The way Donnell Herrington tells it, there was no warning. One second he was trudging through the heat. The next he was lying prostrate on the pavement, his life spilling out of a hole in his throat, his body racked with pain, his vision blurred and distorted.
The sudden eruption of gunfire horrified Herrington's companions--his cousin Marcel Alexander, then 17, and friend Chris Collins, then 18, who are also black. "I looked at Donnell and he had this big old hole in his neck," Alexander recalls. "I tried to help him up, and they started shooting again." Herrington says he was staggering to his feet when a second shotgun blast struck him from behind; the spray of lead pellets also caught Collins and Alexander. The buckshot peppered Alexander's back, arm and buttocks.
Herrington shouted at the other men to run and turned to face his attackers: three armed white males. Herrington says he hadn't even seen the men or their weapons before the shooting began. As Alexander and Collins fled, Herrington ran in the opposite direction, his hand pressed to the bleeding wound on his throat. Behind him, he says, the gunmen yelled, "Get him! Get that nigger!"
Some 188 motor vehicles, that were not claimed for by importers, had been advertised to be auctioned.
However, of the 188 vehicles, 90 had to be withdrawn from the auction because the importers paid up their duties. The remaining eight motor vehicles received no bids.
The vehicles were auctioned over a two-day period at the Queen's Warehouse, 230 Spanish Town Road, St Andrew.
In an earlier interview with The Gleaner, Lorna Rhoden, collector of customs, said more than 1,000 undeclared vehicles at the wharves had contributed to the massive jump in the current batch of automobiles up for auction. In March, approximately 105 vehicles went up for auction.After a nervous two-and-a half-month wait, sugar workers across the island yesterday began receiving notice payments under the Government's divestment deal to sell off five sugar factories to the Brazilian company Infinity Bio-Energy.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, payments to workers at all five factories - Bernard Lodge, Frome, Monymusk, Duckensfield and Long Pond - would be concluded by the end of yesterday.
Sugar workers register prior to collecting their redundancy notice payments at the Bernard Lodge sugar factory in St Catherine yesterday. (Photo: Michael Gordon) |
Notice payout to sugar workers at the factories totalled $800 million.
The ministry said that they started the redundancy payment process based on the advanced nature of the negotiation with Infinity for the divestment of the government-owned Sugar Corporation of Jamaica (SCJ) factories.
The SCJ, formed in 1993, engages in the cultivation of cane, and the manufacture and sale of sugar and molasses in Jamaica.
In July, Prime Minister Bruce Golding announced a $2.7-billion redundancy package to sugar workers and the conclusion of talks with Infinity by September 30 that would see the SCJ factories handed over to the Brazilians.
However, the negotiations stalled and the payments to the sugar workers were postponed, fuelling doubts whether or not the buyout deal would be finalised.
Yesterday's $800 million represents 14 weeks' notice payment for each worker with further payments due next month.
"The redundancy payments should begin in January," president of the National Workers Union (NWU), Vincent Morrison, told the Observer yesterday.
"It has gone well," he said.
"I have no reports of any problems," Morrison added, saying that today was reserved to "iron out any hitches".
Alan Rickards, president of the Jamaica Sugar Cane Growers Association (JSCGA), agreed that yesterday's process went smoothly. "There were a small number of workers who did not agree with the computation, but by and large it went smoothly," he said.. "The unions are now on to it".
At the Frome and Long Pond Sugar Estates in Westmoreland and Trelawny respectively, just over 2,600 sugar workers received notice payments amounting to more than $220 million.
The payout process at both facilities was said to have run fairly smooth, despite large crowds, which at times converged in close proximity to the offices where payments were being made.
At Frome, the island's largest sugar factory, just under 2,000 workers collected payments amounting to roughly $150 million.
An official at Frome told the Observer that by mid-day more than 70 per cent of the employees had received their payments, which were accompanied by redundancy letters.
He added that he was satisfied with the general conduct of the sugar workers during the process.
"I was really pleasantly surprised with their behaviour. The exercise went very well," said the official who did not want to be named.
Several workers who spoke with the Observer also expressed satisfaction.
"Everything all right, things going good," said Neville Hinds, shortly after receiving his payment.
Hinds, 42, has been working at Frome for more than two decades. He said he was pleased with his payment in lieu of notice and was looking forward to receiving the major part of his redundancy package, which is expected to be paid within six months.
Another employee, Beverly Allen, also expressed satisfaction at the outcome of yesterday's proceedings. But she, like most of the employees interviewed, expressed concern about being re-hired when the divestment is finalised.
"We not sure if we will get back our jobs when the factory is sold, but we holding the faith," she said.
But Hinds, a boiler attendant, believes that he will be re-hired when the factory is sold.
A father of three children, Hinds plans to open a small business with his redundancy payment.
"I am going to use the money to set up business and give it to my wife to run, while I am working at the factory," he said.
Meanwhile, scores of vendors selling mainly items of clothing and footwear yesterday reportedly did a thriving business outside the gates of the Frome sugar factory.
A cellular phone company was also among the businesses that cashed in on the payments made to the workers.
"Business is going very well, we have sold a lot of phones so far," said one of the clerks at the Super J booth, set up across the road from the factory.
The Jamaica National Building Society also operated from a tent on the factory compound, in an apparent bid to gain customers.
A number of vendors also reportedly did fairly good business at Long Pond where roughly $70 million was paid to sugar workers.
At Bernard Lodge in St Catherine, approximately 100 workers with various job titles turned up to collect their notice payment early in the morning. Payments ran like clockwork, but there was, however, uncertainty among workers regarding re-hiring under the new owners.
"We don't know if they will re-hire us," tractor driver Delroy Smith said, adding optimistically, however, that he was one of a few who drove the trailers belonging to the factory.
At the St Thomas Sugar Company, some workers complained that the notice payments were too small.
"I have been working here for over 30 years and this monkey money that them give me for my notice pay is too small," said Neville Milligan. His claim was supported by several other workers.
Government has been ordered by the Supreme Court to pay $40 million in damages to a 20-year-old man who was shot in the back by a policeman.
The award is one of the highest ever in a personal injury suit against the state.
Lloyd Clarke, an apprentice mason of Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, is now crippled from the waist down and has to get constant nursing care.
Clarke was walking on Barclay Street, Savanna-la-Mar, on July 24, 2006, when he was shot in the back and right elbow by one or other of three policemen who were named as defendants.
Severed spinal cord
Clarke suffered a completely severed spinal cord which caused complete paralysis from the waist down. He was treated at the Cornwall Regional Hospital between July 24 and August 2, 2006, and thereafter spent 42 days at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre.
Clarke, who was represented by attorney-at-law Don O. Foote, sued Corporal E. F. Quest, Constable R. Barrett and District Constable M. Bernard and the attorney general to recover damages.
The medical evidence was that Clarke would not be able to work again as a mason and would be totally dependent on someone to help with his personal hygiene.
Acting Supreme Court Judge Sarah Thompson-James heard evidence in the matter and ruled that the defendants were liable to pay damages.
Mr Justice Roy Anderson assessed damages last week and ordered the Government to pay general damages of $26 million with interest for pain and suffering and loss of amenities. Clarke was awarded US$7,500 (J$600,000) for a motorised wheelchair. He was also awarded $3.3 million for loss of future earnings and $7.8 million for future nursing and personal care.
Legal costs have been set at $76,000.
The judge said that awards for personal injuries of the severity of those which Clarke suffered should be geared towards the provision of as comfortable a life as possible because Clarke had lost almost everything.
barbara.gayle@gleanerjm.com
Clifton Bernard was shot at a phone booth by a policeman in 1990. He sued the state and, in the Supreme Court, Justice Zaila McCalla handed down judgment in favour of Bernard and awarded $2.5 million with costs and interest in damages against the government for assault, malicious prosecution and false imprisonment in 2001.
The Privy Council upheld the Supreme Court ruling.
The Supreme Court in December 2006 ordered the Government to pay $13.5 million in damages to a woman who was shot in the head by a member of a police party six years earlier, leaving her an epileptic for life.
Deborah Douglas, 29, former accounts clerk, of Ensom Acres, St Catherine, had damages assessed in her favour.
The attorney general, who was the respondent, accepted liability after the negligence suit was filed.
Acting Supreme Court Judge Marva McDonald-Bishop assessed damages and made the award.
Douglas was shot and seriously injured in a taxi in the Caymanas area, of St Catherine, on March 27, 2000. It was reported that the police were chasing four gunmen and accidentally fired shots, one of which hit Douglas
Americans across the country are finding ways to adapt to the economic times, increasingly making money by putting their bodies at risk.
Maria Finkbeiner was hit hard by the economic crisis. After being laid off as an auto parts worker, she has spent the past year trying to get a new job, while eventually losing her home to foreclosure.
That's when Finkbeiner, a perfectly healthy mother of two from Edwardsburg, Mich., spotted an ad seeking volunteers who were willing to take experimental prescription drugs for pay, despite unknown long-term risks and short-term side effects that can include nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramping.
"When I first read about it, I thought people must be crazy to do that," Finkbeiner said.
But Finkbeiner inquired, met the criteria for a clinical medical trial and signed up.
Scattered throughout past sleep research are a number of reports describing unusual behavior while sleepwalking, including sleep eating, sleep phone calls, sleep sex -- and even sleep rape and murder.
Now, a new case study is adding one more bizarre sleep phenomenon to the literature: sleep e-mailing.
In an article published in the journal Sleep Medicine, Seton Hall University researchers document the case of a 44-year-old woman who struggled with severe insomnia for years before she was prescribed the popular sleeping aid, zolpidem (also known by the brand name Ambien), in 2004.
The zolpidem helped with her insomnia at first, but the effects of the drug began to wear off after a period of time. Soon her doctor increased her dose, allowing her to get five hours of sleep per night.
Since the release of Aidonia's song, "Matic Nah Laugh" last week, rumours have been circulating that there is a rift between himself and Vybz Kartel, which he vehemently denies, "There is no rift between me and Kartel. The song post on-line and since, people a tell me seh Kartel and me a war. Me and Kartel have nutten..."
It is rumoured that the lyrics of the song "dissed" Kartel. However, Aidonia suggested that the listeners need 'hearing aid' as the lyrics they claim to have heard are not the lyrics of the song. He claims to have made no lyrical reference to Kartel.
When contacted, Kartel expressed surprise, "That is news to me." he stated.
Aidonia also denied another rumour that he had a physical altercation with Portmore Empire's Blak Ryno, where Kartel attempted to hit Aidonia in defence of Blak Ryno, by saying, "That is so false. There's nutten between me and Ryno..." He also noted that he and Ryno are the headliners for an upcoming show in Montego Bay.
Aidonia has suggested that there are persons who want to create disharmony between himself and Kartel in preparation for the upcoming Sting stage show, and would like them to stop and "Don't create nuh vibe caw dem know who Vybz Kartel caan 'gree wid," he said.
In the meantime he says that he is busy in the studio voicing new songs and making preparations for his upcoming tour and Spring 2009 album release.
Member of Parliament for South Manchester Michael Peart has complained that farmers from that area, who are not Jamaica Labour Party supporters, are being sidelined by agricultural support agencies based on ministry directives.
Peart, in addressing questions to Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton during Tuesday's sitting of the House of Representatives, said he had been told by the parish manager of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in Manchester that based on instructions from the head office for registered farmers to get assistance from RADA, they would have to be a member of a production and marketing organisation (PMO).
"In Manchester, in particular the JLP councillors, have been forming PMOs amongst their supporters and followers to the exclusion of our farmers," Peart said to shouts of protest from Government benches.
"Is the PMO an affiliate of the Jamaica Labour Party? Was [there] a policy directive emanating from the ministry to the RADA office in Mandeville that only members of the PMO can get assistance from RADA even if they are registered farmers?" he asked.
Tufton, in his response said, "The answer is a flat and absolute no."
"What we have said as a policy position is that we are always going to give preference to registered farmers," the agriculture minister explained. "But registration as a farmer does not necessarily mean as part of a PMO, it would be better for the farmer, but we are not there to discriminate as long as the farmer is registered."
He further pointed out that PMOs are not a creation of the new administration.
"If you examine the mandate of RADA when it was formed in 1990 it was clearly provided for. It is not our fault that under the old administration they chose not to mobilise the PMOs," the agriculture minister added.
According to Tufton, documentation was sent out to all RADA parish offices indicating that the government of the day was encouraging the formation of PMOs.
"Nowhere on that documentation - and I challenge anybody to show me otherwise - is there any instruction as to which farmer to organise and which farmer not to organise," he said.
Dr Tufton further pointed out that the RADA extension officers, who are primarily responsible for organising these PMOs within their areas, had served under the People's National Party's 18-year administration.
"The truth is these employees have been around for a long time and their mandate is the same," Dr Tufton said.
"I'll investigate that matter, because if in fact those instructions are being given, it runs contrary to the instructions that have been given at the level of the ministry to all the parishes," he added.
The Agriculture Ministry in May of this year said as part of its programme of fostering partnership among farmers and promoting co-operative farming, the PMOs were being revived across the island.
The offices, among other things, serve to register farmers within the districts, receive data on crop production, assist in the marketing of produce and assist in the anti-praedial effort.
ENERGY Minister Clive Mullings has said that Jamaica is shortly to benefit from 13 major energy-saving projects, including a solar factory, for which the paperwork is now being finalised.
His revelation comes at a time when Jamaica is consuming an estimated 27 million barrels of oil annually. In 2005 alone, the island had to shell out US$1 billion for its energy bill.
"I do not want to go into full details about the plans, but what I can say is that I have already received approval for funding for some of the projects, one of which will include the building of a factory for solar (power) in Jamaica," Mullings said.
He was speaking with the Sunday Observer following the launch of a solar lighting project at the Rotary Red Hills Road Multipurpose Park in Kingston last Wednesday.
The installation of solar lights at the centre was phase four of a five-year project of the Rotary Club of Kingston and several other organisations to transform the park - once known as a dust bowl - into a community centre and play area.
"Not only am I pleased with the development in the area but I am also hoping the initiative will help to pave the way for other creative projects in other communities," the minister said, commending the work of the Rotary club.
Club president Christopher Issa said that for years the patch of land located off Red Hills Road was a cause of concern as heavy dust from the area had resulted in a number of people experiencing respiratory problems. However, in recent years a number of collaborative efforts between the Rotary club and several other entities have brought the area to where it is today - a multipurpose centre with state-of-the-art solar panel lighting - the president said.
Meanwhile, Mullings said the 13 projects to come on stream could possibly be completed over a period of three years. The full details, he said, would shortly be made public as part of government efforts to get Jamaicans to tap into renewable energy sources, thus warding off an energy crisis.
Killed by concern
One family is completely distraught while members of the community are now in fear. The story is: the police chased some suspected gunmen, one of the suspects dropped a firearm and a concerned citizen picked up the gun and handed it in at the neighbourhood police station. He was shot and killed a few days later by the gunmen.
'All I want for Christmas ... '
With life after David Smith proving extremely difficult for many, with cars being repossessed, defaulting on real-estate commitments, students being pulled from high-priced private schools because of inability to pay fees - the new Christmas carol some are singing is: "All I want for Christmas is to get my money back ... ".
Quiet invasion
First, there was the Spanish Invasion. Others are warning that the more menacing danger is that of the quiet Trinidadian invasion that can be damaging to the manufacturing and distributive sectors here.
Mastermind con plan
The story on the streets is that it is the equivalent of the Trafigura affair, as the mastermind behind the sale and delivery of the beach material is the relative of a politician.
Give up all
Some are saying that considering his performance on that now infamous board, it is not enough that he resigned from the board of the company, but he should also give up the adviser position.
Faith lost
Some have lost faith in the optimistic one as they say they are now convinced the board was dissolved to get rid of the one who questioned the efficacy of the earlier deal. And on top of that, they are still waiting to see a master plan.THE ONGOING saga at the state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) took another twist yesterday, with the police being called in to probe allegations of corruption and criminality.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn called in the cops after going through a report submitted by Contractor General Greg Christie.
"The DPP's office has reviewed the report thoroughly but is at this time constrained in its ability to make an informed decision as to whether or not anyone is to be prosecuted for a criminal offence," Llewellyn said.
"In keeping with the dictates of criminal law and the various issues that the director (of public prosecutions) considers when determining to undertake a criminal prosecution, material must be gathered that will enable the Crown to, at the very least, establish a prima facie case," the DPP added.
In handing over the matter to Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, the DPP named media practitioner Susan Simes, her company, Simber Productions Limited, and acting managing director of the JUTC, Bindley Sangster, as persons of interest who should be the target of investigations by the police.
Insufficient evidence
She argued that while the contractor general's report seemed to disclose clear departmental breaches by some individuals, this was not sufficient to initiate criminal proceedings.
"The DPP's office must have the police prepare a file based on their independent and objective investigations before it will be in a position to objectively and dispassionately come to an informed decision in this matter in respect of whether or not to prosecute for any criminal offence," argued Llewellyn in a release issued yesterday.
She claimed this was normal practice adopted by the DPP's office.
Llewellyn was responding to the contractor general who, last month, charged that Sangster committed a criminal act when he wilfully made a false statement "which was designed to mislead the Office of the Contractor General".
That offence is punishable by a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or both.
The contractor general also raised concern about a possible criminal act in the declaration about the majority shareholder in Simber Productions after the murder of JUTC chairman Douglas Chambers.
Illegal transfer
According to the contractor general, before his untimely death, Chambers was at all times declared the majority stakeholder in Simber Productions, but three weeks after his death, an amended annual report was submitted which listed Simes as the majority shareholder.
Under the law, it is illegal for anyone to transfer or otherwise interfere with the assets of a deceased person.
The transport ministry is expected to use a press conference this morning to provide the country with an update on the state of affairs at the JUTC.
A 20-year-old man who reportedly stole a seven ounce tin of corned beef from a Supermarket in Santa Cruz St Elizabeth will have to spend the next month behind bars.
Clive Young of Farm District, Clarendon and Burnt Savannah District in St Elizabeth was sentenced to 30 days at hard labour after he pleaded guilty to simple larceny. Young appeared in the Santa Cruz Resident Magistrate's Court before RM Dionne Meyler-Reid on Tuesday.
The Court heard that on December 4, Young went to a supermarket about 11:30 a.m. where he stole the corned beef and was caught.
The Santa Cruz Police were called in and Young was subsequently arrested and charged with simply larceny.
Jeffrey Perry, 35, security guard of Kilancholly, was to have been sentenced Tuesday, but the sentencing was put off because Senior Puisne Judge Marva McIntosh ordered a social enquiry report on him.
On December 5, a 12-member jury found Perry guilty of the triple murder.
Caution statement
Perry, a cousin of the children, fatally stabbed them on January 28, 2005. He gave a caution statement to the police in which he said a voice told him to kill.
He subsequently went to the house and stabbed the children, 15-year-old Dwane Davidson, 13-year-old Sue Ann Gordon and four-year-old Shadice Williams wise man once said that a prophet is never honored in his own country. And so it has been with Capleton. While the veteran DJ's words and works long ago earned him the title of 'The Prophet', the respect and honor that should rightfully be his have been a long time coming.
"Anytime you try to uplift righteousness and upliftment of the people them, then you ah go get a fight." Says the hottest entertainer in the worldwide reggae fraternity.
"Bob Marley come do it and them fight him. And when Bob Marley dead, that's when they start to endorse him. I already aware of this, I am not unaware. So I know the more them fight I is the more I get stronger."
In the fast-moving world of dancehall reggae, fame and success are hard to obtain and easy to lose. Fans can be fickle, and trends change in the blink of an eye, leaving most entertainers with painfully short career spans. Only a rare few can remain relevant from year to year, holding their audience's attention and leaving them crying for more.
His lyrics are deep, precise, and thoughtful. His stage shows are nothing less than dynamic, explosive performances. But his remarkable staying power and longevity may be Capleton's greatest gift. Born Clifton George Bailey III, on April 13, 1967, in the rural parish of St. Mary, Capleton earned his future stage name from friends who were so impressed with his sharp reasoning skills that they named him after the most famous lawyer in town. From a tender age, he was a lover of the traveling sound systems, sneaking out at night to catch the vibes until dawn. But it wasn't until he turned 18 and moved to Kingston that he was able to realize his destiny. It was Stewart Brown, owner of a Toronto-based sound called African Star, who gave the untested artist his first break, flying him to Canada for a stage show alongside giants like Ninjaman and Flourgon. The audience poured out their appreciation, and he never looked back.
When Capleton first burst on the scene in the late 1980s, the dancehall was a very different place than it is today. Slackness and gun talk were the order of the day. This bright promising newcomer announced his arrival with a string of hit songs from "b*m*o Red" to "Number One on the Look Good Chart" and "Lotion Man". Everything he touched hit the 'sound-good' charts, and the youthful artist with the nimble vocabulary and hardcore voice quickly established himself as one of dancehall's most reliable hit-maker.
But even he could not have predicted that eleven years later, at the start of the new millennium, he would be dancehall's ruling voice. "I think the people dem see say me really deserve that because of the amount of years me put in." Capleton says, "and we never really bow and we still hold the faith. We stand up for whatever we a say. Yeah and we really work for it. And them say by your works, a so you get your pay. The people them see the amount of fight me face and the whole heap of accusation. And me still never give up." When he dropped the tune "Alms House" in 1992, Capleton established himself as more than an entertainer but as a guiding light of righteousness through music. 'United we stand and divided we fall', he sang for the benefit of his fans and dancehall comrades. "Nuff of them nah go know themself till them back against the wall."
A few years later he came back with yet another antidote to the clashing and rivalry that had taken hold of the dancehall business. "Music is a mission," he reminded his fellow artists, "not a competition. Some man use the music to cause confusion." The path of this dancehall Prophet was clearly established in 1994 with a string of songs that declared his newfound faith in Rastafari. "I an I sight up the light and see say really, yunno, Rasta is real founder of the world, because Rasta did come set the trend. Understand, Rasta is life." The first words of his mega-hit "The Trinity" made it plain that the DJ had experienced some kind of revelation. "I was once lost but now I'm found." he stated, "Selassie I live every time."
Capleton became a strong advocate of the teachings of the Jamaican National Hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and advocate of Universal Black Repatriation. "Babylon rewarded us with hatred for our love." he declares. "They taught us to rape, steal and kill. For instance, they stole our literature and taught it back to us in a different manner so as to infiltrate our minds with foolishness and other misconceptions. Now we as black men do not see ourselves as prince and prophets, but as punks and guys.
Our women do not see themselves as queens, princesses or empresses anymore, but as harlots and concubines. The only solution, as Bob Marley advocated, is to emancipate oneself from mental slavery. Over the years I an I as a nation and a people, them no really teach I an I nuttin' bout I an I black self. You know I mean? Them teach we European philosophy. So I an I and some other youths a try emerge now, we ask certain question and we ask fi certain things. Caw we know say in an institute, or in a college, or in a certain organization we need we Ethiopian curriculum, we need the black man thing. We need to know
about weself. Because the prophet Marcus Garvey did show we say, 'A nation without knowledge of them own history is like a tree without a root'. And if you don't know where you coming from, you not gonna know where you are going." Even as he uplifts the black race, Capleton always makes a point of clarifying that he does not seek to alienate any other race. "We are not being racial nor prejudiced star," he says. "Because we know Jah is for everyone. But where history and prophesy is concerned, that is our witness and we have to be ourself, and we cannot hide from the truth. Caw we woulda be a traitor and a sellout to ourself. And you cannot sell out yourself."
Soon thereafter came the song "Tour" a blazing state of the dancehall report written in the weeks following the slaying of Panhead and Dirtsman, two of Capleton's fellow artistes. That song not only became an anthem of the roots revival within the dancehall, but a hip hop flavored remix of that song hit the Billboard charts, opening up a huge new audience to Capleton's messages of righteousness. There followed a relationship with Def Jam records, who released two of Capleton albums, "Prophecy" and "I-Testament", which featured memorable collaborations with rap stars like Method Man and Q-Tip. Both records were warmly accepted by the international audience, but as the millennium drew to a close, Capleton sensed that it was time to return to his core audience.
He had work to do. "I have to be myself, right? And I only can be me." he reasons. "So whichever way fi make me be me, I work with dat. understand?"
Capleton is now at the height of his powers. 1999 and 2000 have brought a ceaseless string of sound system favourites and dancehall chart toppers like the anti-violence anthem "Jah Jah City" and "Good In Her Clothes", a message of respect for the sisters who carry themselves like empresses rather than harlots. But even as he completes his mission of upliftment, Capleton has had many critics. One of his biggest hits, in fact, is addressed to the 'naysayers' in the press and the 'ivory towers' of power. Critics won't leave I alone," chats the Prophet, "they say they can't take the fire weh me put pon Rome."
Many of Capleton's songs and most of his critics make mention of this blazing fire. Capleton hopes to clear up the confusion once and for all. "Is not really a physical fire. Is really a spiritual fire, and a wordical fire, and a musical fire. You see the fire is all about a livity. But is people get it on the wrong term. People get confused. So when a man say 'more fire' him think that mean say you fi go light the cane field or go light the church." Fire, Capleton explains, is a way of reminding one's brother that they are going astray. "That way a man know say him doing something wrong. That even give him the urge to know say, Yo check up on yourself. What you are doing is not right, or else him would say 'Fire fi dat', or 'Burn dat' or 'More Fire'. If we go check it back now," he continues, "fire is for the purification of earth, anyhow you check it. This earth itself have to even emerge from the literal fire also, which is the volcanic activity, we a talk bout lava. The hottest element to rise us in the morning is the sun. The water cleanse, but it's still the support from the fire that burn the water, burn out of the bacteria so the water coulda heal we fi cleanse. The herb heal, but it's still the fire fi burn the herb so the herb coulda heal we also."
Posted by yardFlex at May 30, 2008A British museum curator has built a working replica of a 2,000-year-old Greek machine that has been called the world's first computer.
A dictionary-size assemblage of 37 interlocking dials crafted with the precision and complexity of a 19th-century Swiss clock, the Antikythera mechanism was used for modeling and predicting the movements of the heavenly bodies as well as the dates and locations of upcoming Olympic games.
The original 81 shards of the Antikythera were recovered from under the sea (near the Greek island of Antikythera) in 1902, rusted and clumped together in a nearly indecipherable mass. Scientists dated it to 150 B.C. Such craftsmanship wouldn't be seen for another 1,000 years but its purpose was a mystery for decades.
Fertility treatment has put 70 year old Raja Devi from India into the spotlight and world record book for the moment. Reports from the UK Telegram revealed that the oldest woman to conceive and give birth did so on November 28th after 50 years of marriage; surpassing the former record for the oldest new mom who was a 67 year-old Spanish woman who had twins in 2006.
Both mother and child are in good health.
Devi and her 72 year-old husband Bala Ram were childless before the birth of their daughter that was facilitated by Doctor Anurag Bishnoi, of the Hisar fertility centre in Haryana state, who said the treatment and embryo transfer was done on April 19 this year.
Bala Ram is especially overjoyed as he was desperate to have a child; and after 10 years of marriage to Devi, who could not conceive, he went ahead and married her sister in the hopes of getting her pregnant. However, his second wife had the same issue of infertility and so the couple turned to modern science for help.
No longer seen as a taboo or divine curse, infertility is treatable, said Dr. Bishnoi, who praised scientific breakthroughs. Rajo Devi is the first woman in her seventies to give birth, who had never conceived before, he said.
Devi told reporters, We longed for a child all these years and now we are very happy to have one in the twilight years of our life.
Her husband Ram is not concerned about who would take care of the child if they passed on. He said, "The upbringing of the child is not a problem. We have a joint family as is common in rural Haryana."
Feeling completely relieved now, the couple say they will no longer have to face social stigma for not having brought children into the world.
i was watching a passa passa dvd the other and mi a wonder
girls
why some of yall wear short skirts that "ride up" each time you walk and you pull it down????? why wear it in the first place??
a next one why do some girls shave their eyebrows off and replace it with the eye pencil thingy???
why is it some jamaican girls have tattoos that they see someone else has(wheter its thier friend or a celebrity) and decide to get one like it?????
make no sense to me
(had to put the vado and kartel thing to get ppl attention to the post)
AS PEOPLE prepare themselves to indulge in all things fun and entertaining for the festive season, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is warning persons, especially teenagers and young adults, to beware of human traffickers.
The agency is advising people to remain alert in all situations, whether they are out with friends at a nightclub, a bar or a public event.
When partying, people must never leave their drinks unattended or accept any food or beverage from strangers, the agency warned in a release.
USAID also advised that, before setting out for a night on the town, travel arrangements should be made to ensure that transportation home is secured.
Under no circumstances should anyone accept a ride from a stranger.
According to USAID, seemingly safe situations can result in people being tricked, kidnapped and forced into human trafficking.
People tricked into human trafficking often suffer harsh and violent conditions and end up working in the sex or unpaid labour industry.
Tips on how to identify traffickers
He/she:
Has a nice and friendly manner.
Tells you how much money you can make.
Has a nice car and will show you money.
Tells you he/she loves you and want to take care of you.
Warning signs
It is unimportant that you have no skills or qualifications.
Someone is offering to pay your expenses.
You cannot give exact details to family members about where you are going.
Someone is getting travel and identification documents for you.
What to do
Say no and keep far from them.
Do not get into a car with them.
Do not let them persuade you to get into go-go dancing or prostitution.