JAMAICA TRAGEDY, THREE KILLED IN TRELAWNY COLLISON : The deceased, who were heading home after a hard day’s work, have been identified as 23-year-old Janice Brown, 20-year-old Keno Edwards and 41-year-old Dwight Sutton...“How come him never see the truck coming?”

Thursday, April 07, 2016 BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter   
The Trelawny community was plunged into a state of shock and mourning Tuesday night when news broke that two gas station pump attendants and a hotel worker perished in a two-vehicle collision along a section of the Northern Coastal Highway in the vicinity of Rock, less that 300 metres from where the attendants were employed.
The car in which the three lost their lives
The deceased, who were heading home after a hard day’s work, have been identified as 23-year-old Janice Brown of Wilson Run, 20-year-old Keno Edwards of Clark’s Town and 41-year-old Dwight Sutton of Bounty Hall, all in Trelawny.
Reports are that about 11:00pm, shortly after Brown and Edwards ended their shift at the nearby Johnson’s Petroleum gas station, Sutton was driving a Mitsubishi Cedia motor car with the attendants aboard when on reaching a section of the highway the vehicle reportedly collided with a trailer truck that was heading in the opposite direction.
Mangled vehicles
Edwards, energetic worker
The impact of the collision dislodged the engine of the car, sending it flying several metres from where the vehicle came to a halt. The two vehicles were extensively damaged. The occupants of the car reportedly died instantly and members of the Falmouth Fire Station removed their lifeless bodies from the mangled remains of the vehicle. The driver of the truck reportedly sustained minor injuries.
As news of the bizarre crash spread, area residents swarmed the scene, where many of them openly questioned the judgement of the driver of the car.
“How come him never see the truck coming?” one motorist was overheard asking another man close by.
Sutton...Driver of Motor Car
Brown’s roommate and close friend Kerine Fletcher, who arrived at the scene of the crash more than an hour after the tragedy occurred, was distraught when she discovered that her friend of many years was among the dead.
Brown...Promising Worker
“She was my best friend, we have come from Wilson Run down here to work and we have been living together in Hague for over one year now,” a teary-eyed Fletcher told the Jamaica Observer West.
The distraught Fletcher, who works at a restaurant a few metres from where the deadly crash occurred, said she heard the impact while she was on duty, but “had no idea that my friend was in it.”
“It was after I finished working and went to check out the accident that I found out that Kerine was in it. I don’t know how I am going to manage; it is me alone now going to be at the home now. She was a very nice person,” said Fletcher, fighting to hold back the tears. more

GOP Convention Chaos Is All But Assured : Chances Of A Contested Convention Jump After Ted Cruz’s Big Win In Wisconsin Prediction markets react quickly to Donald Trump’s loss.

TrumpDonald Trump was having a rough week even before he got clobbered by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Wisconsin’s primary on Tuesday. Prediction markets — which allow people to bet on what they think will happen — showed his chances of winning the nomination dropping over the last week. The chances of a contested Republican convention requiring two or more votes have climbed to 75 percent.
PredictWise, which estimates these probabilities based on those prediction markets, shows that the likelihood of a contested convention has grown 14 percent in just a week. The likelihood of Trump winning the nomination has dropped by 19 percent in the same amount of time.
PREDICTWISE
Prediction markets react very quickly to events since they reflect constant buying and selling activity on prediction websites. They ask bettors to place wagers on what they think will actually happen — not what they would personally like to see happen or whom they would vote for, which is what polls ask. The way to make money in these markets is to bet on the event that ends up happening, and people change the way they allocate their money based on the current political context.
Trump’s odds of winning the nomination dropped most dramatically after he lost the Iowa caucuses to Cruz in February. His numbers took a few weeks to recover, but he eventually regained that territory and at the end of the month had about an 81 percent chance of winning the nomination. His chances remained steadily in the 70s until last week. more

QUEEN STAFANIE : West Indies women cricket skipper, Jamaican Stafanie Taylor receives regal reception.... after crowned the World Twenty20 (T20) Champions

Thursday, April 07, 2016 
Late on Tuesday, the Jamaican members of the triumphant West Indies men’s team returned to the island to a hero’s welcome.
And yesterday it was the turn of Stafanie Taylor, the women’s captain, who was greeted like a queen as she arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport.
West Indies Women’s cricket captain, Jamaican Stafanie Taylor
 is all smiles during a welcome reception hosted by team sponsor
 Digicel at the Pineapple Lounge at the Norman Manley
 International Airport yesterday.
The 24-year-old all-rounder, the lone Jamaican in the West Indies squad, was hosted by team sponsor Digicel inside the Pineapple Lounge.
Petals were laid at her feet as she walked before she was seated on a chair akin to a throne for royalty.The West Indies Women’s team beat favourites Australia by eight wickets with three balls to spare in the World Twenty20 (T20) final in Kolkata, India, on Sunday.
Taylor, who was named player of the tournament for outstanding contributions with bat and ball, made 59 runs in the final. Her first-wicket partnership of 120 with 18-year-old Hayley Matthews, who made 66, put West Indies on the brink of victory.
She said the team’s resolve was steeled because many gave them no chance against the dominant Australians, who were seeking a fourth straight T20 title.
“I remember I had a press conference and a guy from Australia asked if I was intimidated by the Aussies, and I was so angry that I almost cursed,” she told journalists.
“I went back to the girls and I told them this is what is being said. We had to take it in a positive way because it was the Aussies who should be intimidated by us because we had nothing to lose,” Taylor continued. more

WEST KINGSTON, JA (SHOOTING) : Residents want answers after police killing in Denham Town of 33-year-old Ronald Foster.....“My brother-in-law a bad man so if him did have a gun him woulda fire back,” one woman said.

Wednesday, April 06, 2016— Tanesha Mundle
RESIDENTS of Wellington Street in Denham Town, West Kingston, are demanding answers from the police following the fatal shooting of a man in the community early Monday.
They say 33-year-old Ronald Foster, otherwise called ‘Doddu Wow’, was shot dead inside his house.
01
Foot Patrol In Denham Town
Senior Superintendent of Police and Commanding Officer for the West Kingston Division, Howard Chambers, told the
Jamaica Observer that Foster was killed by police officers from Denham Town Police Station after he pointed a gun at them during an operation at his home. The police claimed a 9mm Taurus pistol and a 2mm round were seized at Foster’s house in the aftermath of the shooting.
But residents are disputing the police’s version of how the killing occurred and insisted that Foster was killed in cold blood.
They said that at about 1:35 am Foster was at home with his girlfriend when a team of police swooped down on the premises and shot him three times in his abdomen. This, after his girlfriend opened the grille to the house.
Friends and relatives said that, though Foster was no angel, he was not a wanted man and was reporting to the police for four days each week, according to a court order.
“We want know why, ’cause him a report Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a Friday him report so me would a waan know what happen between now and Friday why dem come kill him,” his sister, Simone said.
Ronald Foster
They said That Foster did not have a gun at the time of the shooting, as there were no exchange with the police.
“My brother-in-law a bad man so if him did have a gun him woulda fire back,” one woman said.
“But mi know dem ago come seh dem find gun pon him,” another added.
According to the residents, the police fired only three shots — two of which were lodged inside Foster’s body and the third in his entertainment centre. They claimed the police removed the bullet from the entertainment centre before they left the scene.
The incident is being investigated by the Independent Commission of Investigations.

BERNIE DIRTY: HILLARY 'NOT QUALIFIED'.....Sanders: Clinton's not qualified to be president 'Bernie Sanders, take back your words about Hillary Clinton,' her spokesman responded.


Hillary Clinton is not qualified to be president, Bernie Sanders told a crowd of supporters in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, in his sharpest attack yet on the struggling Democratic front-runner.
Bernie Sanders

"Now the other day, I think, Secretary Clinton appeared to be getting a little bit nervous," he began. "We have won, we have won seven out of eight of the recent primaries and caucuses. And she has been saying lately that she thinks that I am, quote unquote, not qualified to be president.   "Well let me, let me just say in response to Secretary Clinton: I don't believe that she is qualified if she is, if she is, through her super PAC, taking tens of millions of dollars in special interest funds," he said. "I don't think you are qualified if you get $15 million from Wall Street through your super PAC." more

WORLDWIDE PROBES OVER 'PANAMA PAPERS' : DOJ Looking Into Evidence Of Wrongdoing... The Dirty Money Secrets... 214K Shell Companies... 11.5M Documents... How Reporters Pulled Off The Biggest Leak In Whistleblower History... What You Need To Know...

By Kylie MacLellan and Elida Moreno
LONDON/PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Governments across the world began investigating possible financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful on Monday after a leak of four decades of documents from a Panamanian law firm that specialized in setting up offshore companies.
The “Panama Papers” revealed financial arrangements of politicians and public figures including friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin, relatives of the prime ministers of Britain, Iceland and Pakistan, and the president of Ukraine.
While holding money in offshore companies is not illegal, journalists who received the leaked documents said they could provide evidence of wealth hidden for tax evasion, money laundering, sanctions busting, drug deals or other crimes.
The law firm, Mossack Fonseca, which says it has set up more than 240,000 offshore companies for clients around the globe, denied any wrongdoing and called itself the victim of a campaign against privacy. Mossack Fonseca, in a statement posted on its website on Monday, said media reports had “misrepresented the nature of our work.”
“We routinely resign from client engagements when ongoing due diligence and updates to sanctions lists reveal that a beneficial owner of a company for which we provide services is compromised,” it said.
The law firm added that “excluding the professional fees we earn, we do not take possession or custody of clients’ money, or have anything to do with any of the direct financial aspects” of their business operations.
Leading figures responded to the leaks with denials as prosecutors and regulators began a review of the reports from the investigation by the U.S.-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
The U.S. Department of Justice would determine whether there was evidence of corruption and other violations of U.S. law, a spokesman said. A White House spokesman said that “in spite of the lack of transparency that exists in many of these transactions,” there were U.S. experts who could find out whether they violated sanctions and laws. more

PNP POLITICS : Peter Bunting declares interest in PNP presidency..... But Portia Simpson Miller says she’s not stepping down now.....is it because I’m of a different gender?” Simpson Miller said when asked to respond to calls for her resignation

BY KIMONE FRANCIS Observer staff reporter francisk@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, April 05, 2016  
Peter Bunting yesterday made public his interest in leading the People’s National Party (PNP), saying that he intends to appeal to the Opposition party’s delegates at the right time.
But while Bunting stopped short of publicly declaring that he would challenge PNP President Portia Simpson Miller at the party’s annual conference scheduled for September, PNP insiders said he would offer
himself for the job, even if Simpson Miller refuses to step down. 
Peter Bunting making a point to PNP President Portia Simpson Miller
 at the party’s 75th annual conference. (Photo: Observer file)

Based on Simpson Miller’s comments at a PNP news conference yesterday, Bunting will be forced to face her in an election, as she made it clear that she had no intention of leaving now.
“I’m not the only political leader in Jamaica that lost an election, and I didn’t hear a call for the others to step aside.
So I don’t know why there would be a call now for me to step aside;
is it because I’m of a different gender?” Simpson Miller said when asked
to respond to calls for her resignation since the PNP lost the February
25 General Election.

After the news conference, Bunting, while stating that he has “a great deal of respect and affection” for Simpson Miller, told journalists that he thought it was ideal that she determines the
timetable for her own departure. “At the appropriate time I intend to offer myself to the delegates,
but for the immediate future I intend to focus on the local government election,” he said. more

KINGSTON DRAGNET : Police detain 43 in a week-long joint police/military operation in West Kingston to apprehend wanted men, persons of interest, and seize illegal guns.

Tuesday, April 05, 2016    
FORTY-THREE men were yesterday detained on day one of a week-long joint police/military operation in West Kingston to apprehend wanted men, persons of interest, and seize illegal guns.
Police officers destroying a gambling shop on Wellington Street in Denham
Town, West Kingston, during yesterday’s start of a week-long joint
 police/military operation in the Kingston Western Police Division.
The operation, which is being spearheaded by the Denham Town police and includes police officers from Mobile Reserve, and members of the Jamaica Defence Force, is part of an effort to contain the recent flare-up of violence in the Kingston Western Police Division.
The operation began yesterday on Wellington Street, where police officers were seen tearing down an illegal gambling shop, and continued in a number of other communities.
Commanding Officer for the Kingston Western Police Division, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Howard Chambers, said the violence in the division, which began approximately three weeks ago, is a result of fighting among gangs. “What is happening is a conflict between men loyal to Tivoli [Gardens] and men who are not aligned to Tivoli in Denham Town,” he told the
Jamaica Observer. “Men from Tivoli want to take back control of the division.”
Just last Friday, he said, “We had sporadic shooting in the division. Police at one time saw the men shooting and had to intervene.”
SSP Chambers said so far one person has died and five others shot and injured.
He said the police will be pursuing the “main players in the war” during the course of this week.
“Even if the players move out of the division and take away themselves, we are going to find them,” he promised, noting that the police have in their possession a list of people who are being sought, but are waiting on clearance from the Police High Command to release the names.
In the meantime, SSP Chambers said the police will continue their social intervention activities, which involve community walk-throughs and meeting with residents. more

Jusice Sandra Day O'Conner, a Ronald Reagan appointee to the Supreme Court undermines GOP talking points on Court vacancy....."passel of obstructionists whose only unifying goal is their loathing of a black president"

NAIL-BITING, HEART-STOPPING, JAW-DROPPING T20 CRICKET FINALE! : Jamaicans inspire West Indies to T20 World titles in KOLKATA, India... 4 consecutive sixes in the final over by Brathwaite provided the clincher

Monday, April 04, 2016   
KOLKATA, India (CMC) — Carlos Brathwaite calmly belted four astonishing sixes off the first four deliveries of the final over to catapult West Indies to extraordinary four-wicket victory over England as the Caribbean made history by sweeping both the men’s and women’s titles at the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup here yesterday.
West Indies players led by captain Darren Sammy (centre)
 run onto the pitch as they celebrate their victory over England.
With West Indies requiring a difficult 19 from the final over in pursuit of 156 for victory at Eden Gardens, the right-handed Brathwaite cleared the ropes four times in succession off seamer Ben Stokes to hand West Indies a spectacular victory with two balls to spare.
Brathwaite finished on 34 not out from just 10 deliveries, but it was veteran right-hander Marlon Samuels, who stroked an unbeaten 85 from 66 balls, who was the architect of the victory.
The languid Jamaican, adjudged Man-of-the-Match, smashed nine fours and two sixes, anchoring two crucial stands — first with Dwayne Bravo (24) and then with Brathwaite — to pull West Indies around from 11 for three in the third over. They lost both openers Johnson Charles (one) and Chris Gayle (four) in the second over to off-spinner Joe Root and when semi-final hero Lendl Simmons fell to a first ball ‘duck’ in the following over, the Windies were up against the ropes.
But Samuels posted 75 for the fourth wicket with Bravo, who struck a four and a six off 27 deliveries, and then 54 for the seventh wicket with the outstanding Brathwaite who counted a four and four sixes.
West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite (right) and teammate
 Marlon Samuels celebrate after the victory.
Earlier, Brathwaite and Bravo had also starred with the ball, taking three wickets apiece as England were restricted to 155 for nine off their 20 overs after they were sent in.
Root top-scored with 54 and Jos Buttler got 36, but Brathwaite (3-23) and Bravo (3-37), along with leg-spinner Samuel Badree (2-16), grabbed wickets at key points to cripple the England innings.
The victory ensured a sweep of both T20 World Cup titles after West Indies Women upset three-time defending champions Australia by eight wickets at the same venue earlier.
With the triumph, the men’s side became the first nation to win the T20 World Cup twice, following on from their success in Sri Lanka five years ago. more

CANADA : Kafinal takes Juno Award for the Best Reggae Recording category with "Nah Complain" featuring U Roy.

 By Kevin Jackson Observer writer  Monday, April 04, 2016    
Seven years after migrating to Canada, singer Kafinal has won that country’s Juno Award. On Saturday he took the Best Reggae Recording category with Nah Complain featuring U Roy.
Kafinal Kisses His Trophy
The Juno is Canada’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards. It took place at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
The other nominees for Best Reggae Recording were Hello Mama by Exco Levi,Sexy Gal (Kreesha Turner featuring TOK), Escape From the Mongoose Gang(Lyndon John X) and the French Sessions by multi-instrumentalist Dubmatix.
“It’s a great feeling to be honoured by my peers at the highest level of music in Canada. I feel good to be representing Jamaica and reggae music. Much respect to all the fans and supporters,” Kafinal told the Jamaica Observershortly after his win. He gave a “special big up to Daddy U Roy”, the influential deejay who has been making hit songs since the 1960s.
Kafinal
Produced by Sing N Act Entertainment, Nah Complain topped reggae charts in Canada, South Florida and New York.
Born Jeffery Williams, Kafinal is originally from Braeton in Portmore. He attended Vere Technical and St Andrew Technical high schools.
He recorded his first song in 1997 for Hard Bark Records and dabbled in theatre as an actor.
Kafinal’s latest single Crying Out For Love, featuring Ken Boothe and Yellowman, was released in March.

KOLKATA, INDIA: WI WOMEN CRICKETERS WORLD CHAMPIONS...West Indies Women gun down 149 for maiden WT20 title.... Team is Captained by Jamaica's STAFANIE TAYLOR (Video)

West Indies Women 149 for 2 (Matthews 66, Taylor 59) beat Australia Women 148 for 5 (Villani 52, Lanning 52, Perry 28, Dottin 2-33)
Jubilant WI Team Led by Jamaica's Staphanie Taylor
West Indies converted their maiden appearance in a World Twenty20 final into a historic victory in Kolkata, beating three-time defending champions Australia for the first time in a T20 international by pulling off the second highest chase in the tournament's history. The heroes of the daunting pursuit were 18-year old Hayley Matthews and the captain Stafanie Taylor, whose half-centuries and 120-partnership came at more than a run a ball.
Hayley Matthews plays powerfully to the on side © AFP
Their effort left West Indies with two runs to get off four balls, and when Britney Cooper pushed to Megan Schutt at midwicket and sprinted, what should have been a run-out at the bowler's end resulted in the overthrow that sealed the title. Their team-mates blazed a trail on to the field and the women were soon joined by the West Indies men in joyful celebrations in the middle of Eden Gardens.
Those scenes scarcely seemed likely when West Indies were run ragged in the first half of the game, as half-centuries from Elyse Villani and Meg Lanning helped Australia post an imposing 148 for 5.

However, Matthews and Taylor clinically brought the chase into the realms of possibility. From the 10-over mark, there was an air of inevitability to the chase as Matthews, who combined her big-hitting prowess with delicate dabs, attacked the bowling. She laid into Jess Jonassen, who had conceded only 12 off her first three overs, to turn the tide going into the last seven overs of the chase. Just like that, Australia, who had a fourth title well in their grasp for the first 25 overs of the clash, saw the trophy slipping away as their bowlers, who clinically applied the choke in a similar situation against England, fell apart under pressure. more

TESSANNE CHIN & RULA BROWN - "Heaven Knows" (Big Chuneeeeeee on RBN)

Notre Dame Has First Black Valedictorian, Katie Washington... A 21-year-old woman will make history May 16 at the University of Notre Dame. She earned 4.0/4.0 GPA and got accpetd to 5 universities including Harvard...Will pursue a joint M.D./Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University

Katie Washington
By Aixa Velez  

Gary, Indiana native will make history next month as the first black valedictorian from the University of Notre Dame.
Katie Washington, 21, is a biology major and minor in Catholic social teaching with a 4.0 GPA. “I am humbled,” said Washington to the Northwest Indiana Times. "I am in a mode of gratitude and thanksgiving right now.”
University officials said they couldn’t recall ever having a black valedictorian, and don’t keep record of their race. The valedictorian has been accepted to five schools, including Harvard, but she plans to pursue a joint M.D./Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University, according to nwitimes.com.
"Katie works so hard," Washington’s mother Jean Tomlin said. "I told her when she went to Notre Dame, 'You are representing your family, your church and the city of Gary. Make us proud.'"
She has definitely made her family proud and is following in their footsteps. Her father is a doctor, her mother and sister are nurses, one brother is completing his residency and another brother who works for British Petroleum.
"I have had so much support, people who really wanted to see that I reached my full potential,” Washington told nwitimes.com. “They all had my best interest at heart."
Washington will address the class of 2010 at commencement on May 16.

Lisa Hanna wants People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary Paul Burke out.... Former culture minister says PNP needs to fire embattled general secretary

 Sunday, April 03, 2016
Lisa Hanna last week launched a scathing attack on People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary Paul Burke, accusing him of mismanaging the party’s affairs and urged the National Executive Council (NEC), the party’s second-highest decision-making body, to sack him when it meets today.
01Hanna, the Member of Parliament for St Ann South Eastern, fired the heavy barrage of flak at Burke in an e-mail to PNP members a day after a parliamentary group meeting of the Opposition party, which is obviously still smarting from its February 25, 2016 General Election defeat to the Jamaica Labour Party.
According to Hanna, Burke had little or no visible functionality in the campaign that led the PNP to victory in the 2011 General Election.
However, in the aftermath of the 2016 defeat, she said that there is now a presumption that some people at the secretariat and in the officer corps levels seemed to have actively pursued a different path to PNP leader Portia Simpson Miller which helped to contribute significantly to the loss. “Paul Burke is now seen as the face of the party; a face and leadership style the voters of this country, and most members of the party, have rejected,” Hanna wrote in the e-mail, a copy of which was shared with the Jamaica Observer.
“For any organisation to survive and be relevant to successive markets it must change with the times and seek modern approaches to getting things done,” Hanna said.
“This does not mean changing its philosophy, but it does mean repackaging the message and, more importantly, having the right people in the right positions to deliver the message and with the talent to get the job done,” she added.
Front cover of today's paper“Any objective job description of the general secretary would include creating a positive brand image of the PNP, efficient political organisation, motivation of the staff and Comrades at the secretariat, upholding the constitution and discipline within the party, and most importantly winning elections... I say without fear of contraction (sic) that he has mismanaged each and every one of these areas,” Hanna wrote.
Burke has been under fire from fellow Comrades, some of whom have sought to blame him for the election defeat, even as many in the party have admitted that a range of missteps contributed to the loss. more

AN ODE TO ROCKSTEADY : 50th anniversary, VP Records will release First Class Rocksteady in April.

Sunday, April 03, 2016— Howard Campbell    
WHILE it produced some of the ‘baddest’ bass lines and Jamaica’s most influential singers, rocksteady has never enjoyed the acclaim afforded ska, roots-reggae or dancehall.
To observe the sound’s 50th anniversary, VP Records will release First Class Rocksteady on April 16 through its 17 North Parade subsidiary. It is a vinyl singles collection with 14 rocksteady songs.
It includes singer Hopeton Lewis’s Sounds And Pressure, the song that kicked off the rocksteady craze in late 1966. Take It Easy, another song by Lewis, is also on the commemorative album.
Delroy Wilson
First Class Rocksteady is rounded out by: The Return of Ezekiel — The Jupiters Dreader Than Dread — Honey Boy Martin Live And Love — Carlton Manning ABC Rocksteady — The Gaylads The Russians Are Coming — Val Bennett The Great Musical Battle — Derrick Morgan Last Train To Expo ‘67 — The Melodians Last Train To Ecstasy — The Melodians Born To Love You — The Sensations Long Time Me No See You Girl — The Sensations Please Stop Your Lying — Errol Dunkley You’re Gonna Need Me — Errol Dunkley VP will also release a double compact disc containing 30 songs on July 1, celebrated as International Reggae Day. The rocksteady era lasted until 1968.
It produced a number of quality vocalists in Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, Ken Boothe, Bob Andy, and Slim Smith, as well as a number of harmony groups such as The Heptones, Carlton and The Shoes, The Melodians, and The Techniques.

ENTERTAINMENT : 75 y-o Winston ‘Merritone’ Blake hailed as ambassador at the celebration held at The Pavillion

Sunday, April 03, 2016  
PURPLE and white were the dominant colours at the celebration for the life of Winston ‘Merritone’ Blake held at The Pavillion, Hope Botanical Gardens in St Andrew, yesterday.
The tents, the table cloths, were contrasting to the lush greenery of the gardens. “He was a true purple heart... Winston was passionate about his alma mater, Kingston College (KC), and would give his fulsome support to whatever cause he deemed beneficial to the great institution.
He embodied the KC values of courage and resilience,” said Clyde McKenzie, music industry insider and friend, in his tribute. Blake, 75, a musicologist and ‘elder’ of the sound system movement, died on February 27 at the University Hospital of the West Indies. He was 75.
“One of the lasting legacies of Winston and the Merritone clan is their role in the nationalisation of Jamaican music. In the early days of modern Jamaican music, the creative expressions of those from downton were largely excluded from uptown. Those who lived above Cross Roads consumed their music mainly through live bands — which offered largely foreign fare — while those from what is called the inner city would access their entertainment through sound systems playing recorded music.
“Merritone brought the sound system uptown under the guise of a disco.This semantic distinction might seem insignificant today; however, to have been called a sound system would have consigned it to a purely downtown existence.
It’s almost akin to the case of the violin and the fiddle. The rich play the violin and poor play the fiddle,” said McKenzie. The music industry insider said Merritone was instrumental in the careers of several musicians.
“It should be noted that the legendary Bob Marley would pay regular visits to Merritone to hand his music to Winston.more

Notre Dame Has First Black Valedictorian, Katie Washington... A 21-year-old woman will make history May 16 at the University of Notre Dame. She earned 4.0/4.0 GPA and got accpetd to 5 universities including Harvard...Will pursue a joint M.D./Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University

Katie Washington
By Aixa Velez 4/3/16

Gary, Indiana native will make history next month as the first black valedictorian from the University of Notre Dame.
Katie Washington, 21, is a biology major and minor in Catholic social teaching with a 4.0 GPA. “I am humbled,” said Washington to the Northwest Indiana Times. "I am in a mode of gratitude and thanksgiving right now.”
University officials said they couldn’t recall ever having a black valedictorian, and don’t keep record of their race. The valedictorian has been accepted to five schools, including Harvard, but she plans to pursue a joint M.D./Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University, according to nwitimes.com.
"Katie works so hard," Washington’s mother Jean Tomlin said. "I told her when she went to Notre Dame, 'You are representing your family, your church and the city of Gary. Make us proud.'"
She has definitely made her family proud and is following in their footsteps. Her father is a doctor, her mother and sister are nurses, one brother is completing his residency and another brother who works for British Petroleum.
"I have had so much support, people who really wanted to see that I reached my full potential,” Washington told nwitimes.com. “They all had my best interest at heart."
Washington will address the class of 2010 at commencement on May 16.


 

DESPICABLE D : Donald Trump’s Ratings Are Historically Awful...Disliked By Demographics Across The Board... Would Be Least-Popular Major Party Nominee In Modern Times... 'Never Seen An Individual With A Higher Negative'... Comparable To Former KKK Leader!... Set For Turbulence In Wisconsin... Strongest Defenders Are Turning Against Him...

Give Donald Trump credit: his candidacy may be unifying the country over dislike for him.
Trump
At this point, it might be easier to run down the list of demographic blocs Trumphasn’t alienated. He’s disliked by Democrats and independents, by young voters, and by minorities, not to mention even the female voters in his own party.
If he wins the GOP nomination, Trump wouldn’t be the first nominee to enter a general election with negative ratings. He would, however, be the least popular major party nominee in modern times. The only recent candidate with comparably low ratings is former KKK leader David Duke, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 1992.
“In terms of any domestic personality that we have measured, we’ve never seen an individual with a higher negative,” Democratic pollster Peter Hart told The Washington Post, calling Trump’s image “exceptionally rancid.”
The American public’s view of Trump, which improved briefly after he entered the race, seems to be worsening.  HuffPost Pollster, which averages all publicly available polling, currently gives him a 63 percent unfavorable rating, up from 56 percent in January. more

MANDEVILLE, Manchester (TRAGEDY- MURDER-SUICIDE) : Murder/suicide suspected in deaths of soldier, school principal.... Community in shock at couple’s deaths. The couple identified as Gail Anderson, 42-year-old and her common-law husband John Williams

 Friday, April 01, 2016    
MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Police are probing the circumstances surrounding the apparent murder/suicide of a soldier and an early childhood school principal in the quiet community of Hope Village, Williamsfield.
01Police, relatives and neighbours identified the dead couple as Gail Anderson, 42-year-old principal of Hope Village Early Childhood Institution, and her common-law husband John Williams a Jamaica Defence Force sergeant.
Police report that Anderson’s relatives found the bodies shortly after 3:00 pm yesterday in the bedroom of their home, less than 50 metres from the school which Anderson led. Relatives gained entry to the house and then broke down the locked door of the bedroom after seeing blood stains, reports say.
Front cover of today's paperThe Jamaica Observer was told that neighbours heard explosions some time after midnight early yesterday. However, those who heard the sounds apparently failed to make the association with foul play and did not call the police. Anderson’s body was reportedly found on the bed, relatives told the Observer. Williams lay on the floor. His licensed firearm was found under his body, police said. Both bodies were said to have what resembled gun shot wounds to the head.
When the Observer visited the scene late afternoon yesterday, a large crowd watched from behind police yellow caution tape as investigators, including scene of crime specialists, examined the premises and conducted interviews.
Speaking in hushed tones, onlookers, many of them parents and guardians of children at Hope Village Early Childhood, as well as a few soldiers, said there had been no warning of the tragedy since Williams and Anderson appeared to be a loving, caring couple.
Observer circulation contractor Errol Anderson, a brother of the dead educator, said he was in total shock. “He (Williams) was such a nice, humble guy… all now mi can’t believe it,” he said.
Observer circulation contractor Errol Anderson, a brother
of the dead educator, said he was in total shock.
Neighbours and friends described Anderson as a “nice lady” and an exemplary educator, neighbour and community leader.
Some fretted about how to break the news to the children, now on Easter holiday. The children would be traumatised, they said.
“She was a jovial and nice person; no matter what stress she under, she don’t take it out on anyone,” one neighbour said. “She was well-loved and always had a smile,” said another.
And a parent claimed Anderson loved the children at her school. “She used to say all the children are her children,” the parent said. more