ST. ELIZABETH, JAMAICA (MASSIVE AGONY & PAIN ON THE ELDERLY) : Quadruple Murder In Ginger Hillas agony continued to reel after masked hoodlums pumped countless shots into Ezra Wright, 73; Archibald Brown, 61 and his 58-year-old brother, George, killing them on the spot. The fourth man, Morris Sanderson, 41, died in hospital, later Wednesday night....Conroy said his father received 15 shots and was robbed of $24,000 he had in his possession.

Published:Friday | May 29, 2015Gary Spaulding Jamaica Gleaner

Four men, three elderly and one middle-aged, begged for their lives but a group of murderous thugs would not be deterred on a night when the celebration of life became deadly.

Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer Merle Wright,
 (right) wife of 73-year-old Ezra Wright, who was shot
 dead by gunmen at his shop in Claremont in Ginger Hill,
St Elizabeth, Wednesday night. With her is her
 sister Juliet, Billingo.

Yesterday, the people of the remote community of Ginger Hill in St Elizabeth continued to reel after masked hoodlums pumped countless shots into Ezra Wright, 73; Archibald Brown, 61 and his 58-year-old brother, George, killing them on the spot.

The fourth man, Morris Sanderson, 41, died in hospital, later Wednesday night. The haunting spectre of anguish, grief and fear robbed the placid farming community of not only the four senior community members, but its innocence as well.

George Brown

Dried blood, broken bottles and numerous bullet punctured holes in the wooden walls of the shop, served as testimony of the agony of the night. It was a night when two brothers - both senior citizens - met tragic ends as they celebrated the birthday milestone of a golden ager whose life was also snuffed out in the carnage.

And yet again, a group of domino players became the unsuspecting targets of marauding murderers. While murderous rampage is somewhat commonplace in some communities, not so in the placid hills of St Elizabeth.

The killings sparked untold fear in the hearts of residents. For the people, losing four of their own in one fell swoop, is too much to bear. "We can't feel good, this has traumatised everyone in the community," lamented Conroy Wright, son of 73-year-old Ezroy Wright, the operator of a shop. It was Wright who was celebrating his birthday when the hoodlums struck.

Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer
 A resident of
Claremont in apparent disbelief after
four men were
shot and killed at a shop in the district.

Conroy said his father received 15 shots and was robbed of $24,000 he had in his possession.

Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer Police
and residents gather at the shop after the
shooting of of four men in Claremont,
Ginger Hill and St Elizabeth Wednesday night.

Shop Robbed

The younger Wright told The Gleaner the masked men also cleared goods out of the small shop. Ezra's wife, Merl Wright, sat in a silent daze beside her sister, Juliet Billings. Wright's brother, Rupert Smith, also appeared distraught.

"Me can't believe me one brother dead and leave me alone," Smith moaned. "Them kill me brother without a cause." more

Jamaica and the Caribbean have a great future! - THE geopolitical issue facing Jamaica is the chimera named Caricom/Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Franklin JOHNSTON Friday, May 29, 2015 

THE geopolitical issue facing Jamaica is the chimera named Caricom/Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). Our leaders don't speak about it as the masses are not for it, but play the game with 'Mini-mees' down south. Andrew Holness dropped a word on the right side of history, then silence. Speak up, blood! Union with distant, poor, small islands does not work for us. The deception of Caricom is to 'love up' and call the West Indies and its entities "Caribbean", but it's programmed by "Bucky Massa" as they don't know why they don't like our neighbours -- ex-colonies of France and Spain.

CSME brings us no joy. A conjoined economy with far-off states, competing products, size which can't power our economy, and are even approved by us. The key to a single economy is contiguous states. The English had ships but could not rule the Eastern Caribbean and Jamaica as one; each had its own governance. The European Union is the model for CSME and Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The latter works as the islands are close; CSME does not. Still the men in the south are bullish on CSME as their OECS needs a large captive market -- and we are it. What's in it for us?

Every CSME fan is usually a small islander; check articles even from the UK. Our cricket is West Indies, as is UWI, so the dissimulation to call us "Caribbean" is patent. CSME fears no exit by St Vincent, Grenada, etc; only us. Yet, the right thing would be for them to say "Jamaica, get close to your neighbours, as we have done in OECS" -- No! They own our market.

Caricom is a well-intentioned, anti-imperialist, political construct of high-minded men, traversed by clueless acolytes into this century. No MP under 50 can defend CSME as they lack the emotional link of old fogeys; they have no proof of concept and no independent data; what they know is the proximity criterion is not met. more

CONGRATS to Gokul Venkatachalam And Vanya Shivashankar Tie In National Spelling Bee ....The bee hadn't ended in a tie for 52 years — until last year....Vanya's final word was "scherenschnitte,"

AP Posted: 05/28/2015 10:10 pm EDT

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — They couldn't be rattled. They couldn't be denied. Gokul Venkatachalam and Vanya Shivashankar had worked too hard and come close too many times not to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The remaining two spellers Vanya Shivashankar, 13, left, of
Olathe, Kan., and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, right, of St. Louis,
sit on stage during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee,
 Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Oxon Hill, Md.
 (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) | ASSOCIATED PRESS

So they shared the title on Thursday, making history in two different ways.

The bee hadn't ended in a tie for 52 years — until last year. Now it's happened for an unprecedented two years running. Vanya, 13, of Olathe, Kansas, is the first sibling of a past champion to win. Her sister, Kavya, won in 2009.

Vanya's final word was "scherenschnitte," which means the art of cutting paper into decorative designs. After being informed he'd be the co-champion if he got the next word right, Gokul didn't even bother to ask the definition before spelling "nunatak." For the record, it means a hill or mountain completely surrounded by glacial ice.

Asked what he thought when he got the word, Gokul said, "Me and Vanya were going to be the champions." Gokul, 14, of Chesterfield, Missouri, finished third last year, behind the two co-champions. He had a gruff onstage demeanor, asking about the word's roots and definition before chugging through the letters as if he had dinner plans.

"I wasn't nervous," said Gokul, a LeBron James fan who said his priority for after the bee was watching the NBA Finals.

Both are eighth-graders, so it was their last chance. Vanya was competing in the bee for the fifth and final time. Her sister, Kavya — now a sophomore at Columbia University — competed four times, which means the Shivashankar family has made the trip nine of the past 10 years.

Vanya, who also acts and plays the tuba and piano, dedicated her victory to her late grandmother, who died in 2013. more

Moody’s upgrades Jamaica rating to Caa2 from Caa3 and is maintaining a positive outlook, the agency announced Thursday.

Thursday, May 28, 2015 | 7:14 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — US ratings agency Moody’s upgraded Jamaica's government bond rating and government-related entities to Caa2 from Caa3 and is maintaining a positive outlook, the agency announced Thursday.

The agency said the decision to upgrade Jamaica's rating was driven by the country’s “fiscal consolidation and strong commitment to structural reforms” and its “improving balance of payments position and reduced external vulnerabilities”.

The agency said on its website today that, “The positive outlook reflects our expectation that Jamaica will sustain the reform momentum under the IMF-supported programme, solidify fiscal adjustment to put government debt metrics firmly on a downward trajectory.”

As a result of this rating action, the long-term foreign currency bond ceiling changed to B2 from B3. The long-term foreign currency deposit ceiling also changed to Caa3 from Ca. The long-term local currency bond and deposit ceilings changed to B1. The short-term foreign currency bond and deposit ceilings remain unchanged at NP.

Moody’s said that the rating could move up in the future if there was sustained fiscal consolidation to reduce government debt ratios, and higher GDP growth. On the other hand, the rating could move down if there was a failure to avoid a persistent increase in debt ratios, or a reversal of fiscal reforms. more

Life's a blast for REGGAE artiste Courtney John....He sees Rootstronic as an extension of himself, "part of the whole that is Courtney John".

BY RICHARD JOHNSON Observer senior reporter johnsonr@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, May 29, 2015    

REGGAE artiste Courtney John continues his Rootstronic project with Live A Blast. The recently released single is from his upcoming album Upthrust.

Courtney John

"This is our second album using Rootstronic sounds. The first (Future: The Courtney John Project) did very well and we scored lots of publicity which served to introduce the sound to the market," he told Splash.

Rootstronic, according to the singer, is a blend of Jamaican music with European electronic sounds.

John said it allows him a level of freedom.

"Because the sound is so different, I can be über creative without any inhibitions. The truth is, when you are doing something new there is nothing to gauge it against... that's the primary reason we can do it without limits as there is nothing to plot against," he said.

Creating a sound does not mean he has forgotten his lover's rock roots. He sees Rootstronic as an extension of himself, "part of the whole that is Courtney John".

He admits that the Jamaican audience is yet to grasp the sound, but he is fine with that, noting that it was always going to be challenging.

"If yuh not into it, yuh just not into it. For me, it's all about being a complete artiste and taking chances not just for the reward but to expand yourself and your audience. Rootstronic is just my way of doing something new. If ever I feel the vibe to go back and do that something that I am known for, then it's always easy," he said.

Upthrust contains 12 tracks all written by John, who, along with music producer The Wizard created Rootstronic. more

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar denies Jack's Warner money financed United National Congress (UNC) election campaigns...in connection with allegations of bribery, money laundering, corruption and wire fraud conspiracy arising out of investigations conducted by US authorities.

 Friday, May 29, 2015 | 1:06 AM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said yesterday she received no money from Jack Warner to fund either her own or the United National Congress (UNC) election campaigns.

  Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar 

Warner, a former government minister and UNC chairman, was one of 14 people indicted by the United States government in connection with allegations of bribery, money laundering, corruption and wire fraud conspiracy arising out of investigations conducted by US authorities.

The offences were alleged to have taken place both in the United States and Trinidad and Tobago between 1990 and 2011 while Warner held the position of FIFA vice-president.

Since 2007, Warner has held senior portfolios both in the UNC and the Government until his fallout from the Government and the formation of his own Independent Liberal Party (ILP) in 2013.

In the January 2010 UNC internal election, Warner endorsed Persad-Bissessar as UNC leader after she defeated former prime minister and party leader Basdeo Panday. Persad-Bissessar then went on to be elected as T&T's first woman Prime Minister on May 24, 2010, leading the People's Partnership coalition.

Following the opening of the new state-of-the-art Maloney Police Station yesterday, Persad-Bissessar was questioned on whether Warner's money was used in the election campaigning and the concerns that may arise out of this. Persad-Bissessar said she received no money from Warner either for the UNC internal election, the May 2010 general election, or the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election in 2013.

"I received no financing from Mr Warner, he may have financed  Mr Warner's own campaign in 2010 but as leader of the Partnership and leader of the UNC, I received no financing whatsoever from Mr Warner, either prior to the internal elections in 2010, my party's internal elections and thereafter into the general election," she said. more

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India Heat Wave Persists, Claiming Over 1,400 Lives... temperatures have soared up to 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit)

 AP |  By OMER FAROOQ and KATY DAIGLE Posted: 05/28/2015 5:56 am EDT

HYDERABAD, India (AP) — Eating onions, lying in the shade and splashing into rivers, Indians were doing whatever they could Thursday to stay cool during a brutal heat wave that has killed more than 1,400 in the past month.

But some had no choice but to venture into the heat.

"Either we have to work, putting our lives under threat, or we go without food," farmer Narasimha said in the badly hit Nalgonda district of southern Andhra Pradesh state.

Meteorological officials have said the heat would likely last several more days — scorching crops, killing wildlife and endangering anyone laboring outdoors. Officials warned people to stay out of the sun, cover their heads and drink plenty of water. Still, poverty forced many to work despite the risks.

"If I don't work due to the heat, how will my family survive?" said construction worker Mahalakshmi, who earns a daily wage of about $3.10 in Nizamabad, a city about 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of the state capital of Hyderabad.

Most of the 1,412 heat-related deaths so far have occurred in Andhra Pradesh and neighboring Telangana, where temperatures have soared up to 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit), according to government figures. more

51 y-o Dominica man jailed for having sex with 9-y-o sentenced to 35 years imprisonment

Tuesday, May 26, 2015 | 1:06 PM    

ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) – A High Court judge has sentenced a 51-year-old man to 35 years in jail after he was found guilty of three counts of sexual offences on a nine-year old girl.

Justice Errol Thomas in sentencing Fagan Jno Hope said he had considered that the child was a minor under the age of 14 and similar offences were committed.

“The child was treated as one without feeling. Even in the early morning both vaginal and anal sex was conducted on the child,” Justice Thomas said.

Jno Hope is alleged to have committed the acts between July and October 2012. A nine-member jury found him guilty on April 29.

The court sentenced the accused to 25 years for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, 25 years for the charge of buggery and 10 years for indecent assault.

The sentences for the unlawful sexual intercourse and buggery will run concurrently.

The court was told that the accused gave the nine year old money and when she refused he pulled a knife out and forced her to take it, warning her also to keep quiet.

The child then went on a shopping spree at school which raised concern and led to an investigation and the charges.

A report by the Social Welfare Division noted that Jno Hope had taken advantage of the child’s innocence and vulnerability and that his actions affected her socially and emotionally and subjected her to ridicule from her peers.

It noted that although she lives in a new environment she feels embarrassed, unprotected and fearful.

Jno Hope, who was convicted of murder in 1989, incest in 2011 and battery in 2012, did not expressed remorse. The report described him as a threat to society, especially children.

“I was just trying to set up myself doing farming. I am a hardworking man and I was just checking my scene,” Jno Hope said when asked to make a plea in mitigation.

“I don’t care about what people say about me. I have no fear, only God know what happen to me. Only God can help me,” Jno Hope added.

Justice Thomas said the aims of sentencing were retribution, deterrence, prevention and rehabilitation, while the aggravating factors were her age and the manner of execution.

You used a knife and told her not to tell,” he said, telling the accused “you have a name that sounds noble but that is as far as it goes. You lack a conscience and humanity. Dominica needs to be protected from people like you”. more

Racist trolling casts pall over US spelling bee...For seven years in a row, and for 11 of the past 15 years, the $30,000 Scripps National Spelling Bee championship has been won by American youngsters of Indian heritage....Only once has the National Spelling Bee actually been won by a non-American: Jody-Anne Maxwell, whose 1998 victory made her a celebrity in her native Jamaica.

By Robert MacPherson

Racist trolling on social media is casting an ugly pall over, of all things, the world's foremost spelling bee.

 

Jody-Ann Maxwell of Jamaica, 1998 Champ

For seven years in a row, and for 11 of the past 15 years, the $30,000 Scripps National Spelling Bee championship has been won by American youngsters of Indian heritage. Chances are as good as ever that another one will follow suit at this year's finals Thursday at the Gaylord National convention resort by the Potomac River outside Washington.

They make up one in five of the 285 spellers, aged nine through 15, from all 50 states and seven foreign countries, who ran a gauntlet of local and regional contests to qualify for the big event.

One of them, Vanya Shivashankar, 13, who lives in Kansas, is back for a fifth time -- inspired no doubt by her sister Kavya, the 2009 champion.Last year ended in a tie between Sriran Hathwar of upstate New York and Ansun Sujoe from Texas after they failed to knock each other out after five rounds.

View gallery

Razeen Basunia of North Charleston, South Carolina, pretends to type out his word, "pileus,&quo …

Their winning words, respectively, were "stichomythia" and "feuilleton."

But on social media, the reaction from some of the nearly one million people viewing the finals live on cable television veered towards the xenophobic.

"One year I wish an American kid could win," read one of several dubious Twitter posts curated on Storify.com by tech journalist Jeff Chu.

"Not to be offensive...but how do kids from India dominate the American spelling bee?!?" read another tweet.

"The kids in the spelling bee should only be AMERICAN," declared a third.

View gallery

Audrey Frische of Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, makes a face after hearing her word, "obnebulate,&quo …

- Organizers unimpressed -

Such sentiments clearly rankle the organizers of the National Spelling Bee, whose longtime core sponsor is the Scripps media group.

"I look forward to the day, as do I think many of our South Asian participants, when they are called what they want to be called -- Americans," bee director Paige Kimble, the 1981 champion, said Wednesday.

"The bee is one of the truest forms of meritocracy, and we support every kid no matter where they come from," Kimble added.

"It's unfortunate that people have some not very nice things to say on social media."

View gallery

Nicholas Lee of Rancho Cucamonga, California, waits onstage following his turn during the 3rd round  …

Americans of South Asian heritage make up just one percent of the US population, but only a few are really into competitive spelling, said Northwestern University anthropology professor Shalini Shankar.

More often than not, those families hail from southern India and emigrated to America as highly educated professionals, notably in the tech sector.

"The kids that do make it are extremely talented by any standard, but even among Indian Americans they are really gifted," she said.

They also keep in practice, thanks to a network of regular competitive spelling events on the margins of the usual scholastic fixtures, Shankar told AFP.

And it's not just in spelling, either.

View gallery

Dev Jaiswal of Louisville, Mississippi, spells his word during the 3rd round of the 88th Annual Scri …

Seven of the 10 finalists in the National Geographic Bee earlier this month were Indian American, including the winner, Karan Menon, from New Jersey.

Last year Swapnil Garg, from California, clinched the national Mathcounts challenge, which is more often won by high school students of Chinese ethnicity.

Only once has the National Spelling Bee actually been won by a non-American: Jody-Anne Maxwell, whose 1998 victory made her a celebrity in her native Jamaica.

- Pole position -

Whatever their background, bee winners find themselves in pole position when it comes to going forward with their young lives.

Take the last white American champion: After his 2007 win, Evan O'Dorney collected gold and silver medals at the International Math Olympiad. He's now in his final year at Harvard.

ST. CATHERINE, JAMAICA (CONGRATULATIONS) : Waterford High's innovators quickly becoming recognised for is its interesting array of natural products, made from scratch, by the eager hands of the enthusiastic students of the Science and Environmental Club...."We are right up there with the Ardenne and the Campion; we are in that top group.

BY ALPHEA SAUNDERS Observer senior reporter saundersa@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, May 25, 2015   

WATERFORD High School may not be known for too many major non-academic achievements, but what the St Catherine institution is quickly becoming recognised for is its interesting array of natural products, made from scratch, by the eager hands of the enthusiastic students of the Science and Environmental Club.

(L) A display of some of the natural soap bars that have put
the spotlight on the Waterford High School Science and
Environmental Club. (R) Proud teacher Tera Rankine
(standing right) and principal Cecile Bernard (standing centre)
with members of the school’s Science and Environmental
Club (seated from left): Tiana Prendergast, Sasha Daley,
Shanique Gyles, Mackayla Lawrence, and Kemo
Anderson (standing left). (PHOTOS: BRYAN CUMMINGS)

The club's flagship products are facial cleansing soap bars, which it makes in a variety of essences, including garlic and lemongrass, orange, and aloe. The students and their teacher Tera Rankine all visibly light up as they speak of the success and the attention that the initiative has so far attracted.

Rankine explained that the club entered the soaps in the Katalyxt's Youth Innovation Competition held earlier this month, where they placed seventh, beating out even traditional high schools.

"We are right up there with the Ardenne and the Campion; we are in that top group. It shows the students that they can do it, it doesn't matter which school they are from. That's the impact I wanted to make, that's why I came back to this school to teach," the past student said.

The competition, which was created by Mint Management and Finance Services Limited, engages young innovators from third to sixth form to participate and develop an appetite for innovation. It instils in the students the business acumen to be future business leaders.

The Science and Environmental Club also makes shampoo,
conditioner and body wash from natural ingredients.

Science club member Kemo Anderson explained that the soaps, which go under the company name Nature's Drop, are different because of the emphasis on natural ingredients in their production and the absence of harsh preservatives and other chemicals.

"The thing with our soaps is that we don't remove the glycerin like what they would normally do with other soaps, because the glycerin is good for the skin for moisture. So that helps to make our soaps more special than the others," he stated.

Principal Cecile Bernard also gushed about the soaps, noting the hard work and dedication which went into pulling it all together for the competition.more

MIAMI, United States (CMC) : 50-year-old Jeff Webb, a Caymanian, Trinidadian Jack Warner among 14 indicted as football scandal rocks FIFA...The embattled Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) says it plans to co-operate with authorities to "its fullest capacity"

 Thursday, May 28, 2015    

MIAMI, United States (CMC) — The embattled Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) says it plans to co-operate with authorities to "its fullest capacity", after its president Jeff Webb was among several FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) officials arrested in Zurich and indicted on corruption offences by the United States Department of Justice yesterday.

The 50-year-old Webb, a Caymanian, was among high-level officials gathered in Zurich for tomorrow's FIFA presidential elections, where the long-serving incumbent Sepp Blatter is expected to be re-elected.

In a 47-count indictment implicating nine present and former FIFA officials, along with five corporate executives, the US Department of Justice alleged an elaborate 24-year scheme involving US$150 million in bribes and kickbacks relating to media and broadcast deals for a plethora of football tournaments.

The 14 have been charged with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, among other offences.

Jack Warner waves as he leaves the Magistrate’s Court in
Trinidad yesterday after being granted bail.

Trinidadian Jack Warner, a former CONCACAF president and powerful FIFA vice-president, has been named among the 14, though he resigned from all football-related activities four years ago.

Warner, having turned himself in to police following a US request for his extradition, appeared in a magistrate's court in Trinidad and Tobago and was released on TT$2.5 million (US$394,457) bail.

Warner, who appeared before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar, was ordered to surrender all his travel documents and will reappear in court on July 9. He faces 12 charges of racketeering, wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering offences in the United States.

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, speaking in Parliament yesterday, confirmed that the extradition request for Warner had been made and said "it gives me no pleasure; the member is a member of this honourable House and the matter is now in the hands of law enforcement officials and judicial officials for due process according to the laws of Trinidad and Tobago".

Sepp Blatter, FIFA President

In a brief statement yesterday, CONCACAF said it was "deeply concerned" by the arrests of the officials, including those linked to CONCACAF, but would continue to carry out its operations as usual.

"At present, CONCACAF is not in a position to comment further on the specific allegations, which have been referred to the appropriate legal counsel through the pertinent channels," the statement said. more