Sean Paul

 

Jamaican dancehall superstar Sean Paul, who returned from performances in Africa recently, has two new tracks and a three-continent tour slated for April.

Sean Paul is also toasting the success of his single with British-born pop sensation Jay Sean, Do You Remember, which is featured on the iconic pop music compilation Now That's What I Call Music.

Sean Paul's two newest singles, Down The Line is produced by Jeremy Harding, while Fire Brigade, is produced by Don Corleon.

These two producers also did tracks for his fourth album Imperial Blaze, which went on to make chart history as the first dancehall album to top the Billboard Rap/Hip Hop charts.

The Grammy-winning artiste has performed in more than 80 countries in North, Central, and South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Colin Hamilton - Juggla was in a gangster mood.

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall took a different turn last Saturday night as the remaining contestants did cover songs from their favourite local entertainers.

Working mainly with their own material throughout the competition, the contestants had to show their versatility and bring the energy to popular dancehall songs. Before Reggae Queen kicked off the performances, the crowd got a shock when Gibraltar and Queen Doll were eliminated from the show.

Reggae Queen did a medley of Spice and Vybz Kartel songs as she changed up the lyrics for Go-go Club. The young deejay showed an improvement from previous performances as she managed to not lose her breath which, according to the judges, was her major weakness. Scatta Burrell thought it was a good performance while Miss Kitty applauded her creativity.

 

full of energy

Tanto Blacks was full of energy as usual with Kartel's Love Yuh Gi Gal and Mavado's Gal A Mad Ova as he pranced around the stage engaging the crowd. Guest judge Stacious called Tanto an 'all-round entertainer' while Professor Nuts said Tanto has "stepped up his game. I liked the changes; he came different". Mysterious did a Lady Saw song and both Scatta and Professor Nuts thought it was an improvement from the last two weeks.

Juggla came out in full black ready with a slew of gangster songs including Mavado's Talk Dem A Talk, Aidonia'sWe Run Uptown and Kartel's Nuh Care Weh Yuh Bad From, which pleased the cheering crowd. Miss Kitty was full of praises for Juggla declaring that she loved the performance while Stacious believed he delivered his lyrics well. Bumpa followed with a slow song and kicked it into high gear with Tifa's Spell It Out. Bumpa changed some of the lyrics to throw words at another female contestant. Stacious advised Bumpa that she hoped she could defend her lyrics to which she declared, "Mi back broad".

Press Fyah was conscious as ever singing Konshens' The Realest Song, which had persons in the crowd singing along. Miss Kitty dubbed him the "silent warrior" who has been consistent throughout the competition and said she liked the emotion in his delivery.

Gallawas gave a saucy performance to Lady Saw's Chat to mi Back, stinging the audience with the altered lyrics. Scatta said, "Yuh young but yuh born wid a gift. You're a true entertainer no matter what yuh sing. Yuh deserve to reach somewhere in this business."

Chozenn closed the night with Assassin's Hands Inna Di Air and Vybz Kartel's Gwaan So and Slow Motion to which Miss Kitty got up and gave him a 'Chozenn wine'.

Miss Kitty said Chozenn brought his 'A game' this week while Stacious thought his performance improved as he went on.

In their final comments, Scatta advised the contestants to watch their tone and key while Miss Kitty said she loved how this year's contestants are stepping up to the plate.

-- Edited by *~*~Sweet Applezz*~*~ on Saturday 24th of April 2010 12:25:58 PM

WHAT HAPPENED!!! RAPPER WACKA FLOCKA USED TO BE A CUTIE . . . NOW HE'S LOOKIN REAL SLOPPY!!!

Contributed - Jah Cure

Leighton Levy, Star Writer

Jah Cure's court hearing today should not affect the entertainer's ability to travel to St Maarten tomorrow for aperformance on Wednesday night.

The 32-year-old singer, who has been out on parole since July 2007 after serving eight years on a rape conviction, was arrested last Thursday during a police spot check along Dunrobin Avenue in Kingston. The police allege that two rolled marijuana cigarettes were found in an ashtray in the car and the singer was subsequently charged with possession of marijuana.

Jah Cure, born Siccature Alc**k, was released on $10,000 bail and is to appear before a judge in Half-Way Tree today. THE STAR is being told, however, that the singer will be in St Maarten in time to perform.

"Based on what I know, he is going," said Jah Cure's publicist, Robert Nesta Morgan, yesterday. "It's not like it's a major felony. It's a misdemeanour; it was only a couple of ounces of ganja." Morgan said he doesn't believe the singer's arrest would be considered a violation of his parole and his travel documents have not been confiscated by the authorities.

Still, news of the arrest has caused jitters in St Maarten where Jah Cure is down to perform as the headline act for Reggae Explosion II. Beenie Man and Busy Signal are also slated to perform on the show.

"There is a lot of concern on my part," said the concert's promoter Clarence Darby, who added that Jah Cure is set to arrive in St Maarten tomorrow afternoon. Darby explained that Reggae Explosion II is perhaps the most highly anticipated concert in St Maarten for the carnival season. At least three shows have been cancelled so far because of a lack of sponsorship, Darby explained, so everybody is looking forward to Wednesday night's show.

Reggae and dancehall music are extremely popular in St Maarten, the tiny Dutch colony where several thousand Jamaicans live and work. Jah Cure's no-show would be a disaster. "If he doesn't come, it is going to destroy me," Darby said. "He is the headliner of the show and he was being promoted as performing on the show for the last three months."

Word out of St Maarten is a popular talk-show host has been talking up a storm, saying that Jah Cure has been locked up and will not be travelling to St Maarten in time for the show, talk that is making the promoter nervous.

Title: The Real Gangster's Wife

Author: Macka Diamond

Publishers: Page Turner Publishing House

 

Macka Diamond looks to action, violence and intrigue to turn heads in her second novel, The Real Gangster's Wife.

The dancehall diva surprised fans late last year with the announcement that she was in the process of writing her second novel, but took persons off guard by not following up her first novel Bun Him with the sequel. Instead the writer takes a slightly different route, sticking with a heavy dancehall base but adding a little spice.

Launched last week at the Moulin Rouge Club in Kingston, The Real Gangster's Wife follows the main character, Gina the 'Mumma', as her life takes a sudden turn. Married to the 'Don of Dons', Tony, who is currently incarcerated in England, Gina is trying her best to carry on with her life and to continue living the way she and Tony are used to - but through legitimate means.

While pursuing her dreams and having the occasional chat with her husband, Gina's fate takes a sudden turn when a trusted friend 'violates the order'. With no Tony to turn to Gina takes matters into her own hands which leads to a *lo**bath, showing that she is the 'real gangster's wife'. Macka Diamond leaves fans with two endings, both promising more to come in the sequel of the novel.

 

dancehall novel

Similar to Bun Him, which claimed to be Jamaica's first official dancehall novel, this novel sticks close to current dancehall issues such as the Gully/Gaza conflict which is seen in action at Uptown Mondays where selector Richie Feelings is beaten for his choice of Gaza songs.

Constant extracts from popular songs such as Mavado's Hope and Pray, Chino's From Mawning, Beenie's Gaza Mi Sey and of course Macka's own Think Bout Mi are used throughout the novel. So too are references made to popular figures such as sprinter Usain Bolt and hurdles queen Melaine Walker.

Although the story is an interesting one like Bun Him, but much shorter, some of the same problems are evident. One would expect in the second novel to see a vast improvement in writing technique, but there are a number of errors, spelling and otherwise, that should have been corrected before release. Although the popular culture-references are fun, there are some that seem too forced and don't flow naturally.

Outside of those details, more time could also have been spent on the plot development, giving readers more to read and exploring more of the history between the characters - who are few in number. Otherwise, Macka Diamond gives most of her fans a story that is familiar to many Jamaicans and an interesting read.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QibH25THri8

LONDON, United Kingdom Usain Bolt says he doesn't want to move up to running the 400 metres, but he will do it "if it takes that for me to become a legend in sports."

Jamaica's 100 and 200 Olympic and world champion says instead he will try to defend his titles at the 2012 London Games.

World 100 and 200 metres record holder Usain Bolt cruises to the finish line in the 400 metres in 45.87 seconds at the Camperdown Classic at the National Stadium in February.

Bolt spoke today on a conference call before the start of the Diamond League, a set of 14 races around the world that opens on May 14 in Doha, Qatar. Bolt will race at the Diamond League meets in Shanghai, New York, Paris and Brussels.

Bolt, who also holds the 100 and 200 world records, says he will compete against main rivals Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell more this year because there are no major championships in 2010.

One876entertainment spoke to the promoter of the show in Trinidad who had booked Blak Ryno and Lisa Hype alongside Popcaan and Jahvinci, for an event on Friday night.

 

"Blak Ryno is OK, the rumour started on Friday and I had to  be on the radio constantly to assure the people that Ryno was OK. Popcaan and Jahvinci did not come so I was forced to change the venue to a hall, but the show went off well, Blak Ryno and Lisa Hype were great, the crowd loved them, and it worked out in the end," the promoter said.

The eight-lane synthetic 400m track at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) is almost completed following a two-month delay caused by drought conditions.

The track, which was constructed by German-based specialist BSW-Regupol, was originally scheduled for completion at the end of February.

 

A section of the eight-lane synthetic 400m track at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies.

When the Observer visited the UWI last Saturday, workmen were busy colouring the track surface in blue.

The track was gifted to Jamaica's triple Olympic and World championship gold medallist Usain Bolt last December.

The track, which will be utilised by athletes from UWI, Racers Track Club and IAAF High Performance Training Centre, will be handed over to Usain Bolt in a ceremony on April 30.

Regupol is the company that constructed the blue track for this summer's 12th IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany, where Jamaica secured a record 13 medals -- seven gold, four silver and two bronze.

On November 11, 2009, a 20-year agreement was signed by UWI's principal, professor Gordon Shirley, and president of the Racers Track Club, Glen Mills, as the institution moves to pair sporting excellence with science to establish itself as the premier facilitator of sports development in the region.

Former 100-metre world record holder Asafa Powell will not compete at the 116th edition of the Penn Relays now taking place at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Powell was expected to anchor one of two Jamaica mens 4 x 100 teams on Saturday in the USA versus the World Series.

He was scheduled to clash with Usain Bolt, the world record holder in both the 100 and 200 metres, who is down to anchor the other Jamaica team.

However, Powells coach Stephen Francis was quoted on a website this morning saying the race is not a part of Powells schedule.

USA Track and Field spokesperson Jill Geer confirmed that Powell would not run.

Powell was the featured attraction at the 2009 Penn Relays, but he pulled up with an ankle injury while running the anchor leg of the 4 x 100 metres.

JAMAICA DEH GWAAN A WAY STAR. EVERYDAY PEOPLE A GET KILL AND ALL KINDA F KRY!! MI NUH LIKE WAH GWAAN SUH MI CREATE A GROUP PON FACEBOOK FI DI PEOPLE SHARE DEM VIEWS AS TO WHY DI THING SET SUH AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO CHANGE IT FOR THE BETTER. SUH MEDIA ZONE PEOPLE(WEH DEH PON FB) IF UNNUH WAAH JOIN DI GROUP AND HELP SPREAD THIS A CROSS THE COUNTRY: WEN U DEH PON FACEBOOK JUST SEARCH FI I WANT A NEW JAMAICA

A 30-year-old Jamaica Defence Force soldier is now in the custody of the army following the shooting death of his brother at Grenada Road, Kingston 11, on Saturday evening.

Dead is 26-year-old Fabian Walcott of Grenada Road.

 

younger brother

Reports from the Hunts Bay CIB are that about 5:49 p.m., the two brothers had an altercation, during which both allegedly pulled guns resulting in the younger brother being shot. He was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital where he died. The soldier is a licensed firearm holder. There is no record to indicate that his brother was a licensed firearm holder.

Investigators have seized the soldier's gun. The other gun reportedly involved in the incident has not been found.

Apparently not satisfied with the damage they did, thieves who scrapped the National Water Commission's Colbeck Irrigation System in St Catherine on Wednes-day, went back and robbed the facility again the following day.

"Yes, after they went there Wed-nesday they went back last night (Thursday) and stole more of the metal and copper at the plant. As we speak police are on the scene investigating the matter," Detective Sergeant Carey Duncan of the Old Harbour Police Station said Friday.

The facility was scrapped of several pieces of metal, which it is believed will be sold as part of the infamous scrap-metal trade. Residents theorised that the thieves responsible for the theft of the material from the plant on Wednesday, must have felt that there was still plenty of metal left at the facility hence they returned for a second scrapping.

"Bwoy the damage double now, and the plant a go tek much longer fi ready, so a hope the police step up the investigation to ketch the tief dem," a resident said.

The theft of the metal have affected more than 100 farmers in the area who are depending on the irrigation water for their crops.

Meanwhile, theft damage which was originally estimated at $5m has now been doubled by the latest criminal act. The Old Harbour police are conducting investigations.

Residents welcome illegal delivery of tv stations

Residents of several communities in Kingston, St Andrew and St Catherine say they are enjoying the services of cheap cable operators who provide them with the service for fees as low as $100 per week.

Checks by THE STAR with people from communities across the Corporate Area and Portmore, St Catherine, found that there is an increased interest in illegal alternative cable measures as opposed to subscribing to listed and legal cable providers.

Despite several failed attempts to speak with one of these illegal cable providers, persons whom have the service say they have very few problems and will continue to work with these cable providers especially in the current economic condition where every dollar counts.

Persons also expressed uncertainty as to how they are able to be provided with cable services but say they really do not care.

"In a dem yah hard time yah mi haffi try save everything me can save ... So if me get a deal where mi can pay five hundred dollar a month fi cable mi a go tek dah deal deh," Mr Centsa resident of an east Kingston community said. "Mi not even know how dem get it fi tell di truth eno but it look like a some satellite dish ting cause more time yu can see when dem a search fi di station dem."

THE STAR learnt that getting the cheap service requires a simple phone call and a $1,000 installation fee which does not have to be paid at once.

 

arrangements

Once the service is installed you just 'give dem a ting' every week or every other week depending on the arrangements reached.

"Dem not even a go pressure yu ... more time yu can jus' gi dem a ting either every week or every two week depending pon how you and dem plan di ting," Muchoa resident of west Kingston explained.

One does not receive as much channels as a legal cable operator would provide and reception is at times very poor, however, persons told THE STAR that they understand that the service is cheap and as such can understand and cope with any difficulties.

"Wi naw go get thousand channel but wi get enough plus a good channel to ... movie, sports and everything ... We get bout 70 odd channel ... Sometimes it show grainy grainy to but a jus' from time to time dat ... When it happen wi jus affi wait until it clear up," one Portmore resident said.

Meanwhile, police have heard of the situation and added that investigations into its happening were already in progress.

An inspector from the Kingston East Police Division even told THE STAR that he has heard of at least two altercations which were sparked by people and their involvements in the illegal activity.

"Illegal activities like these always tend to incur violent acts ... On two fairly recent occasions I have seen reports of persons being attacked after they were said to have failed to pay up for the services they were receiving," the inspector revealed.

 

Names changed on request.

File - Owen Ellington

The Police Service Commission has confirmed the appointment of Owen Lloyd Ellington as the Commissioner of Police, with effect from April 5.

Ellington was chosen at the conclusion of a recruitment process to select a Commissioner of Police to replace Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin who resigned last November. Ellington, who had been acting as Commissioner since, is married and has five children.

A release issued by the Police Service Commission on Friday read as follows:

Police Service Commission is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Owen Lloyd Ellington, C.D., JP, as Commissioner of Police in the Jamaica Constabulary Force, with effect from the 5th April, 2010.

Mr Ellington, 47 years old, is a past student of the Glengoffe High School. He enlisted in the force on the 1st August, 1980, and was appointed to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (on contract/ gratuity terms) on the 5th April, 2006. He was appointed to act as a Deputy Commissioner of Police on the 11th August, 2008, and to further act as Commissioner of Police on the 7th November, 2009.

He is the holder of a Bachelor of Science in human resource management from the University of TechnologyJamaica and a Master of Science in national security and strategic studies from the University of the West Indies. Mr Ellington also earned professional certificates from numerous universities abroad, including a certificate in national security and strategy from the University of Beijing, China and a postgraduate certificate in transnational security, stability and democracy from the National Defence University Centre for Hemispheric Defence Studies in Washington DC, USA.

A man who was accused of being one of two who attacked and shot a businessman in Christiana, Manchester, was mobbed to death by residents of the district on Saturday night, police said.

The dead man has been identified as Dwayne Denton, a 24-year-old resident of *lo** Sucker Lane in the parish.

 

returned fire

Information reaching THE STAR is that about 9:45 p.m., the 57-year-old businessman was shot by one of two gunmen who attacked him and his wife as they were about to enter their yard. Police said the businessman returned the fire from his licensed firearm and the men fled.

He was taken to hospital and treated, the police said.

Residents who learnt what had happened began searching the community for the alleged attackers. During the search, police said Denton was found suffering from a gunshot wound. He was set upon and beaten before being taken to the Percy Junor Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Christiana police are investigating.

Three break-ins in three weeks

Gareth Davis Sr, Star Writer

Thieves have again broken into the Port Antonio High School in Portland for the third straight week.

But this time, they have removed thousands of dollars worth of food and other items.

This latest robbery took place between last Thursday night and Friday morning. The discovery was made by kitchen staff shortly after 7 a.m. on Friday.

Police sources say several bags of chicken meat, rice, flour, and a variety of non-perishable goods were also stolen by the thieves.

According to the police, the school has been hard hit by robbers over a three week period which started during the Easter holidays when 11 desktop computers being stolen. The following week several bags of rice along with other dry goods were also stolen.

The break-ins occurred despite a 24-hour security system which is in place at the school.

Police sources have, however, revealed they are following some strong leads, which could result in an arrest anytime soon.

Meanwhile, administrators at the school are baffled by the frequent break-ins, which have amounted to more than $1 million in losses over the three-week period.

Since the spiral of robberies at the institution, administrators have been forced to replace several door, locks, padlocks and chains, which were damaged by criminals.

One man was shot dead and another shot and injured by a gunman in Hampstead district, St Thomas on Saturday night.

The dead man has been identified as Alrick Richards a 28-year-old carpenter, while injured is a 20-year-old man both of Hampstead district.

 

shot them several times

The St Thomas police are reporting that about 7:15 p.m., Richards and the man were standing in a section of the community when a gunman approached and shot them several times.

They were taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital where Richards died and the other man treated and released.

Police have not identified a motive for the shootings.

A man who claimed that he is an ardent church-goer and is employed as a gardener to an influential Jamaican businessman, last week answered to a larceny from dwelling charge in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court.

Andre Hutchinson, 38 years old of a Corporate Area address, pleaded guilty with explanation to the charge when he appeared on Friday.

The allegations indicated that the accused man stole a number of items that included an iPod, a cellular phoneand gardening tools. It is reported that most of these items were recovered.

The accused man told the court that he took the items from the house because he was told by the helper that the items were to be donated to the church, so he took what he wanted.

 

items in house

According to the complainant, items were in the house to be donated, however, the things Hutchinson took were not among those for donation.

Hutchinson who has been employed to the complainant for more than six years was remanded until April 26 when he will be sentenced.

Here's our round-up of singers', rockers' and rappers' 20 coolest and funnest tweets from the past seven days. Be sure to tag@billboarddotcom to your favorite music retweets (and don't forget to follow us!)

 

 

	@iamdiddy (Diddy): Me+Mark Wahlberg driving a racecar down Hollywood Blvd while drinking Aquahydrate-the BEST h20 in the world. CLK>http://tinyurl.com/y6c7lc4
	@petewentz : Coachella always makes me feel like I missed out on something but then I think it might just be a desert.
	@Deadmau5 : According to legend, the only way to appease the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland is to sacrifice a virgin... http://bit.ly/b1tPCJ
	@questlove : wow twitter clears a paul mccartney sample for @fatbellybella & thanks to @naughtybynature gets @realtalibkweli his stuff back.
	@Billy (Billy Corgan): I love how people who believe the United States should follow it's own Constitution are being portrayed as somehow 'strange'. Curious that.
	oguewaveband (Rogue Wave):If this Rogue Wave thing gets old, thinking of starting an all men's chorus called Steven Seagal's Steamy Sex Slave Singers
	@PerezHilton : I finally got around to watching #Keshaon Saturday Night Live. Poor thing! I'm starting to feel sad for her!
	@butchwalker : Dear pop star last on SNL... Please stop performing. A) You gave my son nightmares and B) you are throwing away the mystique...
	@asherroth : I swear paris hilton just ****ed up my air hockey game against @DavidAppleton
	@trvsbrkr : http://rapradar.com/2010/04/19/rihanna-getting-busy-on-the-drums/ VERY PROUD! She got swagger behind those drums!
	@markhoppus : What's your favorite species of horse: gelatin, glue, or floor covering?
	@joejonas : I am a ninja and this day is my sidekick.
	@iamMarkRonson (Mark Ronson): R.I.P. Guru. 1 of the most distinctive voices ever in hip-hop. He made up 1/2 of the greatest rap duo of all time & was far too young to go
	@keshasuxx (Ke$ha): Have a guitar in the shape of machine gun that shoots fireworks. I guess it kiinda makes sense it won't go thru security....
	@justinbieber : only been here a little while and Tokyo is already 1 of my favorite cities. Exclusive kicks everywhere..great food..and heated toilet seats
	@BowWow : twitter say goodnight to @chrisbrown he has to wake up early for community service in the am.#damnthathastosuck
	@Tip (T.I.): uptop grindin feels good to be back
	@LilJon : IS IT JUS ME OR IS IT JUS NOT RIGHT FOR A DUDE 2 FACEBOOK POKE ANOTHA DUDE!#KILLyoSELF
	@JeanGreasy (Jean Grae): Hey Ciara, all I had to eat today was a piece of salmon, 3 glasses of water (and a little cocaine..dont tell) #becauseianswertociara
	@kelly_clarkson : Police escorting us from airport-hotel, brings 2 questions to mind. Who do they think is n the car? How upset will they be when I get out?!

Kingston, Jamaica -- Dancehall artistes Spice and Chino are heading to the top of Toronto, Canada's Dancehall/Reggae charts.

Spice's Slim Vs. Fluffy featuring Pamputtae is riding high in the number two spot on Toronto's Radio Dubplate Top Ten Reggae Dancehall andSingles Chart on CHRY 105.5 FM, while Chino's Secret Lovers single featuring songstress, Alaine holds the number seven (7) spot, also on the same chart. The two singles which dominated the Jamaican airwaves for months are still enjoying heavy rotation locally. In fact, Spice andPamputtae's Slim Vs. Fluffy still holds firm on a number of charts includingJamaica's Hype TV 'VTX Countdown' in the number nine (9) position.

The Award-winning artiste, Chino, whose correct name is Daniel McGregorand is known for hits including, Protected, From Mawnin', Pon Yuh Head, Ruff It Up, We Nuh Like Dem alongside brother and top-producer, Stephen 'Di Genius' McGregor, says though Secret Lovers and a number of his other singles continue to receive heavy rotation both locally and internationally, slowing down to enjoy the rewards isn't an option.

Senior Puisne Judge Gloria Smith has lamented the high number of cases involving the rape of children.

Smith's complaint came after she sentenced a 50-year-old man on Friday to 12 years' imprisonment at hard labour after he pleaded guilty to raping an 11-year-old girl.

"There are too many sexual offences being committed against young girls," she declared.

Smith said although Glendon Campbell, a welder of Merrion Road, Kingston 3, had pleaded guilty, she had to give him a stiff prison term because a message must be sent to persons who were like-minded.

The judge told Campbell that the offence was a very serious one and the maximum sentence was life imprisonment.

"Sexual offences in this country are way, way out of line and young girls must be allowed to grow up and live their lives in a normal way," the judge stressed.

Raped at home

The facts of the case as outlined by prosecutors Diahann Gordon-Harrison and Adley Duncan were that in September 2008, the girl was at home with other siblings when her mother left them to buy food. Campbell, who was well known to the girl's family, was at the house at the time.

After the mother left, the girl went into the kitchen to lock the door and Campbell grabbed her and raped her despite her screams and cries.

The girl ran out of the house and made a report to her uncle who lived nearby. Her mother reported the matter to the Gold Street Police Station and the next day, the complainant was taken to the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse. Campbell was subsequently arrested and charged.

Campbell pleaded guilty to the rape charge when he appeared in the Home Circuit Court on April 14.

Requested leniency

Defence lawyer Gladstone Wilson, in asking for leniency, said there was no gainsaying that what Campbell did was unacceptable. He said when he spoke to the accused, he said he did not know what got over him and said "it was just impulse". He said Campbell was full of remorse and was ashamed and embar****ed. He said Campbell had asked him to beg the court for leniency and Wilson asked the judge to bear in mind that Campbell had no previous conviction and did not waste the court's time.

The judge said one of the things she was disturbed about was the age of the complainant. She said the girl was only 11 years old when Campbell raped her. The judge referred to the fact that Campbell had two sons and a daughter who were much older than the complainant as they were 13, 17, and 23.

Smith said Campbell breached a position of trust because he was left at the house to protect the child and instead he abused her.

JAMAICA'S Reggae Boyz are due to tackle South Africa in a hurriedly organised friendly international in Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday.

So tight is the schedule that Theodore Whitmore's players may have to play the game the very day they arrive in Europe as they are down to depart Jamaica Tuesday morning via Miami before landing a day later.

President of the Jamaica Football Federation, Captain Horace Burrell said the South Africans made the SOS call on Jamaica for the game as following the last-minute pull out of China."We are very happy to help out our South African brothers in this situation, we know it's a huge challenge in terms of the time we have to pull it all together, but coach Whitmore agreed that it would be a great opportunity to have this game and we just went for it," Burrell said yesterday.

The players, said Burrell, are due to visit the German Embassy this morning at 7:00 for a specially arranged session to process their Shengen visas which will allow them to land in the European country.

"We are very grateful to the German Embassy officials who have gone out of their way to facilitate us on such short notice. I would also like to thank the South African Embassy here, the minister of sport, the foreign affairs ministry and the South African Football Association in coming together to set things in motion," said the CONCACAF Executive Committee member yesterday.

Though no team has yet been made public, the squad is expected to be made up of mostly local-based players, though efforts were underway last night to get the release of Jamaica's Scandinavia-based players.

Jamaica, ranked 78th by FIFA and 88th-rated South Africa, have played each three times prior, with their last meeting being in November last year in Bloemfontein. That game, like all the other match-ups, ended in a draw.

Following that game on the soil of the World Cup hosts, the 'Bafana Bafana' coach Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parriera had criticised Jamaica's approach to the game, lambasting the visitors for their ultra-defensive style which resulted in a goalless draw.

ONCE again, there are indications that Jamaican music is at a crossroads. The latest signal has to do with the relocation of the Rototom Sunsplash and the reason behind.

 

 

After 16 years as one of the major summer reggae festivals in Europe, Rototom Reggae Sunsplash, has moved from Italy to Spain because the authorities (in Italy) have accused the organisers of promoting the use of marijuana via reggae music and Rasta culture.

 

"The excuse is that we facilitate the use of ganja because we are promoting reggae music and Rasta culture. So Rasta culture and reggae bring the people to smoke marijuana," publicist/art director for the Rototom Sunsplash, Sabrina Trovant Sunday Observer in an exclusive interview after the launch of the festival at the Ashanti Restaurant at Hope Garden in Kingston last Tuesday.

However, this, Trovant pointed out, came as a result of a change in the political climate in Italy. "The far-right conservative party won the election in 2008. They are more closed to immigrants ... people who are not Italians. So the festival is the symbol of completely the opposite. It is multi-cultural. We promote peace, love and unity between people. No matter your culture, your religion or your tradition, anything. We are one *lo**," she explained.

The Rototom Reggae Sunsplash is a big event wherein more than 100,000 people for more than a week with 120 different nationalities in the same place. "In a place where there is no riots, between them, y'know," Trovant stresses.

"It's not just a music festival, it's much more than a music festival. It's a reggae university. The singers, journalists, producers come to the festival to meet other people to learn about the history of each other. During the days we do meetings, debates, workshops, picture exhibitions," booking manager Giovanni Vinci explained.

"It has become a meeting point for intellectuals, politicians. We talk about life", added Trovant about the sponsor-free event. "Our sponsors are the people. The people buy the tickets six months before and we usually sell around three thousands tickets six months before because the people trust us. It's more a European congregation of the reggae people than simply a festival of stage production. The movement of a community," she said.

It was the second time the Rototom Sunsplash was launched in Jamaica. Three years ago, it was launched at Strawberry Hill. "On that occasion we brought European journalist to let them learn the culture of Bob Marley. They spent five days here visiting the Bob Marley Museum, Tuff Gong Studio, Nine Miles, etc. This time, we are meeting with the Jamaican press because here everything was born. For a reggae festival, the centre of the world is Jamaica. Without Jamaica there would be no Bob Marley and without Bob Marley there would probably be no reggae in the world. So, for this reason we came here to meet with the Jamaican media and the minister of culture, Ms Olivia Grange," Vinci said.

"This year we are changing country and language. This idea that who promote reggae is promoting ganja, so to promote reggae is a crime, is totally stupid. Spain is more opened to integration between different culture, more democratic," declared Vinci.

The Rototom Sunsplash has been taking place every summer at Osoppo, in the province of Udine, Italy. The new location for the 17th edition will be in Spain in the town of Benicassim, situated on the Mediterranean coast in the province of Castellon.

"Spain is certainly a more liberal and welcoming country. The local authority in Spain is very happy that we are there. And also they also have a different attitude towards the festival because they recognise the festival can bring economic results," Trovant said about the week-long festival slated to run from August 21 to 28.

The line-up so far includes Alpha Blondy, Aswad, Alborosie, Fantan Mojah, Bob Andy, Big Youth, Glen Washington, Anthony B.

 

-- Edited by jubalson on Monday 26th of April 2010 12:36:17 PM

NATIONAL Commercial Bank (NCB) on Friday reported net profits of $2.55 billion over the second quarter ending March 31, 2010, a 14 per cent increase over the comparative period last year.

At a press conference held at its Trafalgar Road-based head office to announce the results, the firm said it was a creditable performance considering the challenges in the Jamaican economy.

"NCB's results show that notwithstanding the significant challenges, difficulties and implementation of the various initiatives which would have had a significant impact on our operations, we were able to produce strong and robust financial results," stated NCB Group managing director Patrick Hylton.In addition to the downturn in the economy, the last quarter saw the launch of the Government's Jamaica Debt Exchange (JDX) programme, expected to squeeze the profitability of local financial institutions as a result of the lower rates carried on Government paper. The results for the March 2010 quarter includes approximately one month of securities income at the lower yields.

During the period under review, NCB's total operating income increased by seven per cent to $7.1 billion. Net interest income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up by nine per cent over the corresponding period in 2009. Net fee and commission income increased marginally to $1.4 billion while gain on foreign currency and trading activities declined by 30 per cent to $451 million.

NCB's Earnings per share (EPS) was $1.03, compared to $0.91 last year, while the Return on Average Equity (ROE) was 23.5 per cent.

Loans and advances, which totalled $86.4 billion (net of provision for credit losses) as at 31 March 2010 declined by $1.3 billion from the loan portfolio as at 31 March 2009. Non- performing loans totalled $2.9 billion as at March 2010 ($2.3 billion as at March 2009) and represented 3.3 per cent of the gross loans compared to 2.6 per cent as at 31 March 2009.

Hylton said that by examining the major areas of business operations, NCB continues to demonstrate its strength and resilience. He said the firm is committed to building a financial fortress that is underpinned by strong capital, strong liquidity, and strong management.

He noted that initiatives of deepening and broadening customer relations, and pursuing greater efficiencies across all business lines will be integral to how the firm performs going forward.

The Wealth Management arm of the bank -- NCB Capital Markets -- was lauded for its performance over the first half of the financial year. It contributed $1.82 billion in operating profits over the six months ending 31 March 2009, representing 90.8 per cent of the Group's. NCB Insurance Company recorded a net profit of $883.2 million over the same period.

Dennis Cohen, deputy group managing director and CEO of NCB Capital Markets, said: "The Group is doing far better in all the key leading indicators that effectively drive the sustaining financial performance of the bank such as the growth in our deposit base, growth in our repo book, which has outperformed the market and continued growth in our policyholder liability, a key component in the performance of our insurance segment."

The Board declared an interim dividend of $0.61 per ordinary stock unit. The dividend is payable on 20 May 2010 for stockholders on record as at 07 May 2010.

THE National Water Commission (NWC) is warning customers in areas of St Ann that repair work on the Claremont Pumping Station in the parish is 'far advanced' but that supply will remain affected.

Affected communities are: Orange Park, Alderton, Lydford, Lydford Housing Scheme, Rural Retreat, Barrett Hall and sections of Beechamville.

"Despite the challenges, the maintenance team is working feverishly to restore water supply to the affected communities by Saturday, May 1," said the NWC in a release today.

Apologising, the utility asked customers to remain patient and understanding during the service interruption.

Customers can call the NWC toll free at 1 888 CALL NWC (1- 888-225-5692) for further updates and assistance.

Telecommunications service provider Claro on Friday unvieled a $18 million customer access centre at its head offices on Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston.

"This customer access centre is unlike any other in Jamaica, we will offer services including mobile phone activations, net books, data plans, blackberry service activation and the sale of call credit, all under one roof. We took our time to ensure that the store would suit the needs of customers by listening to their feedback," said Claro marketing manager Joseph Oates at the launch of the store, which has over 7,000 square feet in office space and was opened to a group of curious onlookers and prospective customers.

Oates said that some $18 million was spent on renovations to create the access centre, designed to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction."The New Kingston Customer Access Centre is a template of what all our stores will look like throughout the island, spacious, convenient equipped with friendly services. We are expanding our access centre to adequately cater for our growing customer base," Oates commented, saying that in addition to a larger display area for the company's products, there would now be more customer care representatives, a comfortable waiting area and in house technicians that will diagnose phones issues.

"Claro is committed to providing the best customer service experience for our clients, and will be rolling out more initiatives to ensure that our growing clientele gets the best customer care available," he stated. "The company's sales and subscriptions have exceeded all expectations, we're expecting 2010 to be even better."

Claro is a subsidiary of America Movil, Latin America's biggest mobile phone operator -- owned by Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, recognised as the richest man in the world.

Claro said last month that its network had grown by close to 150,000 subscribers since the start of the year, signalling that the company was making inroads in a local mobile phone market dominated by Digicel, which is owned by Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien.

POLICE were forced to step in to quell tempers at the Dunoon Technical High School in Kingston this morning, after school administrators locked out dozens of students following a series of violent incidents at the institution last week.

The Observer understands that there was a gang clash at the school last Tuesday where knives were drawn and on Wednesday a student and a security guard got into an altercation where both the student and the guard were injured. One student told the Observer that the guard was hit with the metal detector used to scan students entering the compound.

According to one male student outside the school gate, students who were incorrectly dressed or who were without IDs or those deemed to be troublemakers were the ones denied entry.

Police officers on the scene said they were just there to ensure calm.

A man who identified himself as a member of the school administrative staff declined to comment on the issue.

A man who tried to smuggle 15 pounds of ganja to The Bahamas inside 20 bammies was slapped with a nine-month prison sentence following a lengthy mitigation plea by his lawyer Friday.

Dwight Williams, a 23-year-old pan chicken vendor, was also fined $135,000, and will serve a further six months in prison if the fine is not paid.

Williams was sentenced by Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrates Court for sentencing, after he had previously pleaded guilty to charges of possession of, dealing in, and taking steps to export ganja.

He was held at the Norman Manley International Airport on April 19 after the drug was discovered in his luggage.

ST JOHNS, Antigua, CMC Police have launched an investigation into the weekend drowning death of a United States citizen whose body was found floating at a popular beach on Antiguas northeast coast.

The body of Haiber Raza-Rizvi, 27, a student of the American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine was found yesterday at Jabberwock Beach by a local fisherman.

A report from the police Office of Strategic Communication said Rizvi, who was scheduled to return home on April 24, was reported missing after he failed to show up at the VC Bird International Airport for his Continental Airlines flight back to the United States.

Jabberwock Beach is accessible from the AUA campus located at Jabberwock Drive.

The police said they do not suspect foul play in Rizvis death. An autopsy is scheduled to be done later today.

THE United States says the current row between Kingston and Washington over the contentious extradition request of Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke has not affected the granting of visas to Jamaicans.

Officials at the US Embassy in Kingston told reporters Friday during a tour of sections of the Old Hope Road complex that the prevailing political climate has nothing to do with whether visa applications are approved or denied.

The decision, the officials pointed out, is made on a case-by-case basis, following an assessment of each applicant and the applying of the Immigration and Nationality Act (1952) to their circumstance."No visa is issued or declined for political reasons and there is no daily quota [for visa approvals]. If a thousand people turn up and they qualify, they all will get visas," said Consul General David L Stone.

The embassy last year processed approximately 109,000 non-immigrant visa applications and "vastly more" than half that number has been approved for visas, Laurence Tobey, chief of the visa unit, said.

Stone's pronouncement should serve to quell the current anxiety of Jamaicans who, based on public pronouncements of some unsuccessful visa applicants, have formed the view that the embassy has been rejecting applications in retaliation for the Bruce Golding-led administration's refusal to extradite Coke to face drug- and gun-running charges.

The US had last August requested Coke's extradition but Golding has so far refused, arguing that the evidence submitted by the Americans against Coke was gathered in breach of Jamaican law.

Relations between both countries have been soured over the issue.

The matter is currently before the Supreme Court.

Responding to a question from the Observer, Rebecca C Park, the embassy's deputy public affairs officer, said there has been no decline in visa applications since the stand-off.

Embassy officials warned on Friday against applicants contracting the services of persons or organisations making guarantees of successful visa applications, noting that this would be a waste of their money.

"If a person says 'I can guarantee that you get a visa', that is not true, because there is no guarantee," Stone said.

Tobey said that there are no less than 33 grounds -- including criminal activity, control substance abuse and the contraction of certain communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis -- on which persons can be refused a visa.

Under normal circumstances, Tobey said, the burden of proof is on applicants to convince the interviewing officer that they should be granted visas.

Tobey was keen to clarify that the visa application fee Jamaicans are asked to pay is a standardise fee required of applicants across the globe.

HAVANA, Cuba Cuba, which is predicting it will have at least two million mobile phone lines available by 2015, says the tourism industry has benefited tremendously since the expansion of the cellular telephone network a few years ago.

Vice President of the Mobile Service of the Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) Maximo Lafuente, said that mobile telephone use had increased to the point that the company has signed agreement with 300 telecommunication companies worldwide to accommodate the number of tourists visiting the island.

He said ETECSA hopes to sign 30 more prepaid service agreements this year so that visitors could use their phones under the GSM system.

The Cuban News Agency, Prensa Latina, said that 70 per cent of Cuba has GSM coverage and only 23 of the country's 169 municipalities have no cellular coverage but this problem is to be solved this year.

There are currently 838.372 active services in the cellular network and ETECSA hopes to end this year with a million, Lafuente said.

He said that in 2009, mobile users paid for 2.69 million minutes and this year the figure is expected to reach  2.80 million minutes.

THE Kingston West police recovered several stolen road traffic signs during an operation in sections of the division last Friday morning.

"We were carrying out a series of operations in sections of the area when a group of men were seen carrying several of the newly installed signs on handcarts," an inspector from the Denham Town Police Station told the Observer.

Police said that the men ran upon seeing them."The signs, we believe, were removed from several major roadways," said the inspector, who cautioned persons to desist from the illegal practice.

Removal of the signs causes major confusion for motorists, he added.

Recently, Kingston Mayor Desmond McKenzie described the illegal scrap metal trade as a nightmare in the country.

The mayor said that the trade was costing Jamaica millions of dollars.

DR Peter Phillips, the Opposition's strongest voice on the stand-off between Kingston and Washington over the extradition request of Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, last Thursday rubbished the Government's decision to take the matter to the Supreme Court, while describing the move as an attempt to "muddy the water" and cause confusion.

Phillips' comments come as Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller and her lawyers mull a response to the court action, which names her and Joseph Matalon, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) president, as defendants in the case set for hearing on May 5.

 

In the recently filed action, which is seeking declarations on the power of Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne in dealing with extradition matters, Simpson Miller and Matalon have been named defendants because they publicly questioned the justice minister's authority to decline the extradition request made by the US last August.

Phillips -- who has emerged as the Opposition's unrelenting spokesman on the Government's failure to process the extradition request for Cooke to face drug- and gun-running charges -- continued his broadside last week.

"Overall, I don't think that this changes my basic contention that in [extradition matters] the issues involving evidence belong before the Magistrate's Court as set out in statute. To me, it's just an attempt by the prime minister to confound the issue. It's a smoke screen, an attempt to muddy the water and to confuse people," asserted Phillips in an interview with the Observer.

"There is no reason why this [extradition request] should be treated any different from the 19-odd that the [Government] extradited last year. There is no reason in law," added Phillips. "It's an attempt to pretend to go to the Court without going to the Court in the way that they should."

The decision to take the matter to the High Court was made by Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who has argued that the evidence submitted by the Americans against Coke was gathered in breach of Jamaican law.

Among the declarations sought by Lightbourne, who is the claimant in the suit, are that:

* the justice minister has the authority and discretion under the Extradition Act, in particular sections 8 and 9, to decide whether or not to issue an authority to proceed after receiving an extradition request from an Approved State;

* in the exercise of her authority and discretion, the claimant is entitled to consider whether the evidence furnished with the request is sufficient to justify the issue of a warrant for the arrest of the accused person under section 9;

* the minister is entitled and under a duty to decline to issue an authority to proceed where the extradition of the accused person could not lawfully be made, or would not in fact be made in accordance with the provision of the Extradition Act; and

* that the evidence supplied in support of the extradition request was obtained in contravention of the Constitution of Jamaica; the Interception of Communications Act; and orders of a Judge of the Supreme Court of Jamaica.

Contacted Thursday, Matalon told the Observer that himself and the PSOJ have sought legal advice and that a response would be decided on.

But legal luminary, Lord Anthony Gifford, QC, said Matalon and Simpson Miller are not bound by law to acknowledge the court action as they have no interest at stake.

"...Their interest is not affected. They are quite free to acknowledge if they want. They are not bound by law to respond. If something was being done to affect [them] then obviously they should respond, but the declarations [sought] don't affect their interest," Gifford told the Observer.

Should the two choose not to respond, the case would proceed without them.

ENTERTAINERS have done it successfully. So too have countless others, from politicians to institutions.

Now, it's the US Embassy in Kingston -- referred to as 'The Fortress' by staffers because of its tight security and imposing perimeter walls -- that is making a go at an image overall in a country where it is often viewed as cold and indifferent by locals with whom it interfaces by the thousands each years.

Hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans have, over the years, passed through the US Embassy in an effort to secure either an immigrant or non-immigrant visa. Approximately 120,000 applicants were processed last year.The embassy, now occupying a sprawling parcel of land at Old Hope Road has, over the years, developed a reputation in Jamaica of being unfriendly.

The sentiment is that it only cares about "making money off of Jamaica", through visa applications.

The US posture under the George W Bush administration since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 has not helped its image across the globe.

But the embassy in Kingston has, in recent years, undertaken a drive in an effort to remake its image, a push that has been fast-tracked under new Chargé d'Affaires Isiah Parnell.

Parnell was appointed by the Obama administration in August last year following a tour in Mexico City where he served as the minister counsellor of management affairs at the US Embassy there.

"This Chargé realises that it doesn't serve anybody's interest to have (unfriendly) relations with the people of the country we are in," Rebecca C Park, the deputy public affairs officer at the embassy in Kingston, told reporters during a tour of sections of the facility last Friday.

As part of its drive to create a "softer", more "customer-friendly" image, US officials two Friday's ago consulted with influential Jamaicans and opinion shapers to get a honest assessment of how its visa application process and the embassy is viewed on the island. The initiative is being undertaken across the region and in other sections of the world.

To start with, the embassy two weeks ago established a refreshment stand at the spill over waiting area, which was pointed out to reporters during last Friday's tour.

"We are really trying with the customer service," said Fern Whyte, the embassy's acting media co-ordinator in the Office of Public Affairs, as she pointed to the refreshment stand from a first-floor balcony.

Slated for construction this year is the long-asked-for shelter on the outside of the embassy where visa applicants are currently forced to endure the boiling sun in long lines. The embassy will also be installing acoustic dampening material in the waiting area where interviews are done to ensure a higher level of privacy.

The plans -- outlined in part by David L Stone, the embassy's consul general, and Laurence Tobey, chief of the Visa Unit -- also include reducing the average one-hour interview time for visa applicants.

"We see ourselves as service providers," said Stone, while noting that the embassy was doing its best to better serve its customers.

MONTEGO BAY, St James More than 12 gunmen went on a savage rampage in the tough Bird Hill area of Salt Spring early yesterday, killing five persons two execution style before fleeing the depressed community on foot. Up to press time one of the dead men was still unidentified.

Police gave the names of the others as: Cornel Brown, 20 years old and Elton Hines, 23, both of Bird Hill; Damion Brooks and 20-year-old Byron Powell, whose addresses are not known.

Police report that about 5:30 am the armed thugs went into the area and forced Brown and Hines to lie face down on the narrow roadway. They were then shot in the back of their heads.The gunmen then went to a nearby house which was being occupied by Brooks, Powell and the unidentified man, where they sprayed them with bullets before setting the house ablaze, while their bodies lay inside the building in pools of *lo**.

The Observer was told that one of the occupants of the house was beheaded after he was shot.

The police said when they went to the crime scene yesterday the victims charred remains were found among the rubble of the burnt house.

The remains were later removed to the morgue.

When the Observer visited the section of the community where the second shootings occurred, investigators watched by a crowd of curious people were busy gathering forensic evidence.

Residents were, however, tight-lipped about what took place.

All mi can say, boss, is that mi nuh know what could a cause this, said an elderly man.

Another man close by said he heard the barrage of gunshots in the early morning but could not say what was taking place.

The Bird Hill area of Salt Spring is located about three miles south of the resort city of Montego Bay and has been identified as one of the areas in St James where criminal gangs are wreaking havoc.

The police have often complained that the Salt Spring community is difficult to patrol, due to its unplanned development.

Late yesterday, Superintendent Merrick Watson, the commanding officer for the St James police, declined to comment on the killings, which have pushed the murder toll in the parish to more than 85, since the start of the year.

I really cant talk to the media; I dont have a comment not yet; not right now, said Watson, who took command of the parish just over two months ago.

For the second time in less than a month, another Jamaican who was wanted by the United States for alleged drug-trafficking waived his right to a formal extradition hearing and surrendered himself to the authorities to be extradited.

David Clarke, 55, of Parks Road, St Andrew is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute ganja.

On Friday, he signed the extradition consent form when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court with his attorney Sandra Alcott.

Similarly Clarke's son, Mark Antonio, a 34-year-old musician, also waived his right to an extradition hearing when he appeared in court last Wednesday.

According to the arresting officer, in July 2008 Clarke and his son were indicted for drug offences by the Grand Jury in Illinois, USA.

MANDEVILLE, Manchester -- The Opposition People's National Party (PNP) says it will be considering taking legal steps to ensure that Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller is "released" as a defendant in the recently filed action by the Government seeking a declaration on the power of Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne in dealing with extradition matters.

"We are considering all options and one option is to have her released as a defendant because we do not believe the proceedings are genuine," KD Knight, a Queen's Counsel and former national security and justice minister, told the Observer yesterday following a meeting of the PNP's National Executive Council (NEC) at the Manchester High School in Mandeville.

Knight, who spoke on the issue during the closed session of the meeting, told the Observer that the move by the Government appeared to be "just a ruse to prolong the decision-making process" on the extradition issue involving Tivoli Gardens 'don' Christopher 'Dudus' Coke."It would appear that a final decision has not been taken," said Knight. "The minister must be brave enough to take this final decision to say I am not issuing an authority to proceed if, in her view, she is correct. If not, then she should issue the authority to proceed because again, some of the questions asked are questions which ought properly to be answered either by the court of committal, which is the Resident Magistrate's Court, the Full Court in the hearing of habeas corpus proceedings in the event the fugitive fails at the first level. And if there is failure at the Full Court, then again the Appellate Court would answer these questions... This is not a matter, in my view, where a declaratory judgement ought to be sought..."Knight also ridiculed the move to have Coke (first defendant); Joseph Matalon, head of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ); and Simpson Miller answer to the court as defendants."The claimant's first defendant is Mr Chris Coke, but Mr Coke could never be heard to be opposing the position taken by the minister because that position is in his favour," Knight argued. "The other defendant is Mr Matalon in his capacity as head of the PSOJ. I don't see how he can properly be there because he has made some comments exercising his rights to freedom of speech, so has the leader of the opposition, who seems to be brought as a defendant, not as leader of the opposition but as Portia Simpson Miller.

"Now, it begs this question, can it be that any Jamaican who has opposed the actions taken by the minister can become a defendant in this matter? ...Why have they (not) chosen, for example, the editor of the Observer or the editor of the Daily Gleaner who have been consistent in their opposition?" asked Knight.

THE END OF DAYS!!! SOULJA BOY'S NEW ARTIST MAKES A BLASPHEMOUS RAP . . . CLAIMING HE'S JESUS!!!

The below video is by one of Soulja Boy's SOD Money Gang artists named Lil B. Ain't it CRAZY how so many rappers feel comfortable TALKING CRAZY about Christianity. But if they tried to say mess like that about OTHER RELIGIONS . . . there would be public OUTRAGE!!!

U MEMBA WHEY U DO WEEK BEFORE LAST? YES HIM MEK DAH SONG YAH FI HAR... A BAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY...U GWINE LEARN FI BEHAVE AFTER THIS ONE... SUSS NUH READY FI U YET MAM... MI JUS WAA U REGISTER DI SONG...

Jim Jones

 

Rapper Jim Jones will begin teaching a 6-week high school course to educate students on the inner-working of the music business. 

Jones was cleared by the Board of Education in New York to teach the class, and he will begin teaching Music Business 101 on Tuesday, April 27th, in New York. 

The course is being presented by Entertainers 4 Education (E4EA), a non-profit organization founded in 2005 by entertainment executive, Tonya Lewis and educator J.P. Taylor. 

The rapper is on the board of the non-profit organization, which educates students on the importance of education and self development. 

After Jones finishes teaching the high school students on Monday, he will head over to Fordham University, to speak to college-level students about the music industry. 

At both events, Jones will specifically teach the kids about artist management, creative control over content, intellectual property, production, distribution, music operations and music business threats.

Other members of E4EAs board include MTV personality Sway Calloway, NBA legend John Starks, R&B singer/rapper Tyrese Gibson and others.

RAPPER DRAKE'S GHOSTWRITER HAS HIS TWITTER HACKED . . . EVIDENCE LEAKED SHOWS THAT DRAKE DOESN'T WRITE HIS OWN RHYMES!!! (SCREENSHOTS INSIDE)

MediaTakeOut.com received the below Tweets from an anonymous source. Word is that they were between rapper Drake and his ghostwriter.

We also hear that we should expect MORE damning evidence any moment now.

Stay tuned . . .

No apology forthcoming for hurling insults

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Despite hurling insults at many people in the entertainment industry on a video that surfaced on YouTube recently, Ricky Trooper said he was not drunk and will not apologise for his words.

The veteran selector ranted on two videos that were posted on OvaDiWallEnt's YouTube channel. Both videos were posted on the website on March 21, under the title 'Ricky Trooper Tells All'.

When contacted, Trooper said the videos were recorded mid-January while he was in Atlanta, celebrating his birthday. Although he was drinking liquor, he said he was not drunk but just felt like speaking his mind.

"I never drunk yet. Drunk is a person who is intoxicated and never know what he is saying. You can never use drunk as an excuse," he told THE STAR. "Mi a talk from mi heart. After being in the business for so much years, mi buss before Bounty, Beenie, Kartel and Mavado. So why me as a selector mi fi tek talk from a artiste?"

greatness

And, he really seemed to be speaking from his heart. In the first video, which is almost 10 minutes long, he begins, "mi nuh business wid people enuh, mi just waan know seh God love mi. Mi nuh fight bout greatness or dem ting deh. Mi play music fi di people. Mi nah tell no man seh mi a bad selector, mi do mi work inna this, mi a legend."

As he continued, he boasted that the only sound system to 'buss' since 2000 is Sound Trooper and he was responsible for that. In the process, he also lashed out at Sky Juice.

Throughout the expletive-filled videos he reinforced that he is not drunk, only 'nice'. "Wi have wi gun ...," he said waving what looked like a handgun and shouting in the camera.

When he spoke with THE STAR, Ricky Trooper explained that he was holding a replica gun which is actually a lighter.

As he speaks, he sips from his cup that was half-filled. Meanwhile, there are several men in the background laughing and making comments. At various intervals, he says, "put this pon YouTube, mek sure mi see it pon YouTube a morning."

box or plane seat?

However, he managed to show respect to Super Cat. "You a di only man ever bad me up. A you ask mi seh 'how yuh waan go back a Jamaica, inna box or plane seat?' and mi seh Super Cat, mi ago tek the plane seat," Ricky Trooper laughingly said.

In the other six-minute video, he also attacks Bounty Killer and Chin, of Irish and Chin fame.

Afterwards, he turns his attention to Busy Signal. "Wah happen to you Busy Signal? Yuh a sing bout Gary."

Despite the seemingly harsh comments, Ricky Trooper said he has no regard for anyone who might feel insulted.

"If me a talk pon YouTube and Killa offended, mi nuh business bout that. 'Cause a weh people a talk bout Bounty Killer in the streets mi a talk bout. I don't feel no way bout who waan offended 'cause dem nah put on my pot," he told THE STAR.

While he has issues with Busy Signal, Ricky Trooper said, "mi nuh have nutten 'gainst Mavado 'cause mi proud a Mavado. Him have a dream and him a live him dream."

File

Ricky Trooper

"Mi a talk from mi heart. After being in the business for so much years, mi buss before Bounty, Beenie, Kartel and Mavado. So why me as a selector mi fi tek talk from a artiste?"

Game said his "400 Bars" 20-minute freestyle was probably his single most epic undertaking ever.

"To even think about doing '400 Bars,' you need a lot of patient people in the studio with you," Game said earlier this week in L.A. "I had my whole team in, my whole crew. We was in the studio, the same studio. We were here for a day, 24 hours. Nobody went home, nobody ate, nobody brushed their teeth we just grinded it out. It came together. I stayed in the booth for a little bit over eight hours, on my feet. At the end, I felt paralyzed. It just took that much out of me. It felt like I got jumped by 30 people. That's how much it took to do '400 Bars.' I don't advise anybody to try to do it or top me. Not that I think they could. It's a long process. Then, you have to keep people entertained for 20 minutes. You can't just spit something and it not make sense. Piecing it together was crazy. But I did it, and the response was pretty cool.

"The next day, I dropped it on the Internet, and I slept until maybe like 9 p.m.," he said. "I went to the blogs, everybody was going crazy for it. So I went back to sleep."

You know there's no way Game could have unleashed "400 Bars" without some sort of controversy. Jay Rock wrote on Twitter that people felt like Game was throwing subliminal jabs at him.

"I get on Twitter n everybody hitting me sayn @ihategame getting @ me in his freestyle," Rock wrote. "Same as Cube, n---as need to have ba--s to say names."

"I'm not scared to go against nobody all n---a have to do is say my name and it's on with who ever. I don't feel I need to apologize to no1," he later wrote.

Game didn't say if he was in fact getting at Jay Rock, but he did say he's always ready to battle.

"I'll just say it like this: If you feel like it was a jab and respond to it, then play with your career if you want to," Game warned. "I know what to do with anybody and their career. Unless you really know, you should keep your mouth closed."

We do know for sure that Game spat at the G-Unit once again. "Screaming out f--- 50, wouldn't snitch for half his cash/ ... Butter-soft Banks, you a bi---, man/ Me and you, we was cool until 50 unscrewed your kickstand/ And Yayo, turn in your senior-citizen wristband." The Compton native insists it was no big deal.

"You've gotta understand the difference between G-Unit [jabs] and a beef," Game explained. "It was a beef [years ago]. I see 50, nobody is gonna do nothing to him. He sees me, nobody is gonna do nothing to me. It's over with. The beef is over, but I can still throw a few jabs here and there and poke a little fun. Ain't nothing wrong with being a comedian of some sorts. That's all it was. I say maybe eight or 10 bars out of 400. 390 bars about other sh--, and 10 bars worth of jabs ain't gonna hurt nobody."

Producer the Alchemist was one person who didn't applaud Game's efforts. Al took to Twitter to give his "400 Bars" review. "400 bars=snooze. Less is more," Al wrote.

Game responded on his Twitter page by writing, "@AlanTheChemist you already know me ALAN, don't get ya teeth knocked out !!! then you can Snooze 4 real!"

Al continued the back-and-forth with a sarcastic response: "I just got jumped by 75 *lo**s at the 7-11. thanx alot @ihategame. Twitter is powerful!"

"He responded like he was supposed to, because he's a G-Unit affiliate," Game told us. "I responded like I was supposed to: the first thing that came to my head. I was serious about mine. He can take it lightly if he wants, but stay outta my way."

Game is finishing up his R.E.D. Room mixtape with DJ Skee. Lil Wayne, Hurricane Chris, Jim Jones and the Birdman all appear on the project.