Bobbi Kristina reportedly has ‘significantly diminished’ brain function....Sources ‘connected with the family’ have told the entertainment news site that it does not look good....Their source also tells them that this is not an attempted suicide but is being investigated by police as a drug overdose.

Doctors have told the family of Bobbi Kristina that she has “significantly diminished” brain function, according to a new TMZ report. Sources ‘connected with the family’ have told the entertainment news site that it does not look good.
(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Bobbi_Kristina Brown
Saturday evening her father, Bobby Brown arrived at her bedside. Doctors have placed Bobbi Kristina in a medically induced coma to prevent brain swelling. ET is reporting that a close family member has told them that the 21-year-old has been placed on a ventilator. The machine is used on patients who are unable to completely breathe on their own.
Their source also tells them that this is not an attempted suicide but is being investigated by police as a drug overdose.
Saturday morning rescue workers were sent to Brown’s home in Roswell, Georgia at 10:25am after her husband, Nick Gordon, and a friend found her in the bathtub face down. The two tried to administer CPR. Police arrived on the scene and also tried to resuscitate Brown until the Roswell Fire and Rescue personnel arrived. more

Entertainment Tonight (ET) Learns New Details About Whitney Houston's Daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown....Possible Drug Overdose, Is On A Ventilator.

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NFL Super Bowl XLIX CHAMPIONSHIP : Patriots (14-4) vs. Seahawks (14-4).....Seahawks Super Bowl Repeat A Scary Prospect For NFL


 AP |  By BARRY WILNER Posted: 01/31/2015 11:39 pm EST 
PHOENIX (AP) — Here are some scary thoughts for the rest of the NFL:
A win Sunday will stamp the Seahawks as one of the best teams of the Super Bowl era. And, given Seattle's makeup and philosophy, the future for the franchise might be brighter than for any other club.
Rarely has a team with so many key young players been so formidable. The last such group might have been the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys of the early 1990s, when Dallas had the Triplets: future Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin. Seattle has its own trio of All-Pros, but on defense: cornerback Richard Sherman, safety Earl Thomas and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. All are 26 or younger.
Brady and Bellichek
They're complemented by young talent all over the lineup, from Kam Chancellor (26) in the secondary to linebacker K.J. Wright (25) to offensive leaders quarterback Russell Wilson (26), receivers Doug Baldwin (26) and Jermaine Kearse (25 next week), tight end Luke Willson (25) and a bunch of twenty-somethings on the line.
All of them already have experienced the ultimate success on the field, and if they can beat New England for a second straight championship, the D word frequently will be thrown around. more

IN JAMAICA: Congratulations as two awarded PwC scholarships....Tiffany Dean and Latoya Spence.

Sunday, February 01, 2015    
TIFFANY Dean and Latoya Spence have been awarded scholarships by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Jamaica.

Latoya Spence (left) and Tiffany Dean.
 (PHOTO: KARL MCLARTY)
The two were awarded last month by the company at their 10th annual scholarship awards ceremony, held in Kingston.
Spence is currently completing her bachelor's degree in business administration at the University of Technology (UTech) and currently has a GPA of 3.27; while Dean, who is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in management studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI), currently has a GPA of 3.82.
"I feel both elated and humbled. I am tremendously grateful and privileged to have been chosen," said Spence, a past student of The Manning's School.
"I feel as though I have been awarded for my hard work and that gives me a sense of accomplishment."
A future auditor, Spence said the burden is now lighter for her family.
"It has been a rocky road for me as I grew up in a single parent family. My mother did her best for my siblings and I, and tuition was hard to source. My studies were affected at times. There were times when I had to consider where the next meal was coming from, but nonetheless, I trusted in God and He provided." more

BEENIEMAN and HIS 2 BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS at JAZZ and BLUES FESTIVAL 2015 in JAMAICA

ST. ANN, JAMAICA (DESPERATE FINANCIAL HELP IS NEEDED): Family SHAKERA FACEY of baffled by huge lump on teen's shoulder.... Doctor says I have a 50/50 chance, says teen.... she was told that the machine at KPH to do the required computerised tomography (CT scan) was out of operation and would not be up and running until January. Unable to wait, she decided to go the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), armed with only $7,000 that she could put together, and made arrangements to pay the remaining $27,000 later.

BY DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE Sunday Observer staff reporter husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, February 01, 2015    
SHAKERA Facey is trying her best to remain hopeful.
But a huge mass which started to grow on her left shoulder five months ago is weighing her down both physically and mentally, to the point where her hope is waning thin.
01
Shakera Facey and her dad
So large is the mass that it has outgrown the size of the teen, preventing her from moving around on her own, or even showering herself.
The family said that despite a number of visits to private doctors and hospitals, so far no one seems to know for sure what has caused the swelling or what should be done about it.
Shakera, who turned 19 last Tuesday, said that it all began in June last year when she was working as a bartender in St Ann's Bay, and went outside to dispose of garbage. During the process, she slipped, and broke her fall by catching herself on her left arm which she said twisted under her 200-pound weight.
After a few days she started feeling pain in her shoulder and a small swelling developed.
A few weeks later, the pain was so bad that she had to visit St Ann's Bay Hospital.
Shakera Facey
She was given medication and a date to return. When she went back she was told that she could do one of three things -- a minor surgery whereby doctors would put an instrument inside her arm to see what was happening; take more medication for the pain and swelling; or do physiotherapy.
She chose physiotherapy.
The therapist gave her something for the swelling, but this, she said, did not work, therefore she was encouraged to do an x-ray in early September. more

Whitney Houston's 21 y-o Daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown Found Unresponsive in bathtub, Hospitalized. This is a developing story ...

Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown was taken to North Fulton Hospital after being found unresponsive in a bathtub on Saturday, reports CBS 46 in Atlanta. She was reportedly found in her home in a Roswell subdivision by her husband Nick Gordon and a friend. The pair started CPR until officers and EMS arrived.
BOBBI KRISTINA BROWNTMZ reports doctors were able to stabilize Brown's breathing.
Brown was previously hospitalized for "stress and anxiety" shortly after her mother's death. Many recall it was around this time three years ago that Brown's mother,Houston, was tragically found dead in a tub in Beverly Hills.
The circumstances of how Houston and singer Bobby Brown's 21-year-old daughter came to be unresponsive remain under investigation.
The Huffington Post has reached out to Brown's reps and will update this story if and when a response is received.
This is a developing story ...more

Mitt Romney Is Not Running For President In 2016 ....Dining With Christie Tonight...

The Huffington Post |  By Paige Lavender & Sam Levine Email Posted: 01/30/2015 10:54 am EST
Former Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said he will not run for president in 2016.
Romney
Hugh Hewitt posted text of the remarks Romney was to make on a conference call with donors discussing his 2016 plans on Friday.
"After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I’ve decided it is best to give other leaders in the Party the opportunity to become our next nominee," the prepared remarks say. Romney lost his 2008 bid for the Republican presidential nomination to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and in 2012, ran unsuccessfully against President Barack Obama.
Romney hinted recently that he was exploring a run for the presidency after months of him saying he would not make another White House bid.
"I'm not running, I'm not planning on running, and I've got nothing new on that story," he told Bloomberg in October 2014. more

The Mushroom that Shows Promise Against Cancer.....Cordyceps (cordyceps militaris) is also known as caterpillar fungus and has been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine as a lung and kidney tonic and for loss of stamina, fatigue, shallow breathing, wheezing, and as an aphrodisiac.

 Michelle Schoffro Cook January 29, 2015    
When we think of cancer in our Western world, we tend to think of harsh chemicals or toxic radiation as the treatments. But promising new research published in the journal Phytomedicine suggests that we might want to give serious consideration to the humble mushroom cordyceps that quietly rears its head deep within our forest floors.
The Mushroom that Shows Promise Against Cancer
mushroom cordyceps 
Cordyceps (cordyceps militaris) is also known as caterpillar fungus and has been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine as a lung and kidney tonic and for loss of stamina, fatigue, shallow breathing, wheezing, and as an aphrodisiac.
According to the Phytomedicine study on human leukemia cells, a compound found in cordyceps known as cordycepin seems to have a toxic effect on cancer cells while also causing cancer cells to commit suicide—a process known as apoptosis, without having a toxic effect on healthy cells.
The study examined the anti-cancer properties of a tea made from the mushrooms versus the mushrooms themselves and found that both had anti-cancer activity but the actual cordyceps mushrooms had stronger activity. There are many different types of products on the market including: powdered, tea, alcohol extract (tincture), dehydrated whole cordyceps, glycerine extract (glycerite), and capsules. more 

Dealing with a negative coworker....NEGATIVE people can be found everywhere and when they're in the workplace, their attitudes don't promote productivity.

Dealing with a negative coworker
NEGATIVE people can be found everywhere and when they're in the workplace, their attitudes don't promote productivity. Some don't like their jobs or the company; their bosses are always jerks; or they complain of always being treated unfairly. You may think the best way to address their impact on you is to avoid them, but Cheryl Campbell, owner and human resource consultant at HR Outsourcing Solutions, said when a workplace has a negative coworker the first thing to do is find out the reason fo ... Read More

NFL didn’t log the PSI of each Patriots football....What was the precise PSI of each of the 12 footballs the Patriots’ offense used in the AFC Championship Game? We’ll probably never know.

FootballGetty Images
What was the precise PSI of each of the 12 footballs the Patriots’ offense used in the AFC Championship Game? We’ll probably never know.
NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino confirmed today that the NFL didn’t log the exact PSI of each football. According to Blandino, when officials inspect footballs to see if they’re properly inflated, they simply approve them or disapprove them.
In other words, although the Patriots did play with under-inflated footballs, the NFL hasn’t kept detailed records of whether those footballs were slightly under-inflated (which could be the result of a change in temperature) or significantly under-inflated (which would indicate that someone purposely let air out of the footballs).
The NFL will apply a low standard of proof to the Deflategate investigation, which means that the NFL doesn’t necessarily need an air-tight case to conclude that the Patriots broke the rules. But anyone who wants the NFL to get to the bottom of this should want the NFL to be as careful as it possibly can to preserve every piece of evidence it possibly can. And a detailed log of the inflation levels of each football is a piece of evidence the NFL should have. more

St. ANDREW , JAMAICA: In PAPINE physically challenged man, Marlon King, a 39-year-old resident and artist from Cheshire Village crushed to death by JUTC bus.... Utility poles on sidewalk caused accident, residents say. "This is an accident that could have been avoided," said an irate Karen Brown

Friday, January 30, 2015 
TRAGEDY struck yesterday in Papine, St Andrew, when a physically challenged man was crushed to death by a Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) bus.
Front cover of today's paper
Lead story
Police reports are that about 1:00 pm, Marlon King, a 39-year-old resident and artist from Cheshire Village -- a tiny community located in Mona for the physically challenged -- was travelling along Golden Avenue, a road that runs close to the University of the West Indies hospital, when he was struck from his wheelchair. Reports are that the body of the victim was dragged several metres away from the mangled remains of his wheelchair by the State-owned bus.
"Have mercy, all now me can't believe what happen. The man was travelling along the road when all of a sudden mi hear the loud crash. When mi look is the body mi see behind the bus," a woman, who claimed she was an eyewitness told the Jamaica Observer.
01
Investigators gather evidence
She stood among the hundreds of onlookers who gathered at the accident scene where the remains of Lewis laid in a pool of blood.
The gruesome sight left teachers and students at a nearby school traumatised.
Yesterday, as news of the tragedy began to circulate, members from the disabled community reacted in anger.
"This is an accident that could have been avoided," said an irate Karen Brown, also a resident from the Cheshire Village. more

Death Row Records founder Marion 'Suge' Knight Involved In Fatal Hit-And-Run, Lawyer Says; Incident Investigated As Homicide..."Looks like he drove backwards and struck the victims and drove forwards and struck them again," Corina said. "The people we talked to say it looked like it was an intentional act," (VIDEO)


 AP  |  By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON Posted: 01/30/2015 4:05 am EST 
COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight accidentally ran over and killed a friend and injured another man on Thursday as he fled attackers, his lawyer said. Authorities said the incident was being investigated as a homicide.
Knight, 49, planned to turn himself in to authorities and "we are confident that once the investigation is completed, he will be totally exonerated," attorney James said by telephone.
A red pickup truck struck the men at around 3 p.m. PST in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant in the Los Angeles-area city of Compton and then took off, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. John Corina told reporters. He said the incident is being investigated as a homicide.
Death Row Records founder Marion
Suge Knight
"Looks like he drove backwards and struck the victims and drove forwards and struck them again," Corina said. "The people we talked to say it looked like it was an intentional act," he said.
A 55-year-old man died at a hospital and a 51-year-old man was injured but Corina did not immediately know his condition. more

DEM CHANGE DEM MIND AFTER PRESSURE: US says it welcomes discussion on drug policy with JAMAICA....Yesterday's declaration came amidst a Jamaica Observer report suggesting that the US is uncomfortable with recent moves to decriminalise ganja for personal use in Jamaica.

 Friday, January 30, 2015
THE United States Government says it welcomes discussion and debate on drug policy and that it is up to the people of Jamaica to decide which policies are most appropriate for the country within the realms of international law.
Yesterday's declaration came amidst a Jamaica Observer report suggesting that the US is uncomfortable with recent moves to decriminalise ganja for personal use in Jamaica.
Assistant secretary of the US Bureau of International
 Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs William
Brownfield has said that Jamaica should be
 mindful of the drug treaties to which the
country is signatory.
"We recognise that it is important to examine what works and to discuss the trends and challenges our neighbours are facing. The US and Jamaica have a strong law-enforcement and security partnership. Our law enforcement agencies work together to combat transnational criminal networks and international drug trafficking and the violence they breed," Joshua Polacheck, counsellor for public affairs at the US Embassy Kingston, told the Observer.
The US, Polacheck said, "is firmly committed to upholding our obligations under the three UN drug conventions, as well as working with international partners, including Jamaica, to promote the goals of those conventions".
"These conventions are the foundation of international cooperation for dealing with all aspects of the drug problem, and we support them unwaveringly. The conventions allow for a degree of flexibility on how member states, such as Jamaica, implement their obligations, particularly with respect to drug use. These conventions anticipate variations in national legal frameworks," he emphasised. more

Veteran Reggae Performer Johnny Clarke rocks Jazz and Blues

Veteran Reggae Performer Johnny Clarke rocks Jazz and Blues 2:03 AM


  FLORENCE HALL, Trelawny- Veteran reggae performer Johhny Clarke closed off the tribute to recently deceased reggae icon John Holt with an admirable performance at Jamaica J ... Read More
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WESTMORELAND, JAMAICA: Brutal slaying of of 14-year-old Santoya Campbell of FROME TECH HIGH SCHOOL, whose dismembered body was found wrapped in a garbage bag near the school on Tuesday. Frome Tech mourns ...‘The school community is in pain’, "The students are having a hard time coping."

BY ANTHONY LEWIS Observer writer  Thursday, January 29, 2015    
FROME, Westmoreland — The normally lively chatter and smiles in the classrooms and within the halls of Frome Technical High School were replaced by sporadic sobs, grief and anger yesterday as students and teachers mourned the brutal slaying of 14-year-old Santoya Campbell, whose dismembered body was found wrapped in a garbage bag near the school on Tuesday.
01
Frome studemts in pain from brutal slaying of Santoya Campbell
"The school community is in pain. All students, all categories of staff, we are all grieving. The outpouring of love for this girl has been really profound," expressed Sylvia Ricketts, principal of the school located in the sugar-cane belt of Westmoreland.
According to reports, Santoya — who hailed from Shrewsbury in the parish — left home for school at around 7:30 am on Monday. However, she did not show up for classes and was eventually reported missing after she failed to return home and checks made with the school. On Tuesday, her body was found underneath a bridge adjacent to the school.
Yesterday, the promising grade eight student, who plays on the school's Under-14 netball team, was spoken of highly by the school's staff.
Fourteen-year-old Santoya Campbell
 whose body was found under a bridge
 adjacent to the school on Monday.
"The students are having a hard time coping. She was a very vibrant student who got along with her classmates and peers," stated Merisa Troweis, who was Santoya's form and social studies teacher.
"We are just trying to be strong for the students even though as teachers we do need the strength, but persons have been coming in and lending support, and for that we are grateful. We just hope that persons will continue to keep us in their prayers," Troweis added.
Santoya's murder is the second in six years for the school's netball team. In 2009, another girl was killed in her community. more

Joseph Weekley, Cop Who Fatally Shot Sleeping 7-Year-Old Aiyana Jones, Will No Longer Face Charges.... Aiyana Stanley-Jones was killed in 2010 during a botched police raid at her home.

The Huffington Post  |  By Kate Abbey-Lambertz Email Posted: 01/28/2015 6:00 pm EST 
The Detroit police officer who fatally shot a sleeping 7-year-old girl will not be retried, officials said Wednesday.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement that her office was moving to dismiss the case against Officer Joseph Weekley. He was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter and careless discharge of a firearm causing death, a misdemeanor, after Aiyana Stanley-Jones was killed in 2010 during a botched police raid at her home.
100518130198
Charles Jones, the father of 7-year-old Aiyana Jones, who was killed early Sunday
 in Detroit, holds a photo of Aiyana in attorney Geoffrey Fieger's office in Southfield, Mich.,
 Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Fieger, the lawyer for the family of the slain 7-year-old
Detroit girl has filed two lawsuits related to a weekend raid that led to her death. 
Weekley's first trial in 2013 ended in a mistrial. In a second trial last year, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway dismissed the manslaughter charge after a motion by the defense. The jury again deadlocked while deliberating whether to convict Weekley of the lesser charge, causing a second mistrial."Today we personally informed the family of Aiyana Stanley–Jones that we have made a decision that we would not be going to trial for a third time in the Joseph Weekley case," Worthy said, calling Hathaway's decision to dismiss the manslaughter charge "unfortunate."
Shortly after midnight on May 16, 2010, members of the Detroit Police Department's Special Response Team initiated a raid on the Stanley-Jones home in search of a murder suspect. Weekley was first through the door and allegedly had difficulty seeing when another officer threw a a flash-bang grenade. Weekley fired his gun, killing Aiyana, who had been asleep on the couch with her grandmother. more

WASHINGTON, DC, USA : US official cautions Jamaica on ganja legalisation... US not comfortable with Jamaica's push to decriminalise weed. SHOULD THE US be telling JAMAICA WHAT TO DO HERE? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

BY ARLENE MARTIN-WILKINS Associate editor - news martina@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, January 29, 2015 

WASHINGTON, DC, USA — The United States Government has signalled some discomfort with Jamaica's move to decriminalise marijuana for specific uses.
According to assistant secretary of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), William R Brownfield, there is a possibility that the move could increase inflows of marijuana from Jamaica that now accounts for 80 per cent of ganja illegally smuggled into that country.
Brownfield said that, while the US must be tolerant of national policies to combat the illicit trade of ganja, Jamaica must be mindful of international drug treaties to which it is a signatory.
Brownfield was responding to a question concerning last Friday's tabling of the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2015 in the Jamaican Senate, which seeks to, among other things, decriminalise ganja for medicinal, religious, and personal uses. With the amendments, the possession of small quantities of ganja, amounting to two ounces or less, will become a non-arrestable offence. The Bill also seeks to reform the monetary penalties laid down by the Act.
"...With or without the legalisation of ganja, the decriminalisation of ganja... the importation of ganja into the US remains against the law and the issue then is how much impact will legalisation or decriminalisation have on that. And, I can assure you that, from the US side, we will continue to pursue maximum efforts to prevent any import in the United States and we will request and expect complete co-operation from law enforcement authorities of the Government of Jamaica in eliminating this sort of trafficking," Brownfield told journalists Tuesday.more

POWERFUL, POWERFUL STORY of The CIVIL RIGHTS Era....54 Years later, Friendship 9 : Judge in South Carolina tosses out sit-in convictions for Friendship Nine...."Today is a victory in race relations in America," said Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said in a news conference following the ruling. "It is a new day."


By Devon M. Sayers and Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN Updated 1:19 PM ET, Wed January 28, 2015
Rock Hill, South Carolina (CNN)A South Carolina judge on Wednesday threw out the convictions of the Friendship Nine, who were jailed in 1961 after a sit-in protest in Rock Hill, South Carolina, during the civil rights movement.
"Today is a victory in race relations in America," said Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said in a news conference following the ruling. "It is a new day."
The prosecutor who pushed for this momentous day, 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett of Rock Hill, cited King's father when explaining to CNN on Tuesday why he was motivated to take up the cause of the Friendship Nine: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
The proceedings began at the Rock Hill Law Center with Municipal Judge Jane Pittman Modla reading from the original court record for each of the men. She asked each of the seven men in attendance -- one has since died, while another had transportation issues -- to stand as their names were called.
"Offense: trespassing. Disposition: guilty. Sentence: $100 or 30 days. Condition: sent to the chain gang," she said for each of them, reading from the 1961 docket. more

5 Things that Trigger Thyroid Problems...Chemicals such as Chlorine, Bromide, Floride (Toothpaste) , Gluten, Foods and some vegetables....

MUST WATCH : A. Maceo Smith New Tech High School - Uptown Funk Dance

IN JAMAICA: PALS Programme Motivates Youth To Aim For Success, USAID-funded Yes We Can programme at Denham Town High School in Kingston yesterday....Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Chief of Defence Staff Major General Antony Anderson, who was guest speaker at the event, said he was impressed with the level of enthusiasm displayed by the students.

Jodi-Ann Gilpin, Gleaner Writer Published: Thursday | January 29, 2015
It was an afternoon of life-skills training and fun for 40 students who participated in the Peace and Love in Society (PALS), USAID-funded Yes We Can programme at Denham Town High School in Kingston yesterday.
The evening, which saw students engaging in activities that were centred on setting goals, was a life-changing experience for 16-year-old Sanya Fuller.
Students Sonique Richards (left), Sanya Fuller (second left) and Tracy Gentles speak with Major General Antony Anderson, chief of defence staff, JDF, about plans for a goal-oriented team building exercise as part of the USAID-funded Yes We Can programme conducted by Peace and Love in Society at Denham Town High School in Kingston yesterday. - Gladstone Taylor/Photographer
Students Sonique Richards (left), Sanya Fuller (second left) and
Tracy Gentles speak with Major General Antony Anderson,
 chief of defence staff, JDF, about plans for a goal-oriented team
 building exercise as part of the USAID-funded Yes We
 Can programme conducted by Peace and Love in
Society at Denham Town High School in Kingston
yesterday. - Gladstone Taylor/Photographer
"As a fifth-form student, this programme has truly helped me because very soon I will be heading out into the workforce and I learnt a lot about the importance of working in a team and setting goals," she told The Gleaner. "Mi neva used to talk to people, but being a participant in this programme, it built my confidence and motivated me to work hard and aim for success in everything I do," she continued.
Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Chief of Defence Staff Major General Antony Anderson, who was guest speaker at the event, said he was impressed with the level of enthusiasm displayed by the students.
"The students are really bright. They were really engaged and I really believe that once young people receive adequate support, they can become world changers," he said. "I think policies and legislation can go so far, but what will really count is what people do on the ground. It will take entities like PALS and other volunteers to initiate creative programmes and give of their time to change the life of at least one person and this (Yes We Can) is one of them," Anderson said. He also encouraged students to make use of every opportunity. more