25 y-o Phil Hughes, Australian Cricketer Dies After Strike to Head with a ball and never regained consciousness...Hughes made 26 test and 25 one-day international appearances for Australia

25 y-o Phil Hughes

(Reuters) - Phil Hughes, who died on Thursday aged 25, will forever be remembered as one of Australian cricket's free spirits.

A pugnacious left-hander brimming with self-confidence, his life was tragically cut short when he was hit on the head by a ball and never regained consciousness.

The violent manner of his death has shaken the cricket community, and the world of sport, to its core.

Hughes had been in an out of the Australian national team for the past five years but had been pushing for re-selection. As a batsman he had his flaws, but those imperfections seemed to make him even more popular.

When he was struck down on Tuesday, batting for South Australia against New South Wales, he was 63 not out and seemingly on track for a place in the national team to play India next week.

LOVEABLE CHARACTER

The Australian public loved his fighting spirit and boisterous nature, a kid from the bush who made it to the top but never changed as a person.

Hughes made 26 test and 25 one-day international appearances for Australia, but at just 25 there seemed plenty of time to make more as he battled to overcome his weaknesses.

His ability to score runs has never been questioned but his unorthodox batting technique, especially against short-pitched bowling, was an issue. more

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA: 28 y-o man, Terrence Barnett sentenced to life for murder and rape of sales rep, Toneva Forbes.... Gets forgiveness from victim’s devastated mother

BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter  Thursday, November 27, 2014   

MONTEGO BAY, St James — FIFTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Dahlia Forbes has been a nervous wreck ever since her daughter Toneva Forbes, a sales representative of Cambridge in St James, was brutally raped and murdered in a secluded section of Hague Settlement in Trelawny, two years ago.

But the distraught mother, who worships at the Lapland Seventh-day Adventist Church in St James, has unreservedly forgiven the perpetrator of the heinous crime.

58 y-o Dahlia Forbes/ 28-year-old Terrence 'Dinna' Barnett

"I forgive him because if I don't forgive him what sense does it make that I pray? God is not going to hear my prayer if I don't forgive. I would be saying my prayers in vain if I have iniquity in my heart," the distressed mother, who is also of a Cambridge, St James address, said.

Last week, 28-year-old Terrence 'Dinna' Barnett of Hague Settlement, in Trelawny was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Trelawny Circuit Court after being convicted for murdering Toneva.

Barnett will have to serve 30 years before he becomes eligible for parole.

The convict, who was reportedly also on a rape charge at the time he raped and murdered Toneva two years ago, cried openly after the verdict was read.

In the meantime, the distraught mother reacted with indifference to the conviction, citing that it will neither resurrect her daughter, nor will it assist in the maintenance of the two children she left behind.

"The judgement that them give him don't really help me because right now me have the two children to deal with. So how dem a go get support? Their mother gone, one of them don't have no father, so what a go happen to them? That is my problem," Forbes said.

The sales representative, who was affectionately called Samantha, died leaving, Oneva, now six, and Rickeem, who turned four a few months ago. Toneva was the fourth of six children for Forbes.

On Monday October 1, 2012, Toneva and a male colleague -- both employed at a Montego Bay business establishment -- entered the Hague Settlement community together, but went in different directions to conduct their sales. They were scheduled to meet later in the afternoon but when she didn't turn up and failed to answer her cellphone, the police was notified. more

Could Jamaica be the next stop for Woodstock Festival?

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Wednesday November 26, 2014, CMC – Jamaica says it is moving to host the Woodstock festival, one of the world’s biggest music festivals.

Junior Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Damion Crawford, says he has already held discussions with promoters of the Festival, and if things go according to plan, the event could be staged in Jamaica soon.

“I called the (representatives) at Woodstock and ask them to consider having a reggae Woodstock in Jamaica. A member is coming down shortly to have a meeting,” he said. Crawford said if the discussions are positive, he will be pushing to get private sector support, instead of having the government being engaged in the planning, promotion and staging of the festival.

“Government is not a promoter and entertainment needs people who are willing to take the risk,” he said. The Woodstock Festival or simply Woodstock is a music festival, billed as ‘An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music’. It is held at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in the Catskills, New York, from August 15 to 18 annually.

The Festival is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in popular music history with groups such as The Rolling Stone among those to have performed at the event.

 

Darren Wilson: There's 'No Way' Michael Brown Put His Hands Up (VIDEO INTERVIEW w/ WILSON)

Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson opened up for the first time in an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, part of which aired Tuesday evening, less than 24 hours after it was announced a grand jury would not indict him for the death of Michael Brown.

Wilson said there was "no way" Brown put his hands up before Wilson fired his weapon, as some witnesses have described. Wilson said he thought, "he will kill me if he gets to me" when he saw Brown come toward him. more

MEDICAL workers at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) yesterday staged a protest after a mentally ill patient attacked a nurse at the downtown Kingston institution.

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, November 26, 2014    

MEDICAL workers at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) yesterday staged a protest after a mentally ill patient attacked a nurse at the downtown Kingston institution.

Protest at KPH following attack on nurse

According to the angry protesters, the nurse was doing checks on Ward 2A when she was chased by a man, who was a psychiatric patient.

Jennifer McLeod, who claimed she witnessed the attack, said the nurse was also hit by the man.

"If it weren't for me and another man the nurse could have been killed by the man this morning," she alleged.

"When I see what was happening I could not believe. The man ran down the nurse, held her by the neck and struck her to the side of her head," the woman told the Observer as she stood close to where angry protesters had gathered.

The nurses said yesterday's incident was the latest in a series of attacks on medical professionals as they carry out their duties at KPH, the island's largest hospital.

"This is what we have to face on a daily basis from patients right across the board and we are tired of what is happening and want the matter to be addressed," said one protester.

"When it is not attacks, we are faced with threats, if someone should carry out some checks we nurses and other medical staff get more than 100 threats per month and we are concerned for our safety," said another nurse. more

Outameni Protest: Opposition walks out of House after PM refuses to answer questions

BY BALFORD HENRY Senior staff reporter balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, November 26, 2014   

OPPOSITION parliamentarians walked out of the House of Representatives yesterday in protest against the Government's handling of the controversial Outameni property purchase and the refusal of the prime minister to answer questions tabled on the issue.

Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, Andrew Holness

The walk-out brought an early end to the meeting of the legislature, setting back some issues including the closing of the debate on reparations.

The Government sought to recover the agenda by going ahead with the opening of the debate on three bills seeking to replace the Judicial Committee of the United Kingdom Privy Council with the regional Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). But after a large group of students who were visiting to watch the proceedings left the gallery with their teachers, the writing was on the wall.

Leader of the House Phillip Paulwell called it quits after Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller opened the debate on three bills, and House Speaker Michael Peart adjourned the sitting.

In the meantime, the Opposition invited the press to a briefing in its conference room at Gordon House, at which its leader, Andrew Holness, warned that the protest would not end there. He said that he would widen it to add areas of collaboration between Government and Opposition, including the Partnership for Jamaica, launched in July 2013.

The partnership is a programme designed to ensure the country's stabilisation, growth with equity and sustainable development initially over the period 2013-2016. It gives special focus to fiscal consolidation, rule of law, ease of doing business, employment creation, and energy diversification and conservation. more

Twenty-five Mico College students get $3m in scholarships

Mico College students get $3m in scholarships

Tuesday, November 25, 2014    
The St Andrew-based Mico University College last Tuesday held its annual Presentation of Scholarship Awards Ceremony, which saw 25 students receiving bursaries with an overall value of $3 million. Here scholarship recipients are joined by Mico staff and individuals and representatives of entities that sponsored the awards.

Justifying Homicide: Why Darren Wilson was never going to be indicted for killing Michael Brown....By Jamelle Bouie

The first Ferguson protests had two slogans: “Hands up, don’t shoot”—referring to Michael Brown’s final actions before he was killed—and “Justice for Michael Brown.” And when you asked protesters what they meant by “justice,” they replied with a plea for accountability. In their minds, justice could only come with an indictment of Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot him. No, he probaby wouldn’t go to prison. But if nothing else, an indictment would show that Brown’s life mattered. That the lives of people like Brown matter. And that their communities deserve answers and explanations for police violence. 

An elderly protester

On Monday night, St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCullough told Ferguson that after three months of deliberation, the 12 members of the grand jury had its decision: Darren Wilson would not be indicted. In his statement announcing the decision, McCullough explained that the grand jury considered five separate charges—ranging from manslaughter to first-degree murder—and that the jury was convinced by the available evidence that Wilson had reasonable grounds for shooting Brown, and wasn’t liable for a crime. more

Second chances for youths in JAMAICA: JCDC and NYS offer events management programme

Tuesday, November 25, 2014  

WHEN the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and the National Youth Service (NYS) initiated the Events Management Training and Employment Programme, the objectives included creating viable employment and development opportunities for young people in arts development and events management. However, the programme has exceeded expectations creating second chances for youths who were sitting at home idly.

With a ratio of 28 males to 22 females, the programme created on the job training and exposure in areas of events planning, events budget preparation and monitoring, customer relations, elements of production, basic décor, set design and construction, first aid and fire safety and basic protocol for youths who recently completed six months employment with the JCDC.

"The programme was another opportunity, a second chance for these youths to gain on the job training, improve on weaknesses and to network and create greater chances for employment. Eighty per cent of the youngsters had never worked before or had a structured work experience and the growth that they experienced is commendable," explains Elizabeth Smith, one of the programme co-ordinators from the JCDC.

Smith expresses that close to the end of the programme which ran from April to October 2014, the Events Production Assistants (EPA) ages 17 to 24 years had concerns of what would be their next step, but the support has not ended with their employment tenure. more

VOTE ANITA ANTOINETTE to the TOP 8 on the voice by calling 855-864-2302......You may VOTE 10 times...SHARE TO GET HER TO THE TOP

'DECISION REACHED' :Ferguson Grand Jury Reaches Decision: KILLER GOES FREE..REPORT: Brown Family Lawyer Says No Indictment of police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown. U.S. Attorneys Prosecuted 162,000 Cases In 2010 – Grand Juries Declined To Indict Just 11 Times...

The Huffington Post | By Mollie Reilly Email Posted: 11/24/2014 1:50 pm EST 

CLAYTON, Mo. -- A grand jury has decided not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson for killing 18-year-old Michael Brown, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced Monday.

Darren Wilson

The Aug. 9 death of Brown, who was unarmed, sparked massive demonstrations in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson and a national conversation on race and law enforcement. Activists had predicted a new wave of demonstrations if Wilson was not indicted -- not only in Ferguson, but in the greater St. Louis region and in other cities across the country.

McCulloch's office had said he would release full transcripts of the grand jury proceedings if the panel decided not to indict the police officer. McCulloch's office took an unusual approach to the grand jury process by simply presenting the panel with all the evidence but not recommending any specific charges against Wilson.

Witnesses to Brown's shooting who have publicly spoken about their recollectionslargely told the same story about the events that led to his death.

Michael Brown

It is well established that Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson were walking in the middle of a quiet residential street near the home of Brown's grandmother when Wilson confronted them shortly after noon on Saturday, Aug. 9. The witnesses who spoke publicly said there was an initial confrontation between Brown and Wilson through the window of his police SUV -- some said they thought Wilson was trying to pull Brown in, while Wilson has reportedly said that Brown reached for his weapon.

Wilson reportedly fired one shot out the window, and witnesses claim that Brown took off running. Wilson emerged from the vehicle, and Brown at some point turned around. Many witnesses who have spoken publicly said that Brown looked like he was trying to surrender and put his hands in the air as Wilson shot the final fatal rounds. Wilson reportedly contends that Brown was headed back toward him.

Protesters

The Washington Post, meanwhile, reported that seven or eight witnesses largely backed up Wilson's account of the shooting in testimony before the grand jury. Those witnesses, like most of the people in Ferguson, are African-American.

When Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson released Wilson's name on Aug. 15, the police department simultaneously released a video that appeared to show Brown stealing cigars from a convenience store not long before the shooting and shoving a clerk when he was confronted. Jackson has since said that Wilson was not aware that Brown had been involved in any alleged robbery when the officer spotted him on the streets.

Protesters

Protesters gathered outside the Ferguson Police Department and for de-escalating situations that would likely have resulted in an aggressive police response on other nights. more

BRING IN THE OBEAH MAN : Dr Sonia Davidson of JAMAICA has argued that, with no conventional medical cure for Ebola, it is not improbable that someone affected with the disease could seek help from indigenous traditional healers.

Published: Monday | November 24, 2014 

Edmond Campbell,  Senior Staff Reporter

AS JAMAICA continues to make preparations and put structures in place to deal with the deadly Ebola if it lands on local soil, one general practitioner who is also a practitioner in alternative and complementary medicine, is urging health officials to incorporate indigenous traditional healers, commonly called obeah man/woman, into their Ebola sensitisation exercise.

Dr. Sonia Davidson

Dr Sonia Davidson has argued that, with no conventional medical cure for Ebola, it is not improbable that someone affected with the disease could seek help from indigenous traditional healers.

"I do think that, as part of the Ebola momentum, we should make it our business to find out every traditional healer anywhere ... . Find out who they are; have discussions with them, because people can slip into the country and go down to Clarendon, St Ann, St Thomas or Portland to see their obeah man and, don't think is just poor people who do that, you know," Davidson reasoned.

"This is the opportunity to do what the World Health Organization has been telling us to do all along, find out where your indigenous traditional healers are, document them, relate to them and upgrade their practices. Examine the condition in which they work and have them registered," she outlined... more

MANCHESTER, Jamaica: Three shot dead...Dead are 74-year-old Mulgrave Rowe, 44-year-old Kenroy Montague and 47-year-old Aaron McGeahy.

Sunday, November 23, 2014 | 5:55 PM Alicia Sutherland 

MANCHESTER, Jamaica — The Manchester police say three people were killed in two separate incidents in the parish on Sunday.

Dead are 74-year-old Mulgrave Rowe, 44-year-old Kenroy Montague and 47-year-old Aaron McGeahy.

Reports are that Rowe was shot multiple times by unknown assailants at his home about 1:40 am. He died in hospital.

Meanwhile, police say about 11:15 am, Montague and McGeahy were reportedly at an establishment on Caledonia Road in Mandeville when a gunman approached and fired shots hitting them.

Police say that Montague died at the scene while McGeahy succumbed to his injuries while undergoing surgery at the Mandeville Regional Hospital.... more

FORMER PLAYMATE: HE RAPED ME: Bill Cosby’s legacy, recast: Accusers speak in detail about sexual-assault allegations....Sixteen women have publicly stated that Cosby, now 77, sexually assaulted them, with 12 saying he drugged them first

Bill Cosby

Published Nov 23, 2014
They didn’t see a comedian. They saw the “king of the world.”

Long before there was a Dr. Cliff Huxtable, before rumpled sweaters and a collective anointing as America’s dad, Bill Cosby was magnified a hundredfold in the eyes of the young models and actresses he pulled into his orbit. For them, he embodied the hippest of the 1960s and ’70s Hollywood scene, a mega-star with the power to make somebodies out of nobodies.

He partied with Hugh Hefner and was a regular at the magazine mogul’s Playboy Mansion bacchanals. He co-owned a restaurant and hit the hottest clubs. He sizzled. Those wild, largely forgotten days clash with the avuncular image that has been Cosby’s most enduring impression on American culture. And they have been jarringly cast in a wholly different light as a torrent of women have told — and in some cases retold — graphic, highly detailed stories of alleged abuse by Cosby.
Sixteen women have publicly stated that Cosby, now 77, sexually assaulted them, with 12 saying he drugged them first and another saying he tried to drug her. more

The adventures of two Jamaican brothers Marcus Mohalland and co-author inspire reading in US schools with Silly Nomads series...“These stories are based on my life growing up in Jamaica and they incorporate some of the native language, Patois.

BY ANIKA RICHARDS Sunday Observer staff reporter richardsa@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, November 23, 2014  

THOUGH Marcus Mohalland left Jamaica for the United States of America when he was only 15 years old, his memories of growing up on the island are some of the things he holds most dear.

Marcus Mohalland and his co-author Janet Lewis are
 all smiles inside one of their home offices.

So much so that he has co-authored a series of books, which target children eight to 12 years old, on his adventures while growing up in Portmore, St Catherine, and is now on a mission to get the books into US schools.

“Our first book, Silly Nomads From Palmerston Close, was published on September 16, 2013 and volume two, Silly Nomads Go Ninja Crazy, was published on July 1, 2014,” Mohalland told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

“Our books tell the tale of two mischievous Jamaican brothers who use their imaginations to create their own adventures,” Mohalland shared.

“These stories are based on my life growing up in Jamaica and they incorporate some of the native language, Patois. “They are funny and fast-paced, and are designed to encourage children to use their imagination and enjoy their childhood,” he continued. According to Mohalland, the final book in the trilogy is to be published in 2015.

His co-author, Janet Lewis, an American, said that although both their childhood were worlds apart geographically, after they met they found out they had two things in common: “We grew up learning how to have fun making something out of whatever we had, and we wanted to write.” So they did.

Marcus Mohalland and his co-author Janet Lewis
 are all smiles inside one of their home offices.

And in that process, the two founded Mohalland Lewis, LLC in March 2013 so that they could also self-publish their culturally inspired books.

“We do interactive book readings at schools and libraries in upstate New York and in New York City,” Lewis shared. “We encourage reading and show that reading can be fun. We also want them to hear the powerful message that whatever they want to accomplish in life, they can do it. more 

PALAS Gold Star recipient Maria Attarwala, Medical Student at UWI receives computer from Hon. Lisa Hanna and Sonya Thompson, Pre-Med student at UWI receives her scholarship from PALAS Board member Milton Galloway. Please donate at www.PALAS1.org

Maria Attarwala & Hon. Lisa Hanna

www.PALAS1.org

PALAS Medical Student, NICOLE NATION: The ABCs of making your time at university count.... A -- activism, B -- boundaries, C -- cardio (as in exercise), D -- diversity and more...

BY NICOLE NATION Career & Education writer  Sunday, November 23, 2014    

THE last time many of us revised our ABCs was when we were in kindergarten. But this simple concept can be applied to tertiary education. How? Concepts such as philanthropy, friendship and networking will come alive by the use of the alphabet as a mnemonic. By following this simple but comprehensive outline you will be able to make the most of your university experience.

A -- activism

A rest stop with friends in Clarendon, on our way
 to YS Falls in St Elizabeth.

It is important that you learn the importance of being active and being involved in your community. As one of the educated members of the Jamaican society it is also expected of you as a citizen! Individuals will look to you for leadership and when they knock, answer the call.

B -- boundaries

It is important that while you are at university you know your boundaries and limits. Respect the boundaries of others as well, both personal and otherwise. Know your limits and play within them. You don't always recognise your limits until you go beyond them, then you have to take a few steps back.

C -- cardio (as in exercise)

Keeping yourself in good health is important. Spending time each week to stay in shape is a great way to preserve your health so that you can live a fruitful life, especially when you do graduate which is where life really begins. Make it a point to schedule regular exercise with friends, whether its watching a video online or jogging around the campus with a friend.

D -- diversity

The campus is a rich microcosm of society. Without even leaving campus you can interact with so many persons from so many different nationalities. more

SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth : Cop released in poisoned death of 30-year-old teacher Kerry-Ann Powell case... Woman suspect still in custody

BY GARFIELD MYERS Editor-at-Large South/Central Bureau myersg@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, November 23, 2014    

SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Authoritative police sources have confirmed that a policeman detained in connection with the suspected poisoning death of a teacher early Wednesday has been released pending further investigations.

However, a woman, also held in relation to the death of 30-year-old teacher Kerry-Ann Powell remained in custody up to yesterday afternoon, police sources said. Police are said to be in search of a third person, who was named as an assailant in the alleged poison attack on Powell and her boyfriend (name withheld).

The two were allegedly doused by a toxic substance shortly after daylight early Wednesday by three people, including a woman, who had entered the house at Horizon Park, Santa Cruz, in which the couple lived with Powell's nine-year-old twin daughters. The children were not harmed.

It was confirmed yesterday that the boyfriend, a truck operator, was released from hospital on Friday after recovering from the effects of the suspected poisonous substance.

The Jamaica Observer made contact with the survivor of the toxic attack yesterday. However, he declined to be interviewed for fear of "damaging" or compromising the ongoing investigation. He would say only that "everything will come to light".

A police investigator who declined to be named told the Sunday Observer much the same thing yesterday. "Intense investigations are ongoing and the truth will come out," the police source said.

Powell and her two children had lived at Horizon Park with her boyfriend for "sometime", neighbours confirmed. This was after the latter's estranged wife moved out. more

ST ELIZABETH, JAMAICA: Woman dies in crash, another found dead on roadside....Melrose Wedderburn of Westmoreland and 44-year-old Howard Harrison was found dead along Main Street in Santa Cruz.

Saturday, November 22, 2014    

ST ELIZABETH — A woman died in a motor vehicle crash just west of Gutters in St Elizabeth, close to the border with Manchester on Thursday afternoon, and a few hours later the victim of a presumed traffic accident was found dead on the streets of Santa Cruz, police say.

The motor car in which Melrose Wedderburn died when
 the driver lost control of the vehicle and slammed into
 the truck pictured here. (PHOTO: GREGORY BENNETT)

In the first incident, shortly before 5:00 pm the woman, identified as Melrose Wedderburn of Westmoreland, died when the car in which she was a passenger ran out of control on the steep, winding road -- made slippery by rain -- and slammed into a truck. She died in hospital.

The driver of the car was also taken to hospital, reports say.

Meanwhile, police say that about 9:30 on Thursday night the body of 44-year-old Howard Harrison was found along Main Street in Santa Cruz. Police theorise that he may have been run over by a motor vehicle.

It is understood that Harrison, who was said to be mentally ill, had a habit of hopping on and off trucks.... more

Carla Ferrigno, Angela Leslie And Louisa Moritz Come Forward With Allegations Against Bill Cosby (UPDATE)

The Huffington Post | By Alanna Vagianos & Emma Gray Email Posted: 11/21/2014 2:03 pm EST 

Three more women have come forward with allegations against Bill Cosby. Carla Ferrigno, Angela Leslie and Louisa Moritz are three of the 11 women who have nowpublicly identified themselves and accused Cosby of assaulting them in some form.

Ferrigno, Leslie and Moritz's claims join a growing list of allegations made against the 77-year-old actor. In 2005, Andrea Constand filed a lawsuit against Cosby claiming that he drugged and molested her in 2004. Not long after, Tamara Green went on the “Today Show” alleging she had a similar experience with Cosby. Twelve other women were anonymous witnesses in the Constand case, claiming they also had similar encounters with the comedian. One by one these women have come forward to publicly identify themselves, including Barbara Bowman, Beth Ferrier and, just days ago, Therese Serignese who spoke at length with The Huffington Post. Other women to recently make their allegations against Cosby public include publicist Joan Tarshis and supermodel Janice Dickinson.

Carla Ferrigno, actress and wife of actor Lou Ferrigno, alleges that Cosby attacked her in his home in 1967 and attempted to force himself on her before she escaped. “He walked over to me and grabbed me, pulls me really tight to him, kisses me on the mouth, like really really rough. And I just took my hands and I pushed him away,” Ferrigno told KFI radio station.

Model and actress Angela Leslie says Cosby sexually assaulted her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 1992, telling the New York Daily News, “With his hand on top of mine, [Cosby] had me massage his penis.” more

50 y-o Man Complains Of Headaches, Doctors Find Tapeworm Living Inside His Brain for 4 years

The Huffington Post| By Macrina Cooper-White Email Posted: 11/21/2014 1:04 pm EST 

If you're squeamish, here's a story you might not want to hear.

Doctors in England were having a hard time figuring out what was giving a Chinese man headaches and seizures and causing disturbances in his sense of smell. After the 50-year-old man tested negative for various diseases, a series of brain scans revealed the cause of the strange symptoms -- a tapeworm had been living inside the man's brain for four years. Freaky!

Over the course of four years, the worm
migrated 5 cm from the right side of
 the brain to the left, as shown by the
 cluster of ring-enhancing lesions
 the larvae produced. (Credit: Nagui Antoun.)

The parasite measured about one centimeter in length and had tunneled five centimeters through the man's brain before surgeons removed it in 2012, The Guardian reported. The man is now reportedly cured of the infection. Researchers identified the parasite as a Spirometra erinaceieuropaei, a rare species of tapeworm normally found in China, South Korea, Japan and Thailand. Only 300 cases of infection by the parasite have been reported in humans.

Scientists believe that Spirometra erinaceieuropaei may be contracted by eating crustaceans and reptiles that harbor it, or by using a Chinese remedy for sore eyes that is made from frogs.

"We did not expect to see an infection of this kind in the U.K., but global travel means that unfamiliar parasites do sometimes appear," Dr. Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas, a researcher at the department of infectious disease at Addenbrooke's NHS Trust in Cambridge, said in a written statement.

Dr. Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas and her colleagues used a sample of the worm tosequence the creature's entire genome for the first time. The results of this research were published online on Nov. 21 in the journal Genome Biology. more

The Voice from Duhaney Park: RESIDENTS of Duhaney Park in Kingston are in a jubilant mood. One of their own, 24-year-old singer Anita Antoinette Fearon, is in the Top 10 of the popular American television talent show, The Voice.

BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer writer  Friday, November 21, 2014  

RESIDENTS of Duhaney Park in Kingston are in a jubilant mood. One of their own, 24-year-old singer Anita Antoinette Fearon, is in the Top 10 of the popular American television talent show, The Voice.

Antoinette (Photo: NBC)

When Splash caught up with Fearon on Wednesday following Tuesday night's show, she was excited about her progress.

"I feel honoured, grateful, inspired, and excited to show more of myself and my talents as an artiste. I can feel the love coming from my supporters worldwide and I am truly thankful for this," she said.

According to Anita's cousin, Tameka Thorpe, her performances to date have been closely watched by Duhaney Park residents.

"The love and support in Duhaney Park for Anita is very good. Her brother has been spreading the word about her involvement in The Voice and the support has grown significantly," she said.....

Fearon and Thorpe's mothers are sisters. Her success in The Voice does not surprise her.

Anita Antoinette Fearon at Six y-o

"I was around Anita up to the time when she left Jamaica for the United States. I remember her being a very jovial person, very observant though she didn't speak much. From an early age, around six, she displayed a natural love for music and singing," Thorpe recalled.

Fearon and her family lived at Baldwin Avenue, near the foot of the hill in Duhaney Park, a working-class area that has produced a number of top artistes including Cham and Konshens. more

Ed Robinson updates John Holt's classics...Robinson told this column that the 10-track set was inspired by his love for Holt's music.

BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer Writer  Friday, November 21, 2014    

SINGER Ed Robinson salutes rocksteady great John Holt on his new album Tribute to John Holt.

Robinson told this column that the 10-track set was inspired by his love for Holt's music.

The cover of Ed Robinson’s album Tribute to John Holt

"I had recorded the single Let Your Hair Down with Kemar McGregor, and while we were working on that recording, John Holt had passed away. Kemar suggested we do a song in tribute to John and we eventually decided to do a full album," he said. "The album is very emotional for me, because I've spent a lot of my time making songs that uphold the dignity of the veteran singers like John Holt, and making sure they get the respect they deserve."

One of Jamaican popular music's great singers, Holt died on October 20 in London at age 69. He had an illustrious career that covered ska, rocksteady and reggae.

Released on November 11, Tribute to John Holt is Robinson's seventh studio album. It was produced by McGregor, who has worked with a number of top dancehall/reggae acts as well as American rhythm and blues artistes.

Some of the songs Robinson covered are Sweetie Come Brush Me, Stealing Stealing, The Tide is High, Police in Helicopter and I Want a Love I Can Feel. more

Tony Rebel remembers Garnet Silk...20 Days of Silk, "Dem time dey wi a search......wi read the Bible, reason every day," Rebel recalled.

 BY HOWARD CAMPBELL Observer writer  Friday, November 21, 2014    

This is the third in the Jamaica Observer's daily 20-part series, 20 Days of Silk, which looks at the life of roots singer Garnet Silk. Next month marks 20 years since his death.

Tony Rebel and Garnet Silk

THE Jamaican dancehall was mired in lewd and violent lyrics throughout the 1980s. That carried over into the 1990s until a group of Rastafarian artistes from south-central parishes brought their message of consciousness to a music that had lost its way.

Heading the group was dub poet Yasus Afari, deejay Tony Rebel and singer Garnet Silk. Singers Everton Blender and Uton Green, and deejay Kulcha Knox were also part of the crew.

Rebel, Silk and Blender enjoyed the most mainstream success. Silk and Rebel were from Manchester and knew each other since the early 1980s when they performed on sound systems in that parish.

Rebel told Splash that they quickly developed a bond -- one that grew after both discovered Rastafari.

"Dem time dey wi a search...wi read the Bible, reason every day," Rebel recalled....

After moving to Kingston in 1987, Rebel says Silk followed. They lived in the same house while trying to get a break in the music businesss, working stage shows and hanging out at recording studios.

Both entered the charts around 1992. Once they did, they never left for the next two years, often recording for the same producers, including Donovan Germain and Bobby 'Bobby Digital' Dixon.

In fact, Germain produced Gave You Everything I've Got, one of Silk's biggest hits which was written by Rebel. The deejay also wrote another Silk hit, Love is Divine, produced by Digital. more

AT LAST: RELIEF FOR MILLIONS: Obama Set To Protect Millions From Deportation.... Announcement Tonight... 'Biggest Win For Immigrants And Their Allies In 25 Years'... Congress Can't Stop It... Clinton: Obama On 'Firm' Legal Footing... GOP Governors Eye Lawsuit... Cruz: Obama 'Acting As A Monarch'...

Posted: 11/20/2014 5:59 pm EST 

WASHINGTON -- In the boldest move on immigration policy of his presidency, President Barack Obama is set to announce plans Thursday evening to dramatically increase deportation relief for an estimated 4.4 million undocumented immigrants. The executive action will protect parents, as well as those who came to the U.S. as children and others with long-standing ties to the country, from being forced out of their homes.

President Barack Obama

The announcement will cause mayhem on the Hill, as Republicans threaten lawsuits, a showdown over funding the government, and blocks to Obama's nominees. 




"We're considering a variety of options," incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on the Senate floor Thursday morning. "But make no mistake. When the newly elected representatives of the people take their seats, they will act."

Obama's plan will make a number of changes to immigration policy, such as renaming and revamping the controversial Secure Communities policy, which states and localities across the country have increasingly opposed. It will also redefine Immigration and Customs Enforcement priorities to ensure agents are focusing on recent border-crossers -- defined as those who came after Jan. 1, 2014 -- along with convicted criminals, suspected terrorists and potential threats to national security. The new policies broaden opportunities for high-skilled workers and could lead to further changes in how visas are distributed. The resulting changes could bring the amount of people given legal protection under the executive action to nearly 5 million. more