KINGSTON, Jamaica: President Obama's unannounced visit to the Bob Marley Museum
 |
| Pres. Barack Obama at Bob Marleys Museum |
Wednesday, April 08, 2015 | 9:46 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica – United States President Barack Obama makes a late night visit to the Bob Marley Museum after he landed at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston Wednesday evening.
 |
| U.S. President Barack Obama, right, visits the Bob Marley Museum with tour guide Natasha Clark, left, Wednesday, April 8, 2015 in Kingston, Jamaica. |
The museum is reported to attract some 35,000 visitors per year. And President Obama has now been added to that list.
Bob Marley became a superstar in the 1970s, a fruitful period for roots-reggae. He lived at what became the museum in May 11, 1986.
He died of cancer in May 1981 at age 36. more
GoFundMe Shuts Down Campaign For Officer Charged With Murder Of Walter Scott
The Huffington Post | By Jessica Dickerson Email Posted: 04/08/2015 5:27 pm EDT
A fundraising page dedicated to South Carolina police officer Michael Slager was shut down by GoFundMe on Wednesday.
Slager was charged with the murder of 50-year-old Walter Scott after video surfacedof him shooting at the unarmed man eight times. GoFundMe’s public relations manager, Kelsea Little, told The Huffington Post that the page's removal was "due to a violation of our terms and conditions.”
However, Little said GoFundMe was unable to discuss the details of the campaign with anyone other than the organizer because of "privacy concerns.”
One source of outside financial support for the Slager family will be North Charleston. In a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Keith Summey confirmed that the town would continue to pay for the medical insurance of the officer’s wife, who is eight months pregnant, until the birth of the child.
Comparisons have been drawn between the shooting of Scott and Ferguson, Missouri, teen Michael Brown, including the online fundraising for the officer involved in the shooting in response to protests against police brutality.
Controversy swirled around the establishment of two GoFundMe pages that raised money for Darren Wilson, the officer responsible for the fatal shooting of Brown in July. Combined, they had raised nearly half a million dollars before they disappeared from the Internet late August. more
Hope, scepticism as Obama lands in Jamaica : JAMAICANS yesterday expressed mixed feelings about whether the current visit of United States President Barack Obama to Jamaica will be the start of a chain of positive developments for the island and the wider region.
BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com Thursday, April 09, 2015
JAMAICANS yesterday expressed mixed feelings about whether the current visit of United States President Barack Obama to Jamaica will be the start of a chain of positive developments for the island and the wider region.
 |
| (L-R) FISHER... the fact that him choose to come here, we are very happy. HUSSEY... not a lot can be done in the short space of time. BAYLE... with such a short visit, we are not going to see a lot of changes (PHOTOS: KARL MCLARTY) |
Obama touched down at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) at minutes to eight last night, marking the second visit of a sitting US president to Jamaica.
"We know that the visit is going to be short, but the fact that him choose to come here, we are very happy," remarked Neville Fisher, a farmer in Caymanas Bay, St Catherine.
"This is history in the making," another man interjected.
But others were more sceptical.
"I believe that, with such a short visit, we are not going to see a lot of changes," said Christian Bayle, who was conducting business in Half-Way-Tree, the capital of St Andrew.
Gisele Hussey, who was seen on South Camp Road, shared similar sentiments.
"I believe that not a lot can be done in the short space of time. I believe it may fast-track some roadworks," Hussey quipped.
 |
| Soldiers man a section of Oxford Road, in the vicinity of the National Housing Trust in St Andrew, yesterday. (PHOTO: MICHAEL GORDON) |
Marcia Henry agreed. "I believe the time is too short to bring about the changes many people were hoping for," she told the Jamaica Observer.
Henry made the comment as members of the Jamaica Defence Force carried out last-minute preparations to beautify the surroundings of Up Park Camp, which was expected to be the president's first stop after leaving NMIA.
Further away, near New Kingston, a large contingent of police and soldiers were seen monitoring areas such as Knutsford and other areas of New Kingston, where businesses were forced to shutter early as a result of access
CRUCIAL ARTICLE: President Obama Visits Jamaica, but What Is His Government Doing to Jamaica's Economy? The Caribbean island nation, probably best known for dominating the sport of sprinting, has had declining living standards for the past 20 years. Per capita GDP has fallen by an average of 0.3 percent annually over the past two decades, making Jamaica the worst-performing economy in the hemisphere over this long haul....Does Jamaica need debt cancellation assistance or better fiscal managment? What do you think?
Posted: 04/08/2015 1:54 pm EDT Mark Weisbrot Huffington Post
The international media isn't paying much attention to President Obama's trip to Jamaica this week, but maybe they should. The country has become a terrible example of what can happen when creditors, led by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), are able to impose harsh austerity on a trapped nation in an attempt to collect on an uncollectable debt. Since the U.S. Treasury Department decides what the IMF does in the Western Hemisphere, President Obama himself can claim responsibility for this crushing economic failure.
 |
| Barack Obama-Jamaica I Cry For You |
The Caribbean island nation, probably best known for dominating the sport of sprinting, has had declining living standards for the past 20 years. Per capita GDP has fallen by an average of 0.3 percent annually over the past two decades, making Jamaica the worst-performing economy in the hemisphere over this long haul. And this measures only average living standards; it is much worse at the bottom, where poverty has more than doubled since 2007, and where unemployment is currently over 14 percent, higher than it stood during the world recession. (More detail can be found here.)
But the worst part, and the part where Washington bears the most responsibility, is the country's future prospects. It is currently under an IMF agreement that requires the government to run annual primary budget surpluses -- revenue minus spending, excluding interest payments -- of 7.5 percent. This is the worst such burden in the world. For comparison, Greece was projected to run a primary budget surplus of 3 percent this year, and about 4.5 percent thereafter -- and this is so unsustainable that it is causing a political crisis as well as a widespread belief that it can't possibly happen.
How can something so much worse be done to Jamaica? Besides the obvious fact that Jamaica is much poorer and also over 90-percent Black, it mostly boils down to the creditors' cartel, headed by the IMF, which is calling the shots. This used to be the situation faced by most of the Western Hemisphere south of the U.S., but in the past 15 years the vast majority of the region has gotten loose from the IMF and Washington's grip, winning Latin America's "second independence." Jamaica is an extreme example of what happens to those who were not fortunate enough to get away.
The fiscal austerity that this cartel has imposed would be enough to throw even the U.S. economy into recession, with budget tightening of 5 percent of GDP between 2012 and 2015. Even at the IMF executive board, which must approve the four-year agreement that the country is operating under, about 25 percent of the directors were worried that excessive austerity could threaten Jamaica's "fragile recovery and social cohesion." more
Hope, scepticism as Obama lands in Jamaica : JAMAICANS yesterday expressed mixed feelings about whether the current visit of United States President Barack Obama to Jamaica will be the start of a chain of positive developments for the island and the wider region.
BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com Thursday, April 09, 2015
JAMAICANS yesterday expressed mixed feelings about whether the current visit of United States President Barack Obama to Jamaica will be the start of a chain of positive developments for the island and the wider region.
|
| (L-R) FISHER... the fact that him choose to come here, we are very happy. HUSSEY... not a lot can be done in the short space of time. BAYLE... with such a short visit, we are not going to see a lot of changes (PHOTOS: KARL MCLARTY) |
Obama touched down at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) at minutes to eight last night, marking the second visit of a sitting US president to Jamaica.
"We know that the visit is going to be short, but the fact that him choose to come here, we are very happy," remarked Neville Fisher, a farmer in Caymanas Bay, St Catherine.
"This is history in the making," another man interjected.
But others were more sceptical.
"I believe that, with such a short visit, we are not going to see a lot of changes," said Christian Bayle, who was conducting business in Half-Way-Tree, the capital of St Andrew.
Gisele Hussey, who was seen on South Camp Road, shared similar sentiments.
"I believe that not a lot can be done in the short space of time. I believe it may fast-track some roadworks," Hussey quipped.
|
| Soldiers man a section of Oxford Road, in the vicinity of the National Housing Trust in St Andrew, yesterday. (PHOTO: MICHAEL GORDON) |
Marcia Henry agreed. "I believe the time is too short to bring about the changes many people were hoping for," she told the Jamaica Observer.
Henry made the comment as members of the Jamaica Defence Force carried out last-minute preparations to beautify the surroundings of Up Park Camp, which was expected to be the president's first stop after leaving NMIA.
Further away, near New Kingston, a large contingent of police and soldiers were seen monitoring areas such as Knutsford and other areas of New Kingston, where businesses were forced to shutter early as a result of access restrictions to the area. more
KINGSTON, Jamaica : President Barack Obama is in Jamaica....This historic visit marks the second to the island by a sitting US president. The first saw Ronald Reagan arriving in 1982...President Obama will engage in a number of activities tomorrow, including bilateral talks with the Jamaican Government and with Caricom heads of government, a youth forum at the University of the West Indies
Wednesday, April 08, 2015 | 7:31 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica — United States President Barack Obama arrived in the island a short while ago at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.
This historic visit marks the second to the island by a sitting US president. The first saw Ronald Reagan arriving in 1982, with yesterday marking the 33rd anniversary of his visit.
Obama, who arrived on Air Force One, is expected to travel on the Marine One helicopter to the Jamaica Defence Force’s headquarters, Up Park Camp.
He is then expected to travel in the presidential limousine, The Beast, to a hotel where he is expected to stay ahead of tomorrow’s activities.
President Obama will engage in a number of activities tomorrow, including bilateral talks with the Jamaican Government and with Caricom heads of government, a youth forum at the University of the West Indies, and a wreath laying at the Cenotaph in National Heroes Park in honour of the Jamaicans who fought and died in World War I and II.
He will leave Jamaica tomorrow evening for Panama to attend the Seventh Summit of the Americas.
Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller headed the delegation of officials who greeted President Obama on his arrival.
More information later.
KINGSTON, Jamaica: President Obama visits Bob Marley Museum
|
| Pres. Barack Obama at Bob Marleys Museum |
Wednesday, April 08, 2015 | 9:46 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica – United States President Barack Obama makes a late night visit to the Bob Marley Museum after he landed at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston Wednesday evening.
The Hope Road facility, which has been in operation for nearly 30 years, recently reopened it's doors after some structural upgrade.
The museum is reported to attract some 35,000 visitors per year. And President Obama has now been added to that list.
Bob Marley became a superstar in the 1970s, a fruitful period for roots-reggae. He lived at what became the museum in May 11, 1986.
He died of cancer in May 1981 at age 36. more
WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO: Video Shows Officer Michael Slager Shooting Unarmed Black Man In The Back In South Carolina
 |
| Killer Police stands over victim |
The Huffington Post | By Andy Campbell Email Posted: 04/07/2015 7:08 pm EDT
A white South Carolina police officer was arrested and charged with murder Tuesday after video showed him fatally shooting a fleeing, unarmed black man in the back.
North Charleston Police Officer Michael T. Slager, 33, can be seen shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott after a confrontation on Saturday, according to The Post and Courier. Slager chases Scott and shoots at him eight times in the video recorded by a passerby and obtained by The New York Times.
Scott died there, though it wasn't clear if he died immediately.
The graphic video raises questions about Slager's original assertion that he used his gun because he felt endangered. more
Harold Ekeh 17 y-o, Got Into All 8 Ivy League Schools wants to be a Neurosurgeon., is a senior at Elmont Memorial High School in Long Island, New York, has a GPA of over 100, he got a 2270 (out of 2400) on the SAT, and – oh yeah – he's been accepted to all 13 colleges he applied to, including all eight Ivy League schools, as well as Johns Hopkins and MIT. His Humble Response Will Inspire You. (WATCH THE VIDEO)
The Huffington Post | By Katie Sola Email Posted: 04/07/2015 12:51 pm EDT
When Harold Ekeh was accepted into all eight Ivy League schools, he didn't boast about his amazing feat. Instead, he thanked his teachers and parents.
 |
| Harold Ekeh |
The Nigerian-American teen came to the United States at the age of eight. His family lives in Elmont, New York, where Ekeh attends Elmont Memorial High School.
Ekeh isn't your average high school senior. He scored a 2270 on the SAT, according to Patch, and was a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search. He's editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, and vice-president of the Model United Nations.
Feeling inadequate yet? Ekeh was also the homecoming king. He told Yahoo he hopes to become a neurosurgeon, a field he became interested in after his grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.
First, he has the pleasure of choosing between Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale.
According to New York Magazine, Ekeh was also accepted to MIT, NYU, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, and SUNY Stony Brook.
Ekeh told Fox News Insider that he wrote his admissions essay about how his parents' resilience and determination to succeed in America inspired him.
"You can accomplish great things if you work hard and persevere," he told Newsday.TO VIEW VIDEO CLICK more
RBN USTREAM Broadcast (BELOW) LISTEN & WATCH BROADCAST LIVE 24/7
FOR AUDIO ONLY (No Commercials) - CLICK PLAYER ABOVE on RIGHT OR
FOR USTREAM VIEWING CLICK ON PLAYER BELOW
To listen, click PLAY icon above then unmute speaker icon at bottom left on player after a brief commercial.
You may also listen commercial FREE by clicking ON AIR-Listen LIVE AUDIO BOX above or TUNE-IN LINK or call in on Tele at . Studio line is 770-744-2154. Enjoy the sweet music.To chat , please sign in with your Chatango account.Please support the scholarship program by considering to donate at least $10.00 at www.PALAS1.org. Thank you very much.
Gertrude Weaver, World's Oldest Person, Dies At Age 116....Jamaica now boasts world's 4th oldest person, Viola Moss Brown at 115 y-o
AP | By CLAUDIA LAUER Posted: 04/06/2015 5:30 pm EDT
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Just days after becoming the world's oldest documented person, 116-year-old Gertrude Weaver has died in Arkansas.
The Williams Funeral Home confirms that Weaver died Monday at the Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center in Camden, about 100 miles southwest of Little Rock.
Weaver became the oldest person in the world after the death of a 117-year-old Japanese woman last week, according to records kept by the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group. Weaver was born on July 4, 1898.
Weaver told reporters last week that the key to her longevity was being kind to everyone and eating her own cooking.
 |
| Gertrude Weaver, World's Oldest Person, Dies At Age 116 |
"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.
 |
| Viola Moss Brown, 115 y-o of Jamaica raises her hands in the air as she acknowledges the accolades heaped on her at her birthday party |
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.
IN JAMAICA: Grange Hill High Best from the West in the teenAGE Expression Tours (PHOTOS)
Tuesday, April 07, 2015 |
Last week the teenAGE Expression Tours went west, visiting Grange Hill High School.
First to take the stage was Delano McMahon. This young man had the crowd in a frenzy when he performed a remix to Throat by Gage. In his remix, Delano deejayed about a female being overly interested in her cellular phone.
Christasha Watkins was next. She performed a rendition of Louise Bennett's Nuh Lickle Twang. She was well received by her peers. Kayonn Campbell followed the dub performance and, despite facing problems with the sound system, she pressed on and the crowd responded.
After the musical selections, Amanda Samuels was next to take the stage. The crowd seemed pleased with her performance.
Russalie Brown dramatized a piece that had the crowd erupting in laughter. The girl duo, Teena Kay Parish and Mickalia performed Beyonce's 1+1 and Celine Dion's To Love You More. These two girls delighted the crowd with their melodies and had everyone singing along.
Last week the teenAGE Expression Tours went west, visiting Grange Hill High School.
The talent showcase was hosted by DJ Rushane, who was substituting for resident DJ, Cash Price.
First to take the stage was Delano McMahon. This young man had the crowd in a frenzy when he performed a remix to Throat by Gage. In his remix, Delano deejayed about a female being overly interested in her cellular phone.
Christasha Watkins was next. She performed a rendition of Louise Bennett's Nuh Lickle Twang. She was well received by her peers. Kayonn Campbell followed the dub performance and, despite facing problems with the sound system, she pressed on and the crowd responded.
The crowd was treated with a series of hits played by DJ Rushane, much to their delight.
After the musical selections, Amanda Samuels was next to take the stage. The crowd seemed pleased with her performance.
Russalie Brown dramatized a piece that had the crowd erupting in laughter. The girl duo, Teena Kay Parish and Mickalia performed Beyonce's 1+1 and Celine Dion's To Love You More. These two girls delighted the crowd with their melodies and had everyone singing along.
It was now time for a giveaway courtesy of Flow. Renford Green was the winner of this giveaway. more
33rd anniversary of first visit by a sitting US president... Contrast between Ronald Reagan’s lashing of Cuba and Obama’s reconciliation.... The leaders- Reagan, Seaga, Obama, Castro
Tuesday, April 07, 2015
ON the eve of the visit of United States President Barack Obama, Jamaicans are today marking the 33rd anniversary of the first visit to the island by a sitting US president, Ronald Reagan, who came in contrasting circumstances on April 7, 1982. While Reagan brought a strong anti-Communist message and lashed Marxist Cuba as the "only Caribbean nation which has totally enveloped itself in Marxism, a philosophy alien to this hemisphere", Obama comes against the backdrop of negotiations to lift the punishing embargo against Cuba.
 |
| The leaders- Reagan, Seaga, Obama, Castro |
Today the Jamaica Observer reproduces excerpts of the address by President Reagan (who was accompanied by his wife Nancy), and the welcome address given by then Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga at a state dinner at King's House:
Nancy and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the warm and gracious welcome that you've given us here in Jamaica. In the hours of flying down here today and seeing many of the islands for the first time and out over the vast blue of the Caribbean, it seemed as if we were getting a long way from home. It's very funny, but I feel very much at home right now.
It's been said here and it's true, Mr Prime Minister, you were the first head of state to visit us in the White House after my Inauguration. From the beginning I felt a special sense of closeness and common purpose with you. Your election was only one week before my own, and we were both given mandates to restore economic health to our respective nations and to secure the freedom which is so dear to us all.
I followed your progress with great interest and admiration as in my country there's still much to do. But I congratulate you for the significant accomplishments that you've already made since our last meeting...For the first time in seven years Jamaica has had real growth in its economy, and inflation has been dramatically reduced. You have set your country on a course for economic progress by making the hard decisions first and sticking to them. And I know from 14 months of experience how difficult that can be. more
Jamaica land 85 medals at 44th Carifta Games....The Jamaicans won 41 gold, 25 silver and 19 bronze medals, the 31st straight time they have topped the table and their second best ever haul since the schedule moved to 66 events, and just shy of the record 89 medals won last year in Fort de France, Martinique.
BY PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com Tuesday, April 07, 2015
Jamaica's junior athletes once again proved they are the kings and queens of the Caribbean with another dominant display at the annual Carifta Games after amassing 85 medals at the 44th staging of the championships which ended at the newly renamed Kim Collins Stadium in Basseterre, St Kitts, yesterday.
 |
| JA Winning Team |
The Jamaicans won 41 gold, 25 silver and 19 bronze medals, the 31st straight time they have topped the table and their second best ever haul since the schedule moved to 66 events, and just shy of the record 89 medals won last year in Fort de France, Martinique.
The Bahamas finished second on the table with 31 medals, eight gold, 13 silver and 10 bronze; Barbados were next with seven gold, four silver and five bronze; Trinidad and Tobago were fourth with six gold medals, eight silver and eight bronze, while Grenada won a gold, three silver, and four bronze to complete the top five.
Nineteen of the 25 countries that took part won at least one medal, while eight countries won at least a gold medal.
 |
| Jaheel Hyde Takes the Win |
From Friday's opening session, the Jamaicans took charge and never let go, increasing their dominance with every passing session.
Yesterday, Youth Olympics champion Jaheel Hyde completed his second hurdles double after winning the Under-20 110m hurdles gold medal in a wind-aided 13.36 seconds (3.3m/s) to add to the gold medal he won in the 400m hurdles a day earlier.
 |
| Yanique Thompson |
Xavier of The Bahamas was second in 13.51 seconds, just ahead of Seanie Selvin, who took the bronze for Jamaica in 13.57 seconds.
IAAF World Youth champion Yanique Thompson won the girls' Under-20 gold in a wind-aided 13.21 seconds (4.8m/s) leading home teammate Jeanine Williams with 13.40 seconds, while Jeminise Parris of Trinidad and Tobago took the bronze in 13.85 seconds.
Janeek Brown set a new meet record 13.29 seconds (1.2m/s) to win the Under-18 title to break her own record of 13.48 seconds set last year. more
IN JAMAICA: Digicel makes Penn Relays possible for 10 high schools with $1.5 million donation....Over 100 athletes from 10 high schools across Jamaica are now busy making final plans to attend and participate in the 2015 Penn Relays in the US from April 23-25.
Monday, April 06, 2015
Over 100 athletes from 10 high schools across Jamaica are now busy making final plans to attend and participate in the 2015 Penn Relays in the US from April 23-25.
This is made possible thanks to donation of $1.5m from telecommunications company Digicel to offset travel, accommodation and nutrition costs for the contingent of athletes.
According to the company's senior sponsorship and development manager Kamal Powell, this is a part of its continued commitment to supporting and developing youth athletics in Jamaica.
Listed as the oldest track and field meet in the USA, thousands of high school and collegiate athletes from across the world will converge at the University of Pennsylvania, at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, to compete in various athletic events.
Chester McCarthy, coach of the Holmwood Technical High School, who will be sending a 25-member contingent to the Relays said, "To be honest, it is going to be a tremendous help to us as right now we are constrained financially, and we weren't sure how we would make it to 'Penns' this year. So it was a big relief when Digicel said they will be helping us. Digicel and Jamaica can expect that we will put this money to good use, as we will definitely be giving of our best during the meet."
In the meantime, Powell said, "As you can imagine, being able to compete at an international level is a great achievement for these young athletes as they not only get to show their talent, but it's also a huge confidence and developmental boost for them. So Digicel is very happy to help to make this happen." more
PALAS Pitter Twins- Law Students at UWI-Mona Campus...Twins aspire to be great lawyers....Between them they have chalked up one accolade after another: honour roll recipients for all their years at Hampton School; certificate and Macmillan trophy for ranking first in Jamaica for CAPE law unit 1 for 2013; Peace and Love Academic Scholarships (PALAS) 2013; and certificates for being the top performers for CAPE Caribbean Studies and law unit 1 at Hampton School in 2012.
By CECELIA CAMPBELL-LIVINGSTON Career & Education reporter
WHEN proud father Grantly Pitter started giving his twin daughters Trishanner and Trishann quizzes on legal issues when they were young girls, little did he know that they would both one day be pursuing careers in law.
 |
| PALAS Pitter Twins- Law Students at UWI-Mona Campus |
Whether by design or chance, both girls, born on September 7, 1994, share more than just being born minutes apart — they also share a passion for justice and wanting to be a part of the process that will see it happen.
From primary to high school they have been pushing each other to excel, and with that special bond that they share it's been a great journey with them always getting almost identical grades, and now starting the process towards becoming lawyers.
Both girls were accepted to the Sponsored Law Programme at the University of the West Indies for September. This programme will see them doing one year at Mona and the other two at Cave Hill, Barbados.
"Without law, order would be a mere delusion and pandemonium would engulf the earth. We aspire to become lawyers because we wish to play an astoundingly positive role in the future of the protection and preservation of the rights of Caribbean citizens," the girls wrote in an emailed response to Career & Education questions.
The girls are now over the moon, happy especially for their recently released Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) grades which saw Trishanner receiving six ones and two twos while Trishanna copped five ones and three twos.
Two years ago, in their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams, Trishanner copped seven ones and two twos while her twin had all nine subjects at grade one.
"We are hardworking, focused, determined, and goal-oriented. We work towards our goals by putting God first in all that we do," the girls said.
For them their study regimen is simple — reviewing their notes very soon after they're given, as they say this prevents them from being swamped.
"We also read complementary information to widen our knowledge base."
They also credited their parents Grantly and Jennifer Robinson as well as their older sister Carmolla for daily inspiration.
And what would scholars be without their teachers? The girls know this well.
"Our teachers at both primary (Santa Cruz Primary) and high school (Hampton) levels have also motivated us by adding fuel to our burning desire for success," the girls said.
Being twins and sharing the same interests is something remarkable for the girls, as they get to study together and test each other on various topics. more
Jamaica increase Carifta Games medal tally to 47.... The Jamaican teams did one better than last year when they won three of the four 4x100m relays and closed the day on 47 medals -- 23 gold, 14 silver and 10 bronze -- but it looks unlikely they will beat the 80-plus medals won last year in Fort de France, Martinique.
BY PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobsrever.com Monday, April 06, 2015
JAMAICAN teams swept the sprint relays last night as they pulled away in the medals table at the 44th Carifta Games at the Kim Collins Stadium in Basseterre, St Kitts.
The Jamaican teams did one better than last year when they won three of the four 4x100m relays and closed the day on 47 medals -- 23 gold, 14 silver and 10 bronze -- but it looks unlikely they will beat the 80-plus medals won last year in Fort de France, Martinique.
 |
| Jamaica’s Kimone Shaw powers home to victory in the Under-18 4x100m relays inside the Kim Collins Stadium in Basseterre, St Kitts, last night. (PHOTO: COLLIN REID COURTESY OF SUPREME VENTURES AND COURTS) |
The Under-20 boys' 4x100m team of Raheem Chambers, Michael O'Hara, Chad Walker and Nigel Ellis ran 40.39 seconds to beat The Bahamas, who clocked 40.41 seconds with Trinidad and Tobago third in 40.55 seconds.
The Under-20 girls' team of Jeanine Williams, Yanique Thompson, Saqukine Cameron and Natalliah Whyte ran 45.20 seconds to easily win over The Bahamas in 45.59 seconds, and Trinidad and Tobago in 47.64 seconds.
IAAF World junior champion and National Junior Record (NJR) holder Jaheel Hyde easily won the Under-20 boys' 400m hurdles on yesterday's third day to remain unbeaten in the event over the last two years.
Hyde, who set a NJR 49.02 seconds last weekend at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys' and Girls' Championships, was easy as he cruised to a 50.96-second clocking to add the gold to the Under-18 title he won last year in Fort de France, Martinique.
Hyde's teammate Marvin Williams repeated his silver medal from last year, running 51.11 seconds with Barbados's Stephen Griffiths taking the bronze in 51.77 seconds. more
Kwasi Enin got accepted Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Yale (all eight Ivy League universities) ....How Do You Sweep The Ivy League? Practice — The Viola. (Really.)
 |
| Kwasi Enin |
But what you may not know is that he has played the much-maligned viola for nine years, or how much music — and specifically classical music as well as the doo-wop group he sings in — seems to mean to him. (Also, it couldn't possibly have hurt his 12 winning college applications that he plays a pretty unpopular instrument.)
The New York Post quoted yesterday from his essay, but Business Insider linked to what they say is Enin's full piece (though it clearly says at the top "Draft #4"). In it, Enin writes that he simply enrolled in orchestra to meet a state requirement, but it became "the first self-taught and the longest course I have ever taken":
He concludes: "My haven for solace in and away from home is in the world of composers, harmonies and possibilities. My musical haven has shaped my character and without it, my life would not be half as wonderful as it is today."
I'm a little biased here as a one-time violist, avid champion of music I love and an alumna of one of the schools he might attend (not that I think that a Big Brand Name University is the key to personal happiness and fulfillment). And I hope Kwasi's experience doesn't become fodder for the junk science of the "Mozart Effect." But it is so nice to see an example of how playing music has helped make a young man shine — and, more importantly, how much pleasure and fun it has given him throughout his life. All I can say is: Go, Kwasi!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)