From the Western Mirror by Sherlock Holmes

Is it Delaurence, voodoo or obeah at work? Call it what you will, lotto scammers are running scared because they fear that some of their victims have now turned to black magic to exact revenge or get back their money.
   Following the shooting death of one of the western city's top personalities who was allegedly involved in the lucrative lotto scam and whose bullet -riddled body was found at a location in Tucker Irwin earlier this week, word on the street is that grave fear is gripping a number of successful individuals in the illegal activity. This because a large number of them have been witnessing strange signs which have led them to belive that their victims have turned to black magic (obeah) in order to get back cash which was taken from them.
  One successful lotto scammer told this report that he was now getting out of the business after a number of their colleagues have seen terrible things taking place in their lives. According to him, there have been recent cases of car keys belonging to vehicles purchased with scam money burning out holes in their owner's pockets.
  "Missa reporter, you no see say di scammers dem a drop out rapidly? Mi go out recently and the obeahman tell me say mi only chance to live is to leave the illegal game now and this may still not be enough."
   He further stated that the obeahman made it quite clear that his victims in America are going to the extreme and turning to voodoo as a means to reclaim their money.
   This scammer noted that in the past few months several scammers hyave been shot dead, taken into police custody or met in some ill-fated accident. And this to him and others is an indication that strong 'science' is at work. Only recently two males who had gone to a certain Western Union in St. James and collected a sum of money reportedly fell unconscious to the ground after returning to their base and had to be rushed to a doctor.
   Strange but true, scammers have heard knocks on theirs doors and upon opening them a white female believed to be a ghost was seen standing outside informing them that she was sent to pick up a package. After startling the scammers, she then turns and disappears.
   The scammer who was interviewed by this writer appears visibly shaken and said that if it was true that their victims have turned to heavy science then they were in serious trouble  and their lives  were no doubt in danger. He confessed that many of these victims have been scammed penniless out of their jobs, lost homes, cars and businesses while others are living in abject poverty or have comitted suicide.
   In the meantime, these cash rich scammers have been using people's hard earned money to have the time of their lives, staging numerous parties and buying out the bar, purchasing one bottle of liquir for as much as $15,000, driving the most expensive, high class vehicles and driving them to wreck, wearing clothing and shoes at the highest prices and valuable jewellery.
   But now, vehicles are crashing and burning up, clothes are being torn without a cause and thousands of dollars are becoming hot as fire in pockets, individuals are dying or are being taken into police custody.
   If all this hocus pocus is true, then lotto scammers had better be on the lookout for a white female ghost at their doorsteps as their victims seem hell-bent in avenging their bankruptcy by resorting to obeah.
   Then again, money talks in any language so it may well be that these lotto scammers will pay for a "higher science" to counter whatever is being inflicted on them.



AS FAR AS ME SEE, NUH CARE WAH MOBAY MAN DEM NAH GO STOP SCAM DEM GO FIND A DIFF WAY FI DO THIS.EVEN LITTLE MAN WAH NUH EVEN START HIGH SKOOL YET A MEK UP TO 2000 U.S. A WEEK.

-- Edited by CONWAY at 12:49, 2008-12-22

Rihanna and Chris Brown seems to be trodding the same road as Jay-Z and Beyonce who hide their love affair from the media and press until they secretly got married.Even though Rihanna and Chris got themselves caught on camera in various positions, which is enough evidence to classify them as an item they both continued to deny being together.According to blogs.nypost.com, Rihanna and Chris Brown took one-step closer to coming out as the '09 Bonnie & Clyde at Z-100's Jingle Ball on Friday.During Chris' set, his leading lady sashayed onto the stage to duet on a steamy rendition of "Cinderella" (a remix of "Umbrella") and "Live your Life" -- thereby turning Madison Square Garden into a greenhouse.Fans have long lusted for Chris and Rihanna to make their love (more) public, but the young lovers insist on keeping it (mostly) private, making moments like this all the sexier.

Addi is still Aidonia's daddy

-- Edited by serjizzle at 15:13, 2008-12-16

Monday Coffee - Milk Sex Tape Part Twice? Nah!

What a way Jah B mek dem draw him out like Nike shoelace? Me ah go be the first one to sign the Bring Back Jah B Petition, we need his brand of thoughtfulness, sage advice and morality that he brings to one876. Anyway, this is why Im hot, weh dem feel like? Ah me buss all the scoops round here, Hurricane Bertha ah forward in the Caribbean Sea so mi ah serve up the Monday coffee nice and black and strong the way yu like it, mi no care if some people get burned, mi have mi owna concept, mi a cut mi owna cheque, run the ting, Kriq. A.K.A, Phlex, Claude Mills and the whole entourage, ah one876 we say.

MILK SEX TAPE PART TWICE
Mi never believe it till mi see it yesterday. From mi come back, A.K.A tell me say him de a Portmore, and one of him friend dem show him the Milk Part Twice tape, but because him have a pap down phone and him coulden get it bluetooth to him phone. But mi finally see it and is a girl getting a backshot, you cant see har face but har complexion look like Milk own, flawless. Claude Mills talk to her and she laugh and deny it. Anyway, mi believe her because this girl have one big rose tattoo pon har leg. Plus, the girls derriere appears to be much bigger than Milks. The clip is titled Milk Part Twice so it come in like somebody out de ah try dem best fi spoil Milk career, but it nah go work.

CHU CHU PRESSURED BECAUSE OF GIRLIES ARREST
Mi a hear a lickle ting in the streets say that since the story buss say Girlie get arrested a foreign fi molesting a little boy, people inna Jamaica ah pree Chu Chu hard because him ah do the same cross-dressing, transvestite kinda acting. Him better come forward and talk to the media soon and differentiate himself fast because Girlie still de a Rikers Island awaiting trial. Him no get dip and de a Jamaica as people ah say, so Chu Chu, sort out the ting.

SHAGGY HITS THE CHARTS
Big up the international recording artiste Shaggy who is number one on the pop music charts in Germany this week with the U.E.F.A Euro 2008 football theme song Feel the Rush. Big up Shaggy, the ting sort out.

C.A.R.E.S CANCELLED!
ONE876 got this release from Carifest C.A.R.E.S : It is with enormous regret that Reggae-Carifest N.Y., Inc. announces the cancellation of the Carifest C.A.R.E.S.  AIDS Awareness Benefit Concert for Keep A Child Alive scheduled for Sunday July 6th at the USTA National Tennis Center. Due to the economic recession and very bad weather forecasts for the day of the concert, very few tickets for the concert have been sold. Accordingly, the only conclusion is that the concert must be cancelled. Moving forward with the concert under these circumstances will in no way benefit the cause. Reggae-Carifest N.Y., Inc. apologizes to all patrons who purchased tickets and assures that full refunds will be made. All ticket holders can return to point of purchase to receive a full refund .
Were wondering if Eek-a-Mouses racist tirades had anything to do with the cloud surrounding this event. Oh well.

NIKKI Z DEFENDS DANGEL AT SEX N THE CITY
What a way Nikki Z ah defend DAngel? She ah talk the tings and ah lick out pon how people a treat DAngel when is jus some pum pum DAngel give wey and all these things. She criticize the church too when she say she dont know why the church neva want DAngel and yet still, dem keep Danny English the raper pon dem show. Yes, ah dat she say, Danny the Raper. How Nikki Z so billias?

BIG UP EMPRESS FUNDRAISING
The young singer, TV and radio host  'Empress' whose real name is Emprezz Eartha Camielle Mullings took the country to task asking for donations  to raise J$800,000 during Child Month for the uplift and renovation of the Basic school.
The campaign was aimed at raising funds to build additional classrooms and renovate the St. Tekle Haimanot Basic School in Greenvale View, Bull Bay. However it has surpassed its initial financial target. All donors were honored at the St. Tekle Haimanot Basic School Graduation ceremony was held on Sunday, July 6, 2008 at Liberty Hall on King Street, downtown Kingston.

THE PEOPLE WAAN FI KNOW
Why Marc Johnson ni-nite never badda keep rounda Shocking Vibes on Saturday night? The funeral held at the HWT S.D.A did pack though, crazy celebrities and all these things.

When we ah go see Johnny in a next roots play? What will it be called? Top 10 Reasons To Leave the Cellphone outside the Bedroom? 

 

The beef with Monster Empire and Kiprich will also reach a maximum on the 26th of December ..my god

Sting might be on everybody's lips but Mavado and Serani are making their marks on the Billboard Hot R&B Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

Mavado's So Special is in its fourth week on the chart at number 53, while Serani is playing No Games at number 55.

Previously, the two songs, which are on TJ Records' 'Unfinished Business' rhythm, enjoyed heavy rotation on New York's Hot 97.

The artistes' manager, Julian Jones-Griffith, said a lot of promotion was done to help get the songs where they are by Phase One Communication in the United States.

"They were basically approaching all the radio stations in the North East. It started at Hot 97 and spread from there," Jones-Griffith told THE STAR.

He said Mavado and Serani have been in the North East, on and off for the past three months, promoting the songs and appearing on radio stations.

Serani appeared as a special guest in Manhattan at a Funkmaster Flex party alongside Akon on Thursday night, after appearing live on Angie Martinez's show on HOT 97 in the afternoon.

In addition, he said No Games and So Special are among the top 10 reggae downloads on iTunes.

the mainstream

"It looks good. It's been a while since Jamaican music has been in the mainstream. So for 2009, it is Mavado and Serani," said Jones-Griffith.

But to propel the success of the songs even further, Jones-Griffith said music videos for both songs would be released. He said Mavado's video was shot by Ras Kassa two weeks ago and will be released in January for the worldwide market. Serani's video will be shot during the holiday season or by early January.

Nonetheless, Jones-Griffith says they are working on making an even bigger impact in the rest of the United States next year.

"It is a team effort and we get a lot of help from a lot of people. But we have to work hard. After this, we have to try and get Florida and the west coast," Jones-Griffith said.

In addition, Mavado will be featured on several pages in Vibe Magazine during the spring, while Serani will be featured in an upcoming issue of Billboard magazine.

He's been teetering on the financial brink for years, yet we've learned somehow Michael Jackson has rented a home in one of the most exclusive areas of L.A. for a whopping $100,000 a month.


The $38 million Holmby Hils pad has seven bedrooms, 13 baths, 12 fireplaces, a screening room and, of course, a cellar for Jesus juice. For sleepovers, there's a guest house, swimming pool and garden.

The deal was inked several weeks ago under a heavy-duty confidentiality agreement.

Adijah Palmer, aka Vybz Kartel, in a recent personal interview with the Star newspaper disclosed various details on his mother,ex-wife, children an d more...

KH [interviewer]: What does your mother think about you being an artiste and about your career?

VK: Anyting mi do, as long as it not illegal, my mother haffi accept it.

KH: What's her name and does she approve of music?

VK: Theresa, not mother Teresa but my mother Theresa. Memba seh her brothers use to deejay, so she accept it.

(Kartel's mother is known to be a Christian woman whereas Kartel the artiste has included a number of intriguing statements about religion in his music.)

KH: Are you a Christian?

VK: "No. mi grow up in a Christian family. my mother and sister are Christian. Mi have a Christian name and grow up in a Christian society but I'm not a religious person. Religion is good to control di masses and keeps society in check. I'm not a religious person, I'm a pro-life person. life is the ultimate."

(In recent months, the artiste has taken to referring to himself as the Devil with a number of religious references. In 'Wha Dat Fah' he deejays, "to how mi -bad mi nuh mus know God." In Weh Dem A Go, he says: "Addi di Devil too hard." he continues in Broad Daylight with, "tings mi do people seh mi mus go a hell, mi seh -mi nuh mus know God." An email entitled 'Is Vybz Kartel Really Evil?' has also been circulating. It claims that the artiste is a free mason.)

KH: So, what's with the Devil thing? Why do you call yourself a devil?

VK: It's just me. me represent everything that is devilish. dem seh God create man from his image, but really a man create God, we create him in our minds, when dem seh tings like dese yuh play wid it, play wid di masses.

KH: There is an email going around that says you are in a Lodge, is that true?

VK: Mi believe inna society. whether it be a society of notion or a society of specific groups or sects, so let's leave dat in di open.

(Unwilling to speak more in depth about the Lodge rumours, the STAR soon switched to discussing Kartel's ex-wife. In 2005, much to the surprise of the entertainment fraternity, Kartel married bank supervisor Stacy Elliott, who lives in New York. After two years the two got divorced.)

KH: You were married once and are now divorced, is that right?

VK: Yeah.

KH: People say you got married to an American to get a visa, is that true?

VK: No.

KH: So why did you get married?

VK: Well, why do people get married?

KH: Are you single now?

VK: No. Vybz Kartel is never single.

KH: How do you deal with female attention?

VK: Well it depends on what kind of attention. it varies from female to female.

KH: A lot of females throw themselves at you?

VK: Duh (laughs).

KH: How many kids do you have and what kind of father are you?

VK: Four mi get. mi know all of dem. mi close to two cause mi live wid dem - Jaheim and Rahiem. As a father, I'm strict and use tough loving.

KH: Do your children listen to your songs, and do you think they should be listening to your lyrics?

VK: Yes they do because what is hidden from the wise and prudent should be revealed to di babe and *u*kling, not to be confused with *u*king.

here is an ebook for those of u interesting in improving your memory.
http://www.mediafire.com/?kmrntuqmylw

Doctors have reported the first ever case of someone using the internet while asleep, after a sleeping woman sent emails to people asking them over for drinks and caviar. 

It was only when a would-be guest phoned the next day to accept, that she found out what she had done.

The 44-year-old woman, whose case is reported by researchers from the University of Toledo in the latest edition of medical journal Sleep Medicine, had gone to bed at around 10pm, but got up two hours later and walked to the next room.

She then turned on the computer, connected to the internet, and logged on by typing her username and password to her email account. She then composed and sent three emails.

Each was in a random mix of upper and lower cases, not well formatted and written in strange language.

One read: "Come tomorrow and sort this hell hole out. Dinner and drinks, 4.pm,. Bring wine and caviar only."

Another said simply, "What the."

The new variation of sleepwalking has been described as "zzz-mailing".

The report says: "We believe writing an email after turning the computer on, connecting to the internet and remembering the password displayed by our patient is novel.

"To our knowledge this type of complex behaviour requiring coordinated movements has not been reported before in sleepwalking.

"She was shocked when she saw these emails, as she did not recall writing them. She did not have any history of night terrors or sleepwalking as a child."

The neurologists say that unlike simple sleep walking, the activities their patient was involved in requires complex behaviour and coordinated movements including typing, composing and writing the messages.

She was also able to remember her password and turn the computer on and connect to the internet, although she has no memory of the event.

It is thought that the woman's sleep walking may have been triggered by prescription medication, although the causes of the phenomenon are not fully understood.

Sleepwalking, or somnambulism, has been linked to tiredness, stress, anxiety, alcohol, seizures, and a number of medications, including some sedatives. Some research also suggest it runs in families.

Sleepwalking behaviour, which usually lasts a few minutes although it can persist for more than half an hour, can involve a whole range of different behaviours. Mostly it ranges from simply sitting up in bed while still apparently asleep, or getting dressed, and walking around in a daze.

However, cases of sleepwalkers driving a car, cooking, playing a musical instrument, and painting have been reported.

In rare cases it can involve violence, including sexual assaults and even murder.

It can include repetitive and bizarre behaviour and can be annoying and irritating for the bed partner.

In a case reported by researchers at the University of Minnesota, a husband would, almost every night, suddenly grab his wife's buttocks during sleep for no apparent reason.

Other activities experienced by sleepwalkers:

Sleep sex

There have been a number of cases where sleepwalking has been used as a defence against accusations of inappropriate sexual behaviour and assault.

Earlier this year, Jason Jeal, a 37-year-old roofer admitted sex had taken place with a 33-year-old woman, but was cleared of rape after insisting he had been asleep and had no idea what he was doing. She was asleep at home when Jeal, who had been a house guest, started having sex with her.

Three years ago, 22-year-old James Bilton was found not guilty of rape on the basis of automatism. He claimed to have no recollection of any of the events for which he was charged.

Somniloquy or sleep-talking

Talking aloud during sleep is relatively common, especially in children. It can be loud and ranging from simple sounds to long speeches and may sound like gibberish.

Sleep dropping

There is a popular perception that sleepwalkers never injure themselves. In fact, falls are quite common. A 17-year-old sleepwalker who stepped out of a fourth-storey window of his apartment in Demmin, in Germany, fell 10 metres to the ground, where he continued to sleep, despite having a fractured limb.

Homicidal somnambulism

A number of sleepwalkers have been acquitted of murder charges. Sixteen years ago, the Canadian Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of a man who had said he was sleepwalking when he drove 14 miles, stabbed his mother-in-law to death and seriously injured his father-in-law. In Arizona, it was claimed that a man was sleepwalking when he stabbed his wife 26 times, and he was acquitted on the ground he was temporarily insane.

Sleep art

North Wales nurse Lee Hadwin is an artist who produces works of art during his sleep and has no recollection of his endeavours the next day. Inevitably dubbed "Kipasso", he has no interest or particular talent for art by day. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...go-online.html

ppl subscribe its onli 40 dallaz now b4 it go up........... u ave 2 sexi lades a host di show dem nice and dem mek u interact wid di artist dem.......... ppl if u ave unno subscribe

At last, the music industry admits what we've known for years: That filing music-swapping lawsuits against teenagers, little old ladies, and corpses is a fool's errand (not to mention an expensive headache for the defendants). But don't worrythe RIAA has something new up its sleeves.
The new strategy (as reported by the Wall Street Journal): If the music industry finds out that you're swapping music files online, it'll send an e-mail to your ISP (agreements have already hashed out agreements with "some" unnamed service providers, apparently), which will in turn forward the message to youprobably with a little "P.S." asking you to stop. [Update: CNET has a copy of the RIAA's form letter to ISPs.]

If you don't stop, well ... your service provider probably won't sue you, but it might slow down your broadband connection, or cut off your service altogether.

So, why has the RIAA changed the play? Well, maybe it's been looking at reports like this one from the NPD Group, which shows that U.S. CD sales continue to slide, while the number of tunes shared via P2P sites continues to increase, despite all the litigation.

And then there's the disastrous headlines, as the RIAA relentlessly tracked down and sued tens of thousands of alleged music pirates. Among them: Kids, octogenarians, and a few dead people.

Reaction to the news? Mixed. Engadget's headline reads (in part): "RIAA finds its soul," with the story noting that while the RIAA reserves the right to go after "heavy uploaders or repeat offenders ... it appears that single mothers are in the clear."

All Things Digital has a darker outlook, speculating that ISPswhich "care about the cost of moving lots of data around [and] want to make money by selling, renting, or just offering up Hollywood's movies and TV shows to subscribers"might be more than content to "cut off file-sharers [or] simply [charge] heavy file-sharers a lot of money."

And here's another possibility, courtesy of yours truly: Say your ISP catches you sharing tunes via P2P. No problemdownload away! But when you get your next cable bill, you'll find the itemized songs added to your monthly charge, kind of like an iTunes bill.

Call it the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" strategy.

P.S. Make no mistakejust because the RIAA has stopped filing new music-swapping lawsuits doesn't mean that it's dropped the existing ones, according to the Journal. Quite the contrary.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/31678
   

Florida sheriffs are searching for three men who allegedly broke into a Lake County couples home and held a gun to their infant daughters head before robbing them. 
Not the real masked man, but one scary dude!

Not the real masked man, but one scary dude!

The Orlando Sentinel reported the residents told police three men wearing masks and carrying guns burst into their Bay Avenue home around noon today and pistol-whipped Anthony Kemp, 25, and Candy Richardson, 20, before threatening to kill their 1-year-old daughter if they didnt give them money. 

The suspects did not shoot the child but left the home after stealing the victims 1999 Chrysler 300. It was not clear if anything else was stolen. 

Kemp was treated at South Lake Hospital and released. Richardson refused treatment.

Police say the suspects are considered armed and very dangerous.

http://blogs.app.com/saywhat/2008/12...-infants-head/

Eminem still lives and records in Detroit, Michigan. The title of his movie 8 Mile refers to the road that divides the city's poor and rich neighborhoods. He recently published an autobiographical book, The Way I Am.

Don't call it a comeback.

People can try to reinvent themselves. I don't think you can really change who you are, though, because who you are is pretty much where you came from and what you've done up to now. You can change your image and all that--you can change your f**king clothes, your underwear, your hair color, all that shit--but it's not going to mean you're a brand-new person.

You want to say, "I don't give a f**k what anybody says." Yeah, you do.

I'm sure people think I've vanished off the face of the earth.

I went for nine, ten years straight, without taking a break at all. I needed to rejuvenate.

I'm a T-shirt guy now. But wifebeaters won't go out of style, not as long as bitches keep mouthing off.

I like it when people talk shit. Because if people weren't talking shit, there would be nothing for me to come back with. I need that. If I don't have any ammo, what am I going to say?

There's obviously a limit to the things you want people to know, but I've pretty much put most of it out there. Maybe people don't know what kind of underwear I wear, what color.

Boxers. Pink.

It's fun to take a step back and hear other people do it, say shit I wish I would have thought of. I'm still a fan of rap.

When people buy a CD, you don't get to sit in the car with them and watch their faces and watch their jaws drop.

The guy behind the counter notices me, but I haven't put an album out in four years. "How you doing Marshall?" "What's up Em?" You pay for the gas, buy a bag of chips, and leave. But I put a record out, and that same person is going to be behind the counter with a camera and a piece of paper. "Can you sign this?"

It's not like I'm going to be a prick to everybody I meet. I keep it cool.

You're not going to say anything about me that I'm not going to say about myself. There's so many things that I think about myself; if someone really wanted to get at me, they could say this and this and this. So I'm going to say it before they can. It's the best policy for me.

Trust is hard to come by. That's why my circle is small and tight. I'm kind of funny about making new friends.

I don't know where to go to meet a nice girl. If you've got any tips, clue me in.

The emotions in a song--the anger, aggression--have got to be legitimate.

When I'm in the studio with Dre, I don't have to worry about the beat. I can just go. That's the only thing I got to concentrate on. When I'm trying to produce a song myself, I'm thinking about the high hat. Is it loud enough? The snare drum. Is it clear enough? This piano in the chorus. Is it too loud? That can be time-consuming.

Within the last year, I started learning how to not be so angry about things, learning how to count my f**king blessings instead. By doing that, I've become a happier person, instead of all this self-loathing I was doing for a while.

The music, I wouldn't say it's gotten happier, but it's definitely more upbeat. I feel like myself again.

Don't get me wrong, the aggression will still be there.

I don't know if I've fully accepted Proof's death, but I think I've come to terms with it a little bit, knowing how to cope. There was a good two years that I was pretty down in the f**king dumps. I just lay in bed and stared at the f**king ceiling. One day, I didn't get up until 7:30 that night.

Not that I don't guide them at all, because sometimes I do, right from wrong. Hailie's twelve now, and she still thinks it's really bad to stick up your middle finger. I think I'm doing pretty good, with what my music is about and being able to raise little girls at the same time.

I would say I'm an excellent dad, not to toot my own horn. Toot.

If you don't overlook the fact of what you look like, then no one else will. I had a complex back then: If I get booed off stage, it's probably because I'm white. There comes a time when you gotta stop thinking like that and just be you.

I want to say I'd be a comic-book artist. That was my dream as a kid. I used to paint and draw. If I wouldn't have had rap, I would have strived to--the past tense of strive, is it stroved?--I would have stroven to do something like that. Who knows? Maybe I would have.

Nobody likes to fail. I want to succeed in everything I do, which isn't much. But the things that I'm really passionate about, if I fail at those, if I'm not successful, what do I have?

Shit happens. f**king happens to the best of us. Really does.

Deejay interviewed by detectives about shooting incident

Popular deejay Bounty Killer, real name Rodney Pryce, was yesterday interviewed by detectives from the St Andrew Central Division in relation to a shooting incident which occurred on Old Hope Road early Friday morning.

The deejay was interviewed in the presence of two lawyers. Another man, identified as David Channer, was also interviewed. They were not charged.

reckless driving

Reports are that about 4 a.m., the deejay and the other man were travelling along Old Hope Road, near Jamaica College. It was reported that the deejay's vehicle was being driven recklessly, causing potential danger to the other occupants of the car. The other car was occupied by a female, known to the deejay and was being driven by a male.

Shortly after, shots, believed to be coming from the deejay's vehicle, were heard. The occupants of the other car, panicked and sped off, but crashed a few metres down the road. No one was seriously hurt.

A report was made to the police and the two brought in for questioning yesterday.

A 60-YEAR-old man who was thrown into the air in celebration at his retirement party died after his colleagues failed to catch him and he fell to the floor.
The case came to light after the man's wife filed a police complaint against colleagues who threw the man up into the air, accusing them of gross negligence, the Mainichi paper reported on its website.

The man died in September, 10 months after the party attended by around 40 people at an unnamed transport company at an inn in Ritto, near the ancient capital of Kyoto in central Japan.

The fall damaged his neck and backbone, leaving him paralysed, and he eventually died of *lo** poisoning, the paper said.

"He worked until the retirement age. We had been looking forward to going to various places as a couple and were excited that we would be able to spend a relaxing time together," the paper quoted the man's wife as saying.

"No matter what I say he won't come back, but I want to find out why this happened." 

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...005961,00.html

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080121/lead/lead2.html

 

Row over schools issuing condoms - Students taped having unsafe sex on campuses
published: Monday | January 21, 2008

Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

   
( L - R ) Lynch, Anderson

Claiming that some students are having unprotected sex on school compounds, youth advocate Lawman Lynch yesterday renewed calls for condoms to be made available in schools.

"All senior students, ages 16 and over in all secondary and high schools, should have condoms available to them in the school system," Lynch said.

Condoms, he said, would be issued by guidance counsellors who would also provide the necessary counselling for students.

Lynch, who is the president of the Kingston and St. Andrew Action Forum Youth organisation, said the harsh reality is that many young people are sexually active.

"I have in my possession videotapes of high school students in Jamaica (in school uniform) having sex on school compounds without using a condom," he said.

Lynch continued: "In one case, the two students engaging in sex have an audience. In another case, it was obvious that the girl was forced to have intercourse with the young man. The most appalling thing is that no condoms were being used."

They're still children

But the head of the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica shot down Lynch's recommendation.

Sylvester Anderson, the presi-dent, told The Gleaner yesterday that at age 16, students in school were still children and should not be engaging in sex.

"I can't go down that road because they are still children and we should be preaching abstinence," he added. "If it's a case to say, we know that you are having sex so use a condom, but I don't want to go out there and give them that licence to practise."

Meanwhile, Minister of Education Andrew Holness disagreed with Lynch's suggestions, saying that it was not the policy of his ministry to distribute condoms in schools.

Holness said the Ministry of Education was cognisant of the need to teach safe sex awareness in schools.

"But we also have a higher duty to teach abstinence at that age," the Education Minister said.

it was said to be that the pasengers where market sellers they were leaveing to go to the market in kingston.The truck turn over in the near gully 15 pple died more are still in the hospital

Pics jacked from ybf...

Here are some old pics of President elect Obama from back in the days...as the ladies can see he always had a mean swagger. Those pics are pimpalicious! He has also been announced as Time magazine's person of the year. No surprise there...pop the hood for more swagger-ful pics of Mr Obama!

Go head and pop ya collar Barack!

GUANGZHOU, China While animal lovers in Beijing protested the killing of cats for food on Thursday, a butcher in Guangdong province where felines are the main ingredient in a famous soup just shrugged her shoulders and wielded her cleaver. "Cats have a strong flavor. Dogs taste much better, but if you really want cat meat, I can have it delivered by tomorrow," said the butcher, who gave only her surname, Huang.

It was just this attitude that outraged about 40 cat lovers who unfurled banners in a tearful protest outside the Guangdong government office in Beijing. Many were retirees who care for stray felines they said were being rounded up by dealers.

"We must make them correct this uncivilized behavior," said Wang Hongyao, who represented the group in submitting a letter urging the provincial government to crack down on traders and restaurants, although they were breaking no laws.

The protest was the latest clash between age-old traditions and the new sensibilities made possible by China's growing affluence. Pet ownership was once rare because the Communist Party condemned it as bourgeois and most people simply couldn't afford a cat or dog.

The protesters' indignation was whipped up by recent reports in Chinese newspapers about the cat meat industry. On Monday, the Southern Metropolis Daily a Guangdong paper famous for its exposes and aggressive reporting ran a story that said about 1,000 cats were transported by train to Guangdong each day.

The animals came from Nanjing, a major trading hub for cats, the newspaper said. They were brought to market by dealers on motorcycles, crammed into wooden crates and sent to Guangdong on trains. A photo showed a cat with green eyes peering from a crowded crate.

Some people in Nanjing spend their days "fishing for cats," often stealing pets, the report said.

One cat owner in Guanghzou said people are afraid to let their pets leave the house for fear they will get nabbed.

Posted here

One of David Copperfield's magician's assistants was rushed to the hospital with a severe injury during the finale performance of his MGM Grand Las Vegas show Wednesday, a rep for Copperfield tells Usmagazine.com.

"During an illusion where David attempts to walk through the rotating blades of a 12-foot high industrial fan, the fan and its platform were being rotated by one of David's illusion technicians," the rep says. "Just prior to David himself walking through the fan, [the assistant] was accidentally pulled into the vortex of the moving fan blades, causing injury to his arm and face."

The Clark County Fire Department confirms that they received a call at 11:25 p.m. from the theater.

"It was reported that someones arm was stuck in a fan prop," Scott Allison, the fire department's spokesperson, tells Us. When paramedics arrived, the assistant's arm was free and had suffered severe bleeding.

The assistant, named Brandon (his last name is withheld for his privacy), broke his arm in multiple places.

"The surgery was several hours wherein the doctors could insert pins and bolts," the rep says. "There was a puncture on his face requiring eight or nine stitches. The Copperfield crew waited at the hospital during his arm and face surgery."

Read more

http://www.urlinxx.com/XQvtU

Real talk tho, imagine losing a $5 million dollar ring!

"You know life is rough when you can't wear your own engagement ring out in public because it's too valuable. Ahh the life of a celebrity.

When Jay Z proposed to Beyonce with an 18-carat flawless diamond ring (est. at $5 million), he also presented her with a imitation version (valued at $5,000) so she can wear it on stage and out in public.

A source tells Star magazine, "Even though Beyonce's real engagement ring is insured, she doesn't always feel comfortable wearing such a valuable stone."

Beyonce publicly displayed her wedding ring for the first time on the red carpet for Fashion Rocks at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. Photogs and journalists went gaga over her bling, so we don't blame her being super cautious. Isn't it funny how her "imitation ring" costs more than most people's real wedding rings?" hollyscoop.com

I wonder when she'll wear the real one then...the Oscars? Maybe...still ballin tho!

HOMESTEAD, Pa. Police said a man repeatedly called in b**** threats to a Pittsburgh-area high school so his girlfriend would get out of class early. Christopher Wiley, 19, of Duquesne, has been sentenced to the time he has served in the Allegheny County Jail since May for the threats to Steel Valley High School in Homestead.

Wiley was sentenced after pleading guilty Wednesday to risking a catastrophe and other charges.

Police said the school was evacuated at least 13 times between May 15 and 22 because of Wiley's prank calls. No explosives were ever found.

Wiley acknowledged making the calls, but says he did so less than 10 times.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081219/...B od7K5ztiBIF

Spanish Town

Police arrested a 69-year-old diabetic man after an 11-year-old schoolgirl was abducted and indecently assaulted in his taxi last Thursday

The senior citizen, said to be the deacon of a church in Portmore, St Catherine, was caught with the schoolgirl in his vehicle at 2:30 p.m. after the police received information that a car parked on the Jamworld complex was foggy and strange sounds were heard coming from inside.

The man is charged with abduction and indecent assault. He appeared in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday and was remanded despite an appeal from his attorney Earl Hamilton. He returns to court tomorrow.

It is alleged that the child was standing in Waterford when the man drove up his taxi. She boarded it, but before other students could come in, he locked the vehicle and drove off.

Clothes undone

It is further alleged that upon their arrival, police found the 11-year-old girl, still in her uniform, on the floor of the Toyota Camry motor car. Closer observation revealed that the man's pants were opened and that oral sex was performed on the child.

In court yesterday, Hamilton told Resident Magistrate Marcia Dunbar-Greene that it was critical for the accused to get bail due to his medical condition. "He has a severe case of diabetes, Your Honour, and needs to get his treatment," he said. But the RM was not swayed. She told the attorney that there is an outstanding statement to be collected and that it is a serious offence.

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Eminem says he and longtime collaborator Dr. Dre are "up to our old mischievous ways" working on the Detroit rapper's long-awaited new album.

"Relapse," a follow-up to 2004's "Encore," is due next spring through Eminem's Interscope-backed label Shady Records.

Dr. Dre put his own album, "Detox," on the backburner to help bring Eminem's project to completion.

"Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days, man," the reclusive rapper said in an email interview with Billboard.

"Just him banging away on tracks and me getting that little spark that makes me write to it. I don't have chemistry like that with anyone else as far as producers go -- not even close. Dre will end up producing the majority of the tracks on Relapse.' We are up to our old mischievous ways ... let's just leave it at that."

A handful of songs intended for "Relapse" have leaked online, most recently "Crack a Bottle," leaving Eminem "really heated. It wasn't close to finished, and it even has me doing guide vocals for Dre as a suggestion of how he could lay his verses down. It's like someone catches you peeping in your window before you got the Spider Man costume all zipped up! Nobody is supposed to see that. We are gonna finish it up though and get it out there how it's supposed to be."

Eminem also responded to producer Swizz Beats' recent comment that he'd submitted a track for the project described as a sequel to the hit single "Stan," telling Billboard, "I haven't worked with Swizz on this album.

"There isn't a 'Stan 2,' and there won't be," he says. "Stan drove his car off a bridge and I'm not writing a song as Stan's ghost. That would just be really corny."

While working on "Relapse," Eminem was also writing his autobiography, "The Way I Am," with Sacha Jenkins. The book has received favorable reviews and has spent time in the top 20 of the New York Times hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list.

"For me, writing an album is an entirely different process from making this book," he says. "The album requires a certain focus of mine that I can't really explain -- let's just say it's all I can really do while I'm doing it. With the book, the process was much more spread out, like, 'Let's get you together with Sacha for a few hours next week. Let's go thru these photos and artwork, etc.' The book was a lot more of a focus here-and-there thing as opposed to music, which totally consumes me every second."

Eminem goes into great detail in "The Way I Am" about how much he was impacted by the 2006 shooting death of fellow Detroit rapper Proof, who was one of his best friends.

"Opening the book with Proof's chapter was real important for me," Eminem says. "Everything from my past moving into my future is marked by his passing. It's sort of like life when Proof was with us, and life after -- a real dividing factor. He means more to me than a book chapter could describe, but I'm glad I was able to put him first, like he did for me so many times."

As for Shady Records' 2009 roster, Eminem says 50 Cent's delayed "Before I Self Destruct" will be out in February. "He's still working on it and getting back together with me and Dre next week to finish up," he says. "I have a couple of tracks on there with him. It's sick."

Afterward, Ca$his will release the follow-up to his 2007 "County Hound EP." Says Eminem, "People are going to be surprised what he is capable of. I produced a bunch of records on there as well."

DJ Merciless, whose single Amber Alert is at #4 on the CVM Hitlist Video Countdown chart, has verbally attacked his old nemesis Bounty Killer, calling him 'Mavado's back-up artiste'. "I am not clashing with Cobra at Sting this year because he is not in my league, he hasn't had a hit song since 1994; I am singing songs that are socially relevant, him ah focus more on managing his buses dem on the Portmore route. I am ready to take on the Killer at Sting but I am not sure he is up to the challenge since it come in like him turn into Mavado back up artiste now," Merciless said. Merciless has been confirmed for a number of shows including his first performance in Portland at the Crystal Springs Family Fun Day on January 1st. He will also be performing at Sting 2008, and the Clarendon Click event this weekend where he is expected to drop some new lyrics about the Killer.

Two German air force sergeants are facing court martial for a sausage recipe that called for pork, onions, bacon, spices breadcrumbs, and their comrades' *lo**.

The soldiers, stationed near Munich, had earlier used their own *lo** in sausage, according to Britain's Telegraph.

Only after the two began soliciting *lo** from others did their weird wienie roasting come to light.

I have been asked to give *lo** for sausage-making and I want to know if this is against regulations," one soldier asked superior officers, according to the paper.

Among the items allegedly seized from the two airmen: a hand-written family recipe. It had a notation from grandma: "Make sure the *lo** is fresh.

A female employee of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and her son are now in police custody facing possible drug charges.

The woman was held on Wednesday after a quantity of a substance believed to be cocaine was found in her upper St Andrew house by police investigating an alleged abduction.

The son surrendered to the police yesterday and investigators say he is to be questioned in due course.

In confirming the arrest of the two, director of communications for the police force, Karl Angell, told The Gleaner that the names of the two were being withheld as, up to late yesterday evening, they had not been charged.

A 9-year-old girl's letter to Santa Claus asking that a relative stop touching her and her sister has led to the arrest of a 55-year-old Pharr man on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, according to a newspaper report.

Andres Enrique Cantu, 55, of Pharr, remained in the Hidalgo County Jail Monday night after his arrest Friday. His bond was set at $100,000. It wasn't immediately clear if Cantu had an attorney.

The girl wrote the letter Thursday and turned it in at Cesar Chavez Elementary School, The (McAllen) Monitor reported. It wasn't clear whether the letter was for a school assignment.

A probable cause complaint said a counselor at the school reported that the student turned in a wish list to Santa asking that the relative stop touching her and her sister. A day later she was interviewed at the Children's Advocacy Center in Edinburg, which works with abused children, and told authorities about the alleged molestation. Police investigators believe the molestation occurred over a four-year period, according to the complaint.

The newspaper did not identify the relationship of the man to the girl to protect her identity.

The charge against Cantu is a new one, created by the Texas Legislature last year. It is part of a series of changes to the penal code called Jessica's Law, designed to heighten punishments of sexual predators.

"Lightning" Bolt donates for children in China's quake zone

   BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Triple Olympic sprint gold medalist Jamaican Usain Bolt on Saturday made a personal donation of 50,000 U.S. dollars to children in the earthquake-stricken Sichuan Province, and wished people there to "get through from the tragedy" and move forward with the inspiration of the Olympic Games.

    "We came here, tried to perform well," said the Jamaican, who claimed the gold medals in men's 100m and 200m sprint as well as the 4x100m relay at the Beijing Olympic Games. "I hope people enjoy the games, forget the past and move on."

    "You have to move forward after the disaster. And also, the Olympics ask people to move forward," he added.

    An 8.0-magnitude tremor hit the southwestern Chinese province and its neighboring regions on May 12, killing nearly 70,000 people and leaving some 18,000 others missing. At least 10 million people lost their homes to the disaster. Liu Xuanguo, vice general secretary of the Chinese Red Cross Foundation (CRCF), presents a T-shirt with the logo of CRCF to Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt during a donation ceremony in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 23, 2008. Usain Bolt, who won three gold medals in the men's 100m, men's 200m, and men's 4x100m relay competitions of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, donates 50,000 U.S. dollars through the CRCF to the children in the earthquake-hit areas of China on Saturday, and invites six earthquake-affected children to travel to Jamaica. (Xinhua/Wang Yongji)Photo Gallery>>>

    Bolt said that he had seen reports of the earthquake on TV for a long time. "It makes me feel sorry for the victims, so I ask my management team to do something," said Bolt in an exclusive interview with Xinhua, after delivering the cheque to Liu Xuanguo, secretary-general of the Red Cross Foundation of China.

    Two children from Sichuan, confined to wheelchairs due to quake-inflicted injuries, presented their paintings to Bolt as gifts.

    "They are kids. They deserve a better future," Bolt said, crouching between the wheelchairs. "I hope they can still enjoy themselves, because they are still kids. And, it's great for kids to live in joys. I just want to help them."

    "I'm looking forward (to) more people coming out and helping them." Bolt said.

    Weeks before the opening of the Beijing Games, Bolt had trained in Tianjin, a north China port city some 120 km from Beijing. He was given a painting there, which depicted Chinese soldiers rescuing kids from under the rubble.

    "I still keep the painting, and will definitely bring it home," Bolt told Xinhua. "I really appreciate it."

    Talking about the Olympic Games, Bolt said that he was welcome in China, and was moved by the Chinese people. He said he was moved to tears on the night of winning the 200m race, when more than 90,000 spectators in the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, sang "happy birthday" for him.

    The Jamaican sprinter just turned 22 two days ago.

WHEATON, Ill. It's Christmastime, not Easter, but the DuPage County Animal Care and Control Center in Wheaton has some rabbits available for adoption 69 of them, to be exact. All of them were found recently in a one-bedroom apartment.

Officials said the domesticated Dutch rabbits that were discovered during a recent eviction, and the female tenant told animal control workers her financial situation had overwhelmed her.

Authorities would not identify the woman nor the location of her apartment.

Center executive director Kerry Vinkler called it a typical pet-hoarding situation, but she said all the rabbits but one were in good shape when they were found.

Vinkler estimates the oldest rabbits to be about 18 months old and said Dutch rabbits have a life span of eight to 12 years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081219/...ig0HCy PtiBIF

WITH one week left for shoppers to fill their Christmas stockings, vendors in Downtown Kingston say this year has so far been the worst Christmas ever.

Kerry-Ann Williams has been selling socks and other dry goods on the sidewalk at Princess Street for eight years. Wednesday Williams told the Observer that since the beginning of the Yuletide season, shoppers were few and far between.

"This is the worst Christmas ever. We never see it like this yet. Nobody not buying nothing at all," a depressed-looking Williams told the Observer.

The Bank of Jamaica earlier this week said cash flow for the season had dipped by 3.5 per cent from $4.7 billion last year to $3.1 billion this year.

Williams admitted that Wednesday was the slowest business day in the city, but said sales were usually better even during the summer. Wednesday the usually bustling and crowded Barry, West, Princess and Orange streets were devoid of human traffic as vendors sat with gloomy faces by their goods.

"We never see it so bad yet, not even pan Wednesday when town lock half-day. The people dem nah spend nothing with we and we don't feel like it going get any better between now and next week," said Nadine Brown, a vendor who claimed to have been doing business downtown for more than 10 years.

Some vendors said the constant hounding by police officers assigned to rid the streets of illegal vendors was also contributing to their demise.

"We done not making any money already and the police dem come and hara** we. What poor people fi do? How we going send we pickney a school January?" one woman asked.

For the vendors of food supplies the cry was the same, low sales and an absence of the usual stream of shoppers.
Nehemiah Henry, also called 'Fatta', sells ground provisions from a cart on Barry Street. Wednesday as he sold some eight peppers for $100, he complained that sales were at a low ebb.

"Things bad especially so near to Christmas. I can only hope it get better by next week," Henry said.

Fish vendors at the intersection of West and Barry Streets, as well as higglers inside the Coronation Market all said sales were low but hoped things would pick up in the remaining shopping days left before Christmas.

November 14, 2007

Flex to settle the score at Sting

It will be a lyrical showdown at this year's staging of Sting with one of the wickedest lyricists in the Alliance camp, Flex going at Deva Brat from The Portmore Empire.

The showdown comes in response to the endless name calling by Deva Brat and now Flex is hoping to end it all on stage.

Deva Brat has recorded a new track in which he calls up Flex's name.

"Mi nah do no song a call up people name," says Flex. "A no dessoh mi ting deh. But him fi face me a Sting and mek we see who badda."

Flex's management team are now trying to see if they can make the showdown happen. So far they have made their intention clear to Sting organizers who in turn are negotiating with Deva to see if he can defend himself.

The two previously had an on-stage lyrical skirmish at the popular weekly session Bembe Thursdays.

Flex, who has been traveling extensively with Mavado currently has a range of tunes getting airplay, with "No Gal" on DJ Wayne's Operation Torpedo riddim leading the pack.

---

Comments




-- Edited by mz más quería veterano on Monday 31st of May 2010 09:29:34 AM

I dont know about the rest of you but im a facebook addict lol, n i think mediazone should have a group on facebook. One should definitely be made to advertise the zone to more people 'cuz i know alot of people who would be interested in joining and being active If its already there somebody sen me di link cuz i caah find it!

 

If its not there, Admin ill be happy to create it  lol

-- Edited by DJ WhoNose at 11:51, 2008-08-19

An elementary school cafeteria worker and playground monitor, who had an extensive career in the adult entertainment industry, is becoming a New Jersey school district's legal nightmare.

Some parents in Vineland, N.J., as well as the board of education president, want Louisa C. Tuck fired, but district officials were advised by their lawyers and those from the New Jersey School Board Association they have no legal grounds to terminate the 32-year-old from her $5,772-a-year part-time job as an aide in the lunchroom and playground, The Daily Journal reported.

"We have no real legal stance or legal right to do anything for two reasons one, it's not illegal, and two, it's not on school time," Superintendent Charles Ottinger told the newspaper.

Tuck, who went by the name of Crystal Gunns when she starred in adult movies, performances and photos, told the newspaper it's been five years since she was involved in the adult entertainment industry. She now also works with children at the local YMCA.

"If this is about morality, our president-elect has admitted to doing crack, and he's our president. Does that make him a bad person?" Tuck said, referring to one of Barack Obama's books, in which he admits trying cocaine. "Bill Clinton smoked pot. Does that make him a bad person?"

As Crystal Gunns, she was a cover model for Score Magazine, made an appearance on the "Jenny Jones Show" and appeared in at least three adult movies.

Source: Fox News

-- Edited by gamepun at 11:58, 2008-12-18

ppl are gonna say its kartel who deserve it, tell me who should be artist of the year and gimme their list of hits for this year

-- Edited by gamepun at 09:31, 2008-12-13

The Senate yesterday voted to retain the death penalty. Three senators were, however, absent. The final count was 10 for the retention of the death penalty and seven against.

Opposition Senator Sandrea Falconer turned up a few minutes after the vote was taken.

Efforts were made by the Opposition to delay the vote until she arrived, but it was not supported by the Government senators.

When the reverse question was asked for those who were in favour of abolishing the death penalty, seven voted to abolish while 10 voted against removing it from the books.

Similar case

Yesterday's conscience vote in the Senate followed a similar vote in the House of Representatives, where 34 members voted in favour of retaining the death penalty, while 15 voted against. Ten members were absent and the Speaker of the House did not have a vote.

While stating that he was not making a comparison between the Senate and other quarters, Speaker of the Senate Oswald Harding said he was pleased with how the members conducted themselves during the debate.

Three senators made contributions to the death penalty debate before the vote was taken.

Government Senator Tom Tavares-Finson, who voted against the death penalty, said while he believed that the system could efficiently and fairly conduct a regime of capital punishment, he could not support it.

"I cannot stand here today in Gordon House and offer a vote for the retention of the death penalty in Jamaica in 2008. To do so would be a betrayal of my conscience," he said.

Tavares-Finson said history has shown that the imposition of capital punishment on a few hapless souls will do nothing to stem the rising tide of criminality and murder.

"Nor will hanging them high or public executions in Half-Way-Tree Square stop this scourge of murder which permeates every aspect of Jamaican life today," he said.

Appeals pending

Tavares-Finson said the eight men who are at present on death row have appeals pending before the Court of Appeal.

"The question may very well be asked, therefore, where have all the murderers gone? Who is there for us to hang?"

Prime Minister Bruce Golding said last month that provided that the Senate votes in a similar manner to the House, he would move an amendment to the Constitution to remove the stricture, which requires that the process of appeals through execution take place within five years of sentencing or a condemned inmate's sentence should be commuted.

In his contribution, Senator Don Wehby, who voted to retain the death penalty, said it should be used only in the case of the most violent crimes.

"I would argue, however, that the law be amended to accommodate a more humane means of capital punishment, such as lethal injection.

Senator Desmond McKenzie said he was in support of retaining the death penalty, although it could not completely eliminate murders.

BAGHDAD The journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush was handed over to the Iraqi military, an Iraqi official said, as hundreds took to the streets Tuesday for a second day demanding his release.

Muntadhar al-Zeidi suffered a broken arm and ribs after being struck by Iraqi security agents, his brother told AFP on Tuesday.

Durgham Zaidi was unable to say whether his brother had sustained the injuries while being overpowered during Sunday's protest against Bush's visit or while in custody later.

Al-Zeidi was turned over by the prime minister's security guards to face further investigation by the military command in charge of enforcing security in Baghdad, the official told The Associated Press.

"He has got a broken arm and ribs, and cuts to his eye and arm," Durgham told AFP. "He is being held by forces under the command of Muaffaq al-Rubaie," Iraq's national security adviser.


The reporter was initially taken into custody by Iraqi security and interrogated about whether anybody had paid him to throw his shoes at Bush during a news conference Sunday in Baghdad, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

He could face charges of insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush. The offense carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail.

In Mosul, Iraq's third largest city located north of Baghdad, an estimated 1,000 protesters carried banners and chanted slogans demanding al-Zeidi's release.

A couple of hundred more also protested Tuesday in Nasiriyah, a Shiite city about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, and Fallujah, a Sunni area west of the capital.

"Muntadhar al-Zeidi has expressed the feelings and ambitions of the Iraqi people toward the symbol of tyranny," said Nassar Afrawi, a protester in Nasiriyah.

In Baghdad, the head of the Iraqi Union of Journalists described al-Zeidi's action as "strange and unprofessional" but urged Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to give him clemency.

"Even if he has committed a mistake, the government and the judiciary are broad-minded and we hope they consider his release because he has a family and he is still young," Mouyyad al-Lami told Associated Press Television News. "We hope this case ends before going to court."

The protests came a day after tens of thousands in throughout Iraq demonstrated in support of al-Zeidi, whose action earned him hero status throughout the Arab world.

That reflects Arab animosity toward Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and dissatisfaction with the president's handling of foreign policy matters in the Middle East.

That hostility as persisted even though violence has dropped by more than 80 percent in Iraq since earlier this year when car b****ings and gunfights throughout the country were rampant.

Nevertheless, Iraqi security forces and U.S. troops continue to be targeted by insurgents.

A roadside b**** targeting an Iraqi police patrol exploded in central Baghdad's Andalus Square Tuesday, wounding three police officers and three civilians, said Iraqi police officer Salam Mohammed.

The U.S. military said in a written statement that troops killed three suspected insurgents and detained three others in separate operations targeting Al Qaeda networks in the northern Iraq.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,467504,00.html
   

Recommendation  

Madonna and Guy Ritchie are slamming recent stories about their divorce settlement. 

The joint statement issued in London came two days after Madonna's U.S. rep gave the Associated Press details of the supposed deal. Liz Rosenberg said that Madonna, 50, was set to hand over cash and property worth between $76 million and $92 million, calling it "one of the largest [divorce] payouts ever." 

But now the couple calls that information "misleading and inaccurate." 

The statement reads: 

"We have tried to maintain a dignified silence regarding the details of our divorce for the last few months whilst accepting the obvious media interest. 

"A misleading and inaccurate statement, specifically in relation to the sums of money involved, was wrongly issued to AP this week. 

"The financial details of the settlement will remain private, save to say that both of us are happy with our agreement. 

"Our primary concern, like any co-parents, is the care and well being of our children." 

The couple whose divorce will become final in January have two sons, Rocco, 8, David, 3. Madonna has a daughter, Lourdes, 12, from her relationship with Carlos Leon. 

http://www.people.com/people/article...s-topheadlines

December 13, 2007

Mary J Blige fights for the gay rights

Mary J. Blige fires assistants who make homophobic remarks because she insists they can't be counted upon. The R&B diva is a fervent gay rights activist and refuses to tolerate people who have issues with homosexuality, this, according to a story posted on a website.

She tells gay magazine The Advocate, "I've heard a couple of guys say foul things, and those guys are not around me anymore. When they say things like that, I'm looking at them like, 'What makes you so scared? You don't know who you are?'

"I don't dislike them or anything, it just makes me wonder about them period... If you're not sure about that, then you ain't sure about a lotta things."

Beenie Man is a grandfather

Moses "Beenie Man" Davis is happy with the birth of his first grandchild, born to his 17 year old daughter last Sunday in Florida. He says that he plans to be a loving and doting grandfather and play an active role in both their lives.

Amidst controversy surrounding her pregnancy Deesha Gaye gave birth at seven months to a five pounds seven ounces baby girl in Florida, where she has been staying with relatives in her father's house.

The proud grandfather is adamant that his granddaughter's surname be registered as Davis until the father comes forward. He, however, does not like the name Destiny that Desha Gaye has chosen as the infant's christian name and plans to have her change it.

CAIRO (Reuters) An Egyptian man said Wednesday he was offering his 20-year-old daughter in marriage to Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad Sunday,

The daughter, Amal Saad Gumaa, said she agreed with the idea. "This is something that would honour me. I would like to live in Iraq, especially if I were attached to this hero," she told Reuters by telephone.

Her father, Saad Gumaa, said he had called Dergham, Zaidi's brother, to tell him of the offer. "I find nothing more valuable than my daughter to offer to him, and I am prepared to provide her with everything needed for marriage," he added.

Zaidi's gesture has struck a chord across the Arab world, where President Bush is widely despised for invading Iraq in 2003 and for his support for Israel.

Amal is a student in the media faculty at Minya University in central Egypt.

Zaidi's response to the proposal was not immediately clear.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081217/... 7w7aI0wuQE4F

HAMPTON, Va. (AP) A Hampton man has won the Virginia Lottery's Cash 5 top prize of $100,000, and won it, and won it. Lottery officials said the man won $1.1 million after playing the same numbers on 11 tickets for the same drawing. Each winning ticket gives the man $100,000.

Lottery officials haven't identified the man, who was scheduled to claim his winnings Tuesday afternoon at the lottery service center in Hampton. 

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...xN9QgD9545JB00

LIMA, Peru - Are hard times threatening your Christmas dinner? Well then, Peru has the answer: guinea pig.

Officials in the coastal Peruvian province of Callao on Monday hailed the Andean rodent as a low-cost, low-fat alternative to a traditional turkey or roast pork Christmas dinner.

Guinea pigs can feed seven or eight for about $3.20, Callao official Mario Sanguinity told Associated Press Television. 

"The idea is to give the people a tasty, economical option," he said.

The presentation included a live guinea pig dressed as Santa Claus and eight of its comrades laid out fried, broiled and roasted in traditional dishes from different regions of Peru.

Callao resident Silvia Carazas said she plans to make the switch to guinea pig at Christmas.

"The animal is rich in protein and has zero cholesterol as well, very important for those of us looking to watch our weight," she said.

The tiny cuts of white meat are often compared to rabbit and dark chicken. Called "cuy" in Peru, guinea pig is a stable source of income for farmers and holds an elevated place in Andean folklore.

A painting of the Last Supper hanging in the principal cathedral of the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco depicts Christ and the 12 disciples dining on guinea pig.

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/art...uineapigs.html

Now, with more than 35,000 lawsuits to its credit, the RIAA says it will finally end the legal assault against consumers that began back in 2003.

The Recording Industry Association of America will instead, focus its anti-piracy efforts with Internet Service Providers (ISP). Under the new plan, the RIAA will contact ISPs when illegal uploading is detected. The ISP will then contact the customer with a notice that would ultimately be followed by a reduction or cessation of service.
As you'd expect, the RIAA is not commenting on which ISPs they are in cahoots with. The RIAA also says that it won't require ISPs to reveal the identities of individuals but could, of course, go after individuals who are heavy uploaders or repeat offenders.

-- Edited by Shem at 16:49, 2008-12-19

-- Edited by Shem at 16:50, 2008-12-19

BAGHDAD, December 16 (RIA Novosti) - A Saudi businessman has offered $10 million for one of the shoes thrown by an Iraqi journalist at U.S. President George Bush in Baghdad, Saudi television reported on Tuesday.

During a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nour Maliki on Sunday, Muntazer al-Zaidi, a correspondent for the Cairo-based al-Baghdadiya TV channel, hurled his shoes at the U.S. president, shouting in Arabic, "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, dog." He was then overpowered by security personnel and taken away.

In Arabic culture showing the soles of shoes is considered a serious insult. Neither of the shoes, which Bush later told journalists were "a size 10," hit their target.

What happened to the footwear is unclear, although they are thought to have been seized as evidence by the Iraqi security service, or perhaps taken as a souvenir by a member of the Bush administration.

The Iraqi prime minister's press secretary, Yassin Majid, said on Tuesday that al-Zaidi could face up to 7 1/2 years in prison for assaulting the leader of a foreign country.

Iran's Press TV reported that Iraqi forces were holding al-Zaidi in a military compound in central Baghdad. His brother, Durgham, has said that al-Zaidi's arm and ribs had been broken.

Over 100 lawyers, including Saddam Hussein's former lawyer and the Arab Lawyers Union, have volunteered to defend the Iraqi journalist. The former Iraqi leader was hanged on December 30, 2006.

Arabs around the world have been united in their approval and support for al-Zaidi and a number of Middle Eastern channels showed nonstop footage on Monday of the shoe-throwing incident.

Around 1,000 Iraqis from the Al-Sadr and Iraqi National Movement are reported to have gathered in the center of Baghdad demanding the release of al-Zaidi holding banners reading "Free the hero of the Iraqi people" and "Arresting al-Zaidi is the first result of our agreement with the U.S." 

http://en.rian.ru/world/20081216/118880771.html