WI NUH WANT IT! : Jamaicans In New York Start Online Petition Against Britain’s Prison Offer

Published:Monday | October 5, 2015

Jamaicans in New York have started an online petition to raise objection to Britain’s offer to give a £25-million grant to Jamaica to build a new prison.

Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron (centre) leaves
Gordon House after addressing a joint-sitting of Parliament.
He is followed by Prime Minister Portia Simpson
 Miller (left) and Opposition Leader Andrew Holness.

The money will cover 40 per cent of the cost of the prison with Jamaican taxpayers being asked to fund the remainder. 

The prison is to house 300 Jamaicans convicted in the United Kingdom to complete their sentences here. The offer was announced by Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron while on an official visit to the island last week.

READ: Britain to spend 25 million pounds on new prison in Jamaica

The online petition is urging Jamaicans in New York to reject the prison offer and to make their objection known to Jamaica’s Consulate General in New York as well as Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States. The petition argues that there are other important things in Jamaica that needs more attention than a prison.

It cites the need for more hospital equipment, educational supplies and resources and jobs. At home, the British prison offer has received strong objection from Jamaicans despite the government’s insistence that the proposed facility is good for Jamaica.

WEAK JAMAICAN DOLLAR: Forex: J$119.23 to one US dollar...Where will it be by year end?

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The US dollar on Monday, October 5, ended trading at J$119.23 down by a cent according to the Bank of Jamaica’s daily foreign exchange trading summary.

Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar ended trading at J$90.18, down from J$90.59, while the Jamaican dollar held firm against the British pound sterling at J$179.45.

'THE BEST STORY IN THE WORLD TODAY' : The Astounding, Breathtaking Drop In Global Poverty...Global Poverty Will Hit New Low This Year, World Bank Says "This is the best story in the world today."

 Headshot of Lydia O'Connor Lydia O'Connor Associate News Editor, The Huffington Post Posted: 10/04/2015 08:03 PM EDT 

Less than 10 percent of the world's population will be living in extreme poverty by the end of 2015, the World Bank forecast on Sunday. 

The Washington-based institution's latest projections expect the number of people who survive on $1.90 a day to drop from 12.8 percent of the human population in 2012 to 9.6 percent this year. That means 702 million people still struggle to survive.

But that's a stunning decline from the numbers reported over the last 25 years. According to the World Bank, 37.1 percent of the world's population lived in extreme poverty in 1990. In 2015, that number is estimated to drop to 9.6 percent.

Source: World Bank

"This is the best story in the world today -- these projections show us that we are the first generation in human history that can end extreme poverty," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a press release. "This new forecast of poverty falling into the single digits should give us new momentum and help us focus even more clearly on the most effective strategies to end extreme poverty."

Eradicating poverty by 2030 -- a goal set by the United Nations and non-governmental organizations around the world -- hasn't suddenly become easy, Kim warned.

"It will be extraordinarily hard, especially in a period of slower global growth, volatile financial markets, conflicts, high youth unemployment, and the growing impact of climate change," he said. "But it remains within our grasp, as long as our high aspirations are matched by country-led plans that help the still millions of people living in extreme poverty." more

Hillary Clinton Goes Big On Gun Policy, Creates Contrast With Bernie Sanders She promises to take administrative action on background checks if Congress doesn't act.

Headshot of Sam Stein Sam Stein Senior Politics Editor, The Huffington Post Posted: 10/05/2015 12:01 AM EDT | 

WASHINGTON -- Hillary Clinton will call Monday for substantial new limits on the availability and distribution of firearms, stepping aggressively into the debate over gun control in the wake of last week's mass shooting at a community college in Oregon.

CHARLIE NEIBERGALL/ASSOCIATED PRESSHillary Clinton will unveil four proposals on Monday designed to strengthen the nation's gun laws.

The former secretary of state will outline four specific proposals during a pair of town hall events in New Hampshire, all of which are sure to inspire intense opposition from gun rights advocates. One of the proposals will put her directly at odds with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), her top competitor for the Democratic presidential nomination.

At the top of the list is a pledge to take administrative action if Congress fails to tighten the so-called gun show and Internet sales loopholes. Under current law, licensed dealers are required to conduct background checks and certify that potential buyers are not prohibited from owning guns. But unlicensed vendors, including some individual sellers at gun shows, don’t have to go through these steps.

Clinton plans to call for lawmakers to address the issue. But if they don't, she will require that anyone “attempting to sell a significant number of guns be deemed ‘in the business of selling firearms,’” which would “ensure that high-volume gun sellers are covered by the same common sense rules that apply to gun stores -- including requiring background checks on gun sales.” Asked what would constitute “a significant number of guns,” a Clinton aide responded, “There are a number of studies being conducted currently regarding illegal gun sales that could inform an eventual rulemaking.”

ST.ANDREW, JAMAICA (HERO UPDATE) : All for a dog! 12-year-old boy, David Johnson almost died because mom threw his pet into flooded gully

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, October 05, 2015    

THE 12-year-old boy who was rescued from the flooded Sandy Gully in St Andrew by a Good Samaritan late Saturday evening was actually trying to save his dog when he was struck from the edge of the gully by raging flood waters.

(L) Camille Prince, the mother of David Johnson, who was rescued
from flood waters in Sandy Gully Saturday evening, reflects on
the ordeal her son experienced. (PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS)
 (R) Tariq Muhammad shows his friend David Johnson’s dog yesterday.
 (PHOTOS: BRYAN CUMMINGS)

According to David Johnson’s family, he and two of his friends had braved the heavy rain and gone to the gully, at Whitehall Avenue, to locate the animal that his mother had thrown into the flooded gully out of frustration.

But what they had expected to be a simple rescue mission turned into near tragedy that left his community in shock and highlighted the indomitable spirit of his fellow Jamaican — Orlando Brown — who saw the Swallowfield Primary School student’s peril and went to his aid.

“A him dog him go to the edge of the gully to go look for and the flood water sweep him from off the gully bank,” said Camille Prince, David’s mother. Prince spoke to the Jamaica Observer while sitting on the roadside at the front of her home on Whitehall Avenue.

Her eyes weary from lack of sleep, the mother said she could not find words to thank Brown, who lives in Ackee Walk, about 400 meters away.

“No words can capture how thankful I am to that man who risked his own life to save the life of my child,” said Prince. She had just returned from the hospital where her battered son is now admitted. Relatives said the child suffered injuries to his neck. He also had several cuts and bruises, they added.

“The dog was causing problems and causing me and people to be in argument, so out of frustration I threw away the animal,” the mother told the Observer. She said that about 5:30 pm on Saturday, when the rain started to pour, she was at home painting a stall which she uses to stock goods for sale.

“Him come to mi and ask mi if him could go over to him grandmother,” Prince explained, adding that after her son made the request he went missing. more

IN JAMAICA: DAMION LOSES PNP BID: PNP discards Damion Crawford, Young MP loses candidate selection to businessman Peter Blake...Blake polled 217 votes to Crawford's 166

BY KIMONE FRANCIS Online reporter francisk@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, October 05, 2015  

THERE were tense moments at yesterday's St Andrew East Rural candidate selection exercise at the People's National Party (PNP) headquarters in St Andrew, as businessman Peter Blake defeated incumbent Member of Parliament Damion Crawford to secure the right to represent the party in the next general election.

Damion Crawford lost his bid to the PNP

The selection exercise teetered on the brink of a firestorm after it was announced by PNP Deputy General Secretary Julian Robinson that Blake polled 217 votes to Crawford's 166, which flat-lined the young MP's political career. Just over 500 delegates were eligible to vote. One ballot was spoilt.

Heading into yesterday's run-off, which began at 10:00 am and ended at 3:00pm, an embattled Crawford told the Jamaica Observer that he was "pretty confident, having done the work".

"Our people are coming out early; we knew the rain was going to fall, so we had to ensure that we had the Xs in the boxes. We are confident... I think there are more people who are satisfied than dissatisfied," he said at that time, noting that it was an internal election and immediately following would be the process of getting "all PNP" on board.

Singing to the same tune, Blake, who was the 2011 standard-bearer for the party before being replaced by Crawford, said: "We feel fairly confident enuh... the people are about to speak, or have spoken already."

Winning team of Peter Blake

At the same time, he rubbished rumours that the party would defy the delegates and replace him for the highly anticipated general election if he emerged the winner, insisting that the party would not put the constituency through the "trauma of a selection" and not use him.

"It is being repeatedly reported to me by delegates and constituents that my opponent and his agent have been telling them that should I be successful in the upcoming selection, that it is the intention of the party not to ratify me as the candidate," Blake said in a letter to General Secretary Paul Burke. more

HILLARYOUSLY FUNNY! Hillary Clinton Mocks Trump, And Herself, On 'SNL' "I have a 1-year-old granddaughter. She calls me 'Madam President.'"

Hillary Clinton appeared on "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday, and used it as an opportunity to mock Donald Trump and to make fun of her own reticence on issues like marriage equality and the Keystone XL pipeline.

In a standard "SNL" setup, the show's fake Clinton, played by Kate McKinnon, came face to face with the real thing. The former secretary of state and front-runner in the Democratic presidential race played a wise and straight-talking bartender named Val, who counsels McKinnon's Clinton over vodka, sings a few bars of "Lean on Me," and then disappears into thin air.

Kate McKinnon and Hillary Clinton on "Saturday Night Live."

In the sketch, Clinton briefly impersonates Donald Trump -- "Uh, you're all losers" -- and joins in with the skewering of her own reputation for overt ambition and robotic campaigning.

"You give off such a young, cool vibe," Val says to McKinnon's Clinton. "You must work in Brooklyn."

It was one of several references to Clinton's efforts to appeal to younger voters and to counter her public image as removed and emotionally uninspiring. "You are really easy to talk to," McKinnon's Clinton tells Val. "That's the first time I've ever heard that," Clinton replies.

The most pointed moments, however, came when Clinton conceded that she should have publicly supported marriage equality earlier than she did. "You supported it pretty soon," says Val. "Still, could have been sooner," McKinnon's Clinton responds. "Fair point," nods the real Clinton.

Clinton endorsed same-sex marriage in March 2013, echoing her watershed speech at the World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995: "Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights," she said in a video she made as secretary of state. more

CONGRATS LORI-ANN ROYE : Wolmer's head girl captains football team...Also One of 11 Jamaicans to have received a scholarship to attend At The Well Young Women's Leadership Academy at Princeton University in 2014

Eighteen-year-old Lori-Ann Roye is head girl of
Wolmer’s High School for Girls
 located at Heroes Circle in Kingston. (PHOTO:
BRYAN CUMMINGS)

Sunday, October 04, 2015  

WOLMER'S Schools are among the oldest in the Caribbean. Having begun in 1729, the school started with about 12 boys. Subsequent to that, females were added and today Wolmer's Trust High School for Girls is one of the top girls' schools in Jamaica, consistently ranking in the top five. Lori-Ann Roye is head girl for the 2015-2016 school year. She embodies the thrust of the Wolmer's schools: balance in extra-curricular as well as academic endeavours. She captains the school's football team, while balancing academics and her position as head girl.

Career & Education sat down with her last week.

Name: Lori-Ann Roye (LR)

Date of birth: September 6, 1997

Notables: One of 11 Jamaicans to have received a scholarship to attend At The Well Young Women's Leadership Academy at Princeton University in 2014 .

C&E: You have been selected as head girl of Wolmer's. What was your reaction to the announcement?

Lori-Ann is flanked by deputy head
girls Grace Allison (left) and
 DéJaun Anderson.
 (PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS)

LR: I was stunned. My eyebrows rose and I smirked wondering, "Is this real?" I was obviously elated, but concerned too about the many responsibilities I would have to take on.

C&E: How long was the shortlist of candidates?

Lori-Ann Roye attended a leadership
academy at Princeton University last year.
(PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS)

LR: There were actually two lists. The first list of 20 girls was used to determine who would be cabinet members. From that, a shortlist of nine girls was used to determine who would be the head girl.

C&E: I'm sure the competition was stiff. Did you expect to be selected?

LR: No, I did not expect to be selected. I expected to be chosen for the cabinet interview, but I did not expect to make it to the head girl interview.

C&E: Did you always aspire to the post?

LR: Not particularly. I always admired the Head Girls for their immaculate appearance and demeanour. However, I did not necessarily want the tremendous responsibilities that accompany the position of authority. more

St. Andrew, JAMAICA (HERO) : Ackee Walk resident, ORLAN DO BROWN saves 12-year-old boy from raging flood waters.... "Mi see him lick up him head, water a lick him go deh so, him lick go so and mi a seh 'father God, mi have two youth still', an mi a look inna miself an seh a coulda youth or anything still," he continued.

BY JEDIAEL CARTER Observer staff reporter carterj@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, October 04, 2015    

RESIDENTS of the Ackee Walk community in St Andrew yesterday chanted "Save a life" as Orlando Brown walked up the street. Brown, who yesterday was seen as the community's hero after rescuing a 12-year-old boy from raging flood waters in the Sandy Gully in St Andrew, told the Jamaica Observer of his experience.

25 y-o Orlando Brown, Hero

The boy, who according to residents was washed away by the flood waters from Mannings Hill Road, could be heard screaming as the water dragged him along.

"I was inside a house and I hear some screaming, so when I look round I see him (the boy) washing away. So I run go down the road here and I was standing at a bridge and I was watching him," Brown told the Sunday Observer.

"Mi see him lick up him head, water a lick him go deh so, him lick go so and mi a seh 'father God, mi have two youth still', an mi a look inna miself an seh a coulda youth or anything still," he continued.

He said upon the request of residents for something to be done, he decided to try to save the boy, whose cries for help softened his heart.

"So one car come stop deh and three a we go in deh... and it let we off round a Queensborough side," Brown recalled. "We run go down deh and go cross a coal iron and is like mi go deh and mi a look pon di water wave, and some man a say 'don't go down deh, you a go wash weh, you a go lick yuh head'," he continued.

Despite the advice for him to avoid the water, and the shouts of doubt, Brown said he was determined to help the child, who by this time drifted to the middle of the gully and was holding onto an object. Brown said he then tested the water to determine whether it was manageable.

"So mi jump off inna di gully, mi just plant mi foot now and mi walk go cross fi him now, and mi go deh and mi a try lift him up and him a seh him cyaan feel him foot them. Mi go so, and mi lif him up now and walk come cross wid him and somebody come help mi when mi push him out," the 25-year-old Brown told the Sunday Observer.

His grandfather, Donald Brown, was proud of his grandson, but most importantly was happy a life was saved.

"Yea man, proud fi know seh all a life save. Cause when mi see it an see seh me cyaan go in deh so, you know seh me glad seh the younger one can go in and save him," he said.

"A risk him risk fi him life too, enuh," he said of his grandson, "cause everybody stand up deh an a say dem nah go in deh, nah chance it." more

ALARMING GUN KILLING STATS BETWEEN 2001-2014 : Number of Americans Killed by Gun Violence (394,912) Vs. Terrorism (3,046 people in the U.S.) Shows Stark Contrast ....Estimated 200 million guns out there.

by PHIL HELSEL and POLLY DEFRANK

Addressing the nation Thursday in the aftermath of another mass shooting in America, a visibly frustrated President Barack Obama contrasted the federal efforts to combat terrorism with the lack of action on senseless gun violence.

"We spend over 1 trillion dollars and pass countless laws and devote entire agencies to preventing terrorist attacks on our soil, and rightfully so," Obama said after the deadly attack at Umpqua Community College. "And yet we have a Congress that explicitly blocks us from collecting data on how we could potentially reduce gun deaths. How can that be?"

Related: Obama Says American Gun Culture 'Doesn't Make Sense'

The shooting rampage on the community college campus in Roseburg left at least 10 people dead, including the shooter.

"I would ask news organizations — because I won't put these facts forward — have news organizations tally up the number of Americans who have been killed in terrorist attacks in last decade and the number of Americans who've been killed by gun violence," Obama said Thursday night. "And post those side by side on your news reports. This wont be information coming from me. It will be coming from you."

Well, here are the numbers, and they're pretty stark:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 153,144 people were killed by homicide in which firearms were used between 2001 and 2013, the last year that data are available (that number excludes deaths by "legal intervention").
• The Global Terrorism Database — which uses a criteria to determine terrorist attacks but also includes acts of violence that are more ambiguous in goal — estimates that 3,046 people in the U.S. died in terrorist or possible terrorist attacks between 2001 and 2014.

The top number doesn't even include suicides and legal police killings (which boost the number to 394,912). Still, just counting homicides alone, 11,780 Americans were killed by guns a year on average, in that time period, while 219 on average were per year killed by terrorism — although of course the 9/11 attacks are the bulk of the deaths.

CRIME KILLING JAMAICAN COMPETITIVENESS ... Only Venezuela scored lower than Jamaica in that category, but still ranked highest economy in the Caribbean....Contextually, Jamaica ranked 67th in the world in 2006/07 report and continuously worsened to 107th among 142 countries in the 2011-12 report.

BY STEVEN JACKSON Business reporter jacksons@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, October 02, 2015    

Crime continues to kill Jamaica's competitiveness, according to the Global Competitiveness Report 2015/16 released this week.

Jamaica's overall rank remained level at 86 among 140 nations but the business cost of crime and violence subranked it as the world's second worst. Only Venezuela scored lower than Jamaica in that category.

A policeman arrests a suspected criminal.

The world's 10 most competitive countries are Switzerland, Singapore, United States, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong, Finland, Sweden and United Kingdom.

"Switzerland tops the Global Competitiveness Index for the seventh consecutive year. Switzerland leads the innovation pillar, thanks to its world-class research institutions, high spending on research and development by companies and strong cooperation between the academic world and the private sector," stated the report edited by Professor Klaus Schwab adding, other factors contributing to Switzerland's lead include innovation, business sophistication and its educated workforce.

Jamaica actually leads the Caribbean despite its challenges based on improvements over the last five competitiveness reports. Other Caribbean ranking include Trinidad & Tobago at 89, Dominican Republic at 98, Guyana at 121 and Haiti at 134. The survey findings in Barbados and Suriname were not completed to minimum requirements which resulted in their omission, according to the report first published in 1979. The competitive ranking measures 12 criteria.

Contextually, Jamaica ranked 67th in the world in 2006/07 report and continuously worsened to 107th among 142 countries in the 2011-12 report. That report recorded Jamaica as offering the worst macro-economy globally. However, macro improvements occurred in subsequent reports due to the country accessing budgetary financing from the International Monetary Fund and other donor agencies. The 2015/16 report reflects the country's performance with a debt to GDP of 140.6 per cent which led to a sub-rank of 138 in the world.

The major challenges affecting the Latin American and Caribbean region include crime and weak institutions, according to the report. more

BREAKING NEWS (AGAIN: MASS SHOOTING AT COLLEGE): Two law enforcement sources tell @CBSNews the Oregon shooter was 26-year old Chris Harper Mercer.

Ten people were killed and seven were wounded Thursday in a shooting at a small community college in Roseburg, Oregon, according to multiple reports.

Sheriff John Hanlin said Thursday evening that the toll had been revised downward from the earlier figures of 13 dead and at least 20 wounded. Names of the victims won't be released for at least a day, he said. 

 Hanlin said earlier that officers had "neutralized" and killed the shooter, a male, during an exchange of gunfire in a campus building at Umpqua Community College. He declined to reveal any information about the shooter. 

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) said during a separate news conference that the killer was 20 years old. The governor said she would attend a vigil later Thursday night at Stewart Park in Roseburg.

"Today in southern Oregon is not a good afternoon," Hanlin said. "It's been a terrible day." 

"This is a small community," the sheriff added. "A lot of our friends and family attend this college. I personally know a number of people I work with that had very strong concerns about the welfare for loved ones going to school there." 

Five make 20th annual UK MOBO Awards reggae cut.... OMI competes with Popcaan, Chronixx, Protoje and last year's winner Stylo G in that category.

BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer Writer  Thursday, October 01, 2015    

THE success singer OMI enjoyed in 2015 has been rewarded with a nod for Best Reggae Act at the 20th annual UK MOBO Awards.

OMI competes with Popcaan, Chronixx, Protoje and last year's winner Stylo G in that category.

OMI

The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin) 'recognises artistes of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music'.

This is the first nomination for both OMI and Protoje. It is the second for Chronixx and third for Stylo G while Popcaan earns his fourth nomination.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, OMI commented on the nomination.

POPCAAN

"This is truly one of my greatest achievements of 2015. I feel like my work is being recognised on a different level and this is the dream of every artiste," he said.

The singer topped the British pop charts as well as the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States last summer. Globally, Cheerleader has sold over five million copies.

CHRONIXX

PROTOJE

OMI's debut studio album, Me 4 U, is set for an October release on Ultra Music.

Stylo G is currently riding the British pop chart with My Number 1 (Love Me, Love Me, Love Me) featuring Gyptian.

This year, Popcaan made strides in the UK with songs like Where We come From and Bad Inna Real Life. Last year, he teamed with British singer Melissa Steel on the UK Top 10 single Kisses for Breakfast. more

DEAR EDITOR: Watch it, Usain! Usain Bolt Slappin' Dat Ass At Miami Nightclub....Running up a £10,000 drink tab at a London nightclub (WATCH VIDEO)

Thursday, October 01, 2015   

Dear Editor,

Could you take a look at today's TMZ or Daily Mail Online websites and view the video of Usain in a strip club slapping the backside of a stripper and sticking dollar bills in her thong. Last week there was an article in the Daily Mail Online of him accidentally running up a £10,000 drink tab at a London nightclub. Someone close to Usain needs to remind him of how he should be conducting himself.

Usain Bolt

When a company sponsors athletes, they want them to portray a clean image; he is falling short of this. He also needs to be very careful; he is putting himself at risk of having his drinks spiked with banned substances in these environments or getting accused of sexual assaults of women.

Many athletes have had their careers tainted by being in the wrong place, and hanging with the wrong people without consideration of how it will impact on their career. If his drink were to be spiked all he has achieved will be destroyed.

Concerned fan... WATCH VIDEO  

hummingbird08@hotmail.co.uk

NO RESPECT: Security guard assaults reggae icon Bunny Wailer at Bob Marley Museum...."This guy was actually chucking me out," added the three-time Grammy winner... "I am surprised. Normally I go into 56 Hope Road at will," Wailer said.

BY VERNON DAVIDSON Executive editor -- publications davidsonv@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, October 01, 2015   

REGGAE icon Bunny Wailer said he was yesterday assaulted by a security guard and told to leave the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, a property that the only living member of the world-famous Wailers said he normally accesses without hassle.

Wailer, known to many people as Jah B, went to the museum with England-based attorney Simon Vumbaca, who has been retained by the Rastafari Millennium Council on a matter relating to the indigenous rights of Rastafarians.

"I never expected anything like that because I just visited the place with the brethren. He wanted to go. He paid the fee. I was just there with him," Wailer told the Jamaica Observer.

According to Wailer, who along with Marley and Peter Tosh formed the group responsible for launching reggae on the world stage, he and Vumbaca drove into the property, parked their car and, after getting out, took photographs at the front where pictures of Marley, his widow Rita, as well as Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths who formed the I-Three, Marley's back-up singers, are displayed.

"There were tourists there also who took pictures with me because it was the first time they were going to see me in that setting," Wailer said. "All of this happened before this guy came up with his attitude."

He said the security guard, who was wearing black and red uniform, started pushing him and telling him that he should leave.

Wailer said the guard gave no reason for demanding his departure.

"This guy was actually chucking me out," added the three-time Grammy winner, whose given name is Neville O'Riley Livingston and who was conferred with the Order of Jamaica in 2012.

"I am surprised. Normally I go into 56 Hope Road at will," Wailer said.

He said that the security guard's colleague sought, without success, to calm the situation.

"He should have followed that security, but he was just bent on getting me out of the place," Wailer said, adding that the incident caused Vumbaca to request a refund, after which they left.

When the Observer called the museum for a comment, we were told that no one was available to speak as they were hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. more

SLAVERY REPARATIONS & PRISON GIFT (INSULT TO INJURY) : VETERAN parliamentarian Mike Henry slams UK £25-million grant prison plan as British Prime Minister David Cameron tells Caribbean to look beyond reparation for slavery

BY BALFORD HENRY Senior staff reporter balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, October 01, 2015    

VETERAN parliamentarian Mike Henry yesterday said that Britain was adding "insult to injury" with its £25-million grant to help construct a new prison in Jamaica and vowed to take his fight for reparation for slavery to the International Court of Justice.

Former Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry

Henry expressed his annoyance with London as British Prime Minister David Cameron urged the region to "move on" from the issue of reparations and focus on the future.

"Slavery was and is abhorrent in all its forms. It has no place whatsoever in any civilised society, and Britain is proud to have eventually led the way in its abolition," Cameron told a joint sitting of both Houses of Jamaica's Parliament.

"I acknowledge that these wounds run very deep, indeed. But, I do hope that, as friends who have gone through so much together since those darkest of times, we can move on from this painful legacy and continue to build for the future," he said.

Cameron stated that his reason for wanting to come to Jamaica was because of his interest of the future relationship between the UK and the Caribbean.

"I'm here because we have common aspirations and interests that we can meet better by working more closely together. I passionately believe that our relationship now is more important than it has ever been -- for both of us," he said.

David Cameron, UK Prime Minister

However, Henry, who represents Clarendon Central in the legislature, and a small group of placard-bearing demonstrators supporting reparations and who staged a peaceful protest outside Gordon House, were not convinced.

Henry, who has consistently led the fight for reparation in Parliament, boycotted the joint sitting.

"I still stand resolute that Britain has not apologised for slavery," Henry told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

He said that he was aware that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has said that she had raised the issue with Cameron, "but is she satisfied with the response?" more

JAPAN WANTS MORE JAMAICANS : THE Japanese Government says it has been so impressed with the Jamaicans who participate in its annual teaching exchange programme

BY KIMONE THOMPSON Associate editor -- features thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, October 01, 2015 

THE Japanese Government says it has been so impressed with the Jamaicans who participate in its annual teaching exchange programme that it has nearly doubled the number of places open to the Caribbean islanders.

OYAMA... in terms of JETs per capita, Jamaica is among
the highest

"The ministry of education and the local government officials in Japan requested that we send more Jamaicans," Counsellor and deputy chief of mission at the embassy of Japan in Jamaican Hiromoto Oyama told the Jamaica Observer Tuesday.

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme recruits university graduates from English-speaking countries to work as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) and Sports Education Advisors in Japanese kindergartens, elementary, junior high and high schools, or as Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs) in local governments and boards of education. However, only ATL positions are open to Jamaica, which began participating in JET in 2000. The programme started in 1978 as the British English Teachers Scheme, but was renamed in 1987 as more and more countries were included.

To date, 292 Jamaicans have participated.

"Two years ago we sent 20. Last year it was 25. This year, they asked us to send 40, so that's almost double," Oyama said, adding that he was "very happy with the development".

At the send-off for the latest cohort in July this year, JET programme coordinator Matthew Palmer suggested that the increase was due in part to more aggressive promotional efforts by the embassy. But according to Oyama, it is a lot more than that.

"I think it's the attitude of the past Jamaican JETs...The schools like them and the children like them," he said Tuesday, alluding to the assistant teachers' good work ethic, strong character, enthusiasm, and adaptability.

It augurs well for the continued cooperation between the two countries, the deputy chief of mission said, as cultural exchange and the mutual understanding that its fosters "makes it easier for us to work together". more