Pregnant Ferguson Woman, Dornella Conners Loses Eye After Cops Shoot Car With Bean Bag

 The Huffington Post | By Simon McCormack Email Posted: 11/28/2014 4:15
A Ferguson woman lost her left eye when police officers in Ferguson shot a bean bag round at the car she was in. Dornella Conners is now blind in one eye and can barely see with the other, she told KMOV.
Ferguson
Dornella Conners
She said she and her boyfriend pulled into a Ferguson gas station on Tuesday morning, hours after the decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown was announced. As she and her boyfriend were driving away from the station, Conners said St. Louis County police surrounded their car.
Conners said her boyfriend was trying to avoid interfering with the police while trying to drive away from the gas station. But police said the car was heading right for them. That's when police shot a bean bag round at the car, shattering the passenger window and injuring Conners."I’m very upset, very disappointed with tactics that they used trying to get control of situation,” Donnell Conners, Dornella’s father told the station.
The story comes as #BlackoutBlackFriday protests spread across Ferguson and the nation in an effort to call attention to what supporters say was an unjust outcome in Wilson's case and to bring an end to the consumption-based day after Thanksgiving.
"In the wake of #Ferguson, it's become painfully clear that people of color, and Black people in particular, are still unjustly targeted by law enforcement and the criminal justice system," reads a statement on BlackoutBlackFriday.org. more
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BLACK FRIDAY FRENZY : Ferguson Protests Move To Stores... Chaos In Britain... Walmart Wo rkers Plan Strikes... TOYS R US MADNESS... Crowd Control... One Of The Biggest Days Of The Year For Gun Sales... More Stores Open On Thanksgiving... Does Little To Boost Sales... Growing Backlash... Best Deals Aren't Actually On Black Friday...

Shoppers head into Target just after thei doors opened at midnight on Black Friday, Nov. 28, 2014, in South Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Shoppers head into Target just after thei doors opened at midnight on Black Friday, Nov. 28, 2014, in South Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
NEW YORK (AP) — Black Friday was already well underway before many awoke this morning.
The traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season has become a two-day affair, with more stores opening before people put down their turkey legs on Thanksgiving. There's good reason for the creep; businesses know shoppers will only spend so much, and they want the first crack at those holiday budgets.
Still, millions of Americans are expected to head out in search of steep discounts today. The National Retail Federation forecasts holiday sales will grow 4.1 percent to $616.9 billion — the biggest jump since 2011.
It's a make-or-break time for many retailers, which on average get 20 percent of their annual sales during the holiday shopping season. Already, retailers have resorted to steep discounting to lure shoppers.Here's a look at what's happening this Black Friday.
Ferguson Protests Hit Stores
Dozens of protesters interrupted holiday shopping to speak out about a grand jury's decision not to indict the white officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, a black teenager.  more

IN JAMAICA: Court orders THE Urban Development Corporation (UDC) public access to Winnifred Beach in Portland ending a five-year legal battle between the residents and the entity.

Friday, November 28, 2014    
THE Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has been ordered by the court to grant public access to Winnifred Beach in Portland, ending a five-year legal battle between the residents and the entity.
People crowd the Winnifred Beach in Portland in this file photo.
The ruling, which was handed down in the Port Antonio Resident Magistrate's Court in the parish last month by Resident Magistrate Marjorie Moyston, said UDC has 90 days to create on a new title an easement for the right of the public to access the beach for bathing and recreation purposes.
Four members of the Free Winnifred Beach Benevolent Society took the matter to court five years ago, seeking a declaration of the public's absolute and indefeasible right to access the beach.
This, after news broke that the UDC intended to develop the lands on which the beach is located, under Fairy Hill Phase 2. The features of Fairy Hill Phase 2, according to the 2006 environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on the proposed development, included not only the construction of beach cottages and residential lots, but also a Fairy Hill Beach Park.
"The beach park would feature, at minimum, the following amenities: a ticket office, guard post, business offices and family-oriented recreational facilities, as well as sanitary conveniences," noted the EIA report done by consultants Technological and Environmental Management Network.
"The main feature of this development will be the 29 residential lots ranging in size from 821 to 1,505 metres-square. Beach cottages will also be constructed to provide temporary dwelling opportunities for beach patrons and other visitors to Portland who are desirous of extending their length of stay," the EIA report added. more

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THE Jamaica Observer last Wednesday lauded teachers from the eastern side of the island for their contribution to the country's education system

Andrea Givans (second right), Teacher of the Year for sales
of the Jamaica Observer’s Learning Corner/Jr Study Centre,
 collects her award from Seprod Promotions and Marketing
Co-ordinator Orville Warren (second left). Sharing the
 moment are Omar Spence of Scotiabank and Nicole
 Campbell from cable company Flow.
(PHOTOS: JOSEPH WELLINGTON)
BY DONISHA WILLIAMS Observer writer donishaw@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, November 27, 2014 
THE Jamaica Observer last Wednesday lauded teachers from the eastern side of the island for their contribution to the country's education system at a special luncheon at the newspaper's headquarters in Kingston.
Danville Walker, managing director of the Observer, congratulated the awardees and thanked the teachers for supporting the newspaper's TeenAge, Study Centre, Learning Corner and Junior Learning Corner publications.
"...You, the teachers, are the key to these initiatives and we applaud your efforts. Our programmes -- Show Us Your School, Meet the School and TeenAge Expression Tours -- have been very successful since their inception. The students have enjoyed them and we have also enjoyed putting them on," Walker said.
(From left) The Jamaica Observer’s
Danville Walker and Circulation
 Manager Valerie Smith with
Oberlin High’s Audrey Francis
 and Ivy Green. The school was
 recognised for selling the
most copies of the TeenAge
 Observer in the island.
Nicole Campbell, public relations executive at Flow, took the opportunity to report on the company's activities which involve the nation's schools. Among those highlighted was the 'Building Leaders Through Technology' programme, which provides primary and secondary schools with free Internet to enhance the learning environment. She also said Flow was able, for the first time, to stream the TeenAge Expression Tour live for the benefit of teachers and students who could not attend.
Guest speaker Howard Campbell, lecturer and CEO of Howard Campbell and Associates, commended the teachers for their daily contribution to student achievement and success. more

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.
01
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.
Woodstock-Site-740
“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. 
USA-MISSOURI/SHOOTING
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

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'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.
View image on Twitter
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
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

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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.
01However, 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.
BILL COSBYFerrigno, 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 BowmanBeth 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