KINGSTON, Jamaica : Females To Dominate UWI Guild Executive Following Elections

KINGSTON, Jamaica: The top-tier of the Guild of Students of the University of the West Indies, Mona will be dominated by females for the next administrative year.

 Daviannae Tucker takes up office at UWI

In the results of today's leadership elections announced this evening, females were elected to the posts of president, vice presidents and treasurer.

Twenty-two-year-old Westwood High School old girl, Davianne Tucker, prevailed as president over 24-year-old Franz George, from the St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The undergraduate student polled 1,964 votes to George’s 1,716.

Meanwhile, Lavern King and Shanice Allen were elected vice presidents and Shanique Austin, treasurer. The election of a female-dominated executive coincides with calls for the University to address the issue of gender-based violence on the campus.

According to the records of the Guild of Students of the UWI, Mona since 1951, the body has had 64 presidents,  57 of whom were males and seven females. There are no records to indicate the secretaries for the first two years of the Guild.

However, beside the 62 names of the presidents for the ensuing years, were the names of 49 females who were elected secretary. Tucker told The Gleaner Online that her priority will be on making the Guild more "visible" and accountable to students. "(I'm) Looking forward to working with the team for the upcoming year. From the looks of it, it's going to be an awesome tenure," she later tweeted.

President Barack Obama doing the BOINK reggae dance in preparation for his Trip to Jamaica in April

Please join RULA BROWN when he speaks with KEVAZZ on Thursday, March 19th at 10:30 am ET and SHIELA HYLTON on Friday, March 20th at 11:15 am ET on www.RulaBrownNetwork.com. See you in the chat room with all your questions or call the studio at 770-744-2154.

RulaBrownNetwork.com

Please join RULA BROWN when he speaks with the hit maker JAH RUBY on Thursday, March 26th at 10:30 am ET on www.RulaBrownNetwork.com. JAH RUBY's latest CD "The Delroy Wilson Story" recently stayed at # 1 on the Foundation Radio chart for 6 weeks. See you in the chat room with all your questions or call the studio at 770-744-2154.

DUANVALE, Trelawny (CONGRATULATIONS & HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 115th) : Jamaica boasts world's sixth oldest person. Viola Moss Brown, whose life spans three centuries, was on Sunday hailed by Queen Elizabeth II for reaching the age of 115.... Son said to be oldest child with a parent alive

 BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, March 19, 2015 

DUANVALE, Trelawny -- Viola Moss Brown, whose life spans three centuries, was on Sunday hailed by Queen Elizabeth II for reaching the age of 115, making her Jamaica's confirmed oldest person and the island the smallest nation to produce a person of her age.

Viola Moss Brown raises her hands in the air as she
acknowledges the accolades heaped on her at her birthday party

"Mrs Violet Moss Brown, my congratulations to you on achieving the remarkable milestone of 115 birthday and I send you my best wishes," Custos Rotulorum of Trelawny Paul Muschett read from a letter signed by Queen Elizabeth II.

The letter was read during a glitzy bash at the Glistening Waters Restaurant in Falmouth, on Sunday, to mark her birthday.

The milestone makes Brown, who is affectionately called Aunt V, the world's sixth oldest person, a mere two years behind the world's oldest person, Osaka, Japan's Misao Okawa whose birth date is listed at March 5, 1898.

But she may possibly boast a record that those older than her cannot speak of: having the world's oldest living child.

Robert Young (right), senior database administrator for the
 Gerontology Research Group (GRG) presents a plaque
 to 115-year-old
 Viola Moss Brown for being the oldest person in
Jamaica. (PHOTO: PHILLIP LEMONTE)

Brown's firstborn Harold Fairweather, who turns 95 in April, is said to be the world's "oldest living child" with a parent alive.

Brown, who live in the house in Duanvale where she was born on March 10, 1900 has been recognised by the US-based Gerontology Research Group (GRG) as Jamaica's oldest person.

Robert Young, the senior data base administrator and the director of the Super Centenarian Department of the GRG, said that the organisation has, since year 2000, been consultants for the Guinness World Records to adjudicate the World's oldest person title and identify other candidates for the title. more

ST. THOMAS, JAMAICA (SAD, SHOCKING & UNEXPECTED): 'She gave up' : Shock grips St Thomas communities as mother of 14-yr-old tumour child dies...following the unexpected death of Andrea Williams — the mother of 14-year-old Leslie-Ann Goulbourne who was diagnosed with brain tumour.

BY DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE Observer staff reporter husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, March 19, 2015 

SHOCK and disbelief rocked the communities of Port Morant and Airy Castle in St Thomas Sunday, following the unexpected death of Andrea Williams — the mother of 14-year-old Leslie-Ann Goulbourne who was diagnosed with brain tumour.

Fourteen-year-old Leslie-Ann Goulbourne consoles her mother,
Andrea Williams, in mid-February during an interview with the
 Jamaica Observer. ((PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON)

Williams, who sought financial help for radiation treatment for her daughter through a Sunday Observer story published on February 15, died at the Princess Margaret Hospital where she was admitted for a week and three days from what her mother said was a collapsed lung resulting from stress.

Williams had spent close to $5 million for treatment and daily care of her daughter, who had to undergo four brain surgeries and radiation treatment for the tumour in her head before it was discovered that the non-malignant tumour — known as germinoma — had spread to the child's spine.

"She gave up," Syble Williams, the deceased woman's mother told the Observer at their Airy Castle home on Monday. "The doctor said she was stressed from head to toe and that she was drained out to nothing because she was fretting on the little girl. She was there for her from the beginning to the last breath."

Andrea Williams cries as she relates her daughter’s situation
 in mid- February. Williams died on Sunday after her lungs collapsed
 as a result of severe stress. (PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON)

"The relationship that they have is very unique," the elder Williams added. "She had a little cough and shortness of breath and because she had to go up and down with Leslie-Ann, she didn't have the time to eat much or take care of herself. She visited the doctor twice three weeks ago and was nebulised, but they did not understand why she was still breathing short."

A follow up X-ray revealed that the lungs of the 40-year-old mother of four were collapsing. As a result, she was sent off to the hospital where she was immediately admitted.

Days before her admission to hospital two Thursdays ago, Andrea told the Observer that things had taken a toll on her physically and that she was not feeling well, while also explaining that her next move was a visit to the hospital for a check-up.

During her time in the hospital, her sick daughter -- who was advanced into her radiation treatment -- was prevented from visiting her for her own safety. However, on Sunday, after numerous requests from the ailing mom, the staff agreed for the child to visit. more

ST.ANDREW, JAMAICA: 3 killed, 2 injured in New Haven gun attack....The dead are 18-year-old Cleveland Gayle; Kyle Poyscr, 16; and another man identified only as Chris, whose age has not yet been ascertained...."Information we received is that the shooting may be linked to a missing firearm," Deputy Superintendent Aaron Fletcher from Hunt's Bay Police Station told the Jamaica Observer.

Thursday, March 19, 2015  

THE police have stepped up patrols in New Haven, St Andrew, where five people were shot — three fatally — in a brazen attack by gunmen in the community Tuesday night.

The dead are 18-year-old Cleveland Gayle; Kyle Poyscr, 16; and another man identified only as Chris, whose age has not yet been ascertained.

People gather in a section of New Haven, St Andrew,
 where five people were shot by gunmen Tuesday night.
 Three of the victims died in the attack. (PHOTO: KARL MCLARTY)

According to the police, about 10:45 the five were among a group of people standing on the road in the community when a car drove up. Several armed men alighted from the vehicle and opened fire hitting them.

Residents said that the injured men tried to escape, but were cornered and peppered with bullets by another set of gunmen who were waylaying them at another section of the community.

The wounded men were rushed to hospital where Gayle, Poyscr and Chris were pronounced dead. The others have been admitted in hospital in serious condition.

Yesterday, police said they suspected that the shooting was linked to gang feud in the area. However, they said that based on their information, four of the victims were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Information we received is that the shooting may be linked to a missing firearm," Deputy Superintendent Aaron Fletcher from Hunt's Bay Police Station told the Jamaica Observer.

Yesterday's increased police presence did little to calm the anger and shock that gripped the community, where many residents wept openly.

Horace Poyscr, father of the slain 16-year-old, was overcome with grief.

"Mi can't believe mi one and only son come lose him life like that," said the distraught father, who had to be consoled by friends.

A few metres away from where the senior Poyscr wept, Donna Thorpe, Gayle's mother, was still in shock. more

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.

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    

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.

But 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.

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.

Ian Allen

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

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-…