NEW YORK, N.Y: Jamaican youth, Dowayne Henry, 20, shot dead in NY on Memorial Day.... youth working two jobs in hopes of attending college and playing basketball was shot and killed on Monday, Memorial Day, while sitting on his front step in Queens.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014 | 2:04 PM 

NEW YORK, Jamaica (CMC) – New York Police say a Jamaican youth working two jobs in hopes of attending college and playing basketball was shot and killed on Monday, Memorial Day, while sitting on his front step in Queens.

They said Dowayne Henry, 20, was at his family’s home with two other men when a lone gunman opened fire.

According to police, Henry, who worked as a preschool teacher and as a salesman at a sports store at Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, Long Island, was shot in the stomach and head.

Police also said that a 25-year-old man was shot in the back and taken to Jamaica Hospital in Queens in stable condition.

The authorities said they were looking for the gunman, who was wearing a gray hoodie.

“Most important to him was basketball,” said Henry's Jamaican-born uncle, Andrew Douglas, 49. “That was his life. He loved it”.

Douglas said he heard that the shooting might have been over some fancy Michael Jordan sneakers Henry was wearing.

Family members said Henry attended Monroe College in the Bronx but was planning to transfer to York College in Queens to play basketball there.

Henry was a shooting guard at Coconut Creek High School in Broward County, Florida, where his father lives, and graduated in 2011.

Henry’s neighbour, Tariq Miller, 20, said he heard one shot followed by a pause and nine more. He said he immediately went outside and saw his friend sprawled out face down

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KINGSTON, Jamaica – The US dollar Monday, May 26 ended trading at J$111.17

1US$= JA$111.17 #BringBackOurJamaica 
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The US dollar Monday, May 26 ended trading at J$111.17, according to the Bank of Jamaica’s daily foreign exchange trading summary.

The Canadian dollar closed at J$101.97 while the British pound ended the day’s trading at J$186.95.

JAVON Francis makes return to the track with 400m win in a creditable 46.21 seconds at Saturday's JAAA All Comers Meet at the National Stadium.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014    

JAVON Francis made his long-awaited return to competitive racing to win the men's 400m in a creditable 46.21 seconds at Saturday's JAAA All Comers Meet at the National Stadium.....

After being left out of Jamaica's team to the inaugural IAAF World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas, due to an injury he picked up in March at the ISSA Boys'

FRANCIS... clocked a creditable
46.21 seconds

and Girls' Athletics Championships, Francis made his first appearance in almost two months a

good one.

A couple hours after winning the Class One boys' 400m in a new record 45.00 seconds, Francis pulled up in the 200m and limped off the track with what turned out to be a "grade one strain just between the glutes and the hamstring", his coach Michael Clarke told the Jamaica Observer in April.

Peter Mathews (46.52 seconds) and Annsert Whyte (46.90), both of Racers TC, were second and third, respectively.

World Youth Championships 200m gold medallist Michael O'Hara ran a personal best 10.19 seconds (wind 1.8m/s) to place second in the event behind Winston Barnes of MVP, who won in a season's best 10.17 seconds.

The University of Technology's Adolphus Nevers was third in 10.32 seconds.

Latoya Greaves of MVP won the 100m hurdles in a season's best 13.16 seconds to beat Chrisdale McCarthy of UTech (13.41 seconds) and Peta-Gay Williams (13.47). more

Exec. Director of PALAS, RULA BROWN presents certificate of appreciation to Hon. DAMION CRAWFORD....Peace and Love Academic Scholarship (PALAS) will hold it's 4th Annual Awards presentation at the University of The West Indies (UWI-Mona) on Saturday, August 23, 2014 in Kingston, JAMAICA.

Exec. Director of PALAS, RULA BROWN presents certificate of appreciation to Hon. DAMION CRAWFORD at 2013 awards ceremony at UWI-Mona in Kingston, JAMAICA. 

Peace and Love Academic Scholarship (PALAS) will hold it's 4th Annual Awards presentation at the University of The West Indies (UWI-Mona) on Saturday, August 23, 2014 in Kingston, JAMAICA. PALAS awarded 115 scholarships in the past 3 years. PALAS' goal is to award 100 scholarships in 2014. Please make a contribution at www.PALAS1.org . Thank you.

Americans consume 80 percent of the world's supply of painkillers -- more than 110 tons of pure, addictive opiates every year -- as the country's prescription drug abuse epidemic explodes.

Americans consume 80 percent of the world's supply of painkillers -- more than 110 tons of pure, addictive opiates every year -- as the country's prescription drug abuse epidemic explodes.

That's enough drugs to give every single American 64 Percocets or Vicodin. And pain pill prescriptions continue to surge, up 600 percent in ten year, thanks to doctors who are more and more willing to hand out drugs to patients who are suffering. 

As more people get their hands on these potentially-dangerous drugs, more are taking them to get high. Their drug abuse leads to 14,800 deaths a year -- more than from heroin and cocaine combined.

'We've become a society of wusses,' Long Island, New York, pharmacist Howard Levine told the BBC. 

Mr Levine stopped carrying all of the major addictive prescription drugs after he was robbed twice by addicts looking to get high.

 

More...

• Man, 28, 'shakes girlfriend's 7-week-old daughter to death while high on prescription drugs'
• Man wanted for robbing SEVEN banks in less than a year...and he hasn't used a gun once

Nationwide, police are reporting increases in robberies and other crimes by people who are addicted to oxycodone and hydrocodone, the key ingredient in most prescription pain pills. 

One of the people lured into crime by drug dependency was Rich Elassar, 36, who once owned a successful business in New Jersey. more: 

 

Just Go Bananas : After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again. Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Just Go Bananas A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about Bananas. He said the expression 'going bananas' is from the effects of Bananas on the brain. Read on:Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!! This is interesting. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous  90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst  people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin  in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia. more

IN JAMAICA: A TRIPLE MURDER, ‘Man shouldn’t have reached police station’ Frustrated MP, MICHAEL PEART expresses emotions at funeral of murder victims....Cassandra Nadine Carridice, her sons Roshan Ellis, 11 and Jovan Thomas, 16, were laid to rest following Sunday’s service at the Porus Community Centre.

BY ALICIA SUTHERLAND Observer staff reporter sutherlanda@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, May 27, 2014    

Cassandra Carridice and her two sons

PORUS, Manchester — Speaker of the House Michael Peart struck a controversial note when he appeared to support vigilante justice at a thanksgiving service on Sunday for the victims of a triple murder late last month.

“… Sometimes things happen in our communities and we take it too simple. That man shouldn’t have reached police station,” Peart, who is also Member of Parliament for South Manchester (PNP), declared to assenting shouts from the congregation.

However, in his turn at the podium Member of Parliament for North East Manchester Audley Shaw (JLP) disagreed with any suggestion of “jungle justice”, insisting that instead Jamaica should resume capital punishment for those found guilty of capital murder.

Mourners waiting outside the Porus
Community Centre where the
thanksgiving service for
Cassandra Carridice, her sons
Roshan Ellis, 11 and
Jovan Thomas, 16, was held on
Sunday. (PHOTOS: GREGORY BENNETT)

Shaw argued that if death by hanging was considered inhumane by the “bleeding hearts”, then Jamaicans should resort to executions by lethal injection as is being done in some parts of the United States.

There have been no State executions in Jamaica since the late-1980s though capital punishment remains on the law books. In late-2008, Jamaican parliamentarians, in a conscience vote, opted for retention of the death penalty. Cassandra Nadine Carridice, her sons Roshan Ellis, 11 and Jovan Thomas, 16, were laid to rest following Sunday’s service at the Porus Community Centre.

The three were stabbed to death at their home in Ramble, near Porus in Manchester, on April 29, allegedly by a man with whom the mother had a relationship.

The 46-year-old accused, Mark Henry of Spring Grove, is now in custody awaiting his June 25 court date to the charge of three counts of murder. more

Tony Rebel files appeal in in the multimillion-dollar copyright infringement lawsuit against him....for alleged breach of copyright in relation to the composition of the Going Home rhythm that was released by Tony Rebel under the title La La Bella.

BY PAUL HENRY Crime/Court Desk co-ordinator henryp@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, May 27, 2014    

SINGER Tony Rebel has filed an appeal against the Supreme Court's refusal to reinstate his defence in the multimillion-dollar copyright infringement lawsuit against him.

TONY REBEL... asking the Court to set aside the decision
 made earlier this month against him

The loss in the Supreme Court means that the matter will proceed to an assessment of damages hearing for a determination to be made on how much money Tony Rebel is to shell out to composer Jah Wayne, who claimed that the artiste infringed his copyright.

But that is likely to be placed on hold in light of the appeal being filed.

If Tony Rebel is successful in the Court of Appeal, he would be allowed to contest the lawsuit.

He's asking the Court to set aside the decision made earlier this month by Justice Kirk Anderson and set an early date for the trial of the case in the Supreme Court.

Jah Wayne (real name Wayne Lattibeaudiere), is suing Tony Rebel (real name Patrick Barrett) and his company Flame Production Incorporation Limited for alleged breach of copyright in relation to the composition of the Going Home rhythm that was released by Tony Rebel under the title La La Bella.

One of the songs recorded on the rhythm is Ghetto People Song by Everton Blender.

Jah Wayne is claiming that he was the composer and, without his authorisation, Tony Rebel caused the rhythm to be broadcasted, distributed, sold/published without identifying him as the composer. more

KIDS REACT TO OLD COMPUTERS (VERY FUNNY) Watch the kids try and figure out how to use a 1970's era computer in another special Old Technology

IN JAMAICA: PNP mourns killing of prominent activist Kenley 'Bebe' Stephens has left the party's organisation in St James in shock.....Stephens was killed at his gate Sunday evening

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, May 27, 2014    

MONTEGO BAY, St James — The killing of prominent People's National Party (PNP) activist Kenley 'Bebe' Stephens has left the party's organisation in St James in shock.

Kenley ‘Bebe’ Stephens riding a horse last
 Friday during Labour Day activities being
 carried out by members of the West Central
 St James constituency, at the Granville
Police Station. (PHOTO: ALAN LEWIN)

Stephens was killed at his gate Sunday evening, hours after attending a meeting of the party's Regional Executive Council in Montego Bay in the parish. He was the vice-chairman of the West Central St James constituency.

According to a release from the Corporate Communication Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, at about 8:35 Sunday evening, Stephens—  accompanied by two other men — was about to enter his car at his gate on the upscale Winchester Terrace, Coral Gardens, when he was approached by a man who shot him repeatedly.

He was taken to hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. The other two men were not harmed. The shooter, meanwhile, escaped from the area on foot.

Detectives from the St James police division are investigating the incident.

Yesterday, party officials mourned the killing with chairman of the PNP's Region Six, Dr DK Duncan, remarking that Stephens made a meaningful contribution to the party.

"Like most persons, we are saddened by his passing. He has made significant contribution to the PNP, through the youth organisation and the West Central St James constituency," Dr Duncan reflected.

Meanwhile, West Central Member of Parliament Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, who expressed unease about the violent manner in which the nation's youths are dying, argued that Stephens was not only a party man, but a zealous community worker.

"We are very shocked and hurt at his sudden and violent death. We are concerned about the horrific way in which our young men are dying, not only in St James, but in the nation," Folkes-Abrahams told the sJamaica Observer. more

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IN JAMAICA: Expanded health centre in St Thomas eases pressure on residents, hospital.....“This is one of the best things they could have ever done for us and I am so grateful,” said a senior citizen..... His daughter Aldene said it can cost as much as $4,000 to charter a taxi to take sick relatives and friends to the hospital.

BY INGRID BROWN Associate editor – special assignment browni@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, May 26, 2014    

SEVENTY-two — year-old Donald Dayle has been struggling to find the $400 to travel from his home in Hampton Court, St Thomas to the parish capital Morant Bay every month to see the doctor.

Scores of elated residents turned out for the official
 opening of the Isaac Barrant Centre of Excellence
in Hampton Court, St Thomas, which will ease the burden
 on the Princess Margaret Hospital in the parish.
 (PHOTO: LIONEL ROOKWOOD)

But that struggle is over, as he will now be receiving medical attention at the recently opened Isaac Barrant Centre of Excellence in Hampton Court, which will serve him and hundreds of other residents from 16 communities in the eastern part of the parish as well as neighbouring communities in Portland.

“This is one of the best things they could have ever done for us and I am so grateful,” the senior citizen told the Jamaica Observer North East at a recent ceremony to officially open the facility. Many residents, who recalled when the health centre once operated as a hospital several decades ago, expressed appreciation that the facility would once again be offering some services which they could only previously access at the Princess Margaret Hospital in the capital.

Like Dayle, many of them said the transportation cost from their farming community to Morant Bay to access medical attention was burdensome. His daughter Aldene said it can cost as much as $4,000 to charter a taxi to take sick relatives and friends to the hospital.

“Mi feel so good that here so open. So much so that every night mi pass here mi say ‘Thank you, Jesus’,” she said. Irodel Harrison said the new health centre is well-needed in the parish. Although she doesn’t live in the Hampton Court community, the Port Morant resident said she has been using the facility since the days when it was a hospital.

“This is a sugar-belt community with so many accidents with machete and everybody have to go all the way to Princess Margaret, so this is a good thing,” Harrison said.

Expanded at a cost of $32 million, the type five health centre now boasts an extended waiting area and pharmacy, a well-equipped dental department, a blood lab and upgraded staff accommodation. Minister of Health and member of parliament for eastern St Thomas Dr Fenton Ferguson said the Centre of Excellence is designed to ease the pressure on hospitals as it will offer a wide range of services. The centre will also roll out some specialist services when phase two of the expansion is complete later this financial year.

“Eventually, we will have some rooms but as it is now we don’t want to bring the expectations and hope of the people above and beyond what it was designed to do,” he explained.

Given its history as a hospital, Fenton said the facility has the possibility of evolving into more than a centre of excellence. “For now, it will have an ambulance so you can move patients from there to Princess Margaret Hospital and there is a first class dental clinic which will be good because given the cost of dental care, oftentimes in rural Jamaica even when persons have the need they just don’t have the money to go for private care,” he said. more

Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.Am does a little dancehall on his latest song, Birthday, which samples deejays Aidonia and Bounty Killer.

BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer writer  Monday, May 26, 2014    

Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am does a little dancehall on his latest song, Birthday, which samples deejays Aidonia and Bounty Killer.

Birthday features Aidonia's Fi Di Jockey and Bounty Killer chanting 'Big Ship Sailing'. Birthday was co-produced by will.i.am and Damien LeRoy. It also has an appearance from American singer Cody Wise.

Will.I.AM

Birthday is scheduled to be released on June 7 by Interscope Records.

Stephen McGregor, who produced Fi Di Jockey for his Di Genius label, said his publishers at Sony Music are aware of the sample and approved its use.

"Once the publishers give clearance, then we don't necessarily know beforehand. However, my publishers are aware of it so they are on top of everything," he told the Jamaica Observer.

McGregor noted the significance of will.i.am's nod to dancehall.

"It's definitely a great look when an international artiste samples your work. It shows that there's potential for our music."

The 24-year-old McGregor has a long list of hits to his name. They include From Morning (Never Change) by his brother Chino; Don't Leave Me (Nelly Furtado); the Power Cut, Summer Bounce and Day Rave 'riddims'. He also produced songs for Sean Paul's Imperial Blaze album.

Fi Di Jockey was a chart-topper in Jamaica and the Caribbean last year. more

Columbia Records signs 17 y-o JAMAICAN artist Samantha J.....Columbia Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, has had a number of Jamaican acts on its roster over the years. Previously signed to Columbia Records were Ini Kamoze, Mad Cobra, Tony Rebel, Tiger, Super Cat and recorded for Columbia Peter Tosh

BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer writer  Monday, May 26, 2014    

SAMANTHA J

JUST one year after the release of her breakout hit Tight Skirt, singer Samantha J has signed a record deal with major American label Columbia Records.

The 17-year-old, who is currently on a promotional trip in North America, is upbeat about the Columbia agreement.

"I cannot express how happy I am to be a part of the Columbia Records family. The label has a rich history of developing great artistes and music. As soon as I have my exams under my belt, I can't wait to get back to producing music and most of all making Jamaica proud," Samantha J said in a media release.

Tessanne Chin
& SamanthaJ

The Ocho Rios-based singer won the 2014 Youth View Award for Favourite Breakout Celebrity with Tight Skirt. Her follow-up single is Hot Gal Anthem.

Columbia Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, has had a number of Jamaican acts on its roster over the years.

Previously signed to Columbia Records were Ini Kamoze, Mad Cobra, Tony Rebel and Tiger (through label affiliate Chaos Records), Super Cat and recorded for Columbia Peter Tosh, whose landmark albums Legalize it and Equal Rights were distributed by the label.....

IN JAMAICA: Easier access to public health care for HIV-infected gay men....Minister of Health, Dr. Fenton Ferguson said "That will be very helpful, as a major concern for Jamaica is the MSMs which is now consistently showing a HIV prevalence rate of 32 per cent,"

BY INGRID BROWN Associate editor — special assignment browni@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, May 26, 2014    

HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSMs) now experience little or no barrier in accessing services at the island's public health facilities despite Jamaica's stringent buggery laws which criminalises the practice.

Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson

This has been made possible by the Ministry of Health which recently facilitated the Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) training of some 60 health-care professionals, to sensitise them on dealing with this population.

Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson told the Jamaica Observer that J-FLAG has undertaken the training of a number of health professionals across the island to sensitise them on the need to better treat with this vulnerable population.

Ferguson expressed delight that J-FLAG was able to satisfactorily complete the training programme with the health-care professionals.

"That will be very helpful, as a major concern for Jamaica is the MSMs which is now consistently showing a HIV prevalence rate of 32 per cent," Ferguson said, adding that he will be reinforcing this point when he speaks at the upcoming graduation exercise for those who benefited from the training.

Meanwhile, J-FLAG said Jamaica AIDS Support (JAS) has always operated a fully functional clinic to treat its clients, including MSMs, who shy away from the island's clinics and hospitals.

According to Brian Paul, sub-regional co-ordinator of the Caribbean Forum of the Liberation and Acceptance of Genders and Sexualities (CariFLAGS) and advocate for J-FLAG over the last decade, agencies like JAS were empowered to do work with MSMs and transsexuals because the government's health system was not very embracing of diversity

given that there was a lot of hostility against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

"When you get to the gate security guards would turn you away and nurses and other administrative staff within the compound would have been hostile, and so a lot of LGBT people relied on NGOs like JAS to provide that clinical care," he told the Observer. "However, over the years with greater exposure and education, the health-care providers at all levels are now more knowledgeable on sexual diversity and because of that they are now more sensitive to the needs of the population, so we are seeing a lot

more LGBT people accessing health-care in the public sector," Paul said.

He noted that this has been the result of years of advocacy work. more

JAMAICAN, Oral ‘Nick’ Hillary sues US town in NEW YORK and police.... But his lawyer says legal action has landed him a murder charge for the death of a young white boy....

An image of Oral ‘Nick’ Hillary being taken into custody
 on May 15 by one of the officers who he filed a civil suit
 against in 2012 for wrongul arrest and unlawful search.

Monday, May 26, 2014    

A Jamaican man who sued the town of Potsdam in New York and its police force after he was detained in 2011 in relation to the death of a young white boy, was charged with murder just over a week ago in what his attorney and supporters say is a move to punish him for filing the lawsuit.

The case is mushrooming into a civil rights issue as supporters of the accused football coach, Oral ‘Nick’ Hillary, believe he is being held on trumped-up charges because he, a black man, dared to file a lawsuit against Potsdam and its police officers, one of whom is seen in a YouTube video taking him into custody earlier this month.

Mani Tafari, the lawyer representing Hillary in that civil suit, and who is himself a Jamaican, told the Jamaica Observer that his client was charged because he filed a civil claim in January 2012 against the police for false arrest and unlawful search.

“This case is so political because they (the police) took it personal when he dared to sue them,” Tafari told the Observer via telephone from New York.

On October 24, 2011, 12-year-old Garett Phillips was found strangled and smothered in the apartment he shared with his mother, an ex-police officer, whom Hillary had previously dated. Tafari explained that the police were at Hillary’s home within minutes of the boy’s death and he was kept under surveillance for two days before taken to the police station.

TAFARI... says his client was charged
 because he sued the police (right)
HILLARY... supporters maintain that
 he is one hundred per cent
 innocent of the murder charge

He was detained all day before being released without charge and his name was allegedly leaked to the press as someone the police suspected. According to Tafari, he filed a Federal civil rights lawsuit for false arrest and unlawful search. “I also made it clear that his reputation was tarnished by the report in the newspaper,” he said of Hillary, with whom he played college football.

The complaint filed in the Supreme Court of New York, a copy of which was obtained by the Observer, stated that Hillary was asked to accompany the police to the station some time after 7:45 am on October 24, 2011, and was later prevented from leaving for work. His phone, according to the complaint, was forcefully confiscated and he was placed in a holding area until 5:00 pm that day when he was released without any explanation. more

IN JAMAICA: Careers & Education, Workforce of the future....Students and Parents at Morris Knibb Preparatory School in St Andrew pull out all the stops for their Career Day exercise

Sunday, May 25, 2014 , excerpt from the Jamaica Observer   

Students and Parents at Morris Knibb Preparatory School in St Andrew pull out all the stops for their Career Day exercise on Friday, May 16, 2014. The day was also celebrated as Children's Appreciation Day. Student attended school dressed as the professionals of their choice, and were given talks by actual persons in various fields, including cops from the Duhaney Park Police Station.

For Children's Appreciation Day, a part of Child Month activities, students were also treated to cake and ice cream.

NEW YORK CITY: Al Sharpton Fights For Bronx Teen Pushed Through Window By NYPD Officer....14-year-old Javier Payne and his family joined Rev. Al Sharpton....

May 25, 2014 By NewsOne Staff

Appearing in public for the first time since allegedly being slammed through a window by a New York City police officer, 14-year-old Javier Payne and his family joined Rev. Al Sharpton on Saturday for a National Action Network rally and demanded justice, reports the New York Post.

According to Payne’s family, the eighth-grader needed 50 stitches on his side and staples in his forehead. “All we can say is that nothing justifies these results,” Sharpton said.

Read more details from the NY Daily News:

The brutal encounter began May 17 when Javier and a 13-year-old friend were arrested in the Belmont section of the Bronx after allegedly assaulting a 39-year-old man they had asked for a cigarette.

The teens were handcuffed, and Javier began talking trash to Sgt. Eliezer Pabon of the 48th Precinct, sources said.

Surveillance video captured Pabon shoving Javier from behind, causing him to crash through the window of the Hookah Spot on Arthur Ave., according to sources. more

IN JAMAICA: Taxi driver, Chester Davis, drops pants at police in escape bid... In Court, "What you mean by indecent exposure?" the magistrate asked. "Him drop him pants, your honour," the liaison officer answered. "What happen, the pants belt gave way?" she jokingly asked Davis...."Your honour, I never expose myself, I was wearing a shorts," Davis said.

Sunday, May 25, 2014 Jamaica Observer   

A taxi driver faced the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court last week for reportedly dropping his pants and showing the police his buttocks when they tried to accost him for using indecent language.

The accused, Chester Davis, was arrested and charged with indecent exposure, resisting arrest and driving with no insurance coverage.

However, last Thursday when he appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate (RM) Judith Pusey he denied the allegations.

"What you mean by indecent exposure?" the magistrate asked.

"Him drop him pants, your honour," the liaison officer answered.

"What happen, the pants belt gave way?" she jokingly asked Davis.

"Your honour, I never expose myself, I was wearing a shorts," Davis said.

As a result, his bail was extended for him to return to court on June 26. He was also told to go to the Traffic Court on July 17 to answer to the traffic offence.

According to police reports, on May 16 police personnel were on their way to court when Davis, who was travelling in his motor car, swerved on the road in front of the court and uttered several expletives.

He was reportedly heard by the police who chased him to Molynes Road where he ran onto a business place, pulled down his pants and exposed himself to the lawmen to prevent them from arresting him.

However, the police called for back-up and he was taken into custody and charged.

Man admits to cheating

with his neighbour

There was laughter in the court on Tuesday after an accused man openly confessed that he was a cheater and that his cheating was the cause of the problem between him and his woman.

"All this is coming from cheating," he said. "I am a cheater, I go as near as next door."

Berchel Mayne was dragged before the court for hitting his common-law wife in her back, causing bruises and swelling and assaulting a police officer by tearing his shirt when he was being arrested

Interestingly, Mayne, before his confession, initially blamed the complainant for causing the problem between them.

"Your Honour, she is a very nice woman but she ignorant," he said while claiming that she always attacked him with a weapon.

"Your Honour, one time she run me down on the road in a tights and brassiere with a chopper, a stone and a cutlass," he said.

Mayne then told the court that he was a good man in his community, a good man to the complainant, and treated her well.

The magistrate then asked him if he did not hit the complainant and he admitted that he did but said he was innocent of the other charges of resisting arrest, assaulting a constable and malicious destruction of property.

However, the complainant who fathered three children by Mayne during their 14-year relationship, denied Mayne's report and told the court that he was an abusive man who had hit her several times, even during pregnancy.

"Your honour, that's not true, ask anybody in the community, I never hit her before. I am not a woman beater," he said.

Mayne then told the court that the complainant had thrown him out of the house since the incident and he was suffering. more

IN JAMAICA (Gays pressured UWI to fire Professor BAIN) : Pressure mounts on UWI as Bar Association criticises firing of Professor Group plans 'massive protest' for tomorrow Sunday, May 25, 2014

 Sunday, May 25, 2014    

OPPOSITION to the sacking of Professor Brendan Bain continued to mount Friday as the influential Jamaican Bar Association (Jambar) took the University of the West Indies (UWI) to task while expressing concern that the controversial decision could have an adverse impact on experts giving testimony in Jamaica.

BAIN… fired for testimony in Belize case

At the same time, a group that started an online petition in support of Professor Bain said it has planned "a massive protest" for tomorrow at the UWI's main gate starting at 8:00 am.

The group, which said that more than 1,900 persons have already signed the online petition that has been sent to UWI Vice Chancellor Professor Nigel Harris' e-mail address, stated that the protest was being staged because of Harris' silence in the face of mounting opposition to Professor Bain's dismissal as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Network.

"Stand up for what is right. We will not be silenced. Join thousands of other people from across Jamaica outside the vice chancellor's office (across from UWI Mona Campus main gate). This is not about your ideological background but about the principle of standing up for justice," the group said in an e-mail sent to petitioners and the media.

The UWI has been the target of heavy flak since last Tuesday when it announced that it had cashiered Bain because he has lost the confidence of the community that the CHART was established to serve.

CHART, which is funded by the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), is designed to equip health care workers and counsellors with the skills to treat persons living with HIV. The programme also has an education component aimed at ending stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.

The UWI made its decision after being pressured by a coalition of 33 gay and human rights lobby groups from across the Caribbean to fire Bain because of expert testimony he gave in a constitutional challenge brought by a gay Belizean man against that country's criminal code.

The Belizean, Caleb Orozco, had argued in September 2010 that the code, which states that "every person who has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person or animal shall be liable to imprisonment for 10 years", violates his right to the recognition of human dignity, to personal privacy and the privacy of the home guaranteed by the Belize constitution. more

IN JAMAICA: A Manchester man's horrible St James mystery.....as a result of the severe burns he has gradually lost sight in both eyes; has hearing problems in his right ear and has trouble eating and talking.

BY ALICIA SUTHERLAND Sunday Observer staff reporter sutherlanda@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, May 25, 2014    

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — It's a horror story with no obvious explanation.

In August 2011 Alwayne Smith, who is now 27, woke up in the Cornwall Regional Hospital suffering from severe burns.

Smith after the incident showing
burns over face, back

Incredibly, he claims that he has no idea how or why he was injured. He told the Jamaica Observer that the last thing he remembers prior to waking up in hospital is going to bed at a house in Montego Bay.

Smith's badly maimed face greeted the Sunday Observer recently as he sat on the verandah of his mother's house in Oxford, deep rural North West Manchester.

He also bears scars to his neck, upper back and feet.

Apparently, as a result of the severe burns he has gradually lost sight in both eyes; has hearing problems in his right ear and has trouble eating and talking.

Without having to utter a word, Smith presented a horrid picture of pure trauma.

The way he tells it, he left Oxford for Montego Bay in July 2011 for a job interview in the hotel industry.

Short of money, he decided to stay at an unoccupied house owned by a friend in Long Bay while waiting to see if he would get the job.

Meantime, he took temporary work helping another friend who had a truck and a contract with a large western Jamaica company to distribute mainly food items to businesses.

On August 7, 2011 he was free for the day and went to visit yet another of his friends.

He remembers returning from that friend's house sometime after midnight and going to bed shortly after. He remembers smoking before retiring to bed and when he came out of a coma in hospital seven days later, he was told that he had been found severely burned and left for dead at a roadside. Smith insists he has no recollection of the presumed assault on him.

Smith before the incident

"The doctor did a sey if mi never wake up inna the next two day maybe dem woulda pass mi dead," Smith told the Sunday Observer.

When contacted, the Barrett Town Police in St James - that supports the Long Bay area - told the Sunday Observer that they were unable to find any information on the incident. Up to press time the Constabulary Communications Unit (CCU) had not provided promised feedback.

According to Smith, the conclusion of the police in the initial stages was that his injuries may have been the result of an acid attack. However, according to him, doctors said that it could have been caused by a fire torch. more

BREAKING NEWS: ELLIOT RODGER, MASS MURDERER in CALIFORNIA SHOOTING, UC Santa Barbara Drive-By Shooting Leaves Several Dead .....7 dead and 7 injured

AP  | by  RAQUEL MARIA DILLON

GOLETA, Calif. (AP) — A drive-by shooter went on a rampage near a Santa Barbara university campus that left seven people dead, including the attacker, and seven others wounded, authorities said Saturday.

The gunman got into two gun battles with deputies during Friday night's rampage in the beachside community of Isla Vista before crashing his black BMW into a parked car, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said.

Deputies found him dead with a gunshot wound to the head, but it wasn't immediately clear whether he was killed by gunfire or if he committed suicide, he said.

A semi-automatic handgun was recovered from the scene near the University of California, Santa Barbara. Investigators know the gunman's name, but Brown said he couldn't release it pending notification of relatives."We're analyzing both written and videotaped evidence that suggests that this atrocity was a premeditated mass murder," Brown said.

The rampage broke out around 9:30 p.m. in the student enclave reputed for parties, including an annual spring bash that turned into a violent blowout last month. Brown said the shootings occurred at several sites, resulting in nine crime scenes. more

Miracle Tabernacle Christmas Treat for The Children of Clarendon, JAMAICA

Miracle Tabernacle  

Freetown Church of God

Of Prophecy Outreach

Clarendon, Jamaica

Go to www.ShopSampars.com to send your support.

 

Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller to be awarded Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree....She will deliver the keynote address at the Lafayette College's 179th Commencement Ceremony in Pennsylvania, United States

Saturday, May 24, 2014    

PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller was scheduled to leave the island yesterday for Pennsylvania, United States, where she will deliver the keynote address at the Lafayette College's 179th Commencement Ceremony.

A Jamaica House statement said Simpson Miller will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from the institution.

Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller

Expressing delight at the decision of the Jamaican prime minister to address the graduates and parents, President of Lafayette College Alison Byerly said her visit was expected to provide an opportunity for discussion on ways in which Jamaica's quest to develop its economy and enhance its global connectedness might lead to new opportunities for Lafayette students and faculty.

The college president said consideration was also being given to strengthening Lafayette's academic community with outstanding and highly qualified Jamaican students who are interested in future leadership roles and in helping their country's efforts to transform its economy and civil society.

Lafayette College, at the same time, has decided to establish a scholarship fund to enroll future students from Jamaica. The scholarships will cover the full financial needs of the recipients for four years, in addition to a stipend for overseas study experience. The college has six Jamaicans among its alumni since 1997. more

Cops, West Kingston Residents Mend Fences...."We want to break away from the stigma of the police being seen as the aggressor. We want to work with the police to show that we can get things done," said Carlisle Brown, a Denham Town resident.

Published: Saturday | May 24, 2014

The Denham Town Police Station has often been the flashpoint of the tempestuous relationship that existed for decades between police and residents from that west Kingston community.

Residents of Denham Town in Kingston turned out in
their numbers to help give the police station a
 facelift yesterday.

Claims of extrajudicial killings and police brutality have triggered some explosive confrontations between the two sides, some of which resulted in heavy and sustained gunfire on the police station.

But all of that was a distant memory yesterday as scores of residents - armed with brooms, paintbrushes and machetes - joined employees from the West Kingston Power Partners to give the station house a complete makeover on Labour Day.

There were refreshments and plenty of laughter as they set about improving the working conditions for the police officers whose actions they have not always agreed with. For some who braved the heat, it was an opportunity to bury the hatchet.

"We want to break away from the stigma of the police being seen as the aggressor. We want to work with the police to show that we can get things done," said Carlisle Brown, a Denham Town resident.

Asserting that the police were there to help, Brown underscored that his community and the police can enjoy a good relationship.

"Everyone used to bash the police and the police used to bash us saying, 'Nutten good can't come out a Denham Town'. But this goes to show that we can work together," he noted.

POSITIVE STEP

It was a view shared by Senior Superintendent Steve McGregor, commanding officer for the Kingston West Police Division, who called the commingling of residents and police personnel "a new dawn" in the relationship.

West Kingston Energy Partners' chief executive officer, Wayne McKenzie, said this was one of the things that influenced his company to get involved in the project. more