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

Give Donald Trump credit: his candidacy may be unifying the country over dislike for him.

Trump

At this point, it might be easier to run down the list of demographic blocs Trumphasn’t alienated. He’s disliked by Democrats and independents, by young voters, and by minorities, not to mention even the female voters in his own party.

If he wins the GOP nomination, Trump wouldn’t be the first nominee to enter a general election with negative ratings. He would, however, be the least popular major party nominee in modern times. The only recent candidate with comparably low ratings is former KKK leader David Duke, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 1992.

“In terms of any domestic personality that we have measured, we’ve never seen an individual with a higher negative,” Democratic pollster Peter Hart told The Washington Post, calling Trump’s image “exceptionally rancid.”

The American public’s view of Trump, which improved briefly after he entered the race, seems to be worsening.  HuffPost Pollster, which averages all publicly available polling, currently gives him a 63 percent unfavorable rating, up from 56 percent in January. more

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

 Friday, April 01, 2016    

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Police are probing the circumstances surrounding the apparent murder/suicide of a soldier and an early childhood school principal in the quiet community of Hope Village, Williamsfield.

Police, relatives and neighbours identified the dead couple as Gail Anderson, 42-year-old principal of Hope Village Early Childhood Institution, and her common-law husband John Williams a Jamaica Defence Force sergeant.

Police report that Anderson’s relatives found the bodies shortly after 3:00 pm yesterday in the bedroom of their home, less than 50 metres from the school which Anderson led. Relatives gained entry to the house and then broke down the locked door of the bedroom after seeing blood stains, reports say.

The Jamaica Observer was told that neighbours heard explosions some time after midnight early yesterday. However, those who heard the sounds apparently failed to make the association with foul play and did not call the police. Anderson’s body was reportedly found on the bed, relatives told the Observer. Williams lay on the floor. His licensed firearm was found under his body, police said. Both bodies were said to have what resembled gun shot wounds to the head.

When the Observer visited the scene late afternoon yesterday, a large crowd watched from behind police yellow caution tape as investigators, including scene of crime specialists, examined the premises and conducted interviews.

Speaking in hushed tones, onlookers, many of them parents and guardians of children at Hope Village Early Childhood, as well as a few soldiers, said there had been no warning of the tragedy since Williams and Anderson appeared to be a loving, caring couple.

Observer circulation contractor Errol Anderson, a brother of the dead educator, said he was in total shock. “He (Williams) was such a nice, humble guy… all now mi can’t believe it,” he said.

Observer circulation contractor Errol Anderson, a brother
of the dead educator, said he was in total shock.

Neighbours and friends described Anderson as a “nice lady” and an exemplary educator, neighbour and community leader.

Some fretted about how to break the news to the children, now on Easter holiday. The children would be traumatised, they said.

“She was a jovial and nice person; no matter what stress she under, she don’t take it out on anyone,” one neighbour said. “She was well-loved and always had a smile,” said another.

And a parent claimed Anderson loved the children at her school. “She used to say all the children are her children,” the parent said. more

KINGSTON, Jamaica : CONGRATULATIONS to Titchfield High As 2016 School's Challenge Quiz Champion....Titchfield defeated Campion College 41-39

Thursday, March 31, 2016 | 10:09 PM

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Titchfield High School are the 2016 winners of the Television Jamaica School's Challenge Quiz.

Titchfield High quiz team (File photo)

After a nerve-racking and intense match, Titchfield defeated Campion College 41-39 to claim the title for the first time.

Of course, it wouldn't be School's Challenge Quiz without some amount of excitement, which this year came close to the end of the buzzer section. A disturbance by the Titchfield team, which the quizmaster described as "unprecedented", forced the judges to add an additional five seconds to the match.

With the scores at this point locked at 41-39 in favour of Titchfield High, Campion College pressed the buzzer and answered correctly, pulling the scores level at 41-41 and forcing the match into overtime. However, as fate would have it, Campion pressed the buzzer again but this time their answer was incorrect.

Having gone to the finals of the very popular competition three times, the Portland school is finally walking away with the much-coveted trophy.

As the school celebrates its 230th anniversary, the win will no doubt add to the string of accolades the institution has garnered over the years.

Titchfield High is the fifth oldest school in the country and has produced some of Jamaica's finest, such as Micheal Lee Chin and NCB Ambassador Dr Princeton Brown.

MUMBAI, India (VICTORIOUS WEST INDIES TEAM) : WI stunned/shatter Indian hearts to storm into World T20 final.... Wrecking crew crushed the hopes of a billion Indians

Friday, April 01, 2016    

MUMBAI, India (CMC) — West Indies crushed the hopes of a billion Indians when they produced a magnificent run chase to stun the home side by seven wickets and clinch a place in Sunday’s final of the Twenty20 World Cup.

Entering yesterday’s semi-final as the underdogs against tournament favourites India, the Caribbean side silenced the full house at the Wankhede Stadium by overhauling an imposing target of 193 with two balls to spare in a riveting encounter.

They were propelled by half-centuries from Lendl Simmons who carved out an exhilarating, career-best unbeaten 82 and opener Johnson Charles, who belted an aggressive 52, while Andre Russell weighed in with a whirlwind unbeaten 43.

(From left) West Indies Dwayne Bravo, Captain Darren Sammy
and Chris Gayle celebrate after victory in the World T20 cricket semi-final
match against hosts India at The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai,
India, yesterday. West Indies won by seven wickets.

Stumbling at 19 for two in the third over after losing key players Chris Gayle (five) and Marlon Samuels (eight), West Indies recovered through the trio’s efforts to reach 84 for two at the halfway stage, before plundering 112 runs off the last 58 balls of the innings. Requiring eight runs from the final over bowled by part-time medium pacer Virat Kohli, West Indies managed just a run from the first two deliveries, but Russell tugged the third ball to the midwicket boundary before clearing the ropes at wide long on to spark celebrations among the visitors.

Simmons, who only arrived here from the Caribbean earlier this week to replace the injured Andre Fletcher, faced 51 deliveries and struck seven fours and five sixes.

Living a charmed life, he survived three chances to anchor two key partnerships, putting on 97 for the third wicket with Charles before adding a further 80 in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand with Russell.

Charles played a blinder, cracking seven fours and two sixes off 36 deliveries, while Russell flaunted his brute strength in belting three fours and four sixes off a mere 20 balls.

With the win, West Indies set up a meeting in the final in Kolkata against England, who they beat in their opening game of the preliminaries.

West Indies also emulated their women’s team who had earlier beaten New Zealand Women by six runs in their semi-final at the Wankhede to reach their final.

Earlier, the in-form Kohli top-scored with an unbeaten 89 as India raced to 192 for two off their 20 overs after they were sent in.

Openers Rohit Sharma (43) and Ajinkya Rahane (40) put on 62 for the first wicket before Kohli arrived to marshal the latter half of the innings.

He crunched 11 fours and a six off 47 balls, and added 56 for the second wicket with Rahane before dominating an unbroken third-wicket stand of 64 with Captain MS Dhoni who was unbeaten on 15. more

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