POWERFUL MESSAGE: Mental Illness Is Not Just A ‘White Person’s Disease’..... Mental Illness in the Black Community Starts With Depression

 06/07/2016 08:45 am ET

Mental Illness in the Black Community

I was 23 before I started going to a counselor for my actions and symptoms that were very similar to symptoms of depression. I was depressed most days of the week which caused me not to eat. I lost weight and was awake for more than 12 hours of the day with 4-5 hours of sleep thrown in here and there. My partner at the time also dealt with issues with mental health and rarely focused on me.
I spent a lot of my time trying to make sure he was doing okay, mentally and emotionally. When I wasn’t doing that I was studying. I was in the library for 7-10 hours at a time and even once I left the library I would go straight back to my dorm room to study until I had to go to class again or I would head straight to class to learn new information.
This was my life the last year and a half I was in college.
I was always alone. And even when I wasn’t alone — maybe hanging out with friends — I wasn’t mentally there. I always tried to find a way to be alone in my dorm room so that I spent more time studying as I could then have an excuse to tell my friends as to why I didn’t show up to have lunch or to hang out. I felt empty and numb most of the time wondering why I even woke up most mornings.
I didn’t tell anyone about these feelings — not my mom or my sister — and I felt like if I did they would ask me why I felt this way when my life was so good. When I had more opportunities than most young adults my age get, why would or how could I be depressed?
Mental health or mental illness is rarely discussed within the black community. In the black community, mental illness is thought of as a “white person’s disease.” It is nothing that affects black people. But mental illness is not dependent upon race or gender. Mental health is extremely important for any and everyone, race is not important as anyone may experience or deal with mental health issues. Without mental health, we can not be healthy. Everyone experiences emotional ups and downs, including black people. more

HISTORY IS MADE : Hillary Clinton Has The Delegates To Clinch Democratic Nomination....Bernie Got Burned

 06/06/2016 08:34 pm ET
Hillary Clinton has officially reached the number of delegates necessary to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, the Associated Press reported Monday evening.
Hillary Clinton
According to the Associated Press’ count of pledged delegates and its survey of unpledged delegates, also known as superdelegates, the former secretary of state has reached the 2,383-delegate threshold necessary to lock the nomination. CBS also announced the call. Upon being officially nominated at the Democratic National Convention in July, Clinton will be the first woman to be a major party’s presidential nominee.
The news comes on the eve of the final round of primary contests between Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), including primaries in California and New Jersey.
Sanders, meanwhile, insists the race isn’t over. Despite the apparent victory, Clinton’s campaign sought to downplay the news, likely to encourage California and New Jersey voters to still head to the polls on Tuesday. While her delegate lead appears secure, a loss to Sanders in either state would end her primary campaign on a low note and likely would fuel Sanders supporters’ desire for a contested convention.
“This is an important milestone, but there are six states that are voting Tuesday, with millions of people heading to the polls, and Hillary Clinton is working to earn every vote,” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement. “We look forward to Tuesday night, when Hillary Clinton will clinch not only a win in the popular vote, but also the majority of pledged delegates.”

TRUMP CAMP: WOMEN JUDGES COULD BE PROBLEMS, TOO! : Senate's Only Black Republican: 'Racially Toxic'... GOP Senator Flake Still Can't Get Himself To Endorse... Megyn Kelly: 'That Is Not The Way Our System Works'... EARLIER: Trump Sics Stooges On Judge And Journalists... GOP Hopes He'll Cut The Racism... Clinton: 'Dangerous,' 'Divisive' And 'Disqualified From Being President'... No Doubt About It: He's Racist...

Donald Trump
June 7, 2016
To defend real estate mogul Donald Trump‘s claim that a federal judge is biased against him because of his “Mexican heritage,” his campaign spokeswoman argued on Monday that it also would be acceptable to accuse a female judge of bias on the basis of gender.
“Well, it would depend on her past and decisions she made as a judge,” Trump’s national spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said.To defend real estate mogul Donald Trump‘s claim that a federal judge is biased against him because of his “Mexican heritage,” his campaign spokeswoman argued on Monday that it also would be acceptable to accuse a female judge of bias on the basis of gender.
“Well, it would depend on her past and decisions she made as a judge,” Trump’s national spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said. more

VERY FUNNY ...Candid Camera Classic : Ali Meets the Kids


Muhammad Ali loved the kids.
In 1974, the heavyweight boxing champion made an appearance on Candid Camera, a popular prank TV show at the time that frequently included celebrity cameos. 
In one particular episode, young boys at a grammar school in Greenwich Village, New York were asked to write about and share what they would do if they ever met Ali. Unbeknownst to them, the boxing champion was on site at their school and suddenly appeared to surprise them. 
Needless to say, their reactions were priceless. They proved just how powerful a man like Ali meant to kids of all races who looked up to him. 

"SHE IS A BABY!" : Man offers 12- year-old schoolgirl JA$1,000 for sex

Covering the courts with Tanesha Mundle  Sunday, June 05, 2016
A 21-year-old man who offered a 12-year-old schoolgirl money for sex was reprimanded by Parish Judge Maxine Ellis for assaulting the girl after she refused his sexual advances.
“She is 12, what kind of advances you making? She is a baby,” Judge Ellis said while scolding Oshane Williams, after he pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm.
The court heard on Friday that Williams squeezed the minor’s throat and slapped her on the neck after she spurned his advances.
The prosecutor told the court that Williams got physical after he told the minor: “I have a $1,000. follow me round deh suh,” and she refused to comply. According to the prosecutor, this incident was not the first time that Williams was making advances at the complainant, as she had reported him to her mother before. Williams, however, denied assaulting the minor as alleged by the police.
“A two finger me use and hit her on her mouth,” he said. But in addition to the assault claim, Williams is also accused of pulling a ratchet knife at the complainant and threatening “to run it through her”.
Williams, however, denied those allegations and pleaded not guilty to assault at common law.
The complainant’s mother, who was present in court with her daughter, told Ellis that Williams has been troubling the girl and she had to be taking the child to and from school because of her fear of Williams.
“Clearly you don’t get it,” Ellis then told Williams. “But me no deh home a day time,” he answered while noting that he was away at work.
But the mother told the court that Williams was unemployed and that her child had to pass his yard to get to school.
Ellis, however, insisted that he was employed and that the minor did not have to pass his home, as she lived on a separate lane from where he was living.
The judge, however, decided that she was going to revoke his bail until the police conduct further investigations into the matter. In the meantime, the judge requested a social enquiry report and scheduled a date for Williams’ sentencing.

REVOLUTION ON LIFE SUPPORT : Sanders Camp Split On Fighting Past California... Loyalists Insist On Contested Convention, Others Call For Party Unity... Sanders Goes After Clinton Foundation... Hillary Eyes Final Delegates... HUFFPOLLSTER: California Looks Close...

June 6, 2016
A split is emerging inside the Bernie Sanders campaign over whether the senator should stand down after Tuesday’s election contests and unite behind Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, or take the fight all the way to the July party convention and try to pry the nomination from her.
Bernie Sanders
One camp might be dubbed the Sandersistas, the loyalists who helped guide Mr. Sanders’s political ascent in Vermont and the U.S. Congress and are loath to give up a fight that has far surpassed expectations. Another has ties not only to Mr. Sanders but to the broader interests of a Democratic Party pining to beat back the challenge from Republican Donald Trump and make gains in congressional elections.
Mr. Sanders in recent weeks has made clear he aims to take his candidacy past the elections on Tuesday, when California, New Jersey and four other states vote. But the debate within the campaign indicates that Mr. Sanders’s next move isn’t settled.
For now, Democratic officials, fund-raisers and operatives are getting impatient, calling on Mr. Sanders to quit the race and begin the work of unifying the party for the showdown with the Republican presumptive nominee.
Orin Kramer, a New York hedge-fund manager who has raised campaign funds for both President Barack Obama and Mrs. Clinton, said with respect to Mr. Sanders’s future plans: “I would hope people would understand what a Trump presidency would mean and act accordingly—and ‘accordingly’ means quickly.” more

JAMAICA DEFENCE FORCE : JDF says increased military activity is regional exercise.... Military movements will be concentrated around JDF bases

 BY BALFORD HENRY Senior staff reporter balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, June 06, 2016 
For the next three to four weeks Jamaicans will need to get used to the sight of soldiers from 19 countries travelling across the island as they engage in activities associated with ‘Exercise Tradewinds’ maritime and land operations.
01
JDF
Exercise Tradewinds is a United States Department of State regional security partnership supporting the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative or, to be more specific, an annual multinational maritime interdiction, ground security and interagency exercise facilitated and funded by the US. It will focus on countering transnational organised crime and will involve the training of troops from countries in the Caribbean and Central America, as well as the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, and France.
The activities in Jamaica will not start until June 20, but spokesman for the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Major Basil Jarrett, says that, as of today, the public may start seeing the movement of foreign military personnel, vehicles and equipment, as preparations are made for the local leg of the three-phase exercise.
Phases one and two will involve maritime and land operations and will be held in Grenada from June 5-14, and then in Jamaica from June 20-28. The final phase will be a key leadership seminar scheduled for July 20-22 in Miami, Florida.
Major Jarrett says it is important that the public be made aware of the exercise prior to June 20 to avoid rumours and speculation, as it is the first time it is being held in Jamaica.
Front cover of today's paper“Somebody has already asked me if the troops are coming to assist in the search for ‘Duppy Flim’ (Jamaica’s most wanted criminal),” humoured Major Jarrett, who is in charge of civil/military cooperation and media affairs at Up Park Camp.
He said that the activities will be concentrated in the areas where JDF camps are situated, including Port Royal, Moneague, Twickenham Park, and Up Park Camp. However, he said troops will be transported by helicopters and motor vehicles to and from these areas.
“There is also going to be a ship in Montego Bay as part of the exercise, and the public will be invited to tour the vessel while it is here,” Major Jarrett stated.
“There will be no live firing at outside bases such as Twickenham Park, Green Bay and Up Park Camp and explosives will be confined to these camps,” he added. more

TRAGIGURA MATTER in JAMAICA : Lawyers file appeal after court subpoenas PNP officials; Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller and three People’s National Party (PNP) party officials

Wednesday, June 01, 2016    
ATTORNEYS representing Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller and three People’s National Party (PNP) officials in the long-standing Trafigura matter yesterday filed an appeal seeking to halt the proceedings after High Court Judge Justice Lennox Campbell ordered that subpoenas be issued for them.
01“I’ll be going to court on Monday. A court order will be shown to the judge, and that should end the matter for that day. An appeal has already been filed and the court order is a consequence of that appeal,” Queen’s Counsel K D Knight told the
Jamaica Observer when contacted yesterday.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn, QC, yesterday explained that the subpoenas were issued after Simspon Miller, Robert Pickersgill, Phillip Paulwell, Colin Campbell, and businessman Norton Hinds failed to appear in court. The witnesses were required to give sworn testimony regarding the investigation by the Netherlands Government into the payment, in September 2006, of $31 million to an account bearing the name CCOC to which certain members of the PNP were signatories.
The Trafigura scandal rocked the then governing PNP after it emerged that the party accepted the money from the Dutch firm which, at the time, had an oil-lifting agreement with Jamaica.
The PNP had said the money was a donation, but Trafigura said it was payment on a commercial transaction. The party has since said the money was returned.
The saga resulted in Campbell’s resignation from the Cabinet and as PNP general secretary. It was also widely believed to have contributed to the party losing the 2007 General Election.
Since November 2011 the matter has been dragging through the courts, as defence lawyers have tried unsuccessfully to have it heard in chambers.
Yesterday, the DPP said that attorney Bert Samuels, along with Juranell Smalling, who appear for Paulwell, were the only ones from the defence who appeared in court for the completion of the matter.
All parties in the matter, the DPP said, were invited by the registrar of the Supreme Court. more

PM Andrew Holness: Murder victims have rights too. “It is not just one view that should hold pre-eminence,” Holness insisted.

Thursday, June 02, 2016    
PRIME Minister Andrew Holness has assured that the Government intends to pursue its proposal to amend the Bail Act to remand individuals accused of committing murder.
Andrew Holness
“It is not the intention of the Government to, in any way, diminish human rights,” the prime minister told the
Jamaica Observer in a one-on-one interview at Jamaica House on Tuesday.
“But the Government has to weigh the balance of human rights on a whole, and the human rights of those persons who are being murdered by persons who get bail and laugh in the face of justice and law enforcement, and go out and commit more crimes,” Holness added. The prime minister said he understood the attorneys’ interest in ensuring that their clients can get bail, and that bail is part of the legal rights of their clients. However, he suggested that the proposed measure was necessary to deal with repeat offenders.
“The society has to be practical and reasonable and what we have done is to put the issue out there so that the views of the attorneys who have a perspective can contend with the hundreds of Jamaicans who have suffered from the criminal activities of repeat offenders,” he said.
“It is not just one view that should hold pre-eminence,” Holness insisted.
He indicated that Attorney General Marlene Malahoo Forte would be dealing with the issue in Parliament.
“I don’t want to pre-empt the attorney general, but we have given narrow parameters for how we will seek adjustments to the Bail Act, and it will be for those crimes involving murders,” he stated. more

EXCLUSIVE: Queens man unaware of $2 bail, spends nearly 5 months at Rikers Island

He could have been free for the cost of a cup of coffee. A Queens man spent nearly five months at Rikers Island — from November 2014 to April 2015 — without knowing his bail was just $2, according to records and his lawyers.
NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpiAitabdel Salem, 41, who was acquitted of bail jumping at a Manhattan Supreme Court trial last week, had been jailed on $25,000 bail for attacking an NYPD cop who was arresting him for stealing a coat at a Zara store in the Flatiron District on Nov. 21, 2014, court papers show. Although Salem didn’t know it for more than four months, he caught a lucky break when prosecutors could not get an indictment. He was ordered released on Nov. 28, 2014 on the police assault arrest....
But he still had dollar bails set on each of two minor offenses — that included tampering and mischief charges — so he could not have been freed without first paying the tiny amount. more