Mayor blames politicians for environmental woes across Jamaica

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

KINGSTON Mayor Desmond McKenzie says political expediency has led to environmental devastation across Jamaica, especially in the Corporate Area where unapproved building construction is rampant.

"We create pockets of votes to keep us in power but the outcome has been pockets of destruction," said McKenzie, who is a senator for the governing Jamaica Labour Party and has for years been serving as councillor for the Tivoli Gardens Division in West Kingston.

He said that building construction in river beds, hillsides and gully banks in the Corporate Area, many times abetted by politicians, was having serious effect on the environment and life in Kingston, Jamaica's capital city.

McKenzie, who was addressing yesterday's annual general meeting of the Realtors Association of Jamaica at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel in Kingston, said 35,000 houses are built on the banks of rivers, gullies and even in river beds in the Corporate Area.

"If the Labour Party do it, it is wrong, and if the PNP do it, it is wrong," McKenzie said. "We have to be honest about what is taking place to be able to do something about it."

He said communities such as Harbour View and Gordon Town in St Andrew have suffered from extensive land slippage caused by hillside construction, seriously affecting drainage and roads.

"It will cost $50 million to make roads in Harbour View accessible," said McKenzie, adding that seven major housing developments in Gordon Town over the past two years were "wreaking havoc" on the rural St Andrew community.

According to the mayor, land slippage in the Corporate Area has been on the increase since 2003 when 132 incidents were reported in sections of west and east Rural St Andrew.

"It is now happening in some areas that have never had it before," said McKenzie. "The figure is now at 575, with the eastern section of the city accounting for 350 such events, which has forced the KSAC to suspend building approvals in the affected areas," McKenzie said.

Said the mayor: "We are not considering any building applications in Jack's Hill, Hope Pastures, Lawrence Tavern and some other sections of the Corporate Area. We are setting up a committee to explore why these areas continue to be affected by land slippage."

But in addition to politicians, the mayor said building professionals and businessmen should also share some of the blame for the damage being done to the city.

"There are white collar criminals who are using the law to get around things," he said.

After Highlanders disband -- Zabrick left  and Marco Bran dead (R.I.P.) and di Singa Platinum left to go to Solid Agency, Deva Bratt , an Nuclear decide fi stay united an name dem self Portmore Empire, {At the time Vybz Kartel was still in The Alliance} subsequently, Kartel was thrown out of the Alliance by Bounty Killer and Kartel seen that they wher right group to go in and he went in the group to highlight the artiste with a few additions of him own. so he said

Nuclear and Deva Bratt new that Kartel as one of the biggest representers out of Portmore (besides Cobra) So Deva Bratt and Nuclear decide to make Kartel come in ther group to highlight the Artiste and the Name PORTMORE EMPIRE {Not to register it in is name and  to own it }
 
The same thing happen Don Mafia and Mafia House. yuzimi

       
     DEVA BRATT                        NUCLEAR

           THIS IS HOW PORTMORE EMPIRE WAS BUILT 

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/DEVABRAT
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/NUCLEAR876
WWW.PRGIRLANGEL.COM
WWW.NUCLEAR876.COM

http://www.zshare.net/download/1958705567ba375f/

Crisis looms Tourism, remittances, foreign loans likely casualties of US financial meltdown

BY PATRICK FOSTER Sunday Observer writer fosterp@jamaicaobserver.com Sunday, September 28, 2008

As the financial meltdown in the US ripples through the world's financial markets, Jamaican business leaders are optimistically cautious about the effects the fallout could have on vulnerable local sectors such as remittances and tourism.

Remittances last year topped US$1.9 billion, according to Inter-American Development Bank figures, and is the highest source of foreign exchange inflow into the island, surpassing tourism.

But both sectors have, however, come under threat from the crisis that could see US residents facing an increase in unemployment and reduction in disposable income after a collapse of financial institutions on Wall Street.

On Friday, a jittery Jamaica Tourist Board announced that it will conduct a review of the fall and winter seasons 2008/2009 before the end of October, because of uncertainties in the
US economy.

Notwithstanding the developments in the US market, Jamaica's performance in other markets such as Canada and the UK is expected to remain buoyant, said the release.

Jamaica receives more than 70 per cent of its tourists from the US.

In mid-September, the 150-odd year old investment bank Lehman Brothers announced that it would file for liquidation after massive losses in the US mortgage market and a decrease in investor confidence that left it unable to find a buyer.

Lehman Bros is but one of the many US financial companies that saw steady decline after the mortgage market crisis unfolded in 2007, with investment bank Bear Stearns being the first prominent casualty.

The domino effect has since seen insurance giant AIG being bailed out with a US$80-m US Government injection.

This was followed closely by the demise of mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, then Washington Mutual (WaMu) which collapsed Thursday under the weight of hefty losses from bad mortgage bets. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp was forced to seize and sell its banking assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co for US$1.9 billion in an emergency sale. WaMu, America's largest thrift, became the US's largest-ever bank failure.

On Friday, investor concerns heightened in the US after news that Wachovia Corp had begun preliminary talks with potential suitors, including Citigroup Inc, Wells Fargo & Co and Banco Santander. Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Wachovia all declined to comment on the speculation, an Associated Press report said, adding that a representative of Banco Santander was not immediately reached.

Wachovia's problems stem largely from its acquisition of mortgage lender Golden West Financial Corp in 2006 for roughly US$25 billion at the height of America's housing boom. With that purchase, Wachovia inherited a deteriorating US$122 billion portfolio of Pick-A-Payment loans, Golden West's speciality, which lets borrowers skip some payments.

The extensive reach of the financial crisis was demonstrated yesterday when Britain's Treasury confirmed that troubled mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley is talking to regulators and financial institutions over its future.

The mortgage bank specialises in providing buy-to-let mortgages for rental properties, now considered one of the most volatile parts of the housing market. Investors who took out loans to buy apartments and rent them out now find that the value of their property has fallen and that rental yields do not cover their mortgage payments.

Yesterday, wire services reported that US congressional Democrats and Republican senators were pushing for an agreement on a US$700-billion bailout for the US financial sector. House Republicans, however, said they would not be stampeded into accepting an unwise rescue.

But while the American legislators haggle over the bailout, the crisis, which threatens to derail the US economy and plunge that country into a long depression, is causing anxiety in Jamaica.

Remittances are considered the life*lo** of many Jamaicans, routinely funding basics like, rent, school fees and medicine.
However, Douglas Orane, CEO of GraceKennedy, said that while any change in the US economy would have an effect on Jamaica, remittances have not, so far, been affected.

GraceKennedy holds the local franchise for world-wide money-transfer giants, Western Union, and commands the largest chunk of the Jamaican remittance business.

"In our experience, the Caribbean Diaspora tends to be very loyal, and even in hard times remittance continues," said Orane. He added that even while there has been a downturn in remittances to Latin America since the US crisis began, that has not been the case in Jamaica.

Other money transfer companies, such as Quick Cash, are also reporting business as usual.

KenArthur Mitchell, Quick Cash CEO, told the Sunday Observer that he has not seen any difference in remittances since the start of the financial upheavals in the US.

"The business we are seeing is what we always see," Mitchell said. "You wouldn't see the effect right now." However, he added that if the proposed bailout of the troubled companies by the US Government is delayed, then the impact on remittances could be felt here.

An optimistic Aubyn Hill, financial service sector consultant and former National Commercial Bank head, argued that although tourism and remittances were vulnerable, the effects might not be as devastating as projected or believed.

"It might not affect Jamaica that badly," he said.

According to Hill, while Jamaica will definitely be affected by the US crisis, there are opportunities that should be pursued in the tourism sector to offset any shortfall.

"US citizens will be less inclined to take long trips to preferred destinations like Asia," argued Hill, who added that with a recession people will travel less, but Jamaica could still benefit from its close proximity to the US.

"The impact might not be as much as we might think at first," he said.

But Hill contended that the greatest opportunity rested with the opening up of the Jamaican tourism product to non-traditional markets.

"With the exposure the country received after the recent Olympics, it is advisable to step up our marketing in Europe, Asia and Middle-Eastern countries," Hill said.

Milton Brady, managing director of FirstCaribbean International Bank, believes that the meltdown will eventually affect our tourism.

"The newly unemployed is at a seven-year high in the US," he said. "With that spreading into the general economy, it is bound to impact on tourism. I think the ripple effect on tourism will be a little further down the road."

Jamaica Tourist Board chairman John Lynch agreed, saying that there is a definite slowdown in the market as people had adopted a wait-and-see approach to the crisis.

"When there's uncertainty people won't rush out and buy a vacation," Lynch told the Sunday Observer yesterday. "Inevitably you're going to have some fallout."

He said that from the limited information he had now, bookings were down between 15 and 20 per cent. However, he said that Jamaica is faring better than most other destinations because of the island's access to airlift.

Amidst the adversity, though, Hill saw opportunities which he advised Jamaicans to recognise and capture. "Every obstacle brings 15 to 20 opportunities," he said. "Deal with the obstacles, but recognise the opportunities."

One of the major obstacles from the US financial meltdown is a contraction in available loan funds and a subsequent increase in lending rates.

Larger local companies could now find it hard, or near impossible, to get overseas funding, Hill surmised.

"The US banks are not lending to each other so they won't lend cross border," he said. "Loans will be curtailed, put on hold or simply become more costly."

However, Hill said he expected the Jamaican Government to find the balance of its borrowing requirement, some US$250 million, because of the island's positive payment record, but they, too, would have to contend with higher interest costs.
"What will happen is that the price (of money) will be higher," said Hill. "That is a cost that the Government will have to contemplate."

He also argued that skills exported from Jamaica to the US, such as teachers and nurses, would be the last to suffer cuts in a US employment squeeze. However, as liquidity dries up people will become more cautious with funds.

"Employment will be tougher to get and keep in the coming months, and any effect on remittances will probably not be immediate but down the road," he said.

Brady agreed that it was too early to gauge the effect on remittances, but said that he expects a cut back.

"It hasn't started yet, but that's what I expect to see happen," said Brady. "I think that the most immediate impact is being felt by wealthy Jamaicans and local businesses that have invested overseas in these investment banks. But of greater impact is likely to be Jamaicans relying on remittances."

The Government's borrowing potential fared no better for Brady who said that the state's ability to acquire additional funds could be severely tested, despite the buffer that Jamaica's good repayment record may give.

"Theoretically, that's how it is," Brady contended. "Our good record will be to our advantage, but availability of funds will be the issue, not just the cost."

"People with cash are king. If they see excellent deals purchasing failing companies they will take them," Brady said in reference to larger US investment banks buying smaller failing companies. "They would rather purchase than lend to emerging markets where the risk is higher"

In the meantime, local realtors, although saying that they are experiencing a slight fall-off in real estate queries from the US, do not envisage a damaging contraction in business.

Andrew Issa, holder of the US-based Coldwell Banker real estate franchise in Jamaica, said that business, especially at the high end, has dropped somewhat, but this has been bolstered by more queries out of Europe and Canada.

-- Edited by nexx at 12:07, 2008-09-28

Three men were shot dead and two others critically wounded in a Durban tavern following an argument apparently over the size of male genitals, police said on Thursday.

Superintendent Muzi Mngomezulu said the shooting took place at the Merseyside Restaurant and Bar at the Queensmead Mall in Durban's Umbilo suburb on Wednesday night.

Five people were arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning. Two of those arrested were found in possession of firearms, which police believe were the weapons used in the shooting. All five were residents of the Phoenix area.

The argument apparently began when a patron of Indian descent made a comment about the size of a white patron's genitals while both were at the tavern's urinals.

An officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: "The white man went to the toilet and an Indian guy followed him. While in the urinal, the Indian man told the white man that his penis was bigger than his [that of the white man].

"The white man left the urinal and told his friends about what had happened and this is when the argument started."

Vulgarities were exchanged and then a group of five Indian men left the restaurant. All five returned with firearms.

Mngomezulu said: "The men opened fire and three victims aged between 30 and 55 years died on the spot. Another two were rushed to St Augustine's Hospital in a critical condition."

He said he believes that as the argument had developed between the two groups, it possibly became racially motivated.
However, a senior staff member at the restaurant, confirming the shooting, said that the initial argument had been over genitals.

"That's what initiated it [the argument] and it obviously got out of hand. That's all I'm prepared to say," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Can someone clear up this for me, it is now said that Bounty is the father and not Aidonia.. Is there any truth to this?... If this is true, that baby shower will be full of tension....

Yeh But Him Hav Him Times zeeen...... Nowadays Him Lyrics dEm EVVVVVVAAAAAA TTTTUUUUFFFFFFFFFF..........Him Hard MAn KArtel BIIGGG ARTTIISSTTEE FOR 08

Busy's lyrics sending wrong signals BUSY_charts_2.jpgAnother artiste is now receiving a hard time because of his violent lyrics. Promoters of the 12th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival have been expressing concern since the line up of artistes for the show has been released. They fear that the use of profanity, lyrics promoting violence and sexual acts will be on display. The main artiste for this event is Busy Signal. The promoters are however worried as they feel his lyrics are violence based. They have argued that everyone knows Busy Signal for his "gangsta" lyrics which have been perceived to persuade people to use violence to resolve issues. This is depicted in his breakout hit single "Step Out", a line from which goes: "Afta mi step out, inna mi black, have glock, unda mi throwback. Shot holla pon spot, Badman nuh tek back chat..." and "Bwoy disrespect, Mi get mi guns fi do a fine job". The promoters fear that Busy's lyrics will not be appropriate and are too violent for him to be on the show. Violence in the Caribbean, especially Jamaica, has been on the rise, so people are questioning whether the Music Festival Committee's choice to allow Busy to be a part of the show will just add fuel to fire. They are taking into consideration that Busy's fan base consists of teenagers, mostly males, and his lyrics are not portraying a positive message. Although Busy Signal was selected on the basis of his popularity, concerned individuals are still questioning this move. The CEO for the St. Kitts Music Festival, Alistair Williams, has advised the public that this event is known to offer a broad blend of musical expressions and therefore whoever is slated to perform will be advised that their lyrics have to be appropriate in terms of the contract that will be established. This he explains is a surety as it is a part of the Festival's artiste contract that explicit language will not be allowed.

i think every one has funny, embarra**ing, crazy stories on how they lost their virginity...so wat are they i wanna hear!

Mr.Vegas quits the music bizz

September 26, 2008. MediaTakeOut.com just caught wind of a new 50 Cent interview ... and my man is sounding like a real hater. In the interview he spoke about how much money Jay Z has and how Beyonce helped him achieve his stardom.

Here's what 50 had to say:

He says, "I'm a big fan of Jay-Z, but outside of the [United] States and hip-hop circles, no one really knew who he was until he married Beyonce."

The In Da Club rapper has also disputed reports that Jay-Z is worth an estimated $1 billion (GBP540 million), but is adamant he's not jealous of his fortune.

He adds, "I don't believe he's worth that much! It's all been exaggerated. I'm comfortable. I don't want for anything so I'm not in a race."

Everything 50's saying is 100% true ... but still ... it sounds like hating...

AND you thought moving a broken car was a hassle. Passengers landing at an airport in China were staggered when 30 workers were trundled out to PUSH a faulty plane off a runway.

Staff had to roll up their sleeves after the CRJ7 plane's front hydraulic system went haywire, meaning it could not be attached to a tow truck.

With 69 passengers and seven crew still on board, it took them nearly two hours to roll it down a side lane less than 1km away.

One Zhengzhou airport worker said: "Thank God it was only a 20 tonne medium-sized airplane. If it had been a big plane it would have knocked us out."

Weekend Box Office:

1) 21 $23.7 million
2) Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who $17.4 million
3) Superhero Movie $9.5 Million
4) Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns $7.7 million
5) Drillbit Taylor $5.8 million
6) Shutter $5.3 million
7) 10,000 B.C. $4.8 million
8) Stop Loss $4.5 million
9) College Road Trip $3.5 million
10) The Bank Job $2.8 million

21 rolled into town this weekend looking like a true winner with a box office take of $23 million. This was enough to insure the film the top position on this week's box office chart. Audience favorite Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who had a very low drop in its numbers, managing to stay near the top at number two with a third weekend take of $17.4 million. This brings the animated feature's cumulative gross to $117 million. It is officially a blockbuster.

Superhero Movie failed to follow the spoof trend of stealing that number one spot away from more prestigious films this week. The comic book comedy only managed to grab a meager $9.5 million in third place. But it was MTV's Stop Loss that tripped all over itself on the way to the theater. Kimberly Peirce's follow-up to Boys Don't Cry barely squeaked into the 8th place spot with just $4.5 million.

A couple of independent films toppled into the box office this weekend as well. The Simon Pegg-David Schwimmer team up Run, Fat Boy, Run hit at thirteenth place with $2.3 million playing on a healthy 1,133 screens. Demi Moore's latest drama Flawless opened on just 35 screens, pulling in an estimate $180,000. Priceless grabbed a fare take of $117,000 playing out on just 24 screens. While the film My Brother is an Only Child pulled in the highest per screen average with an amazing $10,500 on just one screen.

Next week George Clooney will likely rule the roost with his third directorial effort Leatherheads. Also opening will be the films The Ruins, My Blueberry Nights, Nim's Island, and Sex and Death 101.

mi kno seh it gone already, but anybody  hear it last night? n anybody have di link weh mi can watch it.....

it should be on this site by later today - so unnu can pree it then - mi will update when mi find it

http://www.freshwap.net/forums/tv-shows/

will update when mi find it, but till then tune in to regis n kelly TODAY

A man arrested for driving under the influence in West Virginia got himself into a lot more trouble later at the police station.

Jose Cruz was pulled over Monday night on Route 60 in South Charleston for driving with his headlights off. He was subsequently arrested after failing a series of sobriety tests, according to WSAZ TV in Charleston.

During fingerprinting, Cruz then allegedly moved closer to one of the officers and passed gas, the station reported. In the complaint, the investigating officer wrote that police noticed a "very strong" odor.

The alleged stunt led Cruz to be charged with another offense battery on an officer in addition to DUI and obstruction, WSAZ reported.

A former minor league baseball player was "washed up" and had "zero income and no prospects" last year when he became jealous and killed his girlfriend's cat, a court has heard. Joseph Petcka, who pitched in the New York Mets' minor league system in 1992, was a "washed-up, never-made-it-to-the-big-leagues athlete" and a "D-minus" actor, prosecutor Leila Kermani told jurors during her closing argument. Kermani has told jurors that Petcka brutally killed the neutered and declawed cat in a jealous fury after complaining that his then-girlfriend, Lisa Altobelli, loved the cat more than him. Petcka claimed he was defending himself after the 3.6-kilogram orange and white tabby named Norman bit his right hand and drew *lo**. The prosecutor says the cat's extensive injuries prove Petcka was not just defending himself. Petcka's lawyer, Charles Hochbaum, told jurors that deciding whether they believed the defendant was not enough; he said they should focus on whether the prosecution proved its case. Hochbaum argued that the animal cruelty law applies only in cases where animals are intentionally tortured with a sadistic intent to injure or kill. Petcka faces up to two years in prison if convicted of aggravated animal cruelty and hara**ment. The jury are now deliberating a verdict. Altobelli said she dated Petcka for about six weeks before he killed her cat. She said they quarreled after going out the evening of March 26, 2007, and he drank heavily. Altobelli, a Sports Illustrated reporter, testified that Petcka woke her to complain Norman had bitten him. They argued and she went out, she said, and when she returned Petcka was gone and Norman was dead. Hochbaum admits his client overreacted, but says: "This was a tragic accident. It was not intentional." Petcka also appeared in a paper towel commercial and had small roles in "Sex and the City" and other television shows. He more recently worked as a bartender and waiter.

PNP fallout Dean Peart quits, other resignations likely today

BY ERICA VIRTUE Observer writer virtuee@jamaicaobserver.com Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Dean Peart yesterday quit as the Opposition spokesman on local government and the environment in the first of what is likely to be a flurry of resignations today from the People's National Party (PNP) in the wake of Portia Simpson Miller's defeat of Dr Peter Phillips' challenge to her presidency Saturday.

Peart, the Member of Parliament for Manchester North West and Phillips supporter, handed in his resignation yesterday at the PNP's Old Hope Road headquarters in Kingston, saying that he was giving Simpson Miller a free hand to choose spokespersons with whom she is comfortable.

However, his comments signalled that his decision was also influenced by the deep division in the party which acted as a catalyst for Phillips' challenge.

"I don't want to be put in a position for anyone to sabotage me," Peart told the Observer last night. "I would like to know that when someone is telling lies on me, somebody is there to defend me. Truth is foreign to some people. But I have nowhere going. I will remain in the PNP, I am not joining the JLP, but I will go to Parliament today and sit comfortably in the back benches."

Last night, highly placed sources inside the PNP said that other Phillips backers Sharon Hay-Webster, the MP for St Catherine South Central; Dr Wykeham McNeil, Westmoreland Western; and Maxine Henry-Wilson, St Andrew South Eastern were all set to hand in their resignations as portfolio spokespersons today, all on a point of principle to allow Simpson Miller to craft a new shadow cabinet.

It was not immediately clear whether Phillips himself would step down as Opposition spokesman on national security and leader of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives. However, he was said to be in discussions with Simpson Miller last night.

A total of 2,332 PNP delegates voted to retain Simpson Miller as leader of the party, giving her a 373 majority over Phillips who received 1,959 votes.

But even as the election settled the question of the party's leadership, the divisions still linger, and yesterday another Phillips supporter, Rosemarie Shaw, gave notice of her intention to resign as constituency caretaker for St Thomas Western.

Shaw, a former Jamaica Labour Party councillor and mayor of Morant Bay, said she would send her letter to the party's secretariat today but would remain a member of the party.

Last night, Evan Reid, vice chairman of Henry-Wilson's St Andrew South Eastern constituency executive, confirmed that some comrades there wanted her removed as the chairperson. However, he made clear that no decision had been taken.

"No decision of any sort has been taken," said Reid. "There are some who are of the view, and this is something that you find happening after every contest of some sort. However, we are still holding the constituency together and we will make a decision if we have to. But nothing of the sort of this kind."

Party insiders said the constituents want the return of former MP Easton Douglas, who, some years ago, opted to leave representational politics.

However, it is not known if he is interested. But sources say if he is not, there "is at least one willing and capable person waiting".

Reid said the executive will be meeting shortly to make plans for that constituency's conference which was not held on the scheduled date because of Simpson Miller's rally held two Sundays ago.

About 1,000 people have protested against Indonesia's anti-pornography bill on the resort island of Bali, prompting the local governor to vow he would ask the president to drop the controversial legislation.

The protesters - who wore traditional Balinese sarongs and headdresses, and carried banners with the words "Anti-porn bill no, Indonesia yes" - marched to Governor Made Mangku Pastika's office in Denpasar.

"We will sign a Balinese statement and will send it immediately to President SBY," Pastika told the crowd, referring to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono by his initials.

The anti-porn bill is being pushed by a small group of Islamist parties in predominantly Muslim, but officially secular, Indonesia.

But it has been condemned by some of the country's minorities including the Balinese, who are Hindu, as well as Christians, and some tribal groups who favour near nudity as traditional attire.

Critics say that the exceptions to the bill for sexually explicit cultural and artistic material are too vague, and that by allowing civil organisations to play a role in preventing pornography, this could open the door for vigilante groups to take the law into their own hands.

Balinese art incorporates nudity and sexually explicit images, while in the eastern province of Papua some tribal men wear just penis gourds.

Legislators have so far stopped short of passing the bill, which has been discussed for about three years, because critics say it would threaten Indonesia's tradition of tolerance and diversity.

Some parliament members were hoping that the anti-smut bill would be approved this month, but the bill was postponed again last week.

JLP lashes Portia Victory comment described as backward, unconstructive

Paul Henry, Observer staff reporter Monday, September 22, 2008

SIMPSON MILLER... would be working for the unity of the party 'so we can get rid of this uncaring government'

Stung by criticisms of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government as "uncaring", Karl Samuda yesterday lashed victorious People's National Party (PNP) president, Portia Simpson Miller as "backward and unconstructive".

Samuda, the JLP general secretary and minister of industry, investment and commerce, charged that Simpson Miller had displayed a "destructive attitude" with which his party was "very disappointed".

He urged the PNP leader to reassess her stance and work with the Bruce Golding-led government to help better the lives of Jamaicans.

"One would have hoped that... she would have brought to the table a more constructive approach to finding the solution to the problems of our country rather than to make the salacious suggestions that we are an uncaring government," Samuda declared in an interview with the Observer.

SAMUDA... The party is offended at the notion that she could utter such language

In the throes of victory over keen rival, Dr Peter Phillips, Simpson Miller Saturday night told rapturous celebrations in the National Arena that she would be working for the unity of the party "so we can get rid of this uncaring government".

Th PNP leader appeared to suggest that the challenge to her incumbency by Phillips and his "Arise and Renew" campaign had distracted the party from its "progressive agenda" on behalf of the people and the need to retake power from the JLP.

But Samuda and the JLP were not amused by the comment.
"The party is offended at the notion that she could utter language such as 'to get rid of this uncaring government'. That kind of language does not move us forward but rather carry us back to the old, redundant approach of confrontational politics," Samuda shot back.

Samuda, who admitted that he was hurt personally, noted that his party had at no time questioned the sincerity of parliamentarians, who offer themselves for "service to the country".

Samuda added: "It was not an (attitude), in my opinion, that sought any kind of constructive approach to bipartisan discussions. It was attacking and unnecessarily caustic against a background of falsehood."

Samuda said that the challenges facing the country "are quite significant" and would require the co-operation and support of both sides of the House.

Asked which of the two candidates the Labour Party had wanted to win the PNP presidential election, a confident-sounding Samuda said it made no difference as the government would retain its power when the next general election was held.

But party insiders who did not want to be named, said the JLP was elated that Simpson Miller had won, claiming that she was no match for their leader, Golding; would not get the support of the middle class and would not be able to raise the kind of funds needed from corporate Jamaica to finance a good election campaign.

Simpson Miller, a populist leader, grabbed 2,332 delegates votes against 1,959 votes by Phillips, putting paid to the second presidential challenge she has faced in less than two years since P J Patterson retired as party president and prime minister of Jamaica.

She also decimated Phillips' slate of vice-presidential candidates, taking three of the four spots. But both Simpson Miller and Phillips increased their tally of votes over their performance in the first presidential contest in February 2006, when she won with 1,775 votes to Phillips' 1,538 votes.

-- Edited by nexx at 19:14, 2008-09-23

zonianz i gather u ere once more again to discuss more suss, recently on d zone alot of harsh sparkin words av been fly across d room with members of d zone. recently we heard rd aka riddim daddy one of d toughest and baddest thing on d zone spittin some harsh things about a certain individual, but when d original badman of d zone aka najah ask him about who he was talkin he refuse to call name. anyways rumors av been spreadin dat d beef is between rd and d mighty gully headz who we all knw is originated frm a very crucial place in jamaica. it av been rumored dat there is a post goin around with headz sayin dat certain pple fi stop call up him name wen him not ere.

so zonianz if u av any more info about wat is goin on u can jus leave it ere wit d original badman aka suss daddy aka najah.

August 22, 2008. World record holding Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt may have good things in store for him when he gets back to this side of the world. MediaTakeOut.com just spoke to a person affiliated with the NFL's Miami Dolphins organization who claims that Bill Parcells is interested in trying out Bolt for the Miami Dolphins.

The insider told MediaTakeOut.com, "Coach Parcells kept saying that he wanted to try out Bolt and [all the players] thought he was just joking. But now [one of the scouts] is on a plane to China to talk with Usain's manager."

6 foor 4 and runs the 100 meter in 9.6 seconds. Can't say we blame Bill for trying... 


-- Edited by alligcold at 14:43, 2008-08-22

When you rise in the morning do you feel for your cellie first, then your partner?

Watch

Mother: Boy Got In Similar Trouble In Texas

THE KKK IS PLOTTING TO KILL OBAMA

If you were duped into believing that the KKK is someshow supportive of Barack Obama think again. The KKK has already stated explicitly that he will be killed sure as hell. The Secret Service has already been contacted. Obama is already under the watchful eye of the Secret Service, the earliest of any presidential candidate. The Imperial Wizard of the Klan said they are definitely going to try to
take Obama out.

Bill OReilly and his racist, Freudian slip:

"I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels -- that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down."

-- Edited by Evil Mendez at 13:37, 2008-02-23

In Sacramento, Calif., a 9-year-old girl is being called a hero for helping deliver her baby brother.

http://www.news4jax.com/video/17502216/index.html

Eight suspected Satanists have been arrested in Russia for allegedly stabbing to death and eating the body parts of four teenagers, reports claim.

-- Edited by ANDRE_DESIGNZ at 21:44, 2008-09-24

Eleven persons killed over the weekend

Kimmo Matthews Monday, September 22, 2008

Police yesterday reported that a total of 11 persons were killed in separate incidents over the weekend, nine by the gun and two by the knife, keeping the murder tally on track for another record year.

Crime statistics released by the police for the first eight months of this year, revealed that 1,105 persons were murdered up to the end of August.

Yesterday's *lo**-drenched list of the persons murdered weekend read:

. Clive Ellis, 43, otherwise called "Latimore" of East Road, Kingston 12, shot dead by a gunman along Water Street in downtown Kingston yesterday.

. Ricardo Smith, 27, nicknamed "Taffy" of John Lane, Kingston, shot dead by unknown assailants in downtown Kingston Friday.

. Ricardo Allison, 25, construction worker shot and killed in the community of Short Town Manchester Friday.

. Oniel 'Bunny' Clarke, shot and killed at Whitfield Avenue, Kingston 13 Friday.

. Germaine Crooks, 22, chef of Shortwood Road, Kingston 8, shot dead at Grants Pen Road, Kingston 8 Saturday.

. Oral Roberts, 20-year-old of West Street, killed at a gambling house in the community Saturday

. Kevin Easy, 23, of Savanna Cross, killed at a wake in the Clarendon community.

. Anthony "Tony" Shaw, 46, and Dwayne "Cash Brush" Edwards, both of Mountain View Avenue in Kingston killed during an altercation at Mountain View Avenue, Kingston 2 Saturday.

. Enoch Robinson, 34, of Eastwood Park Road in the Kingston 10, stabbed to death Saturday at Harbour Street in downtown Kingston.

. Wesley "Con" Bent, 54, of All Sides, Trelawny stabbed to death in the district Saturday. Joseph Fisher, 78, also of All Sides district, was charged with the murder.

Police also reported Saturday they had charged a 16-year-old youth with murder for the brutal mutilation killing of 11-year-old Sandside, St Mary resident, Aakim Scott last week. The teen, one of five boys held in connection with the killing, is expected to appear in court this week.

Scott's dismembered body was found by police and residents last Tuesday stuffed in a polyethylene bag in bushes, two days after he went missing on Sunday, September 14.

WHAT A THING!!! (Oonu watch the news wah day ya, and hear 'bout the 15 year-old whofa gun go off and shoot the schoolgirl. Mi know him, him use to live ah Whitfield Town and when him mother and father break up, him end up ah Spanish Town wid him mother and her new man. Bwoy, him is a real little shotter, doan? Cause when the gun off and shoot the girl, my yute just grab up the gun and him bag and hightail it fi the schoolgate. When dem radio ahead and say doan let him out, my yute just back out him gun and mek the security almost piss up himself. Dem him just walk out, jump pon a bus and go Spanish Town go sink off the gun. )- E-MAIL...

Keeping a cell phone on talk mode in a pocket can decrease sperm quality, according to new research from the Cleveland Clinic.

"We believe that these devices are used because we consider them very safe, but it could cause harmful effects due to the proximity of the phones and the exposure that they are causing to the gonads," says lead researcher Ashok Agarwal, the Director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine.

In the small study, Agarwal's team took semen samples from 32 men and brought them to the lab. Each man's sample was placed into small, conical tubes and divided into two parts: a test group and a control group. The control group was unexposed to cell phone emissions, but kept under the same conditions and temperature as the test group.

The semen in the test group was placed 2.5 centimeters from an 850 MHz cell phone in talk mode for 1 hour. Researchers say that 850 MHz is the most commonly used frequency.

They used the measurement of 2.5 centimeters to mimic the distance between the trouser pocket and the testes. Agarwal reasoned that many men keep their active cell phones in their pants pocket while talking on their headsets.

Overall, researchers found an increase in oxidative stress such as a significant increase in free radicals and oxidants and a decrease in antioxidants. Agarwal says that equals a decrease in sperm's quality, including motility and viability. Evidence of oxidative stress can appear under other conditions, including exposure to certain environmental pollutants or infections in the urinary genital tract.

"On average, there was an 85 percent increase in the amount of free radicals for all the subjects in the study. Free radicals have been linked to a variety of diseases in humans including cancer," said Agarwal. Free radicals have been linked to decreased sperm quality in previous studies.

However, the study does have major limitations, he acknowledged, such as the small sample size. It also was conducted in a lab and so cannot account for the protection a human body might offer, such as layers of skin, bone and tissue. Agarwal is in the early stages of further research that can model the human body's role in protecting from radio-frequency electromagnetic waves emitted from cell phones.

Agarwal also admits that there is no clear explanation of this demonstrated effect, but he shared some of his theories. "Perhaps the cell phone radiation is able to affect the gonads through a thermal effect thereby increasing the temperature of the testes and causing damaging effects in the sperm cell."

In a previous study, Agarwal and his team found that men who used their cell phones more than four hours a day had significantly lower sperm quality than those who used their cell phones for less time. Those findings were based on self-reported data from 361 subjects.

While representatives from the cell phone industry had not yet reviewed the latest study, they were careful not to give this study much merit. "The weight of the published scientific evidence, in addition to the opinion of global health organizations, shows that there is no link between wireless usage and adverse health effects," said Joe Farren, a spokesman for the CTIA-the Wireless Association.

"We support good science and always have," he said. "It's important to look at studies that are peer-reviewed and published in leading journals and to listen to the experts."

Agarwal emphasized that it is far too early for men to start changing cell phone carrying habits, noting that his own cell phone was in his pocket as he talked to CNN.

"Our study has not provided proof that you should stop putting cell phones in your pocket. There are many things that need to be proven before we get to that stage," he said.

A 15-MONTH-OLD baby was killed when a four-wheel drive car mounted the kerb and hit his pushchair. Finlay Woods was with his mother and grandmother when a black Toyota careered off the road in Chingford, east London, at about 3.20pm yesterday. The youngster, who lived a short distance away, was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital by ambulance but died soon after arrival. Firefighters said they were called to reports of a child trapped under a car but bystanders freed him before they arrived. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said the 39-year-old woman driver was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drink driving and remained in custody. She said the woman was being questioned on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, drink driving and driving while unfit through drink or drugs. An inquest is expected to open and adjourn later today.

Monday, 31 December 2007 The police in St Lucia are investigating the execution style killing of a former Senior Executive of the St. Lucia Air and Seaports.

Fifty seven year old Michael Fedee, who recently retired as Deputy General Manager, was shot in the head outside his house in the northern end of the island Sunday morning.

Neighbours report hearing explosions and seeing a vehicle speeding away from the scene.

Mr. Fedee, who also worked briefly with the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat, died at hospital.

Police have ruled out robbery as a motive for his killing as his firearm, cash and jewellery were not taken.

His death brings to 23 the number of persons murdered in St. Lucia this year.

Blak Ryno's Thug Anthem on the Day Rave rhythm has quickly become one of the most played songs in the dancehall today. Ryno just returned from Zurich, Switzerland where he performed alongside the Portmore Empire.

Blak Ryno is not too surprised at the success of the single.

"Mi no surprised still because I felt it was a hit when I recorded it, and from it go out, ah just crazy calls mi a get, hits on the Myspace say ah one of the top three songs on the riddim," he said.

"Even in Switzerland, some people in the crowd know it already, I had to pull it up three times the way dem a gwaan. It was a mixed crowd, black and white faces and the Empire locked it down."

 

Ryno's signature sound and singalong hooks have been b****ing the airwaves into submission with hit singles such as Mek Di Paper which hit the top ten of local charts and his follow up Evil People. These juicy cuts are heavy with aggressive catchphrases that are popular among teens and dominate their ringtone choices. This latest single Thug Anthem is set to firmly establish him as a force to reckon with and shows his new found maturity and swagger. The single is also controversial because there are a few lines in it that appear to diss Mavado, the Gully Gadd, with whom the Empire has an ongoing lyrical feud. The lines go: 'No, mi no back from war, ah mi hobby/machine never empty, ratchet never dully/empty one inna yu skully/if yu feel say yu bad, p-hole, crawl outta the gully'. 

For bookings, call 1 (876) 781 4268

A New Jersey grandmother is believed to have committed suicide after being swindled out of her life savings in a Jamaica-based lottery scam. A report in Monday's issue of the Star Ledger newspaper says 72-year-old Ann Mowle lost $248,000 after being promised a $2.5 million pay out. It is reported that after she suffered the loss, Mrs. Mowle donated her clothes to charity, left her beloved toy poodle Molly at a dog groomer's and drove to Spring Lake. Fishermen found her body on the edge of a jetty. Mrs. Mowle's family blames the vicious year-long con for her path to despair. The grandmother left documents which detailed more than 50 wire transfers ranging from US $158 to nearly $5,000 to addresses in Jamaica. Despite the paper trail including names and phone numbers, investigators have had little luck in tracking down the scam-artists.

http://www.sexhealthguru.com/index.php?id=129,294,0,0,1,0

 copy and paste the link ya'll




-- Edited by Gangsta Natz at 14:51, 2008-06-12

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Georgia set to execute man for officer's death By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 16 minutes ago



A Georgia man convicted of killing an off-duty police officer was set to be executed Tuesday, even though witnesses have backed away from their testimony and questions remain about whether he is truly guilty.

Seven of the nine witnesses who helped put Troy Davis on death row for the 1989 murder have since recanted their testimony, and Davis' attorneys say that others claim another man pulled the trigger.

But prosecutors have labeled the witness statements "suspect" and the courts have consistently refused requests for a new trial.

Influential advocates, including former President Jimmy Carter and South Africa Archbishop Desmond Tutu, insist that there's enough doubt about his guilt to merit a new trial for 39-year-old Troy Davis. Davis' only hope for a reprieve lies with the U.S. Supreme Court.

A divided Georgia Supreme Court has twice rejected his request for a new trial, and rejected his appeal to delay the execution by a 6-1 vote Monday afternoon. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles also turned down his bid for clemency after a daylong hearing.

As his legal options dwindle, Davis supporters have organized a series of rallies and vigils around the state.

They are calling for the prison staff scheduled to oversee the execution to call in sick and picketed the offices of the company that provides medical staff for the execution. They also plan a demonstration at the Georgia Capitol and vigils at eight towns around the state.

Amnesty International has taken up the cause, helping organize rallies as far away as Paris. The execution site, a state prison in Jackson, Ga., is expected to attract dozens of protesters, including the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Davis was convicted of the 1989 murder of 27-year-old officer Mark MacPhail, who was working off-duty as a security guard at a bus station.

MacPhail had rushed to help a homeless man who had been pistol-whipped at a nearby parking lot, and was shot twice when he approached Davis and two other men.

Witnesses identified Davis as the shooter, and at the 1991 trial, prosecutors said he wore a "smirk on his face" as he fired the gun.

But Davis' lawyers say new evidence proves their client was a victim of mistaken identity. Besides those who have recanted their testimony, three others who did not testify have said Sylvester "Red" Coles who testified against Davis at his trial confessed to the killing.

He refused to talk about the case when contacted by The Associated Press during a 2007 Chatham County court appearance and he has no listed phone number.

Prosecutors have contended in court hearings the case is closed. They also say some of the witness affidavits simply repeat what a trial jury has already heard, while others are irrelevant because they come from witnesses who never testified.

Davis' attorneys asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the execution until it has a chance to discuss whether to hear the case at a conference next week. The court could decide within hours.

"The world is watching Georgia," said Martina Correia, Davis' sister. "Everything you do in the dark always comes back to light."

Meanwhile, a man was set to be executed in Florida barring a last-minute intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court. Richard "Ric Ric" Henyard, 34, is set to be executed by lethal injection at the Florida State Prison in Starke. He was convicted in the Jan. 30, 1993, shooting deaths of two sisters 7-year-old Jamilya Lewis and Jasmine Lewis, 3.

Their mother, Dorothy Lewis, survived after she was raped and shot several times during a carjacking. Both girls, with their mother when they were seized by Henyard and an accomplice, were shot in the head when they cried out for her.

Mark Gruber, one of Henyard's state-paid attorneys, filed two appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court last week and a brief Tuesday urging postponement of the scheduled 6 p.m. EDT execution.




Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.


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Legal and illegal, Latinos labor to rebuild Texas By MONICA RHOR and PETER PRENGAMAN
Mon Sep 22, 6:59 AM ET



All along the Texas coast, Latino immigrants are hauling away fallen trees, slashing through storm-tangled brush, patching punctured roofs.

On working-class corners, on ladders in front of Victorian houses, in the yards of ornate mansions, crews of men in dusty jeans, sturdy workboots and baseball caps are nearly as omnipresent in the post-Hurricane Ike landscape as blue tarps on rooftops.

These workers, who get picked up off the street by homeowners looking for quick, cheap labor, are helping to rebuild the devastated cities of southeast Texas.

Many of them are here illegally. Others are legal residents in need of income after their regular jobs were disrupted by the hurricane.

Ike brought a wide swath of destruction, and with it the prospect of more work, higher wages and a respite from the ever-present threat of deportation. In recent months, many day laborers say, jobs in the Houston area had started to dry up, and police and immigration officials had been cracking down.

"There's more work now," Teodoro Alvarado, 20, said Friday in Spanish as he stood on a corner in the gritty Houston suburb of Pasadena where day laborers regularly wait for work. "And I hope more work comes."

There's reason to believe it will: After Hurricane Katrina, thousands of Latino immigrants streamed to New Orleans for jobs in construction, carpentry and cleanup.

Since Ike struck Sept. 13, Gerardo Hernandez has been getting jobs lifting trees off driveways and houses, but he usually works as a roofer. A drive through the quaint bayside community of Kemah, where the hurricane lifted the roofs off dozens of boardwalk restaurants and private homes, made him confident there'd be need for his services.

"In the weeks that come, as people get insurance money, I think there will be more work," Hernandez, a Mexican immigrant who has been in this country four years, said in Spanish.

Along with the promise of fresh jobs, there are fears of abuse and exploitation of workers, and rumors that immigration officials will be poised at job sites to arrest the undocumented. After Katrina, many Latino workers in New Orleans reported cases of unsafe working conditions and employers who cheated them out of money earned.

"These people are going to be getting work, but they will also be the most exploited," said Annica Gorham, director of the Houston Interfaith Worker Justice Center, which helps day laborers who have been cheated of wages, injured on the job or working in unsafe conditions. "Day laborers are some of the most vulnerable workers here and across the county."

In Houston, as in dozens of other U.S. cities, several police departments in the area have started to turn over undocumented immigrants for deportation. There have also been highly publicized workplace raids by federal agents, including one in June where 160 workers at a cl**ttered rag factory were arrested.

But this city's immigrants, who help make up the country's second-largest population of day laborers after that of Los Angeles, also provide a ready-made work force for the massive cleanup and rebuilding efforts.

"There are plenty of people asking for help," said Marco Ramirez, 50, a contractor who normally has a five-man crew. Since Ike, Ramirez has had to hire extra workers and will likely need more. All, including Ramirez, are Latino immigrants.

"The immigrant people, the Latinos, are the ones who really do the job," said Ramirez, who spoke outside a sprawling home where his men were using chain saws and chains to cut through fallen trees and splintered branches. "We are going to put the city back together."

Even in Houston, a city long known as friendly toward undocumented immigrants, many people see the use of such workers as nothing more than a shortcut around the country's labor laws.

In the storm's aftermath, however, Mayor Bill White said homeowners need to find help where they can.

"I like to see people doing it, rather than letting debris pile up and people not getting roofs fixed," said White, who has a reputation for welcoming immigrants.

Early on most mornings last week, many of the more than two dozen spots in Houston where day laborers gather had been swept clean by contractors and homeowners looking for workers. Most are paid about $8 to $10 an hour to install wallboard, clear driveways and yards, or repair roofs. So far, workers said, wages had not increased much from pre-Ike rates.

At a Home Depot in southeast Houston, where as many as 100 day laborers gathered well before dawn Friday to wait for work, dozens of men from Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador stood on the periphery of a parking lot.

Every few minutes, the drivers of cars, pickup trucks and SUVs would pull up and signal to the waiting men. It took mere seconds for the workers to converge on a vehicle, negotiate a price and jump inside.

The men left behind were both encouraged by the signs of burgeoning work and worried about the possibility of dishonest employers and immigration roundups.

"We're just looking for steady work to support our families," 45-year-old Antonio Velasquez, whose wife and nine children remain in El Salvador, said in Spanish.

When things are going well, Velasquez sends his family $500 a month. Lately, he barely has enough to cover his own expenses.

Velasquez protects himself from wage theft by only working for employers who pay at the end of the day.

"Un dia trabajado es un dia pagado," he said, quoting a refrain often used by day laborers: A day's pay for a day's work.

Stories of widespread employer abuse and wage theft following Katrina have left immigrants wary of accepting long-term jobs in other locations.

On Friday morning, the driver of a bus looking for a crew to work for a week in the Galveston area, saying the pay would come at week's end. He got few takers.

"They need us, but they also take advantage of us," said Alex Yovani, 26, a Honduran immigrant who also worked in Louisiana after Katrina. "Without us, how would they build Houston again? Without the work of our hands, there would be no way to move forward."

As Yovani spoke, homeowner Dale Emion eased his pickup close to the circle of men. It was immediately surrounded by over a dozen day laborers.

"I need two and will pay $7 an hour to clean up around my house," Emion said.

"You gonna give lunch?" asked one man in broken English.

Emion shook his head. No one got in the truck, but the men didn't walk away, either.

"OK. I'll pay $8," said Emion.

Two men got in the cab of the truck.

"I just need them to clean up my house," Emion said. "Where else am I going to find workers?"



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