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Enter a project in their Community Project Competition and it could win J$500,000 towards implementation; 2nd place project - J$250,000; and 3rd place project - J$100,000. Just create a video of a community project using your phone, digital or video camera. Enter at www.ncbfoundation.org. Spread the word!

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Supreme Court Judge Lennox Campbell last Friday issued a directive for a letter to be sent to the commissioner of police for him to ascertain the circumstances under which a policeman was sent back on the job after being pointed out in an identification parade.

The disclosure was made when a bail application was made for Detective Corporal Christopher Thompson, who was later charged with murder.

The judge, after describing the situation as "amazing", instructed prosecutor Dahlia Findlay to draft the correspondence.

Thompson is charged with the murder of 16-year-old Randeen Hall, of Linstead, St Catherine. Hall was fatally shot on July 29, 2008. Thompson was arrested and charged last month.

The Crown is alleging that Hall had his hands in the air when he was shot four times. The police reported that they were informed that gunmen were at a certain area in Linstead. They went to the scene and allegedly returned fire after being attacked.

Investigation

Sean Kinghorn, the policeman's attorney, in applying for bail, had assured the court that Thompson would turn up for his trial. He disclosed that even though Thompson had been pointed out at an informal identification parade, he was allowed to continue working until he was subsequently arrested and charged. He explained that the case was still being investigated.

Justice Campbell turned down the bail application. The judge said he wanted to know which persons were responsible for the identification parade and described the sequence of events as alarming. Thompson was remanded to return to the Home Circuit Court on March 20 when the case will be mentioned.

MONTEGO BAY, St James - A man who has been eluding the police for more than 15 years was found dead Sunday night with gunshot wounds all over the body.

The body of the man - Bertis Reid, alias Honey - was discovered in bushes in Roehampton, St James about 9:30 Sunday night. The throat was also slashed.

Commander for the St James police, Superintendent Maurice Robinson, said the police believe that Reid's death may have been a vigilante killing because of his illegal activities.

Reid, who was fingered in the 1994 murder of security guard Fitzroy Gordon at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, had been on the run since.

Police said the fugitive was involved in the burglary of several shops and houses in the Roehampton community.

WICHITA, Kan.    Deputies say a woman in western Kansas became stuck on her boyfriend's toilet after sitting on it for two years.

Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman's skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.

"We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital," Whipple said. "The hospital removed it."

Whipple said investigators planned to present their report Wednesday to the county attorney, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the woman's 36-year-old boyfriend.

"She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body," Whipple said. "It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself."

He told investigators he brought his girlfriend food and water, and asked her every day to come out of the bathroom.

"And her reply would be, `Maybe tomorrow,"' Whipple said. "According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom."

The boyfriend called police on Feb. 27 to report that "there was something wrong with his girlfriend," Whipple said, adding that he never explained why it took him two years to call.

Police found the clothed woman sitting on the toilet, her sweat pants down to her mid-thigh. She was "somewhat disoriented," and her legs looked like they had atrophied, Whipple said.

"She said that she didn't need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave," he said.

She was taken to a hospital in Wichita, about 150 miles southeast of Ness City. Whipple said she has refused to cooperate with medical providers or law enforcement investigators.

Authorities said they did not know if she was mentally or physically disabled.

Police have declined to release the couple's names, but the house where authorities say the incident happened is listed in public records as the residence of Kory McFarren. No one answered his home phone number.

The case has been the buzz Ness City, said James Ellis, a neighbor.

"I don't think anybody can make any sense out of it," he said.

Ellis said he had known the woman since she was a child but that he had not seen her for at least six years.

He said she had a tough childhood after her mother died at a young age and apparently was usually kept inside the house as she grew up. At one time the woman worked for a long-term care facility, he said, but he did not know what kind of work she did there.

"It really doesn't surprise me," Ellis said of the bathroom incident. "What surprises me is somebody wasn't called in a bit earlier."

The Denham Town police in west Kingston seized three high-powered weapons and a quantity of assorted ammunition during an operation at Collie Smith Drive, Kingston 12, yesterday morning. No one was arrested in connection with the seizure.

Information received by the Constabulary Communication Network is that between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m., the police carried out an operation at Collie Smith Drive. During the operation, a building that houses a community outreach programme was searched.

The search yielded three illegal firearms - an M1 rifle, serial number A-37287, a Maverick shotgun, serial number RV-39236F, a Glock seventeen 9mm pistol, serial number ADP-679 - five magazines and 26 assorted rounds of ammunition consisting of nine .30, ten 9mm, six 5.56 and one 7.62 cartridges.

Investigations continue.

TI and Yung LA took time to pose for the cameras at Tips Malcolm X-ish Vibe cover party at the Eldridge last night. Get a load of the soon to be inmate and his pointy headed comrade when you

Judging by his size, one might think Charles Barkley would eat anything -- and everything -- put in front of him. Not true.

We're told Chuck had a serious problem with the food he was served during his short stint in an Arizona jail. Charles was given sloppy joes, potatoes, pear chunks, zucchini, a bread roll and a slice of margarine.

His reaction -- "Man ... this stuff tastes like sh*t."

Chuck's special tent, separate from the other inmates, did not come with access to the vending machines with junk food/candy. So his lawyers were allowed to bring him some junk food and candy from the outside.

You can lock up the man ... but not his sweet tooth.

Laden takes over the jerk pan - Colin Hamilton

'Laden the jerk chicken man' may soon be the new nickname for the STAR of the month, who demonstrated his jerking skills recently at the Big Ship studio in Havendale, St Andrew.

The aroma of well-seasoned chicken greetedthe STAR team as they arrived at the studio, where a well-used area was set outside the studio to jerk chicken.

Having already seasoned the chicken and put it on the grill, Laden was patiently waiting for the chicken to cook as he told THE STAR what he had already accomplished for the day. "Well you know mi season the chicken, use some natural seasonings like onions, scallion, make it soak, then put it on the fire, but not too much fire," he said.

Having been taught recently how to jerk chicken, Laden wanted to show THE STAR a different kind of cuisine, departing from the usual steam fish that other artistes have done. Not having the time to cook on a regular basis, the few skills Laden learnt in the kitchen, he learnt from his mother growing up. He said, "I'm not a big chef but I can do my ting."

Under the watchful eye of the STAR team, Laden turned the chicken, layered it with a special sauce and spiced it up by putting Red Stripe beer on it saying, "Mi neva see anybody do dis in THE STAR yet, chicken and bread a real Jamaican meal." Other than a few mishaps, Laden showcased his talent as the Big Ship family looked on, teasing Laden by shouting out "jerkie!"

When the chicken was finished, Laden sliced the bread and served it with the chicken for persons at the studio, as most approved, licking their fingers as Laden said, See mi can cook, this is the best chicken ever."

Would Laden 'Really Like You'?

The STAR of the month is calling all females to attempt to win a nice evening out with him. The girl must be between the ages of 18 and 23 and MUST submit a picture and a contact number. To enter, all you have to do is write in no more than 100 words why Laden would really like you.

Email your response and picture to:

ladendate@gmail.com.

Entries accepted today until Wednesday, March 11.

All Laden female fans enter now!!!!!!!!

Chris Brown According to TMZ, R&B singer Chris Brown would cop a plea, but only to a misdemeanor and with no jail time. The celebrity news website reports that Brown's people have learned that Rihanna's own aggressiveness takes it out of the felony category.

Rihanna was reportedly the first one who slapped and striked Chris Brown "numerous times" after the singer read a text message from another woman on Brown's cellphone. He then fought her back and punched Rihanna.

In previous cases in which the woman engaged the man in a fight, the jury convicted the man because of his superior strength.

Another problem for Brown is that Rihanna told the cops he had beaten her before and the violence had been escalating.

 

CHRIS BROWNS DEDICATION SONG MADDDDDDD

Drunk man has sex with car
Tuesday, September 16,2008

Imagine parking up your new SUV on a nice quiet street, to pop to the shops only to come back and see a man hitting on your car.

And when we say 'hitting,' we don't mean the kind with a baseball bat.
Can't imagine it?

Well, a drunk man was caught having sex with an SUV that was parked on a main road.

The man, who has not been named, was seen with his pants down and getting it on with the front end of the Toyota 4X4.

And he went at if for a while - proving that it wasn't just a hit and run.

At times he looked a little frustrated, maybe because the vehicle was unresponsive to him banging against its bumper.

He was arrested after passers-by called the police.

Videos of the incident have been circulated on the web, but frankly we'll leave you to track them down if you so wish.




-- Edited by CArlmak at 12:14, 2008-09-16

Gravy, who stars in the new "NOTORIOUS biopic about the life of slain rapper Biggie Smalls flew to Kingston Monday with Mavado, who returned from a hectic promotional trip to New York. The two will be collaborating on several projects together whilst Gravy is in the island.Mavado created more history over the weekend at a show in Rochester upstate NY. The only act on the bill, Mavado pulled out an astonishing 4,000 fans into the huge Armory venue in freezing sub-zero temperatures and snowstorms. Observers said it was the biggest Dancehall show ever in Rochester and attracted more patrons than many rap shows including recent gigs with TI and Fat Joe.

Ill. state police: 1 killed in church shooting

MARYVILLE, Ill. A gunman killed a minister during a church service Sunday morning and two members of the congregation were injured, Illinois state police said.

Master Trooper Ralph Timmins said the man walked down the aisle during the early service at First Baptist Church in Maryville, a suburb of St. Louis, Mo.

He said the man exchanged words with pastor Fred Winters, pulled out a .45-caliber handgun and shot Winters once, fatally wounding him, before the gun jammed.

The attacker then pulled out a knife and wounded himself.

Churchgoers tried to subdue the attacker and two of them suffered minor injuries, Timmins said.

Timmins said officials didn't know if Winters and the suspect knew each other.

Winters, a father of two who had led First Baptist for nearly 22 years, was the former president of the Illinois Baptist State Association and an adjunct professor for Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, according to the church's Web site.

"Our great God is not surprised by this, or anything," Nate Adams, executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association, said in a statement. "That He allows evil and free will to have their way in tragedies like this is a mystery in many ways. But we know we can trust Him no matter what, and draw close to Him in any circumstances."

Maryville is about 20 miles northeast of St. Louis.

AS OF MONDAY, DECEMBER 29,2008, MOVADO WILL BE TRAINING WITH JAMACIN GOLD MEDALIST USAIN BOLT DUE TO HIS EXTRORDINARY RUNNING PERFORMANCE AT STING 2008...NIKE GULLY SPIKES COMING SOON
TEACHA!!!GAZA

THE MAN A TEK IT TO THE WORLD....BIG UPS TO HIM,THIS A PUT JAMAICA MORE OUT THERE

EU fines Microsoft record $1.3 billion

World's largest software supplier fined for charging rivals too much to make compatible computer programs.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union fined Microsoft Corp. a record $1.3 billion on Wednesday for charging rivals too much for software information.

EU regulators said the company charged "unreasonable prices" until last October to software developers who wanted to make products compatible with the Windows desktop operating system.

Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) immediately said that these fines were about past issues that have been resolved and the company was now working under new principles to make its products more open.

The fine is the largest ever for a single company and the first time the EU has penalized a business for failing to obey an antitrust order.

The penalty far outweighs a a March 2004 decision that fined Microsoft $613 million and ordered it to share communications information with rivals within 120 days, taking an appeal to an EU court that it lost last September.

The EU alleged that Microsoft withheld crucial interoperability information for desktop PC software - where it is the world's leading supplier - to squeeze into a new market and damage rivals that make programs for workgroup servers that help office computers connect to each other and to printers and faxes.

The company delayed complying with the EU order for three years, the EU said, only making changes on Oct. 22 to the patent licenses it charges companies that need data to help them make software that works with Microsoft.

Microsoft had initially set a royalty rate of 3.87% of a licensee's product revenues for patents and demanded that companies looking for communication information - which it said was highly secret - pay 2.98% of their products' revenues.

The EU complained last March that these rates were unfair. Under threat of fines, Microsoft two months later reduced the patent rate to 0.7% and the information license to 0.5% - but only in Europe, leaving the worldwide rates unchanged.

The EU's Court of First Instance ruling that upheld regulators' views changed the company's mind again in October when it offered a new license for interoperability information for a flat fee of $14,000 and an optional worldwide patent license for a reduced royalty of 0.4%.

Cops To Rid Buses Of Lewd Music

A U.S based study is suggesting that listening to music with degrading sexual lyrics could prompt teenagers to start having sex at an earlier age. Researchers from Pittsburgh University quizzed 711 teenagers about their sex lives and music listening habits. The research split the 13 to 18 teens into three groups - those who listened to music regularly, sometimes and not often. They found that 45% of regular listeners have had sex, compared to 21% of infrequent listeners. But the research has evoked some amount of controversy as United Kingdom (UK) experts remain skeptical about the extent of the role played by music. The study comes in the midst of heated debate in Jamaica following a sweeping ban by the Broadcasting Commission on sexually explicit and violent lyrics in the media. Lead Researcher Dr. Brian Primack said parents banning music was unlikely to help with the problem but he urged parents to talk to their children about sex and putting explicit lyrics in context. In the meantime, 876radio.com understands that National Security Minister Colonel Trevor MacMillan is responding to concerns about lewd music played on public passenger vehicles. He says even with the limited resources steps will be taken to police public passenger vehicles and rid it of the lewd music that now occupies the public space.      "The police force is 33% below establishment and we're in the process of trying to correct that but it's going to take a little time ... we do have a problem with manpower but it's not something that can be corrected overnight," said Colonel MacMillan who was addressing this issue at a PALS (Peace And Love in Schools) press conference last week.

Video link  http://www.wftv.com/news/18861801/detail.html#-

5-Year-Old Kicked Out Of School For Calling 911

Posted: 5:16 pm EST March 5, 2009Updated: 5:34 pm EST March 5, 2009

Not just another race, but your own as well.but have you ever heard something so ridiculous that you had to say, "WTF?" or just laugh. Here are some that i've heard

Most black people are poor.
Latino girls are prettier than most races.
Every Mexican that's in America are illegal.
Asian people can't drive.
Most things that black people have in their house are either stolen or from the Red Cross
Most white woman in America are busy starving thereselves or getting tans to look like another race or person.

well zone what are some that you have heard?


-- Edited by Ranade at 10:57, 2009-03-09

Junior 'One Blood' Reid, riding a high based on the popularity of the remix with Mims and Cham, This Is Why I Am Hot, has been in demand in North America.

"We leave tomorrow to go to Miami to perform on a show this weekend, plus he is on Reggae Stars Live in Concert this weekend, and there is a show in Atlanta on June 2 and one more in Philly on June 9, so right now, Junior Reid is hot," Wadda Blood told reporters

Junior Reid has a combination single called Waan Tek Life featuring Andrew and Wadda Blood, plus a new single called Mo Money with rap star Fat Joe. The singer kicked off his present wave of high profile success after teaming up with The Game to do the 'One Blood' song and accompanying video that enjoyed heavy rotation on BET and MTV.

This is why we hot video

ONCE impressive and appealing, rafting in Portland is now in peril, as booming business gives way to misfortune and suffering.

Illegal rafting by money-making hustlers and the dismal state of the global economy has compounded the rotten luck of raft captains, who complain bitterly that the managers of The Rio Grande Experience have failed to take the attraction to the heights it needs to go to remain successful and viable in these modern times.

A rafter helps tourists get off a raft at Martha Brae in Trelawny. (Photos: Lionel Rookwood)

"Nuff a wi leave the rafting because of how tings a run now. It really bad. We have to be doing other jobs on the side because we can't survive," said a scowling Lawrence Chisholm, 47, a native of Portland.

He was helping grown men in the community construct rafts to transport eager American tourists down the Rio Grande - one of the most popular rivers in Jamaica - from the time he was a teenager. Chisholm soon became a successful raft captain leading two-hour tours of the river. During those days, The Rio Grande Experience lived up to its billing as one of the must-do activities for both locals and visitors to the island's shores.

But that time has past - a reality reflected elsewhere in Jamaica.

A visit by the Sunday Observer to River Rafters Limited in Trelawny, which offers raft tours of the Martha Brae, turned up similar complaints. The same was true for the staff at Calypso Rafting in White River, St Ann, where people shared tales of dwindling profits.

Back at Rafters' Rest in Portland, the signs of degradation are all around. Besides the unkempt surroundings, overrun with weeds, there is no running water and the phone lines have been down for months. It is not surprising that Chisholm and his colleagues are not happy campers. The men wear frowns and scowls instead of smiles.

Young men work on their rafts at White River in St Ann.

"Right now we have a lot of concerns that not being addressed by [the manager] Mr [Errol] Allen, who is supposed to be in charge of rafting in Portland. So right now, everything is out of control," Chisholm said, standing in the company of a few colleagues.

Allen, manager of The Rio Grande Experience, has been running operations in Portland for more than five years, having taken over the attraction from the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).

Allen, who is based in Montego Bay, lists a host of reasons for the collapse of rafting in Portland, including the global recession and illegal rafting (a dangerous and booming enterprise practised by young, unlicensed rafters).

"The roads are also badly in need of repair and that has been a major problem for us for years," Allen adds. "We have also seen a huge reduction in the number of tour companies that do business with us so that results in fewer tourists visiting the place," he said, adding that he has lost millions since taking over the attraction.

But Frederick Dennis, who has been a raft captain for more than 20 years in Portland, believes Allen's lack of experience in tourism is to blame. Dennis, 40, said he is frustrated when he thinks of how rafting in the parish is now close to extinction.

"It hurt mi when mi think of it because I have kids to feed and send to school," he told the Sunday Observer.

During our last Wednesday morning visit, a few bus loads of Americans pulled in at regular intervals but Tezan Crawford, the day-to-day manager, hastened to point out that that is not always the case.

"To be honest, it's really slow right now but we hope it gets better. We were expecting it to pick up for the winter tourist season but that didn't happen. Rafting is a year-round activity so if the recession goes away, then things will definitely get better for us," said Crawford, adding that they have introduced 'tubing' as a new activity to woo more visitors.

"When we get a week of heavy rains and the river has a lot of water, we have to turn back visitors. But now they can go in the tubes instead of on the rafts," he said.

Raft captains at White River say they have seen their tips get smaller and smaller.

"[Tips are] the hardest thing to get right now. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you get nothing at all. Everything get cut back, but we still smile and feel good because we understand how the world stay right now," noted Dwight Edwards, 38.

The woes in Portland did not begin yesterday. In June 1997, the rafting attraction was temporarily closed following protests by raftsmen. Again in August 1999, the place was shut down temporarily. To eliminate competition between the licensed rafters and the illegal raftsmen, security was beefed up at the attraction in 1999 but that did very little to change things. For the certified raftsmen like Chisholm and Dennis, the illegal operators are pesky nuisances, who target the tour buses before they even reach Berrydale, where the raft tour begins. On many occasions, a jostle between licensed and unlicensed rafters ensue.

"Sometimes, it's like a fight. We provide tickets for tourists and the unlicensed ones don't. So they try to target the tourists before they buy the tickets. And when they have accidents on the river, we get the blame," complained supervisor Beth McLean.

But that is only half the problem. The roads leading to Berrydale are deplorable and c****ined with the massive downturn in the number of tourists visiting the parish, many believe it was only a matter of time before things started falling apart. The place is littered with broken-down rafts, gloomy faces and heavy shrubbery. The number of raftsmen working at Rio Grande dropped from 161 in 1997 to 85 in 2009.

In mid-2005, 90 raftsmen withdrew their services at Martha Brae, citing inadequate working equipment and employers' negligence, which they said led to the damage of their rafts. This move surprised managing director of River Rafters, Johnny Gourzong, who the raftsmen accused of failing to address their grouses. Within a month though, management and workers were able to resolve their differences.
Today, the main complaint of the workers at Martha Brae is that they do not see as many visitors as they used to.

Meanwhile, an informed source at the tourism ministry said TPDCo was devising plans to help develop the rafting attractions in Jamaica. No details were available.

Determined not to lose hope, the veteran raftsmen said they want things to turn around before rafting becomes a thing of the past on the island.

"We can't just let rafting die out because we work too hard for that to happen. When we consider the years and the money we invest in the industry, we just can't give up," said one rafter at Martha Brae.

Chisholm feels the same way.

"The conditions inna the place have to improve for rafting to get better. If that don't happen then all of us a go just leave it and go duh farming, and we don't want that to happen," he said, adding that he is heartened to know that on most days the Rio Grande still glistens under the blazing sun.

 

Though Jamaican men have borne the brunt of job cuts, further fallout could have disastrous consequences on women from low socio-economic strata, local labour and business officials have said.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security revealed on Friday that at least 3,000 women in Jamaica have lost their jobs since January as shock waves from a global financial implosion continue to rattle the local economy.

Since last October, companies have haemorrhaged at least 13,000 jobs in the island, ranging from the foreign-exchange cash cow, the bauxite sector, to the airline and financial-services industries. Small- and medium-size firms are also trimming employee fat, much of which is not captured in government statistics.

Alvin McIntosh, permanent secretary at the labour ministry, said revenue declines linked to the plunging demand for goods and services would hit women hardest, especially low-income earners like house assistants, waitresses and casual labourers.

McIntosh said: "The implication is even greater for women as a result, especially those who have single households, and are the breadwinners for the family.

"As they lose their jobs, they will affect the stability and welfare of the family, and could put them at a greater disadvantage.

"In the academic area, you find a number of women who are more qualified than men, but in the skill areas such as masonry, carpentry, automotives, culinary arts, you find that in these traditional occupations that are dominated by men, women are making headway too," he said.

Message of doom

The message of doom was compounded mid-week by statistics issued by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) predicting a rise in global unemployment this year of up to 51 million people. According to the ILO's Global Employment Trends for Women report released last Thursday, 22 million of the jobless victims will be women. The report, timed to heighten awareness of International Women's Day - which is being celebrated today - also said gender equity gains could be jeopardised.

However, McIntosh touted the Government's bid to help retrain individuals, particularly women. Among the labour ministry's programmes is the Special Youth Training and Employment project, which targets 18- to 30-year-olds, as well as other collaborations with HEART, the national training agency.

The bureaucrat also said a Steps to Work programme, a new dimension to the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education, sought to remove Jamaicans caught in the welfare net and redirect them, through training, into productive activity.

McIntosh said the Government had allocated $1 billion, under the National Insurance Scheme, to provide soft loans to keep afloat struggling small and micro enterprises. The loans would be made available through various financial institutions at 10 per cent interest.

Edward ChinMook, president of the Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ), told The Gleaner Friday that though women were often better-performing workers and were more focused on their jobs, they were at a disadvantage, particularly in less-sophisticated industries.

He said that because many women were the family breadwinners, particularly in single-parent homes, their risk for joblessness was amplified. The domino effect on key social structures, he said, could be grave.

However, ChinMook said a rethink of entrepreneurial models might provide a salve to Jamaica's business wounds.

"All is not lost for these women, if they come together as a group to form partnerships," he said.

The SBAJ head said only 4.7-five per cent of businesses in Jamaica were partnership-based, suggesting that many sole-trader operations ran aground because of inadequate capital cushion.

"(In partnerships) they can utilise their skills and education to their full potential and do business that does not require a lot of imports, but look to the local industries," he added.

Efforts to get comments from Wayne Chen, president of the Jamaica Employers' Federation, proved unsuccessful.

THE contents of the cheap, smelly fertiliser imported from the United States was the butt of joke at a People's National Party (PNP) mass rally in West Portland on Friday night.

Discussions on crime and the difficult economic times facing the country took a back seat, as several PNP officials made the now controversial matter the major issue during their address to a large and appreciative crowd of local and regional comrades.

Party leader Portia Simpson Miller with PNP West Portland candidate Kenneth Rowe. (Photos: Everard Owen)

The rally is part of the party's campaign programme for the upcoming by-election in the constituency.

The by-election became necessary when the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP's) Daryl Vaz was disqualified from sitting in the House after he was found to be in possession of United States citizenship at the time of his election in September 2007.

Then PNP candidate, Abe Dabdoub, took the matter to court, and was successful in having Vaz removed, but was unsuccessful in his bid to be installed in the seat.

The Supreme Court and later the Appeal Court upheld the decision for a by-election. Jurisdiction on the matter ends in the Appeal Court.

The PNP's KD Rowe was on Friday nominated to contest the seat, going up against the JLP's Vaz, who was again nominated, and the Jamaica Alliance Movement's Ras Astor Black.

On Friday night, Roger Clarke, the man who set off the firestorm in Parliament when he asked Agriculture Minister Christopher Tufton to say what the contents of the fertiliser were, was most vocal.

"All my life I have been a farmer, and I know fertiliser from shaving cream (faeces)..." Clarke said, to much laughter and reaction from the crowd, which had gathered in the constituency from early morning for the nomination of the party's candidate KD Rowe.

Clarke reeled off the list of questions he said he had asked Minister Tufton for the last two months, and also the minister's responses. At the end of the day, the minister was forced to admit that the fertiliser contained bio-solids which were the remnants of human faecal matter.

Clarke raised questions about the matter of safety for the farmers, who mainly used manual labour to distribute fertiliser.

While stating that there is no evidence that farmers may be negatively affected, Clarke said the integrity of foods produced using this fertiliser must be the main focus.

"I bet you this is going to be the last of this shaving cream that will be sent to Jamaica," said Clarke, who had overstayed his time on the platform.

He left the stage, asking the comrades to ask the government who brought the fertiliser here, and who brought the people - who are now defending the honour of the fertiliser - here.

Party president Portia Simpson Miller, for her part, also spoke to the issue of the fertiliser and reiterated some of the comments previously raised.

Responding to the JLP's Vaz, who had referred to Rowe as a "redundant labourite", she said, "If there is any labourite redundant is you, because you sat in the House of Parliament when you had no right to do so."

Dr Peter Phillips, who was in the constituency all day, reminded comrades that Friday was the anniversary of their beloved former leader Michael Manley, who died in 1997.

He spoke to the hardship the country was facing, in the education and health sectors, and said the government foisted themselves as the answer for all of the country's problems. Now, under pressure, he suggested, the PNP is being blamed for all of their failures to deliver on their promises.

He had a message for the JLP. "If you can't manage de heat, look some wey fi go siddung and cool off."

SOMEONE TELL ME THE HONEST TRUTH.......DOESN'T ROWE LOOK LIKE A TELETUBBY

World's only pink Bottlenose dolphin which was discovered in an inland lake in Louisiana, USA, has become such an attraction that conservationists have warned tourists to leave it alone.



Charter boat captain Erik Rue, 42, photographed the animal, which is actually an albino, when he began studying it after the mammal first surfaced in Lake Calcasieu, an inland saltwater estuary, north of the Gulf of Mexico in southwestern USA.

Capt Rue originally saw the dolphin, which also has reddish eyes, swimming with a pod of four other dolphins, with one appearing to be its mother which never left its side.

He said: "I just happened to see a little pod of dolphins, and I noticed one that was a little lighter.

"It was absolutely stunningly pink.

"I had never seen anything like it. It's the same color throughout the whole body and it looks like it just came out of a paint booth.

"The dolphin appears to be healthy and normal other than its coloration, which is quite beautiful and stunningly pink.

"The mammal is entirely pink from tip to tail and has reddish eyes indicating it's albinism. The skin appears smooth, glossy pink and without flaws.

"I have personally spotted the pink dolphin 40 to 50 times in the time since the original sighting as it has apparently taken up residence with its family in the Calcasieu ship channel.

"As time has passed the young mammal has grown and sometimes ventures away from its mother to feed and play but always remains in the vicinity of the pod.

"Surprisingly, it does not appear to be drastically affected by the environment or sunlight as might be expected considering its condition, although it tends to remain below the surface a little more than the others in the pod."

Regina Asmutis-Silvia, senior biologist with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said: "I have never seen a dolphin coloured in this way in all my career.

"It is a truly beautiful dolphin but people should be careful, as with any dolphins, to respect it - observe from a distance, limit their time watching, don't chase or hara** it

"While this animal looks pink, it is an albino which you can notice in the pink eyes.

"Albinism is a genetic trait and it unclear as to the type of albinism this animal inherited."

A close relation of dolphins, the Amazon River Botos, called pink dolphins, live in South America in the Amazon.

-- Edited by Ryan_g23 at 23:08, 2009-03-02

Well guyz i have my opinion on this,but i want 2 hear u guyz own first...So what r yr views?(and please need explanations and some concious reasoning)






-- Edited by KILLAPRO at 16:42, 2008-12-07

Is Chris Brown Really Guilty?

Court documents released Thursday revealed details about the case against Chris Brown, including a police statement that the incident began when Rihanna (real name: Robyn Rihanna Fenty) found a text message on Brown's cell phone from "a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with." A search warrant used by police to obtain cell-phone records related to the case included the sworn statement by Los Angeles Police Detective DeShon Andrews in which he detailed what allegedly happened in the early morning hours of February 8. "Brown was driving a vehicle with Robyn F. as the front passenger on an unknown street in Los Angeles. Robyn F. picked up Brown's cellular phone and observed a three-page text message from a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with. "A verbal argument ensued and Brown pulled the vehicle over on an unknown street, reached over Robyn F. with his right hand, opened the car door and attempted to force her out. Brown was unable to force Robyn F. out of the vehicle because she was wearing a seat belt. When he could not force her to exit, he took his right hand and shoved her head against he passenger window of the vehicle, causing an approximate one-inch raised circular contusion. "Robyn F. turned to face Brown and he punched her in the left eye with his right hand. He then drove away in the vehicle and continued to punch her in the face with his right hand while steering the vehicle with his left hand. The assault caused Robyn F.'s mouth to fill with *lo** and *lo** to splatter all over her clothing and the interior of the vehicle. "Brown looked at Robyn F. and stated, 'I'm going to beat the sh-- out of you when we get home! You wait and see!' " The detective said "Robyn F." then used her cell phone to call her personal assistant Jennifer Rosales, who did not answer. "Robyn F. pretended to talk to her and stated, 'I'm on my way home. Make sure the police are there when I get there.' "After Robyn F. faked the call, Brown looked at her and stated, 'You just did the stupidest thing ever! Now I'm really going to kill you!' "Brown resumed punching Robyn F. and she interlocked her fingers behind her head and brought her elbows forward to protect her face. She then bent over at the waist, placing her elbows and face near her lap in [an] attempt to protect her face and head from the barrage of punches being levied upon her by Brown. "Brown continued to punch Robyn F. on her left arm and hand, causing her to suffer a contusion on her left triceps (sic) that was approximately two inches in diameter and numerous contusions on her left hand. "Robyn F. then attempted to send a text message to her other personal assistant, Melissa Ford. Brown snatched the cellular telephone out of her hand and threw it out of the window onto an unknown street. "Brown continued driving and Robyn F. observed his cellular telephone sitting in his lap. She picked up the cellular telephone with her left hand and before she could make a call he placed her in a head lock with his right hand and continued to drive the vehicle with his left hand. "Brown pulled Robyn F. close to him and bit her on her left ear. She was able to feel the vehicle swerving from right to left as Brown sped away. He stopped the vehicle in front of 333 North June Street and Robyn F. turned off the car, removed the key from the ignition and sat on it. "Brown did not know what she did with the key and began punching her in the face and arms. He then placed her in a head lock positioning the front of her throat between his bicep and forearm. Brown began applying pressure to Robyn F.'s left and right carotid arteries, causing her to be unable to breathe and she began to lose consciousness. "She reached up with her left hand and began attempting to gouge his eyes in an attempt to free herself. Brown bit her left ring and middle fingers and then released her. While Brown continued to punch her, she turned around and placed her back against the passenger door. She brought her knees to her chest, placed her feet against Brown's body and began pushing him away. Brown continued to punch her on the legs and feet, causing several contusions. "Robyn F. began screaming for help and Brown exited the vehicle and walked away. A resident in the neighborhood heard Robyn F.'s plea for help and called 911, causing a police response. An investigation was conducted and Robyn F. was issued a Domestic Violence Emergency Protective Order." At the end of his statement, Andrews said Brown sent a text message nine days later apologizing. "In the text message, Brown apologized for what he had done to Robyn F. and advised [Rihanna's assistant] Ford that he was going to get help."

Stewart

Superintendent Ezra Stewart is an experienced investigator, an impartial lawman and probably one of the most hated persons within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Among his peers, he is both revered and feared as he proudly carries the unofficial title of having arrested the highest number of cops since joining the JCF.

Close to two dozen police personnel, over the past 15 years, have been arrested and charged, and some have been thrown behind bars as a result of Stewart's investigations. Unburdened by his unpopularity, Stewart believes it is a job someone has to do.

"I feel hated sometimes because a number of my colleagues believe that I am out to get them, but I am just doing my job in a professional manner," the 32-year veteran of the police force told The Gleaner.

In recent years, he has been harshly criticised by some colleagues, especially after investigating and arresting a superintendent (now retired) in connection with a shooting incident. That officer was later acquitted of the charges.

About four years ago, Stewart arrested a special constable who was implicated in a robbery/shooting incident on a ganja field in Westmoreland. The special constable was convicted and sentenced to 18 years.

"I have never, and will never, tell an ounce of lie on any of my colleagues. I am consoled by my professionalism," the senior officer said.

A few years ago, he was given the task of probing a number of senior officers who had issued firearm permits under suspicious or questionable circumstances. While he did not disclose his findings, Stewart said he was again criticised for the decisions he had to take.

Christened an Anglican, he attended St Catherine High School and grew up in the Twickenham Park area of Spanish Town, St Catherine. He later attended the University of the West Indies, where he is currently completing a master's degree.

Apart from his father, who was a security officer, his admiration for the uniform, backed by a few friends, influenced him to join the police force in 1977. He has served in Portland, in the Complaints Division, in the Office of Professional Responsibility and in the Kingston West Division.

During the tenure of former Police Commissioner Francis Forbes, Stewart said he was transferred to Portland following allegations that a number of police personnel there were involved in a cocaine heist.

To deal with the corruption

"I was sent there to deal with the corruption and I arrested a number of policemen," the tough-talking cop said.

Speaking about police shootings, Stewart stressed that it was the nature of the job and that police would make some genuine mistakes. However, he added that it was important for them to acknowledge when they made mistakes.

"I think the BSI (Bureau of Special Investigations) can bring some changes to the police force," he said.

His immediate supervisor, Assistant Commissioner Granville Gause, has described him as a fearless, committed and no-nonsense investigator.

"This is a man who is rigid and does things the old-school way," commented ACP Gause.

TRUCK operators could face heavy fines if their vehicles are found to be overloaded on public roads, Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry has disclosed.

HENRY... we need to stamp out this practice of loading trucks with far more weight than the units are designed to carry

Henry, who Wednesday signed a US$506,690 contract for the installation of four scales across the island, said that the nation's road network has over the years been badly damaged by overloaded trucks, and that the practice must be stopped. The scales will be installed within 90 days of signing of the contract.

"It really makes no sense pumping large amounts of scarce funding into road rehabilitation and expansion, only to have the network wantonly damaged by the actions of selfish truck operators who are focused only on their personal gain, and not on the national interest," said Henry.

"Hence we need to stamp out this practice of loading trucks with far more weight than the units were designed to carry. Those who chose to continue with their old habits must be made to understand the folly and insensitivity of their actions, and this is what the weight scale programme is all about," he added.

The contract, he said, was financed through a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank.

Henry said violators will be fined according to the excess weight and road on which they commit the breach.

"The user pay, so the fines that are going to flow now from you breaking the law may build back the road. I think the fine is about £15,000 in the United Kingdom if you are caught with an overloaded vehicle; so multiply that by 120 and you will understand that if we follow the pattern of other international countries, the fine might be few hundred thousand well... and for my part I am going to equate it to the cost of the road you are on," noted Henry.

The scales will be placed at four key locations - in the vicinity of the Ferry Police Station in St Catherine, At Harbour View in St Andrew, at Coral Springs in Trelawny and at Agualta Vale in St Mary.

When the system is implemented, truck operators will be required to unload and secure the excess weight until it can be removed within 24 hours.

The maximum weight allowed on the nation's roads is 10 tonnes.

Dogs bite man to death

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Abe Dabdoub, whose legal action in 2007 led to the disqualification of Daryl Vaz as the Portland Western member of parliament, said he will be heading to the courts again on Monday to ascertain the veracity of Vaz's citizenship.

Dabdoub made known his plan Friday after Vaz was again nominated as the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate for the seat in the March 23 court-ordered by-election.

Dabdoub, who lost the seat to Vaz in the September 2007 general elections, asked Director of Elections Orette Fisher if he had ascertained whether Vaz is now a Jamaican citizen.

VAZ... went to US Embassy in Kingston in April 2008 to start the process of renouncing his American citizenship

Dabdoub's query was in reference to Vaz's much-publicised act of going to the US Embassy in Kingston to start the process of renouncing his American citizenship in April 2008.

Vaz took the action after Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, on reviewing an election petition brought by Dabdoub, ruled that Vaz was not qualified to sit in the Parliament because he held dual citizenship at the time of the elections. But McCalla also handed Dabdoub his first defeat in the long-running court battle by throwing out his bid to be awarded the seat and ordering a by-election.

Dabdoub had argued that the election was void because Vaz was not qualified to be nominated.

After McCalla's ruling, Dabdoub took the case to the Appeal Court which upheld the chief justice's decision. The court also said it would deliver its written judgement at a later date.

DABDOUB... just because he says he is Jamaican, what is the evidence of that?

On Friday, Dabdoub, a former member of the JLP, signalled that he did not believe that Vaz had renounced his US citizenship.

"You can't just take his word for it," Dabdoub told the Sunday Observer. "It was the same thing that happened in the 2007 general elections. Just because he says he is Jamaican, what is the evidence of that?"

Asked to comment on Dabdoub's query, Fisher said the matter was one for the courts.

"Mr Dabdoub is well within his rights to go to courts," Fisher told the Sunday Observer.

Dabdoub said the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) should have asked for proof of citizenship.

"And I am saying that they wrong because I showed them that Section 27 (3) of the Representation of the People Act gives the returning officer the right to reject a nomination for non-compliance with the Act," said Dabdoub, who is an attorney. "It's a pity that the Appeal Court hasn't given its judgement in writing, because had they done so, I don't think the Electoral Office could adopt the stupidity that Walker insisted on."

His reference was to a statement issued by then Director of Elections Danville Walker after nominations for the 2007 general elections that Vaz was properly nominated.

Walker issued the statement after Dabdoub sent out a notice to West Portland voters warning them that a vote for Vaz would be a vote wasted.

Open a Command Prompt window and leave it open. Close all open programs. Click Start, Run and enter TASKMGR.EXE Go to the Processes tab and End Process on Explorer.exe. Leave Task Manager open. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory the AVI (or other undeletable file) is located in. At the command prompt type DEL where is the file you wish to delete. Go back to Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the GUI shell. Close Task Manager. Or you can try this Open Notepad.exe Click File>Save As..> locate the folder where ur undeletable file is Choose 'All files' from the file type box click once on the file u wanna delete so its name appears in the 'filename' box put a " at the start and end of the filename (the filename should have the extension of the undeletable file so it will overwrite it) click save, It should ask u to overwrite the existing file, choose yes and u can delete it as normal Here's a manual way of doing it. I'll take this off once you put into your first post zain. 1. Start 2. Run 3. Type: command 4. To move into a directory type: cd c:\*** (The stars stand for your folder) 5. If you cannot access the folder because it has spaces for example Program Files or Kazaa Lite folder you have to do the following. instead of typing in the full folder name only take the first 6 letters then put a ~ and then 1 without spaces. Example: cd c:\progra~1\kazaal~1 6. Once your in the folder the non-deletable file it in type in dir - a list will come up with everything inside. 7. Now to delete the file type in del ***.bmp, txt, jpg, avi, etc... And if the file name has spaces you would use the special 1st 6 letters followed by a ~ and a 1 rule. Example: if your file name was bad file.bmp you would type once in the specific folder thorugh command, del badfil~1.bmp and your file should be gone. Make sure to type in the correct extension.

WITH WELL over 2,000 children and young adults murdered in Jamaica over the past five years, at an average of more than 400 per year, Jamaica is undoubtedly on a path to self-destruction, experts agree.

"What we are doing to ourselves is self-destructive," comments anthropologist Dr Herbert Gayle. "This is what we call social suicide!"

The twisted roots of violence that has choked Jamaica's young people, 90 per cent of whom are young men, have also robbed the country of some brilliant young minds.

"By killing these youngsters, the country is being deprived of potential strength and development," says social worker and community volunteer, Horace Levy.

Social programmes needed

He states that what is needed in these communities is more social programmes that educate and train people to be self-sufficient. By helping people lift themselves out of their circumstances, Levy says, the country would be able to save the lives of some of its bright, young minds.

Gayle, who is one of Jamaica's leading researchers on gang dynamics and inner-city violence, agrees.

"In the inner city and working communities, when they do have these bright kids who are going to replace some of us, what happens? We kill them! So we are literally replacing ourselves with weaker people.

"Jamaica has not been replenishing its society with the minds it needs to drive its future development, as those who can afford to have many children have few or none, while those who cannot - the poor - have more than they can afford to care for," Gayle says.

The lack of structural support in poor communities, Gayle adds, in turn, creates a myriad of social problems that make it nearly impossible for young, bright people from the inner city or similar communities to emerge.

He underscores the urgent need for social policies to effectively address the squalid conditions of the nation's poor and inner-city communities.

Gang recruitment

Gayle identifies gang recruitment as another phenomenon robbing the island of bright youngsters.

Once gifted youngsters are identified, he says, they are either recruited by criminal gangs or killed by jealous community members.

"It's paradoxical that some gangs will target bright youths. In other settings, persons will protect these kids. I have seen situations where people try to recruit them and other members say, 'We are going to have a war over this youth, he is not going to become no gang-banger'," Gayle discloses.

He says there have also been situations where jealous community members try to impede the progress of bright youngsters.

"What some parents also do is flaunt the progress of their children. So it cuts both ways. And that causes them (jealous community members) to target these kids and they get hurt as a result," he adds.

"So, rather than a village raising the child, it's a village killing the child," Gayle states.

-- Edited by MZJ at 10:48, 2009-03-08

THE BATTERING of 21-year-old Barbadian pop star Rihanna, allegedly by her boyfriend, entertainer Chris Brown, has refocused global attention on spousal abuse.

Today's commemoration of International Women's Day, however, has hollow meaning for the hundreds of Jamaican women who bear bruises from dysfunctional relationships.

Data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Statistics Department indicate that the rate of domestic violence is on the rise locally. Domestic-related murders, in particular, jumped 20 per cent in 2006 over the previous year. The police received 4,264 reports of domestic assault.

Some women suffer in silence, others fight back.

Sandra English is one victim and she has grown to hate men as a result of the painful experience she had with her babyfather. The relationship soured when her partner started to cheat on her.

"I heard that he was in a relationship, and when I talked about it he abused me both verbally and physically," stated English.

The tempestuous three-year relationship has caused her to be terrified of men. Now, her main concern is caring for her son. She isn't among many women who depend solely on men for financial subsistence.

"I am a teacher so I can take care of my son on my own. Therefore, man is history for me right now. I don't know what will happen later, but for now it will be that way," she said.

Fighting back

Some women, though, are fighting back.

In February, 35-year-old Michelle Brown, a teacher from John's Hall, St James, was arrested for killing her husband. And last Wednesday in Bethel Town, Westmoreland, 43-year-old Rohan Tulloch, a farmer and construction worker, died from stab wounds allegedly inflicted by the mother of his 18-month-old son.

Both relationships were reportedly characterised by physical abuse. In the Tulloch case, the accused had made several complaints about the deceased, but he attacked even while the police were trying to locate him.

Maria Rankine, counsellor at The Woman's Crisis Centre, has criticised police responses to the incidence of spousal abuse in Jamaica, arguing that strong intervention was generally not pursued until the situation spiralled out of control.

But Deputy Superintendent Anthony McLaughlin defended the police force, saying they do act quickly, particularly on death threats. He argued that the police get no warning when trivial disputes are about to escalate into violent confrontations.

Since 1995, the Domestic Violence Act provides protection for victims of domestic violence. The act was amended in 2004 to give wider coverage to persons in visiting relationships.

HEAD OF local counselling organisation Family Life Ministries (FLM), Dr Barry Davidson, has disclosed that depression among workers and the demand for counselling services have increased, especially in the wake of the most recent spate of redundancies.

The executive director of FLM, a centre with 35 counsellors headquartered in Kingston, and which runs an employee-assistance programme in addition to counselling services in three parish capitals, also indicates that men - who make up 40 per cent of FLM clients - have been especially affected by the loss of their jobs.

According to Dr Davidson , "Our experience at Family Life Ministries is that our client load has increased. Loss impacts people emotionally and causes them to do things that they would not normally do. Depression is a normal response. They may also resort to drinking and other substance abuse."

Data released by the counselling centre indicate that between the months of March and December last year, requests for counselling increased - in all centres.

Bounced cheque

FLM has been seeing, since late last year, many more clients who were unable to pay their bills or who had paid with bounced cheques, but overall there was an increase in demand for the services.

Yvonne Foster, counselling psychologist with FLM and administrator of the organisation's employee assistance programme (EAP) - a service offered to local companies - said, "I have known no worker who has refused counselling."

The EAP is offered to 10 companies who have contracted its services counselling, while another 50-plus call for seminars and counselling on an ad hoc basis.

"Persons do want counselling and the timing of it is important. Counselling should be done before you send off workers. Some companies are late in getting the programme in and people miss it because they are already terminated," Foster stated.

Redirecting one's life

Counselling, she said, is not only about emotional help and dealing with disappointments, but also about redirecting one's life and researching options. Workers also get advice on how to be honest with their family members about the loss of employment.

According to Foster, "Men fear talking to their families because they feel they have failed. They do not want to tell their family money is going to be short and there are some things they will have to do without. Men tend to be regarded as chief providers. They are devastated when they are laid off. Many do not have other skills."

According to Foster, once a man does not have a job his self-esteem plummets and that translates into depression, anger with the world, and he may even blame God. "Sometimes it leads to a little violence. A personality change takes place because of low self-esteem," the counsellor said.

Foster says women are also devastated by redundancy, but they tend to move faster in trying to recover because they often have mouths to feed. Women, she says, also tend to accept any job to put food on the table, but "Men find it harder to accept any job."

THE EFFECTS of the global economic meltdown have dealt a severe blow to scores of independent schools in Jamaica, with more than 50 currently facing serious financial problems.

This has forced many of the schools to send home teachers, according to Basil Tabannor, president of the Jamaica Independent Schools Association (JISA).

"Teachers have been laid off and they are not coming to the association this year, they are now going to the Ministry of Education," Tabannor told The Sunday Gleaner.

The JISA president painted a worrying picture of the challenges confronting the sector, as he pointed out that the laying off of teachers was part of measures to keep the doors of the embattled institutions opened.

Growing numbers

Tabannor was reluctant to divulge the number of teachers who have been laid off, but said the numbers were growing.

"It is increasing and if we don't get the sort of assistance that we are seeking, the downsizing will continue," said Tabannor.

At the same time, Colin Blair, director of communications in the Ministry of Education, said the ministry has noticed a trend of independent school teachers visiting the offices for advice. However, he was unable to provide statistics.

"But it is something that we are keeping our eyes on," Blair told The Sunday Gleaner.

He confirmed that some parents were also pulling their students from private schools because they could no longer afford the fees.

At present, more than 100,000 Jamaican children attend an estimated 200 independent schools in Jamaica. Of this number, 50 are said to be struggling to survive.

The Sunday Gleaner has been reliably informed that three independent schools have closed in recent times. One of the three is said to have suffered this demise due to financial hardships.

Increase in school fees

The president said some schools are now contemplating increasing school fees again in April because they are fighting to stay afloat.

"This is not normally the case, as schools either increased fees in September or January, but it's biting hard and people are really feeling the crunch," he said.

The JISA has approached the Ministry of Education for assistance.

Tabannor said he was awaiting a call from Minister of Education Andrew Holness, who had requested information from the association, following a meeting last month.

"We had an understanding that if at all the Government can do anything, we want to do it before the budget (in April)," Tabannor told The Sunday Gleaner.

Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) president, Doran Dixon, said he was not aware of teachers in independent schools being laid off, as he had not got word from any of the educators that his association represents.

The JTA boss said his association would not like to see private schools close their doors because of financial problems, as the Government was not able to provide all the school spaces that were needed in the education system.

Dixon said the JTA would support the Government to assist private schools that are in a difficult spot.

"The fact that the Government has to purchase school space from private schools shows that these schools are important for the system," said Dixon.

A Kingston-based educator at a private school, who spoke with The Sunday Gleaner on condition of anonymity, said most private schools were feeling the pinch from the global financial crisis. He said the reclassification of salaries to teachers in public schools had pressured private educational institutions to offer more competitive rates to their staff.

Direct impact

The educator said the massive redundancies taking place in the private sector was having a direct impact on independent schools.

Last month, Opposition Spokesman on Education Basil Waite and Government Senator Hyacinth Bennett urged the Bruce Golding administration to place greater emphasis on the sustenance and development of independent schools.

Senator Waite, while debating a private member's motion moved by him, suggested that the Government provide concessionary loans for the development of independent schools.

The Upper House approved the resolution calling for the establishment of a task force to examine ways in which financing could be sourced, at significantly reduced rates, for the development of private schools.

During the parliamentary debate in February, Senator Bennett, who runs the Hydel group of schools, said the Government should shed its piecemeal approach towards independent schools.

"When I spoke with the president of the association (Jamaica Independent Schools Association), the picture that he painted of a number of independent schools is rather gloomy as well as frightening," she informed her colleagues.

Scenes from Ice's Funeral

Posted by yardFlex on 02:18 PM | Comments (48)

JAMAICA has been losing some of its ablest young men in the most productive phase of their life.

An average of 667 men between the ages of 25 and 39 are murdered annually, leaving children fatherless, families broken and an economy that needs their input, wanting.

"Where we are going to end up is with a serious case of pauper(isation) of people if we don't have policies of inclusion and address structural violence, and allow people to see that unless there are alternatives, we are going to be losing some critical people," explains social anthropologist, Dr Herbert Gayle, noting that the country was already suffering from a lack of leadership.

Scale down policies

To develop fuller policies that would address the structural problems in poorer communities, Gayle says, the Government should consider scaling down some of the ambitious policies it now has on the books, including free health care.

"The governments have been promising all these things in the name of politics, but these policies don't make sense, because the policies they must look at are policies that address the 20 per cent squalor in the country," he argues.

Training programmes, such as HEART, need to be reviewed so as to make them more 'male-friendly', he opines. Many programmes offered by that institution, he believes, do not cater to the circumstances many young men in need of training face today.

Gayle says many males, when compared to females, do not have the support system necessary to care for children while attending school as females do; nor can many afford the expensive tools needed to support their course of study.

Gayle suggests that Government expand programmes like Children First and HEART, and introduce programmes for young men, including social workers, who can focus on and understand their needs and work with them. The alternative, Gayle argues, is to let them shoot each other and at us occasionally.

DONNA Duncan-Scott, executive director of the Jamaica Money Market Brokers, yesterday urged parents to love and support their children unconditionally.

She was addressing the 53rd Annual Parents Conference/General Meeting of the Jamaica Association on Mental Retardation (JAMR) at the Girls Guide headquarters in Kingston.

A mother holds her son during the Annual Parents Conference/ General Meeting at the Girls Guide headquarters in Kingston yesterday. The event was held under the theme 'Parents: Empowered for Action' and was aimed at motivating parents to become actively involved in the development of their children with intellectual disability. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)

Scores of parents turned up to get tips on how to become more active in the development of their children with disabilities.

"Parents need to understand and to realise that they have a choice to make the best of their situation," said Duncan Scott, who was the guest speaker at the event.

"You have to love your children first and then they will shine," she added.

Most parents at the event were in full agreement, saying the work of the JAMR had led them to realise that they were blessed.

"To see where I am coming from, and to see where I am today," began Jenny Facey. "My son has autism (and) at one point I had to quit my job just to take care of him. And to now realise that I have a choice, is a wonderful feeling," Facey said.

Facey was supported by another mother, who said she had to quit her job to care for her young daughter who had been raped and who had become sick. But with the counselling from organisations such as the JAMR, the woman said she was motivated to the point where she decided to open a business to take care of her family.

The men were also out in their numbers.

Donavan Reynolds, a St Mary resident, explained that his grandchild was disabled, and it was organisations such as the JAMR that had helped him and his family to accept their situation and to realise that they had a choice "to not let the world and its angry remarks" affect their lives.

The JAMAR was founded in 1956 by Randolph Lopez, a parent of a child with Down's syndrome. It collaborates with the Ministry of Education to manage island-wide 27 schools of special education and provides a number of intervention programmes.

 

THE GOVERNMENT says it remains committed to continue paying tuition fees for the island's students, especially in light of the global economic downturn.

Since 2007, Government has been paying full tuition fees for secondary school students. Last year, it pumped almost $1 billion more into secondary schools to cover their losses from the abolition of tuition fees.

"Now more than ever we would have to continue funding tuition fees," Minister of Education Andrew Holness told The Sunday Gleaner on Thursday. "The Government has a critical target and that is young people. In times of crisis you can't give up on the young people, you will never recover them when you recover from crisis."

He added: "And in order to recover from crisis, you need to have your young people ready and waiting to take advantage of the opportunities that come out of a crisis. And so we will be continuing our funding, but what we don't want to do is exclude anyone, and that's the challenge."

Holness said some people believe that parents should pay for education, but they do not look at inclusion.

"If you can't pay then sometimes you are excluded and we all know that some schools are not as sensitive as they ought to be when dealing with the dignity and pride of our young people," he said.

Meanwhile, Senator Basil Waite, opposition spokesman on education, told The Sunday Gleaner recently that he agreed that the Government should continue paying students' tuition fees.

"Absolutely, you have to continue, you can't stop," said Waite.

"To sustain and grow your economy, you need education. So it would be a retrograde step if (the Government stops funding the tuition fees)," Waite said.

The Ministry of Education recently ordered principals, bursars and chairmen of schools to put a hold on any increase in auxiliary fees for the 2009-2010 academic year in light of the global economic downturn.

According to the education ministry, auxiliary contributions were not to exceed 2008-2009 levels.

Other expenses

However, Nadine Molloy, president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, said the Government would have to find a way to offset some of the costs that schools would incur, because the fees were instrumental in assisting with paying bills and other expenses.

There have been reports that some schools have been forced to abandon music and sports programmes because the subventions that they get from the Government are not enough.

Molloy said while she could not speak to specifics, there are schools that are really struggling because they cannot fund some of their programmes.

"If you have less (money), then there is less for your programmes. It is ingenuity that keeps some programmes running," said Molloy.

"People are experiencing problems and we are cutting and carving and see how best we can allocate the resources that we have," she added.

-- Edited by Garrick at 07:45, 2009-03-08

TWO judges were among workers at the Supreme Court who were tested on Friday for the potentially deadly disease Tuberculosis (TB), following the recent discovery that a staff member had contracted the airborne infection.

The two judges tested had come in contact with the infected worker, according to Observer sources.

Sources also say that a few police personnel were also tested.

The tests were conducted at the High Court building in downtown Kingston by Public Health Department workers, who are expected to complete the process tomorrow, in an effort to determine the source of the disease.

"They are testing everybody he [the infected worker] may have come in contact with. I'm concerned not only for myself, but for my child," said one source.

More than 40 people work in the Civil Registry department.

It was discovered that the male employee, who works in the computer room at the Civil Registry, was infected with TB about two months ago. He was diagnosed when he visited his doctor for a persistent chest pain, the Sunday Observer was told. The worker is currently being treated at home.

On Friday, staff members were being briefed on the disease, which though treatable with antibiotics, can be deadly if goes unchecked.

Concerns were also raised about lawyers' clerks, who may have come in contact with the worker.

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs. But TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal.

TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The bacteria are put into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.

A SHIPMENT of more than half a million rounds of ammunition, being imported by the Jamaica Rifle Association (JRA) gun club in St Andrew, has been ordered detained by the Government, pending an audit of the club's facility by the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA).

The Ministry of National Security confirmed on Friday that the FLA, as part of its monitoring and inspection programme, was in the process of conducting an audit of the JRA facility. As a result, the shipment of ammunition has been held.

Consignment stored by JDF

A high-ranking staff member at the security ministry has explained that security arrangements require the consignment to be stored at a Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) facility for safekeeping.

Chairman of the FLA, retired assistant commissioner of police, Errol Strong, confirmed that the shipment of ammunition would be taken to Up Park Camp upon its arrival in the island later this week.

Strong has expressed concerns over the security of the large cache of ammunition and firearms which are being stored at the headquarters of the JRA and the difficulty the FLA has had in completing an audit of the gun club.

"Our attempt to audit the weapons and ammo at the gun club has been very frustrating," Strong revealed.

Lax security measures

In the meantime, senior officials at the FLA are concerned that lax security measures governing the storage of ammunition at the JRA's range could result in bullets ending up on the streets.

The Sunday Gleaner news team made several attempts to speak with retired army officer, Colonel Audley Carter, of the JRA, but he indicated through the club's office manager, Audrey Charley, that he was not interested in speaking with The Sunday Gleaner.

However, Maurice Goodgame, director of the FLA's Audit and Complaints Branch, admitted that JRA security measures were not being observed. Inspectors from the FLA said they saw persons leaving the range without an ammunition check being done.

The Sunday Gleaner obtained a copy of the preliminary audit report into the operations of the JRA gun club, prepared by Goodgame, and it read in part: "The system of operation and the security measures outlined by the association seem quite good. Observation by the team did not coincide with those claims. The team was told that the security guard would check ammunition of persons entering and leaving the range, but the team saw persons leaving without this happening. One of the rifle association's members had more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition in his lockers, most of which were .22."

The report also said: "The team was astonished when it learnt that the association did not know the types and numbers of firearms owned by its members, and that no internal inspection of the lockers is done. The audit will continue at a later date."

Hred audithe gun-licensing authority also slammed members of the rifle association, claiming that they had hindered the successful completion of the audit and inspection. The FLA argued that fewer than half of the 480 lockers being used by JRA members had been made available for audit and inspection, despite having been given sufficient notice.

"Over the two days, the team was only able to inspect 105 lockers, owned by 90 members, due to lack of cooperation by most of the members. The association was given a week's notice in the first instance and three weeks in the second."

The lockers, each having a unique number, are rented to members for the storage of their firearms and ammunition. They are secured with padlocks and only the owners have access to them.

Stand-off

Goodgame wrote to Colonel Audley Carter, president of the JRA, on November 5, 2008, informing him of the pending audit and inspection on the 15th of the same month.

The writing was on the wall that a stand-off was in the making when Carter responded five days later.

His letter stated: "We have examined the Firearms Act and we are unable to locate any provision therein which authorises your personnel to carry out searches without the benefit of a search warrant and, as we are sure that you are well aware, the individual lockers within the Jamaica Rifle Association would be akin to a safety-deposit box in a bank vault. Therefore, a blanket search warrant would not be appropriate.

"It would appear that in order for your personnel to gain access to the lockers, for which consent cannot be obtained, you will be required to obtain individual search warrants for each locker."

However, Carter informed the FLA that "the majority" of the association's members had indicated that they had no difficulty in voluntarily allowing their lockers and firearms to be audited and inspected. That did not happen.

The association is said to have a membership of approximately 1,000, which continues to grow.

Spanish police have arrested a 66-year-old Chilean who tried to smuggle drugs into Barcelona with a cast made of cocaine fitted on a truly broken leg. The man also had cocaine hidden in six beer cans that had been emptied, packed with drugs and resealed, and inside the legs of two small folding stools, police said. Altogether, he was carrying about 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of the drug, police said. The man was arrested Wednesday at Barcelona's El Prat airport after arriving from Santiago, Chile. His left shin was broken, and investigators do not rule out the possibility that the injury was inflicted intentionally so he could smuggle with the cocaine cast. Spain is a major European gateway for cocaine from Latin America and airport officials pay especially close attention to passengers on flights from Peru, Col****ia and Chile, police spokesman Jose Antonio Nin said. Nin said he knew of cases in which smugglers had concealed cocaine underneath casts but this was the first time officials had seen a cast made entirely of compressed cocaine. It weighed about a kilogram (2.2 pounds), he said. Police detected the drug by spraying the cast with a chemical that turns bright blue when it comes in contact with cocaine, Nin said. The man was taken to a hospital after the cast was removed.

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&vid=6ce30603-c88c-424c-aa0a-8fea1ed93ae1

There was a brief scare at the University of Technology (UTech) in St Andrew yesterday after an anonymous caller made a b**** threat.

Information gathered by THE STAR is that shortly after 1:00 p.m., a secretary at the institution received a call warning that a b**** had been planted in the administration building.

Evacuation

An alarm was raised and a subsequent evacuation exercise was initiated.

According to the Constabulary Communication Network, members of the Protective Services and B**** Squad were summoned and the buildings searched.

Units from the Rollington Town and York Park Fire Stations were also put on standby but no b**** was found.

'Kill some time'

Students with whom THE STAR spoke afterwards joked about the matter, and claimed to use it as a chance to 'kill some time'.

"We were all ordered to gather on the big playing field ... I personally did not take it serious, let's be honest here. I have never heard of a b**** going off anywhere, this is not Afghanistan ... It was just a chance to kill some time," Simone Clarke, a 20-year-old second-year business administration major said.

TERTIARY level students, who are seeking summer employment abroad, are being urged to exercise caution about the agencies that they sign up with for work.

Co-ordinator for the Ministry of Labour and Social Security's J1 Summer Work Programme, Lorna Young, said that students must be very vigilant and refrain from paying money to persons offering jobs overseas.

"Students need to be sure about who they are dealing with. Check on the status of the agencies that are offering jobs overseas and foremost, they are not to pay any money to anyone who is offering jobs, especially monies for registration," she cautioned.

She said that the "only money they should be paying is money for the programme, but they have to be sure that the money they are paying is for legitimate reasons and that they are not just asked to pay a certain amount, which has no outlined purpose".

Young said that in recent times, complaints have been filed by students about not receiving jobs promised by these agencies. She advised that in the event of such occurrence, students should report the matter to the police, as well as the relevant embassy on their return to the island.

"Students need to report their cases to the embassies when they return to Jamaica, because they (the agencies) ought not to be telling them that there is a job when there is none," she stated.

In addition, students are being urged to check with the ministry to ensure that the agencies that are offering jobs overseas are registered.

According to Young, the ministry communicates with the placement officers in the tertiary institutions, who would pass the information on to students, it was not possible to get information out to everybody.

"If they (the students) contact their placement officers, they can get information there. Students can also check with the Ministry of Labour's office at 1F North Street, about certification for agencies that are allowed to source jobs for persons overseas because they are registered with the Ministry of Labour," she pointed out.

In the meantime, Young said that students were being recruited for the Ministry's J1 Summer Work Programme.

"We started doing recruitments already and so far, we have received over 300 applicants. We have some scheduled to come in for medicals soon. Thus far, we have been sourcing jobs for housekeepers, dishwashers, front desk personnel, and food and beverage personnel, etc," she informed.

She assured that "our programmes are guaranteed and if we start processing anyone and there is a problem, whether on the part of the student or employer, we can refund the students. We don't collect money unless we are sure of the job's availability."

Instituted in 2006, the J1 Summer Work Programme, is a four-month work and travel programme, which gives tertiary level students the opportunity to experience another culture while earning money to support their stay. Students are primarily selected from fields such as hospitality and tourism management, and agriculture/agribusiness.

The programme was revised in 2007 to implement improvements. A total of 88 students received jobs overseas under the initiative last year.

 

-- Edited by Dj Quiva at 00:48, 2009-03-08

Chris Brown has drawn fire from the media and from fans for the photos of him that emerged over the weekend buzzing around in Miami on a jet ski during what was called his "reconciliation" weekend with girlfriend Rihanna. And in a recently posted video, Usher joins the criticism of Brown, who is slated to face charges on Thursday for the alleged incident on February 8, in which he is reported to have battered Rihanna on a Los Angeles street. In a video posted by producer Jermaine Dupri, Usher says that instead of riding around on jet skis, the 19-year-old singer should "have some remorse" for the alleged incident. The comments in the clip, part of JD's "Living the Life" series, were recorded on Monday, according to comments from Usher, who is shown huddled around a laptop discussing a series of photos with some other men in a recording studio. "I'm a little disappointed in this photo," Usher says about the shots of Brown, as singer/songwriter Johnta Austin bounces around the room and makes some off-color jokes about boxing. "After the other photo [of Rihanna's bruised face posted by TMZ last month]? C'mon, Chris. Have a little bit of remorse, man. The man's on jet skis? Like, just relaxing in Miami?" The comments are a rare moment of near-seriousness in the eight-minute video, which primarily features the three clowning in the studio with friends and talking about a recent photo of Christina Milian. On Monday, public-relations guru Howard Bragman said the images of Brown relaxing and playing in the midst of the reported reunion with Rihanna would not have been "the first image I would want out there of him," and a number of the hundreds of readers who responded to the initial news that Brown and Rihanna were at a Miami home owned by Diddy spending their first weekend together since the alleged incident, agreed.