Ronnie Thwaites, Minister of Education lashes GULLY BOP...for his recent comment on a television show in which he bragged of side-stepping his responsibility as a father....Thwaites lamented that a recent survey on living conditions in Jamaica revealed that 38 per cent of the nation's youths "either don't know who their father is or have no effective relationship with him".

 BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com  Saturday, January 24, 2015    
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Education Minister Ronald Thwaites has taken issue with deejay Gully Bop for his recent comment on a television show in which he bragged of side-stepping his responsibility as a father.
Gully Bop and Ronnie Thwaites, Minister of Education
Thwaites was speaking at Montego Bay High School for Girls on Wednesday at the Kiwanis International 100th anniversary celebration during which 100 youths were recognised for their exemplary services as volunteers.
"I don't want to criticise him too much, because I only heard it second hand. But I gather that recently there was an interview, it must have been on some video or television, of a man called Gully Flop... have I got that right? And when this person, whoever he is, was asked about his children, he said yea, he has plenty children but he only looks after three or so because he makes it a pattern that he only deals with a woman who is working or a woman who has a man who is working," said Thwaites.
"I want to tell you, that's what's keeping Jamaica back, and what's cranking us in education, is the weakness of the family structure in this country. And you (students) are old enough for me to say to you this evening that the greatest shackle of the slavery that we all went through in different roles, was the destruction of the African family form," he continued.
The education minister, who is a father of seven children, said that a good parent is of extreme significance.
"The most important thing that we can ever be in life is not to be prime minister or Usain Bolt or Shelly Ann (Fraser) or anybody else, but it is to be a good parent. And you are preparing for that right now by your very involvement in the Kiwanis movement and in the service that you give," the education minister said. more 
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Morgan Heritage pleased to be on Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival


REGGAE sibling band Morgan Heritage will kick off their year with a performance on next weekend's Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium. The festival boasts an ... Read More

Symptoms of Vitamin D3 Deficiency...Whats a Vitamin D Deficiency?

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Dies at 90 y-o


Image result for saudi arabia king abdullah
  • Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
    King of Saudi Arabia
  • Abdullah ibn AbdilazÄ«z is the King of Saudi Arabia. He ascended to the throne on 1 August 2005 upon the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. According to Forbes, in 2013, Abdullah was among the world's most powerful people ranked 8th globally. Wikipedia
  • BornAugust 1, 1924 (age 90), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • OfficeKing of Saudi Arabia since 2005
  • SpouseAlanoud AlFayez (m. 1972–2003), More
  • SOUTH AFRICA: Mr Mandela must be rolling in his grave...President Jacob Zuma's home was outfitted with a swimming pool, amphitheatre, visitor centre, cattle enclosure and chicken coop built as part of what was said to have been a State-funded security upgrade....unethical conduct in relation to the use of £13.7 million of State funds in the refurbishing of his private home.

    Friday, January 23, 2015    
    Politicians are indeed a rare breed. Thankfully, though, not all of them are given to contradictions in their pronouncements and actions.
    South Africa President Jacob Zuma
    For there are, among them, people who still uphold the highest ideals of integrity, common decency and the purest motives of serving their compatriots.
    Locally, Messrs Burchell Whiteman and the late Seymour 'Foggy' Mullings come easily to mind as among the group of politicians whose integrity is beyond question.
    Unfortunately, politics across the globe has been, and still is populated by individuals with whom one could easily draw parallels to the pigs in George Orwell's allegorical novel Animal Farm.
    "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," they told their comrades as they cemented their stranglehold on power over their master's farm, which they had seized in an overthrow.
    Essentially, the pigs were making it clear that power and privilege belonged to a small elite.
    Our recollection of the pigs' decree was prompted by South African President Jacob Zuma's address to the ruling African National Congress (ANC) a few weeks ago.
    "The ANC must continue to lead in ending corruption in the state, the private sector and amongst our own members," President Zuma told the party during celebrations to mark its 103rd anniversary. more

    Sheldon Silver's Arrest Means Headaches For Gov. of NY, Andrew Cuomo...UPHEAVAL IN ALBANY... Bipartisan Support For Speaker's Resignation After Arrest... Bribes, Kickbacks Spanned Years, Prosecutor Says... 'Everyone Knew'... Damage Already Spreading... FLASHBACK: Cuomo Hobbled Corruption Commission...

    NEW YORK -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo wasn't the one in custody on Thursday. But the arrest of powerful New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver could spell plenty of trouble for his fellow Democrat.
    ANDREW CUOMO SHELDON SILVER
    In this Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015 photo, Assembly Speaker
     Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, right, stands with New York
     Gov. Andrew Cuomo before Cuomo's State of the State address
    The state's chief executive will face tough questions over his handling of corruption in the legislature. Perhaps more worryingly, he's been sent a sharp reminder that U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara may be looking into why Cuomo killed an investigation into just the sort of double-dealing that Silver stands accused of.
    Just hours after Silver's arrest on bribery and kickback charges involving millions of dollars, Cuomo's opponent in last year's Democratic primary wrote an op-ed lambasting the governor for closing down the corruption commission he'd created in July 2013."[A]s the Governor who promised to root out corruption, Andrew Cuomo has to answer for a culture of secrecy and corruption, an Old Boys Network that has gotten worse, not better, since he took office," Zephyr Teachout wrotein the New York Observer.
    At the time Cuomo shut down the Moreland Commission last March, he explained his decision as part of a deal with the legislature to pass modest ethics reforms. State legislators had fiercely resisted the commission's attempts to subpoena records about their second jobs. New York has a part-time legislature and its state lawmakers are free to pursue outside work, as long as they disclose -- which Silver allegedly failed to do. more

    FREED: David Smith, the Jamaican head of the failed investment scheme Olint, released from TCI prison after serving just over three years of a six-year sentence... Lawyer reportedly files US extradition appeal...David Smith, who was accused of defrauding thousands of customers of more than US$220 million

    Friday, January 23, 2015   
    David Smith, the Jamaican head of the failed investment scheme Olint, was yesterday released from a Turks and Caicos Islands prison after serving just over three years of a six-year sentence.
    01
    David Smith
    His early release, which the TCI Sun newspaper reported was due to good behaviour, should have been followed by his extradition to the United States to serve a 30-year sentence handed to him in August 2011.
    However, a source in the Turks and Caicos Islands said his lawyer, Oliver Smith (no relation), filed an appeal to stop the extradition.
    "The appeal was filed in the Grand Turk Magistrate's Court before Clifton Warner," the source said. "Our understanding is that it is now being handled by the Attorney General Rhondalee Brathwaite-Knowles."
    The source added that Oliver Smith declined to comment when asked why his client was released early. However, the source said David Smith was released into the custody of the police.
    David Smith, who was accused of defrauding thousands of customers of more than US$220 million, was convicted in the United States District Court in Orlando, Florida after pleading guilty to 18 counts of money laundering, four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
    US District Judge Mary Scriven handed down the sentence on August 11, 2011 after hearing three hours of legal arguments and victim testimony, which was emotional at times.
    Assistant US Attorney Bruce Ambrose told Judge Scriven that the government proposed a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison. more

    KINGSTON, JAMAICA: Alleged gang leader charged under new legislation....He has been identified as Omar Spaulding, a 31-year-old higgler of Bread Lane in Kingston, and the alleged leader of the Scare Dem Gang, which is based in West Kingston.

     By Kimmo Matthews  Thursday, January 22, 2015
    POLICE yesterday laid charges against an alleged gang leader, the first such involving the head of a criminal organisation under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) Act.
    SSP Steve McGregor
    He has been identified as Omar Spaulding, a 31-year-old higgler of Bread Lane in Kingston, and the alleged leader of the Scare Dem Gang, which is based in West Kingston. Spaulding was charged along with 11 other persons, including two teenagers, ages 16 and 17, who are all alleged to be gang members. The other adults charged are:
    * Leon Williams o/c Coolie, 22-year-old upholsterer of Water Street, Kingston;
    * Anthony Wright, o/c Bulbie, a 54-year-old taxi operator of a Christopher Road address;
    * 22-year-old Derval Findley o/c Shortman, of Buff Bay, Portland;
    * Orlando Harris o/c Biggy, of 22 Water Street, Kingston;
    * Jermaine Fyffe o/c Timmo, 35-year-old higgler of Nelson Street, Kingston;
    * Ricardo Dennis o/c Buddy Ruff, 28-year-old resident and footballer of 61 Dumfries Road, Kingston;
    * Akeem Davis o/c Gallawas, 25-year-old entertainer from Nelson Street, Kingston; more

    How to Make Fermented Salad Dressings....Serving salad is a common means of adding enzymes and freshness to our meals. Surely none of us can argue with a big plate of fresh, organically grown produce!

    Assortment of salad dressings By Shannon Stonger
    Health Impact News
    Serving salad is a common means of adding enzymes and freshness to our meals. Surely none of us can argue with a big plate of fresh, organically grown produce! But, might we improve upon it by the addition of a salad dressing teeming with enzymes and probiotics?
    Sadly, many commercial salad dressings are laden with inflammatory vegetable oils and are topped off with questionable sweeteners, thickeners, and pasteurized vinegars. The salad beneath might be fresh but, in these cases, the dressing certainly is not.
    The synergy between dressing and salad is where the goodness happens so it pays to optimize both. A simple combination of olive oil and raw apple cider vinegar can be utilized as a throw-together option. Indeed, this will add a host of benefits including the prebiotics found in raw apple cider vinegar.
    To take it a step further – and perhaps to better utilize the fermented foods you may already be making – a fermented salad dressing can be prepared. This not only adds micro- and macronutrients, it also provides you with a variety of flavors and textures to dress your salads differently every day of the week.
    There are a few options for creating a salad dressing that contains live, active cultures. One utilizes a common fermented food as the vinegar aspect of a vinaigrette. One uses its creamy tang as the base of the familiar ranch dressing. The final option is to ferment a dressing base of vegetables and fruits and then use it alongside olive oil as a dressing.
     
    more 

    Coffee Protects Against Skin Cancer, Study Finds...and it’s been praised for everything from preventing diabetes and protecting against Alzheimer’s to lowering the risk of heart disease and protecting against Parkinson’s disease....The study, the largest to date of the link between coffee consumption and melanoma, tracked over 447,000 retirees

    Diana Vilibert January 21, 2015    
    Coffee lovers don’t have to look very hard for evidence that their morning (and afternoon) cup is good for them. The effects of coffee on health have been researched for years, and it’s been praised for everything from preventing diabetes and protecting against Alzheimer’s to lowering the risk of heart disease and protecting against Parkinson’s disease.
    Coffee Protects Against Skin Cancer, Study Finds
    Coffee anyone
    And a new study published this week points to yet another reason not to kick the habit: it may protect against some skin cancers. The study, the largest to date of the link between coffee consumption and melanoma, tracked over 447,000 retirees over the course of 10 years. Researchers gathered data on the amount of sunlight in the participants’ hometowns, while participants reported on cancer risk factors like exercise, body mass index, and alcohol consumption…and of course, their coffee consumption.
    The magic number? Four. Participants who drank four cups of (non-decaf) coffee per day were 20 percent less likely to develop malignant melanoma compared to those who didn’t drink coffee. Though the link with caffeinated versus decaf could be due to chance, according to study researcher Erikka Loftfield, it’s possible that caffeine itself (or another compound found in caffeinated coffee) could be offering protection. “Our results, and some from other recent studies, should provide reassurance to coffee consumers that drinking coffee is not a risky thing to do,” Loftfield told Live Science. Want to make your four cups a day even healthier? Stick to organic coffee to avoid crops that have been sprayed with pesticides and skip flavored syrups loaded with high fructose corn syrup and preservatives.
    And if you’re sticking to decaf, you’ll still get major health benefits—those who drink three or more cups daily showed lower levels of four enzymes that cause poor liver function, according to a study published in October 2014.

    MUST MUST READ: Virgin Coconut Oil Effective in Treating Diabetes....25.8 million children and adults in the United States, 8.3% of the population, have diabetes....Replacing longer chain polyunsaturated fats, such as corn and soybean oil, with the saturated fat of coconut oil, can reduce cravings for refined carbohydrates that contribute to insulin resistance....Coconut oil’s ability to control hunger and cravings is well documented. Coconut oil’s medium chain fatty acids promote thermogenesis and lead to increased metabolic rates

    by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy 

    Indeed Virgin Coconut Oil has a substantial effect on blood sugar levels. My wife and daughter (both have type 2 diabetes) measure their blood sugar levels at least three times a day. When they eat the wrong foods and their blood sugar levels get to 80-100 points above normal, they don’t take extra medication, they take 2-3 tablespoons of the coconut oil directly from the bottle. Within a half hour their blood sugar levels will come back to normal. Ed Coconut Diet Forums
    coconuts-coconut-oil
    Coconut and oil
    25.8 million children and adults in the United States, 8.3% of the population, have diabetes.1 The current rate of people becoming diabetic in the United states is doubling every 10 years. This has resulted in a windfall for pharmaceutical companies capitalizing on this “disease” with drugs designed to treat type 2 diabetes, but not deal with the underlying cause. These drugs have serious side effects.
    One of the most popular diabetes drugs, Avandia, was pulled off the market in 2011 after a number of studies showed that the drug increased the risk of heart attacks among type 2 diabetes patients. The manufacturer of the drug reached a $3 billion settlement in December 2011 over its fraudulent marketing of the drug, the largest federal criminal drug-company settlement to date.
    Information that is finally making its way into the mainstream media is that type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle and diet issue that can be reversed without drugs. This information has been known for years, however, among those in the alternative health crowd. Consider these testimonials (some over 10 years ago) from individuals who did not follow typical doctor’s advice: more

    How to Eat a Coconut-Rich Breakfast...Coconut can be eaten in both sweet and savory dishes

    Photo by Shannon StongerThe energy and nourishment needed for a productive day starts at the breakfast table; so why not start the day off right with the many benefits of coconut? Coconut can be eaten in both sweet and savory dishes, taking the place of many of the foods you may already be eating to break the fast. The forms of coconut are many. Using them individually or in combination with one another can produce health-giving, allergen-friendly versions of some of our favorite breakfast foods. more

    'TONIGHT, WE TURN THE PAGE' : President Barack Obama hits a massive home run in State of The Union Address to Congress. House Speaker, John Boehner finds very little to applaud as the President outlines his proposals and vision for the next year. Looking to the future instead of the past. Leading with our values, that's what makes us strong. FOCUS ON INEQUALITY... Calls For Paid Sick Leave... Bold 'One Percent' Tax Proposal... Free Community College... Criminal Justice Reform... 'A Free And Open Internet'... WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE SPEECH? #RulaBrownNetwork

    President Barack Obama's State of the Union address takes place Tuesday evening in front of a joint session of Congress.
    President Obama
    On December 19, Obama was formally invited by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to give the annual address.January 20, 2015 President Obama's call to Congress last week to pass paid sick leave laws for workers marks a renewed push to make family leave the norm in the U.S. In Tuesday night's State of the Union address, Obama's expected to expound on that proposal, encouraging passage of a mandatory paid sick leave measure and asking Congress for more than $2 billion for states to create their own programs.
    Among its developed peers, the U.S. is the only nation without a national requirement for paid sick leave. But in San Francisco, the first U.S. jurisdiction to enact such a law, the practice is nearly a decade old. The city's ordinance stipulates that workers accrue one hour of leave per 30 hours worked. The bill Obama endorses, the Healthy Families Act, follows the same rules, and allows for up to seven days of paid leave (San Francisco's version allows for up to either five or nine days, depending on the size of the company.)
    San Francisco first enacted the ordinance in 2007. And in the years since, the city's workers—and businesses—have reaped the benefits. "San Francisco's economy is booming," Jim Lazarus, senior vice president for policy at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, told The New York Times last year about the effects of the city's sick leave law.

    Like the debate over raising the minimum wage—a policy Obama proposed in last year's address—critics argue that a national paid sick leave law would hurt businesses' bottom lines. To compensate, they'd have to cut wages and jobs.

    Your Thoughts Affect Your Genes: 6 Surprising Things That Affect Your Brain a Care2 favorite by Megan, selected from Experience Life...In short, neuroplasticity means you have some control over your cranial fitness. While brain function naturally deteriorates somewhat as you age

    Brain scientists in recent years have discovered a number of surprising ways that the brain influences our overall health, as well as how our behavior influences the health of our brain. And unlike in the days of old — when scientists believed the brain was “fixed” after childhood, only to start an inexorable decline in the middle to later years — today, research is showing that the brain is perfectly capable of changing, healing and “rewiring” itself to an unexpected degree.
    6 Surprising Things That Affect Your BrainIt turns out that the age of your brain may be a lesser influence on its structure than what you do with it. Pursuits that require intense mental focus, like language learning, “switch on” the nucleus basalis, the control mechanism for neuroplasticity.
    In short, neuroplasticity means you have some control over your cranial fitness. While brain function naturally deteriorates somewhat as you age (though not nearly as much as you might think), various strategic approaches can create new neural pathways and strengthen existing ones as long as you live. What’s more, these efforts to build a better brain can deliver lasting rewards for your overall health.
    Here are just a few of neuroscience’s most empowering recent discoveries.
    Your Thoughts Affect Your Genes
    We tend to think of our genetic heritage as a fait accompli. At our conception, our parents handed down whatever genetic legacy they inherited — genes for baldness, tallness, disease or whatever — and now we’re left playing the hand of DNA we were dealt. But, in fact, our genes are open to being influenced throughout our lifetime, both by what we do and by what we think, feel and believe. more:

    The Surprising Thing That Kills More People Than Obesity...According to researchers at the University of Cambridge, lack of exercise is responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity, and a brisk 20-minute walk a day is probably enough to lower your risk of early death

    January 19, 2015   
    Fit woman working out on exercise bikeAmericans spend a lot of time worrying about weight. We try every new diet trick that comes along in our quest to lower that number on the scale. We do it because we want to look better and feel better. And because we know that carrying too much weight is unhealthy. But there’s something that else that’s killing us. It’s our sedentary lifestyle. If you think it’s okay to be a couch potato because you’re thin, you’re making a huge mistake.

    According to researchers at the University of Cambridge, lack of exercise is responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity, and a brisk 20-minute walk a day is probably enough to lower your risk of early death.
    The Surprising Thing That Kills More People Than ObesityLack of exercise is associated with increased risk of heart disease and cancer, among other health concerns. While lack of exercise may put on weight, study authors found that the association with early death was not related to a person’s body mass index (BMI).
    The Cambridge study involved more than 334,161 men and women across Europe. Researchers recorded the participants’ height, weight, and waist circumference. Physical activity during the 12-year study was self-assessed. During the study, 21,438 participants died. more 

    KITTEN HYPNOTIZED BY IT'S OWN TAIL (VIDEO): Hypnosis has never been so adorable. Watch this little kitty keep her eyes on her tail, not fully realizing it’s actually part of her body.

    Obama's State Of The Union Speech Will Aim To Influence 2016 Debate

    AP Posted: 01/20/2015 5:40 am EST 
    WASHINGTON (AP) — Key elements of the economic proposals President Barack Obama will outline in his State of the Union address Tuesday appear to be aimed at driving the debate in the 2016 election on income inequality and middle-class economic issues, rather than setting a realistic agenda for Congress.
    Obama's calls for increasing taxes on the wealthy, making community college free for many students and expanding paid leave for workers stand little chance of winning approval from the new Republican majority on Capitol Hill. But the debate over middle-class economics is looking critical for the coming campaign. more

    SAD STORY: Stranded! Lloyd Bogle, the 64-year-old Jamaican, who has been living in England for the past 54 years, is now stranded in the island after enjoying a two-week trip — his first back home in all that time. "I knew no one in Jamaica; it was the first time I was travelling since I was seven," Bogle emphasised on the verge of tears.

    BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, January 20, 2015
    The 64-year-old Jamaican, who has been living in England for the past 54 years, is now stranded in the island after enjoying a two-week trip — his first back home in all that time.
    01
    Lloyd Bogle
    Bogle said his ordeal started on October 13, 2014 when he got to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay to take a return flight to England, only to be told by Immigration officials that they could not allow him to leave.
    "I got the shock of my life when I was turned back and told by authorities that I would have to have a visa to leave the country," said the distraught-looking Bogle, who added that he was not aware of the travel requirement.
    The reason for that is that Bogle, since leaving Jamaica in 1962 when he was seven years old and just before the country achieved political independence from Britain, never applied for British citizenship. In fact, he said he didn't renew his Jamaican passport until just before he travelled here on September 29, 2014.
    "Since I migrated at age seven I have never travelled and never had any intention to. It was after I retired I decided to take a trip to Jamaica to see what the country was like," Bogle told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
    Receipt
    "I knew no one in Jamaica; it was the first time I was travelling since I was seven," Bogle emphasised on the verge of tears. He said the two-week holiday in Portland was like a dream come true, but all of that changed when he got to the airport. According to Bogle, after getting over the shock of being told about the visa, he was on the verge of sleeping on the streets, as he had nowhere to go, neither did he know where he was. more

    Jamaican to head US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)...UNITED States Marine Corps Major General Vincent R Stewart will assume duties as the 20th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JFCC-ISR).

    Tuesday, January 20, 2015 
    UNITED States Marine Corps Major General Vincent R Stewart will assume duties as the 20th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JFCC-ISR) on Friday, the DIA has announced on its website.
    STEWART… entered the Marine Corps in 1981
    Major General Stewart, a Jamaican who attended Kingston College and who entered the Marine Corps in 1981, will take up his new post after a 10:00 am ceremony scheduled for at DIA Headquarters, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, DC.
    "The US Senate confirmed his promotion to Lieutenant General December 11, 2014, and he will receive his third star just prior to assuming duties as DIA director and JFCC-ISR commander," the DIA news release said.
    Major General Stewart, the DIA added, served most recently as commander, Marine Forces Cyber Command. Prior to that assignment, he served as director of intelligence at the US Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, DC.
    "Stewart is the first Marine Corps officer and the first black officer to take office as the DIA director. As the full-time DIA director, Stewart succeeds US Army Lieutenant General Michael T Flynn, who left the DIA in August 2014, and subsequently retired. The agency has since been led by Acting Director David Shedd," the DIA stated.
    The DIA provides military intelligence to warfighters, defence policymakers and force planners in the Department of Defense and the intelligence community, in support of US military planning and operations and weapon systems acquisition. more