President Barack Obama doing the BOINK reggae dance in preparation for his Trip to Jamaica in April. The song "Boink" is taken from Rula Brown's forthcoming CD "Peace and Love" distributed by VPAL.

UPDATE: President Obama to visit Jamaica, PM delighted, Holness welcomes the visit....The visit of President Obama will take place on the eve of the Summit of the Americas to be held in Panama from the 10th to the 11th (of) April 2015

Tuesday, March 17, 2015 | 3:16 PM 
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, speaking in Parliament a short while ago, said the Government is pleased to welcome the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, to the shores of Jamaica.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller
“The Government of Jamaica is delighted that President Obama will be visiting Jamaica at this time. The visit of President Obama will take place on the eve of the Summit of the Americas to be held in Panama from the 10th to the 11th (of) April 2015."
"It is expected that the president will be proceeding from Jamaica to Panama for this hemispheric encounter, which will welcome for the first time the participation of our closest neighbour the Republic of Cuba," the prime minister said.
She added that: "As a member of the hemispheric family of nations…during this historic visit, Jamaica will also host an encounter between President Obama and the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) for discussions on issues of Caricom/USA relations including security and trade.   
President Barack Obama
"Heads of Government will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.  As is the regional interest, the Caricom/US summit will be co-chaired by the US president and  the current Chairman of Caricom Perry Christie, prime minister of the Bahamas," she said. 
In response to the news of President Obama’s visit, Leader of the Opposition Andrew Holness said the Opposition was extremely happy to know that a serving US President would be visiting Jamaica.
“The Opposition will play its role when President Obama visits Jamaica and would like to place on record our appreciation for the chill in relations between the United States and Cuba. We the Opposition have always stated that the economic embargo against Cuba should be lifted. We welcome President Obama to Jamaica,” Holness said.

Housing starts drop in Feb., weather likely factor...Groundbreaking tumbled 17 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 897,000 units, the lowest level since January 2014, the Commerce Department said Tuesday....January's starts were revised up to a 1.08 million-unit pace from the previously reported 1.07 million-unit rate.

U.S. housing starts plunged to their lowest level in a year in February as harsh weather kept builders at home, a temporary setback for the housing market recovery.
Groundbreaking tumbled 17 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 897,000 units, the lowest level since January 2014, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
A worker talks on a mobile phone while it snows during construction of a residential building in New York.January's starts were revised up to a 1.08 million-unit pace from the previously reported 1.07 million-unit rate.
February's decline pulled starts below the one million-unit threshold for the first time since last August. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast groundbreaking at a 1.05 million-unit pace in February.
Snowy and cold weather conditions gripped much of the country in the second half of February. Harsh weather, which weighed on retail sales in February, is likely to be a drag on first-quarter growth. Housing starts were down 3.3 percent compared to February last year. Groundbreaking fell in all four regions, plunging 56.5 percent in the Northeast to their lowest level since January 2009.
Starts in the Midwest dropped 37 percent to a year low. In the West, groundbreaking activity fell 18.2 percent. Starts in the South, where most of the home building takes place, slipped 2.5 percent. more

Restoring sight : OCULOPLASTIC surgery, which is plastic surgery around the eyes and the face

BY ANIKA RICHARDS Online/Health Co-ordinator richardsai@jamaicaobserver.com | Sunday, March 15, 2015    
Dr Albert Lue, head of the Ophthalmology Department at Kingston Public Hospital, explains how the department will use the
equipment donated to them by the Latter-day Saints Charities. Listening attentively are (from left) Senior Medical Officer at KPH
Dr Natalie Whylie, KPH CEO Verna Dwyer, Regional Director for the South East Regional Health Authority Maureen Golding,
oculoplastic surgeon with the Latter-day Saints Charities Dr Todd Engen, SERHA Chairman Dr Andrei Cooke, and president of the
Kingston, St Andrew and St Catherine stake of the LDS Andrew Lue. (PHOTOS: MICHAEL GORDON)
OCULOPLASTIC surgery, which is plastic surgery around the eyes and the face, goes beyond merely being a cosmetic procedure. In fact, some 13 patients of the Ophthalmology Department at Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) might be testament to this, after they benefitted last week from the expertise of a group of doctors who visited the island from the United States, as part of the Latter-day Saints (LDS) Charities mission. The group arrived in Jamaica on Tuesday night and was slated to perform 14 oc ... Read More

Prince Harry to leave British army

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prince Harry announced Tuesday he is to leave the British army after 10 years' service that has seen him fight on the front line in Afghanistan twice.
Prince Harry
The 30-year-old said it had been a "really tough decision" to end his military service in June, but added that he was looking forward to the next chapter in his life.
Harry, who will be pushed down to fifth in line to the throne by his brother Prince William's second child, due in April, will end his military service after a four-week secondment to the Australian Defence Force in April and May.
"I am considering the options for the future and I am really excited about the possibilities," he said, in a statement released by his Kensington Palace official residence.

GSAT sadness. Parents disappointed, but sympathise with decision to postpone exam... the 38,470 students who were scheduled to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) on Thursday and Friday will have to wait another week before they can take the examination.

BY ALPHEA SAUNDERS & RACQUEL PORTER  Tuesday, March 17, 2015
PARENTS yesterday expressed both disappointment and understanding at news that the 38,470 students who were scheduled to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) on Thursday and Friday will have to wait another week before they can take the examination.
Cabinet yesterday took the decision to push back the exam in order to accommodate the roughly 11,675 students who are unable to do the test because they were impacted in one way or another by smoke from the fire still smouldering at the Riverton landfill in St Andrew since last Wednesday.
"Our results reveal that several GSAT students, as well as staff, are affected by the adverse conditions," Education Minister Ronald Thwaites explained at a special Jamaica House press briefing yesterday.
He said the situation remains uncertain, although there has been improvement over the weekend. "Given the uncertainty of the smoke nuisance, that is likely to still be present it would be difficult to go ahead and keep the original dates for the exam. Potentially the adverse conditions could shift, based on wind movements, and disrupt the examination while in progress. We simply are not sure whether all of those who have been affected would be restored in time to take the exam and compete fairly," he stated.
The minister said the release date for the results would not be affected.
The fire, which had much of the Kingston Metropolitan Area blanketed in potent smoke up to Friday, and some areas into the weekend, impacted roughly 30 per cent of the GSAT students from 241 schools in Kingston, St Andrew, and St Catherine. more

Jamaicans not buying into Vision 2030... Country on the way to achieving first-world status despite widespread skepticism...."Since its implementation, 22 per cent of the Vision 2030 Jamaica targets (46 indicators) for the period 2009 to 2012 have already been met; 30 per cent of indicators showed some improvement towards achieving the targets and 39 per cent

BY EVEROL ANDERSON By Everol Anderson  Tuesday, March 17, 2015 
JAMAICANS on a whole are not buying into an ambitious plan, which has the rare support of the two major political parties, to transform the island into a modern first-world country in the next 15 years.
01But against the odds, the guardians of Vision 2030, the national development programme that is supposed to make Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business, are reporting substantial progress in implementing the major elements of the plan, albeit largely under the radar.
"Since its implementation, 22 per cent of the Vision 2030 Jamaica targets (46 indicators) for the period 2009 to 2012 have already been met; 30 per cent of indicators showed some improvement towards achieving the targets and 39 per cent showed no improvement or worsened over the period," said Peisha Bryan-Lee, social sector specialist at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) which is mandated to make the vision a reality.
Not unexpectedly, the main areas of under-performance were related to economic indicators which account for half of the total number of indicators in the framework of national indicators and targets established under the plan, Bryan-Lee told the Jamaica Observer in an interview on the status of Vision 2030.
"Economic indicators represent almost two-thirds of the indicators that showed no improvement or worsened up to 2012 compared to the baseline year of 2007. This was primarily due, in the first instance, to the impact of the global economic downturn of 2008-2009, the worst global economic downturn in 80 years, which had a disproportionate impact on Jamaica's small, open and vulnerable economy," she said. more

Police probing Bob Andy mugging....Bob Andy was attacked by a knife-wielding motorcycle rider along the Mona Road at 2:30 pm. The singer was slashed on his left arm and robbed of $50,000,$US5,000 and two cellphones.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015
THE police are still conducting investigations into the circumstances in which reggae singer Bob Andy was mugged along the Mona Road in St Andrew, on Friday.
According to the Corporate Communications Unit, the Jamaica Constabulary Force's information arm, Bob Andy was attacked by a knife-wielding motorcycle rider along the Mona Road at 2:30 pm.
The singer was slashed on his left arm and robbed of $50,000,$US5,000 and two cellphones.
BOB ANDY... Chris Blackwell made me an offer and I
didn’t know how to go about it
The mugger made his escape on a motorcycle. No arrests have yet been made.
Bob Andy (given name Keith Anderson) started his career as a founding member of The Paragons. He became a solo star with the 1966 hit song I've Got to Go Back Home.
An accomplished songwriter, Bob Andy did a stint in the 1960s as a member of The Paragons. His hits songs include Young Gifted and Black, featuring Marcia Griffiths; Too Experienced; My Time; and Feeling Soul.
He made appearance in the films Children of Babylon (1980) and The Mighty Quinn (1989).
In 2006, Bob Andy was awarded Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD) for his contributions to the development of Jamaican music. more

SHAKERA FACEY was finally buried on Monday, March 16th after 6 weeks since her passing. Her dad Mr. Vincent Facey will speak with Rula Brown LIVE from JAMAICA 3/17/15 10:00 am ET on www.rulabrownnetwork.com to say thanks to all the supporters and well wishers. Sir Keithanthony Taylor comes on at 10:30am ET with Hypnosensei.....See you in the chat room.

Shakera Facey and dad Vincent Facey

IN JAMAICA: 600-plus flock hospitals, health centres in wake of latest Riverton blaze....GSAT schedule likely to be affected by Riverton smoke...The Ministery of education reported, meanwhile, that at least 10 students in each of the approximately 50 schools that were closed in Kingston and St Andrew, as well as St Catherine had to be sent to a clinic for treatment. "The number of GSAT students likely to be affected is over 11,500 and we have just over 39,000 students in total sitting the GSAT exam.

BY KIMBERLEY HIBBERT Observer staff reporter hibbertk@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, March 16, 2015    
MORE than 600 people complaining of respiratory illnesses sought medical attention at public hospitals and health centres in the Kingston Metropolitan Region over the weekend, according to figures released by the Ministry of Health yesterday.
01
A group of women make their way along Weymouth Crescent
 in the vicinity of the Riverton landfill after the early closure of business
 due to the smoke nuisance across the city on Friday.
(PHOTO: LIONEL ROOKWOOD)
According to acting chief medical officer Dr Marion Bullock Ducasse, on Friday, March 13, health facilities in Kingston and St Andrew, as well as the Spanish Town Hospital and the neighbouring St Jago Park Health Centre saw a total of 345 people who were experiencing respiratory conditions, which based on their complaints, was as a result of the smoke being belched from the Riverton landfill.
She added: "On Saturday, March 14, 233 visits were made to our facilities... There were two admissions -- two at the national Chest Hospital and two at the Kingston Public Hospital. The National Chest Hospital was opened on Saturday and continues to work on a 24-hour basis. Today, [March 15] up to midday at our health facilities...teams have already treated 64 persons and this totals 642 visits."
She said the ministry took the decision to open five health centres -- four in Kingston and St Andrew and one in Spanish Town -- on the weekend to allow easy access to persons who required health care as a result of the worsening conditions. Bullock-Ducasse was speaking at a press briefing to provide an update on the Riverton fire which has been burning since Wednesday afternoon, and which forced businesses and schools in the vicinity to shutter their operations on Friday.
The Ministery of education reported, meanwhile, that at least 10 students in each of the approximately 50 schools that were closed in Kingston and St Andrew, as well as St Catherine had to be sent to a clinic for treatment. more

One ‘step’ closer : Aspiring cop Anthony McPherson starts school at age 14....ANTHONY McPherson will not glide effortlessly through life without much difficulty. The 14-year-old paraplegic's gateway to his educational goals was opened only last Tuesday morning when he attended school for the very first time, his custom-made wheelchair rolling on to the grounds of Windsor School of Special Education in Denbigh, Clarendon, a few minutes past eight.

BY MARSHALYN ROSE Observer writer rosem@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, March 16, 2015    
ANTHONY McPherson will not glide effortlessly through life without much difficulty.
(L)Nadine Graham kisses her son on the cheek &
(R)Anthony’s McPherson’s class teacher Juliet Christian
 assists him to form the letters in the word ‘name’.
 (PHOTOS: GARFIELD ROBINSON)
The 14-year-old paraplegic's gateway to his educational goals was opened only last Tuesday morning when he attended school for the very first time, his custom-made wheelchair rolling on to the grounds of Windsor School of Special Education in Denbigh, Clarendon, a few minutes past eight. Behind him, his mother Nadine Graham smiled broadly as she guided him towards the group of students and teachers assembled beneath a tree where the morning's devotion was being conducted.
Following the publication of McPherson's story by the Jamaica Observer on December 15 last year, the Ministry of Education placed him at the school, which caters to physically and intellectually challenged students between six and 18 years old.
McPherson, whose head shakes involuntarily, was attired in the school's stipulated grey shirt and black pants, and his dreadlocks in a pigtail. He received an exuberant welcome from Neleshia Ferguson who oversees student affairs at the school. She rallied the students to perform the Windsor welcome song, signalling McPherson's entry into the school family.
McPherson correctly identifies
the numeral ‘8’.
Radiating with much happiness about his academic prospects, McPherson, who has been disabled since birth, expressed an unfettered ambition to become a wheelchair police officer. He is not daunted by the constraints of his physical disability, and he sees school as a platform to achieve mastery in literacy, numeracy and other skills for the adult world.
Neleshia Ferguson is animated as she leads students,
including McPherson, in the daily devotion.
"I am glad to go to school because I want to be a police. So I have to learn to read and write good first. Mi tired a di yard so mi want to meet new friends, but mi nuh want to play a school, mi want to be inna mi book to help mi to be a police," he told the Observer.
His class teacher, Juliet Christian, explained that Anthony was placed in her early childhood class to gauge his academic readiness. Of her 11 students, who -- except for McPherson -- range in age from nine to 12, eight are performing at the early childhood level due to the level of their intellectual impairment.more

Police Arrest 'Most Wanted' Criminal in JAMAICA, Two Others In St Catherine

The police say they have arrested one of the country's most wanted men. He is Aston Daley, otherwise called ‘Daleybwoy’, ‘Ricky’ and ‘Ricardo’, of Shelter Rock in Spanish Town, St Catherine. He was a member of the One Order Gang.
Daley was wanted by both the St Catherine North police and the Major Investigation Task Force for murders, shootings and related crimes. He was nabbed during an operation in Wynter’s Pen in the parish yesterday. The police say Daley was a major contributor to the increase in violence in the old capital since the start of the year.
Two other persons were also arrested during the operation, which was conducted by police personnel from the Counter Terrorism and Organized Crime Branch and the Mobile Reserve. They are facing charges of harboring a criminal.
All three are to be interviewed in the presence of their attorneys, with a view to lay formal charges soon. Against the background of the arrests, the police are appealing to citizens to desist from shielding criminals. The police are reminding citizens that harboring criminals endangers their lives and the lives of their loved ones, and derails the efforts of the police.

CLARENDON, JAMAICA (CRAZY, CRAZY...What Is Going On in JA?) : 12 y-o allegedly raped and now pregnant by 57 y-o relative....The child is now seven months pregnant and her 28-year-old mother (who has 4 children of her own) is upset that the man she believes is responsible is yet to be arrested.

At a time when most students her age are getting ready to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test, 12-year-old Alicia*, is preparing to give birth to a baby that is allegedly fathered by her 52-year-old relative.

Mother Janet Fearon* (right) and daughter Alici
The child is now seven months pregnant and her 28-year-old mother is upset that the man she believes is responsible is yet to be arrested.
Janet Fearon* told The Sunday Gleaner her daughter was sexually assaulted by her cousin and another man in their rural Clarendon community last year, but she was unaware of this until she took the child to the doctor for a check-up. The doctor contacted the police after confirming the pregnancy and questioning the little girl.
"She said she is afraid to talk to me. I don't know why she is afraid to talk to me as a mother. I don't know if it's because I am strict. If she come home and say anything to me, I would rough her," admitted Fearon.
"The other day she come from school and I see that she was crying and I said 'Alicia, what's the matter' and she said 'mommy, I am okay', that's it, she said nothing more to me," she said. But Alicia told The Sunday Gleaner that she could not tell her mother because she was threatened. She said the incident took place as she was coming home from extra lessons one day.
According to Alicia, it was not uncommon for her to visit her cousin's house, since his 12-year-old daughter is her best friend. That day, however, two adult men took her into a bedroom and told her that they wanted to have sex with her. "They said if I go home go tell my mother, they gonna kill me," the little girl recounted.
Alicia and her mother have since been questioned by the police regarding the incident, however, to date, no charges have been filed against the accused men. While one of the men have been keeping a low profile and only visits the community in the wee hours of the morning, police say they have refrained from arresting Alicia's cousin because his foot was amputated a few weeks ago.
Police personnel from the Frankfield Police Station told The Sunday Gleaner that they were advised by the clerk of courts for the Clarendon Resident Magistrate's Court to hold off on arresting the accused until his foot is healed. However, they insisted that they visit Alicia on occasions. more

The 1st single from the CD 'Peace and Love' by RULA BROWN is "Seems To Me I'm Winning" by Rula Brown & Dobby Dobson.

The 1st single from the CD 'Peace and Love' by RULA BROWN is "Seems To Me I'm Winning" by Rula Brown & Dobby Dobson. Please see the link below for 38 tracks (2 set CD) from the CD 'Peace and Love' by RULA BROWN. Produced by Rula Brown on Bee Cat Records. Distributed by VPAL on March 31, 2015. There are 12 collabs song on the forthcoming CD with Dobby Dobson, Mad Cobra, Fantan Mojah, Lukie D, Jack Radics, Red Fox and much more.....

Now Available on VPAL Music Soundcloud and shared on VP Records Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/vpal-dist/seems-to-me-im-winning-rula-brown-dobbie-dobson-bee-cat-vpal-music-2015

Usain Bolt clocked a modest 46.38 seconds and eases to 400m win as STETHS, Edwin Allen seem set to capture $1m Digicel Grand Prix prizes

BY SHERDON COWAN Observer staff reporter  Sunday, March 15, 2015
DOUBLE-sprint record holder Usain Bolt clocked a modest 46.38 seconds to win the men's clubs and institution 400-metre run when he made a surprise appearance at the Digicel/ Lucozade Sport GC Foster Classic at the National Stadium yesterday.
World superstar Usain Bolt cruises towards the
 end of his 400m race ahead of Racers Track Club
teammate Edino Steele at the GC Foster
Classic inside the National Stadium yesterday.
 Bolt clocked 46.38 seconds.
(PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS)
Running out of lane four in heat one, Bolt was comfortable along the back straight and came of the curve ahead of the field to win ahead of his Racers Track Club teammate Edino Steele, who clocked 46.80 seconds. Former Calabar sensation Javon 'Donkey man' Francis, who clocked 46.49 seconds to win his heat, was second overall with Steele finishing third.
The 28-year-old Bolt, who was running the event for the first time in almost two years, told reporters that he was happy with the run.
"Overall it was a good run; I haven't run it in the past two seasons, so for me to be actually competing again and getting a lot more running in is a positive thing (where) I can get back into shape, so I am happy with myself," he said.
The Olympic and World Championships multiple-gold medallist added that he is looking forward to competing more this season ahead of the World Championships in Beijing, China, in August. more

Clinton Email Controversy Gives 2016 Race Its First Dose Of High Anxiety

 Posted: 03/15/2015 7:30 am EDT
Every election cycle can be considered, first and foremost, a monument to hype. With every passing week, the political world is a blizzard of brash predictions, bold pronouncements, and bad advice. This year, your Speculatroners shall convene every Sunday and attempt to decode and defang in a way that will hopefully leave you feeling unharmed and less confused. We hope this helps, but as always, we make no guarantees!
HILLARY CLINTON EMAIL REACTION
Hillary Clinton
Since the beginning of March, the singular story of our long-running pseudo-event known as the "2016 presidential race" has been former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her emails. This week, it became a matter which Clinton herself finally got around to addressing at a press conference, in which she explained that her decision to commingle State Department and non-State Department emails on a single email domain of her choosing was a decision borne from desired convenience, which has ended in no small amount of regret.
As I noted earlier this week, one of the most interesting things about Clinton's sudden email problem is that it probably can't be solved to anyone's satisfaction. The underlying assumption is that there is some email, somewhere, that has managed to escape proper oversight. No matter how many emails Clinton discloses, if this imagined missive fails to materialize, it will always be thought of something that's being hidden, as opposed to something that does not exist. The only solution is for none of this to have happened in the first place -- and it's not as if this required some super-genius amount of foresight to prevent. more

CLARENDON, JAMAICA (LOVING STORY) : 3-year-old Shakera Mendez teaches 13-year-old brother David to read,,,,But for David, his sister's voice may be nothing more than a sound he does not understand, even as his eyes pop open. ..."Doctors said he didn't have enough tissue in his brain when he was born"

Sunday, March 15, 2015    
ANY chance she gets, three-year-old Shakera Mendez takes up her vocabulary book and tries to teach her 13-year-old brother David Mendez the letters of the alphabet and a word that they spell.
Shakera Mendez reads to her 13-year-old brother
 David Mendez at their home in Clarendon.
 (PHOTOS: NAPTHALI JUNIOR)
"M - Monkey," she said as she sat on the bed with her brother, book open and a concentrative look on her face. This was followed by the slow spelling of the word before she turned the page and onto the next letter.
This is something that little Shakera does often in an attempt to teach her brother the basics of the language.
"I play with him and I look in my ABC book and say it for him and try to teach him ABC," the little girl who attends the Leana Jones Basic School in Colonel's Ridge, Clarendon said.
But for David, his sister's voice may be nothing more than a sound he does not understand, even as his eyes pop open. Nonetheless, Shakera still tries to play her part on a regular basis.
Shakera Mendez, aged 3, gives her brother David a
warm hug after trying to teach him the letters of the alphabet.
But according to the boy's mother Ethiel Rowe-Mendez, he was born without enough brain tissues, which prevents him from learning and makes him function at the ability of a six-month-old baby. He has never attended school a day in his life.
"Doctors said he didn't have enough tissue in his brain when he was born, so at the time they put a tube through his skull and down to his brain to send medication down there to develop the brain so he could survive, because it was a 50/50 chance they did give him to survive," Rowe-Mendez said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer at the family's Clarendon home. more

SHIELA HYLTON interviews with RULA BROWN on Fri, March 20th at 11:15 am ET on RBN

IN JAMAICA: Funeral Scammers! How crooks rip off grieving friends of the dead....Among the sly ways of scraping money from victims is one that was used up to two weeks ago in St Mary, which raised over $20,000 for the conmen.

Sunday, March 15, 2015
FUNERAL scamming may not be as pronounced as lotto scamming, but some community folks are becoming increasingly aware of crooks who go around and fleece grieving friends of the deceased, of thousands of dollars.
Among the sly ways of scraping money from victims is one that was used up to two weeks ago in St Mary, which raised over $20,000 for the conmen.
It sees so-called friends of a deceased person going around soliciting money to do various things in preparation for the burial, all the while giving the impression that they are assisting the bereaved family.
What seems to be the main area of emphasis is for the scammers to make their move collecting money to clear barrels purportedly shipped by friends and relatives of the deceased to help out with items for the wake and the repast, the Jamaica Observer was told by one of those who was tricked.
“A friend of ours from Islington (Central St Mary) died and a couple men whom we know were going around collecting money from her friends, telling them that two barrels were shipped from America and the family needed money to clear them at the wharf,” one member of the community told the Sunday Observer.
Based upon an informal head count of those who were asked to contribute to the wharf fund and did, it appears that approximately $23,000 was collected to supposedly clear the two barrels.
And the matter is not a one-off issue. Since that incident was brought to the attention of the Sunday Observer, others who have been deceived have confirmed that they, too, were taken for a ride. more

JA pon Blaze : Riverton dump fire spreads : THE Jamaica Fire Brigade yesterday said that the latest fire at the Riverton dump -- which since Wednesday had blanketed much of the city with choking smoke — had grown twice in size to approximately five acres, despite intense efforts to keep it under control.

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, March 13, 2015   
THE Jamaica Fire Brigade yesterday said that the latest fire at the Riverton dump -- which since Wednesday had blanketed much of the city with choking smoke — had grown twice in size to approximately five acres, despite intense efforts to keep it under control.
Public Relations Director Emilio Ebanks told the Jamaica Observer that strong winds had proved a major challenge to the team's response. Approximately 70 fire-fighters were on the scene.
"The situation has been made worse because of strong wind conditions," said Ebanks of the fire, the cause of which was not ascertained up to late yesterday.
A total of eight fire trucks and four tractors -- two D9 and two D12 -- were brought to the site to fight the blaze.
"The situation, as it is right now, is very challenging. We understand the circumstance but we are doing the best we can," Ebanks said as he called on members of the public to brace themselves for more discomfort that the worsening problem would cause.
A worsening of the problem would be bad news for city dwellers who woke up to a hazy morning as a result of the smoke from the landfill.
"Since the fire started we have been having problems breathing, the thick smoke has forced many of us out of our homes," one woman from Callaloo Mews told the Observer.
Meanwhile, Opposition spokesman on local government, Desmond , said that the latest fire was as a result of the Government's failure to implement proper waste management programmes.
"The local government ministry, through the NSWMA (National Solid Waste Management Authority) and the Ministry of Health, have failed the people of Kingston with their lacklustre response to the fire which is now raging at the Riverton City landfill," McKenzie argued. "This is not the first fire and it seems they are getting more frequent. It seems they don't know how to do the job they are paid to do."
McKenzie also noted that since Wednesday he has received numerous complaints from people living as far as Harbour View and on the University of the West Indies and University of Technology campuses in Papine about the choking smoke. He said that residents of Duhaney Park, Red Hills, Meadowbrook, Hope Pastures and several other areas were also badly affected.
McKenzie said that he was particularly concerned about reports of an increase in the number of children turning up at the Bustamante Hospital for Children with respiratory problems.
Yesterday, a representative of the South East Regional Health Authority said that the Ministry of Health would be carrying out an assessment to get a better idea of the number of patients who have turned up at medical facilities, including the Bustamante Children's Hospital, with respiratory difficulties.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has given the authorisation for schools directly affected by the smoke to remain closed.

The 1st single from the CD 'Peace and Love' by RULA BROWN is "Seems To Me I'm Winning" by Rula Brown & Dobby Dobson Please see the link below for 38 tracks (2 set CD) from the CD 'Peace and Love' by RULA BROWN. Produced by Rula Brown on Bee Cat Records

All Proceeds go to PALAS
The 1st single from the CD 'Peace and Love' by RULA BROWN is "Seems To Me I'm Winning" by Rula Brown & Dobby Dobson
Please see the link below for 38 tracks (2 set CD)
from the CD 'Peace and Love' by RULA BROWN.
Thank you very much for supporting my music and the PALAS students. All sales will go to PALAS program. PALAS goal is to award 125 scholarships in 2015.
The CD will be distributed by VPAL online on March 31, 2015.
https://soundcloud.com/…/seems-to-me-im-winning-rula-brown-…

FERGUSON, Mo.: 'Blood Is Still Red': Ferguson Fears Setback As Cop-Shooter Eludes Manhunt....The shooter -- described by Attorney General Eric Holder as “ damn punk” -- remained at large Thursday night.

 Posted: 03/12/2015 10:02 pm EDT
FERGUSON, Mo. -- As reporters flocked back to this St. Louis suburb following theambush shooting of two officers outside the police department overnight, residents, law enforcement and protesters were on edge. Many said they were angered that a gunman’s bullets may threaten to interrupt a community on the cusp of significant change.
FERGUSONThe shooter -- described by Attorney General Eric Holder as “ damn punk” -- remained at large Thursday night. Both officers were treated for their wounds and released from the hospital on Thursday. Police raided a Ferguson home searching for witnesses to the shooting.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon traveled to the city, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the St. Louis County Police Department took over policing the ongoing protests. Candidates for a seat on Ferguson's city council were holding a debate Thursday night and there was a plan for a prayer vigil at 8 p.m. local time. The officers were shot just after midnight Thursday during a protest that followed the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson. Jackson is the sixth person out of a job since last week's scathing Justice Department report on how the city police department and municipal court had been turned into a cash cow, mostly on the backs of black residents. The Justice Department investigation came in the wake of a Ferguson officer's killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in August. more 

Global investors should unearth Jamaica's hidden treasures — Bowen : The Forum, which was led by the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), hopes to pull investment of over US$1 billion ($115 billion) into the economy over the next few years.

Friday, March 13, 2015    
SENIOR Vice-President of Scotia Group Bruce Bowen has called on global investors to 'unearth the hidden treasures in Jamaica' during the hosting of Jamaica Investment Forum earlier this week.
The Forum, which was led by the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), hopes to pull investment of over US$1 billion ($115 billion) into the economy over the next few years.
The Montego Bay Convention Centre
The event saw global investors from North America, Pakistan, Turkey, China, India, Spain, France and the United Kingdom attending what is termed as "Jamaica's premier international and business conference" at the Montego Bay Convention Centre over a two-day period.
"I would point to some specific sectors -- hidden treasures if you will -- that are ripe for further investments and which have great potential for growth," Bowen stated. "These areas are tourism, agriculture and agro-processing, ICT, business process outsourcing (BPO), export and manufacturing."
JAMPRO has indicated that it will be focusing on these marketable and bankable sectors during the Forum to assist in delivering jobs and GDP growth. It says that these sectors will help to create the desired logistics-centred economy.
"There can be no doubt that the development of the ICT sector has transformed life in Jamaica in many ways over the past two decades," Bowen stated.
"Our very own contact centre is a Scotiabank BPO success story, and it continues to grow and provide a range of services, including Internet, telephone and mobile banking support. We also maintain one of our three regional processing hubs in Jamaica, leveraging the quality and efficiency of our workforce, and the tax efficiency of exporting services within the region," Bowen added. more

MONTEGO BAY, St James : Hyde headlines strong JAMAICA Carifta team to St Kitts...Jamaica won 89 medals last year -- 42 gold, 34 silver and 13 bronze at the event held in Martinique.

Friday, March 13, 2015    
MONTEGO BAY, St James -- Christoff Bryan, the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) field events male athlete and World Junior 400m and Youth Olympic Games 110m hurdles champion Jaheel Hyde will lead a powerful 78-member Jamaican team to the 2015 CARIFTA Games to be held in St Kitts April 3-6.
The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) released the team yesterday following last weekend's CARIFTA Trials held at the National Stadium in Kingston.
The breakdown of the team sees 18 athletes in the Under-18 section and 21 in both Under-20 sections, for boys and girls.
Jamaica won 89 medals last year -- 42 gold, 34 silver and 13 bronze at the event held in Martinique.
Twelve athletes will defend titles won last year, including Jauavney James who won two individual gold medals.
Lushae Wilson will defend the Under-18 boys high jump, while in the Under-18 girls, Kimone Shaw, Janeek Brown and Lamara Distin will defend their titles.
In the Under-20 girls, Sasha-gay Whyte in the 1500m, Tamara Moncrieff in the triple jump and Rochelle Frazer in the discus are returning champions.
Michael O'Hara is the Under-20 boys 200m champion, Clayton Brown won the high jump, Odaine Lewis won the triple jump and Demar Gayle won the shot put. more

Gayle in doubt as Windies set for do-or-die contest with UAE : A nagging back injury has put flamboyant West Indies opener Chris Gayle in doubt for their all-important do-or-die World Cup clash with United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Friday, March 13, 2015    
NAPIER, New Zealand (CMC) — A nagging back injury has put flamboyant West Indies opener Chris Gayle in doubt for their all-important do-or-die World Cup clash with United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday (Saturday Jamaica time).
Gayle is struggling with his back injury and could miss the crucial final preliminary-round clash which will determine whether they qualify for the quarter-finals.
Chris Gayle
The veteran opener was unable to train with his teammates in Napier on Wednesday, remaining at the team hotel to rest in the hope of speeding his recovery.
"He is struggling, but we have back up in Johnson Charles," said coach Stuart Williams.
"We'd love him to play all the games (but) we'll just have to manage him better."
Gayle, 35, blasted a World Cup record 215 in the win over Zimbabwe, but his form in other games has been patchy with 36 against Ireland, four in the game with Pakistan, just three in the loss to South Africa and 21 facing India.
West Indies have just four points from five games after two wins and three defeats and need to beat the UAE handsomely to boost their run rate if they are to have any hope of squeezing into the quarter-finals.
"Our destiny is in our own hands and on Sunday we'll know exactly what we'll have to do to qualify," Williams added.
After the loss to Ireland, the Windies comfortably beat Pakistan and Zimbabwe before suffering crushing defeats against South Africa and India. more 

JAMAICANS will have to pay more taxes to drive, smoke and use electricity on April 1 : Motorists, smokers hit hard; GCT on electricity bills reintroduced $10-b tax package hits motorists, smokers, electricity users hard BY BALFORD HENRY Senior staff reporter balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com Friday, March 13, 2015

BY BALFORD HENRY Senior staff reporter balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, March 13, 2015 
JAMAICANS will have to pay more taxes to drive, smoke and use electricity on April 1 when a $10.3-billion tax package introduced yesterday by Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Peter Phillips takes effect.
01The tax measures came as no surprise to some observers, despite constant assurances from Dr Phillips, since the tabling of the budget on February 19, that compliance measures would fill most of the gap.
They will also affect domestic production as well as importers, including those trading with Jamaica’s Caribbean Community (Caricom) partners who are required to pay an environmental tax; those paying trade and business licence fees; and is expected to be extended to affect life insurance companies before the fiscal year ends. Hardest hit are motorists who will have to fork out some $8.2 billion more per annum to pay for petrol and petroleum products at local service stations.
Dr Phillips admitted in the House of Representatives yesterday that the hole in his $641-billion budget for 2015/16 was really $22.7-billion.
The ministry had previously spoken to a $10.4-billion gap, which Phillips suggested could be largely filled by increased compliance, as well as some changes to the Property Tax Act, new transfer tax legislation affecting transfer pricing rules, and withholding tax on statutory payments.
However, yesterday he explained that those measures would only cover $12.3 billion of the $22.7- billion-wide hole by the end of the year.
This left a gap of $10.4 billion, which has to be filled by new revenue measures. more

Meet Esther Okade, the 10-year-old maths genius who's just enrolled at college....and is already top of the class, having recently scored 100% in a recent exam....She adds: "I want to (finish the course) in two years. Then I'm going to do my PhD in financial maths when I'm 13. I want to have my own bank by the time I'm 15 because I like numbers and I like people and banking is a great way to help people."

(CNN)At first glance Esther Okade seems like a normal 10-year-old. She loves dressing up as Elsa from "Frozen," playing with Barbie dolls and going to the park or shopping.
But what makes the British-Nigerian youngster stand out is the fact that she's also a university undergraduate.
Esther, from Walsall, an industrial town in the UK's West Midlands region, is one of the country's youngest college freshmen.
10 y-o Esther Okade in class
The talented 10-year-old enrolled at the Open University, a UK-based distance learning college, in January and is already top of the class, having recently scored 100% in a recent exam.
"It's so interesting. It has the type of maths I love. It's real maths -- theories, complex numbers, all that type of stuff," she giggles. "It was super easy. My mum taught me in a nice way."
She adds: "I want to (finish the course) in two years. Then I'm going to do my PhD in financial maths when I'm 13. I want to have my own bank by the time I'm 15 because I like numbers and I like people and banking is a great way to help people."
    And in case people think her parents have pushed her into starting university early, Esther emphatically disagrees.
    "I actually wanted to start when I was seven. But my mum was like, "you're too young, calm down." After three years of begging, mother Efe finally agreed to explore the idea. more