For the last couple of weeks I have been debating with other football fans about who is the better player.Now MediaZoneJa this your chance to express your feelings about who is the better player, Manchester Utd's talismanic winger Cristiano Ronaldo or Barcelona's wonder kid Lionel Messi.

WHEN U AVE HAD A HARD DEY AT WORK OR SCHOOL, WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM YOUR MAN WHEN U GET HOME? 

There was no fire, but the ground was hot enough in a Colorado Springs park to burn through an eight year old boys shoes and cause at least second degree burns on his feet. The boy went the hospital. His Crocs style shoes that were left behind have big holes with burned edges.

Firefighters want to know whats causing the ground to get so hot near Golden Hills Park in the Rockrimmon neighborhood.  Battalion Chief, Kent Matthews says, "In my twenty-four years I haven't witnessed this kind of occurrence. So it's unique.

After the boy was treated and sent to the hospital firefighters took surface readings that showed hard to believe temperatures. According to Chief Matthews, "The highest temperature we got at the surface of the soil with the sun shining on it was 800 degrees, which is pretty darn significant. Radiant heat from the sun will get it up around 150, 160 degrees, but not to that level."

Firefighters have taped off the area and are monitoring it until they can figure out what's causing the ground to get so hot.  Tests by hazmat team members show there are no dangerous gases.  Crews have cut a fire-line around the area to prevent the heat from potentially starting a wildfire. 

Early assessments show the problem area is coal dust.  Neighbors say the area has appeared blackened as long as they can remember.  What has to be determined is if it was dumped here years ago or if there's something happening underground.  Crews from the state geological are on the way to figure out an explanation.

 

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. - A millionaire convicted of helping his wife keep two Indonesian housekeepers as virtual slaves was sentenced Friday to more than three years in prison, ending a trial that shed light on the often little-seen exploitation and abuse of domestic workers.

International perfume maker Mahender Sabhnani, 51, was sentenced to 3 1/3 years and fined $12,500. He was convicted in December on a 12-count federal indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens.

The victims testified that they were beaten with brooms and umbrellas, slashed with knives, and forced to climb stairs and take cold showers for misdeeds that included sleeping late or stealing food from the trash because they were poorly fed.

On Thursday, Sabhnani tearfully watched as his wife, Varsha, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. On Friday, she dabbed her eyes as she saw her husband meet his own fate.

Prosecutors contended Varsha Sabhnani was primarily responsible for inflicting years of abuse on the poorly educated servants.

Her husband, they said, allowed the conduct to take place and benefited from the work the women performed in their $2 million Long Island home; he operated the business from an adjacent office.

"The mister didn't know about it. The mister was nice. The mister didn't hear. The mister didn't shout," said defense attorney Stephen Scaring, recounting the victims' testimony while arguing for home confinement instead of prison.

"He was the master," countered prosecutor Mark Lesko. "By holding slaves, Mahender Sabhnani violated every notion of freedom that we enjoy in America."

"He had to know what was going on under his roof, and he needs to be punished," the prosecutor said.

Judge Arthur Spatt said that although Mahender Sabhnani did not personally inflict abuse, he must have been aware of it.

"He's a success story: The immigrant who came to this country and succeeded in business. He had to know all these dreadful things and did nothing," the judge said.

The husband is originally from India, and the wife from Indonesia. Both are naturalized U.S. citizens.

One of the workers arrived in the Sabhnanis' Muttontown home in 2002; the second came in 2005. The Sabhnanis immediately confiscated the servants' passports and other travel documents, the women testified.

Prosecutors said the "punishment that escalated into a cruel form of torture" ended in May 2007, when one of the women fled early on Mother's Day. She wandered into a Dunkin' Donuts wearing nothing but rags, and employees called police.

The husband pleaded for freedom at his sentencing, saying the couple's four children wonder, "'Who's going to help us? How can we do it on our own?' Every day, I look at fear in their eyes."

The grown children sat stoically in the front row as he spoke.

"This is a case that has been devastating to this family," said Scaring, the defense attorney. "They are mocked, they are ridiculed, they are laughed at."

A hearing on whether the couple must forfeit their mansion was postponed until July 11.

For little more than a week, residents of 'Backland', lower Jones Avenue in Spanish Town, St Catherine, have been under attack from the Clansman Gang, the Spanish Town police say.

The police were forced to intervene and maintain a 24-hour presence in Backland, fearing possible deaths.

The feud was reportedly sparked sometime last week when men from Backland were contracted to carry out debushing work around a sewerage plant which adjoins their community.

As they were about to begin working, the workers reportedly received word that the Clansman gang should receive half the earnings ($30,000) which was already to be shared between approximately 16 men.

The workers refused to give in to the gang's extortion demands and since then, though no one has been injured, there has been multiple reports of gunfire in the community, leaving some residents scared and feeling trapped.

'Mi fraid'

"People all fraid fi send dem pickney go skool," one resident of Backland said. Another resident added, " Bway mi fraid and mi naw tell nuh lie 'cause wi can't even walk in peace, mi haffi go pon di road go work and dem might si mi."

Head of the Spanish Town police, Superintendent Terrence Bent, told theWEEKEND STAR that the police were indeed aware of the feud and are working towards bringing peace.

"...We are planning to keep a meeting between the two sides to come to some understanding," said Superintendent Bent.

When theWEEKEND STAR visited the community, a small group of about five policemen were seen patrolling a section.

"Di police affi deh yah rite through di day, 'cause by six inna di evening, everybody lock in, even though dem a come fire shot anytime a day or night,"one resident said.

Clansman gang and the men from Backland have been at odds since March when Robert 'Robbie' Thicket, a high-ranking Clansman member, was murdered.

Thicket's torso was found in a shallow grave on Jones Avenue, St Catherine.

Everybody ah talk ah bagga tings about why Donia and Khaos dem stop deal. And from what me know, is like Donia used to deal with Nadz but him never did a wife her up and ah treat her like a girl of that caliber ought to be treated and then him dish her dirt, and start talk up to her friends dem. And ah so now, Khaos and she start talk and feelings develop and dem fall in love but it wasnt just a fling ting, is a real emotional ting and dem together fi almost two years now, but Donia vex because him say him friend should never go deal wid him ex-girl and that means him is a traitor. So the man dem no deal from dem time de, even though Khaos rate him down to the ground him walk pon, and even pay fi shoot dem first video together. Somebody need fi write a book about relationship boundaries still but mi haffi say Donia coulda have a point if him did a treat Nadz good, but what you think people?

J.LO TO TESTIFY ON '99 SHOOT Jennifer Lopez and Sean C****s in 2000. Last updated: 8:17 am June 27, 2008 After nearly a decade of keeping mum, J.Lo will be forced to testify in a lawsuit over a 1999 nightclub shooting involving her ex-boyfriend Sean "Diddy" C****s. Jennifer Lopez last week was served with a subpoena informing her she will be asked to tell all she knows at an upcoming deposition. The subpoena came from lawyers for Natania Reuben, a woman who was shot in the face during the melee and has lobbed a $130 million lawsuit against C****s and jailed Jamal "Shyne" Barrow. Lopez, who was with C****s at the now-defunct Club New York on the night of the Dec. 27, 1999, shooting, was not called as a witness at the criminal trial of her ex-boyfriend and Shyne and has never publicly recounted what she saw

am a 26-year-old woman who has been having sex with a lot of men. The worst thing about it is that I also have sex with my cousin. I need help.

Please, help me, pastor.

T.S., New York, USA

Dear T.S.,

You are exposing yourself to danger. God is able to help you. You are lacking self- control. But I also believe that you should see a Christian psychologist. Do so early.

Cairo, Egypt A student that was doing one of the most feared national secondary school tests, tried to commit suicide by jumping out of the window of a second floor because the test, according to a local newspaper, was just too hard.

About 15 minutes after the test sheets were given to the students, Mohammed Ibrahim rushed himself towards the window and tried to jump out of the building located in Hihyah, about 60 miles north from Cairo, informed the local newspaper Al Masrim al Yum.

However, the teacher was able to get help and managed to stop him before doing so. They took him back to the classroom and called the authorities. As today, Mohammed is still in police custody.

The same test has caused major hysteria in many other egyptian schools. It even has made some of the students to faint as soon as they start reading.

Each year, financial and psychological pressure is caused to egyptian students and their families by this general test known as Thanawiya Amma, a crucial step for the students future and social status in a country where quality of life depends in great part of education.

A MUM who left her three-year-old daughter to die from malnutrition in her bedroom and did not find her body until two days after her death was jailed for 12 years today.


Tiffany Wright died in "squalor, filth and degradation" when she was entirely neglected by her parents at the pub they ran in Sheffield last year.


Today at Sheffield Crown Court, Sabrina Hirst, 22, was jailed for 12 years after previously admitting manslaughter.

Her husband, Robert Hirst, 44, was jailed for five years after admitting child cruelty.


The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Alan Goldsack QC, described the case as "about as bad a case of child manslaughter as there can be."


Appalling


The judge heard the circumstances of Tiffanys death were truly appalling.


He was told how the little girls body was found decomposing by police in a beetle infested room at the Scarbrough Arms, in Upperthorpe, Sheffield in September last year.


A pathologist said she had been dead for between two and three days and tests showed she had not eaten or drunk anything for at least 20 hours, probably more.


The court heard Tiffany died from bronchial pneumonia which was a direct result of malnutrition.


Opening the case, Jeremy Richardson QC told the judge Tiffany died because she simply had not been fed or given fluids.


CCTV film found in the pub showed Sabrina Hirst carrying on working in the bar in the days before her daughters death.


At one point she is heard talking on the phone showing concern about whether her dogs had been fed.


Even Sabrina Hirsts own barrister admitted his clients version of events was that she last checked on her poorly daughter at 7am on the Friday before she found her body in the early hours of Sunday, September 30.


An analysis of her bones showed she had been subjected to intermittent malnutrition for a prolonged period of time.

Mr Richardson explained how the family lived above the pub where Tiffany was brought up in circumstances of abject squalor and degradation.


He said the couple would regularly go out leaving the little girl with no supervision in a flat which was covered in dog faeces and had bare electrical cables exposed from wall sockets.



The court heard Robert Hirst, who became involved with his wife in 2004 and married her in 2006, initially wanted to formally adopt Tiffany but later seemed to become more detached from her.


One witness said she saw him shout at the three-year-old: You little bitch. Eat your f****** food.


He told police he was working as a delivery drivers mate in the week before Tiffany died and did not see her.


The court heard how the pubs CCTV caught him talking to his sobbing wife after they had found Tiffany in her room and before the police arrived.


He was heard to say: Weve f***** it all up and Were going to get banged up for this.


The court heard how Tiffany was about one and a half stone (9kg) at the time of her death and was 3ft 4ins tall.


She had put on less than a kilo in weight in the last two years of her life.


The couple had also admitted child cruelty in relation to a child who cannot be named for legal reasons.


The couple left Tiffany often unattended and locked in the living quarters, he said.


Judge Goldsack said social services had warned Mrs Hirst to stop doing this but she had brushed their concerns aside.


He said: One almost unbelievable piece of evidence is that on what was probably Tiffanys last day alive you, Sabrina Hirst, were discussing on the phone concerns you had about one of your dogs weight and feeding problems.


The judge concluded: In my judgment all those factors make this about as bad a case of child manslaughter as there can be

ON reflection, it really wasnt worth trying to retrieve the cigarette lighter that fell down this hole in a busy street.

But this sozzled bloke couldnt resist and ended up stuck in the hole dug for a new lamppost.

The mid-20s man who didnt give his name spent the next TWO HOURS waiting to be rescued.

Passers-by failed to budge him, so he had to be pulled out by firefighters in Swansea.

To make matters worse, 100 giggling shoppers looked on, filming his embarra**ment on phone cameras.

 

One onlooker, builder Gareth Hughes, 29, said yesterday: He was wedged in so tight wed have pulled his arms out of their sockets if wed pulled any harder.

 

 

 

He was stuck fast, right up to his chest.

We were all stood around this unfortunate man in the hole having a right old laugh.

The man said hed gone in feet first to retrieve a lighter hed dropped in the hole and got stuck. Hed had a few to drink. He was in a terrible state.

Even though it was mid-morning, Id say hed been drinking all through the night. He still had a can of lager in his hand.

God knows how he even managed to squeeze in the hole because it was only 30cm in diameter.

Once the firemen arrived, they strapped a rope round him, beneath his armpits, and winched him out.

 

A fire service spokesman said: We used a winch to pull him out.

A lamp post was placed in the hole yesterday.

CLEVELAND - A group of teenagers beat a homeless man to death as passers-by slowed to watch the attack, some of which was caught on videotape, police said.

"The pack mentality going on in the city of Cleveland must end," police Commander Calvin Williams said Thursday at a news conference where he urged the attackers to come forward.

Portions of the attack were caught on a surveillance camera outside G&M Towing Co. on the city's east side. Police said the videotape shows passing cars slowing to watch three teens attack Waters until he staggered into the parking lot, where he was assisted by G&M employees.

"It was just horrifying the way he looked," said Marlo Massey, Waters' sister, who saw her brother's body. "They beat him to death and I just can't stop thinking what was on his mind while it was happening."

Waters suffered from blunt abdominal trauma, a head injury and damaged internal organs, the Cuyahoga County coroner said.

The attackers, who appeared to be around 14 to 17, robbed Waters of a music player and headphones, police said. No arrests have been made.

"I think everybody's a little disturbed over what occurred," Craig Collins, G&M Towing general manager, said Friday.

The crime happened five days after a man was shot and critically wounded while pumping gas in the same area of the city. No arrests have been made in the shooting, which also was recorded by a surveillance camera.

Waters was a welder by trade but had been staying at a Cleveland-area homeless shelter, said Paul Eadeh, a friend.

"He's a good guy, a hardworking person," Eadeh said. "He was just trying to make some money to eat and to live."

Eadeh said Waters worked odd jobs for him at a beverage store.

Surprise! Vagina Dentata!

Somehow, I missed this gem when it first came out at Foreign Policy Passport:

"Later this month, South African women will be able to purchase the Rapex device, marketed as the "anti-rape condom." The rapex, shaped like a female condom, is worn internally and equipped with 25 teeth in its lining. The razor-sharp teeth fasten on the attacker's penis if he attempts penetration. Since the device does no lasting damage to the attacker, it is completely legal and will sell for 1 Rand (around 14 cents) when it hits stores. The majority of women surveyed about the device said they would be willing to use it.

The inventor of Rapex, South African Sonette Ehler, a former medical technician, got the idea when a traumatized rape victim lamented to her, "If only I had teeth down there.""

Look at the little teeth!

The FAQ page for the Rapex is full of delights. For instance:

Q: Is its removal easy once penetration has taken place?

A: Yes, there is no need for you to remove it, as it has attached itself to the penis upon initial penetration it will be removed as the penis is withdrawn.

Yep: it has attached itself with its little teeth!

Q: Can't the rapist simply take a pair of scissors and cut it off?

A: No. The latex cannot be cut easily, the hooks are embedded in the skin and it is extremely difficult to remove.

Oh Noes Mr Rapist! What to do?

Q: Will it cause permanent damage to the rapist?

A: No, not if he gets professional help without delay

Preferably at a hospital. A hospital that will document the procedure, for future use in criminal proceedings. Heh heh heh.

There are some other funny questions, like "Will the rapist be attached or stuck to the woman?" and (my personal favorite) "Can this be worn during masturbation?", to which the manufacturers tactfully answer "No, not at all", rather than "Yes, but only if you really hate your dildo", or "Of course it can, silly, but only if you fancy explaining to an emergency room doctor what a toothed female condom is doing attached to your fingers."

-- Edited by Gangsta Natz at 22:50, 2008-06-23

here is no confirmation yet to reports that the entire board of Air Jamaica has been asked to resign. A report in Wednesday's Observer newspaper said the entire Air Jamaica board was Tuesday asked to resign amid growing concerns within the Government that the ailing national carrier is being badly managed. It is reported that a new Board is to be appointed in two weeks. This comes two weeks after long serving Board member Noel Hylton resigned. There were reports that Board members were split over the decision to grant a salary increase to some categories of employees at the airline. On Monday Prime Minister Bruce Golding bemoaned the continued drain on the country's resources by the cash-strapped carrier. He said then that the airline had recorded US$1 billion in losses for the last financial year. Mr. Golding also indicated that the government was committed to divesting the airline by March of next year. Efforts by the RJR News Centre to reach Board Chairman Shirley Williams were unsuccessful as both her home and cellular phones rang unanswered. Both Finance Minister Audley Shaw and Minister without Portfolio Don Wehby are off the island.

Claude 'Rappa' Clarke, 37, was on Wednesday night shot dead at his home in Brighton district, St Elizabeth.

Clarke was killed as he lay on his bed with his common-law wife and their one-month-old baby.

Police say at 12:45 a.m. Clarke and his family were lying on a bed when a man crept through an open window at the front of the house and shot him twice in his ribs. He died on the spot.

The Santa Cruz police have not yet established a motive for the killing.

The Spanish Town police are now investigating reports that a medical doctor and three other men, including his cousin, recently held down and buggered a 20- odd-year-old young man.

Senior police personnel told THE STAR that the four accused men were taken into custody on suspicion of buggery and further statements are been collected, with a view of bringing formal charges against the men.

They should be charged by Tuesday, the cops say, and will appear in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court the same day.

Allegations in the case are that on Wednesday about 10 p.m., the complainant who was staying with his cousin was told that he should accompany him somewhere.

They went to a section off Brunswick Avenue in Spanish Town. Upon arrival, the young man is said to have been held down by the four men who repeatedly buggered him.

This resulted in the young man being admitted in hospital. Police received reports of the incident and picked up all four accused.

When THE STAR visited the Spanish Town Police Station to confirm the incident, they were reluctant to release information about what is reported to have taken place.

 

TOLEDO, Ohio - A Michigan man was sentenced to 43 years in prison Friday for driving the wrong way on an interstate and slamming his pickup truck into a minivan, killing a Maryland mother and four children who were returning home from a Christmas trip.

Michael Gagnon of Adrian, Mich., had a *lo**-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit and marijuana in his system, authorities said.

Lucas County Judge Linda Jennings called Gagnon a dangerous person. "You have a drinking problem and you don't even know it," she said.

Gagnon, 24, had pleaded no contest to five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and two counts of aggravated vehicular assault.

"In my mind and spirit, I will be serving a life sentence for the pain I've caused," Gagnon said Friday, reading from a handwritten statement in court.

He won't be eligible for release until he reaches his mid-60s.

Gagnon was drinking with family at a bar on Dec. 30 to celebrate the New Year when he went out for fast food and took a wrong turn onto Interstate 280 in Toledo, investigators said.

He drove about four miles in the wrong direction and just missed several other cars before his truck hit the minivan filled with six children and a husband and wife who had spent Christmas with family in Michigan, authorities said.

The minivan was rounding a curve when the truck came directly at the family. Both drivers tried to avoid each other, but the crash ripped open one side of the van, hurtling some of the victims into the road and scattering toys, stuffed animals and bits of gift wrap.

Bethany Griffin, 36, of Parkville, Md., and three of her daughters Vadi Griffin, 2 months; Lacie Burkman, 7; and Haley Burkman, 10 died in the crash along with Jordan Griffin, 10, the daughter of Bethany Griffin's husband, Danny Griffin Jr., 36.

Danny Griffin, who was driving the van, was injured.

Griffin told the court that his life will never be the same and that he no longer comes home to a house filled with children and a smiling wife.

He said he misses helping the kids with their homework and tucking them into bed at night.

"I know my life isn't over, but a large part is missing," he said.

The girlfriend of reputed gang leader Joel Andem has been freed of illegal possession of a firearm.

Tameka Lindsay, 32, shopkeeper of Land Lease, Papine, St Andrew, was freed after a man pleaded guilty to illegal possession of the firearm for which she was charged.

Attorney-at-law Peter Champagnie, who represented Lindsay, argued that she should be freed because she had nothing to do with the firearm.

The Crown offered no evidence against Lindsay.

Adrian Jackson, 26, of Highlight View, Mud Town, St Andrew, pleaded guilty yesterday to illegal possession of the firearm. Justice Martin Gayle (acting) has put off sentencing until July 3. Jackson is being represented by attorney-at-law Christopher Townsend who informed the court last week that Jackson surrendered to the police after the gun was found and gave a cautioned statement.

The facts of the case are that the police went to a dance at Land Lease on March 3 and found the firearm in a rice bag in Lindsay's shop. She was arrested and charged. She told the police when she was arrested that she did not know that the gun was in the bag.

Jackson subsequently admitted to the police that the gun belonged to him. Jackson said he hid the gun in the rice bag on the approach of the police.

Shenika Hibbert and Terri-Ann Thomas, two women accused of unlawfully wounding each other, had their case pushed back until June 30 when they appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday.

The incident involving the women took place at a weekly party in Bull Bay last Tuesday. Allegations are they were at the session when they got into a fight, which ended with both nursing stab wounds.

WASHINGTONFormer president Bill Clinton yesterday offered to help Barack Obama win the White House, although what work he'll do for his wife's former rival remained uncertain.

The Obama campaign is still smarting over some of Bill Clinton's criticism in the primary race, while the last Democratic president remains a popular political draw. But before the two can work together, they have to speak.

Obama and Hillary Clinton have taken steps to join efforts in the last three weeks she met with him privately, endorsed his bid and will campaign with him Friday in Unity, N.H.

But Obama and the former president haven't talked since the campaign ended.

Obama said the only reason they haven't spoken is because Clinton is travelling overseas. He praised the former president and said he's "looking forward to setting up a long conversation."

Added Obama: "He's as smart as they come. He's a great strategist. We're going to want him campaigning for me,"

Speaking to reporters as he flew from Las Vegas to Los Angeles for a fundraiser, Obama said he was not certain what Clinton's role would be, but said he was eager to have the former president's help and support.

"I think that just having somebody who knows American politics as well as he does and continues to be such an enormous draw will be hugely helpful," Obama said. "He's got a great following, including among a number of my supporters."

Kingston is the 31st most dangerous city in the world to live in, according to a global ratings agency report issued earlier this month.

On the quality of life scale - surveying crime, health and sanitation, among other socio-economic indices - Kingston is ranked 137th out of 215 cities.

Mercer is an international agency that rates cities worldwide in terms of personal safety and standard of living which informs investment firms.

According to Mercer, Luxem-bourg in Western Europe is the safest city in the world. Conversely, a person in Kingston is not safer than a citizen of Harare, the capital of Robert Mugabe's violence-torn Zimbabwe. Both cities are ranked at 184.

Unfair
Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields, Jamaica's crime czar, scoffed yesterday at Kingston's low ranking, saying it was unfair.

"I think it is safer here than in Zimbabwe," he said.

"Sometimes, the assessment of Jamaica is too high. Those who are doing the ranking do not understand, for instance, that 80 per cent of the homicides here are gang related," Shields added.

He said people were quite safe in Kingston compared to London and other cities in developed countries.

Murder records
At least 800 persons have been killed in Jamaica in 2008, this May - with 199 murders - being the *lo**iest month in recorded history.

Kingston and St Andrew accounted for 723, or nearly 50 per cent, of homicides in 2007, which was the second *lo**iest year ever with a total of 1,574 murders.

The Iraqi capital Baghdad is the most hazardous city in the world, Mercer said. It has also ranked the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince at 194, one place below Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

In determining personal safety, Mercer identifies those cities with the highest personal safety ranking based on internal stability, crime, effectiveness of law enforcement and relationships with other countries.

Meanwhile, as it relates to living standards, Zurich, Switzerland, tops the list of cities. Kingston has improved one place over last year's ranking.

Weak upliftment
Central Kingston Member of Parliament Ronald Thwaites, who has moved in the House of Representatives for steps to be taken to improve the housing stock in the city, is not surprised by the findings of the report.

"I am not surprised at all. Investment in the upliftment of downtown Kingston has been very weak for many years," Thwaites said.

He added: "For residential accommodation, it is almost impossible to get a mortgage below Cross Roads. If you don't have capital being invested, the infrastructure deteriorates and the human condition is demeaned."

The building of inner-city housing and the enrolment of more persons for social-security benefits are a few ways in which the Government has attempted to correct Kingston's ills. Yesterday, when The Gleaner traversed some of Kingston's communities, the signs of social decadence were rife. Uncollected garbage, a plethora of zinc fences and run-down houses told the story of urban blight.

Stimulus
Thwaites told The Gleaner that he wants Jamaica to use Kingston's unfavourable rating as a stimulus for new interest in the inner city.

Meanwhile, aside from Nassau, Bahamas, which is ranked at 111 in terms of standard of living, and 51st for personal safety, no other English-speaking Caribbean country is captured by the survey.

Havana, the capital of the communist Cuba, is ranked 188th in quality of life.
War-wracked Baghdad is glued to the bottom of the security and quality of life scale.

Source: Jamaica Gleaner

GUTHRIE, Okla. (AP) A 3-year-old girl used a simple song her mom made up to teach her how to call 911 to summon help when mom fainted.

When the 24-year-old and 3-months-pregnant Jessica Eaves fainted, Madelyn used the song "911 Green" to dial for help on her mother's BlackBerry phone, punching in 911, then the green send button to place the call as she had been taught just a week before.

The girl was connected to a dispatcher. In recently released transcripts of her May 27 911 call, Madelyn was able to answer questions about her house and cars outside, leading emergency workers to the home.

This isn't the first time Madelyn has used a cell phone to call for help for her mother.

A year ago, Eaves first learned she had a condition that can cause frequent fainting and made up a simple song around the lyrics "green, green, green." When Eaves lost consciousness back then, Madelyn picked up a cell phone and pressed the green button, which called the last person Eaves had called and that person called for help.

So Eaves revised the words to "911 green, 911 green," referring to the color of the send button on most cell phones.

Deejay Beenie Man, who grabbed DJ of the year honours last year, is once again gearing up to have a spectacular Summer as his latest single, Gimme Likkle for Born So Records debuted strongly at #17 on the Jamaica Music Countdown.
 
The deejay is having another great year as he has continued to perform overseas almost every week, plus he is planning a strong European tour which will see him gracing the stages of several of Europe's biggest festivals for the first time. In the meantime, he continues to dominate on the local scene as his previous single, Wine Gal spent three weeks at the number one position earlier this year on the RE TV, HYPE TV and Jamaica Music Countdown charts. Another popular Beenie Man single is Pickney Nah Hold You which is now #17 on the RE TV Dancehall charts.

Beenie Man is expected to keep his show Beenie Sizzle 08 at the Jamalco Sports Complex in Halse Hall, Clarendon. According to the organizers of the event, Free People Entertainment, there are plans to include at least one superstar artiste on this years already star-studded lineup. Names such as multi-platinum selling artiste Lil Wayne and Souljah Boy have been floated around.

Wat u think if Jamaica should vote for each seat in cabinet other than MPs? Right now we vote the MPs and then the tribe with the most MPs choose the cabinet? From that bunch. Wat u think if we vote who should run the money different from who run youth sector. And in the end we might have a mix of tribes so the government would not have a color or a tribe connection.

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. - A millionaire who inflicted years of abuse on two Indonesian housekeepers held as virtual slaves in her Long Island mansion was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison...

BERLIN (Reuters) - A man caught breaking into a German supermarket late at night escaped despite being handcuffed to railings -- only to be arrested after he ran to a nearby police station to get the cuffs removed.

"It was stupid of him," said a police spokesman in Frankfurt Monday. "They took the cuffs off, but they kept him."

A security guard had cuffed the man and held three others after spotting the break-in. But by the time officers arrived, the man had managed to escape, police said.

Arriving at the police station, the 19-year-old told officers he had been locked up by a friend as a joke, and asked for their help. The officers at first went along with the ruse, "also laughing at the man's apparent misfortune," police said.

However, suspecting he was the missing man from the break-in, they pressed him for details after removing the cuffs.

The man then confessed his role and was promptly re-united with his three accomplices in the station's prison cell.

 

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Church of Sweden will carry out drive-in weddings lasting about seven minutes at a car rally next month in a bid to make marriage more accessible, it said on Thursday.

Undaunted by soaring fuel prices, 36 couples have applied to get married at a gathering of auto enthusiasts in Vasteras in central Sweden, said priest Jerker Asterlund, the scheme's initiator.

"Weddings are getting more and more commercialised and that is not something we have any interest in. We would like to make things simpler and more down to earth when people take the plunge and get married," he told Reuters.

"This is not just for fun, but also a way for the Church of Sweden to show we can take part in celebration and happiness and not just in crisis and catastrophes," he said.

The wedding ceremonies will be carried by 10 priests alongside the focal point of the auto gathering, a motorcade of 1950s and 1960s cars.

A gospel choir and a priest singing Elvis tunes will provide the soundtrack to the festivities, Asterlund said.

"We have added a bit of a Las Vegas touch to it and put up a huge red, neon sign which reads 'Get Married' so one can see it from afar and know where to turn off."

BEIJING (Reuters) - Anti-graft authorities in a southern Chinese city are questioning mistresses of suspected corrupt officials and finding the information is paying off prettily, state media said on Thursday.

Mistresses and "second wives" are common among government officials and businessmen in China and are often blamed for driving officials to seek money through bribes or other abuses of power.

"At least 80 percent of corrupt officials exposed in Dongguan had mistresses who gave us important information that we did not possess," Zhou Yuefeng, deputy director of the industrial city's anti-graft bureau told the China Daily.

He declined to give details.

Besides having mistresses, Zhou said receiving bribes in the form of share dividends was also common among corrupt officials in Dongguan.

"Our focus this year will be on the taxation and medical departments." he said. "However, that doesn't mean we won't be looking at corruption in other areas."

A report by China's top prosecutor's office last year said that of 16 provincial-level officials punished for serious graft in the previous five years, most were involved in "trading power for sex," along with gambling, money-laundering and shady land sales to developers.

The man tun tree. A bear roots sittn him deh pan.mUgly f**king thing enuh! 32 year old Dede lives in a remote village in Indonesia with his two children, trying to care for them. Dede, a former fisherman, has an extraordinary skin condition: he has root like structures growing out of his body - branches that can grow up to 5cm a year and which protrude from his hands and feet, and welts covering his whole body. He is known locally as 'Tree Man' and his condition has baffled local doctors for 20 years. In an attempt to earn a living to support his family, he is part of a circus troupe, displaying his Tree Man limbs along with others afflicted with skin deformities in 'freak' shows. Dr Anthony Gaspari, a world expert in skin conditions from the University of Maryland travels to Indonesia to attempt to diagnosis Dede's mysterious condition. He takes skin samples for biopsies back in the USA. What will he discover? We go on an intimate journey with the extraordinary Dede, as he tries to eek out a living in a circus troupe to support his family, and as he is given medical help by Dr Gaspari. The identification and possible cure of his condition, could change his whole life. Half way across the world, in Romania, farmer Ion Toader is discovered to have a similar extraordinary 'Tree Man' condition, with growths all over his hands. He has not been able to drive a tractor for five years. A Romanian surgeon offers to give him an operation to remove his growths.

A SCREAMING girl of six suffered horrific burns after a barbecue set fire to her dress.

Doctors feared Shannon Davies might not survive after the blaze ravaged her body, arms and legs.

The plucky youngster pulled through but faces weeks of sedation until she is ready to have a string of operations.

Experts said Shannon, who was last night poorly but stable in hospital, had suffered devastating 60 per cent burns.

The accident happened after the schoolgirl begged grandad Thomas Spoors to take her to the bash at a friends home.

Thomas, 56, went indoors to get some burgers from the freezer and Shannon caught her dress on the disposable barbecue in the back garden.

Her grandad tried frantically to douse the flames with pans of water and plunged the child into a cold bath, suffering severe burns to his own hands. But he could not prevent her injuries.

Last night Shannons mum Suzanne, of Wigan, Gtr Manchester, said: Shes bandaged all over and looks like a mummy.

They are sedating her both for the pain and to stop her from trying to pull off the bandages.

They might keep her sedated for four weeks.

Trouble

 

Theyve had trouble finding enough uninjured skin to do a graft. They may shave her hair and take some from her scalp.

Suzanne, 35, added: We were told the first 48 hours were critical and we might have lost her. But now shes over that her chances are much better and she is going to pull through.

The worst burns are on her stomach, elbows and legs. Her face should be all right though we have to hope for the best.

Pal David Barker, who hosted the barbecue, said: It just shows how dangerous they can be.

Shannon is at the Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital and will transfer to a specialist unit for long-term treatment.

Okeechobee - Kasey Edwards said he never paid "too much mind" to alligators swimming in canals in Okeechobee County.

But early Sunday morning, an 11½-foot alligator had his full attention as Edwards, 18, struggled to free his left arm from the jaws of the reptile.

"It's a very surreal feeling. You know, feeling like you're about to die here and you know, praying to God," Edwards said. "I have to give all the credit to God for keeping me out there."

He got away with his life and the gator with his left arm.

On Monday evening, Edwards was in fair condition at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne with his arm severed about 3 to 4 inches above the elbow. Today, Edwards said, he will have surgery. He hopes to be out of the hospital by the weekend.

At 2:21 a.m. Sunday, Edwards was hanging out with friends on Nubbin Slough in Okeechobee County when he told them he was going to swim across a 25-foot-deep canal, according to an Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office report.

Edwards had been drinking alcoholic beverages earlier and may have been impaired, according to witnesses quoted in the report. His friends tried to persuade him not to do it, the report states.

Halfway through the swim, an alligator approached Edwards and clamped down on his left arm. Edwards said he knew the next move was the death roll, when a gator pulls its prey underwater and rolls the victim around to drown it.

And that's when Edwards said he fought back by grabbing hold of a buoy line and not letting go. Somewhere in the battle he used the middle finger on his right hand to poke the reptile in the eye.

That's when Edwards got free, he said, started swimming and realized he didn't have his left arm. But his main concern was to make it to the east end of the canal so friends could pull him to safety.

Edwards said his attack shows something needs to be done about the overpopulation of gators.

"They're not protected creatures. They're nuisance animals," he said.

Edwards said the credit for his survival and quick thinking goes to God, friends and emergency personnel.

"I don't care who you are or how strong you think you are. You aren't going to be able to hold on to a buoy line while an 11½-foot alligator is trying to pull you underwater," he said.

Rappers Lil Wayne and Kanye West were big winners last night (June 24) at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles during the BET Awards.

Both West and Wayne won multiple awards, with West winning the Best Hip-Hop Award During his acceptance speech, the Chicago born rapper brought out Lil Wayne, who was up for the same award.

"It feels good, like a family reunion to stand on stage with Lil Wayne, my fiercest comp," Kanye West said, with Wayne at his side. "Congratulations for selling over a million records."

Producer T-Pain treated the crowd to an interesting performance, which featured a who's who in southern Hip-Hop. T-Pain and Kanye West also took home the award for Best Collaboration, due to the success of West's single "Good Life," which was also produced by T-Pain.

Rappers FloRida, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Big Boi and Ludacris also made a cameo appearance during a medley of T-Pain produced hits, which featured stilt walking women in tight shorts and afros and a midget, creating a quasi freak show on the stage at the Shrine.

UGK won Video of the Year Award for their track International Players anthem featuring Outkast.

"This is hard for me to accept," Bun B. told the capacity crowd. "It's not because we didn't earn it, but it's hard with my bro not being here [Pimp C.] I just wanna thank yall for the support, its been a long road. I don't care what nobody says, its still UGK for life. Long live Pimp C."

The evening's highlight came during a tribute to soul legend Al Green, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton and Maxwell sang a number of classic's from Green's Hi Recording days, including "Let's Stay Together," "I'm So Tired of Being Alone" and others.

Al Green, who recently released his new album Lay It Down which features production by ?uestlove, and James Poyser, was elated to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

"I'm so humbled. I want to thank all the people that stood by me when I put out the wrong record and right record," Green said, before bursting into "Let's Stay Together" and "Love and Happiness."

Quincy Jones received the Humanitarian Award, which was presented by rapper Queen Latifah.

Lil Wayne, who also won the Viewer's Choice Award, closed the show with a rousing rendition of his hit single "Lollipop," taken from his blockbuster album The Carter III.

"I would be nothing without god. Cash Money Records. Everybody in here, we are nothing but god," Lil Wayne said.

Other performers and presenters during the evening included a new, shapely Lil Kim, Rihanna, SWV, David Banner, EnVouge, Alicia Keys, Usher, Ciara, Chris Brown, TLC, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Gabrielle Union and numerous others.

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader accused Sen. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic Party nominee, of downplaying poverty issues, trying to "talk white" and appealing to "white guilt" during his run for the White House.

Nader, a thorn in the Democratic Party's side since the 2000 presidential election, has taken various shots at Obama in recent days while ramping up his latest independent run for president.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Rocky Mountain News on Monday, he said he is running because he believes Democrats, like Republicans, are too closely aligned with corporate interests.

Economic exploitation

Nader was asked if Obama is any different than Democrats he has criticized in the past, considering Obama's pledge to reject campaign contributions from registered lobbyists.

"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American," Nader said. "Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards."

The Obama campaign had only a brief response, calling the remarks disappointing.

Asked to clarify whether he thought Obama does try to "talk white," Nader said: "Of course.

"I mean, first of all, the number one thing that a black American politician aspiring to the presidency should be is to candidly describe the plight of the poor, especially in the inner cities and the rural areas, and have a very detailed platform about how the poor is going to be defended by the law, is going to be protected by the law, and is going to be liberated by the law," Nader said. "Haven't heard a thing."

"We are obviously disappointed with these very backward-looking remarks," Obama campaign spokeswoman Shannon Gilson said.

Plans to visit DNC

Nader said he plans to travel to Denver during this summer's Democratic National Convention, hoping to highlight an alternative agenda that he thinks the party should pursue. His appearance in the city is sure to anger some Democrats who believe his presence on the ballot during the contested 2000 election cost Al Gore votes, helping Republican George Bush win the disputed election.

Nader rejects that blame, saying Democrats "scapegoated" him instead of looking at other factors that contributed to the defeat.

'Appeal to white guilt'

Nader said he is not impressed with Obama and that he does not see him campaigning often enough in low-income, predominantly minority communities where there is a "shocking" amount of economic exploitation.

He pointed to issues like predatory lending, shortages of health care and municipal resources, environmental issues and others.

"He wants to show that he is not a threatening . . . another politically threatening African-American politician," Nader said. "He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up."

TWENTY Iraqis burst out of WHEELIE BINS after hiding in them to sneak into Britain.

 

The illegal immigrants scarpered in every direction as a lorry delivered the new bins to a council.

Five were arrested as police raced to the scene after shocked bystanders battled in vain to catch them 35 miles from the Channel Tunnel.

Last night the rest were still on the run.

The illegals all male aged 16 to 20 spent three hours squashed in the bins after the truck from Spain stopped to pick up its cargo in France.

Amazed staff at a bus depot spotted them smashing their way through the lorrys ROOF as it pulled up outside council offices in Maidstone, Kent.

A source said yesterday: About 20 men burst out of the truck as it came to a stop.

They didnt come out the back they punched their way through the roof and started running off in all directions.

 

They had been hiding inside the wheelie bins for the whole journey.

 

Staff at the bus depot rang the police and tried to hold one of them until officers arrived. But he was struggling violently and they couldnt keep hold. It was shocking.

Frightened

The source added: The bus staff were obviously frightened for their own safety.

 

The five arrested were found lurking in a nearby street.

Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said: They were swiftly and successfully transferred to our specialist teams of officers within hours.

Three were aged 20 and two aged 16.

One of the older illegals is due to appear before magistrates.

One 16-year-old was released without charge.

A spokesman for Migration Watch UK said of the bins scam: Anyone who tries this should be automatically refused asylum.

Maidstone Borough Council confirmed the lorry left Spain last week and picked up the wheelie bins before heading through the Chunnel.

BOSTON (AP)The Gatorade-stained shirt worn by Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers as the team won its first NBA championship in 22 years has been auctioned for $55,000.

An anonymous bidder bought the shirt, autographed by Rivers and Celtics star Paul Pierce, and the accompanying Gatorade bucket at a charity auction on sports radio WEEI-AMs Web site. The proceeds will benefit the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation.

The foundation said Tuesday the high bid of $35,000 came from an anonymous bidder. Gatorade and a second anonymous donor each pledged $10,000 to bring the total to $55,000.

Celtics managing partner and foundation president Steve Pagliuca offered a personal donation of $35,000 to the charity if the winning bidder would share the shirt at certain times for display. No word yet on whether the bidder will accept the offer.

According to Eonline.com, One avid fanor a very sloppy dresserpaid a whopping $43,750 for the fake-*lo**-stained outfit James Gandolfini's iconic mob boss was wearing when his dementia-addled Uncle Junior shot him in the gut in The Sopranos' season-six opener.

The red-spattered pants, undershirt and black and gray-striped button-down was the top-grossing lot auctioned off Wednesday at Christie's in New York to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, a cause close to Gandolfini's heart that helps out soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Overall, Tony's garb brought in $187,750.

The second-biggest seller, for $21,250, was a four-piece set containing boxer shorts, a sleeveless undershirt, slippers and the blue, yellow and red-striped bathrobe Tony wore in multiple scenes that took place in the Soprano family's New Jersey manse.

Gandolfini, who after winning three Emmys playing the New Jersey Family man produced and appeared in the HBO interview special Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, was on hand to see the items zoom past their estimated $1,500 value.

Cementing the appeal of oversize loungewear, the lavender-trimmed tan robe with an S insignia that Tony was wearing in the pilot when he first got fed the fickle ducks that landed him in therapy fetched $13,750.

In addition to Gandolfini's entire wardrobe, which was separated into 25 lots, costumes belonging to Domanic Chianese (Junior Soprano), Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts) and Robert Iler (A.J. Soprano) were also on the block today.

It could be a long time before Omar Khan goes to college: as long as 38 years, according to Orange County prosecutors, who have arrested and charged the 18-year-old student with breaking into his prestigious high school and hacking into computers to change his test grades from Fs to As.

If convicted on all 69 counts, including altering and stealing public records, computer fraud, burglary, identity theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy, Mr Khan could spend almost four decades in prison.

He is currently being held on $50,000 (£25,500) bail and is scheduled to appear in court today.

Mr Khans defence lawyer, Carol Lavacol, described her client as a really nice kid and said: Theres a lot more going on than meets the eye.

Prosecutors claim that between January and May, Mr Khan, who lives in Coto de Caza, one of Orange Countys oldest and most expensive gated communities, repeatedly broke into Tesoro High School, which was made famous by the reality TV series Real Housewives of Orange County.

In an alleged plot that resembles the script to the 1986 high school comedy Ferris Buellers Day Off, prosecutors claim that he then used teachers passwords to hack into computers and change his test scores. In at least one test, an English exam, Mr Khan had been given an F grade because he was caught cheating.

Prosecutors claim that the teenager, who is alleged to have broken into the school late at night with a stolen master key, also changed the grades of 12 other students, and that he installed spyware on school hard drives that allowed him to access the computers from remote locations.

Tesoro High has 2,800 pupils and often appears in Newsweek magazines annual list of best high schools.

Mr Khans plan, the prosecution argues, was to get a place at one of the colleges within the University of California system. After his application was rejected, he requested copies of his student records, known as transcripts in the US educational system, so he could appeal. But when teachers looked at his files and noticed all the A grades that had magically appeared next to all the courses he had taken they realised something was wrong.

School administrators alerted law enforcement after noticing a discrepancy in Mr Khans grades, the Orange County District Attorneys office said. Subsequent investigation revealed that Mr Khan was in possession of original tests, test questions and answers, and copies of his altered grades. Khan is accused of stealing master copies of tests, some of which were e-mailed to dozens of students.

The case has once again raised the question of whether technology, in particular mobile phones that can access the internet, has resulted in an epidemic of cheating in the high-school system. The Orange County Register, a local newspaper, asked its readers yesterday to respond to a poll asking if technology is giving [students] an advantage, or whether it is just the same stuff using new tools.

Another student, Tanvir Singh, also 18, is accused of conspiring with Mr Khan and faces up to three years in prison. The pair allegedly exchanged text messages last month while organising a break-in.

Jim Amormino, of the local sheriffs department, said that he was astonished by the sophistication of the scheme, especially given the age of the defendants. I think they [now] wish they would have put their talents into studying, he said.

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 Jamaican 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.

CEDAR RAPIDS - Vandals stoned and beat to death about 50 ducks, including some that were just days old, at the Bever Park Children's Zoo overnight.

A zoo employee discovered the dead birds around 7 a.m. this morning. Some were floating in a pond, and others were piled up near a broken rake.

Dave Smith, the city parks superintendent, said whoever was responsible broke the lock on the front gate to the pen and broke into two of the three night houses where the birds are kept overnight.

They believe at least one person herded the ducks together while someone else did the killing.

"They stoned some to death inside the cage with rocks that were part of the landscape," Smith said. "Some of them ran into the water, which is what they would usually do for safety. Once they got into the pond, they stoned them in the pond."

Caretaker Jennifer Plotz locked the birds up at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. When she returned this morning, she noticed a plastic tub overturned, and thought raccoons had caused the mess.

Then she saw the door open to the night house. *lo** stained the floors.

"It's just heartbreaking," she said.

Around 100 ducks were part of the exhibit, and 46 that were inside one of the night houses were not harmed. Several different breeds were featured, including redheads, canvasbacks, pintails, mergansers and teals, Smith said.

A snow goose that was in the group was also killed. All of the birds at the zoo are surgically altered when they're very young so that they can't fly away, Smith said.

Police took a report, but Smith said there are no security cameras at the zoo and no evidence was found, aside from a footprint in the mud.

In February, vandals are believed to have set the zoo's hay shed on fire, causing $14,000 in damage. It was a total loss, but no animals were harmed. No one has been charged for that incident.

Smith said this is the worst vandalism he has seen in 23 years as part of the parks department.

"This shouldn't be a part of life," Smith said. "This is just sick."

The duck exhibit will be closed until the dead ducks can be removed and the ponds can be drained and sanitized. It will likely reopen by Saturday, after more ducks are purchased, Smith said.

Smith said the duck killings will impact families attempting to return to a sense of normalcy after flooding devastated the community.

"It's just a sucker punch when we're already down," he said.

A BABY died from an overdose of heroin, cocaine and methadone while his junkie mum binged on drugs.

Sabrina Ross left 14-month-old son Rio alone for nine hours as she shared 16 rocks of crack cocaine and two heroin wraps with a friend.

Ross, 30, woke from her spree at 10am to find Rio dead in his cot, cl**tching a Winnie the Pooh toy.

The former prostitute was jailed for five years yesterday after admitting manslaughter.

Bristol Crown Court heard Rio had been exposed to his mothers drugs for most of his life.

She often smoked heroin and crack near him. She also left bottles of the liquid heroin substitute methadone within his reach

She told cops she had previously seen the baby holding an empty methadone bottle.

Ross wept as judge Mr Justice Roderick Evans told her she killed her son by creating a completely unsafe environment.

He said: Rio was inhaling Class A drugs and there is reason to believe he ingested methadone. It was gross neglect that ended his life. Your child looked to you for protection and you breached that trust. No term of imprisonment can give Rio his life back.

On the night Rio died, Ross, of Horfield, Bristol, left her flat three times to buy drugs. Prosecutor Giles Nelson said: She was more concerned about illegal drugs than Rios welfare.

Ross currently has another baby in social services care.

OUT OF ALL YOUR MOTHERS CHILDREN INCLUDING YOURSELF, WHO DO U LUV DE MOST?

Criminal Records, an independent music store located in the Little Five Points area of Atlanta, Georgia, has been hearing about the death of vinyl for the last twenty years. Records. They're old news, said Mel Pinson, a store manager, explaining the music industrys long-prevailing attitude. But when you see young kids and college students flipping through the racks, carrying out three or four albums, and new stuff like Radiohead, Black Keys and Portishead is moving like crazy, something is going on.

Whats going on is a 36 percent jump in vinyl shipments from 2006 to 2007, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. In a time when the music industry is bleeding cash, with labels folding and CD sales down 19 percent from last year, the growth rate of vinyl has provided a steady pulse of positive news for music retailers. In January 2007, vinyl albums accounted for less than 7 percent of Criminal Records' sales. Less than a year-and-a-half later, vinyl sales were up to 15.6 percent. Criminal Records isn't alone. Nielsen SoundScan reports vinyl sales shot up 15.4 percent last year, reversing a seven-year decline, and could reach $1.6 million this year.

Retailers are moving to capitalize on the trend. Amazon.com now offers over 150,000 titles on its vinyl-only store, launched last year. You can even get albums at Best Buy now, which is testing out vinyl sales in some stores. Here are five LPs we promise you wont find there.

The BET Awards Never Failed to Deliver with Kanye West getting the most awards



BET Hip Hop Awards Kanye West_edit.jpgThe 2008 BET Awards was broadcasted live from Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Tuesday the 24th of June. The show as always had great performances and several surprises.

Everyone will remember Alicia Keys for her performance at this year BET Awards. It was a reunion on stage for three of the top female R&B groups. During Alicia Key's performance of "Teenage Love Affair" she brought on SWV who performed their single "Weak", En Vogue then graced the stage and performed "Hold On" and finally TLC came out sadly without Left Eye and performed "Waterfalls".

Other performances for the night included Ne-yo performing his new song "Closure". T. Pain was very busy at the awards as he was nominated four times for best collaboration and performed all four songs. He performed "Low" with Flo Rida, "The Boss" with Rick Ross, "I'm so Hood Remix" with DJ Khaled and the closing performance was T Pain and Lil Wayne performing his number one hit "Lollipop". Chris Brown performed his single "Take You Down" with Ciara, Usher performed "Love in this Club" and Keyshia Cole performed "Heaven Sent". These were some of the performances for the night.


Kanye West went home with the most awards this year. He received for Male Hip-Hop Artiste and Best Collaboration for his song "Good Life" with T. Pain. Other awardees included Alicia Keys for Best Female R&B Artiste, Chris Brown for Best Male R&B Artiste and Missy Elliot Best Female Hip Hop Artiste. The Viewer's Choice Awards went to Lil Wayne while the Best Gospel Artiste went to Marvin Sapp. These were just some of the awards for the night. All in all this award was unforgettable.

if you a bow cat or chi chi man keep it to yur self no come pon de zone wid it 

It has been claimed that meats like bolony, and sausages are not healty meats at all. This was mainly due to the fact that some of the manufactures of those companies make there produces from odd animal parts and remains. Do you believe some of these aligations to be true or do you think that its some kinda cruide rumor by vegetarians and animal rights humaniterians?

IF ONLI IT WUZ TAUT LIKE DIS HERE IN JA..

Rapper Snoop Dogg recently left the recording studio, recording tracks for Dr. Dre's highly anticipated album, Detox.

"That record is real it's coming," Snoop Dogg said during an interview today (June 25) on Big Boy's Neighborhood. "You know me, I was starting to doubt it myself and then I went up in there and he played so much music for me it knocked my head off."

Snoop Dogg confirmed the fabled, decade-long project was finished and that the Doctor was selecting tracks for the album.

"I see what he got them waiting for, it's on and poppin," Snoop Dogg said. "He got records, he got heat."

Dr. Dre will also sit in the producer's seat for Snoop Dogg's upcoming album.

"Yea he's doing my next album. I got the title and everything," Snoop confirmed without revealing the album's title.

In related news, Snoop recently released a country-themed video for his single "My Medicine," which features a westernized Snoop alongside Willie Nelson, Julianne Hough, Brad Paisley and others.

The song is taken from Snoop Dogg's latest album Ego Trippin'.

FEMALE CIRCUMCISION SOME SAY ITS A RITUAL BUT I THINK ITS JUST DOWN RIGHT CRUELTY AND A SHAME THAT IN MODERN TIME WOMEN ARE STILL EXPERIENCING TIS HORRIBLE TRAGEDY....










-- Edited by Gangsta Natz at 22:28, 2008-06-08

-- Edited by Gangsta Natz at 22:34, 2008-06-08

who is the greatest?
me know who me think but me nah say yet

-- Edited by camman at 18:11, 2008-06-24

-- Edited by camman at 18:16, 2008-06-24