By Steve Cofield

The first wave of the expected refugees from the neighboring country of Haiti, which was recently dismantled by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, arrived yesterday in Jamaica and have already sent police in St Mary on a goose chase.

As if things could get any worse for dancehall / reggae artiste Buju Banton who is currently in jail in Florida facing Federal drug charges, just in time for Sundays Grammy Awards, two U.S.

gay rights groups (the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center) that are angry about his Reggae Grammy nomination for Rasta Got Soul, have taken out a full-page ad in the popular Hollywood show business paper Daily Variety. In the ad, they urge Grammy organizers to use Sundays televised Grammy Awards ceremony to denounce music that promotes or celebrates violence against any group of people. The ad makes specific reference to Banton as someone who has promoted the murder of gay people throughout his career.

special update contrary to information being widely circulated over the past couple days, on paper, Kim Hamilton (more popularly known as Gaza Kim) is still a part of Vybz Kartels Portmore Empire crew. According to Adidja Vybz Kartel Palmer, CEO of Adidjahiem Records, she has not been released from her contract with the record label.

The ongoing controversy surrounding her recent assault continued yesterday, as Kim released a statement indicating that she will now be moving on with her music career under the name KYM, and that she is humbly and proudly withdrawing herself as a member of the popular crew. In the statement, she also thanked all the members of the Portmore Empire, and specifically Vybz Kartel, for his professional advice over the past 8-9 months.

Tuesday (January 26), the lawyers for reggae star Buju Banton filed papers claiming that the United States government entrapped him into a drug deal.

According to the documents, the government informant pressured Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, into purchasing the cocaine. David Markus Marc and David Seitles, Myrie's defense attorneys are also requesting the identity of the informant, so as to look into his credibility.

"In addition to refusing to disclose the identity, the government has refused to identify the prior cases in which he has been involved, the outcomes of those cases, the amount of money he has earned making cases for the government, or even the amount he has been paid in this case," stated the court papers.

Banton reportedly met the unidentified informant on a flight from Madrid, Spain to Miami in July of 2009. The informant then spent the next three months trying to purchase the cocaine. The sting operation came to a head on December 10 when Banton was arrested and charged with conspiring to buy with the intent to distribute more than five kilos of cocaine from an undercover law enforcement office, and the possession of a firearm during the course of illegal activity.

(Jan. 26) -- It's not uncommon for a teenager to go to extreme measures to avoid having to do chores: Television and the Internet are far more appealing than taking out the trash and loading the dishwasher.

Nonetheless, most kids slog through it, if only for the sake of getting their parents off their backs. That, however, was not the case with a Colorado teen who police say fatally shot his mother and stepfather to get out of doing his household duties.

The 14-year-old boy, John Caudle, has been charged as an adult with two counts of murder. He is being held at a youth center and is due in court next week.

The case began in late October, when Park County deputies stopped a pickup truck in Fairplay. The driver, Caudle, was too young to drive, so police attempted to find his parents, who he said lived about 130 miles away near the city of Monte Vista. The boy said he was going to visit his uncle.

When the patrol officer contacted authorities near the boy's home, he was told that police were already at the house, which was being treated as a crime scene. Earlier that day, a relative had found the bodies of the boy's mother and stepfather, Joanne Rinebarger, 34, and Tracy Rinebarger, 38, on the bedroom floor.

According to the arrest affidavit, Caudle told police that he had an argument with his mother at home on Oct. 26. Afterward, he allegedly took two .22-caliber pistols from a gun safe and shot her dead with one of them. He then hid in a laundry room and allegedly shot his stepfather when he walked by.

"Caudle said the reason he shot Joanne Rinebarger was because he did not want to do household chores," the affidavit read.

After the shootings, police say, Caudle spent the rest of his day watching movies and playing on a computer. The next morning he took his stepfather's truck and drove to school. When questioned, Caudle's teachers told investigators he seemed "happy" that day.

The St Catherine North police will be going all out to dismantle the notorious Clansman and One Order gangs which are alleged to be wreaking havoc in sections of the division.

The gangs are known to operate in and around Spanish Town, St Catherine but in recent times have spread their wings into other parishes.

The police say that both gangs are suspected to be behind more than 100 murders committed in the division since 2002, the year in which they waged a war for the gains of an extortion rackets in the municipal bus park in Spanish Town.

murder suspects

Head of the division, Super-intendent Assan Thompson says the gangs are suspected to be responsible for a large number of murders committed in the parish last year.

"We will continue and won't stop until the One Order and Clansman gangs are destroyed," Superintendent Thompson said. "These are two very dangerous gangs, two of the most dangerous in the Caribbean and one of our major initiatives for this year is to dismantle them."

Seven high-profile members of the gangs are now behind bars, three from One Order and four from Clansman. Their identifications are being withheld, however, as they are not yet officially charged.

Police say they are investigation cases in which the men are suspected to be involved and they may be charged soon.

-- Edited by SLICE BREAD on Wednesday 27th of January 2010 09:21:46 PM

The first wave of the expected refugees from the neighbouring country of Haiti, which was recently dismantled by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, arrived yesterday in Jamaica and have already sent police in St Mary on a goose chase.

According to information reaching THE WEEKEND STAR, two of three Haitian refugees, who arrived along the Boscobel coastline in that parish, sometime after 7 a.m., outran lawmen into nearby bushes and are currently being sought. The third man has been taken into custody.

Police reports are that five men reportedly boarded a vessel on Monday from Port-au-Prince, Haiti before the unit capsized off the coast of Boscobel. Two of the men are said to have drowned during this misfortune.

The police said that the other three managed to swim ashore, where two escaped into nearby bushes, while the other was captured.

The lawmen are appealing to residents to be on the lookout for the two men, who might be armed and dangerous. They are urging them to report any strange person or suspicious activity they may see.

There are speculations that the two refugees may belong to the group of some 4000 hardened criminals, who escaped from prison in Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating quake.

At 4:53 p.m. on January 12, the powerful earthquake ripped through Haiti causing extensive damage, deaths and casualty in and around the capital of Port-au-Prince.

MI NAAH START UP NUTTIN PON UNU ARTIST BUT

U REALISE THAT WHENEVER A "STATEMENT" IS RELEASED ON BEHALF OF HIM AND WHENEVER HE MAKES A OFFICIAL STATEMENT, ITS ALWAYS DIFFERENT OR THERES SOME TWIST TO IT

I WONDER IF A SMADDY A TRY DAMAGE HIM CAREER, GAZA FANS TELL MI WAAH GWAAN

T.I., better known as Clifford Harris to the government, is being sued for copyright infringement according to reports. The lawsuit is based on his 2006 grammy-award winning track "What You Know." Fellow rapper Motoe Blizzid, or Nathan Filby as he is known to the government, is saying the song uses substantial parts of his 2004 song "Reverence." Blizzid says that it isn't even a question that TIP ripped him off as it has the "same rate of harmonic range" and "virtually identical core harmonic progression of descending 4ths" not to mention "nearly identical instrumental melodic lines in terms of pitch, shape, and rhythm."

In related news, according to multiple reports, T.I. is already in the studio working on a new album for 2010. Producer Jim Jonsin, who produced TIP's "Whatever You Like" hit, says that the Grand Hussle leader is working on the follow up to his 2008 "Paper Trail" album. "It doesn't seem like he missed a beat," Jonsin said in an interview. "He was so upbeat, his spirits were up, and he's excited to be out and working. He hasn't changed, he sounded exactly like he did when I talked to him months before he went in. He's back in the studio. I sent him some music via email. He can work during the week and not on the weekend, I believe. He's definitely working on an album for this year right now."

Sizzla

Popular Rastafarian reggae artiste Sizzla Kalonji was arrested on Wednesday by police personnel from the St Andrew Central police following reports that gunshots were fired at a group of persons at a river in August Town.

Crime chief for the division, Deputy Superintendent Derrick 'Cowboy' Knight, told THE WEEKEND STAR that the entertainer, born Miguel Orlando Collins, was taken into custody following the shooting incident.

"The incident occurred sometime around 8:15 p.m and we responded and Sizzla was arrested about 15 minutes later," DSP Knight said before adding that Sizzla is in the process of being interrogated and his hands were also swabbed for gunpowder.

identified Sizzla

Reports summarise that a number of persons were catching water at a river when an armed man approached them and fired several shots in their direction. No one was injured.

Further reports are that a number of persons subsequently reported to the police and identified Sizzla as the shooter.

Asked what is the theorised reason behind the shooting, Knight, though not confirming, explained that a number of areas in August Town are currently at odds.

"Well that is what happened based on the reports we have ... We are investigating but we know that a number of places like Judgement Yard, Goldsmith Villa and Hermitage have constant friction, so we are looking into that," Knight said.

This is not Sizzla's first run-in with the law.

In 2005, he was taken into custody and questioned in relation to 13 high-powered guns the police dug out of a hole in the Judgement Yard section of August Town.

He was held and interrogated for three days but was released as he denied having any knowledge of the guns.

Sizzla is known for songs like Black Woman and Child, Dry Cry, and Rise to the Occasion.

After Olivia said yesterday that she was not dropped from G-Unit by 50 Cent, she actually asked to leave. Now 50 Cent himself has come forward to talk about Olivia leaving the label in 2007, not to mention how she cost him $2 million dollars in expenses. 50 says that Olivia used budgets and her money like she was some superstar, say like Beyonce or Rihanna.

"Yeah, that was a loss," Fif said about Olivia at G-Unit. "The problem you get with female solo artists is they look, their game is really small. So they look at it and say, it's Beyonce, Rihanna, Keyshia Cole but when you have an African American female solo artist, she sees where she fits immediately. Problem is, they spend financing like those artists at that , shepoint, having the set-up, the make-up artist, the stylist, those different things but when you don't have a record that connects fast enough, you'll accumulate a tab like a motherf*cker. And you look around like 'You spent $2 million on this sh*t and have me compromising myself at certain times.' See, I made sacrifices for other artists that I don't think people acknowledge them. Don't get f*cked up, when I'm doing the Get Rich Or Die Tryin' soundtrack, I know I'm supposed to be doing 'I'll Whip Your Head Boy,' and I'm doing 'If I Was Your Best Friend,' because I'm already two million in the hole on the actual project. I already spent all this paper moving around doing all this other sh*t that I gotta keep that in a position where I can potentially sell it."

Sizzla Kolonji is being held for questioning following a shooting incident in August Town.Mediazoneja understands that at around 8:00pm on Wednesday, gun shots were heard behind Sizzlas residence in the River Bed Area in August Town.

According to the CCN officer, the police were subsequently called, and the entertainer was taken into police custody at about 10:30pm.

Up to late this afternoon the Half Way Tree police confirmed with Mediazoneja that Sizzla is still in their custody.

Two teenage cousins have fled their home in Chandlers Hall, Clarendon, following an alleged incident in which they accidentally had sex.

Though sketchy, information reaching THE WEEKEND STAR is that the man, 18-year-old Joe Pelpa* and his 19-year old cousinJane, along with a male and female friend, went to a party some two weeks ago in the area.

Joe was reportedly courting his cousin's friend while his friend was courting the female cousin.

Reports are that the four got drunk, left the party and went back to the cousin's home. While there, it is said that Joe went into a room where his cousin and her friend were asleep.

Allegations are that he went there with the intention of having sex with the friend but somehow in his drunken state he instead did so with his cousin.

Corporal Travis Young of the Clarendon police told THE WEEKEND STAR that the police heard of the situation after a friend of the 18-year-old and another man got into a fight which was sparked by discussions about the incident.

"I couldn't give details as to what really happened but that is how I heard of it ... . One of the guys was defending his friend after the other joked about the incident and they got into a fight," the corporal said.

According to the police, they heard that the female friend who was in the room, woke up and saw the cousins sleeping in the nude next to each other.

As allegations about their drunken, sexual encounter began to spread throughout the community, the two reportedly fled and have not been seen since.

*Names changed.

STUDENTS of the University of the West Indies yesterday staged a demonstration on the Mona campus, to protest against the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-ordered freeze on subsidies to tertiary institutions, as well as the impending hike in tuition fees and other costs.

The students, armed with anti-Government placards, later gathered at a function attended by Education Minister Andrew Holness on the campus and stood silently as a mark of protest against the measures, which will see subsidies to the university capped at last year's level.

 

Students of the University of the West Indies, armed with anti-Government placards staged a demonstration on the Mona campus yesterday. 1/2

Responding to the protesters, Holness quoted from the IMF's Letter of Intent which calls for "a nominal freeze on tertiary subsidies at the level of the budget year 2009/10".

Holness said a disproportionate amount of Government resources was being spent on tertiary education when compared to other levels of the sector.

Government spends $14 billion annually on tertiary institutions, which cater to 60,000 students, but only $2 billion on the early childhood sector with 150,000 children, and $10 billion on the primary level with 250,000 students.

"It shows that some amount of rebalancing has to take place, and in a time of crisis everyone will have to share in the burden," Holness said. He added that secondary students would also have to sacrifice as the subsidy on their examinations had been cut dramatically.

He was guest speaker at UWI's annual research day, where the militant but silent protesters had gathered.

The minister promised that student fees would not be increased above the inflation rate and that Cabinet would next week discuss a "targeted approach" to assisting students at risk of being de-registered from institutions for non-payment of fees.

President of the UWI Guild of Students Vishwanauth Tolan said the Government was always giving students "words of comfort", while in reality students would have to bear the brunt of the IMF deal.

"We want the Government to know the students are upset and disgruntled with what may happen in the future. By telling us that Government is going to look at the situation is not enough. Our problem is that things that have been proposed in the past do not materialise," Tolan told the Observer.

Vice-president of public relations for the University of Technology's Student's Union Shikisha Cowan has, meanwhile, requested information on the implications of the subsidy freeze on students of that institution before initiating any protest.

Cowan, too, took issue with the decision to channel funds to the lower-education levels at the expense of the tertiary sector.

"We must be able to educate our people to the highest levels and not just to the secondary level. We need people who can compete globally in order to make Jamaica globally competitive," Cowan contended.

She said students at UTech were feeling the economic pressure just as those at primary and secondary schools.

"I know of students who make the decision what days to attend classes because they cannot find the bus fare and lunch money every day. When you take away more of the subsidy from the tertiary institutions you are saying that our development is not as important as other areas," Cowan said.

-- Edited by ruptionlink on Friday 29th of January 2010 02:01:06 PM

Gaza madness! - Rampin' Sundays patrons beaten for playing Mavado
Vybz Kartel ... I cannot be held accountable for every Gaza fan who takes music too far. - File Photos More persons have fallen victim to the 'Gully-Gaza' feud that has divided both the entertainment world, and society in general. In the latest of incidents inspired by the madness, a Canadian couple vacationing in Jamaica received a fine beating in the wee hours of yesterday morning after thugs heard a Mavado song being played in their car. disrespecting 'the Gaza' THE STAR understands that the couple had gone to Rampin' Sundays, a weekly party held off Mannings Hill Road in St Andrew, and were attacked while being accused of disrespecting 'the Gaza'. Though the couple chose not to speak directly to THE STAR about the incident, Kimmy, a friend of the couple who allegedly witnessed the incident, explained that the fracas unfolded about 2:30 a.m. after police personnel declared that the music at the party be turned off. Before leaving, the couple decided to take a few pictures with persons they had met at the party. Their happy moment quickly turned into danger after the same men with whom they were striking poses heard a Mavado song playing in the couple's car. One of the alleged attackers, an upcoming deejay affiliated with the Portmore Empire, is said to have gone to the vehicle, took the keys out of the ignition and threw them away. Efforts to contact the artiste were unsuccessful as several calls went unanswered. "When the party had ended, they were taking pictures and a mix CD was playing in their car. A Mavado song began to play and the men got upset. The same man who also took pictures with them took the key and threw it away," Kimmy said. THE STAR was further told that after retrieving the keys, the couple decided to make a hasty retreat but were stopped in their tracks by a group of about 15 men who claimed that they had been disrespected. They were also told that such songs should never be played in that area. blows rained The couple was not allowed to leave without being disciplined, it was further said. Their car tyres were punctured and several blows rained upon them. "They tried to leave, but about 15 men confronted them. They hit the husband through the car window and the wife also after she tried to get them to stop," Kimmy said. The matter was later reported to the Constant Spring police. Sources at the police station confirmed that the couple had indeed made a complaint and that the matter would be investigated. When contacted yesterday, crime chief for the St Andrew North police, deputy superintendent Altermoth 'Parro' Campbell, instructed THE STAR to urge the couple to contact him immediately. Leader of the Portmore Empire, Vybz Kartel, said he was at the party but apparently left before the incident unfolded as he was unaware of it. In response to questions about the incident, Vybz Kartel said: "I cannot be held accountable for every Gaza fan who takes music too far. The reality is there are laws and rules and if they're broken, then you the lawbreaker stand the consequence of your action. People are always fighting over issues. This is just the latest, not the first and not the last, because after us there will be more rivalry in every field of life, from religion and politics to music and lifestyle. I am tired of doing interviews defending unscrupulous people who give the Gaza a bad name."

Vybz Kartel a.k.a Addi the Teacha today strongly condemned an alleged physical attack on Gaza Kim, his youngest recruit in the Portmore Empire, over the weekend.

Details are still sketchy about the physical altercation that reportedly left the 17 year-old "shaken and traumatised" and the true extent of her injuries are still unknown but Kartel commisserated with the young singer for whom, he penned such songs as Amen, Teenage Pregnancy, among other hit singles. The Portmore Empire release is published below:

 

(OFFICIAL STATEMENTS)

I, Adidja Palmer, condemn the alleged attack on Gaza Kim. And if these allegations are true, I urge her to contact the relevant authorities, if she has not yet done so, to deal with the matter swiftly .I don't condone violence, especially any attacks against females and children. Gaza Kim is a young talented singer who I hope will reach far in her musical endeavours whether or not she is with the Portmore Empire.

My deepest sentiments go out to her.

A Corporate Area man is today joining the views of several persons worldwide who have been questioning whether or not the earth shattering quake that ravaged sections of Haiti on January 12 was a work of mother nature or the result of men conducting scientific experiments.

From as early as the very day of the earthquake, several videos were posted on popular video-sharing website YouTube.com of persons purporting that a radio technology which can trigger changes in the atmosphere was responsible for the deathly quake which left hundreds of thousands dead. A clip of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez making the same claim was also posted on that site.

technology

Similar to the countless videos and articles posted online, the Jamaican man said that the technology is known as High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) and is operated by the United States Navy and Air Force.

"When the technology first developed it was used for the exploration of oil in Alaska, then it was sold to the military because the military saw potential in it as a weapon," the local man, opting only to be referred to as Simsaid. "HAARP uses frequency to heat up the ionosphere (the uppermost part of the atmosphere) and can cause disaster of any magnitude, whether it be a hurricane or earthquake - unfortunately Haiti became the victim. "

As to why it happened in Haiti, the local man said, the country, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, was merely being used as a lab rat for the experiment, a test drill of HAARP.

On the matter of the other quakes that subsequently hit Venezuela and the Cayman Islands afterwards, he says those were smaller scale tests, which also served to 'cover up' the blow done to Haiti under the guise of mother nature venting.

Sim said that his main goal in highlighting the discovery, which many may call a conspiracy theory, is making the public aware of the technology that is out there and is being manipulated by the powers that be. "We may find ourselves falling victim just as Haiti, in the longer run," he said.

Approximately 4:53 p.m. on Tuesday, January 12, a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake ripped through the heart of Haiti causing mind-boggling devastation and loss of lives.

Other theories for the earthquake have been mentioned, including a claim by popular American televangelist Pat Robinson, that the quake was as a result of a pact that Haiti had made with the devil centuries ago while they fought for independence from the French. Robinson said that the agreement was that if Haiti overthrew the French rulers and gained freedom then the land would be the devil's for the keeping.

A 13-year-old boy was taken to a 'mother woman' last week after he reportedly became demon-possessed and attacked his mother with a machete in Hope Bay, St Ann.

THE WEEKEND STAR learnt that the mother and her son were at home around 6 p.m. when the boy began acting strangely after arriving from school.

Residents say the youngster was seen wildly running in and out of his yard.

"Di whole a wi deh pon di road and see him a run up and down ... From inside a him yard to out a road weh we did deh," Sharlene, a resident said.

This is said to have aroused the residents' suspicions and they summoned the boy's mother asking her if something was wrong.

While talking to her, things reportedly took a dangerous turn. Residents claim the boy ran from inside the house with a machete in hand and yelled, "me a go kill har."

strange sounds

As the boy got nearer everybody scampered, even his mother.

He reportedly chased her, but she ran into a neighbour's house and locked herself in while he used the machete to bang on the door repeatedly, still shouting "me a go kill har."

As more residents gathered to witness the incident, he began uttering strange sounds and speaking in an unknown language.

"Me always hear bout dem ting deh but a di first me eva witness it live ... Di little yute start talk in a tongues and a mek some strange noise like him mad," Frederick, another resident claimed.

A group of residents are said to have braved the situation, accosted the teenager and at the request of his mother took him to the 'mother woman' who said he was possessed by a demon.

The woman is reported to have chanted bible verses before asking that they bring him into a room where he was left, while she continued her deliverance procedure.

The boy's mother, though reluctant to speak, said he is doing well since the incident and the teen has been sent to live with his father in Kingston.

Sources from the St Ann police said they have heard of the incident but did not have full details.

Long beach singer Nate Dogg is recovering from a stroke and doing well in therapy, according to childhood friend and longtime collaborator, Warren G.

Nate Dogg, born Nathaniel Hale has suffered two strokes since January of 2008.

The strokes left the Grammy-nominated singer partially paralyzed and he was also using an assisted breathing tube, to make breathing easier.

"Hes in therapy getting himself together, thats all I can tell people," Warren G. told HardKnock.tv. "I see him any and every time I want to. Its hard when you have somebody that got two strokes, usually the person dont make it. But hes strong. Hes getting good therapy and hes pulling out of it.

According to Warren G., Nate Dogg was relearning to use basic human functions and that he can lift his head up.

Its hard when you first have a stroke, you got to learn everything over again, Warren G. stated. Its like youre a baby again. You gotta learn everything.

Between collaborations with artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Fabolous and Warren G. and solo releases, Nate Dogg has sold close to 60 million records over the past 20 years.

A mother who had sex with a 12-year-old boy nearly 200 times has been arrested; she was found to have kept a diary of her encounters, with each of 191 times the pair had sex marked off with a star.

The 36-year-old unemployed single mother, a resident of Middlesborough in the UK, began the relationship by seducing the boy with alcohol, and then proceeding to have regular sex with him over a 10 month period, sending her own son away where necessary so the couple could go about their business undisturbed at home.

Reportedly the woman kept a diary detailing her encounters with the boy, with each time the pair had sex marked with a star 191 in all. It is said that for his 100th successful performance she bought him a pair of trainers.

Rumours of her being pregnant with the boys son soon circulated at the boys school, and soon the authorities became involved. The boy had also apparently been bragging to his friends online about his mature girlfriend, making it only a matter of time before the pair were uncovered.

In her first court hearing, she admitted ten counts of inciting a child into sexual activity. She is due to be examined by psychiatrists as there are concerns she is suffering mental illness.

If convicted she faces a possible indefinite prison sentence to stop her terrorising the public with any further boy sex. The local community has reportedly already attacked her home in anticipation of her being branded a child molester.

So appearantly some dude took a picture of the northern lights and in it was some kind of jelly fish looking thing, the got popular and i dont speak scientist but, check this out:




The mystery shape in the aurora over Andenes, Norway (photograph by Per-Arne Mikalsen)

On Jan. 20, 2010, Per-Arne Mikalsen was photographing a vast aurora erupting over the northern Norwegian town of Andenes.

Because solar activity is on the increase, aurora spotters have many opportunities to see the Northern Lights. On this particular night the aurora was intense, stretching toward the southern latitudes of Norway.

In one of the photographs taken by Mikalsen was an "object" that couldn't be identified. Although Mikalsen had taken several images at the same location, just one photo showed a mysterious green parachute-like object hanging with the main aurora. (This time, it appears that the Russian military was not involved in the making of this strange shape in the sky.)

At first it seemed easy to dismiss the object as a lens flare or a spot on the camera lens, but after further study it became clear that the answer wasn't that simple.

Also, Mikalsen is no stranger to aurorae, having worked on Andøya Rocket Range (on the island of Andøya) for many years. He's seen aurorae of all shapes and sizes, but he'd never before seen a structure like this hanging in the sky.

"I have been working the Andøya Rocket Range for 25 years (the 20 last years in the management) and I have become more and more fascinated by the aurora," Mikalsen told Discovery News. "Photography is a hobby for me."

According to Mikalsen, as soon as he posted his aurora photographs on the Spaceweather.com Northern Lights Gallery, he received dozens of emails from all over the world requesting more information about the mysterious shape.

So what could it be? In correspondence with Truls Lynne Hansen, lead scientist at the Tromsø Geophysical Observatory, he doubts that the mystery object can be explained by a technical fault.

"Usually such aberrations appear when there is a small and intense source of light in the field of view, or at least so close that the light from it hits the lens," Hansen explained to me via email. "That seems not to be the case here."

"Additionally the color of the 'phenomenon' is the same as the color in the aurora, the auroral green line from atomic oxygen," Hansen continued, "so the 'phenomenon' is either a genuine auroral feature or a reflection of auroral light somewhere in space."

Hold on. A reflection of auroral light... in space? That's impossible.

Or is it?

The structured shape of the phenomenon, plus its distance from any light sources, seems to indicate that this isn't an equipment problem. There is also no known aurora that could do this naturally. So that leaves the "reflection from space" argument. What do we have in space that could possibly reflect the green light being emitted by the aurora?

"I agree with Pål Brekke [Senior Advisor at the Norwegian Space Centre] that a reflection from a satellite is a candidate," said Hansen. "It reminds of the so-called 'Iridium flares' -- reflections of sunlight from the regularly shaped Iridium satellites."

Satellite flares are well known by astronomers. As a satellite passes overhead, the conditions may be right for the spacecraft's solar panels or antennae to reflect sunlight down to the ground. The result is a short-lived burst of light, known as a "flare."

The network of Iridium communication satellites are best known for their flares, since they have three huge door-sized antennae that act as orbital mirrors. Witnessing an Iridium flare is immensely rewarding; the event can be predicted beforehand because these satellites have orbits that can be tracked.

My personal concern about the satellite flare theory is the question about auroral light intensity. Is the light from a large aurora bright enough to bounce off a satellite and appear as an auroral satellite flare as a point? And in turn produce a parachute-shaped, lens flare-like projection in the photo? I couldn't imagine even an Iridium satellite amplifying auroral light that much (although a stonking-huge orbital solar power array of the future might do a better job).

"The intensity of an intense aurora is not far from the intensity of moonlight, which is 1/100,000 of sun's light, and the solar Iridium flares apparently are several orders of magnitude stronger than this 'auroral flare,' so the intensity does not immediately exclude the satellite reflection hypothesis," said Hansen.

A weak auroral flare seems feasible, but as pointed out by astronomer Daniel Fischer via Twitter, the green flare might not have anything to do with reflected aurora light, it could just be the color of the lens coating. The lens flare was therefore the result of internal reflections inside the camera lens caused by the bright lights in the lower left-hand corner of the frame.

"It has the typical caustic shape and it is opposite several bright point lights," Fischer observed. "Green color could be caused by lens coatings."

Although more research will need to be done, it certainly seems plausible that Per-Arne Mikalsen serendipitously took a photograph of a satellite flare (possibly an Iridium satellite).

What makes this revelation even more exciting is that we've never seen an auroral reflection from a satellite before (if it's not a lens flare, that is).

"I have, by the way, never seen or heard of a similar phenomenon," Hansen said.

She also changed her name on her facebook group

& changed her Info to : Kym formally from Portmore Empire!

 

Yes its Official...She has Left or been kicked out she updated her facebook profile....here is wat it says

 

Kym formally from Portmore Empire, Kym is young, vibrant, and she's new to the business, however she have the gift to survive this business as female Dancehall Artistes. It's a known fact that young females have it hard in this male dominated business, however with the help of "Di Teacha" Vybz Kartel, Kym and the other female member of the Gaza Crew Lisa Hyper, appears to be working their way towards becoming hit makers like their male counterparts, Blak Ryno, Shawn Storm and Jah Vinci.

-- Edited by KrYsIs on Wednesday 27th of January 2010 06:47:56 PM

In a dancehall world gone rancid from stale samples and stagnant beats, Empire producer Ainsley 'Not Nice' Morris stands head and shoulders literally above everyone else. The six-footer has been able to devise a formula that mixes aggression, pop and soul in just the right amounts to make block-sized beats that have made FM radio sit up and pay attention in 2009.

This young genius' gorgeously airy beats and beautiful synth strokes have made the hit-making Portmore Empire outfit the hottest in the dancehall game.

He scored at least five number one hit singles in 2009, with the runaway hit singles, Get Wild which spent three weeks at #1 on the HYPE TV charts and Ramping Shop which was number one simultaneously on the Jamaica Music Countdown, RE and HYPE TV. Last Man Standing hit the top spot giving him three number ones for 2009 in the first quarter of 2009. He continued that pace, striking gold again with Mama on the Story Tella riddim. He easily hauled in the lion's share of the number ones registered by dancehall producers in 2009. He has kicked off the 2010 with a bang as well as his Bus Park riddim is already booming out on mixtapes and from the splayed out windows of cars in the Corporate Area.

Notnice is well known for his juicy Portmore Empire cuts with aggressive catchphrases such as Blak Ryno's Real Stingers on the Remand Medley, or the hard, violent in-your-face mayhem of Kartel's Last Man Standing. However, Notnice's genius lies in his ability to evoke deeper emotions with his material such as the liquid groove and old-soul melodic sensibility of a Kartel's My Mama, the sweet bounce of Jahvinchi's Watch Yu Friends, or the soul of Shawn Storm's Be Wise.

Asked how he felt to be leading a talented crop of producers that include Serani and Stephen McGregor, Notnice paused before answering:

"I am not surprised that this is happening, this is something I always dreamed of doing. If anything at all, I am surprised at how fast this is happening, but it feels great, the ting sell off, everything mi touch, just turn to gold, platinum, silver...Portmore Empire to the world!"


As a teenager, Notnice grew up idolizing Vybz Kartel so this is a dream come true for him to be working alongside Addi the Teacha, and the scary thing, he is doing so well at such as tender age that he is going to get better.

"I am learning a lot everyday and my confidence is growing, the Portmore Empire is looking to dominate now, and I am supplying them with the beats, the ammunition they need to go out there and bring dancehall to the international community."

Notnice fell in love with dancehall while he attended high school. He encouraged his mother to buy him a computer so that he could build his own rhythms, and locked himself away for hours honing his craft.
After teaching himself to build rhythms, he kicked off his career at Ruckus Records, where he recorded artistes on his 'Charity' rhythm. After leaving Ruckus Records, he began to link with fellow Waterford-based Portmore Empire compadres like Blak Ryno, and Shawn Storm, as well as Doza Medicine from Westchester. Word began to spread about Notnice's gut-shaking drum whumps and prowess with the keyboard, and he began to make a name for himself in Portmore.

"Long time mi link wid the others and dem come mek some mix tape. I had rhythms from long time, but I had no way to get them out there. Den I made the 'Remand Rhythm' and Blak Ryno come hear it and voice on it, he carried it mek Teacha hear it and him listen it, that's how the connection with Vybz Kartel came about. From ever since my dream is to work with Kartel."

After inking a partnership deal with the Portmore Empire head honcho Vybz Kartel, Notnice has been working from Exodus studio in Havendale. Most people began to hear his name when he made the 'Cool Shade' rhythm, which features a kicker of a chorus in Kartel's 'Seh Weh Yuh Feel Fi Seh' and FM radio was forced to sit up and pay attention. The 'Fight Fi War' rhythm which featured Blak Ryno and Jah Vinci followed and the legend was born.

And it's been all gravy since then. Get Wild, a real wig-mover with a voodoo sexual spin, merely solidified his reputation as a producer to watch for in the future, and it appeared jointly on the Adidjaheim-Notnice Records labels.

And now, he is preparing to take his game to even greater heights.

"Right now, Portmore Empire has the best young talent in the country and it is a joy to be making beats for them, and they are going to be around for a long time to come."

You can bet your house on it.

Drake recently talked about how he writes his hit R&B songs, comparing the process to that of Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. Like the two rappers, Drake says he doesn't write down his lyrics. "With R&B, I know my sound. I know I make records to f*ck to," he explained. "The way Jay and Wayne write rap, I write R&B. I don't write lyrics down on paper. The other day, I was in the studio with Alicia Keys, and I wrote two songs just speaking to her. I wish I could write that way for rap. With my rap songs, there's so much of me I have to give that I don't know if I could ever just flow. The thing is, I'm a great rapper. There's two elements to rap: having the thoughts, and then being a great rapper. I can really rap the sh*t that I write. My tone, my inflection. When I listen to myself on records, I don't feel like I don't belong there. When I listen to 'Forever,' with three of my heroes, I fit right in."

Drake went on to talk about where he think's he is at right now. "Im at the starting line. Those guys are at home, putting on their tracksuits, getting ready to make their attack. When J. Cole gets it super-right, I think hes gonna have a place as a Nas-type character who really stands for hip-hop, but still makes ill records that everybody ****s with."

Hit R&B singer Cassie recently addressed the recent rumors that she is currently pregnant with the child of her Bad Boy Records boss, P Diddy. Taking to her twitter page, Cassie simply said the reports are completely false. "Come on people!," she wrote on Twitter. "I still have weight on from the holiday & on top of that, I'm on my period. TMI I know.... lolol!! Not preggers kiddies!! :)"

Rumors of the pregnancy began last week when MediaTakeOut reported the news stating "EXPLOSIVE news. Cassie is PREGNANT . . . and rap mogul Diddy is the DADDY!!!" The gossip website said they had "Word from a reliable source (who is a celebrity) is that Cassie and Diddy have been trying to keep things under wraps."

Christina Milian's 81-year-old neighbor claims he was mauled by one of her dogs back in 2008 -- and now the man wants Christina to pay for the canine's alleged brutality Leo Skolion filed a lawsuit against Christina and family earlier this month in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming the family's negligence lead to the attack that left him with "severe personal injuries."

Leo tells TMZ it all started in October of '08, when Christina's home had "flooding problems" which caused a gate between their properties to become damaged.

Leo says he went over to speak to the family about repairing the gate when one of their dogs escaped ... then attacked him from behind and bit "a huge chunk" out of the back of his arm.

The 81-year-old claims it took 19 stitches and 9 months of rehabilitation to get back to normal -- and that he still has to receive psychiatric help for fear and depression.

Leo is suing Christina -- real name Christine Flores -- her mother Carmen and her sister Danielle for an undetermined amount.

Calls to Christina's camp have not been returned.

Sean Kingston in Concert - Disgruntled Elephant Man declares Beenie 'mashed up' the concert
Krista Henry, Staff Reporter Sean Kingston performing Jamaican style. It was after 3 a.m. on Sunday morning when a disgruntled Elephant Man, after having his set cut short by police officers, unapologetically announced that fellow deejay and unscheduled performer Beenie Man had "mashed up" the Coca-Cola Presents Sean Kingston in Concert. Receiving boos from the disgruntled audience for 'dissing' the self-styled King of the Dancehall, Elephant Man made his way offstage after just getting the energy started in his shortened set. After being called up by Sean Kingston earlier in the night, Beenie Man made his way back onstage for a short stint begging scheduled performer, DeMarco, "five minutes" to give his fans a taste of 'the doctor'. DeMarco obliged, cutting in here and there for a few lines of his own songs and to showcase his own dance moves. Beenie Man ended up taking longer than his 'five minutes'. At the abrupt end of the show as emcee Miss Kitty thanked the packed venue for showing, persons in the crowd lively debated Beenie's performance for the night, often favouring the deejay for showing up and performing unexpectedly.   strong vibe Prior to its the unexpected ending, Sean Kingston in Concert was a well-organised and well-attended event that saw more interesting than forgettable performances for the night. Dominated by young artistes after 9 p.m., acts such as G Whizz and Tessanne Chin alongside surprise act Shaggy performing their duet Hold Me got some responses for their effort. Voicemail soon brought a dancing vibe as the younger crowd members bawled out "bembe" along side the trio, who kept a strong vibe. Laden soon followed, deejaying more of his song than usual with Gal Over Gun, Working Hard and had hands waving for Time to Shine. QQ gave a surprisingly mature performance, showing promise for the future, as he came out in a Michael Jackson-style outfit and had fans screaming at the front of the stage. Singing his R&B song, security had to come to his rescue at one point as fans tried to grab the young singjay while he 'stookied' and 'rum-rammed'.   the boo-bird Elephant Man during his shortened set at Coke Zero Concert, held at LIME Golf Academy, New Kingston on Saturday night. Elephant Man was later booed after he blamed Beenie Man's extended performance for his abbreviated stint. - Winston Sill Elephant Man wasn't the only person to be bitten by the boo-bird for the night. Emcee Supa Hype received a solid one as well. After re-entering the stage, he asked fans to scream if they liked QQ. The audience complied. He then proceeded to 'big up' LA Lewis in the VIP area and asked fans to scream for the graffiti artiste. However, instead of shouting their approval, he was given a sound booing. Miss Kitty soon took over emceeing duties, bringing on Alaine next who danced and did her set followed by Tifa, who received a strong forward from welcoming fans. Fans sang along to Bottom of the Barrel, as the female deejay showed off her quick lyrics before going into Spell It Out. D'Angel looked enticing in a red body suit as she hailed her husband in the building and blazed onstage. Executing a quick wardrobe change, she soon made way for Chino who made time for new songs such as Phone Gallis on the Boops rhythm. He slowed it down for Ruff It Up as he took a seat onstage and played his guitar. Bringing out 'the captain', Chino made way for his father Freddie McGregor to get in a line or two as the crowd sang along to Push Come to Shove. Etana, Shady Squad and Mystic all had the crowd warmed up as shortly after 1 a.m. the man of the night Sean Kingston made his way onstage as those sitting down, stood at attention for the international act. Coming to Mi Love, Kingston had a lot to say throughout his first performance in Kingston. In a disc jock showdown with his DJ, Kingston showed that he was in touch with new music, playing Assassin's Hand Up Inna Di Air, Serani's Skip to ma Luu and Stephen McGregor's Cyaa Friend Again before bigging up the Big Ship. The deejay was all business with hits such as Take You There, Beautiful Girls and Fire Burnin. Coppershot's DJs Sanjay and Small Voice, as well as *lo**line's DJ Narity kept the party going after Kingston's performance, as acts such as DeMarco followed to a good response, followed by Ding Dong and Ravers Clavers. Ding Dong jumped into the crowd for Holiday, while Elephant Man closed the show, continuing the dancing trend until cut-off time.

A phonetic alphabet is a list of words used to identify letters in a message transmitted by radio or telephone. Spoken words from an approved list are substituted for letters. For example, the word "Marines" would be "Mike Alpha Romeo India November Echo Sierra" when spelled in the phonetic alphabet. This practice helps to prevent confusion between similar sounding letters, such as "m" and "n", and to clarify communications during transmission when there maybe bombs exploding in the back ground and all kinds of other noises that happen when a soldier is an the field.

Below is the phonetic alphabet currently in use by all branches of the U.S. military:

A - Alpha
B - Bravo
C - Charlie
D - Delta
E - Echo
F - Foxtrot
G - Golf
H - Hotel
I - India
J - Juliet
K - Kilo
L - Lima
M - Mike
N - November
O - Oscar
P - Papa
Q - Quebec
R - Romeo
S - Sierra
T - Tango
U - Uniform
V - Victor
W - Whiskey
X - X-ray
Y - Yankee
Z - Zulu

I wonder if JDF has something like this

Aidonia-Badmind People (Jail Story) or Busy-Nah Guh Jail Again

Vybz Kartel, Gaza Kim - File

Sources close to the Portmore Empire claim that head of the organisation, Vybz Kartel, sanctioned the recent beating of singer Gaza Kim. The deejay, however, strongly denies this claim

Gaza Kim, real name Kim Hamilton, was reportedly assaulted on the weekend in the community known as 'Big Yard', off Mannings Hill Road.

According to a source close to the 'Gaza' crew, the singer was at Big Yard when she and a group of men got into a verbal altercation. The STAR source claimed that Vybz Kartel arrived on the scene and the men were instructed to beat her.

A statement from Kartel yesterday denied his involvement in the incident.

"I do not condone violence, especially attacks against females and children," The deejay said. "Gaza Kim is a young, talented singer who I hope will reach far in her musical endeavours. My deepest sentiments go out to her."

 

traumatised

The release also raised speculations as to whether Gaza Kim is still a member of the Portmore Empire. When asked about this, Kartel did not respond. It was later confirmed by a source close to the Empire that the singer is no longer a member of the popular crew.

Gaza Kim, in a release as well, had earlier confirmed being assaulted and sought the attention of a doctor. In the release, she claimed to be "traumatised" but is recuperating from the ordeal.

She was quoted as saying, "I've taken the necessary actions to correct the wrong that was done against me and legal advice is been sought. I ask my fans, family and friends to not only sympathise but empathise with me in my time of need."

 

report

When contacted by The STAR yesterday, the Constant Spring Police Station confirmed that she had visited the station to make a report. Efforts to reach Gaza Kim went unanswered.

The singer was added to the Portmore Empire last year at 17 years old and hails from Christian Pen in Portmore. The singer rose to popularity with the release of her first song last July, Teenage Pregnancy, with Vybz Kartel. Since then, the singer has had other popular songs including, Twice My Age with Kartel, Bills on the Gogo Club rhythm with Lisa Hyper and Faithful with Sheba.

( L - R ) Jah Vinci, Blak Ryno

Several members of the Portmore Empire have been quick to deny being beaten, as well as any involvement or knowledge of any beating that have taken place in the crew.

As news of an assault on teenage singer and member of the Portmore Empire, Gaza Kim at 'Big Yard', off Mannings Hill Road, spread in the media yesterday, other members of the Portmore Empire have since contacted THE STAR to proclaim their innocence.

Rumours have been circulating that other members of the Empire were being beaten on a regular basis and another artiste was rumoured to have been beaten over the weekend when they defended Gaza Kim.

verbal altercation

According to reports in Tuesday's STAR, Gaza Kim was at Big Yard when she and a group of men got into a verbal altercation. THE STAR source claimed that Vybz Kartel arrived on the scene and the men were instructed to beat her. A statement from Kartel, however, denied his involvement in the incident and condemned violence against females and children. A statement from Gaza Kim confirmed that she had been assaulted over the weekend and sought medical attention, details as to what happened, however, were omitted. According to the release, Gaza Kim says she will be taking legal action against her attackers.

Gaza Indu, known for songs such as Virginity alongside Vybz Kartel, was one of the first to call. Indu made it clear that she has never been beaten, nor was she present at the time that Gaza Kim was beaten. Indu said that she was calling all media contacts so as to clear her name. One of the latest females added to the Gaza crew, Sheba, also contacted THE STAR. Like Indu, Sheba stated that she was not present at 'Big Yard' over the weekend and did not appreciate that her name was being called up by the media and in rumours concerning any assault.

Two of the leading male artistes from the Empire, Blak Ryno and Jah Vinci also made contact with THE STAR yesterday. Persistent rumours of being beaten have circulated around both figures. When asked about these rumours Ryno replied, "a lot of things have been said about di Gaza that aren't true. We cannot control what is being said in the media ... I am sure about myself and I have never witnessed any one being beaten on di Gaza."

As for singer Jah Vinci persons have questioned whether he is still a member of the Portmore Empire, after rumours have spread that he no longer hangs with the popular crew. Jah Vinci however, denied these rumours saying, "Gaza fi life."

Career cop Owen Ellington has been selected Jamaica's 27th commissioner of police.

Ellington, who has been acting as the police commissioner since late last year, has been given the nod by the Police Service Commission.

A highly placed government source yesterday told The Gleaner that the formal announcement could be made as early as today, but the administration had until next Sunday to do so.

According to the source, the Police Service Commission spent yesterday in a meeting hammering out Ellington's compensation package.

When contacted yesterday, National Security Minister Dwight Nelson said the Public Service Commission had not formally communicated its decision to him.

According to Nelson, the guessing game will be over by the end of this week, as an official announcement will be made by Sunday.

Decision made late last week

However, even as Nelson stayed coy, Gleaner sources were adamant that the decision to appoint Ellington was finalised late last week.

Ellington has been acting as police commissioner since November 7, last year, when Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin resigned.

It was largely expected that Ellington would have been selected, but the Police Service Commission still invited applications to fill the post.

The 47-year-old crime-fighting veteran has spent about 30 years in the Jamaica Constabulary Force and his appointment signals that the Police Service Commission has reverted to the practice of selecting a commissioner from within the ranks, after two less-than-successful attempts to appoint a commissioner who was not a career cop.

In 1993, Colonel Trevor MacMillan, an army veteran, was asked to serve as commissioner but, when his tenure ended abruptly, Francis Forbes, a veteran police officer, was selected.

Lucius Thomas, another veteran of the force, replaced Forbes, but, when he resigned, the Office of the Services Commission again turned to the army for the top cop.

Lewin, a former head of the JDF, was given the job but he lasted less than two years.

Ellington was then selected to act in the post and his posture suggested that he was confident that he would have been appointed.

Lawyers representing dancehall star Buju Banton, real name Mark Myrie, have filed a motion in court demanding the naming of the confidential source who is a key part of the case against the Jamaican.

The lawyers are using an entrapment defence as they try to get Buju freed of charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm during the course of an illegal activity.

In court yesterday, the lawyers filed a motion for an order "compelling the government to disclose the identity and location of the confidential informant who was an eyewitness and participant in the events, which are the subject of both counts of the indictment".

According to the document filed in the court: "The informant was clearly an active participant in the entire chain of events."

Buju's lawyers further argue that: "The facts and circumstances of the confidential sources' contacts with Mr Myrie display a deliberate effort by a paid informant to ensnare a perfect stranger, who happened to be sitting next to him on an international flight, into committing a crime, thereby ensuring the informant more money."

First meeting

The lawyers claim that the informant first met Buju on a flight from Madrid, Spain, to Miami, Florida, on July 26, 2009 by: "Sheer chance, bad luck or other reason to which the defendant is unaware."

According to the lawyers, the police informant spent the next several months trying to convince Buju to purchase cocaine.

They note that, in the papers filed in court by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), there is no mention of any contact between Buju and the informant before December 8, days before he was arrested.

"The confidential source is a paid government informant. In addition to refusing to disclose the identity, the government has refused to identify the prior cases in which he has been involved, the outcomes of those cases, the amount of money he has earned making cases for the government, or even the amount he has been paid (or expects to be paid) in this case," said Buju's lawyers in the document obtained by The Gleaner.

While citing several legal precedents, Buju's lawyers have also asked the court to direct the prosecution to release all reports that contain the confidential source's alleged conversations with Buju that were not taped or video recorded, and the report(s) summarising what the source claimed were his unrecorded conversations with Buju when they were on that flight.

Requesting payment evidence

The lawyers are also requesting evidence of all payments made by state and federal law enforcement authorities to the confidential source in this case, and in other cases where the source operated as a paid informant.

Buju has been in detention in the United States since December 10 when he was held in Florida after a DEA sting operation, during which his two co-defendants were arrested at a warehouse where they had allegedly gone to buy cocaine.

The dancehall star was not at the warehouse at the time the others were arrested, but the DEA claims it has audio and video evidence of the artiste testing a package of cocaine.

Buju is being represented by prominent US attorneys David Oscar Markus and Marc David Seitles.

He is slated to return to court on February 4 for a status conference before the trial begins in the week of March 1.

The DJ will remain in custody while his attorneys manoeuvre.

Gaza Kim has confirmed that she was assaulted last weekend, but revealed few details about the severity of the attack.

 

I will like to make it known that I've heard rumors about an incident that occurred over the weekend.

 

I Kim Hamilton AKA Gaza Kim will like to make it publicly known that I was indeed assaulted over the weekend. I've visited the doctor but I'm still traumatized but recuperating through my ordeal.

 

I've taken the necessary actions to correct the wrong that was done against me and legal advice is been sought.

 

I ask my fans, family and friends to not only sympathize but empathize with me in my time of need.

Future comments will be made through my publicist and legal team.

 

This statement is an official statement made available through my publicist and other media broadcast will be coordinated at a later dateby my representatives.

 

 

Signed:

 

Kim Hamilton

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/teenage/TA-Jan-26-waah-buss_7353960

Miami rapper Trina seeks to get involved with the effort to aid the millions of people in Haiti who were impacted by a devastating 7.0 earthquake on January 12, that has killed at least 200,000 people.
According to Trina, she is seeking to contribute more than money and/or other relief by adopting a child from Haiti.

I would like to contribute on a higher level for more personal reasons in addition to being ready to raise/nurture a child; by being involved on a day to day bases, Trina said.

According to Trina, she had been considering adopting a child from the impoverished island nation, which has been bombarded with a series of natural disasters since.

Thousands of children lost their parents during natural disasters that have included flooding, hurricanes and now the massive earthquake.

Additionally, a series of aftershocks, including a 6.1 tremor, hampered rescue efforts last week and injured and killed more people.

The tragic and untimely list of events that have happened in Haiti even before the recent Earthquake have made me realized how blessed I am as a individual and I want to share that with a child that is a victim in this disturbing time, Trina stated.

Trina, who is planning to release a new album titled Amazin this year, believes that she is at a point in her career where she is mature enough to handle the responsibilities of motherhood, in addition to juggling her famed rap career.

I am in the financial position to adopt; therefore I am taking it into deep consideration at this time, Trina revealed. I have always admired other individuals for adopting children, not so much for their celebrity status, but more so because of the nurturing and invaluable change and joy it will bring to a childs life."

The rapper stated that she also has family members from Haiti, which would make the adoption of a child a logical choice.

The fact that I am considering adopting a child from Haiti is even more significant to me seeing that a great deal of adopted children that come into the United States are from larger countries such as China, Russia and Africa, Trina said.

Kenya paid more than US$500,000 or 322,000 Pounds to deport controversial Jamaican Muslim preacher Abdullah al-Faisal. This is according to Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang. Al-Faisal was finally expelled last week on a chartered jet, after Kenya had spent three weeks trying to deport him. Meanwhile, two immigration officials have been suspended for letting al-Faisal into the country in the first place. The cleric spent four years in a UK jail for soliciting the murder of Jews and Hindus. Kenya's attempts to deport him were blocked when several countries refused to grant him a transit visa and he was stranded in Nairobi. He was held in detention while the authorities organised his expulsion - provoking rallies by Muslim groups which ended in clashes with police. Earlier reports claimed a South African security firm had been drafted in to arrange the deportation. Al-Faisal was deported from the UK in 2007 after spending four years in jail. The British government said one of the July 7 London suicide bombers, Germaine Lindsay, was heavily influenced by the cleric. Shoe-bomber Richard Reid is said to have visited mosques where he preached in the UK. Al-Faisal arrived in Jamaica on Friday.

Up to late Monday night, there was still no word about who will be the country's next Police Commissioner.  It was expected that the new Commissioner would be named Monday, but there has been no indication of whether a choice was made. But even late Monday evening, there was no confirmation from neither the Constabulary Force or from the Police Services Commission. None would say whether a choice was made, or at what stage the selection process was in. For the past three weeks, the Commission's interview panel has interviewed several applicants, including the Acting Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington. Our news centre had learnt that the Police Service Commission, headed by University of the West Indies Principal Professor Gordon Shirley, had completed its deliberations and was ready to announce its recommendation. ACP Ellington has headed the force since September last year, after Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin suddenly left the post. Our News Centre understands that retired Senior Superintendent of Police Reneto Adams was interviewed by the Commission for approximately four hours last week. It is not known if the senior cop will be offered a position in the force. Monday, National Security Analyst, Harold Crooks, said both Acting Commissioner Ellington and retired SSP Adams are adequately qualified to get the job done.

Humans could perhaps run as fast 40 mph, a new study suggests. Such a feat would leave in the dust the world's fastest runner, Usain Bolt, who has clocked nearly 28 mph in the 100-meter sprint.

The new findings come after researchers took a new look at the factors that limit human speed. Their conclusions? The top speed humans could reach may come down to how quickly muscles in the body can move.

Previous studies have suggested the main hindrance to speed is that our limbs can only take a certain amount of force when they strike the ground. This may not be the whole story, however.

"If one considers that elite sprinters can apply peak forces of 800 to 1,000 pounds with a single limb during each sprinting step, it's easy to believe that runners are probably operating at or near the force limits of their muscles and limbs," said Peter Weyand of Southern Methodist University, one of the study's authors.

Read

The Vice President for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has labeled Kanye West an idiot, after the chart-topping rapper and his girlfriend were seen wearing fur coats during Paris Mens Fashion Week.

The photographs of West and his girlfriend Amber Rose have ruffled the feathers of the higher ups at PETA.

The pair wore matching full-length lynx coats during a show at Mens Fashion Week and according to PETA, refused to remove them.
"Kanye can't help making himself look like an idiot, whether at an awards show or a fashion show, PETA V.P. Dan Matthews stated. He and his girlfriend look like pathetic creatures from a shabby roadside zoo."

http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/Politics/obamas-year-office-abc-news-poll-analysis/story?id=9580394

Michael Lee, STAR WriterNews of a 10-year-old who gave birth to a baby girl who died three weeks later is the story which has been on everyone's lips in the Mountainside community in St Elizabeth.

THE STAR has learnt that the child gave birth for a man in his mid-30s. However, he is currently in hiding because he is being sought by the police.

The child's father said he is distraught about the incident because he was not given custody of his daughter when he attempted to take her into his care.

"I filed for custody for my daughter but I did not get her and she was given to her mother," said the man.

He also said he does not get to see his daughter because he is a man who does not tolerate foolishness.

 

tight-lipped

A senior cop attached to the Black River Police Station told THE STAR that the matter was being investigated; however, the officer was tight-lipped about the case.

The child's father told THE STAR that the child delivered the baby in December and the baby died three weeks later. The angry father said that he was not even told about the baby's death until two weeks after.

According to the father, his daughter fainted at school and was rushed to the hospital when it was revealed that the child was seven months pregnant.

"How could she be seven months pregnant and no one knew, that makes no sense," said the confused father.

The child's father is begging that the culprit be brought to justice as no one in his right mind would have sex with a 10-year-old girl.

 

A church in Manchester, which recently opened it's doors, is already the centre of attention, but for the wrong reason after the pastor and members of the congregation got into a heated argument during service.

THE WEEKEND STAR heard that some two weeks ago as the pastor preached his sermon to a packed church, a number of persons in the congregation began thinking that the words of the spiritual leader was being hurled at them.

This made for a war of words between the pastor and those he was said to have offended, eventually leading to the spilling of so-called 'secrets'.

"All now I can't believe seh this happen at church. Is the hot topic on the streets down here. Pastor and di people dem end up in one big argument inna di church and a let out each other secret,"45-year-old Marcia Higgins explained when she contacted this newspaper earlier this week.

Higgins, who said she was at the church during the argument, said the pastor was in the middle of his routine Sunday morning sermon and was speaking about hypocrites in the church when things got hostile.

hypocrites

"Pastor did a preach seh yu have people weh seh they are Christians but only act dat way when dem at church. Him did a seh when u see some of them out a road yu wouldn't believe say dem a Christian," she said, noting that it was at that point other members of the congregation suddenly intervened.

"Out a nowhere one woman just jump up and seh a she di pastor a throw word pon. But it neva stop deh so, some other man and woman get up and start cuss seh a nuh sermon him a preach; a throw him a throw word," she explained.

Some jaw-dropping allegations were then thrown back and forth as the group of irate church-goers, all said to be from one district in the parish, and close friends, verbally challenged the pastor.

Among these allegations were damning questions of the pastor's sexuality to which he reportedly responded by claiming that at least three of the women from the group with which he was arguing were cheating on their husbands with younger men.

When THE WEEKEND STAR contacted the pastor, he admitted that the incident indeed occurred.

Asking to be referred to as Father Hines, the pastor explained that he was simply doing God's work and would not let evil people get the better of him.

"I guess you heard the details and I can only admit, so yes, something of that nature happened the other day," he said. "Let me explain though, it's obvious those people were on some sort of mission to get me out or something 'cause they are not members of the church. That morning was the first time they were coming to my church. I knew them from before just not through my church."

The pastor wondered why anyone would question his sexuality, saying: "I am a pastor and a man of God. I have a wife, and we have brought four children into this world."

With that said, Father Hines claimed he could not speak much longer as he had business to attend to and ended the call.

A blind 53-year-old shopkeeper is now in police custody after he was accused of getting a 14-year-old girl pregnant.

It is further alleged that the man was in a sexual relationship with the minor since she was 12 years old.

Sources disclosed that the man was linked with the youngster since February 2007. It is alleged that after the young girl's first sexual encounter, she was given a bag juice and $150.

The allegations are that the blind man, who is also the father of a five-year-old girl, had sex with the teen at least four times each month. Information states that a condom was never used.

It's understand that the teen's mother became suspicious about her daughter's activities after observing changes in her bodily structure. She subsequently gave her daughter a pregnancy test and discovered that the child was pregnant.

It is further alleged that after hearing of the rumoured involvement of her daughter and the old man, the enraged mother confronted the accused who operates a shop from his house.

During the confrontation, it is alleged that the elderly man came outside wildly swinging his machete and the child's mother had to run for her life.

A report was made to the police about the situation and the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse apprehended the accused man and slapped him with carnal abuse charges.

The man is set to appear in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on August 12.

Investigators declined to give any comments on the case when their offices were contacted, stating the accused was currently being interviewed.