the 2016 field, when folks are running around scaring people, being hyperbolic, for what they perceive as their own short-term political gain, that leaves a bad taste in voters' mouths," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Michael Czin. more