Forum: News & Topical Issues
Who is raking in the big bucks?
BY TYRONE S REID Sunday Observer staff reporter reidt@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, July 06, 2008
IT'S a warm and breezy Friday night at a popular adult entertainment establishment called Pablo's, on Eastwood Park Road in St Andrew.
There is a sea of expensive-looking cars in the parking lot, and several male patrons are outside in the yard swilling liquor. A group of young women are gossiping and checking out the men - and there's a burly security guard in a black shirt, cap and jeans standing by the small gate collecting the $300 entrance fee from the patrons as they roll in.
The second you walk into the club, they notice you. There seems to be a ripple effect of some sort. Two good-looking, skimpily-dressed young girls walk by, looking at me smilingly, like I'm the most attractive man they've ever seen. The women, dressed in fishnets, tiny shorts and bras are strippers - also referred to as 'go-go' or 'strip dancers'.
By all accounts, the operators of these establishments - found in major towns across Jamaica - the dancing girls and the men flocking to the clubs to pay to see them, are collectively driving the sex industry in Jamaica, which is reportedly raking in millions of dollars.
Back inside the club, the place is lined wall to wall with men. The bar is buzzing and a pool table nearby is like a flame attracting some of the men. I choose a corner spot and settle down to watch a rotation of beautiful girls (most in their twenties) of various sizes and descriptions dance onstage. There is even a pregnant dancer onstage working the pole like a pro. A few make eye contact. Lisa, a fair-skinned girl and the skinniest of the bunch, turns towards me after seeing my notebook. She makes her way over and a conversation ensues.
Prostitutes await customers. (Photo: Karl McLarty)
"I've been dancing for about two years now and I like it a lot. I have a nine-month-old son and that is how I take care of him, by dancing," the 24-year-old says.
She is intelligent.
"I dance like three nights a week and use my days off to spend time with family in Montego Bay."
She makes it clear that she is strictly a dancer who does not engage in any kind of "loose behaviour". She only provides lap dances.
"Darling, to tell you the truth, when I get tips that is when I make most of my money. I don't need to do anything else with the men. I am satisfied. My boyfriend takes care of me otherwise. He trusts me because it was at the club I first met him, and now we have a baby together," she reveals.
By this time, a group of heavy-set men enter the club and Sasha, 26, takes Lisa's place by my side.
She is wearing a two-piece bathing suit with six-inch heels.
"I love my job; it is fun. I don't feel no way about what I do. It is just a job like what anybody else has. It's what we do to make our living,"
she says.
Sheryl, 33, also has no qualms about her line of work, pointing out that she enjoys getting large tips and is saving up to open a beauty shop.
"I don't do 'business'," she says, meaning sex for money. "I don't agree with it. I will dance and collect the tips plus my weekly pay from the boss. That is enough for me," she adds.
As the night picks up, more men enter the club.
But it's not just men; a few women are here too, some with male companions and some by themselves. A quick chat with one of the couples reveals that they're here "to spice up their love lives". Others say they're here out of curiosity. Whatever the reason, the dancing girls don't seem to mind. In fact, they seem to gyrate their hips more wildly in front of the couples than for men sitting alone.
Sunday Observer checks reveal that the most popular strip joints in Kingston boast provocative names like 'Bodies', 'Hummingbird', 'Pretty Pum Pum', 'Palais Royale', 'Caesar's', 'Platinum' and 'The Office'. Out-of-towners are known to frequent 'Shades' in Ocho Rios, 'Finger Pole' in Mandeville, 'Silver Spoon' and the 'Back Road' area of Port Henderson in Portmore, St Catherine.
At the same time, there are many players who work in the field of sex work: the dancers, the prostitutes, the pimps, the operators of strip clubs/escort agencies/ massage parlours and the patrons who shell out the big bucks. And if the words of Garcia, the supervisor at Pablo's, are anything to go by, most strippers make "decent" money nightly.
"Yes, they make good money. We pay them separately from the tips that they get from the men. On an average night, they get upwards of $1,800 and on special nights they get over $2,100. For the week, they can make over $10,000. When they add that to the tips they get, they are alright for the week. They are able to work up to five days a week and they get two nights off. But that's just in Kingston. On the north coast and in places like MoBay and Negril, the girls make much more," says Garcia, a short, light-skinned lady with low-cut dark hair. "We provide a safe environment here for them. The security is tight, and everybody is well-protected. If you respect your job, it will respect you. The dancers are not allowed to go out into the yard or on the street in their costumes."
The dollars seem to flow freely inside the club.
It's the same at another hotspot we visited in New Kingston, where the men range from husbands with dazzling wedding rings to young, thug-looking brothers.
But these days the money is not flowing freely for sex workers of every category. While the strip clubs and sex shops are reporting good business these days, the street prostitutes make it clear that their 'business' is not as lucrative as it once was. According to several of them who shared their stories with the Sunday Observer recently, the clubs are wooing their men. But that's not all. With the spotlight now being focussed on the sex industry more than ever, they say many of their regular customers have become fearful and refuse to visit them on the streets. Consequently, life is bleak for New Kingston hookers like Pat, Marcia, Likkle Miss, Audrey, Apple and others.
"This is the worst year of all. trus' me. The man dem not coming out to we like one time; dem scared. So mi have nuff bills pile up right now," explains 24-year-old Marcia, a single mother of one, who has been a prostitute for seven years. A friend introduced her to the practice.
I encounter over a dozen variations of Marcia's story. Some complain that the homosexual male prostitutes are taking away their customers and are ridiculing them. (The gigolos, we are told, work from sex houses). The prostitutes say they sometimes drop their prices. For sexual intercourse, they charge $1000, for quickies and oral sex $800 and to spend the night with her will cost $5,000.
"We haffi deal wid police hara**ment, too, because sometimes the police dem run wi dung and make it worse fi wi nuh make no money. If them catch we wid a man, them charge the man dem some $10,000 and $15,000 and we not making that," shares Stacy, a 30-year-old. She is clad in black lingerie.
Stacy, who operates in the Braemar Avenue area, says she has to provide financially for her two kids. "And from the government start talk 'bout sex tax, it getting worse fi we. We don't want so much attention. It not good fi business at all. I have two kids to send to school and I don't have no help. This is my only source of income."
Out on Trafalgar Road in New Kingston, Pat, 38, and Likkle Miss, 41, also share tales of close encounters with men who tried to rob and kill them. But with no other source of survival, they still come out after dark to sell sex.
As the women share their sad tales, a few cars drive pass.
A few of the drivers slow down but none of them stop, despite the pleas and compliments from the women.
In the meantime, Sunday Observer sources reveal that in towns like Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, the experiences of sex workers are vastly dissimilar. Reportedly, some sex workers (including the transgendered variety) seek out tourists to date, sometimes without asking explicitly for cash in return for 'favours'. Instead, they derive benefits from staying at swanky hotels, dining at expensive restaurants, partying at all-inclusive resorts and attending high-end social events.
"Many of these women regard themselves as 'escorts' who do not charge for sex but for the 'island girlfriend' experience. They often cook and clean for these men, and even carry them on tours of the town. It's very discrete," one source tells the Sunday Observer from a popular hotel in Ocho Rios. "You also have male escorts who cater to female tourists and this is very popular here in Ochi and in MoBay and Negril where you have the major all-inclusive resorts."
Last summer, during a Sunday Observer visit to the White River rafting attraction in St Ann, we met O'Neil, a lifeguard who bragged about the many female tourists he's had sex with for money.
"Whenever the whitie dem come down pon the plane or the cruise ship, tings always gwaan. Mi get nuff tips and ting. One of them even promise fi send fi me so mi a wait fi see how dat go," he boasted.
Beyond the monetary hustle that goes on in the sex industry, one cannot avoid the fact that there is an underside to this sexual candyland. The HIV epidemic is everywhere and sex work, by definition, entails exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The sex workers, both in the clubs and on the streets, insisted that they use protection whenever they engaged in sex acts with customers. But with the prevalence of STIs in Jamaica, Lovette Byfield, Director of HIV Prevention at the Ministry of Health, says interventions and peer education training for sex workers is important in contemporary Jamaica as the number of sex workers operating in Jamaica continues to climb at alarming rates.
"The figures keep jumping all over the place so we don't have a set [total] to give. We are working on that currently," Byfield said. Health workers from the ministry including Richard Reid and Bernice Fearon visit strip clubs and prostitute hangout spots weekly to distribute condoms and impart knowledge about safe sex practices.
"We just come out to educate the sex workers and the men who come here about condom use and STI prevention. We try to engage them in risk reduction conversations," said Fearon, whom we met at Pablo's.
Reid said they also use their weekly visits to invite patrons to their workshops on safe sex practices.
"We also teach them how to invest their money wisely. I think it's an honest living for these women and some of the men who do it too, so we don't condemn them," Reid said.
While local and international experts like Dr Veronica Salter argue that many women who turn to prostitution and other forms of sex work are "hurt and abused women looking for love", psychologist Dr Leahcim Semaj says this is not always the case.
"There are women out there who simply enjoy dancing and granting sexual favours in exchange for money. You have some dancers who love their work and see it as a semi-professional way of getting into prostitution. There are dozens of reasons for women becoming prostitutes," Semaj explained.
Meanwhile, Marsha Grant, who works with the National Sex Workers Association, said she also believes the number of sex workers in Jamaica is growing rapidly. A group of them, she said, came together in March of this year to form the association.
"They're really just a group of sex workers who've come together so that they can better address issues affecting sex workers in Jamaica, like lack of access to health care, education and security." said Grant. She added that the group was looking out for the best interest of sex workers.
Back inside Pablo's, Lisa is relaxing on a black sofa. Like many other Jamaican sex workers, she says she has ambitions for "a better future".
"I'm saving up my money to go to cosmetology school. People might look at me, and because I'm young and they see me dancing, they might think I'm confused but I know what I want in life," she declares boldly.
"I plan to continue dancing and making this money until I'm ready to stop. The men like it. That's why they come to the club."
The papers have been playing up a picture with me and Bounty Killer suggesting that I am his new girlfriend, the picture was published twice. But it is not true, were just friends; Bounty Killer is not my type, further more, mi no f--- entertainers, I have the White Gadd (Joseph Bogdanovich), so no hard feelings. I am am in a committed six year relationship with Joe, and I am tired of them doing this! she complained.
50 Cents gave me his number after Sumfest last year, Brian McKnight was calling me over during the Port Royal show a few months ago and I never went. I would never diss my man.
For his part, Joseph Bogdanovich was in a jovial mood when asked about the situation.
Alliance for life, its all good, these things happen when youre a star, and Bounty is a real superstar in dancehall, one of the best.SIX children have been injured in a suspected gas explosion.
Officers said they were treating the blast at an empty block of flats in Marine Parade, Folkestone, Kent as suspicious after emergency services were called to the property at around 5.45pm.
A spokesman for Kent Police said: Six children, all thought to be young teenagers or pre-teens, were taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford mainly suffering from superficial wounds.
A 13-year-old boy received burns but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Police investigating this incident will be speaking to the children about the explosion and are currently treating it as suspicious.
He added that the building was believed to be vacant and that no one else was unaccounted for.
A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service which sent four engines to the scene said the explosion caused 80% damage to three floors of the five-storey building.
Anyone who was in the area at the time of the blast or anyone with any further information is urged to call Folkestone Police Station on 01305 850055.FIVE people have been arrested in connection with the murder of Shakilus Townsend, police have said.
Officers arrested one person around 9pm yesterday and the others this morning.
Shakilus, 16, was stabbed and beaten with a baseball bat in an attack in Thorton Heath, south London, on Thursday.
He died from his injuries the following day.
Two men aged 22 and 18, and two teenage boys aged 16 and 17, and a 16-year-old girl have been arrested in connection with his death.
All five are being questioned at south London police stations.
The news comes as it's been revealed that the 16-year-old was involved in gang culture.
Pictures have emerged on the internet of the youngster posing with both a KNIFE and a GUN.
On the networking site Bebo Shakila's friends have posted messages threatening to take revenge on the girl thought to have set him up to be killed, alongside chilling pictures of the younster brandishing the weapons.
One message said: "REMEMBER U SET UP SHAK YOU B***H. AND HE LOVED YOOOOH. YOU IZ F*****!"
Other messages describe him as a 'fallen soldier' indicating he was involved with south London gangs.
DO you know any of the youths arrested or involved in the stabbing? Call our newsdesk on 0207 782 4103.DOCTOR, D'ANGEL FIX ISSUES?...Estranged couple more civil towards each other
All indications are that dancehall's once most famous couple Moses 'Beenie Man' Davis and estranged wife Michelle 'D'Angel' Downer, have been reconciling their differences and have been engaging in more civil relations.
To begin with, 'The Doctor' has been visiting his son Marco-Dean more frequently at D'Angel's home and the two have been spotted in the same party venues like Weddy Weddy.
show
The latest is that both artistes' camps are currently in discussions to have D'Angel booked for Beenie Man's annual show, 'Beenie Sizzle' (formerly called Beenie Summer Sizzle), scheduled to take place on August 6 at the Jamalco Sports Club in Clarendon. The two will also be performing on the same night at the Portland Jerk festival this Sunday at Folly Estate.
When contacted, D' Angel said that she had not yet been confirmed for the show but she would have no problem being on the event being staged by her estranged husband.
"Absolutely not, I'm an artiste and a professional one, so anywhere I can showcase my talent, any platform, I will do it. Things are floating in the air, but I am not going to comment on a show that I'm not yet confirmed for, so I won't say much," D'Angel said.
split
The couple split in a well publicised affair after being married for less than a year. D'Angel had also brought a maintenance suit against Beenie Man which was reportedly settled. Beenie Man also publicly denounced their child, Marco Dean before a DNA test proved otherwise. D'Angel currently has custody of the child.
Beenie Man, who is currently out of the island, returns with his 'Summer Sizzle' stage show after a year's hiatus. His publicist, Ray Alexander told THE STAR that acts such as Capleton, Sizzla, Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man, Macka Diamond and Aidonia have already been confirmed to perform. Negotiations are also said to be ongoing with international acts such as Soulja Boy and Lil Wayne, while a member of the Alliance is also being sought for the show.
Vatican approves breast-feeding pictures of Virgin Mary
The Vatican has called for worshippers to be less prudish about seeing the Virgin Mary breast-feeding Jesus.
A vast number of paintings depicting the bare breasts of the Madonna have been "censored by the modern age" because they were too "unseemly", according to L'Osservatore Romano, the official newspaper of the Holy See.
Lucetta Scaraffia, a church historian, has called for the image of Mary as an human, tender and loving mother to be rehabilitated. She said: "Jesus was a baby like all others. His divinity does not exclude his humanity".
Since the 17th century, artists have been covering up Mary because of criticism about the "carnality and unbecoming nature of many sacred images".
The censorship was so widespread that even the nudes in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel were subsequently covered up for fear of offending worshippers.
In another article, Father Enrico dal Covolo, a professor of classic and Christian literature at the Pontifical Salesian University said: "The Virgin Mary who nurses her son Jesus is one of the most eloquent signs that the word of God truly and undoubtedly became flesh".
The intervention of the newspaper could inspire a revival in sacred images of a semi-nude Mary. Similar images can be traced back to the earliest days of Christianity.
QUESTIONS ARE now being asked if the killing of a forty-two-year-old labourer in the New Nursery district outside Spanish Town has any connection with the investigation of a recent murder.
Howard Bryan was asleep at home at 12:45 p.m. yesterday when two men entered the premises shouting, "Weh the bwoy deh? Weh the bwoy deh?" They kicked open the door and shot and killed Bryan while he slept.
"Ah don't know if it have anything to do with the killing of the man at the bus depot di other day, as we were asked to remove our stalls from the front of the area. It really rough," remarked a female relative of the deceased.
shop close to depot
The Gleaner was told that Bryan, who operated a shop in front of the depot, had witnessed the killing of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) chairman, Douglas Chambers. When asked if the deceased was giving information to the police about the incident, the relative replied: "I see them (the police) talk to him, but I am not sure if he was giving a statement."
The area that is next to the JUTC bus depot is once again plunged into fear. Several persons said yesterday that they wanted to move out of the community, as Bryan and his family had been living there since 1980 and this was not the first gruesome incident that had affected the family in recent times.
"In 2004, gunmen killed my father, Walford Lingard, and my brother, Patrick Lingard, before they were to appear in court. And I don't know why they are trying to kill off my family," remarked Bredgette Lingard, who claimed that Bryan had been raised by her family.
woman, daughter killed
Meanwhile, Salt Spring district in St James was shrouded with anguish and shock yesterday when residents were awakened by reports of the bizarre murder of 28-year-old Sasha Rose-Ann Houston and her eight-year-old daughter, Whitney Rose-Ann Nelson.
Investigators at the Montego Bay Criminal Investigation Branch were kept busy for the better half of the day processing the crime scenes and trying to unearth a motive for the killings, as well as identifying the killers.
MURDERED teen Shakilus Townsend sobbed and pleaded: "Where's my mum? Don't let me die" as he lay in the street in a pool of his own *lo** after being repeatedly stabbed by a masked gang.
Shakilus was attacked just before 2pm yesterday in what a senior detective described as another senseless incident in which a young life has been taken away by a knife.
A gang of other young boys - wearing horrifying masks and hoods - chased him before circling around and raining blows as he begged for mercy.
Forensics ... officers sift through rubbish
National Pictures
His body was found in a grimy stairwell by neighbours, in Beulah Crescent, Thornton Heath, south London. Cops swiftly retrieved a *lo**ied EIGHT INCH kitchen knife dumped in a nearby front garden.
Shakilus died in St Georges Hospital, Tooting, south London, just after midnight last night - the 18th teenager to meet a violent death in London this year.
Cops say he was involved in gangs himself but the row had been over a girl.
Today neighbours in Beulah Crescent said they desperately tried to save the teen.
Dee Bamina, 35, tried to stem the bleeding from a wound to his chest with a bath towel.
She said: I think a group of boys must have been after the boy. All I heard was them saying get him from the other side.
Ms Bamina said she saw a gang of four or five boys aged 15 to 19 with scarves covering their faces. One had a baseball bat. A light-skinned black girl was also with them, she said.
Ms Bamina said: I tried to ask him his name and to tell him to calm down and lie down because he was trying to get up and go.
She said the boy was saying: I dont want to die and wheres my mum, I want my mum.
The 16-year-old told her he did not know his attackers.
Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons, of the Metropolitan Police Homicide and Serious Crime Command, who is leading the investigation, said: This is another senseless incident in which a young life has been taken away by a knife.
Given that this happened outside a block of flats in broad daylight, I am certain there are people who will have witnessed this murder.
I would urge those people to come forward and speak to the police to help us bring justice to Shakiluss family and friends."
No suspects have yet been arrested, police said.
A number of residents were moved to a nearby Methodist church yesterday as police investigated the attack.
Today two cordons were set up in Beulah Crescent, one around Lakeman Court and the other around flats opposite where neighbours tried to save the boy.
Shakilus was attacked four days after 16-year-old Ben Kinsella, the brother of former EastEnders star Brooke Kinsella, was knifed to death in Islington, north London. Three teenagers were appearing in court today charged with Bens murder.
The album was produced by Co Co Tea aka Calvin Scott on his Roaring Lion/Dancehall Jam Jam label. According to the singer it will have 12-15 tracks and will feature songs such as his big international hit Barrack Obama a tribute to the American on his presidential campaign.
He has also reunited with Shabba Ranks for a song titled Time Is Real. Co Co Tea in the 1990's had 2 big collaborations with Shabba in Pirates and Who She Love. He also has collaborations with Marcia Griffiths, President Brown, Cutty Ranks and El General. As well as a make over of Hoace Andy's song, She Is My Baby.
Co Co Tea speaking to YardFlex spoke highly about the album. "It is a one in a million CD." he said with his trade mark smile. "It is a mixture of Lovers Rock and authentic reggae music. I had famous musicians working on it, like members of the Prophecy Band, Dean Frazer and his harmonizers, Kirk and Bowie, Teetamus, Lymie Murray. It has an international appeal and I am expecting it to do very well."
Speaking about the song Yes We Can, he said, "when I did the song Barrack Obama people tend(ed) to view it as political. But it was the changes that he was articulating that I looked at. Yes, we would like a black man in the White House, that would show that we have moved beyond the race thing.
In the song I am just encouraging the integration of the whole world, it's not skin colour, or which nation you are from. The world is heading into racial division. As artistes we have to create the initiative. We are tired of the violence. We need to do songs that bring us together, and that uplift morals. As Israel Vibration said, "We All Have To Sing the Same Song."
The Album is scheduled to be released in late July and will be distributed by Roaring Lion in the Caribbean and Amazon.com, and the Tunecore.com network internationally.
Co Co Tea will be going on a world tour to promote the album titled the Yes We Can Tour. The United States leg will be called Reggae For America World Tour. He will be making his first trip to Africa in counties like Gambia, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Zimbabwe.
Whenever people hear about domestic violence, the image of a man hurting a woman readily comes to mind. The idea of a woman abusing a man is unthinkable to many persons, especially in Jamaica. But we know better.
There are many of us who suffer at the hands of women, but it is such an embarra**ing experience, that most of us lie to cover our shame.
Men are in an intractable position. Most men - not all - were raised not to hit women. At the same time, we cannot allow ourselves to become the punching bags of abusive women. Males are labelled weaklings and sissies if they allow themselves to be beaten by women; and if men retaliate, they are lambasted for being wicked and inhumane. It's a lose-lose situation.
Abusive relationship
The man unfortunate enough to be in an abusive relationship often suffers in silence, with a bruised body and battered ego.
We don't have much public debate on violence against men because the preponderance of aggression towards women naturally focuses the public spotlight on them - and with good reason.
However, we need to pay attention to what is happening to men in our homes. Some of us are slaves to bossy women who run our lives and abuse us verbally and physically. Verbal abuse is much harder to take. This is what many women are good at. But some women do attack us physically, although we are physically stronger than they are. Many of them refrain from attacking us while we are awake. They wait until we are asleep or are completely relaxed. Then they strike.
When we take a chance and share our pain with a trusted friend, the shock and disbelief that often greet us is even more painful than the abuse. What do we do? We pretend that we got our bruises and scratches during our involvement in sports, or we had a fight with another man, or we had an accident. Any story is better than the truth.
The abuse of men and women goes beyond class boundaries. Domestic violence against men needs to be seriously and openly discussed if we want a better society. Only the truth will make a difference. Violence knows no gender.
Subjected to violence
Sometimes, men subject themselves to violence because we want to be perfect gentlemen, but there are times when women initiate the aggression and expect us to 'turn the other cheek'. But some of us do retaliate. I hasten to say that I do not condone any type of abuse - verbal or physical.
Women are organised and there are support groups for victims of domestic abuse. It is time for men to speak up rather than resorting to smoking and drinking and womanising in an effort to ease the pain.
Men are victims of domestic violence, too. Some of us are constantly humiliated before our children. Why do some men stay? Simply because they are afraid that their children might be used as pawns, taken away from us and poisoned by the skewed message that their fathers are worthless.
We don't want to fight in the courts for our children. Women usually win these battles.
Guys, it's time for us to break our silence on domestic violence. We can begin by sharing our experiences, even if we do so anonymously.
A MAN has admitted downloading a catalogue of depraved images - including clips of sex acts being performed on an OCTOPUS.
Tasmanian Rodney Scott McLagan, 48, had a collection of more than 30,000 images and video files involving sexual acts with children, dogs, ponies, snakes, tigers and an octopus when he was caught.
Today, he pleaded guilty in Hobart's Supreme Court to possessing child exploitation material and bestiality products.
Beast
Police swooped on the office equipment worker's home on January 6 last year and found the images on computers and discs.
Crown prosecutor Jane Williams said children featured in the vile haul included boys and girls aged from as young as five up to 15-years-old.
Defence lawyer David Barclay said single McLagan had little or no interest in child pornography.
He told the court that the images were downloaded along with the bestiality material in bulk.
Mr Barclay said: "In respect of the child exploitation material while there's a lot of it he only looked at 20 per cent.
"He searched the internet for the bestiality material but there was no active search for the child exploitation material."
McLagan downloaded the bestiality images due to a personality disorder, he said, as a result of low self-esteem meaning that he identified himself "some sort of beast".
Mr Barclay said: "It explains how he sees himself and why he commits this type of offence."
McLagan was bailed to reappear for sentencing on July 17
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no str88 gun shot fi di yute weh f**k batty??????????????????????????????
-- Edited by sting at 01:16, 2008-04-27
The ten-month-old girl and her three-year-old sister were apparently knocked into bitterly cold waters by their mum, who said she had fainted as they fed ducks.
The three were seen floundering in the Thames at Goring Lock, Oxfordshire, by a boatman who dialled 999 and then bravely leapt in and pulled all three out.
Paramedics arrived and tried to revive the youngster, who was then airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
A paediatric clinical team then began a desperate attempt to resuscitate her in the emergency department.
But after a lengthy period the medics agreed there was no hope and stopped.
At 11.56am around two hours 20 minutes after she had plunged into the water cops released the heartbreaking news that the little girl had drowned.
But three hours later, at 2.49pm, they made another announcement saying a doctor had detected a faint heartbeat and the youngster was ALIVE and in intensive care, although in a critical condition. Sadly, early this morning cops confirmed that the baby had died after several hours in intensive care.
The young mum and her three-year-old were taken to the same hospital and were checked for signs of hypothermia.
But both seemed fine and are now expected to make a full recovery.
Police launched an official investigation into the incident yesterday.
It was believed the mother had walked with her two children, one in a buggy, almost half a mile up the towpath to a remote spot by the lock where the incident happened.
Police frogmen searched an area of the river yesterday that had been sealed off.
Toys and clothes were later fished out of the water.
A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: An investigation is underway into the exact circumstances of what happened.
The case regarding a Rastafarian man accused of pushing a woman over a 100ft embankment was yesterday put off until August 11 when the matter was called up in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's court yesterday.
Allegations are that the accused, Delroy Stewart had a dispute with a relative of the complainant. During the argument, he reportedly shoved the woman over the edge of the embankment. Although she miraculously survived the fall, the court was told that she is now confined to a wheelchair.
The case is to come back to the courts on August 11.At least two men were fatally shot by gunmen on Thursday night in separate incidents.
A 41-year-old labourer of Cedar Valley Road, Kingston 6, was shot dead in the community. Dead is Lloyd Reid, also called 'Binnie'.
Police reports are that about 7:45 p.m., Reid was walking along the road when he was hit down by a motor car with four men aboard. The men then reportedly exited the vehicle, pulled guns and opened fire, killing him on the spot.
A 31-year-old man was also shot dead on Cook Horn Lane, Kingston 11, last night. He is Damion Monroe of Cook Horn Lane.
Reports from the Constabulary Communication Network are that about 10:45 p.m., residents heard explosions and summoned the police. On arrival of the police, Monroe's body was found with gunshot wounds lying on the roadway.The Clarendon Police yesterday released the names of 10 men whom they they have fingered in connection with various crimes committed in the parish.
The police are also reporting a reward of $80, 000 for the capture of each of the men, who are wanted for crimes which include murder, shooting with intent and robbery.
The names of the men are: (not in any specific order)
1. Martin 'Foggy' Shand, 26, of New Longsville. He is wanted for murder and shooting with intent.
2. Anthony 'Heavy Man' Scott, 20, of an Effortville address. He is wanted for murder.
3. Kent 'Bigga' Powell of Solomon Lane in York Town. He is wanted for shooting with intent.
4. Garfield Augustus, wanted for murder.
5. Alphanso Powell or 'Anthony Powel' or 'Peenie Paul', wanted for shooting with intent and robbery.
6. Monsel Dyer of Mocho, wanted for murder.
7. Alton Gordon of Bunkers Hill. He is wanted for three counts of shooting with intent and illegal possession of a firearm.
8. Solomon Williams of Canaan Heights wanted for absconding bail and shooting with intent.
9. Andrew 'Rocka' Smith, wanted for murder.
10. A man known only as 'Rup Rup' who is wanted for murder.
Deputy Superintendent Patrick Murdoch, head of operations for the division noted that the men are considered armed and dangerous, as such the police are appealing to citizens who know of the men's whereabouts, not to approach them but to alert the police.
In recent times, Clarendon has been marred by a spate of gruesome and violent attacks.
The police believe that these men, once behind bars will bring some level of peacefulness back to the parish.Desrine Irvin only had four months to go before the birth of what would have been her fourth daughter.
Sadly, Irvin and her unborn child were gruesomely killed by a garbage truck on Hagley Park Road yesterday.
Twenty-year-old Shackesha Wilson, Irvin's first child, says the entire family has been in shock and disbelief since 7 a.m. yesterday when they received the heart-breaking phone call about the accident.
"All now mi cyaan believe seh mi madda dead. Mi nuh even waan watch de news cuz mi nuh waan see nuttin, mi jus cyaan believe," said Wilson, the eldest of Irvin's six children.
Police reports are that about 6:40 a.m., a Leyland garbage truck (CG 2054) operated by Domestic and Environmental Cleaning Solutions Limited, driven by Aston Williams, was travelling along Hagley Park Road when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and collided into a Toyota Tacoma.
The impact sent the Tacoma crashing into a Honda motor car before the garbage truck rode the banking, hitting four women and killing Irvin on the spot. The three injured persons are 46-year-old Allison Burke, 25-year-old Effana Swaby and 19-year-old Tamala Simpson, all of Portmore, St Catherine. They were admitted in serious condition at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).
First day driving truck
When THE STAR visited the Half-Way Tree Station, shortly after the accident, the police were in the process of collecting a statement from a senior truck driver, who was in the passenger seat at the time of the accident. It was revealed that it was the first day on the job for Aston Williams, the driver of the truck.
moderate speed
The senior driver told the officer that the truck had been travelling at a moderate speed, approaching the stoplight when he told Williams to apply brake. He said that the truck did not appear to be stopping and Williams swung to the left, he said, hoping not to hit the vehicle. The four persons were hit and Williams is said to have fled the scene and is yet to be picked up by the police.
There was also mention by a police of brake and tyre defects that may have played a part in the accident.
At the scene of the accident, one eyewitness labelled the garbage truck, a 'demon truck': "From yuh look pon di truck yuh juss see evil! Yuh see say is a demon truck!"
When asked why that was so, she said, "Mi juss know is signs of the times. Until now nobody don't know how the truck reach up there, cause him nevah get out of control. No other vehicle nevah get lick. Him juss come fi destroy."
According to another animated eyewitness: "The truck juss drive up pon di sidewalk an a juss so yuh see di truck rub off di woman pon di fence," he said clasping both hands together, while doing a short jog and bracing to the right.
"Yuh see when yuh look, di woman crush out...," he said of 49-year-old Desrine Irvin, a newspaper vendor of a Maxfield Avenue address, who had been pregnant. He continued: "Yuh see all one next woman, fi har clothes itch up undah di truck back wheel fi show yuh how him do dem."
Sheldon 'Burro' Warren of Vietnam district in Goshen, St Elizabeth, was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment for illegal possession of firearm and shooting with intent in the St Elizabeth Circuit Court on July 1, after he was found guilty on both charges. Justice Lloyd Hibbert presided over the trial.
Allegations are that on August 17 2007, Warren and his uncle had an argument. It is reported that Warren accused his uncle of stealing his shoes. He pulled a firearm and fired shots at his uncle and then ran.
Concerned citizens called the police but Warren could not be found. Approximately three months after the incident, the police captured Warren in an adjoining district called Content.
He was found guilty for illegal possession of firearm and sentenced to 10 years. He was also sentenced to seven years imprisonment for shooting with intent. The sentences are to run concurrently, so he will serve only 10 years.A television station in England is seeking a Jamaican family to parent two troubled teens as part of a documentary being filmed about parenting cultures.
For the past few weeks the producers of the show have been advertising for parents in Jamaica to answer the call to be the parents for two British teenagers in need of discipline.
According to a show researcher, Freddie Foss-Smith, the response so far has been overwhelming. "We were inundated with responses, we have done radio interviews, newspaper and television interviews," he said.
He said they wanted a Jamaican family because they were known to be very strict and disciplined, and they teach children about authority. This he said was different from the British situation, where some parents have lost control of their children due to a lack of discipline.
The documentary, which was commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), will be aired on the station later this year as part of a five part series titled The World's Strictest Parents. It is being made by Twenty Twenty TV for the BBC and will see teenagers living with parents in India, Ghana and Jamaica for a week. The team also intends to go to Alabama in the United States after they have finished filming in Jamaica.
The teens for the show were selected from a group of volunteers whom the producers recruited from schools, colleges and community organisations.
The producer of the show is currently in Jamaica interviewing the parents who applied to be a part of the series and hopes to begin filming in the next two weeks.
Starbucks closes 600 US stores as consumers cut down on cappuccinos for the credit crunch
Starbucks closes 600 US stores as consumers cut down on cappuccinos for the credit crunch
Starbucks is closing 600 U.S. coffee shops with the loss of 12,000 jobs, up dramatically from its previous plan of 100 closures.
The move comes as consumers tighten their belts amid worsening economic conditions and cut down on cappuccinos and espressos.
The chain, which has 650 outlets in the UK, is paying the price for the rapid expansion which took it from 84 American branches in 1990 to more than 10,000 now.
Some are so close together they 'cannibalise' each other's customers. Of the stores slated for closure, 70 per cent have opened since 2006.
To put it another way, Starbucks is closing 19 per cent of all U.S. company-operated stores that opened in the last two years, Chief Financial Officer Pete Bocian said during a conference call.
Now under-performing branches are to be closed over the next year. The news led to a 3 per cent increase in Starbucks shares on the New York stock exchange.
So far the company has not hit any such problems in Britain, where it is second in size only to Costa, which has 700 outlets.
But it recently came bottom in a taste test of the main High Street coffee chains.
The 500 additional stores set to be closed had been on an internal watch list for some time. They were not profitable, not expected to be profitable in the foreseeable future, and the 'vast majority' had been opened near an existing company-operated Starbucks, a spokesperson said.
Some analysts had wondered whether Starbucks' explosive growth in the U.S. would come back to haunt it as the market became saturated.
But before yesterday, the company avoided acknowledging that saturation was an issue, and pinned weak financial results and adjustments to new store openings on the economy.
A spokesperson said that between 25 per cent and 30 perc ent of a Starbucks shop's revenue is cannibalized when a new store opens nearby, and that the closures should help return some of that revenue to the remaining stores.
Starbucks still plans to open new stores in fiscal 2009, but it has cut that number in half to fewer than 200. The company did not adjust its plan to open fewer than 400 stores in 2010 and 2011.
At the end of March, there were 16,226 Starbucks stores around the world. The company operates 7,257 of those stores in the U.S. and 1,867 abroad; the remaining 7,102 locations are run by partners who license the Starbucks brand." Daily Mail.co.uk
One of 109 newly-installed surveillance cameras in the Ironbound section of Newark, New Jersey that feeds images back to the newly-opened Surveillance Operations Center of the Newark, New Jersey Police Department in Newark.
More on it [URL="http://dimewars.com/ViewBlogArticle.aspx?BlogID=f21cd7af-80b7-47dd-ad58-a10ff5634c40"][U][B]here[/B][/U][/URL]
Busy Signal "Wanted" in St Kitts - "They will not be disappointed"
Busy Signal "Wanted" in St Kitts - "They will not be disappointed"
Warner Park in St. Kitts will be home to one of the greatest music festivals in the Caribbean this weekend and Friday night will be a night to remember and record in history books as ace dancehall deejay, Busy Signal, takes to the stage. This will be his first time performing at an event of this nature, as dancehall acts are not usually included on the lineup.
"St. Kitts is going to definitely feel my energy on Friday nightthey will not be disappointed. I am prepared to deliver an incredible performance that persons from all ages will enjoy" stated Signal.
Persons attending the festival will be treated to chart topping songs such as "Jail", "These Days", "Unknown Number" and many others from his extensive repertoire.
Busy Signal will have the acclaimed Gumption band as his backing band and they will hold the audience captive for approximately forty five minutes.
Busy Signal will share the stage with other acts such as Mr. Caribbean Queen, Billy Ocean, Jamaican crooner, Ernie Smith and fellow dancehall act, Macka Diamond.
He returns to the island on Monday to prepare for yet another electrifying performance at Reggae Sumfest before heading off on tour.
The bulldozer driver, thought to be Palestinian, has since been shot dead.
Dozens of people were seen running through the streets to flee the scene of the attack.
The bus was overturned, many people were left lying dazed on the ground and among them was a baby covered in *lo**, according to reports.
One of those killed is believed to be a woman.
"Terrorist"
There is no word on a motive for the attack but Israeli police referred to the attacker as a "terrorist."
The crash happened in front of a building housing the offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets.
"I saw the bulldozer smash the car with its shovel. He smashed the guy sitting in the drivers seat," said Yaakov Ashkenazi, an 18-year-old seminary student.
Esther Valencia, a 52-year-old pedestrian, said she barely escaped the carnage.
"He almost hit me. Someone pushed me out of the way at the last moment. It was a miracle that I got out of there."
Eyal Lang Ben-Hur, 16, was in the bus when the driver yelled out, "Get out of the vehicle! Everyone out!" People fled in a panic, he said, and the bus was hit an instant later
The attack occurred in an area where Jerusalem is building a new train system. The project has turned many parts of the city into a big construction zone.
Police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said the man was an Arab from east Jerusalem and had a criminal background.
Israels national rescue service said at least 22 people were wounded in the attack, with some 14 people hospitalised.
At one point, a paramedic lowered a screaming baby into an ambulance.
Injured people sat dazed on the ground amid piles of broken glass and *lo** stains on the street. The baby had *lo** all over its face, and the driver of the bulldozer was slumped motionless over the steering wheel.
"Wheres the baby? Wheres the baby?" said one distraught man as he ran from the overturned bus.
Yosef Spielman, who witnessed the attack, said the bulldozer picked up a car "like a toy."
"I was shocked. I saw a guy going crazy," he said. "All the people were running. They had no chance."
At one point, witnesses said police attacked the perpetrator, after which the witnesses said he slumped over with his eyes closed. Then he suddenly lifted himself back up and continued his rampage, the witnesses said.
Hen Shimon, a 19-year-old solider, said the whole scene was a "nightmare."
"I just got off the bus and I saw the tractor driving and knocking everything down in his path," she said.
"Everything he saw he rammed. He had a gun and started shooting at a police officer."
AS PART of our mission to be the People Paper, THE WEEKEND STAR has been highlighting problem areas across the island. Our reporter, Carolyn Johnson, along with photographer Norman Grindley, will focus on a particular area until the problem is fixed. We will then have a rough idea of how long the relevant authorities take to deal with some of the problems affecting our country.
While waiting on the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) and the National Works Agency (NWA) to twiddle their thumbs before responding to our queries on Kew Road and unpainted islands on Washington Boulevard, we will move on to other issues.
Our roving has led us to downtown, Kingston, to the corner of Barry and King streets, opposite the post office where there is a deep pool in the sidewalk. Yes, in the sidewalk. We advise that pedestrians beware as what seems to be a broken pipe, has filled a large drain with water.
When THE WEEKEND STAR visited the area, one vendor selling bammy nearby told us that many persons have fallen in the drain. She explained that it was once filled with garbage, so persons thought they were simply walking through a garbage heap (on the sidewalk). "It look like a de madman coke head dem clean it out (the garbage). De water clean so dem use it to wash car," she said.
"A cover (piece of ply board) was on it and dey took it off," another lady explained, joining in on the conversation as she took breakfast to her friend. She estimates that the drain has been open for about a year. "A lady had hurt her foot and they were investigating...We report it to all the police, everybody."
Looks like they forgot to call the National Water Commission (NWC).
A YOUNG mum was in intensive care last night after miraculously surviving a 100ft fall from a hotel balcony.
Rhian Evans, 22, plunged from the seventh floor in a freak accident in Benidorm when she slipped and toppled over the rail.
But she cheated death after she struck another balcony which broke her fall. Rhian, from Crynant, South Wales, suffered multiple injuries.
She was on holiday with her daughter Chloe, two, and aunt Alison Williams. A relative said: Its amazing that shes still alive and with us.
Doctors have put her into an induced coma.
Theyve said shes doing well and shes going to be OK.
Two men who were already in custody appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday following an incident between both that left one with his right ear being bitten off.
Both men were facing charges of assault occasioning bodily harm.
Allegations are that both men, Ricardo Campbell and Alton Williams, had a dispute during which Campbell bit off Williams' ear.
Campbell, in his defence, told the court that he was merely defending himself as Williams was always 'beating' him up and had bitten him in his chest during the altercation. Williams was awaiting legal aid assistance in a carnal abuse matter involving a 12-year-old.
Bail was allowed for both parties.COPS are investigating the death of a 10-week-old baby boy.
A 33-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman have been arrested in connection with the incident.
A Dorset Police spokesman said today they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the childs unexplained, sudden death at an address in Gordon Road, Wimborne.
The man and woman were arrested after the death of the boy on Friday.
The police spokesman said they were awaiting the outcome of a port mortem to establish the cause of death.
HUNDREDS of innocent workers have been branded criminals by a Government agency set up to protect children.
Nearly 700 teachers, nurses, childminders and volunteers have been falsely accused of wrongdoing by The Criminal Records Bureau.
Although the bureau has apologised for the blunder the workers will now have to go through an appeals process to clear their names.
The news comes as ministers prepare to increase the number of criminal record checks carried out on the public.
'Incompetence'
A report obtained by The Daily Telegraph claims 680 people were issued with incorrect information in the 12 months to February 2008.
David Ruffley, a shadow Home Office minister, said the mistakes were evidence of a emerging crisis of public confidence in the handling of public information.
He told the Telegraph: Jacqui Smith (the Home Secretary) is responsible for this continuing incompetence, mismanagement and delay. Despite obvious public concern she seems incapable of getting a grip.
A Criminal Records Bureau spokesperson said: Since 2004 the CRB has stopped 80,000 unsuitable people working with vulnerable groups with a disclosure accuracy of 99.98 per cent.
The CRB is acknowledged as an improvement on previous checking arrangement, although checks which do not correctly reveal a persons true criminal record are still clearly regrettable - even if they do represent a tiny proportion of all CRB checks."
World 100m record holder Usain Bolt and Veronica Campbell-Brown booked their semi-final spots, but the stars of the 100m preliminary round on day one of the National Championships yesterday were Asafa Powell and Kerron Stewart.
The semi-finals and finals will be contested this afternoon.
Powell, who came out of the blocks blazing, clocked 9.90 seconds to win heat two of the men's 100m ahead of Winston Barnes, who recorded a personal best 10.30.
"I am just using this as my practice going into Beijing," Powell said. He continued to downplay a clash with Bolt. When asked about the final showdown, he replied: "Whatever it takes to get to Beijing, I will be there."
Stewart, in heat three of the women's 100m, stormed to victory in 10.99 seconds to beat Shelly-Ann Fraser, who had a personal best 11.02, and Sherone Simpson (11.11).
Earlier, Bolt, who ran in heat one, took victory in a comfortable 10.19 seconds.
"The goal was to come out and work on a couple of things and that's what I did," Bolt said after his heat.
comfortable time
"I am comfortable with the time. It feels good," Bolt said of the run. "The aim is just to qualify for Beijing, so I am just taking it round by round."
Campbell-Brown's victory came in heat one, 11.28 seconds, which put her ahead of Nickeisha Anderson (11.33).
Nester Carter (10.54), who finished second in heat four behind Jesse Saunders (10.48); Michael Frater (10.20); Dwight Thomas (10.53) also made headway.
In the women's 400m, Shericka Williams (50.91), Rosemarie White (51.13), Novlene Williams-Mills (51.65), Anastasia Le-Roy (51.91), Kaliese Spencer (51.70), Shareefa Lloyd (52.01) and Moya Thompson (52.23) are the top qualifiers.
All the top men's 400m runners, Sanjay Ayre, Ricardo Chambers, Allodin Fothergill, Michael Blackwood, Dwayne Barrett and Leford Green booked their semi-final spots.
In the men's 400m hurdles, Isa Phillips, who won heat one in a season best 48.78 seconds, leads Markino Buckley (49.21) and Danny McFarlane, the silver medalist from Athens (49.54) in today's final.
Ian Weakly (50.08), Adrian Findlay (49.96), Bryan Steele (50.09) and Dean Griffiths (50.27) and Andre Peart, a member of Jamaica's World Junior team, (53.16) are the other finalists.
In the field, Chelsea Hammond leapt 6.61m to beat Jovanne Jarrett (6.52m) and Nolle Graham (6.42m) in the women's long jump.
Phelecia Reynolds threw 45.15m to land the women's discus throw. Genneva Greaves (42.00m) was second while Kenisha Throughsingh (40.55m) finished third in the three-women field.
Julian Reid with a leap of 15.95m beat Ryan Taylor (15.93m) for the men's triple jump crown.
In the Masters 1500m, Lawrence Mendez (4:20.17) won ahead of Oliver Buchanan (4:38.67).
DEADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Relationships between teachers and students are nothing new, but not all couples can hide their relationships until they are ready to come clean about them.
There was a letter published in the Dear Pastor column on Thursday, where a 28-year-old teacher admitted to having sex with her 18-year-old student. Now she is pregnant and while her teenage lover said he is willing to take responsibility, she was worried about how she was going to tell the people around her that he is the father.
This is one situation the couple did not foresee and it raises the question about what kind of message she is sending her students by having unprotected sex and then being worried about the consequences.
And so it is with many citizens in our society. With many sexually transmitted diseases out there and the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy, some people are still not getting the message that they need to use protection.
We do not want to judge this couple as they both choose to engage in the sexual act as consenting individuals and were not acting outside the law. However we hope other people will learn from their experience and use contraception until they are ready to accept the consequences of their actions.
No matter how much you love each other, unless you are prepared and are ready for a family, contraception is an effective delay to having to deal with this responsibility.
Shaq Diesel went to dinner at Dolce Enoteca (yes, in Huntsville) last night and sources tell us he was a "true gentleman," posing for pics and signing balls for the kids.
But he ran into a little issue when it came time to order. The server ran down the evening's specials, which included Kobe beef filet. Shaq replied he "wasn't really in the mood for anymore Kobe," opting instead for the chicken.
No need to chew him and spit him out again
Woman run over by car after hitting owl with own car
The sheriff's office says 68-year-old Jean Pearce was driving Sunday night in Keysville near Tampa when she hit an owl in the middle of the road. After pulling over to check on the bird, she was hit by another vehicle. Pearce died at the scene.
No charges have been filed yet against the driver, who has not been identified. The accident is still being investigated.
Meanwhile, animal control officers are checking on the condition of the owl.
Monique Campbell, one of the women, appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
Atkinson told the court that both had an argument about abortion, and Campbell allegedly told her that she was going to throw faeces on her.
The court was told that Atkinson also armed herself with faeces in anticipation of the attack by Campbell. The court was also told that on the day of the attack, Atkinson saw Campbell coming down the road with a bag in one hand and a knife in the other.
She said when the accused got near to her, she threw the faeces on the complainant. A tussle developed between the two, during which Campbell was stabbed over the eye.
Atkinson then went to the police, who arrested and charged Campbell with assault at common law.
After listening to both sides, presiding Resident Magistrate Glen Brown said he felt the matter should be dealt with by a lay magistrate, and so transferred the matter to the Lay Magistrate's Court to be mentioned on July 28.
-- Edited by stewartlil at 14:39, 2008-07-03
Oniel Simms who appeared before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Friday pleaded guilty to charges of possession of, dealing in and taking steps to export cocaine.
Allegations are that Simms who is from Clarendon boarded a flight to Panama when his luggage was checked and three bottles of apple juice were found with cocaine.
When RM Glen Brown asked Simms where did he get the cocaine, he stated, "Your honour I saw two guys running in the airport and they dropped a bag and I took up the bag and I found the three bottles of apple juice."
RM Glen Brown told Simms that, "The Court of Appeal says I have to listen to the stupidness you are now saying so I will listen then sentence you."
He was sentenced to two years in prison.
Buju Banton - file
Popular artiste, Buju Banton was voted Most Educational Entertainer at the 2008 International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA), held recently in New York. In addition, his award-winning hit song, 'Driver A' is featured on the popular video game 'Grand Theft Auto IV'.
Banton, who is also in the process of completing his roots album Rasta Got Soul was featured on the July cover of Global Rhythm magazine's annual Crucial Reggae issue celebrating Jamaican music and culture.
Writer Wes Orshoski who travelled to Kingston to meet with the icon, says, "If you're profiling a musician, you want him and his music to be relevant and you want that musician to have a tale, one that bounds off the page. Buju is such a musician ... He has a complex, intriguing story, one that continues to unravel a little bit more every few months. As an interview subject, you get a charge just being around him."
SYDNEY (Reuters) - A man who put his life up for auction on eBay found it wasn't worth quite as much as he thought when he settled for around A$100,000 ($96,000) less than his target price.
Ian Usher, 44, held the seven-day auction of all his belongings, including his three-bedroom home in the west Australian city of Perth and a trial for his job at a rug store, after the break-up of his five-year marriage.
Bids had reached as high as A$2.2 million, only for Usher to discover there had been a glitch on eBay's system which allowed the participation of non-registered bidders who had put in bogus offers.
In the end, the winning bidder agreed to pay A$399,300 ($380,286) for all of Usher's worldly goods, which also include his friends, a motorcycle and a jetski. According to the eBay website, the mystery buyer, whose user name is "mslmcc," is in Australia and has a 100 percent feedback score.
Usher, who gave regular updates on the auction on his Web site www.alife4sale.com, now plans to travel in search of a new life.
He's not the first person to put his life on the block.
American John Freyer started All My Life For Sale (www.allmylifeforsale.com) in 2001 and sold everything he owned on eBay, later visiting the people who bought his things.
Adam Burtle, a 20-year-old U.S. university student, offered his soul for sale on eBay in 2001, with bidding hitting $400 before eBay called it off, saying there had to be something tangible to sell. Burtle later admitted he was a bored geek.
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