AS ANTICIPATION mounts about the court's ruling on the appeal in the dual-citizenship case which People's National Party (PNP) candidate Abe Dabdoub has brought against Member of Parliament (MP) Daryl Vaz, The Sunday Gleaner has learnt that a ruling will be handed down within days.

President of the Court of Appeal Justice Seymour Panton, Justice Algernon Smith and Justice Karl Harrison heard the appeal and indications are that the judgement is to be delivered shortly.

Following lengthy submissions last year, the court reserved its decision on December 3.

Since then, political watchers have waited patiently for the decision, which could greatly affect the country's political scene.

Second petition

This is the second time that Dabdoub has brought an election petition in the courts. He was successful in an election petition he filed against Phyllis Mitchell alleging irregularities in the North East St Catherine constituency in the general election of 1997.

At that time, Dabdoub contested the election on a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) ticket and was awarded the seat in June 2001.

Now, he is again trying to enter Parliament through the court, but this time on a PNP ticket.

Dabdoub has expressed optimism that, based on the law and the cases cited to support his contention, he will be victorious.

But Prime Minister Bruce Golding has made it clear that he will not allow anyone who was rejected by the people at the polls to sit in Parliament.

This has led to speculation that if the court awards the seat to Dabdoub, the nation could be called back to a general election.

Vaz won the seat by 944 votes in the 2007 general election. He remains in the House of Representatives because he has been granted a stay of the court ruling, pending the outcome of the appeal.

If the appeal is in Dabdoub's favour, it will reduce the Government's four-seat margin in the House.

Dabdoub had filed an election petition after the general election on September 3, 2007, claiming that Vaz was not entitled to be a member of parliament because he was an American citizen and the holder of a United States passport.

Not entitled to be an MP

Chief Justice Zaila McCalla heard the matter in the Supreme Court and in April last year ruled that although Vaz had inherited citizenship through his mother, who was an American citizen, he had obtained a passport, travelled on it and, therefore, was not entitled to be an MP.

She ordered a by-election in the constituency for which Vaz has prepared by renouncing his American citizenship.

Dabdoub appealed, contending that the chief justice erred in her ruling because he should have been returned as the duly elected MP for the constituency.

Vaz has also appealed the chief justice's ruling and his lawyers argued that if the court did not allow the citizens' votes to be counted, it would deny the implicit right of each citizen of Jamaica to participate in the democratic process.

Personally, we can only imagine what a $300,000 speaker setup sounds like. But you -- we know you're eager to pick up the Epilogue Speaker System (previous edition shown) and rub it in the faces of everyone else, right? Regardless of whether you answered that truthfully or not, Goldmund (those same cats who actually had the nerve to create a $17,000 Blu-ray player) has introduced the latest version of the aforesaid system, which will now be built specifically for integration into the Goldmund Media Room. Pretty though they may be, we have a sneaking suspicion you won't be getting much bang for your buck with these -- but then again, what do our virgin ears know, anyway?

Prodigal Son

Gospel artiste Calvin Whilby aka Prodigal Son started singing in 1997 and has performed in the Caribbean, Europe, Canada and the USA. The self made song writer and producer enjoys doing his own thing but has on occasion worked with other producers such as: Danny Brownie and Rayon Smith.
He says that his preferred music is Gospel as he hopes to reach the world with his music.
Prodigal Son has also collaborated with International star Micah Stampley and local artistes Junior Tucker, Richie Stephens, Wayne Marshall and Jason Mighty.
The separated father of three does not believe in polygamy, "it must be costly" he jokes.
During his down time he enjoys playing FIFA on his playstation.
His next appearance is in Belize and Africa.

me hear it a lot a songs now any boy no wa e mean?

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British rock band Coldplay's new album debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop music chart on Tuesday, largely bucking the sales slides that have affected other musicians, the group's label said on Tuesday.
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"Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends," Coldplay's fourth release, sold more than 720,000 copies in the six days ended Sunday, Capitol Records said.

Its previous album, "X&Y," also debuted at No. 1, selling 737,000 copies during its first week in June 2005. But total U.S. album sales have fallen more than 20 percent in that period, according to tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan. Stars have had to adjust their sights much lower as music piracy and competition from videogames take their toll.

The new Coldplay album also topped the charts in Britain, Japan, Australia, Canada, France and Germany, Capitol said. The single, "Viva La Vida," is also No. 1 in both the United States and Britain.

The album's strong performance delivers a psychological boost to Capitol's struggling British parent company EMI Group, which was bought last year by private-equity firm Terra Firma for about $6.4 billion. Terra Firma chief Guy Hands has ruffled feathers by laying off thousands of employees and introducing fiscal disciplines that are largely foreign to the freewheeling music business.

Among the skeptics was Coldplay manager Dave Holmes, who told the Times of London in January that Coldplay was "in no hurry" to deliver its album, adding, "Why would you want to release an album with a record company in the midst of massive lay-offs? Coldplay have a lot of options."

In the end, Coldplay's management brought in their own team of consultants and advisers to supplement EMI's sales and marketing efforts.

Coldplay, led by singer/songwriter Chris Martin, has promoted the album with free concerts in London, Barcelona and New York. The single was also used in an iTunes commercial. The band will begin a North American tour in Los Angeles on July 14.

Coldplay has sold more than 11 million albums in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Its top seller is 2002's "A Rush of *lo** to the Head," its second release, which moved 4.5 million copies. "X&Y," which inspired the New York Times to describe Coldplay as "the most insufferable band of the decade," sold 3.2 million copies.

After dominating the U.S. album charts in the '60s and '70s, British rock acts are a rarity at the top these days. The only other U.K. chart-toppers in the past decade have been Radiohead's "Kid A," and the Beatles' "1," both from 2000; Led Zeppelin's 2003 live album "How The West Was Won"; and Radiohead's "In Rainbows" this past January. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080625/.../coldplay_dc_2

MI NO SURE BOUT ALL A DEM

-- Edited by BRAINSBOX at 14:34, 2009-02-08

Hitlist Granted J$80,000 Bail

Upcoming dancehall artiste Marlon Lawrence also known as 'Hitlist' has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman and is facing additional charges of rape and abduction. Lawrence who appeared before the Spanish Town Criminal court on Tuesday, February 3rd was granted bail in the sum of J$80,000.00 when his case was mentioned. While making the application for bail Earl Hamilton, Mr. Lawrence's legal counsel asked the court not to confiscate his client's travel documents as he is schedule to embark on a tour of Africa next month (March). According to reports reaching 876radio.com the court was told that the twenty nine (29) year-old entertainer on January 12, 2009 offered the complainant a nineteen (19) year-old girl a ride and she was subsequently taken to a hotel in Port Henderson, Portmore, St. Catherine against her will and sexually assaulted. Three hours later after the ordeal she was allowed to leave at which point she reported the incident to the Spanish Town Police which lead to his arrest days later in the vicinity of a recording studio on St. John Road in the old capital. Hitlist is scheduled to return to court in April to answer the charges. Upcoming dancehall artiste Marlon Lawrence also known as 'Hitlist' has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman and is facing additional charges of rape and abduction. Lawrence who appeared before the Spanish Town Criminal court on Tuesday, February 3rd was granted bail in the sum of J$80,000.00 when his case was mentioned. While making the application for bail Earl Hamilton, Mr. Lawrence's legal counsel asked the court not to confiscate his client's travel documents as he is schedule to embark on a tour of Africa next month (March). According to reports reaching 876radio.com the court was told that the twenty nine (29) year-old entertainer on January 12, 2009 offered the complainant a nineteen (19) year-old girl a ride and she was subsequently taken to a hotel in Port Henderson, Portmore, St. Catherine against her will and sexually assaulted. Three hours later after the ordeal she was allowed to leave at which point she reported the incident to the Spanish Town Police which lead to his arrest days later in the vicinity of a recording studio on St. John Road in the old capital. Hitlist is scheduled to return to court in April to answer the charges.

KOBE

A 69-year-old man injured in a traffic accident in Hyogo Prefecture died last month after being refused admission by 14 hospitals, a local fire department said Wednesday, revealing yet another case indicating Japans emergency medical care is in a grave situation.

The man collided with a motorcycle when he was riding a bicycle in Itami at around 10:15 p.m. on Jan 20. After arriving at the scene five minutes later, rescue workers provided first aid while seeking a hospital for about one hour.

But 14 hospitals in Hyogo and neighboring Osaka prefectures rejected his admission, citing a lack of specialist doctors or empty beds, according to the department.

The man was eventually taken to one of the 14 hospitals at around 11:30 p.m. that day, where his condition abruptly deteriorated. The hospital in Itami tried to transfer him for better treatment but the call was rejected by two hospitals.

He was already in extremely critical condition and unable to be moved when a third accepted the request. He eventually died of hemorrhagic shock three hours after the accident.

The 29-year-old motorcycle rider, meanwhile, was taken to a university hospital in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, as soon as the rescue workers determined he appeared to have suffered more severe injuries.

In December 2007, the Hyogo prefectural government instructed local municipalities to have their fire department headquarters work to find a hospital to accept urgent patients if paramedics cannot find one after 30 minutes.

On the accident in question, an Itami fire department official said, There were four other emergency calls in the same time frame of that night and as a result, we were unable to find a hospital (for the dead man).

It remains unclear, meanwhile, whether the death of the man was associated with the delay in his transfer, the department said.

The incident is the latest of a growing number of similar cases in Japan in which hospitals and medical institutions have declined to accept patients in need of emergency treatment, citing a lack of medical staff available or proper equipment and facilities.

Controversial street artist Shepard Fairey, who gained fame with his red, white and blue posters of Barack Obama, has been arrested.

The 38-year-old artist, known for his countercultural style, was arrested on two warrants on his way to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston on Friday.

The artist is embroiled in a copyright dispute with the Associated Press over his Obama 'Hope' poster. AP claims the poster image was based on one of its photos taken in April 2006 by Manny Garcia at the National Press Club in Washington.

Fairey was also charged with defacing property in two Boston area locations with graffiti.



Fairey -- who is also a graphic designer and political activist -- achieved fame with his red, white and blue posters of Obama, emblazoned with the words "Hope", "Progress", and "Change".

Last month, the National Portrait Gallery added his Obama portrait to its collection

Dr Karen Richards (right)

Besieged by crime and desensitised to death and violence, Jamaica issuffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD). This is the diagnosis of consultant clinical psychologist Dr Karen Richards who draws parallels between the average individual who walks into her practice and a hurting nation.

 

Jamaica's symptomsSelf-harm is probably the single most defining feature of the borderline personality. Jamaica is drowning in a sea of its own violence.In 2005, Jamaica had 1,674 murders (64.10 per 100,000 people), giving the country the unenviable reputation of having the highest murder rate in the world that year. Hope was raised by a small reduction in 2007.We thought the patient (Jamaica) was on the road to recovery, but relapse was soon evident. The murder rate again rose by three per cent in 2008: Last year 1,611 Jamaicans were slain by fellow citizens.In spite of the efforts of the new government, more than 70 people were murdered within the first 20 days of the 2009. Nearly as many people have been killed in Jamaica in the last two years as in the 40 years of conflict in northern Ireland.We are not at war with another country or threatened by some external force. We are annihilating ourselves. The fact is the biggest threat to a Jamaican is another Jamaican. Jamaica, the patient The patient with BPD can sometimes be recognised by distinctive self-inflicted scars, multiple etchings carved into the skin, albeit hidden under long sleeves. These are merely outward manifestations of the chaos and self-devaluation being experienced on the inside.Neither citizen nor habitat is spared in the course of this self-destructive illness. Undoubtedly, Jamaica is by God's own hand among the most beautiful islands in the world. Yet, we deface our environment like the BPD patient defaces his or her body. Even in the most remote places, what do we see? The scourge of graffiti, the ever-rising tide of garbage and stinking gullies clogged with all manner of waste.The natural beauty of the land is punctuated by zinc fences, the mentally ill who sleep in rags by the side of the road, the shacks where vendors gut, scale and sell their wares. This is not always about poverty; sometimes it is about pride.The tourist zones are a façade, they are not representative of the real Jamaica; they are like the long sleeves worn by the patient who seeks to deceive the onlooker. But to a discerning eye, the emblems of self-defacement are evident.Boundaries and rulesThe BPD patient has difficulty maintaining order. In terms of nationhood, order is established and maintained by consensus on the boundaries and rules. But, Jamaica has a problem with lawlessness on various levels. In some instances, lawlessness is not considered to be lawlessness at all. It is repackaged as a question of freedom and the individual's right to choose.Like the borderline personality, we function in a system of extremes in which we either idealise or devalue. We have recreated the tribes along party political lines and in our blind faithfulness to the ideal, some are prepared to take up arms against fellow Jamaicans, thereby devaluing ourselves.

WHO HAVE THE SICKER FLOW 

Western Jamaica personalities are adding their voices of concern over the lewd lyrical content of the popular song Rampin Shop by Vybz Kartel and Spice, which is now the subject of much debate.

Dr Beverley Scott,child and family therapist

I am sure this song was not made for children, but parents need to protect and monitor what their children are listening to and watching in the media. Children learn by modelling and this type of song heightens a child's sexual behaviour. I understand that this song is mostly being played on public transportation and I think that songs like these must be banned from public transportation.

O'Dave Allen,community activist

I believe that the laws are not being enforced when it comes to these types of offences. There needs to be a greater level of enforcement by the authorities when it comes to these matters. There is a general breakdown in values and attitudes in the country and all of us will need to play our part. We, as adults, must set a good example for our children to follow.

Lloyd B. Smith, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce

I don't think that the State is doing enough with regard to enforcement. I am all for the freedom of speech, but there needs to be certain restrictions and sanctions on such lyrics. The State has failed in education and enforcement and parents (especially the younger ones) have failed to properly monitor what their children listen to.

Dennis Seivwright,president of the Trelawny Chamber of Commerce

I don't support these types of lewd lyrics, it is disrespecting to women and these are the types of songs that contribute to the disorder in our society. If we are serious about moving towards a civilised society, the Government needs to take serious actions against these things. It is getting out of control and parents, too, have to play their part in this.

Donia Mi seh

FAY Day has lived at the Harrimons Close community in Jacks Hills, St Andrew for more than 30 years and on Thursday when a massive bush fire threatened to engulf her home, the elderly woman was not unduly perturbed.

For Day and the 100 or so other residents of the farming community, which is nestled in the hills above the affluent Tavestock neighbourhood, bushfires are an annual occurrence.

Fire rages in the hills above the Harrimons Close community in Jacks Hill, St Andrew, Thursday night as firemen stood watch. (Photo: Karl McLarty)

"I live here for 30 years and I was never afraid. We are used to the fires every year," Day told the Observer yesterday.

Dried shrubs and high winds c****ined to spark a series of bush fires in the inaccessible hilltop above Day's home, causing a raging inferno that burnt dangerously close to several houses in the community. The fires, fanned by strong winds from a cold front near the island, burnt for most of Thursday into yesterday morning, as firefighters watched helplessly.

But Day and her neighbours were undaunted. After years of dealing with the recurring problem, the Harrimons Close residents have come up with a unique idea to protect their property by fighting the fires with fire... literally.

"When we see the fire coming too close, we light another fire and it turns back the fire that is coming down the hill. We also wet certain areas around our homes so the fire won't come too close," Day explained.

Fay Day points to a section of the hill behind her house yesterday which was scorched by Thursday's fire. (Photos: Naphtali Junior)

"This is our existence, we cannot get too jumpy and leave or fret too much. We know that is how nature work and we just work with it," another resident interjected.

But firefighters did not take any chances. Several units were deployed at various sections of the hills and although most of the fires were in areas that were inaccessible, they formed a buffer between the fires and several homes that were threatened.

"Some areas are inaccessible to us, but we have been positioned strategically to cool down flames that may cause damage to life and property," District Officer Patrick Levy of the Rollington Town Fire station told the Observer Thursday night, hours after the fire started. "There have been several fires in these hills since last week and at least six have broken out today."

The firefighters were assisted by soldiers from the Jamaica Defence Force who used helicopters to douse the flames which were eventually brought under control early yesterday morning.

Many communities in and around Jacks Hill were affected by smoke and soot from the bush fire, with residents in New Kingston complaining that they had difficulties breathing.

AN INVESTOR in the troubled David Smith-led foreign-exchange trading club, Olint, has failed in his bid to have the Supreme Court bar the National Commercial Bank (NCB) from paying over money which it holds in accounts opened by Olint.

Dr Christopher Walker, who lives and practises in Florida, claimed that he had US$2.4 million invested with Olint and for the past 17 months, he has not received any money from his account.

He said he feared that if the money in the NCB accounts was paid to Olint, it would be dissipated without the trading club settling its debts.

Ownership of Olint money

According to Dr Walker, a substantial amount of the money in the Olint accounts belonged to him.

He was seeking an injunction from the Supreme Court to bar NCB from paying out the money to Olint. He said he wanted the money to remain in the Olint accounts for at least 15 days.

This would give him time to obtain the support of like-minded investors so they could pursue a final order to bar NCB from paying out the money to Olint.

Attorney-at-law David Rowe, who also practises at the Florida Bar, represented Dr Walker.But Michael Hylton, QC, who is representing NCB, opposed the application which was heard in chambers last Friday before Justice Lloyd Hibbert.

Last week, the United Kingdom Privy Council gave NCB the go-ahead to close Olint's account.

The Court of Appeal had ruled last year that the account should remain open until the civil suit between Olint and NCB had been determined.

Failed to comply

The bank had served notice on Olint that it was going to close its accounts because it had failed to comply with certain requests, which included the presentation of audited financial statements.

Olint went to the Supreme Court, which turned down its application to bar NCB from closing the accounts. Olint appealed and the Court of Appeal ruled in its favour.

But NCB took the issue to the United Kingdom Privy Council and won.

Smith was arrested last Thursday in the Turks and Caicos Islands on fraud charges. He is on US$1 million bail with surety. The arrest stemmed from months of investigations into the operations of Olint.

The Jamaican Court of Appeal is to hear legal arguments tomorrow in an appeal which Olint has brought against a Supreme Court ruling in December 2007.

The court upheld a cease-and-desist order issued by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) in March 2006. The FSC issued the cease-and-desist order on the grounds that Olint had breached the Securities Act and was not licensed to carry out foreign currency trading activities.

THURSDAY TALK

WHO WILL BE HOTTER ON THE RED CARPET? D'ANGEL OR BARBEE Mi hear say a crazy fashion wars on the red carpet later. D'Angel ah come fi tek it to dem. Mi read inna the Xnews where she say she 'always bring it' and mi hear say Barbee ah plan fi upstage her today with something 'outta the Barbee box', what the hell does that mean? All mi know is that the Red Carpet will be sizzling later and the cameras will be flashing all out to capture history in the making. Macka ah come wid a mad frock imported from France, Sophia Brown is a fashionista in her own right and she always look rich, mi hear say Stacious ah go rock a Melissa Dunkley original. Look out for Kartel and Spice, mi hear say dem a come hard. Kartel ah go be inna full suede, and him and Spice ah go match out, wonder how dem significant others ah go feel about that? Can there be an upsetter? Word is that Tifa and Keiva ah come hard so watch out.         SIDONI A BAD GYAL, MEMBA DAT How some people ah come pon the site and ah talk say dem waan dun Sidoni outta road? Dem nuh know say Sidoni a bad gyal, she no need her friend dem fi help yu tear every strand of hair outta yu head, or pop off yu cheap wig? Look how she beat my girl de over Devon House the other day mek the security dem haffi come save har. Ah long time mi no hear 'bout dem kinda whipping de. And Sidoni she bright eh, she come pon the site and ah talk up the tings dem say she ready for whatever. Sidoni, you're luddy, mi no have no time fi stop wid no eediat gal this year, mi nah focus pon no locust inna 2009. Ah dat mi say.   KARTEL SHOOTS LAST MAN STANDING VIDEO Kartel ah work wid Nordia Rose hard again, the man shoot the Last Man Standing video over Big Yard pon Mannings Hill Road the other day, big crowd draw and ting and Kartel ah mock Mavado hard, him ah gwaan wid pure tings all a run and a pass baton and gwaan like him de a Olympics and everything, when it come out it ah go mad. Mi see the video girls dem from the Ramping Shop video inna it and him also shoot a piece of My Mama, him new song fi do a double promotion kinda ting, it ah go mad.   PEOPLE WAAN FI KNOW... If Sakina really lef Bounty fi good this time? She and him go off and on for years but is like she turn over a new leaf, her career a tek off, she have her vehicle and her expensive furniture dem, she find love again, right now, she de pon a ting like 'Bounty who'. Who killed Warbus? The whole a Seaview inna shock right now. Memba say Warbus and Q45 dem did start the Member's Only club across from Mary Brown Corner weh the Texaco gas station de. It really sad, nuff people go up de go look pon the body and is a shame really. Why the industry people dem boycott Ice funeral so? No Ele, no Bounty, no Beenie, no Usain Bolt. Bwoy, the church look empty, only Keiva, Mr.G and Voice Mail dem, it nujh right at all. How so much entertainer ah get charge fi rape? Wha happen at LA Lewis court date this morning where him appear fi breaking and entering? It nuh look good at all.

Artiste DEAD in go go club shooting

Two men, including community enforcer, Warbus, died this morning following a shooting at the Metropolis Night Club on Old Hope Road in St Andrew. According to the Constabulary Communication Network, there was a shooting at 3 a.m. which claimed the lives of Junior Williams a.k.a Warbus of a Seaview Gardens address, and 19 year-old Craig Smith. Police from the St Andrew South Police Division identified 'Warbus' as a community enforcer. According to police, 'Warbus' was a patron in the strip club when he was attacked and shot dead. Smith was reportedly shot by police as he fled the club after the shoot

Late last night up until this morning, OutAroad.com has received a tremendous amount of phone calls and emails asking if its true that Beenie Man got shot. However, after doing our own investigation OutAroad.com gets to understand that a warrant was issued for arrest of Moses.

This is where the rumor stems from - The Moses that the cops are looking goes by the Kasim Grant whos more popular known as Moses in the gospel world.

The real story
According to police reports gospel artist Kasim Moses Grant whos a resident of the Gordon Town community got into an heated argument with his cousin - minutes after Moses pulled a hand gun and shot his cousin. The police also reported that Moses is not a license firearm holder so its clear that he might commit the act with an illegal firearm.

A resident of the community says, up to now mi still cant believe seh him shoot him cousin, look him career a move steady and him let the devil take hold of him.

Moses found dead
According to the police Moses, body was found near the Hope River - however the police are suspecting that he might have committed suicide.

Badman turned Christian
Before Moses decided to turn a Christian, he was known as a bad man by many in the Rema (Arnett Gardens) community whose father was killed by police in a shootout.

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) Jamaican rapper Bounty Killer is in trouble with police again. Traffic court spokeswoman Alicia Dennis says he is accused of running through seven red lights. Police have charged him with refusing a breathalyzer test, obstructing traffic and disobeying a red light. He appeared in court on Monday and will stand trial May 12. His attorney refused to comment. The rapper already had been charged with using profanity while performing at the island's Reggae Sumfest in July. It was his second arrest at the annual festival. He was detained in 2001 after an altercation with another performer. He is best known for the album, "My Xperience," and his collaboration on the song "Hey Baby" with No Doubt.

Now oonu tell me if some a dem reporter yah have sense or wha! Massive, di odda day one overseas internet radio woman set up one interview wid Addi; everyting stress-free until di woman go boast an chat inna di interview say she ah "Alliance fi life". Mi say Addi vex so till! Di man nearly tell di woman bout har wharahit and whats-it-not. Dem haffi tek whe dem self and di equipment fastah dan how corruption charge get drop inna Jamaica! Mi nuh know whe some ah oonu so-called journalist come from a backfoot. Don't tek side. Di word "unbiased" mean some ting?

http://www.dancehall.mobi/2009/02/02/jamal-gravy-woolard-in-jamaica-for-mavado-collabos/        MI LIKE HOW JULIAN A WORK HARD BIG UP GOOD ROAD MANAGER

According to our sources, President of Def Jam South, DJ Khaled might soon be out of a job. Inside sources tell us that several calls have been made to Core DJS President, Tony Neal to see if he's interested in the position. This information is based on the events that have been going on in the past few weeks between 50 Cent and Rick Ross.

50 Cent has made it clear over the airwaves that the reason Rick Ross attacked him was because of DJ Khaled. Sources confirmed that it was Khaled's idea for Ross to verbally attack 50 Cent because it would draw attention to his upcoming release, Deeper Than Rap. But this is definitely not the type of attention that Khaled and Ross had hoped for. With one failure under Khaled's belt already, this last one could really cost him.

Khaled's first project with Ace Hood flopped and did terrible numbers. He only scanned about 50,000 copies total and Def Jam considered that a huge failure. Now with Rick Ross's next project being delayed and disrupted by the downward spiral and negative press at the hands of 50 Cent, it might not be looking too good for Khaled.

More details here:

http://anonym.to/?http://www.thisis50.com/profiles/blogs/your-jobs-on-the-line-out-with

We the best!

Mavados newly-formed charity CONNECT JAMAICA will soon be benefitting from the ALLIANCE, with each member donating one computer and printer to a school of their choice in the community they hail from. Just recently Mavado gave away computer and printer to the third school so far to benefit form his newly-formed charity. St Michael's Infant and Primary, a school situated in the shadows of the General Penitentiary was the latest school to receive the donation. Mavado has three more schools he will be donating computers to over the coming weeks, with many more in the pipeline as fund-raising efforts intensify. Part proceeds from "REAL MCKOY" - Mavado's Birthday bash to be held at Temple Hall Estate on December 1 will go towards purchasing more much-needed computers for schools across Jamaica. IrieFM

Chi Ching Ching

Now Chi Ching mi hear yuh come wid one new talk bout "crocodile" and a say a yuh new slang fi di new year. Mr Man! Me an you both know say a when yuh come dungah Santa Cruz las' October ah di STAR Teen Jam and Skeptic from Lucea did deh pon di mic a do one song an mek some talk, yuh hear deh talk deh. So how you come now and a talk bout you mek slang and phrase? Nah sah! It bettah yuh say yuh ah endorse di ting, but nuh tek a man nex' ting and say a fi yuh. Lucea oonu know wha mi a talk bout too don't? Skeptic all have one crocodile design inna it an Kaboom, Japanese and Sala when deh mek joke bout him muss a wuk fi Kingston Beer. So no Chi Ching! Try again nex' year wid one slang bout rat and dog babes.

'It's among the realm of possibilities,' Tip tells MTV News.

With President Barack Obama curbing executive pay earlier this week, now might not be the smartest time to switch from the recording booth to the boardroom. But T.I. is interested anyway.

"It's among the realm of possibilities," he coyly told MTV News on Wednesday.

The rapper was referring to the chance that he might succeed Atlantic Records executive Julie Greenwald. It was announced Thursday morning (February 5) that Greenwald had been promoted to chairman and chief operating officer of the label. She previously served as Atlantic Records Group president since 2004, when she joined the company following a stint at Island Def Jam Records.

Currently, T.I. oversees his own Grand Hustle Records imprint. The company is home to a number of recording artists, including Young Dro, Big Kuntry and DJ Drama, each of whom is signed to different labels through deals brokered by Tip and his business partner and manager Jason Geter. The Atlanta entertainment entity also helped produce T.I.'s upcoming reality special "Road to Redemption," set to premiere next week on MTV.

When asked to confirm or refute the rumored appointment, Tip skated around the question. "Ah, man, when I [do] speak upon it, it will be fact," he said.

Before the rapper can think about new career paths, however, he has a number of appearances he's scheduled to make, most notably his Grammy performance of "Swagga Like Us," which will feature all four collaborators T.I., Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Kanye West coming together for the first time to rap the record live. Then, of course, there's the prison sentence he's preparing for, so any talk of the Atlantic Records post has to wait.

"I think I have another obligation I have to take care of that may supersede that," he said.

 

Beyonce Knowles had the world watching on inauguration night when she performed "At Last" for Barack and Michelle Obama's first dance as president and first lady. Over the past year, Beyonce has sung the famous tune many times  including in front of Etta James  before playing the legend in Cadillac Records. This week at a concert in Seattle, Etta James went off on Beyonce and denounced President Obama for inviting her to sing. James said:

"You guys know your president, right? You know the one with the big ears? Wait a minute, he ain't my president, he might be yours, he ain't my president. You know that woman he had singing for him, singing my song  she's going to get her ass whipped. The Great Beyonce. I can't stand Beyonce. She has no business up there, singing up there on a big ol' president day, singing my song that I've been singing forever."

Beyonce was asked to perform it and Etta wasn't the first one to make it famous, but she is the most well-known performer of "At Last." Listen to Etta's rant here. When it comes to these two feuding divas whose side are you on Beyonce's or Etta's?

Milk speaks out about her video

YardFlex caught up with Milk yesterday morning as she explains her feelings about the video that has been in circulation. I am sure some, if not everyone has heard or seen the video of Milk and her boyfriend. Milk has stated that she is deeply hurt by the fact that people are so evil. "Dj Liquid and I have been together for six years and the video only got out because he lost his phone," Milk explained

"I just want it all to stop because of my son; I don't want this to affect him as he is currently in high school. Some people are saying why I didn't think of him before? Well I wasn't thinking of him before because I didn't expect the video to go public. Yes it was wrong to videotape myself but nothing is wrong with what I was doing. It's not like I was having sex with a woman or anything like that. The public needs to stop acting as if it's taboo". These are the words of Milk herself.

Tuesday Coffee -- Lorna Bleaches Buju's Clothes in Babymama Drama 22 Jul 2008 | by Abena, Freelance Writer Well di weekend did really bashy mi floss mi floss mi floss....RICH N HAPPY WE SAY like DJ Flamez...mi floss cause one876 ah mi boss! Bere tings gwaan a Montego Bay, the second city, Lilliput, Flankers, Gully, the world is mine.First off mi wa bigg up mi new found fren dem...Coral Cliff crew unno ting sort out..Margaritaville mi still caa get ova how mi good good ponytail drop off when mi a come down unno wata slide woieeeeeee, mi side mi back mi front. Big up the Iberia Star massive unno deal wid mi good nuff blessings.Unno was di ongle one who would accommodate Ninja Man and him brood of 25 pickinnini dem . Holiday Inn kings and queens unno did have Busy and Elephant Man unno a di bosses. To mi cousin Sharee who work a Half Moon thanks fi di day pass dem caa mi woulda neva get fi ketch di met wey was a gwan ova deh enuh. To the chef dem a Pelican di ackee and saltfish did set rite, di liver and banana did soft like cloud. If mi figet anybody mi sorry a nex time. Mi back in Kingston and ready fi sort out the artiste dem and dem dutty life, ready fi it Jamaica? This is Abena and the coffee is coming to you black and strong and piping hot, just the way you like it, right, one876 girls? BUJU'S BABY MAMMA DRAMA Wha dat mi hear Lorna gwaan wid up ah the Stony Hill house the other day? Crazy bleach on expensive clothes and all these things, mi hear say the gardener did forced fi let her in because she would not be denied and she just whisk go up inna the house and start disc****obulate everything. What a stress! She gwaan wid a bagga tings and then cut before the police come. Mi ah wonder why Lorna get so cross pon Buju and dem so much in love and have so many children together. She ah him good good babymother and all these things. Ah she him sing about in Hey Lorna the song featuring Wayne Wonder and in the famous browning song, memba the line: Dem a plan and dem a con and dem a scheme/'Cause dem waan mash up we and mi browning/But all the rumors dem a spread, anna pack up her head/My Lorna not listening/'Cause you know when she alone, ah mi must come back home/To her inna de evening. FASHION ROUNDUP AT SUMFEST, WHO WAS HOT? Well di fashion did off di chain at Sumfest. Mi love how di people dem come out inna dem best. Well Macka di look hot in har suit shi can get a clap clap. Dangel can get a round of applause Nis Lis sot har out propa, shi shoulda did sort out Angel performance to heheh! Danielle yuh jumpsuit did MADDDDDDDD! Kartel full white was hot mi did a wonda at first bout di fur hat and fur coat ting inna di big big summa but it was real gangsta like di suit Denzel did wear inna di American Gangsta movie, and him have the Vybz Rum inna him hand an all these tings. Black Ryno black vest ting was a good c****o him song pon Workout a di sickest ting fi di summa, my boyfren haffi tell mi fi ben ova. Brick and Lace unno di gwaAn wid a nice likkle uptown dressin that was hot mi nah lie. Carlton Brown was the designer of the whole festival, him sort out Voice Mail, Demarco, Serani and Busy especially did sold right off . Is how yuh soh hot mi fren? Now the Warlord was lookin real militant in him Rameesh Wear, di bling bling did set right..di warlord di sey look like people was a tek him fi fool when him leggo di black soh him did haffi ressurect it again fi all of the haters. Hold that haters!!! WOOOIEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Mavado yuh and yuh choir did have di place a way inna unno full white, Overcome, yes dat mi sey! Lust had mi lusting afta dem, dem did look and soun smooth like silk. Mi see Sophia Brown stand up inna one sexy shorts beside Akon before the girls dem rush the big star, mi waan see how she ah go dress fi Summer Sizzle this year. Mi sorry mi no have no pictures, the cameraman Nick computer go crash so we pap down. Claude Mills, sort out the ting. FLAWLESS IS MS. LONELY Is how Bounty girl Flawless from New York deh a Sumfest by harself, no Bounty around her? Is wah gwan??? Unno done? Finish wa?? Email me, text me, hit me on my sidekick. Is wah really go down? From mi see yu pon one876 ah pose up pose up wid Beenie, Bounty distance yuh or what? A wonda wa yuh My Space page a go sey now?? A weak hehehe. Mi body! Mi parts! WHOIIIEEE. Barbie*****, tell me what is going down! MILK FLOWS ALL OVER SUMFEST Some Mr. or Mrs. Bad Mind a try stop mi girl Milk flow but she did eva on the go hot and cute down a Sumfest shi nuh stop tek pickchah wid people an sign autograph. Shi did well have up har owna cottage at the very expensive Half Moon hotel She have a racing golf kart fi carry her around and she was brushing shoulders wid the rich and famous. Can someone say BET??? A bere links shi a mek. Busy all took time out fi big har up during his performance. Gwaan girl dem caa stop yuh flow mi ongle wish sey di people dem wey yuh work wid woulda move more supportive of yuh an di candy girl. PEOPLE WAAN FI KNOW Tami Chynn and Wayne Marshall seem to be more in love dan di las time mi glimpse dem at him b day ova Indies Pub. Don and Alaine mi glad fi si sey unno nah hide now it was a get a bit tyad fa real. Mi hear say Kartel have a mad tune name Million By a Morning pon yu new riddim. Yu rich again?! Isn't it amazing how some people a exercise everyday ana get fit but still a get di most bun inna di bizniz unda di quiet??? A nuh me sey soh a di streets. Where is Jovi Rockwell dese days??? Wa she nah rockwell again?? Is how Red Bull did a go soooooooooo HARD wid dem skybox/building??? All AKon did haffi tek a jump offa it. Is dere soh mi watch di show Saturday Night, mi did have a bird's eye view of Beres fah real up deh. Big up Mitch and di red bull crew. A wonda wa unno have plan fi RTI caa mi deh deh pon mi teet wid unno. Just send ma pass dem as per usual. RTI have all di bes party dem . Red Stripe unno can sen on mi pass dem to. Why did Come Video Me not put up the usual poster size pickchah of dem Entertainment people dem at Sumfest inna dem booth? Is wah ?? Shame dem shame of the two "IT" girls dem?? Dem was surely missed.

NEW ORLEANS - The family of a man shot nearly a dozen times by several New Orleans Police officers is suing the NOPD over his death.

 

 

Adolph Grimes, 22, was killed on New Years Eve.

 

Police said he fired first as officers approached what they believed to be a suspicious vehicle.

 

Robert Jenkins, an attorney for the Grimes family confirmed the suit.

 

The nine police officers were reassigned after the shooting, which is being formally investigated by the FBI.

 

The Grimes family contend police were overzealous in the incident. The police union disagrees.

The fact is, when confronted by police, he raised his weapon, fired it," said police union attorney Frank DeSalvo.

DeSalvo says Grimes was sitting in a parked car matching the description of one leaving the scene of a shooting outside a nearby nightclub and nine narcotics officers in two unmarked cars rolled up to investigate.

"When they pulled up an officer shined his flashlight in because as they pulled up he turned his dome light out," said DeSalvo. "They had their blue lights flashing on both vehicles. That's when he upped with his gun."

Police say that when Grimes shot at the officers, seven of them returned fire, hitting him 12-times.

Grimes' family attorney Robert Jenkins says there is no proof Grimes fired first or if the police identified themselves before the gunfire.

"If you're sitting in front of your house, there's no crime to sit in front of your house in a vehicle," said Jenkins. "So, where is the crime? Let's say it was even a traffic stop, how do you get shot twelve times?"

Jenkins said that from what hes seen the facts don't add up.

Police originally said Grimes had only one handgun.

Investigators later claimed they found two other fully-loaded weapons in his car.

"When he doesn't have a long history of arrests, he has no convictions, then all of a sudden you're trying to put him in a bad light we found other guns which we didn't find earlier, that smells real bad," said Jenkins.

DeSalvo says investigators found the additional handgun and shotgun two days later when they went over the car.

He said there was a delay because homicide detectives were called away on another case and manpower was stretched because of the Sugar Bowl.

MYSTIC AND GLOBALBOB FEUD GETS NASTY

A major brouhaha has been stewing between dancers Mystic and GlobalBob a.k.a Spongebob in recent weeks as the contest between the two for the HYPE TV Dancer of the Year title got closer and more heated. Allegations have flown fast and furious between the competing camps. Dancehallreggaeweseh spoke to Globalbob who demanded "more transparency in the process". "I know people who have been trying to vote who get error messages on their computers when they try to vote for me, so I don't think the whole thing is transparent," he chided. Globalbob who was known as Spongebob, a name given to him by Bogle, said that he is surprised at the animosity between the two because people have christened him the No Linger King and Mystic as the No Linger Queen. "Is a girl who mi always hail when mi go out but people have been saying that she is saying all kind of things about me and I don't know where it is coming from because I always show her love. We inna two different categories, male and female, so I don't see why there is a problem," the third year Utech student said. Globalbob has made appearances in videos for artistes like KK Alese, MIA Boys, VoiceMail's Gangalee and in both the Get That Clear and Bad to the Bone videos for Brick and Lace. Dancer Mystic said that she has been receiving threats for persons who are presumably cronies of GlobalBob. "I have been getting a lot of calls from guys who threaten me in an uptown way, telling me to 'watch myself and stop call up the boss name' but the threats are in a high-pitched voice so I don't take them seriously," she said. She said that she is focussing on her career and her dancing, and that she is "not into anything with SpongeBob'. "I don't consider myself the No Linger Queen, somebody put that on a website and his friends went on and said some nasty things about me, somebody deleted my Facebook after someone in the media wrote that I outdanced him in Trelawny," the female dancer who will be performing at both the EMEs and the YVAs this week, said. She said she dislikes all the hostility she is getting from 'Spongebob and his people". "I honestly can't stand mix up and arguments, when things aren't going good, all is well, when blessings flow, drama follows with people who seem to be in an invisible war against me," she said.

Eminem is coming back, after a four year absence from the rap game. Not only is the Detroit rapper releasing a new album, but he's also set to publish memoirs. The book, called "Eminem: The Way I Am" is scheduled to be released, October 21st.

There have been tons of rumors about Eminem in the last four years. Most have centered on the idea that he was fat and extremely depressed. He certainly did not appear often in public. In fact, October 16th was the first time in three years he actually made a public appearance.

Eminem's new CD will be entitled Relapse. He announced that it will probably be produced by his mentor Dr. Dre. Eminem made this announcement on his Sirius channel Shade 45.

So far there's no release date for the CD, but industry insiders think it's coming in the next few months.

-- Edited by Ryan_g23 at 03:22, 2008-10-23

Supreme Court Judge Paulette Williams has freed 40-year-old electrician, Hermain Tulloch, of Bowden Hill district, near Hermitage Dam, St Andrew, of charges of illegal possession of firearm and unlawful wounding.

Tulloch was freed in the Gun Court after the judge upheld a no-case submission by attorney-at-law Michael Lorne, who represented Tulloch.

A taxi driver testified in the Gun Court that on February 29 last year he was sitting in his car when the accused and two other men pulled him out of the vehicle and began to beat him.

He said the car was a left-hand drive and the accused and another man were on the left side of the car. He said a third man whom he did not know was on the right side, and that man used a gun to hit him on his forehead.

After the Crown closed its case, Lorne stated that even if the man on the right side of the car had a gun, there was nothing to show that there was a common design by all the men to use a gun to inflict injury to the complainant.

A 54-year-old farmer died as a result of injuries he sustained after the vehicle he was driving crashed along the Murray Pond main road, St James on Wednesday.

Dead is Ivan Irving of Murray Pond district.

Reports from the liaison officer for the Constabulary Communi-cation Network (CCN) in St James are that about 7 a.m., Irving was driving his Toyota pick-up with his 14-year-old son, along the Murray Pond main road.

On reaching a section of the road, he reportedly swerved to avoid colliding with a Toyota Corolla. He lost control of the vehicle, which ran off the road and hit a tree. Both occupants sustained serious injuries and were taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where Irving was pronounced dead and his son admitted in serious condition.

Smith

Head of OLINT Investment Club, David Smith, was arrested yesterday by police in the twin-island state of Turks and Caicos, following months of investigation into the operations of Olint Corporation in those islands.

He was subsequently granted US$1 million bail with surety. Smith voluntarily surrendered his travel documents, police say.

Speaking with The Gleaner/ Power 106 News Centre last evening, Turks and Caicos Islands' (TCI) Deputy Commissioner of Police, Hubert Hughes, said Smith was on fraud charges - theft, false accounting and uttering false documents.

No court date

A date has not yet been set for Smith's court appearance. Hughes said there was "a possibility that my investigators will have to seek assistance from Jamaica".

At the same time, Assistant Superintendent Mark Knighton of the TCI's Financial Investigation Unit said the authorities were not ruling out more arrests.

Jamaicans have millions of dollars tied up in the investment club.

This is the second major blow for the failed investment club in less than a week.

Olint had been fighting to keep its account open with the National Commercial Bank.

But last week, the London-based Privy Council ruled that the bank should go ahead and close Olint's accounts.

Up to press time, The Gleaner/ Power 106 News Centre was unable to make contact with any of Smith's lawyers for a comment on his arrest.

Last July, Smith's offices in the TCI were raided by police who seized computers and files.

Only days before the raid, Smith's clients reported facing trouble with their investments. Smith also ordered his New Kingston office in Jamaica closed.

Olint had been facing a string of legal problems since 2006 when the Jamaican Financial Services Commission served a cease-and-desist order on the entity.

Last year, Smith was also named in an investigation of another company by a US-based independent regulatory body for suspicious activity.

Smith was named as principal of the company and was alleged to have contributed close to 100 per cent of its capital.

The St James police confirmed yesterday that they are seeking a man known as Larva Buchanan and Gary Buchanan of Lima district in the parish who they believe can assist in a shooting and murder investigation.

Shot dead

This after two men were shot and hospitalised and a third shot dead in Lima on Wednesday night. Police are not accusing Buchanan in any way, but are rather appealing to him to give them some assistance in the matter.

Dead is Agustus Rowe, 30, a taxi driver of Lima. The injured men are 24 and 19 years old.

Police say about 8 p.m., the two men who were injured were among a group playing dominoes when a man approached and inquired who 'dissed' his uncle. The man opened fire, hitting the two and fled.

Minutes later, a gunman believed to be the one from the earlier shooting approached Rowe and another man, who were sitting in front an abandoned shop. Rowe was shot several times but the other man escaped unhurt. Rowe died at hospital.

Police have not established a motive for the shootings. Lima is usually a quiet and peaceful community, but The Star understands that some persons from the area have become involved in the lottery scam.

A man who reportedly attacked his neighbour over garbage was lucky when she begged for him in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, having an offensive weapon and unlawful wounding is Devon Lee.

The complainant told the court that on the day in question, she put out her garbage as usual. She said the accused operates a shop at his home and complained about the garbage being at his house. He reportedly threw it back in her yard. An argument developed, during which the complainant was hit in the mouth.

When the matter was mentioned however, she told the court that the accused had apologised and she was no longer willing to pursue the matter.

Lee was allowed to go.

Father Richard Ho Lung of Missionaries of the Poor and Father Gregory Ramkissoon of the Mustard Seed Communities walk out of Parliament yesterday. They expressed dissatisfaction with the poor attendance of members of the abortion policy review committee. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

ANGERED BY the tardiness and frequent absence of members of the abortion policy review committee, leaders of the Roman Catholic Church yesterday boycotted the sitting, refusing to make their presentation to only five members who showed up.

At 10 a.m. when the meeting was scheduled to begin, only committee chairman Rudyard Spencer was present, followed by Hyacinth Bennett and Sandrea Falconer. The meeting started at 11:02 a.m. when a quorum was reached.

There are 16 members on the committee examining the report of the Abortion Policy Review Advisory Group, but on numerous occasions less than half the membership turn up.

Head of Missionaries of the Poor, Father Richard Ho Lung, and other Roman Catholic priests said the lateness of the committee members and the absence of others showed very little regard for the matter being discussed.

"This is the third event we have postponed and this is a major issue of life and death. Clearly, this is disrespectful, disrespect for life, disrespect for truth and the issues that are at hand," charged Father Ho Lung.

Robust audience needed

Father Kenneth Richards, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Kingston, is questioning whether some committee members were committed and sincere in carrying out their task.

"Those persons who are not present have formed an opinion already and are going to act irrespective of what is going to be presented, so we stand together in boycotting today because of the absence of the members of the committee," he told The Gleaner.

But committee chairman Spencer, in his opening remarks, told the committee that Father Ho Lung had decided not to make his presentation because "he believes he is deserving of a much more robust audience. He has advised that it is some three times since last year that he has been trying to present".

However, Spencer said those meetings were in December at which time "everybody was busy with their Christmas doings. It's a bit unfortunate that Father Ho Lung has taken this course of action".

Spencer said he hoped the priest had changed his decision because the committee was ready to hear the submission.

Despite the chairman's assertions, Father Ho Lung turned up the heat on the committee, telling The Gleaner that it was frightening that some members of the committee who showed little regard to an issue of such gravity were part of the Government and leaders of the country.

WHITTIER, Calif. The mother of newborn octuplets says she had six embryos implanted in her fertility procedure far more than industry guidelines recommend and was well aware that multiple births could result.

"I wanted them all transferred," Nadya Suleman told NBC's "Today" show. "Those are my children, and that's what was available and I used them. So, I took a risk. It's a gamble. It always is."

"It turned out perfectly," Suleman added in a portion of the interview broadcast Friday.

Other portions of interview are scheduled to air next week.

The interview and public documents obtained by The Associated Press lifted the veil of secrecy in which Suleman shrouded herself after the Jan. 26 births.

The 33-year-old single, unemployed woman has been harshly criticized for having a fertility procedure and risking multiple births when she already has six children, ages 2 to 7.

With in vitro fertilization, doctors frequently implant more than one embryo to improve the odds that one will take. However, the U.S. fertility industry has guidelines suggesting, in general, that no more than two embryos be implanted for women under 35.

Experts say there is a small chance that embryos can divide, which apparently led to the octuplets.

Suleman said she had six embryos implanted for each of the previous in vitro procedures that resulted in her other six children.

"All I wanted was children. I wanted to be a mom. That's all I ever wanted in my life," she said. "I love my children.

In the interview, Suleman said she struggled for seven years before finally giving birth to her first child. According to state documents, Suleman told a doctor she had three miscarriages. Another doctor disputed that number, saying she had two ectopic pregnancies, a dangerous condition in which a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than in the uterus.

Suleman said all 14 of her children were born by in vitro fertilization from sperm donated by a friend.

Suleman's publicist, Mike Furtney, said Thursday that Suleman was "feeling great" and looking forward to being reunited with her octuplets, who were born prematurely and are expected to remain in the hospital for several more weeks.

A Manchester schoolboy who was kidnapped in Mandeville earlier this week has been returned to his family.

The police have not revealed the details of the incident but confirmed that the boy was found in Clarendon.

It's reported that the boy was returned to his family after a ransom was paid over to the kidnappers.

Police probing

In the meantime, the head of the Major Investigation Task Force, Assistant Commissioner Les Green, says the police are probing the alleged kidnap.

The year 2008 ended with heightened concern about the safety of children after several of them were abducted and murdered.

Fourteen-year-old Jhaneel Goulbourne from Harbour View, St Andrew, has not been seen since she was abducted from her gate on the night of October 24.

A joint operation yesterday between the St James police and the Jamaica Defence Force led to the discovery of more than 500 illegal rounds of ammunition and two assault rifles.

Senior police officers said that an intensive investigation has been launched into the find. "This was an intelligence-driven operation and we are proud of the haul we have made," said one senior policeman.

The operation took place in Belmont district and during a search of a house, the guns and ammunition were found. No one was arrested in the operation.

Milton Samuda ... I am calling on our leaders to act now.

Jamaica's political leaders have been urged to get cracking with the implemen-tation of several anti-crime measures announced by Prime Minister Bruce Golding last year.

Milton Samuda, president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, suggested that the constant delays could sap the confidence of civic society in Government's ability to rein in galloping crime. He called on parliamentarians from both the ruling Jamaica Labour Party and the Opposition People's National Party to find consensus fast.

"If something is a priority, it doesn't take six months," Samuda told The Gleaner. "Even if everybody is not absolutely agreed, let us get the show on the road!"

The urgency in Samuda's declaration hints at the multi-year murder wave which has swept Jamaica, with 2008 marking the second *lo**iest recorded in the nation's history. More than 1,611 persons were murdered last year. Golding's proposed measures, announced last June, include longer detentions - before recourse to bail - for persons arrested for murder.

Scathing attack

Samuda's call echoes that of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), which last week launched a scathing attack on the nation's political leaders over the foot- dragging.

Christopher Zacca, president of the PSOJ, said a failure to arrest the crime problem would undercut any effort to keep the struggling economy, which has been hit hard by job losses and a depreciating dollar, buoyant.

"The nation is in the midst of a global economic crisis and all efforts to keep the economy afloat will come to naught if we as a country do not seriously and urgently address the levels of crime and violence in our society. I am calling on our leaders to act now," said Zacca in a media release.

The release further stated that Zacca's call to action was against the background of "the shocking and terrible start of the new year, which has already seen a significant number of reported cases of murder and other violent crimes in Jamaica".

The PSOJ statement also said parliamentarians had failed to discern the urgency of the times and called for definitive action from both political parties.

"The PSOJ is alarmed at the lack of real progress in enacting the required legislation in the more than six months since the prime minister's announcement in Parliament."

Chloe Leach, 21, had drank around four cans of the energy drink and several VKs - a vodka based drink which also contains caffeine - when she suddenly fell to the floor in the Sugarmill club in Hull, East Yorks., on September 30 last year.

Miss Leach, a third-year social work student, of Cottingham, East Yorks., died at the scene despite efforts from staff and paramedics to revive her.

A doctor told the inquest into her death on Monday that it may have been caused by the caffeine triggering a rare heart condition.

It was thought initially that her drink had been spiked but the theory was rebutted by a medical expert at the hearing.

Miss Leach, who had been diagnosed with epilepsy in 2001 after suffering fits and seizures, was believed to have QT Syndrome - a condition which affects the electric activity in the heart.

She also had an abnormally large heart, and the doctor who carried out the post-mortem felt it was "probable" that the caffeine had raised her QT Syndrome level to "abnormal".

Dr Ian Scott, a consultant neuropathologist, said: "On the basis of probability, her epilepsy, the QT, her abnormal heart and the the high levels of caffeine found, the most likely cause of death was a cardiac arrhythmia due to underlying QT Syndrome.

"I excluded drugs as a cause - the only drugs she had taken was her anti-epilepsy medication. QT sufferers are prone to sudden arrests, the threat of which may not be detected during normal scans."

Miss Leach's mum Tina had suffered a heart attack some time ago and her cousin had previously died suddenly, which meant her entire family were scanned to search for defects, the hearing was told.

Although she was never officially diagnosed with the syndrome, she had a QT "upper limit" which Dr Scott added could have increased in the years following her scans.

He said: "The QT levels may have grown over a few years, or it may have been artificially pushed over the limit by caffeine."

In the early hours of the club's student night, just before Miss Leach collapsed at around 3am, guest DJ Danny Latimer was hospitalised claiming his drink had been spiked, leading to rumours that she had been the victim of a similar crime.

But it emerged that the former 'Shipwrecked' star had been charged with possessing Class C drugs and perverting the course of justice, and any link between the two incidents was dismissed. A medical report confirmed that Miss Leach had no drugs in her system other than her anti-epilepsy medication.

Miss Leach's mum Tina, giving evidence, said: "Chloe was careful regarding her consumption of caffeine. She would drink Red Bull occasionally and was aware it contained caffeine.

"My concern is that we will never ever be able to prove she had QT Syndrome. We will always doubt the circumstances surrounding Chloe that night. I accept that we don't have any evidence she had any substance in her *lo**, but the description we have of what happened to the DJ is so similar to what happened to her.

"It seems too much of a coincidence and there are so many things that don't add up."

The North Gully, one of the most offensive facilities in this resort town, topped the list of environmental hazards fingered by officials of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the Montego Bay Marine Park at Monday's World Wetlands Day celebrations.

This is a section of the North Gully. (Photo: Pat Roxborough-Wright)

"I would have to say the biggest problem being faced by the environment is the influx of garbage from the North Gully.
The phosphates and nitrates from human faeces are having adverse effects on the coral system... breaking down critical food chains," said the UDC's environmental officer, Andrew Douse.

Douse was responding to a question posed by one of the many students who participated in the day of activities put on by the UDC in collaboration with the Montego Bay Marine Park to mark the annual observance of the United Nations Convention on Wetlands signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar on February 2, 1971.

According to Douse, who conducted a Powerpoint presentation on the UDC's efforts to preserve the integrity of the environment, the Bogue Lagoon, the designated fish sanctuary of the Montego Bay Marine Park was suffering from the nastiness of its neighbours upstream.

"Whatever they put in the gully washes right down here and the fact is that when you tip the balance even just a little bit by throwing garbage in it upsets the ecosystem," he said.
Overfishing was also identified as a negative practice hurting the sanctuary.

Later during a tour of the lagoon, environmentalists gave students and staff of the Half Moon resort who volunteered to participate in the activities, a close-up look at the fragile ecosystem and encouraged them to spread the message of the importance of environmental preservation.

The man who said he stabbed Anglican priest, Father Richard Johnson, because he was holding him down on a bed and forcing him to be intimate with him was yesterday sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

Prince Vale, 24, also called 'Bum Bum', a mason of Tommy Hill district in Stony Hill, St Andrew, was charged with murder, but on January 14 the jury found him guilty of manslaughter by reason of provocation.

Supreme Court judge, Norma McIntosh, in sentencing Vale, told him that it was "greed" that landed him in his predicament. The judge said Prince was aware of the priest's sexual preference, and after watching pornography in the living room he then went into the priest's bedroom.

Sexual preference

"What did you expect when you left the living room and went into the bedroom with the man who you said you knew about his sexual preference?" the judge queried before sentencing Vale.

The Crown, represented by attorney-at-law Anthony Pearson and prosecutors Dirk Harrison and Kemar Henry, led evidence that the priest was stabbed several times at his home at the Anglican church rectory, Stony Hill, on the night of November 12, 2006.

Vale told the police during an interview and in his unsworn statement in the Home Circuit Court that the priest was forcing him to be intimate with him and he stabbed him. He said he defended himself against an assault on his body.

Defence lawyers Melrose Reid and Casie Jean Graham had asked the judge to impose a non-custodial or a short sentence on Vale. She said the deceased was a much bigger man than Vale, and referred to a case in which the Court of Appeal had reduced a sentence from 15 years to three years, based on that fact. Reid also referred to the social enquiry report which stated that people in the community said Vale was hard-working and of good character.