NEW YORK Barack Obama's historic victory has given yet another boost to his million-selling books, "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope."
Both were in the Top 25 on Amazon.com's best-seller list early Wednesday, soon after the Illinois Democrat defeated Republican John McCain to become the country's first black president-elect.
"Dreams from My Father," a memoir released in the 1990s when few had heard of Obama, and "Audacity of Hope," a reflection on politics that came out in 2006 and helped to solidify his national following, have far outsold any of the anti-Obama books that came out last summer.
The most notable and best-selling attack against Obama, Jerome Corsi's "Obama Nation," was ranked No. 466 on Amazon.com early Wednesday. Corsi was co-author of the highly effective "Unfit for Command" at the center of the "Swift Boat" attack against defeated Democratic presidential contender John Kerry in 2004.
Conservatives had hoped that Corsi's current book would prove equally influential in the 2008 election. "The Obama Nation" was released by Threshold Editions, an imprint of Simon & Schuster run by Republican strategist Mary Matalin.
"The Swift Boat book appeared to have a devastating effect on the polls in 2004," said Adrian Zackheim, head of the conservative Sentinel imprint at Penguin Group (USA). "It was my impression that the books about the candidates didn't have much of an effect on a lot of voters this time. There seems to have been a lot of different forces at play."
One sobering fact on the Amazon.com list: The No. 1 book at the time of Obama's victory was "I.O.U.S.A.: One Nation. Under Stress. In Debt," by Addison Wiggin and Kate Incontrera.
By: Janice Dayle Old folk say the time eventually comes when many memorial services become the order of the day. Well for Jamaican music veterans, it appears to be that appointed time these days.
Soon after laying one musical hero to rest another has passed on. We now regret deeply to announce the passing of Byron Lee.
Byron Lee, who had been battling transitional cell and bladder cancer, succumbed to the debilitating disease this morning at the Tony Thwaites Wing of the University Hospital of The West Indies. He was flown in from a Miami treatment center recently and was also awarded the Order of Jamaica for his magnanimous stance as a businessman and musician who continually put Jamaica, the Caribbean and its culture all over the map for more than 50 years.
Forming the band Byron Lee and the Dragonaires around 1950 with school mate Carl Brady, the St Georges College old boy played private parties at first and soon became a fixture on the hotel circuit. From there the bands development brought them fame as a top backing band for visiting R&B and rock and roll artists from the US. Priding themselves with being able to play any genre of music, The Dragonaires soon became the vehicle for sounding off Jamaicas new beats; the ska, rock steady and reggae around the world; and they eventually embraced soca and calypso for their repertoire.
Over the years The Dragonaires have backed icons like: the Blues Busters, The Charmers, The Maytals, Stranger Cole and Ken Booth and was credited with initiating the reggae-soca style of music after putting out the 1990 hit, Dancehall Soca with Admiral Bailey. Byron Lee and The Dragonaires have a discography that is laden with about 59 albums including a 1999 release called, Jump for Jesus.
Yardflex extends heartfelt condolences to the entire family and all who loved this great man who has made his country Jamaica extremely proud.
To keep the peace and keep a lot of folks from getting nervous, I think we should develop a list of acceptable celebrations and behaviors we should probably avoid - at least for the first few days after he gets elected:
1) No crying, hugging or shouting 'Thank you Lord' - all in the mall, at Wal-Mart, or at Work.
2) No high-fives - at least not unless the area is clear and there are no witnesses
3) Swangin in the street with Barack Obama stickers on your car is _not_ supportive.
4) No calling in sick on November 5th. They'll get nervous if too many of us don't show up.
5) We're allowed to give each other winks or nods in passing. Just try to keep from grinning too hard.
6) No singing loudly, "We've come this Far By Faith" (it will be acceptable to hum softly)
7) No bringing of barbeque ribs or fried chicken for lunch in the company lunchroom for at least a week (no chittlings or collard greens AT ALL) (this may make us seem to ethnic)
8 ) No leaving kool-aid packages at the water fountain (this might be a sign that poor folks might be getting a break through)
9) No Cupid Shuffle during breaks (this could indicate a little too much excitement)
10) Please no "Moving on Up" music (we are going to try to remain humble)
11) No doing the George Jefferson dance (unless you're in your office with the door closed)
12) Please try not to yell----BOOOO YAH!
13.) Just in case you're wondering, Doing the Running Man, cabbage patch, or a back hand spring on the highway is 100% okay. *
14.) DO NOT curse out your boss, and quit your job. BARACK won?not you!*
15.) Please, please, please don?t come to work the next day with Black Panther
gear, or afro picks. (Just try to be your normal self)*
16.) Do not start calling it "The Black House" and telling people "we bout to make some changes up in here". *
17.) You cannot run through people's yards kicking down McCain/Palin signs (You will go too jail for that)*
18.) Please refrain from referring to the President as "My ni33a Barack" (Totally Unacceptable)*
19.) Do not think you will be pardoned from child support or any other obligations because Obama won. *
20.) Lastly, please do not think you can "Call up there" to the White House and speak to Barack personally when you need something done. He is the President, not your cousin.
Anything or anyone is better than Hillary Rodham Clinton
KENTUCKY - USA - Imperial Wizard, Ronald Edwards has stated that, "anything is better than John McCain."
White Christian Supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan has endorsed Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States of America.
Speaking from his Kentucky office in Dawson Springs, the Imperial Wizard exclaimed that anything or anyone is better than having that "crazy ass bitch" as President.
This is the first time in Klan history that any member of the KKK has ever publicly supported an African American candidate for the presidency.
KKK lodges all over America have been gathering and holding rallies supporting the black presidential candidate.
KKK members in Tennessee rally against Hillary Clinton and support Barack Obama
Grand Turk Cletus Monroe has also been very vocal about the election and has donated thousands of dollars to Obama's election fund.
"The boy's gonna do it. My Klan group has donated up to $250,000 to the Obama fund. Anything is better than Hillary Clinton. Hell I'll even adopt a black kid from Africa before I vote for Hillary."
"A few years back we were lynching negroes. Now we're gonna vote for one to be president of the US of motherfu**ing A, damn it! Anyone or anything is better than John McCain - anything!!"
Placards for Barack Obama have been put up around the Klan's Headquarters and the KKK have announced a television ad campaign to support the African American candidate.
A STATE of fear has gripped young professionals-in-training at the two major universities of the Corporate Area in light of the recent attacks on the island's women and children.
Roger Bent, guild president at the University of the West Indies, Mona, told The Gleaner yesterday that the spate of abductions and rapes of tertiary students has forced students from neighbouring islands to consider moving back home.
Measures for safety
The guild president said that just weeks before examinations, students are meeting to formulate security measures to mitigate the risk of abduction and rape.
"There is a sense of anger and fear on campus. There is mistrust," he said.
Similar unease exists among women at the University of Technology (UTech) in Papine, said Garry McLean, Students' Union president.
McLean has also heard the gripping stories of abductions. He said that, last week, two women were almost abducted by criminals in Lawrence Tavern, St Andrew.
"There is frustration and fear coming from students," he said.
McLean said the students, particularly the women, were emotionally affected as they worry who will be the next victim.
Since Friday, there have been nightly patrols by security personnel at UTech, he added.
A group of students has also issued a telephone number among themselves, referred to as a panic number, which they call if anyone feels threatened.
For the last several weeks, the St Andrew Central police have tried to capture criminals who have been abducting women and schoolchildren in the Half-Way Tree area.
Coordinated approach
Just Saturday, two men and a woman were abducted in Mona - a community in which many tertiary students board.
Subsequent to this incident, that same day, it was reported that gunmen tried to abduct three students from one of the universities.
Warren Newby, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, said such criminals acts against youth should not put a damper on National Youth Month celebrations in November.
"It is, part of it, to drive fear," said Newby.
He, however, reasoned that the frequency of the attacks, and how widespread they are, could suggest that it was a coordinated approach by the perpetrators.
FORMER UNITED States (US) Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has dismissed fears that electors might buck the trends in opinion polls and vote against Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Tuesday when Americans vote to elect their 44th president.
Obama and McCain
For several weeks, Obama, an African American, has been leading his Republican rival John McCain in national polls by a margin from as low as five, to double digits. But last week, the Cable News Network's (CNN) national tracking poll found that the difference between the two candidates had declined by one point to seven. Other national polls have also detected a closing of the gap between Obama and McCain, writes Associate Editor Byron Buckley.
Montego Bay, St James - Head of Epidemiology and AIDS in the Ministry of Health, Dr Peter Figueroa, has called for an urgent repeal of Jamaica's buggery law, stating that this would greatly help in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
"From the public health point of view, this is an extremely important measure," Dr Figueroa said Friday. He was addressing reporters on the final day of the eighth annual general meeting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), at the Rose Hall Resort and Country Club in Montego Bay.
Head of Epidemiology and AIDS in the Ministry of Health, Dr Peter Figueroa (right), in discussion with chairman of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the Honourable John Fabien (centre), and its director Carl Browne at the organisation's 8th annual general meeting in Montego Bay. (Photo: Keril Wright)
According to the epidemiologist the "outdated law", which has been cited by legal advocates as serving no useful purpose, serves only to push stigmatisation of homosexual men and drive the spread of the dreaded HIV.
"When we stigmatise men who have sex with men, it drives not only the epidemic underground, but it also moves men who have sex with men to disguise their sexuality," explained Figueroa, who was recently awarded with the Order of Jamaica - the nation's fourth highest honour - for his work in HIV/AIDS education/prevention. As such, he said some men, in order to disguise their true lifestyles, take on a girlfriend and have sex with these women, who are unaware that they are really homosexuals.
"This acts as a bridge in terms of HIV transmission from the gay community, where rates of HIV are very high, into the general population and continues to feed the epidemic," Figueroa charged. Unprotected anal sex, he noted, was a very high-risk means for HIV transmission and although the epidemic is primarily heterosexual, there is a significant contribution through risky unprotected sex among men.
He added that his call was purely from a public health standpoint and not on any moral grounds.
"By removing the buggery act and sending clear signal to the community that they are included in the society, it helps to promote personal responsibility for safe sex," Figueroa told reporters. "It's also important from a recognition and affirmation of rights standpoint," he explained, noting that this would affirm their right to make decisions as adults about their sexuality and what they do in the privacy of their bedrooms.
He cited certain countries like Suriname and Cuba, which have no such laws and Barbados, which repealed its buggery law in the early 90s.
Dominica's minister of health and environment and chairman of PANCAP, John Fabien, supported Figueroa's stance, insisting that he too would be in support of his own country repealing its buggery law and for other regional nations to get it off their books.
"This is a core group that is very vulnerable and the question of human rights and the question of discrimination comes in and you have this piece of legislation which is outdated," said Fabien. "We have to do something about it. We have to try to get it off our books."
The two-day AGM comprised 170 participants from 29 countries, 33 regional bodies and 15 bilateral agencies and saw the ratification of a new strategic framework. PANCAP's director, Carl Browne, said this new framework seeks to achieve a 25 per cent reduction in new infection, mortality and socio-economic impact on households by 2012.
17 year old, Glynes Bernard of Esher Road, off Waltham Park Road in Kingston was found with her throat slashed in Portmore, St. Catherine Sunday.
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }Glynes who was a student of the Institute of Higher Learning has been missing since October 31.
Head of the St. Catherine South Homicide Unit, Detective Sergeant Leighton Blackstock told RJR News Centre that the gruesome discovery was made shortly after 4 Sunday afternoon.
"We got information of a body seen in bushes off Lake Pen Road, we came and found the body of a female, a young girl would be about seventeen at the time when we looked, it was unidentified, we made some checks last night and made some contacts... we did our on spot post mortem and it was positive identified," Detective Sergeant Blackstock said.
On October 19, the body of a 17 year old girl was found in a state of decomposition at the Old Hellshire Beach in Catherine.
Investigators are still to identify the body.
Missing teen returns home
Meanwhile, the family of a 15 year old student who went missing six weeks ago is breathing a sigh of relief after she returned home Sunday.
The 15 year old who attended the Pembroke Hall High School had been missing since September 30.
However, a resident of a community in Mandeville called the police when the teen turned up at a house in the area.
According to Inspector Stephanie Lindsay-Clarke of the St Andrew North Police Division, the resident recognised the teenager from a picture published in the media and called the cops.
It's understood that the girl fled home after she became pregnant and was afraid to face her parents.
CONVICTED SEX offenders could soon have their names splashed across Jamaica's towns and communities for at least 10 years.
The Gleaner has been reliably informed that the drafted sex offenders legislation proposes that the names of persons convicted of sex crimes be placed on the sex offenders' registry for life.
However, the offender's name may be removed from the registry if there is no recurrence of sexual crime within 10 years.
Speedy debate
Prime Minister Bruce Golding has promised that the sex offenders bill would be debated by month end. He is also hopeful that it would come into law by Christmas.
"The cooperation of members will be sought for speedy debate and early passage," Golding said in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
He was responding to questions tabled by opposition backbencher, Sharon Hay-Webster. The South Central St Catherine member of parliament questioned whether Government was committed to establishing the sex offenders' registry.
Golding told the House that the draft bill had been completed and had been circulated to stakeholders for comment. It is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon, at which time the prime minister said he hoped Parliament would work overtime to get it passed.
"I am going to urge members, let us meet Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday to deal with it," Golding said.
Monitoring arm
Informed sources say the sex offenders' registry will have a monitoring arm that will keep a watch on all registered sex offenders.
Under the proposed legislation, a sex offender who transplants himself from one part of the country to another will have his history brought to the attention of institutions such as police stations and schools so they can keep an eye out for him.
The Gleaner was unable to ascertain what level of sensitisation would be employed by the State to complement the establishment of the sex offenders' registry.
Hay-Webster, who has been a strong proponent of the sex offenders' registry, said in Parliament last week that sexual offences must be treated as a public-health issue.
"The most important thing for me, with regard to the sex offenders' registry, is the preparation of the communities," Hay-Webster said. She added that if the communities are not prepared, "absolute justice" might inappropriately be applied to the offender.
There are no known studies on the causes of sexual offences or any tracer studies on sex offenders in Jamaica.
Crime of youth
In the United States, however, a 1990 study concluded "rape is a crime of youth".
The study found that 61 per cent of rapes occurred before the victim was 18; 29 per cent before the victim was 11.
Researchers have agreed that men intimidate women by their sheer size and strength. Women do not usually fight back because they fear serious physical harm or death, or because they are paralysed by a psychological state called frozen fright.
Golding has admitted that the legislation alone will not help to protect the vulnerable, especially children, from sex crimes.
"It is going to be important for us to sensitise communities and to get them involved. Our communities are not taking care of our children. Our communities have become careless and very often, they are more protective of the abuser than they are of the victim," he said.
WARSAW (AFP) - A Polish driver who was too sure of his GPS road navigation device ended up neck-deep in a lake after ignoring road signs warning of a dead-end ahead, Polish police said Friday.
"The man took a road that was closed a year ago when the area was flooded to make an artificial lake serving as a water reservoir -- he ignored three road signs warning of a dead-end," Piotr Smolen, police spokesman in Glubczyce, southern Poland, told AFP Friday.
"It was still night time and he didn't notice the road led into the lake. His GPS told him to drive straight ahead and he did," Smolen said, adding the driver had not been under the influence of alcohol.
The road ran straight downhill into the lake. The Mercedes mini-van was nearly entirely submerged and was unable to back out on its own after being inundated with water.
The driver and two passengers escaped unharmed from the submerged vehicle and waited on its roof for police and fire rescue crews.
The driver placed the first call to emergency services while still inside the sinking van.
A man had to be taken to hospital still attached to a steel toilet after super-glue was deliberately smeared on the seat.
Firefighters were unable to free the man and were forced to remove the entire toilet with the man attached.
The 35-year-old was in a public toilet cubicle in Brierley Hill in the West Midlands when he became stuck.
He was taken to hospital where doctors had to get into the ambulance before using chemicals to free him.
Toilet re-installed
An ambulance service spokesman said: "He appeared to be none the worse for his ordeal other than being understandably somewhat embarra**ed."
It is thought the glue had been smeared on the toilet seat by a prankster.
An ambulance crew and a rapid response vehicle attended the scene just before midday but they were unable to free the man.
"With the help of a local authority and the fire and rescue service, the man was removed from the cubicle still attached to the stainless steel toilet," the spokesman said.
The toilet was later taken back to the public convenience and re-installed.
SUMTER, South Carolina (AP) -- A 12-year-old boy trick-or-treating with his family in central South Carolina was shot from inside a home Friday and killed, and his father and brother were wounded by the gunfire, authorities said.
The shooting suspect, Quentin Patrick, was in custody, a jail official said. Patrick, 22, has been charged with murder and three counts of assault and battery with intent to kill. The jail official said she didn't know whether Patrick had an attorney and his telephone number was unpublished.
The family was headed home from a city-sponsored event downtown when they decided to stop at a few homes, Sumter Police Chief Patty Patterson said. The father and his four children approached a home with a porch light on about 8:30 p.m. EDT while their mother waited nearby in a vehicle.
As the family was at the door, they thought they heard fireworks. The 12-year-old boy, his father and brother were all hit by the gunfire. The boy died at a hospital, Coroner Verna Moore said. The other two children were not hurt.
The boy's father and brother were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities have not released the identity of the family.
Patterson also would not release any more details about the shooting.
"The investigation is continuing into what has been a very tragic evening," Patterson said. "Our sorrow and sympathy goes out to this family."
The police chief said there were other people inside the home at the time of the shooting, but she didn't expect any of them to be charged.
A neighbor said he heard a loud noise about the time of the shooting and thought it was simply Halloween mischief.
"I thought, trick-or-treat night -- pranks go down. Anything goes," said Lenwood Dixon, 49, who works at a hazardous waste and recycling company. "I heard a noise like maybe gunfire, then my daughter saw a bunch of lights flashing and saw some cops."
In his six years in the neighborhood, he said he wasn't aware of any violent crimes. He said a few trick-or-treaters had been on his block that night.
"I'm surprised. Since I was here, I'd never heard of anything like that happening. It's a quiet neighborhood," he said. "You don't see many children in the neighborhood. It's more elderly."
A BOY of eight died after shooting himself in the head with an Uzi sub-machine gun.
Christopher Bizilj was aiming at a pumpkin at a gun fair when the weapons recoil forced it to jerk upwards sending a bullet into his skull.
His distraught dad Charles admitted last night: I gave permission for him to fire.
Scene ... where lad shot himself in the head
He went on: I watched several other children and adults use the Uzi. Its a small weapon, and Christopher was comfortable with guns. There were larger machine guns with more recoil, and we avoided those.
Christopher died in hospital. His dad, a hospital medical director, said his son had previous experience firing handguns, but had never fired an automatic weapon before.
Dr Bizilj added: Christopher will be sorely, sorely missed. My son was very cautious, very well trained, and very much enjoyed firing.
He said the family were coming to terms with Sundays incident in Westfield, Massachusetts, which he described as a terrible accident.
It is legal in America for children to fire a weapon if they have parental permission.
Although police called it a self-inflicted accidental shooting, officers are investigating.
Charges
But it is believed to be unlikely that any charges will follow.
District Attorney William Bennett said: We are going to review all the circumstances regarding what happened who was involved, and who was supervising.
Westfield Sportsmans Club, which runs the gun fair, said it was all legal and fun.
People are allowed to fire weapons at vehicles, pumpkins and other targets, it said.
The Israeli-made Uzi sub-machine gun is used by over 90 armed forces.
Its lightweight design, at about 7lb, has made it a favourite with bodyguards and for fighting at close-quarters.
A TEENAGE girl whose young brother accidentally hanged himself used her mobile phone to FILM the tragedy, cops have revealed.
Regina Boateng, 14, reportedly shot footage as brother Rexford dangled limply in his bedroom before paramedics arrived.
It is believed a game went tragically wrong. Police are investigating after a post-mortem revealed the lad, eight, died from asphyxiation.
His brother Eric, 16, found him hanging by a belt from a bunk bed.
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said cops told him Regina filmed Rexford after he was discovered hanging.
He said: I cannot begin to think why she would have done that surely she should have been trying to get him down from the bunk bed with her other brother.
I asked the policeman if he knew why on earth she had done it but he wouldnt say much more about it.
He told me it was 14-year-old girl using her mobile phone and that it was part of the police investigation.
Another neighbour, John ODell, 81, said: The policeman told me they were throwing the bed clothes around and the eight-year-old boy got hanged.
Paramedics spent four minutes trying to revive Rexford in the upstairs bedroom before taking him to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The schoolboy lived with dad Joseph, stepmum Cheryl Brunker, brother Eric and sisters Perpetua, 15, Regina and Josephina, 12.
Neighbours said the children were very loud and noisy and a regular source of complaints in the street in Hemel Hempstead, Herts.
It was claimed the youngsters often played outside until 11.30pm.
Blinds were pulled across the windows at the house yesterday, following the tragedy on Saturday.
Rexford was a Year 3 pupil at Hobletts Manor Junior School. The family recently moved from Telford, Shropshire.
A Hertfordshire Police spokesman said a full investigation was taking place but added: It appears this was a tragic accident. An inquest was due to be opened today.
Elite Kenyan police who went to help a luxury 4x4 that broke down outside their base were surprised when the occupants took off on foot - until officers took a closer look and found the vehicle loaded with marijuana.
'When the occupants refused assistance and fled, officers became suspicious and searched the vehicle,' finding about $20,000 worth of the drug, Trans Mara police boss Joshua Omukata told The Standard newspaper.
Members of the highly-regarded paramilitary General Service Unit from Keyian camp in the Rift Valley were unable to catch the would-be traffickers.
Marijuana growing is a lucrative option for many poor farmers across fertile east Africa. Trans Mara District is home to the Maasai Triangle, part of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
BARACK Obamas 86-year-old grandmother has died of cancer.
Presidential front-runner Obama suspended his campaign for two days last month so he could travel to Hawaii to spend time with Madelyn Payne Dunham, who helped raise him.
Her health had deteriorated to the point where her situation had become very serious.
Democrat candidate Obama is the strong favourite to beat Republican John McCain in the race for the White House.
The Government began the phased introduction of E-10 gasoline service stations in Eastern and Central parishes on Saturday.
E-10 is a blend of 10% ethanol derived from sugar cane and 90% gasoline. The Ministry of Energy is promising that it will be about $2 cheaper per litre and more environmentally friendly.
"We have responded to the challenges of the time ... the Government has put out the E10 blend of gasoline through hard work, perseverance and commitment and it's a break now for the consumer to get ahead ... not only in terms of technology but also in the environment and your engines also to ease the pressure on the pocket," said Energy Minister Clive Mullings after the product was officially launched at the Petcom Portmore Service Station in St. Catherine.
Last week, the Minister met with industry stakeholders including gasoline retailers to fine tune plans for the introduction of E10. Mr. Mullings is assuring motorists that the newly introduced petrol is safe.
"The consumer has nothing to fear about the product and their engine and their vehicles, it's safe for their vehicles ... what they should do now is to ensure that they use the product and take advantage of the benefit that has been put out there for them," he said.
According to the Energy Minister, the Jamaican economy has been held victim by high oil prices for far too long and it's time to take control.
"It's something that will inure to the benefit of this country as we use things like sugar cane to build an industry and to grow our fuel," he added.
ATLANTA The executive who succeeded Jay-Z as the head of hip-hop music label Def Jam Recordings died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound near Atlanta, police said Sunday.
Executive vice president Shakir Stewart, 34, died on Saturday, his New York-based label said in a statement.
Stewart was found Saturday afternoon in the bathroom of his home in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Cobb County police spokeswoman Cassie Reece said Sunday. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Police described the shooting as self-inflicted and would not say who discovered Stewart.
Stewart signed such artists as Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to the label before being named in June to the post once filled by Jay-Z.
The Oakland, Calif., native came to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College, where he graduated in 1996, his label said in an announcement for his promotion in June.
He previously worked with the Hitco publishing company, where he signed R&B star Beyonce, and Arista Records, where he signed R&B star Ciara.
Christopher Hicks, a friend of 18 years and fellow music executive, last spoke with Stewart about a week ago.
"Whatever happened over the past 24 hours is not a testament to who we all know," Hicks told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Sunday. "He was a one-of-a-kind individual. If you looked on his Blackberry (stamp) it said 'One of one.'"
Vybz Kartel's Remand Medley, shot by video wunderkid Wayne South, has been getting rave reviews in the dancehall. The riddim, conceptualised by Notnice, features most of the members of the Portmore Empire spitting sick rhymes and showing why they will be a force to reckon with in the future. The songs have been released under The Teacha's Adidjaheim Records label.
He (the French Pres) also tells the Alaska governor that he loved the "documentary" made about her and referred to a pornographic film with a Palin look-alike made by Hustler founder Larry Flynt.
She answers tentatively, "Ohh, good, thank you, yes." Listen
BRITISH Airways chiefs are probing a spate of smears left by staff on website Facebook.
Check-in workers mocked chief executive Willie Walsh and said Heathrows Terminal 5 was shambolic.
They said passengers were smelly and Americans had stupid accents.
Thirteen Virgin Atlantic cabin crew were fired last week over similar online remarks.
NBC reports "A 45 year-old Christian school teacher has arrested after allegedly having sex dozens of times with a 17 year-old student from the same school." Click Here
Appantly the roomer going around (wich is going around veeeeeeeeeeeeeery fast) about lil wayne being dead is false... the sight is real but the news is real... contacts are already being made to get intouch with cash money to sue the sight owners... i apogise again for the possible heart attacks an roomers
Deva.jpgDeejay Deva Brat is finally out of jail and rumours are that he may be linking up with the powerful House of Hits Records outfit in Dela Vega City.
"Mi see him last night ah roll with a disc jockey and a couple of people. He was up by House of Hits ah hold ah meds and ting. Him look like him ready fi come tek the road again," one source told one876entertainment.com
Deva Brat hit a number of major dancehall charts this year with Gussie Clarke before his incarceration on a double carnal abuse charge. One876 will have more as this story breaks.
Reggae artiste I-Octane is not only 'stabbing vampires'; he is also making major strides on the local and international reggae scene.
Born Byiome Muir, I-Octane burst onto the music scene in 2000, moving the industry with his high energy.
Since being in the business, he has made his mark on major shows, including Christmas Extravaganza, Sting, Sizzla's Rise to the Occasion, All Spice, Fully Loaded, the Ocho Rios Seafood Festival, Red Bull Soap Box Show, Cure Fest, East Fest, and Rebel Salute.
Performing overseas
Recently, he did shows in Holland, Canada, Washington and New York at Irie Jamboree.
I-Octane said performing overseas and locally has been great.
"It's great. It's a different set a people. It is always awesome. A reggae music dem a embrace to the fullest and dem a sing mi song dem line fi line," he told THE STAR.
"My career is in the developing stages. We know seh wi ago pass this level. Mi accomplish a lot of things cause mi already work pon every major show in Jamaica. The response in Jamaica is always excellent," he added.
This kind of response is expected because I-Octane's performances are usually powerful with songs like Stab Vampire, Different Page, Run Yet, Poverty and Gun Rise, which features Teflon.
For his work, I-Octane also received Best New Artiste and Best Dancehall Collaboration in Richie B's Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards in 2007. He was nominated for Best Solo Male Reggae Vocal and Best Reggae Video for Stab Vampire at February's Reggae Academy Awards.
With these developments, I-Octane said he is working on his debut album, for which he already has 80 per cent of the material. He said it will be ready by the first quarter of 2009.
"Right now the album is in progress. Wi just a try get the name I-Octane pon a level so that when we release the album people will be willing to buy it," he said.
For the rest of the year, I-Octane has four shows in the United States and one in Sweden. He is also booked for most of the local shows. He will also release his newest track called No Conscience soon.
YES THIS IS JUST A GENERAL POSSIBLE OUTCOME OF WHAT ra**'S FUNERAL ARRANGEMENT WOULD ACTUALLY LOOK IF (NOTICE MI SEH IF) HIM LOOSE TO OP, WHICH MOST OF US KNOW IS THA MOST LIKELY OUTCOME
NAME: RAGGA PLACE OF DEATH: MZJA NAME OF KILLER: RD REASON 4 DYING : COULD NOT FIND CHUNE CHURCH :THE HOLY MZJA CHURCH BURRIAL PLOT : MZJA BACKYARD (where all dead djs' lie)
=================================================== HERSE DRIVER $ ASSISTANT : Riddim Daddywhen mi done kill his rawse BEARERS (4 needed): Aj PASTOR: Kevin PASTORS ASSISTANT (deals with offerings collection):
A suburban Detroit woman decided to scare up the vote among neighbourhood children by just offering treats to John McCain supporters.
Shirley Nagel of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, handed out candy Friday only to those who shared her support for the Republican presidential candidate and his running mate, Sarah Palin.
Earlier today, the music industry was saddened with the news that Def Jam's Executive Vice President Shakir Stewart committed suicide. Though the details of this story are sketchy, some sources are saying that Stewart was found in New York with a gunshot wound to the head. The news of his death was first reported over the airwaves in Atlanta by WVEE deejay Greg Street.
Shakir Stewart was appointed to his position at Def Jam by L.A. Reid back in June after the post was vacated by Jay-Z. Stewart was responsible for signing such acts as Rick Ross, Karina Parisian and Young Jeezy.
The Oakland, California-native graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta before going on to sign Ciara and Beyonce to Hitco Publishing, where he worked before leaving for Def Jam in 2004.
Tiffany New York Patterson pregnancy rumors are surfacing about how she got pregnant during the filming of her hit VH-1 show I Love New York.
An insider at I Love New York explained to MediaTakeOut.com, The show tests everyone, the guys and New York, for diseases, pregnancy, everything before and after the show - for insurance and legal purposes. Our source added, [New York Tiffany Patterson] was tested a few weeks before the show and she was not pregnant. When she was tested during her exit interview - the test showed that she was.
Since the filming of the show, however, New York has made a number of public appearances - and she didnt appear pregnant. MediaTakeOut.com asked our insider about this, and the tipster responded, Im not sure what happened, maybe it was a false positive test, maybe shes carrying well - I have no way of knowing. All I do know is that the test in her exit interview said that she was pregnant.
But theres more. According to the show insider New York had sexual intercourse with more than one of the shows contestants. The insider told MediaTakeOut.com, I dont want to give anything [in upcoming shows] away, but New York was intimate with more than one man.
ARTICLE TAKEN FROM: - http://www.celebrityroyale.com/2007/12/06/omg-tiffany-new-york-patterson-pregnant/
Zojak Worldwide, the leader in digital reggae distribution, in cooperation with Cocoa Tea's Roaring Lion Records, is to release Cocoa Tea's eagerly anticipated album, YES WE CAN. The album will be available worldwide on I-Tunes and www.Cocoateabarackobama.com on election day, November 4, 2008. YES WE CAN polishes Cocoa Tea's credentials as a foundation reggae storyteller, mixing social commentary and musical genius in a way that both soothes and empowers the soul. Cocoa Tea is joined on the album by an-all star cast including Marcia Griffiths, Shabba Ranks, Cutty Ranks, El General, Dean Frasier and Prezident Brown. C****ining modern melodies and timeless roots bass lines with crucial vocals YES WE CAN over 14 tracks, is essential Cocoa Tea. With over 20 years in the business and more than 50 albums to his credit, Cocoa Tea maintains his position as a leading voice for culture and consciousness in dancehall reggae.
One876 understands that Jamaican dancehall artiste, David 'Mavado' Brooks was sent back home today by the Immigration Authorities after he landed at the Nassau International Airport today.
He was scheduled to perform at the Millennium Countdown show being staged by Down Sound Promotions.
According to reports reaching One876, the Bahamian sheriff was protesting due to the lyrical content associated with the artiste.
Efforts to contact Mavado and his management team proved futile but we will keep you posted.
FURIOUS parents have called for a saucy teacher to be sacked after she put on a saucy strip show for her 15-year-old pupils. The German minx was supposed to be supervising a start of term party.
But things got out of hand as the pretty teacher put on her own s-extracarricular activities for the teen pupils.
She seductively stripped down to her underwear to the joy of her howling students.
And she only stopped her X-rated High School musical when another teacher forced her to cover up.
But one goggle-eyed pupil filmed the show on his mobile phone.
The teacher is seen peeling off her top to reveal her bra and then starts to undo the zip of her trousers before another lecturer covers her in a tablecloth.
"It is disgusting. What kind of teacher acts that way in front of her pupils. She should be in a lap dancing bar, not a school," said one angry parent.
A student filmed it. Video:http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1874459.ece
Anyone with a chest under 28 inches will be banned from driving a motorbike - which make up 90 per cent of the traffic on the country's chaotic roads.
Anyone who is too short, too thin or too sickly will also have to seek alternative transport. Ailments such as enlarged livers or sinusitis will rule out aspirant motorists.
"The new proposals are very funny, but many Vietnamese people could become the victim of this joke," said Le Quang Minh, 31, a Hanoi stockbroker. "Many Vietnamese women have small chests. I have many friends who won't meet these criteria."
The average Vietnamese man is 5 feet, 4 inches (164 centimeters) tall and weighs 121 pounds (55 kilograms). The average Vietnamese woman is 5 feet, 1 inch (155 centimeters) tall and weighs 103 pounds (47 kilograms).
Vietnamese bloggers have been poking fun at the plan, envisioning traffic police with tape measures eagerly pulling over female drivers to measure their chests.
"From now on, padded bras will be best-sellers," said Bo Cu Hung, a popular Ho Chi Minh City blogger.
"I'm not heavy enough, what am I going to do?" Le Thu Huong asked in a letter to Tuoi Tre newspaper. "And what about people whose chests are small? Most of them are too poor to afford breast implants!"
Vietnamese roads are among the most dangerous in the world but it is not clear why the ruling Communist Party believes banning small drivers will make them safer.
Missy Quinn's father Simon, 35, paid £16,000 for her wedding dress, which was studded with Swarovski crystals and came with a 10ft train so heavy it took ten guests to help her out of the Rolls-Royce Phantom that brought her to church.
There were 150 guests at the reception and Mr Quinn also paid for cars, accommodation, the tiara and a £500 bouquet.
In total, it cost five times as much as the average UK wedding. Mr Quinn, who works surfacing driveways, insisted that the expense was worth it and added: "I'm very proud of her today."
Missy, who hasn't attended school since she was nine years old and wants to be a glamour model, struggled with the dress.
"It was extremely heavy and just standing in the church was really difficult. But despite all that, I felt just like Cinderella," she said. "It cost a fortune, but I've always wanted a big wedding and my dad has been saving for ages to pay for it."
She met her husband Thomas at Alton Towers theme park aged 13 and stayed in touch despite her traveller family leaving their Stoke-on-Trent caravan park every summer while he stayed with his parents in Wolverhampton.
Missy and Thomas celebrated their honeymoon in Turkey before moving into their own £18,000 caravan, which was a wedding gift from her parents.
Do you sometimes find yourself wishing that there was a place you could go to just watch music videos? Back in the 80s, MTV served that purpose. These days, MTV and its sibling MTV2 are hardly channels anyone would watch in order to get a music video fix. MTV is looking to redeem itself in the music video department, however, by launching a new site Tuesday called MTV Music that opens up the company's massive video archive and puts it on the web for free.
MTV Music expands upon the music video offerings already posted to MTV.com by offering an entire back catalogue of videos that go all the way to when music videos were born. The library includes more than 16,000 videos, sprinkled with "exclusive" MTV concert footage and MTV "Unplugged" performances that used to be all the rage. And that's just the beginning. According to a blog post on MTV's Splash Page, more videos are being added by the day, so even if your favorite Paula Abdul selections haven't been posted yet, they probably will make it up eventually.
In addition to the consumer-facing side of MTV Music, the company has also launched an API that allows developers to build applications that make use of MTV Networks Content. The examples provided include creating a video gallery, a MySpace or Facebook app to send music video dedications to friends, the "music application of your dreams" made up of your favorite videos, or a blog plug-in to pull in various videos.
MTV Music may not seem like a big deal to some, but it's pretty major when you consider what's going on behind the scenes. YouTube originally stated in 2006 that its goal was to host "every single music video ever created"an ambitious goal that the company hoped to accomplish within 6 to 18 months. That obviously hasn't happened, quite yet, and now MTV Music is way ahead of YouTube in the music video department. Ice burn.
Why hasn't YouTube caught up, even with a two-plus year head start? MTV is owned by Viacom, the company that filed a $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube for "brazen" copyright infringement in 2007 (the suit is still pending). Among other things, Viacom wanted to have full control over any of its content that gets postedsomething that YouTube could not provide.
MTV Music is also differentiating itself from YouTube by being light on the ads. All 16,000+ videos lack any form of advertising except for banner ads at the top of the page, while Google is currently testing video ads on some of its videos in order to monetize the massive (and otherwise un-monetizable) amount of content on the site.
Like YouTube, MTV Music allows users to not only watch videos on the site, but to also leave comment, give ratings, and embed the videos on their blogs or personal websites. Here's a favorite of Ars Editor in Chief Ken Fisher... enjoy!
Residents of Hanover and Westmoreland are scared of out their wits as a group of men, rumoured to be HIV-positive, are said to be prowling the streets of the parishes, attempting to abduct and rape women and children.
The Star has learnt that the perverts, who started plaguing communities some two weeks ago, travel with a noose that they used to capture their victims. Residents say the four men, sometimes accompanied by a female, throw the rope around unsuspecting 'preys' to prevent them from running before abducting and sexually assaulting them.
The situation lead to an abrupt end for the school day at the George's Plain Primary School in Westmoreland last Thursday after the men tried to snatch a student. She, however, managed to escape. In the aftermath of the incident, parents flocked the institution to collect their children, long before school was over.
Apprehensive
Principal of George's Plain Primary, Elaine Reid-Smith, said that the incident also severely affected attendance last Friday, as parents were still apprehensive about sending out their children after Thursday's close call. She said yesterday's attendance was much better, however.
"I thought it would have affected our attendance today but the turnout was good," she said. "After the incidents on Thursday, only a handful of students came out to school on Friday."
She continued that the situation was very disheartening as the students were now coming to school in fear, which may hamper their learning. She said she also spoke with the youngster that the men tried to abduct on Thursday. "She used to attend George's Plain but is now attending Petersfield High School she seems to be doing all right, which is very good."
In what is being reported as the most recent incident, a resident of Lucea yesterday told The Star that parents and guardians made their way to the Lucea Primary School about midday after hearing that men attempted to snatch a student of that school as she made her way there. However, attempts to contact the school were unsuccessful and the police could not confirm the matter.
While both the Lucea and the Sav-la-Mar police say they have heard about the 'strong rumour', they noted that they both are yet to receive reports from persons who may have been victims of the mysterious men or came close to being one.
Stepped up patrol
Both told the newspaper that they have stepped up patrol in their areas, as a result, and are working with resource officers placed in the schools to keep an eye on the situation.
They are urging persons with information to come forth and furnish the police with the details.
Unconfirmed reports reaching The Star are that the group of perverts recently abducted and buggered a Rastafarian man in Westmoreland. It is alleged that the Rastafarian later committed suicide as a result of his abduction and ordeal.
Josef Fritzl has admitted locking his own mother in a bricked-up room until her death, in the same house where he later incarcerated his daughter and grandchildren.
The Austrian made the extraordinary revelation to a psychologist preparing a report on his mental state in advance of his trial for imprisoning and sexually abusing his daughter Elisabeth.
His mother could have been locked away for more than 20 years in the house in Amstetten, according to an Austrian tabloid.
"I locked her up in a room at the top of the house. I then bricked in the window so that she never again saw the light of day," Fritzl said in the leaked psychologist's report.
Fritzl told neighbours that his mother died around the time he took ownership of her home in 1959, but the Oesterreich newspaper claims she did not die until 1980, suggesting that she could have spent 21 years in the locked bedroom.
Fritzl's friends have expressed doubt that he could have kept her hidden in the house for so long.
The 73-year-old told the psychologist that he wanted to punish his mother for his loveless, brutal childhood.
"She used to beat me, hit me until I was lying in a pool of *lo** on the floor. It left me feeling totally humiliated and weak," he said.
"My mother was a servant and she used to work hard all her life, I never had a kiss from her, I was never cuddled although I wanted it - I wanted that she would be good to me. But the only thing she ever did with me was to go to the church."
Asked if this had given him the idea for locking up Elisabeth, he said: "To be honest I just didn't think about it, about her being my daughter, I saw her as my wife and as my partner."
The revelations are contained in a 130-page report compiled during six interview sessions by Dr Adelheid Kastner of the Wagner-Jauregg mental asylum in Linz.
Fritzl also told the psychologist that he was "born to be a rapist". Dr Kastner has advised that he is not insane, but is a danger to the public and should never be released from prison.
Fritzl's trial for imprisoning his daughter in a purpose-built dungeon beneath his home for 24 years, and forcing her to bear seven of his children, one of whom died, is due to begin in February. He has confessed to the crime, but the charges have yet to be finalised.
Since mi xhd crash dung wah day, mi a go back through mi post dem and get wah mi need fi build back mi ting. Mi look and see seh mi first post was bugle - what im gonna do. posted on wed. aug. 29 @ 9:37 am i was just wondering what some of you made as ur first post http://mediazoneja.com/index.spark?forumID=101645&p=3&topicID=12533958
i think that they will winn d world cup cuz a dem mi bring all the way....tell me ur fav argentina player an wat u think will happen 4 d future of argentina.....
The United Nations' International Labor Organization has revealed some horrifying stats: The ILO estimates that approximately two million workers lose their lives annually due to occupational injuries and illnesses, with accidents causing at least 350,000 deaths a year. For every fatal accident, there are an estimated 1,000 non-fatal injuries, many of which result in lost earnings, permanent disability and poverty. The death toll at work, much of which is attributable to unsafe working practices, is the equivalent of 5,000 workers dying each day, three persons every minute. This is more than double the figure for deaths from warfare (650,000 death* per year). According to the ILO's SafeWork programme, work kills more people than alcohol and drugs together and the resulting loss in Gross Domestic Product is 20 times greater than all official development assistance to the developing countries.
Each year, 6,570 US workers die because of injuries at work, while 60,225 meet their maker due to occupational diseases. (Meanwhile, 13.2 million get hurt, and 1.1 million develop illnesses that don't kill them.) On an average day, two or three workers are fatally shot, two fall to their deaths, one is killed after being smashed by a vehicle, and one is electrocuted. Each year, around 30 workers die of heat stroke, and another 30 expire from carbon monoxide. Although blue collar workers face a lot of the most obvious dangers, those slaving in offices or stores must contend with toxic air, workplace violence, driving accidents, and (especially for the health-care workers) transmissible diseases. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration warns that poisonous indoor air in nonindustrial workplaces causes "[t]housands of heart disease deaths [and] hundreds of lung cancer deaths" each year. But hey, everybody has to go sometime, right? And since we spend so much of our lives in the workplace, it's only logical that a lot of deaths happen or at least are set into motion on the job. This explanation certainly is true to an extent, but it doesn't excuse all such deaths. The International Labor Organization says that half of workplace fatalities are avoidable. In A Job to Die For, Lisa Cullen writes: In
