Spanish Town Abolishes Bullfights in Favor of Books

by Judy Molland August 13, 2015 5:30 pm   
And the score is: Books 1, Bullfights 0.
In a refreshing change for a country that loves its bullfights, the Spanish town of Villafranca de los Caballeros, situated about 80 miles south of Madrid, has decided to cancel its annual bullfight and use the nearly $20,000 saved on books and school supplies for local children. 
Spanish Town Abolishes Bullfights in Favor of BooksA bullfight has been the central attraction of the small town’s fiesta for over a decade, but enough is enough.
“It’s a question of priorities,” said the town’s newly elected socialist mayor, Julián Bolaños. “There is a lot of unemployment in this town and many people simply don’t have money to buy school supplies for their children.” He estimated that the town, which has a population of 5,200, was spending as much as €18,000 a year to hold the annual event.
The Beginning Of The End Of Bullfighting In Spain?
The key here is that Bolaños is a socialist who was elected mayor of Villafranca de los Caballeros (the free town of gentlemen) in May’s local elections. He is not alone. Voters in Spain overwhelmingly backed new left-wing parties in these elections, and as a result the control of several important cities such as Madrid, Valencia and Alicante all changed hands. One of the effects of this switch has been the most serious challenge yet to the practice of bullfighting in Spain.
Just a few examples: Manuela Carmena, the new mayor of Madrid, a traditional bastion of the bullfight, has said publicly that “not one euro of public money” will go toward bullfighting; in the city of Valencia the mayor, Joan Ribó, has likewise stated that no government money will go to finance any event in which bulls are killed; in Alicante, the bull run which has traditionally been a part of the city’s August festival was replaced by a cycling race, and the new government has said it plans to ban municipal land from being used in bullfights by 2017.
It began with a ban on bullfighting in Catalonia in 2011, but now the push to abolish the so-called “sport” is gaining steam. more  

AMAZIIING! Australian Artist, Stelios Arcadiou Has Ear Growing Out Of Arm... The ear will be internet enabled. (WATCH VIDEO)

Published August 14, 2015


Headshot of David Moye David Moye Pop culture journalist, HuffPost Weird News
A performance artist and professor in Perth, Australia, always has something up his sleeve: An ear.
For the last nine years, the artist known only as Stelarc has been growing a third ear on his left arm, all in the name of art.
"As a performance artist I am particularly interested in that idea of the post-human, that idea of the cyborg," he said, according to CNN. "What it means to be human will not be determined any longer merely by your biological structure but perhaps also determined largely by all of the technology that's plugged or inserted into you."
Stelarc, who was born Stelios Arcadiou but changed his name 45 years ago, first thought about getting an extra ear in 1996. However, he couldn't find any surgeons willing to hear him out until 2006.
The extra ear was made from a scaffold of biocompatible material commonly used in plastic surgery. Stelarc originally thought of putting it behind one of his real ears, but chose to have it transplanted in the arm where the skin could stretch without requiring the prosthetic to be inflated, according to his website. 
Georgia-based masseuse Kristy Love, 34,
earns as much as $1800 a day by massaging
clients with her size 48NN breasts.
Stelarc's own tissue and blood vessels developed around the ear scaffold within six months. He says the arm ear is now permanently part of his body.
The next step he said is to make the ear look more realistic by making a lobe from his stem cells. Then Stelarc wants to embed a miniature microphone that would be connected to the Internet, ABC.net.au reports. more

IN JAMAICA: 2015 CSEC results show increase in mathematics passes — while English language declines....Of the 35 subjects sat, 14 showed improved pass rates over 2014

BY KIMONE THOMPSON Associate editor - features thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, August 14, 2015    
THE contentious subject of mathematics continues to trend upwards in terms of pass rate at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level in public schools.
THWAITES… there is room for improvement
According to the results of the May/June 2015 sitting of the exams, 62 per cent of the 23,639 public school students who sat passed. That’s an increase of 6.5 percentage points over last year’s 55.5 per cent pass rate, and 20 percentage points above the 2013 results.
English language, meanwhile, recorded a decline of 1.4 percentage points when compared with 2014, when 66 per cent of those who sat passed. Interestingly, the 2014 figure was two percentage points higher than that recorded in 2013.
The CSEC is administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council. It awards grades one to six, but only one to three are accepted as passes. Education Minister Ronald Thwaites, following release of the 2015 results by his ministry at its Heroes’ Circle, Kingston, head office yesterday, said there were encouraging signs overall, but argued that there is room for improvement.
Of the 35 subjects sat, 14 showed improved pass rates over 2014 — agricultural science (single and double award), building technology (woods), economics, electrical and electronic technology, electronic document preparation and management, English B, information technology, maths, office administration, physical education and sport, principles of business, social studies, and Spanish.
Among those, agriculture, principles of business, and physical education and sport recorded the highest figures. “Overall, the highest percentage increases were in agricultural science (double award), 16.7 per cent, and principles of business, 12.6 per cent. In addition, three subjects had average pass rates of over 90 per cent. These were agricultural science (double award), principles of business and physical education and sport.more

IN JAMAICA: Rain, at last! But... But hold the celebration, says weather expert

Friday, August 14, 2015    
MANY Jamaicans yesterday afternoon welcomed the showers of rain, which suddenly burst from the skies across the Corporate Area and sections of Portmore, as a sign that the brutal drought plaguing eastern parishes in particular had finally broken.
But at least one weather expert says it's too early to celebrate.
Head of the Weather Branch of the meteorological service, Evan Thompson, says while the afternoon downpour was welcome, it was not that unusual.
"We can just be hopeful that we are starting to see a change, but it's really just the afternoon activity, with the breakdown of the strong winds coming across in the east. Normally this kind of thing happens in the west. It's just that we got some in the eastern parishes today. It's nothing too unusual. It's just that it's a welcome change for us in the east," he told the Jamaica Observer.

NO VISA! AH WHA DEM AH DEAL WID? Bolt Yet To Arrive In Japan, Visa Troubles Delay Fraser-Pryce And MVP Teammates

Jamaican stars Usain Bolt and Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce are yet to arrive in Tottori, Japan for the World Champs training camp.
It's understood that Bolt will arrive by Friday.
However, Fraser-Pryce and several of her MVP Track Club teammates may arrive later because of visa issues.
A 15-member MVP group was not able to travel to Japan as planned because of difficulties in obtaining their Chinese visas from their European base in Lignano, Italy. 
It is reported that the athletes were originally advised by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association that they would have been able to secure their Chinese visas from any Chinese Embassy.
But it has turned out otherwise.
"MVP is of course based in Italy at this time of the year and they (Italian officials) wouldn’t issue visas to China for non-Italians there," said Ludlow Watts, the Jamaican Team Manager for the World Champs.
He added: "Visas for China will now be obtained in Japan.
According to Watts, the Japanese foreign ministry has made arrangements with the Chinese embassy so that the athletes can secure their visas within two days after arriving in Tottori.

Ludlow Watts, the Jamaican Team Manager for the World Champs
Meanwhile, other MVP athletes who started arriving in Tottori yesterday will receive their Chinese visas through the embassy in Japan.

MAY PEN, Clarendon (TEARS, TEARS) : Kenora Swaby Cries Again - This Time It’s Tears Of Joy....Swaby who suffers from vitiligo, lupus and an eye disease, has been single-handedly raising her children after the death of their father.

Published:Thursday | August 13, 2015Cecelia Campbell-Livingston
MAY PEN, Clarendon:
Single mother of three, Kenora Swaby, who hails from the Farm community of May Pen had reason to shed tears again, but this time they were happy ones.
She could hardly find the words to say to Rural Xpress following the outpouring of love she received after her story was highlighted in the paper. Swaby who suffers from vitiligo, lupus and an eye disease, has been single-handedly raising her children after the death of their father.
Kenora Swaby speaks of her challenges living with lupus
 and vitiligo.
"I am so overwhelmed, I am lost for words. Now when I look in my children's eyes, I see contentment and happiness," she said. Swaby is thanking God for those who reached out and helped her. "I am so thankful, I don't have the words to express how grateful I am. You just can't know how I am feeling right now," she said.
Since the story was carried in Rural Xpress a few weeks ago, Swaby has been receiving donations here in Jamaica, from England, United States, and, Canada, from concerned people.

25 Miles Daily

 Her two children are now registered to attend Central High School - a two-minute walk from where they are living, as opposed to the 25 miles daily distance to Lennon High School.
Not only that, but she won't have to worry about lunch or their school fees as the girls are both on a one-year scholarship courtesy of Vinroy Harrison through the James and Friends Education Foundation, where he is a director. "When Otis James brought the story to my attention, I knew we had to help ... even though the programme was full and we had closed off, we just had to find a way to make it happen," the director and principal of Central High said.
Mission of Mercy, a Canada-based charity, also reached out to Swaby. Nicole Johnson Mighty told Rural Xpress that her organisation will be sending supplies this month for her back-to-school preparation as well as donating goods for her to sell when a stall is set up. more

WILL GATLIN BEAT BOLT? The Bolt-Gatlin factor in the war against doping....British sprinter Darren Campbell hopes Justin Gatlin beats Usain Bolt to force the sport to "deal" with drugs cheats.

Thursday, August 13, 2015    
IN light of the widespread accusation of the ruling International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) perceived cover up in track and field, former British sprinter Darren Campbell hopes Justin Gatlin beats Usain Bolt to force the sport to "deal" with drugs cheats.
With the World Championship just nine days away, the debate as to who will win the blue ribbon 100m event and be crowned the fastest man on Earth rages on.
GATLIN... his fantastic times have raised a few eyebrows.
 BOLT... a lot depends on the Jamaican superstar
The eagerly anticipated clash between Jamaica's reigning champion, Bolt, and the maverick American Gatlin is definitely the talking point and will be for a very long time regardless of the outcome.
The purists are anxious for athletics poster boy Bolt to defeat the much-tainted Gatlin, who served two drugs bans, but is on top of his game having run the four fastest times in the world this year.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5, Campbell, who won silver in the 200m at the 2000 Olympics, said a victory for Gatlin would put the spotlight on athletics and basically force the IAAF to deal with the controversial issue.
"The fairytale is that Usain Bolt beats Justin Gatlin, but in a crazy kind of way I want to see Justin Gatlin beat Usain Bolt because the sport will have to deal with it," said Campbell, who is a 100m bronze medallist in 2003 at the World Championship in Paris.
"The spotlight will be truly on the sport and the sport, will have to make a decision. It's not a decision about throwing out Justin Gatlin, but about how do you [IAAF] want to be perceived in the future," he noted.
So all eyes will be fixed on the 100m final set for August 23 when the 33-year-old Gatlin, who set a personal best of 9.74 seconds at the age of 33 in May, and Bolt, who turns 29 on August 21 and has a season's best of 9.87 done on July 24, will face each other. more

ST.CATHERINE, JAMAICA: Rehabilitation work, major projects coming for Portmore at a cost of just under $3 billion dollars

 BY JAVENE SKYERS Observer staff reporter skyersk@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, August 13, 2015    
MINISTER of State in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development Colin Fagan says great things are in store for Portmore as there are a number of rehabilitation projects currently taking place in his municipality, while others are to come on stream.
Fagan, the member of Parliament for St Catherine South East, which includes several Portmore communities, was speaking at this week's Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.
"We are decommissioning the Bridgeport and Waterford area sewage plants and all that sewage will go directly to the Soapberry plant for processing," he told Observer reporters and editors.
He said the project, which will see above 85 per cent of the total decommissioning of plants in St Catherine South East, comes at a cost of just under $3 billion dollars and will also include the decommissioning of other sewage plants in the municipality, such as the plant in Hamilton Gardens.
"These plants would have outlived their usefulness as they were built in the early 1970s to just support the Independence City and Edgewater communities and then later the Bridgeport and Waterford communities," Fagan said. He said, however, that over the years more communities have developed in the growing municipality and it has become too much for the plants to handle.
In addition to the sewage plant decommissioning, various road rehabilitation efforts are taking place. Fagan said the Port Henderson bridge is to be rehabilitated as it is in a "bad shape", in reference to the frame and base sections of the bridge. He added that even though the surface of the bridge is in good shape, to keep the structure up as it is will result in disaster. more

SONGBIRD Tessanne Chin recently released the video for her latest single, Fire.

Thursday, August 13, 2015    
SONGBIRD Tessanne Chin recently released the video for her latest single, Fire. The video, shot on location in Jamaica and directed by Nathan Patrick, was premiered exclusively on The Boom Box on Monday.
Tessanne Chin in a scene from her latest
video Fire, released on Monday.
"I want the video to represent the message of the song which, to me, is a modern-day soulful power anthem without it being the typical boy-girl scenario.
"Yes, I want it to be fun, but I also want to embrace the wonderful authority that comes from knowing yourself and your worth and owning your fierceness no matter who, what, where, when or how. Own your Fire," said Chin.
The single, released on the Justice League Music Group Label in May, is featured as the soundtrack for American shampoo Clear Scalp and Hair.
Patrick shared the concept for the video.
"It has a throwback vibe which, I think, represents the feel of the song perfectly. It's colourful and fun and brings attention to the music, it's all about the music," the director said.
Chin, the winner of Season 5 of NBC's The Voice, has had a busy 2015 with several appearances including performances at the Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in April and the PBS National Memorial Day Program in Washington DC in May.