Cornbread, Earl and Me, 1975 Movie (An Outstanding Movie...MUST SEE) Starring young Lawrence Fishburn, Bernie Casey & JAMAICA's MADGE SINCLAIR

Divinity Of Colours, Confluence Of Culture.... Ikebana is an art form that has transcended boundaries and, though embedded in traditional Japanese culture, its variants and manifests are limitless.

Amitabh Sharma, Contributor
Photos by Amitabh Sharma The beauty and abundance of nature with the bold red of the anthuriums elevating this Ikebana.
Photos by Amitabh Sharma The beauty and abundance of
 nature with the bold red of the anthuriums elevating this Ikebana.
Published: Sunday | December 21, 2014 
It is that time of the year. As the skies turn grey, days become shorter, cool air kisses the skin, the world erupts with joyous emotions, colours and celebrations, nothing expresses the delight of any festive season more than flowers.
Ikebana is an art form that has transcended boundaries and, though embedded in traditional Japanese culture, its variants and manifests are limitless. This ancient form of flower arrangement combines aesthetics with therapeutics and transcendental energy.
Ikebana ... labour of love and meticulous craftsmanship.
Ikebana ... labour of love and meticulous
 craftsmanship.
Ikebana, loosely translated as the art of arranging cut stems, leaves, and flowers in vases and other containers, evolved in Japan over seven centuries ago. Though the arrangements might, like the Japanese tradition, look minimalist, there is a methodology involved in these creations
Ikebana ... labour of love and meticulous craftsmanship.
Ikebana ... labour of love and meticulous
 craftsmanship
"One can arrange the stems and flowers as one wishes," said Dr Pauline Milbourn, president of Ikebana International St Andrew Chapter. "But we have to be familiar with different ways of fastening and positioning the flowers, which come after training on Ikebana techniques." more

ST.ELIZABETH, JAMAICA (Centenarian): Louise Johnson, 100 y-o, speaks of her formula for long life.... BE good to people, especially children. She has a soft spot in her heart and could not resist looking after the children in her community

Sunday, December 21, 2014 
BE good to people, especially children. That, Louise Johnson said, is her formula for long life.
"People would ask me to help them look after their children. I even remember a lady coming to me with a young baby and said, 'Here, he is yours.' I raised him until he became an adult," Johnson, affectionately called Miss Ina recounted.
Louise Johnson, 100, along with some of her guests at her
100th birthday celebration recently
Born on August 16, 1914 in the peanut-farming community of Brinkley, St Elizabeth, Johnson devoted her entire life to looking out for the interest of others. She has a soft spot in her heart and could not resist looking after the children in her community, along with her two biological daughters.
However, she explained that many of the numerous children she cared for do not keep in touch with her, something that evidently disturbs her.
"I did not have a happy childhood," she disclosed. "I was one of eight children for my parents, but I grew up with my godparents from when I was 10 years old. They didn't send me to school; therefore, I had to stay home every day and do domestic work."
Not wanting a similar fate for her daughters, Johnson, a single parent, worked hard to send her children to school so that they could get what she didn't receive.
"I couldn't put up with the foolishness of the children's fathers so I had to work hard to take care of my children myself," the no-nonsense mother pointed out. "I did domestic work, buy and sell and farmed. I planted corn, gungo, banana, callaloo, sorrel and made bammy to sell. I would walk from Brinkley to Mandeville market two times for the week to take things there to sell, and to buy potato and tobacco to come back to resell in my community," she said, adding that the journey would take about four hours. more

IN JAMAICA: Blind woman raped again.... St Ann resident said she escaped being murdered by pretending to be dead... Paula Gayle, who lives in Mount Moriah, St Ann, revealed to the Observer that one of three men who broke into the house that she occupies raped her last Sunday

BY HG HELPS Editor-at-large helpsh@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, December 21, 2014 
A legally blind woman who has been featured in the Jamaica Observer in recent years, has complained that she was raped in brutal fashion a week ago, adding to the countless other challenges that she faces.
Paula Gayle
Paula Gayle, who lives in Mount Moriah, St Ann, revealed to the Sunday Observer that one of three men who broke into the house that she occupies raped her last Sunday, while two others ransacked the premises in search of undetermined items.
St Ann police yesterday confirmed that she had filed a report that she was raped and the matter was being investigated by the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA), officials from which took her to see a doctor last week.
Gayle has been embroiled in a court battle to have avoid being evicted from a St Ann house that she has occupied for over 20 years. The property's owner has returned from living overseas and wants to reclaim it, a recent court hearing was told.
She has long chronicled several tales of woe and pointed a finger at members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force whom she said were working in collusion with criminals to fleece her of her belongings and keep her mouth shut after she had filed a report in 2007 about illegal activities that involved a policeman. She reported to police that she was first raped on July 21, 2008.
In the latest incident, Gayle said that, had she not decided to play dead, she believes that her attackers would have finished the job of strangling her, which one started after she was raped.
Despite the Sunday Observer highlighting her complaints over the past year, the Police High Command has failed to look into the matter, forcing her to take her issues to human rights organisation Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ), and other individuals and groups who are willing to listen. more

Health : 7 anti-aging foods you should be eating today... 1) Salmon 2) Blueberries 3) Quinoa 4) Yogurt 5) Almonds 6) Green Tea 7) Brussels Sprouts

Salmon
Salmon
What we eat can cut the risk of developing chronic diseases that make us old before our time: high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Abundant scientific research has shown how important food is to healthy aging. 
What is meant by "anti-aging"? It's not a vague beauty term, its markers are radiant hair, skin, daily physical activity, a positive mindset and preventing chronic disease. 
Fifty may be the new 40, but one biological fact does change over time: some nutrient demands do increase, so the importance of nutrient DENSE foods becomes more important for as we get older. Science-backed healthy eating plans, like the Mediterranean diet and the USDA's MyPlate strategy, have this in common:  
Fresh blueberries spilling out of a pail
Blueberries
Green tea
Green Tea
  • abundant colorful fruits and vegetables
  • lean protein (both animal and plant sources)
  • heart healthy, unsaturated fats
  • fiber-rich grains
  • low-fat dairy products (or equivalent). 
  • limiting processed foods with added salts, sugars, fats, and calories
Consume these "double-duty" foods regularly or daily: they'll boost your intake of essential nutrients like protein, calcium, vitamin D, and omega-3-fats, along with the “value-added” antioxidants, used throughout the body. You'll see and feel the difference, inside and out. more

2 NYPD Officers Dead In Brooklyn Shooting...“The perp came out of the houses, walked up behind the car and lit them up,” a high-ranking police official told the Daily News (VIDEO)


The Huffington Post |  By Andres Jauregui Email Posted: 12/20/2014 5:11 pm EST 
Two NYPD officers are dead after a gunman shot into a patrol car in Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon, police said.
View image on Twitter
Cops Shot
The gunman was pursued by other officers and entered a subway station, where authorities said he then fatally shot himself in the head“The perp came out of the houses, walked up behind the car and lit them up,” a high-ranking police official told the Daily News.
Ismaaiyl Brinsley
While the shooter had not yet been identified, the suspect is said to have earlier threatened police in a social media message, a law enforcement source told WNBCand News12. The suspect may have come from Baltimore, and law enforcement wasinvestigating the suspect's background, unnamed officials told the New York Times' J. David Goodman.

Long Road Home MOVIE, starring Danny Glover (A Movie to WATCH)

LIME projects US$281-million growth in revenues from Flow acquisition, according to Chairman Chris Dehring....The increase would equate to a two-thirds jump in LIME Jamaica's $18.4 billion (US$170 million) total revenues

BY STEVEN JACKSON Business reporter jacksons@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, December 19, 2014  
TELECOMS provider LIME Jamaica expects to grow annual revenues to US$281 million with the Flow acquisition, according to Chairman Chris Dehring.
DEHRING… has been on a talk tour
 of 30 countries in 14 days
It's a signal to investors vying to evaluate possible earnings arising from the local leg of the regional merger. The increase would equate to a two-thirds jump in LIME Jamaica's $18.4 billion (US$170 million) total revenues earned at its March year end.
The merger would not affect mobile revenues but augment other revenues currently at $12 billion (US$110 million) per annum.
"Broadband, TV and fixed-line voice; all of that revenue, when we add Columbus and LIME together it's US$150 million a year in revenues with a very high cost base," Dehring told the Jamaica Observer Wednesday in a phone interview on the final leg of his talk tour of "30 countries in 14 days".
He undertook the tour as part of his wider capacity as head of government relations and regulatory (affairs) at Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC), LIME Jamaica's parent company.
He then asserted that the merged entity would still result in a smaller revenue base than main competitor Digicel Jamaica at some US$415 million to US$430 million.
In November, CWC Plc announced that it had acquired Columbus Communications, the parent company of Flow Jamaica, for US$3 billion. more

Bashment Granny 3 with Keith 'Shebada' Ramsay, the latest episode in the popular local play franchise, opened yesterday, at Green Gables Theatre in Kingston.

Bashment Granny 3, the latest episode in the popular local play franchise, opened yesterday, at Green Gables Theatre in Kingston.
Starting in 2007, the first Bashment Granny pulled in consistently strong audiences and launched the career of Keith 'Shebada' Ramsay, playing across Jamaica, and to the Jamaican diaspora in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. The sequel did over 100 performances overseas and more than 200 locally.
Garfield Reid (left) and Keith 'Shebada' Ramsay in a scene from the play 'Bashment Granny'.-File
Garfield Reid (left) and Keith 'Shebada' Ramsay
 in a scene from the play
 'Bashment Granny'.-File
Seven years ago, the story started out with a desperate Bad Boy Trevor using his 'father' in an attempt to fleece millions of dollars from the wealthy Miss P, a generous girlfriend from the UK. Trevor was eventually incarcerated and missed the chance to cash in on the fruits of his deceit.
In 2010, Shebada and Mr Bashy had a stroke of luck and inherited the ill-gotten gains of Trevor's nefarious scheme. Flush with new cash, they invested the money, but the plan quickly went sour and the money went up in smoke, even as the unsavoury Half-a-Dog, the money's real owner, jetted in from New York in a bid to collect what was thought to be rightfully his. Bashy and Shebada slunk off into the shadows.
Now, in 2014, Bad Boy Trevor is released from prison only to find that Shebada is still in hiding and Half-a-Dog is sniffing around for his cash. A meeting between the Dog and the Bad Boy is imminent and a few bullets are on the agenda. more

RAPED ABROAD: Jamaican woman fears for her life after attack in The Bahamas....“Mi fraid! Mi fraid! God know mi fraid!” These are the cries of a Jamaican woman who alleges that she was abducted and raped by a senior immigration officer

Jamaican woman fears for her life after attack in The Bahamas
By Noelle Nicolls, Gleaner Writer
NASSAU, Bahamas:“Mi fraid! Mi fraid! God know mi fraid!” These are the cries of a Jamaican woman who alleges that she was abducted and raped by a senior immigration officer in The Bahamas earlier this week. 

After the traumatic series of events unfolded, the victim said her attacker “had the nerve” to supply his phone number, suggest they could date, and ask for a kiss before leaving her. The incident unfolded even as The Bahamas is under intense international scrutiny for its recently amended immigration policy, which came into effect on November 1. 

Human rights critics have blasted successive governments over their failure to seriously address repeated claims of corruption and human-rights abuse at the Department of Immigration. 

The Jamaican woman, who is from Ocho Rios, St Ann, said the ordeal began early on the morning of Saturday, December 13, when police arrested 11 women on suspicion of prostitution during a raid at a local bar. Police reported the raid in their weekend crime report. 

Off all the women picked up, the alleged victim, who worked as a bartender, was the only employee. 
The low-key bar sits on the bottom floor of a rundown two-storey plaza in a part of town under police radar. The woman says the minimum-wage salary she earns at the bar goes towards feeding her three young children. more

IN JAMAICA (UPDATE): Police murder a wicked act, says Area Commander Kevin Blake... “This is further evidence that while significant gains have been made in reducing the number of murders in 2014, the fight against criminals is not over.

Friday, December 19, 2014 | 8:45 AM    
MANDEVILLE, Manchester -- Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) for Police Area Three, which includes the parish of Manchester, Kevin Blake, is describing the murder last night of Constable Orville Preddie as a wicked act and one which must be condemned by the entire society.
Constable Preddie ... second cop killed on 2014
“This is further evidence that while significant gains have been made in reducing the number of murders in 2014, the fight against criminals is not over.
“The manner in which Constable Preddie was murdered speaks to the callousness of these murderers. We mourn for our colleague and I offer my personal sympathies and that of the Constabulary to the family, friends and colleagues of Constable Preddie,” ACP Blake told OBSERVER ONLINE Friday morning.
Police say Preddie who was off duty and unarmed was relaxing with friends at a bar in the remote community of Farm in the Asia police division of southern Manchester when several men armed with guns entered the premises.
The criminals proceeded to rob patrons and in the process of going through their pockets discovered Preddie’s police identification. One of the gunmen promptly shot him in the head. He reportedly died on the spot.
Police Divisional Commander for Superintendent Melvin Brown says “no stone will be left unturned” in the hunt for the killers of the 34 year-old constable. “We will be unrelenting, turning over every stone, exploring every angle… we are resolved to find those responsible,” Brown told OBSERVER ONLINE.
Preddie was married with two children aged eight years and 18 months. He is the second policeman to be killed in 2014. more

'TIS THE SEASON: FEDS HAND WALL STREET ANOTHER GIFT....Fed Delays Volcker Rule, Giving Wall Street Another Holiday Gift Posted: 12/18/2014 6:36 pm EST

WASHINGTON -- Christmas came early for Wall Street this year. The Federal Reserve on Thursday granted banks an extra year to comply with a key provision of the Volcker Rule, a move that gives financial lobbyists more time to kill the new regulation before it goes into effect.
The Volcker Rule is a key element of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law that bans banks from engaging in proprietary trading -- speculative deals that are designed only to benefit the bank itself, rather than its clients. Thursday's move by the Fed gives banks an additional year to unwind investments in private equity firms, hedge funds and specialty securities projects. The central bank also said it plans to extend the deadline by another 12 months next year, which would give Wall Street a two-year reprieve through the 2016 presidential election.
The Fed's delay comes less than a week after Congress granted Wall Street a reprieve from another reform that had been mandated by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law. The measure, known as the swaps push-out rule had eliminated federal subsidies for trading in risky derivatives -- the complex contracts at the heart of the 2008 banking meltdown. Bank watchdogs say the Volcker Rule delay adds insult to injury. more

Ron Muschette goes Mello FM....Richie B welcomes Ron from IRIE-FM, he is happy with the decision of his media colleague to join the ranks of the station whose line-up also include radio veteran Barry 'Barry G' Gordon.

BY RICHARD JOHNSON Observer senior reporter johnsonr@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, December 19, 2014    
MELLO FM's morning man Richard 'Richie B' Burgess is calling the inclusion of Ron Muschette to the station's line-up as "formidable".
This comes after days of speculation as to the destination of Muschette after he quit at IRIE FM just over a weeks ago. He spent 14 years at the reggaeradio station.
Richie B & Ron Muchette
According to Burgess, he is happy with the decision of his media colleague to join the ranks of the station whose line-up also include radio veteran Barry 'Barry G' Gordon.
"I was doing an outside broadcast in Montego Bay during Soul in the Sun in October. I took a photograph with myself, Ron, Barry G and our station Manager Al Robinson and it went viral on the Internet. I interviewed Ron asking him to set his IRIE vibe aside and take on a Mello vibe, not knowing it would be a propheticstatement," Burgess told Splash.
"My station manager then met with Barry and myself as two veterans on staff and informed us of Ron's interest in coming to Mello. My words to him were: 'Run with it, anywhere he goes on the dial is an asset to that organisation.' It did not matter what time slot he was taking. So I welcome him with open arms. Having Richie B, Ron Muschette and Barry G on one station is a formidable line-up," he continued.
Yesterday, Muschette used social media to confirm what had been making the rounds since he shocked many with what seemed like a snap resignation from the St Ann-based IRIE FM.
In a teary, emotional video on his blog, Muschette noted that the decision to move away from IRIE came after a lot of thinking. more 

Carolina Skeletons (14 y-o George Stinney murder movie) with Lou Gossett Jr. and Bruce Dern....A Powerful Movie.


George Junius Stinney Jr. was, at age 14, the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century (1944) 
Because there is literally NO EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM (accused of murdering two white girls) ...the question of Stinney's guilt and the judicial process leading to his execution remain controversial (ie. there's a strong possibility they executed an INNOCENT person)

Great showing at Ghetto Splash at the Waterhouse Mini Stadium in Drewsland, St Andrew...the event drew an estimated 10,000 patrons whose musical thirst was quenched by a long list of performers.


BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer writer  Thursday, December 18, 2014    
THE Waterhouse Mini Stadium in Drewsland, St Andrew, was transformed into a musical kaleidoscope with the staging of the Shocking Vibes and Downsound Records' Ghetto Splash on Tuesday night.
The event, which was free to the public, drew an estimated 10,000 patrons whose musical thirst was quenched by a long list of performers.
Beenie Man
(right) and
Chi Ching
Ching in
performancePromoter Patrick Roberts of Shocking Vibes Productions was pleased with the staging of the event.
"We want to thank all the entertainers who performed and all the patrons who came out to support Ghetto Splash. Shaggy, who came on during Agent Sasco's performance, said 'he had never envisioned a professional show of this magnitude in the ghetto'. It just goes to show the level of work that went into the event," Roberts told the Jamaica Observer.
In the early segment, singjay Jahmiel set the pace with a stirring performance which was only eclipsed by the seasoned Beetle Bailey, who kept patrons in check with his stage performance and demeanor.
The musical flames, however, got intense once Konshens, Agent Sasco aka Assassin, Aidonia, Sizzla, Popcaan and Beenie Man hit the stage. They whipped the crowd into a frenzy delivering the hits that made them stars. ... Read More

JAMAICAN officials hail historic diplomatic breakthrough with US.... This is the best news in 50 years, says J’can who studied in Cuba. Jamaica's Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, in a statement, hailed the move by Obama and Castro for their "bold and visionary leadership"....What Do You Think?

BY HG HELPS Editor-at-Large helpsh@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, December 18, 2014
LEADING Jamaican political and medical figures and the senior Cuban envoy in Jamaica have welcomed yesterday's top global news story of efforts to normalise relations between the United States and Cuba after a stormy relationship that lasted more than 50 years.
01
Prez. Obama----Raul Castro
United States President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro stunned the world with the revelation that after 18 months of "secret" talks between Washington DC, the United States' political capital, and Havana, where most of Cuba's decisions are made, both countries were moving to, among other things, re-establish diplomatic ties that weakened drastically in January 1959, and were severed eventually in January 1961.
As part of the new dispensation, both countries agreed to a prisoner swap.
Jamaica's Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, in a statement, hailed the move by Obama and Castro for their "bold and visionary leadership", adding that both were deserving of commendation, following the news released simultaneously in both capital cities.
"This represents courageous action by the Governments of the United States and Cuba that will ultimately serve the best interest of the people of both countries and establish the foundation for the next required logical step of a total and formal end of the United States' unilateral trade embargo against Cuba," Simpson Miller stated, emphasising that the act now brings US and Cuban foreign policies in line with what she described as modern international diplomatic arrangements. more 

HACKERS HIJACK HOLLYWOOD : SPINELESS: Sony, Theaters Cave To Terror Threat... No Planned Release For 'The Interview'... U.S. Officials: North Korea Behind Sony Hack... Attack Far More Destructive Than Any Seen Before On American Soil... FBI Warns Theaters... U.S. Weighs Responses... 'Can't Let This Go Unanswered'... Obama Weighs In: 'Go To The Movies'... Could Cost Sony $100 Million... Another North Korea Film Scrapped... Sets Dangerous Precedent...

Sony Pictures will not release "The Interview" on Christmas Day, and the studio has"no further release plans" for the film, this according to a studio spokesperson. It had been speculated that Sony would consider releasing the film either via on-demand services or in theaters at a later date.
Sony announced "The Interview" will not come out as planned in a statement: In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers.
Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like. We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome. more

U.S. Wealth Gap Hits Record 30 years High : While median middle-income wealth was flat between 2010 and 2013 -- stuck at $96,500 -- the wealth of upper-income families jumped to $639,400 from $595,300. Lower-income wealth dropped slightly to $9,300 from $10,500.

The Huffington Post |  By Maxwell Strachan Email Posted: 12/17/2014 4:30 pm EST 
Never in the 30 years since the the Federal Reserve first starting collecting wealth data has the divide between the rich and everyone else been so large, according to a new analysis by the Pew Research Center.
pew research centerThe wealth gap in the U.S. last year was the biggest since at least 1983, according to the report. The median wealth of upper-income families was 6.6 times that of middle-income families in 2013, up from 6.2 in 2010.
Those same upper-income families are now nearly 70 times wealthier than low-income families -- also a record gap.

Thirty years ago, the richest households’ wealth was only 3.4 times that of middle-income households. (Source: Pew Research)

There are two main reasons for the growing gulf between the rich and everyone else:stagnant middle-class wages and the rising wealth of America’s richest families. While median middle-income wealth was flat between 2010 and 2013 -- stuck at $96,500 -- the wealth of upper-income families jumped to $639,400 from $595,300. Lower-income wealth dropped slightly to $9,300 from $10,500. more

HELLO, HAVANA! Obama Speaks On Relations With Cuba, Release Of Alan Gross : Obama Announces Breakthrough In U.S., Cuba Policy... Most Significant Shift Since 1960 Embargo... U.S. To Open Embassy In Havana... Normalized Banking, Trade Ties... Raul Castro Welcomes Renewal Of Relations... Pope Played Instrumental Role... Cuba Releases American Alan Gross After 5 Years In Prison... 3 Cubans Jailed In U.S. To Be Freed In Exchange For Unidentified 'Intelligence Asset'... Senator: 'Vindicates Brutal Behavior Of Cuban Government'... Rubio Blasts Deal...

 Posted: 12/17/2014 11:07 am EST 
President Barack Obama spoke Wednesday on U.S. relations with Cuba, hours after American Alan Gross was released from a Cuban prison, where he'd been for five years.
Gross was accompanied back to the U.S. by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). The Cuban government had detained Gross for setting up satellite Internet access as a subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and charged him with violating the country's "territorial integrity."
"Today, Alan returned home, reunited with his family at long last," Obama said in remarks delivered from the White House. Three Cubans who had been jailed in the U.S. for spying, along with a U.S. intelligence source who had been jailed in Cuba for more than 20 years, were also released on Wednesday. Obama said that U.S. source was released "separately" from Gross.
Several lawmakers were quick to criticize the release of the Cuban spies, including Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.).
“Trading Mr. Gross for three convicted criminals sets an extremely dangerous precedent," Menendez said in a statement. "It invites dictatorial and rogue regimes to use Americans serving overseas as bargaining chips."
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) also criticized the spies' release, saying during an interview on Fox News that it "sets a very dangerous precedent," and calling the normalization of relations with Cuba "absurd." more 

JAMAICA's Security Minister Peter Bunting says crime down but no letting up....He said there have been "dramatic reductions" in Westmoreland, where violent crime is down "very significantly this year"

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 
SECURITY Minister Peter Bunting says there will be no letting up in the fight against crime despite the country seeing reductions in all categories of violent crimes.
Security Minister Peter Bunting (second left) addresses
 a meeting yesterday at the Ministry of Tourism and
 Entertainment in New Kingston to discuss security issues
affecting the tourism sector. Listening (from left) are Minister
 of Tourism and Entertainment Dr Wykeham McNeill and
 Commissioner of Police Dr Carl Williams. (PHOTO: JIS)
"We are seeing double-digit reductions right across the board in all serious and violent crimes in Jamaica. We know we are not where we need to be but at least we are closing in on being in line with the rest of the Caribbean and we are not going to let up until we are below the Caribbean average," Bunting told a meeting yesterday at the tourism ministry's New Kingston offices to discuss security matters affecting the tourism sector.
He said there have been "dramatic reductions" in Westmoreland, where violent crime is down "very significantly this year", adding that murders in the parish have been reduced by almost 50 per cent "and we are seeing encouraging results right across the board".
In the parish of St James, he said, "We are starting to see some modest improvement there and we are not going to let up."
Commissioner of Police Dr Carl Williams, in his address at the meeting, made it clear that the mission of the Jamaica Constabulary Force is to ensure that people are safe. more

GOOD BUSINESS FOR JAMAICA: Honey Bun's rum fruit cakes now available in UK's ASDA....Honey Bun posted $23.4 million in profit from $741 million in sales for its September year-end or one-third less profit year-on-year.

BY STEVEN JACKSON Business reporter jacksons@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, December 17, 2014  
HONEY Bun Ltd started selling its rum fruit cakes in the United Kingdom-based ASDA Groceries which supported the tripling of its exports year-to-date.
The company also plans to test the market with two new undisclosed products in 2015.
01
"For the first two months of this fiscal year (October and November), exports have already increased by over 350 per cent. The Buccaneer Jamaica Rum Fruit Cakes were exported to the UK in November and are available in ASDA this year for the first time and we plan to continue on our increase in exports," Michelle Chong, co-founder and chief executive at Honey Bun, told the Jamaica Observer in an e-mailed response to Business Observer queries.
ASDA, owned by Walmart, is the second largest UK supermarket chain by marketshare and operates in over 550 locations. The Honey Bun export explosion for its first quarter 2015 comes within the context of exports increasing 62 per cent in 2014 over 2013.
Honey Bun, which received the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association award for Champion Exporter in the small category, indicated the growing exports would offset challenges faced in an austere local environment.
Honey Bun posted $23.4 million in profit from $741 million in sales for its September year-end or one-third less profit year-on-year. more
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'Incredible news': Mayor Rob Ford of TORONTO, CANAD says tumour starting to shrink ...."It's incredible news," said Ford. "The tumour has been reduced by more than 50%."

TORONTO - Councillor Rob Ford says he received positive news for Christmas from doctors at Mt. Sinai Hospital which has made him hopeful he can beat his aggressive cancer. "This is a good news story," he told the Toronto Sun on Monday.
Mayor Rob Ford
Rob Ford
The Etobicoke North (Ward 2) councillor said doctors told him the extensive chemotherapy he has been taking is starting to work. He has learned the cancerous tumour in his abdomen is starting to shrink to a point where his medical team can begin thinking about scheduling a surgery to remove it.
"It's incredible news," said Ford. "The tumour has been reduced by more than 50%."
Ford said doctors told him "the tumour has shrunk from 13 cm to 6 cm. It is a lot smaller."
It means this should be his final week of having to suffer through chemotherapy. He is now enduring his fifth session of chemo since doctors diagnosed him with liposarcoma in September -- something that forced him to leave this year's mayoral race.
"They told me this should be my last round of chemotherapy and next they will do radiation before having a surgery," the former mayor said. "I have been blessed to have such good medical care." Mt. Sinai spokesman Sally Szuster said Monday night she couldn't "offer comment on Mr. Ford's condition." Ford added doctors told him a huge amount of the drug, Adriamycin, is what eventually started to knock his stubborn tumour down.
The outspoken municipal politician also said "understanding the medical stuff for me is like others trying to figure out the city budget."
When a friend teased Ford that he would be looking forward to getting his hair back, he responded: "Definitely, but I'm also looking forward to getting my life back."
 more