PNP used up funds earmarked to finance $1.5-m tax break – Shaw

Tuesday, March 29, 2016 | 10:51 AM 

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Finance and Public Service, Audley Shaw, a short while ago disclosed that funds that should have been set aside from the existing gas tax have already been used up in the consolidated funds under the previous People’s National Party (PNP) administration.

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), in making its election promise to implement a threshold of $1.5 million for Pay as You Earn (PAYE) contributors planned on using an estimated $9.5 billion from the gas tax to assist in funding the expected $12.5 billion that the tax plan would cost the country.

The disclosure means that the Government has to institute other plans to fund the loss from the reallocation of revenue from the existing gas tax.

Shaw is however reassuring the country of the Government’s commitment to providing the proposed tax break to employees. He was speaking at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) President's Forum this morning. He told OBSERVER ONLINE that the Government will present new plans to address the issue in the upcoming budget debate.

Karena Bennett

FALMOUTH, Trelawny (JA) : A policeman was among 19 people arrested in major anti-lottery scam operations....The 19 included seven women, while cash amounting to $1.8 million

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, March 31, 2016    

FALMOUTH, Trelawny — A policeman was among 19 people arrested in major anti-lottery scam operations carried out by several units of the constabulary between Tuesday and yesterday in the parishes of St James, Trelawny, St Ann, Kingston and St Andrew.

Senior police officers who yesterday fielded questions from
journalists during a press conference at the Falmouth Police
 Station in Ytelawny. From left are head of the Area One
 Police Assiatant Commissioner Winchroy Buddho; Senior
Superintendent Clifford Chambers; Assistant Commissioner
 Devon Watkis of C-TOC; and Deputy Superintendent
Jason Anderson of MOCA.

The 19 included seven women, while cash amounting to $1.8 million and a motor car were seized during the operations.

“One of the persons taken into custody is one of our own, and that individual will be subjected to similar legal processes in continuation of our investigations,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Devon Watkis, head of the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC).

The arrest of the policeman, he said, showed that the constabulary’s investigations include all those who are responsible for criminal activities. He added: “We will continue these investigations until we are able to arrest the persons who are connected to [the lottery scam]. … We will not allow these activities to continue…”

The C-TOC boss, who was speaking to journalists at a press briefing held yesterday at the conference room of the Falmouth Police Station, said seven of the 19 held, including the policeman, are likely to face extradition to the United States, where hundreds of people, many of them elderly, have been fleeced of millions of dollars by lottery scammers operating mainly in western Jamaica.

“...[The] intention is for us to execute warrants on persons who may be the subject of extradition warrants. Already we have at least seven persons we can confirm may be subjected to these processes. The names of which we will not reveal at this time,” said the assistant commissioner.

Although he refused to name the policeman and the station to which he was assigned, ACP Watkis said he was nabbed in Kingston.

In the meantime, ACP Watkis revealed that international law enforcement officers partnered with the more than 200 members of C-TOC, the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency, the Financial Investigations Division, the Constabulary Financial Unit, the Mobile Reserve, and the Area One Police in the raids that involved the search of 20 locations. more

IN JAMAICA: Motorcylist, daughter die in crash after burial of schoolboy footballer Jordan Foote .... Man planned originally to attend church service only but went to burial site, after which tradedy struck

BY TANESHA MUNDLE Observer staff reporter mundlet@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, March 30, 2016 

ON Sunday when Norman Delhall left his home in McIntyre Villa, Kingston, with his daughter to attend the funeral of star footballer Jordan Foote, his plan was to only attend the church service and quickly return home to resume his tailoring commitments. But that was not to be.

Shavell Delhall was a member of the Jamaica Under-19
Football Team.

The 54-year-old tailor and his 18-year-old daughter, Shavell — a former member of the Jamaica Under-19 football squad — met their demise after the motorcycle on which they were travelling reportedly crashed into a cement mixer motor truck.

The unfortunate incident occurred about 5:20 pm on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston, while Norman was returning home on his motorcycle with his daughter from the Dovecot Memorial Gardens in St Catherine, where Foote was laid to rest.

Yesterday, when the Jamaica Observer visited the Delhalls’ home, his sister, Viviene, who was overcome with grief, said she could not get over the fact that her brother had told her that he was not going to the burial ground.

“All mi a hear inna me head is him saying that him just a go a the church, him not going to Dovecot and all now him nuh come back,” she said before breaking down into tears.

Norman Delhall crashed and died on his way home
 from the burial of star footballer Jordan Foote.

According to Viviene, her brother changed his mind about returning home after the church service because of his daughter.

“If Shavell never say she ago over there him would a never go,” she said. “Me nuh know how mi a go overcome this,” she added. “Me cyaan believe this, this come in like a show.”

Andre Harvey, the son-in-law of the deceased — who had delivered the sad news to the family — said Delhall did not wake up with the intention of going to the funeral as he had gotten up late and had even sent his daughter to the shop to purchase food that he was going to cook for dinner. more

CONGRATULATIONS: High marks for returning JAMAICA's Carifta swimmers with their 25-medal haul included eight gold, nine silver and eight bronze,

BY SHERDON COWAN Observer staff reporter cowans@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, March 30, 2016   

After braving four days of intense competition at the recently concluded 31st Carifta Swimming Championships in Martinique, Jamaica’s young swimmers deserve every bit of commendation.

The 20-member team produced a number of outstanding performances and personal best times, including long-standing meet and national age-group records, as they did just enough to equal last year’s medal tally.

Jamaica's Swimmers at 2016 Carifta Game

Their 25-medal haul included eight gold, nine silver and eight bronze, which placed them fifth in the standings based on the quality of medals, but sixth overall.

The team arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday where they revelled in the accolades after being received by the Sports Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange. The team was led by the prowess of overseas-based Kelsie Campbell, who introduced herself to the Jamaican aquatic family with seven medals, which comprised three gold and four silver. Keanan Dols led the boys with five medals, inclusive of three gold, one silver, and one bronze.

Campbell’s four silver medals came in the relays, while Dols’ lone bronze medal came in the 4x200m freestyle relay, and the four others were individual events as he brought the curtains down on a successful Carifta career.

Olivia Grange (centre), Minister of Sports shares a photo
 opportunity with ASAJ president Handel Lamey (left) and
members of the Carifta swim team after their arrival
 at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday.

Dols stole the spotlight on the third day of the meet when he clocked a fast 2:07.80 minutes in the preliminary round of the Boys’ 15-17 200-metre individual medley, setting a new Carifta record in the process. e erased the previous 12-year-old record of 2:08.15 minutes held by Bradley Ally of Barbados.

However, he returned later in superb fashion to lower his own record in the event, clocking a blistering 2:07.27 minutes on his way to victory and mining the first gold medal of the evening. And if that was not enough to impress those in the aquatic arena, the smooth-stroking Dols again showed his class in the 200-metre backstroke where he clocked in at 2:07.26 minutes to erase the old record of 2:07.48 set by Olympian Brett Fraser of the Cayman Islands. more

JAMAICAN Teenager, Arthur Williams, Student Helps White House Prepare for Cuba Visit (VIDEO)

Published 03/24 2016 09:48AMUpdated 03/24 2016 09:49AM

You could say the campus of Hamilton College has always had a slight presidential feel to it. Maybe that's because it's namesake, Alexander Hamilton, was called to the White House countless times during his lifetime.

Arthur Williams

Hundreds of years later, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave is still calling. This time for a very different person.When Arthur Williams spent six weeks in Cuba this summer studying the impact of micro finance on Cuban entrepreneurship, he never expected his work would be used to help the President.

"It was kind of unbelievable, actually," Williams, a senior at Hamilton, said. 

Just a few months after he left Cuba for the first time, Williams received a call from the President's speech writing team. "The representative from the White House did mention to me there's not a lot of scholarship in Cuba and what's going on there," Williams said. "Once they saw my article and research, they decided to speak to me."

Williams said he watched some of the President's speeches in Cuba, and seeing his research play even a small role in his trip has been an honor.

"It has encouraged me to keep doing this research on Cuba," Williams said. "[As] an international student from Jamaica, we look forward to this normalization [with Cuba]." 

As for Arthur's next steps after college, he's now planning to pursue a career in international development and affairs. A career that's destined to be bright for a student who can say his words were a part of Presidential history.more

EDUCATE HARLEM : Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs To Open New Charter School In Harlem.... “Every young person should have the tools they need to succeed,” says Combs.

03/28/2016 01:25 pm ET Brennan WilliamsPop Culture Editor, The Huffington Post

It appears Sean Combs is diddy-bopping his way to improving New York City’s education system.  

The acclaimed Capital Preparatory Schools announced on Monday that it has tapped the multi-hyphenated mogul to open a new charter school in Harlem this fall. For the Harlem-native, opening the Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School is a “dream come true.”

“I want to impact the lives of young people in my community, and build future leaders. The first step is offering access to a quality education,” Combs said in a statement provided to The Huffington Post. “Every young person should have the tools they need to succeed. All our children should be able to pursue their dreams. That is something I can impact with this school.”

Joining Combs’ milestone venture will be educator and founder of Capital Preparatory Schools, Dr. Steve Perry, who will oversee the school and Orlando-based educator Danita Jones, who has been named as the school’s principal. Additional educators are expected to be named prior to the school’s fall opening.

Over the course of five years Combs met with local leaders and education experts, such as Dr.Perry, to outline the school’s groundwork to enrich the lives of Harlem students.

“I’m inspired by Sean Combs’ belief that educating our young people is the key to opening up a world of opportunity for them,” Dr. Perry said in the release. “Sean and I have spent many long hours over the last five years talking about education and how best to meet the needs of the young people of Harlem, and I couldn’t be more pleased to continue this journey through the opening of the school.”

The charter school is currently accepting applications for students in the sixth and seventh grades and will expand a grade each year until 700 students are fully enrolled in the school through grade 12, according to a press release.

BREAKING NEWS: HIJACKED with 81 passengers....At Least One Hijacker Took Control Of EgyptAir Flight...Plane En Route From Alexandria To Cairo... Forced To Land On Cyprus...DEVELOPING STORY

An EgyptAir plane was hijacked while flying from Alexandria to Cairo on Tuesday.

The jet, an Airbus A320, was forced to land at Larnaca International Airport on Cyprus.

A statement from the Egyptian aviation authority said there are 55 passengers on board and five crew members. Earlier media reports put the number on board as high as 80. According to Reuters, at least one man was thought to be armed. Hiuacker claims to have a bomb on the plane. CNN reports that all the Egyptians on the plane were released, all foreigners are being held on the plane. It is not known who the hijacker is at this moment.

A Cypriot official told The Associated Press the hijacker demanded that police move away from the aircraft....DEVELOPING STORY

HEALTHY CORNER: 9 Amazing Health Benefits Of Ginger

Ginger is delightful. Its bright, strong flavor adds a perfect kick to almost any dish. It’s been a favorite the world over for centuries and features in all kinds of cuisine.

But it’s not just its great flavor that makes it so popular. Like many delicious foods, this spice packs a whole host of amazing health benefits that make it even more wonderful.

Ginger

In fact, a lot of the foods you probably already enjoy are full of secret little health boosters, and ginger has one of the most impressive collections of benefits.

The other nice thing about ginger is that it’s so versatile, you can include it in almost anything.

You can use it in powder form to add a little spice to desserts, or add some fresh ginger root to a stir-fry for a pop of flavor. You can even boil it to make a tangy tea that will warm you right to the tips of your toes.

And while you’re enjoying the flavor, you’re also doing wonders for your health — and it’s always great when doing good also tastes good!

Check out some of the amazing things ginger can do for you below, and let us know your favorite ginger recipe in the comments! Ginger is a rhizome in the Zingiberaceae family, and it’s related to turmeric, cardamom, and galangal.

A rhizome is found underground — but it’s actually a stem, not a root!

Ginger has been used for centuries to relieve aches, pains, and ailments of all kinds. It can be used as a spice in all kinds of cooking, as well as brewed to make tea.... 

by Laura Caseley  more

St George’s, Grenada (CARIFTA GAMES) : JAMAICA leads with 55 medals after 2 days of competition...Three Jamaicans shatter Carifta records on day two....PALAS recipient SHANICE LOVE of XLCR high wins GOLD at the games....CONGRATS!

BY PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, March 28, 2016  

Defending champions Jamaica were well on their way to retaining their hold on the Carifta Games title for a 32nd straight year as they continued to pile up medals on yesterday’s second day of the 45th staging at the National Stadium in St George’s, Grenada.

Among the many winners yesterday were three record-breakers in the individual events with Zico Campbell in the Under-18 Boys’ shot put and intermediate hurdlers Shiann Salmon and Shannon Kalawan.

The Under-18 Boys’ 4x100m team also set a new record 40.40 seconds as they swept all four sprint relays.

Aiko Jones in action for Jamaica in the Girls’ Under-18 discus
at the Carifta Games at the Grenada National Stadium
 yesterday. Jones threw a personal best 46.49 metres to win gold.

At the end of the day, Jamaica was well set on a preliminary count of 55 medals — 26 gold, 18 silver and 11 bronze — well ahead of Barbados with three gold, five silver and five bronze and Guadeloupe with three gold and a bronze. Bahamas, with two gold in their 18 medals and Trinidad and Tobago also with two gold in their 10 medals, were fourth and fifth, respectively.

The championships end today with two more sessions covering 25 more finals. To be contested in the morning are the Girls’ Under-18 javelin, Girls’ Under-20 high jump, and Boys’ Under-18 long jump.

Shanice at Practice in Grenada
 - courtesy Track Alerts

In the afternoon session will be the Girls’ Under-20 javelin, Girls’ Under-18 triple jump, Boys’ Under-20 shot put, all four sprint hurdles finals, Boys’ Under-20 triple jump, Boys’ Under-18 discus throw, the finals in the four 800m events, finals in the four 200m events, Boys’ Under-20 5,000m and the four-mile relays.

All three medallists in the Boys’ Under-18 shot put were over the old mark of 17.56m, set last year by Trinidad’s Isaiah Taylor, with Jamaica’s Campbell winning with 17.75m on his first attempt.

His teammate Rasheeda Downer took silver at 17.57m with Barbados’s Triston Gibbons taking bronze with 16.64m.

Salmon and Kalawan also went under the old marks in the Girls’ Under-18 and Under-20 400m hurdles, respectively, as Jamaica won three of the four gold medals on offer.

Salmon, who was winning her second gold medal after she won the high jump on Saturday, clocked 59.50 seconds to win the event ahead of teammate Sanique Walker and Gabriel Gibson of The Bahamas.

Kalawan dominated the field with an impressive 56.29 seconds to beat The Bahamas’ Lakeisha Warner (58.14 seconds), with Jamaica’s Nicolee Foster in third place in 58.34 seconds. more

CONGRATULATIONS to JA : Jamaica end 31st Carifta Swimming Champs on high to improve their tally to 25 medals

Sunday, March 27, 2016 

Jamaica’s young swimmers ended on a high as they copped five medals to improve their tally to 25 on the final day of the 31st Carifta Swimming Championships in Martinique on Friday.

Members of Jamaica’s 15-17 bronze medal-winning 4X200m
relay team (from left) Mattheau Bonner, Jesse Marsh, Barak
Goren and Keenan Dols share a photo opportunity at the
 Carifta Swimming Championships in Martinique on Friday.

The young sensations entered the arena in search of seven medals to surpass last year’s haul of 25 medals, but remained in good spirits as they did just enough to equal the tally. They ended with eight gold, nine silver and eight bronze medals.

Despite not medalling in all their events, a number of Jamaica’s swimmers produced some creditable performance to achieve new personal best marks, while just missing out on a podium finish.

Jamaica’s first medal prospect was Britney Williams swimming out of lane eight in the girls’ 13-14 400-metre freestyle. Williams showed grit and determination, but just missed out on a podium spot as she ended fourth in a personal best time of 4:46.19 minutes. Nicholas Vale also narrowly missed out on the bronze in the boys’ 13-14 equivalent, as he, too, gave off a determined performance for fourth place in a personal best 4:21.66 minutes.

The in-form Emily MacDonald entered the girls’ 50m freestyle final as the favourite and she did not disappoint as she displayed class when finishing ahead of the field in a fast 28.15 seconds and lowering the previous national age-group record of 28.23 seconds held by Alia Atkinson.

Britney Williams with her silver medal won in the girls’
13-14 200m freestyle.

Kelsie Campbell added silver to her previous three gold medals when she placed second in the girls’ 15-17 50m freestyle, registering a new personal best of 27.13 seconds.

The 11-12 boys’ 100m breaststroke yielded another fourth-place finish courtesy of Rajiv Redhi, who clocked in at 1:19.48 minutes, but Bryanna Renuart kept Jamaica’s medal train rolling when she copped bronze in the girls’ 15-17 event in a time of 1:16.58 minutes.

Keanan Dols continued his rich vein of form and added another gold to his tally as he outswam Patrick Groters of Aruba to win the boys’ 15-17 200m backstroke, sending the Jamaican camp into a frenzy. Dols clocked in at 2:07.30 minutes to bring the curtains down on a successful Carifta career. more

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION : If Hillary Wins the Democratic Nomination, She Should Choose Bernie for VP

 03/27/2016 06:30 pm ET 

Hillary Clinton

In order to (try to) avoid a torrent of angry responses regarding Bernie still having a shot to win the nomination, let me state that I am not assuming anything, and that I think Bernie should absolutely continue his race for the nomination and not drop out. And, I write this as someone very sympathetic to Bernie’s agenda.

Finally, while I believe both Hillary and Bernie could win a general election, I happen to think that Hillary is a safer bet. There has not yet been the torrent of negative campaigning against Bernie that Hillary has endured for a quarter of a century, and yet she is not only still standing but is not so far behind Bernie’s margins against Trump.

Winning the general is far more important than whether it is Bernie or Hillary.

Let me now move to why, if Hillary is the nominee, she should select Bernie as the VP candidate.

1. It shows the respect due a large portion of the Democratic electorate who worked hard and voted for Bernie.

Bernie Sanders

2. More importantly, it shows the respect due, and will be insisted upon by Bernie if he accepts, to the agenda he offered.

3. It will swell the crowds at campaign rallies beyond anything the Republican base can match, providing both the votes and energy to win a resounding victory.

4. It will provide Bernie’s millions of online contributors, enabling the Hillary-Bernie ticket to take federal funding and eschew large contributions.

5. It will be another — along with the first female nominee and president — precedent-breaking move for an electorate that wants precedents broken. But, in a positive way.

Why Bernie should, under certain policy conditions, accept.

1. From the VP perch, Bernie will be in the ideal position to continue to mobilize voters to achieve the policy ends he has championed. (Two days after President Obama’s first election, I urged him to do just that. He didn’t. It hurt.)

2. Many of the differences between Bernie and Hillary are resolvable. For example, in health care, adding the public option to Obamacare provides the means for both perspectives to be incorporated. In banking, breaking up the big banks makes passing Glass-Steagall less compelling. Minimum wage level compromises are being forged all around the country. more

ST. CATHERINE, JA (NICE STORY) : A house for former 31-year-old Latoya Williams homeless mom of four children....Now, she says she has much to give thanks for, primarily because Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica recently gave her a house.

Sunday, March 27, 2016    

Not long ago, 31-year-old Latoya Williams was facing the reality of being homeless and unemployed with four children, and local authorities threatening to take her children from her. Now, she says she has much to give thanks for, primarily because Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica recently gave her a house.

HOME AT LAST: Latoya Williams (centre), the formerly homeless
mother with four children, opens the house that Food For The Poor
Jamaica and Rainforest Seafoods Limited constructed for her
 last week. Sharing in the moment is Roger Lyn, Marketing
Manager of Rainforest Seafoods.

Williams, who now resides along St John’s Road in St Catherine, was evicted because she was unable to pay her rent. With nowhere to live, authorities told her they would take her children from her and place them in the care of the State. After being told this, Williams developed a plan to get a house.

“I used to buy and sell downtown with goods such as bag juice and cookies, but I haven’t been selling since the year began because things got hard on me. I would borrow to buy the goods, and when things don’t turn over with a good profit, I can’t repay,” Williams said in an interview.

“Then I couldn’t pay the rent or send the children to school, so I got evicted. With all of what was going on, I went to Food For The Poor with the hope of applying for a house and getting it. I was told I needed a letter from a Justice of the Peace and my grandmother who owns the land the house was built on, so I went and got those and submitted it, then they selected me for a house.”FFP Jamaica, along with Rainforest Seafoods Limited, built the house for Williams during Holy Week.

“I am so grateful. Mi did think mi did ina one gutter weh mi couldn’t come out of, but with the house Food For The Poor gave to me, is like I am coming out of the gutter. All I need to do now is start sell again, and I have another plan for that. I just need a freezer and go downtown and start buy the bag juice them in a big bulk and store them in the freezer,” Williams said.

Executive Director, FFP Jamaica, David Mair said that when the case for Williams was presented to his team, they could not resist assisting.

“When you saw her story, you would have been heartbroken. Immediately after she was evicted, she was literally on the street with her children. She came to us, presented her case and showed us the documents regarding her eviction and her case with the court and her children. We had to assist her, because without a house, she would have lost her children,” Mair said. more

BERNIE: SUPER DELEGATES WILL SWITCH TO ME....SATURDAY SWEEP... Bernie Ramps Up For NY Showdown That Could Dash Hillary's Hopes For Unity...Bernie Sanders Claims Momentum After Three State Victories “Momentum is with us. A lot of these super-delegates may rethink their position with Hillary Clinton.”

03/27/2016 01:04 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fresh from Democratic presidential primary wins over the weekend in three U.S. states, Bernie Sanders on Sunday claimed political momentum he said could help him win the backing of Democratic power brokers in his race against Hillary Clinton.

Sanders easily won nominating contests in Alaska, Washington and Hawaii on Saturday. His latest remarks reflect his plan to chip away at Clinton’s commanding lead in the number of delegates needed to win the party’s nomination.

Bernie Sanders

Interviewed on Sunday by U.S. broadcasters, Sanders said Democratic “super-delegates,” who can change their allegiance, might rally behind him because some polls suggest he has a better chance than Clinton of beating a Republican candidate.

“Momentum is with us. A lot of these super-delegates may rethink their position with Hillary Clinton,” said Vermont Senator Sanders on CNN’S State of the Union news program.

About 85 percent of the votes at the July 25-28 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where a party nominee will be chosen to face the Republicans in the Nov. 8 election, are being determined by state nominating contests.

The other 15 percent is held by party power brokers who are free to vote as they like, meaning they could hold the key in a tight contest. Super-delegates include party leaders and elected senators, members of the U.S. Congress, and governors.

After Saturday’s contests, the former secretary of state led Sanders by just under 300 pledged delegates in the race for the 2,382 needed to be nominated. Adding in the support of super-delegates, Clinton had 1,712 delegates to 1,004 for Sanders, according to a tally by RealClearPolitics.com.

CONGRATULATIONS in CANADA: Jamaican mother, son score big. This year, for the first time in its 31-year history,...Dr Rosemary G Moodie & Dr Jonathan P Wong, Duo make history in copping African Canadian Achievement Award (ACAA)

Sunday, March 27, 2016    

This year, for the first time in its 31-year history, the African Canadian Achievement Awards of Excellence (ACAA) presented individual awards to a mother and her son in the same year.

Dr Rosemary G Moodie & Dr Jonathan P Wong

Jamaican-born University of the West Indies graduate, Dr Rosemary G Moodie, who spent 25 years as a neonatologist and clinical teacher at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, received the ACAA Excellence in Science award. And her son, Dr Jonathan P Wong, who is currently specialising in the highly sought-after Paediatric Medicine Residency Programme at the same hospital, was bestowed with the ACAA Youth Achievement Award, last month.

Although in the past the ACAA has presented individual awards to parents and their children, it has never happened in the same year.

The ACAA, established in June 1985, and which has evolved into one of the Black community’s most prestigious and distinguished honours, has celebrated and paid tribute to over 350 high-achieving African Canadians. An assistant professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto, Dr Moodie is a former corporate chief of paediatrics and medical director of the Rouge Valley Health System’s regional maternal child programme.

“We must take care of our families wherever we find them,” she emphasised in a quote from Elizabeth Gilbert, which resonates, not only for her family, but for all families in her community.

Dr Moodie’s medical recognitions include: the College of Physicians and Surgeons Ontario Council Award for demonstrating excellence and coming closest to meeting society’s vision of an “ideal physician”; Medical Association Presidential Award for exceptional humanitarian service to Ontario communities; and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Specialist Award for providing outstanding care to her patients and community.

WONG ... passionate about securing good health for children

Dr Moodie’s contribution to volunteerism, philanthropy, and advocacy is extensive. She is past president of YWCA, Toronto and a member of the Advisory Board of Food for the Poor Canada and Board Director of PACE (Canada).

Dr Wong, who grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, and Toronto, and is of mixed Caribbean descent, is passionate about ensuring good health for children of African Canadian and Caribbean descent.

Jon’s undergraduate major was in molecular biology, at the University of Connecticut (2010) and he completed postgraduate medical school at the University of Limerick in Ireland (2015). more

INCARCERATED deejay Vybz Kartel life sentence appeal on the horizon

BY SIMONE MORGAN Observer reporter  Saturday, March 26, 2016    

INCARCERATED deejay Vybz Kartel may have another legal battle in the works, as the appeal against his life-sentence conviction may take place later this year.

Tom Tavares-Finson, one of the deejay’s attorneys, confirmed this development.

INCARCERATED deejay Vybz Kartel

“The transcripts have been reviewed and are just about ready. So it is possible that the bid for an appeal is likely,” Tavares-Finson told the Jamaica Observer.

Vybz Kartel, whose given name is Adijah Palmer; entertainer Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell; Kahira Jones; and Andre St John were sentenced on April 3 to life imprisonment for the August 16, 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams. Justice Lennox Campbell ordered that Vybz Kartel serve 35 years in prison, with hard labour, before he becomes eligible for parole. Campbell and Jones are to serve 25 years before becoming eligible for parole, while St John is to become eligible after serving 30 years of his sentence. Following a 65-day trial, they were convicted on March 13.

A fourth accused, Shane Williams, was acquitted by the 11-member jury.

He is being held at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre in Kingston.

Despite his incarceration, Kartel’s music continues to be in demand. He was voted Favourite Artiste Male Local and Favourite Dancehall Artiste at last month’s Youth View Awards held at the National Indoor Sports Centre in St Andrew.

UPDATE: Former Miss Jamaica runner-up, Marsha Gay Reynolds might not have known that she was smuggling $3.0 million worth of 68 pounds cocaine through airport when she bolted leaving her Gucci high heels– defence

Thursday, March 24, 2016 

NEW YORK (AP) — A JetBlue flight attendant accused of trying to sneak a suitcase full of cocaine through Los Angeles International Airport and making a dramatic dash to escape says she might not have been sure what was in her bag, a spokesman for her said Thursday as prosecutors suggested she had smuggled before.

Marsha Gay Reynolds

Marsha Gay Reynolds, a former Jamaican beauty queen and college track athlete, turned herself in Wednesday to face a federal drug charge.

Authorities said they found 70 pounds of cocaine in her luggage at LAX on March 18 after she was flagged for a random security screening, flung off her high heels and bolted barefoot down an upward-moving escalator. They said she ran out of the terminal and crossed the country to New York. Reynolds' spokesman Allan Jennings, representing her family and her defense lawyer, said, "She may not have been fully aware of what was in the bags".

But Assistant US Attorney Alicia Washington told a court that last week was "not the only time the defendant has engaged in this conduct". Washington didn't elaborate, and Jennings said he was surprised by the claim.

A US magistrate judge set bail for Reynolds at $500,000 and then warned her parents and two friends from her church they could lose their homes if she flees. He gave prosecutors a day to appeal before Reynolds can be freed.

Reynolds, a 31-year-old Jamaican-born US citizen, graduated from New York University and ran track there. She was a runner-up in the Miss Jamaica World 2008 pageant, which sends the country's representative to Miss World contests.

Leaders of the Jamaica pageant were "shocked and surprised" at news of Reynolds' arrest, said organizer Laura Butler, who doesn't know Reynolds. She said Reynolds apparently had travelled to Jamaica to compete while living in New York, as the contest allows for women of Jamaican heritage living elsewhere.

Reynolds arrived last week at a security checkpoint in LAX's Terminal 4 wearing jeans, heels and a black suit jacket and carrying her known crew member badge, an FBI agent's sworn statement said. She was off duty at the time.

Asked to step aside for a random check, Reynolds nervously looked around and made a cellphone call as she was led to a screening area, the statement said. When a Transportation Security Administration officer asked her for identification, she dropped her bag, ditched her Gucci shoes and took off, an affidavit said. A TSA officer said he didn't pursue her because his primary concern was her abandoned luggage.

In it was just over 68 pounds of cocaine, worth as much as $3 million on the streets of Los Angeles, authorities said.more