Forum: News & Topical Issues
Andrew & Wadda *lo** Hustles
In fact, so hot is 'Hustle Till The Day I Die', the *lo** brothers have been getting crazy requests for dubplates from local and international sound systems.
According to Junior 'One *lo**' Reid's two immensely talented sons, 'Hustle', produced by Firelinks, is the biggest tune they have done so far. "The response has been great," said Andrew. "Everywhere we go people are just singing the tune word for word, cause they know what we are talking about is real. The song is about and dedicated to all 'hustlers' in Jamaica. Jamaica consists of many 'hustlers' and that is why we are so unique as a people."
"They identify with the sentiments," added Wadda. "It's like they are saying we know exactly what's going on in the streets 'I'm a hustle til the day I die/that's the way I bring food to my table'. In order to survive these days, everyone's got to hustle, that's the bottomline."
According to the duo, many people connect with the song and even volunteered to appear in the video to say their piece. The song is getting incredible reviews.
The brothers were recently in St. Thomas, US Virgin Island for the Heineken Green Synergy competition and when they drew for 'Hustle' the place mash up. To their surprise, the crowd was singing along word for word. They had young girls screaming and begging for more.
Based on the phenomenon of the song, they expect that when they launch into it at the huge event, Best of the Best this Sunday, May 25, at the Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami, the whole place is going to be in an uproar.
The exciting, catchy, infectious music video for 'Hustle' is now climbing the Hitlist charts. And their other big single, 'Want Tek Life', is in the top ten on the Richie B Jamaica Music Countdown charts.
Andrew and Wadda *lo** have been heavily influenced by their father, but have an extremely different style from him. Their music is described as a cross between hip-hop, dancehall and reggae ballad, which gives the young *lo**s their uniqueness and a huge following among the teens.
Exceptional and unique, their songwriting skills have also placed them as outstanding and promising talents for current and future generations.
The two young men are not only reggae and dancehall artistes, but also producers and studio engineers who create their own styles and beats that they put their lyrics to. Most of their lyrics or ideas for their music are based on everyday happenings, which come from snippets of conversations and images.
The beats that they create soar above everything else, rather than blending in to the singing. The beats are simple but different with special effects. They learnt this trade from hanging around their dad's JR Studio on weekends as teenagers while listening to him voice. Having learnt this trade early they have now blossomed into the fine artistes and producers they are today.
Andrew and Wadda have produced songs for a number of prominent artistes, including their father, and are signed to the label JR Productions.
Continuing to blend hip-hop with dancehall, the budding stars have toured places like Japan, Trinidad & Tobago, The Bahamas, Barbados, Europe, California, Belize, Mexico and North America, and appeared before an audience of approximately 20,000 patrons. In fact, they have been performing since they were youngsters.
Andrew and Wada want to be classified with some of reggae's greats and reggae's giants. According to the duo, "music is life" and the positive vibrations that generate from the music can work wonders, and that is why their mission is to create lifelong music.
These two brothers are dynamic, versatile, and are on the way to making their mark in this exciting music industry.
BANJUL, The Gambia (AFP) - Eccentric Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has threatened to behead gays unless they left the country, according to reports yesterday.
"The Gambia is a country of believers... sinful and immoral practices (such) as homosexuality will not be tolerated in this country," the president told a crowd at a political rally, local journalists told AFP yesterday.
He went on to say he would "cut off the head" of any gay person caught in The Gambia.
The anti-gay campaign continued in the Gambian pro-government media this week with the Daily Observer publishing a virulent editorial.
"We have said it before and we will say it again. This is a Muslim and Christian country. Both the Koran and the holy Bible condemn homosexuality - pure and simple," the paper wrote on Monday May 19.
British gay rights group Outrage said in a reaction yesterday that the Gambian leader's comments came as no surprise.
"Jammeh has a long history of homophobia," spokesman Peter Tatchell said.
"If he tries to carry out these threats, international aid donors are likely to withdraw their support, and foreign tourists will stay away in droves, thereby damaging the Gambian economy," he added.
The tourism industry is vital to Gambia's economy as the West African nation lacks other natural resources.
Jammeh drew condemnation from African AIDS groups after he claimed in January to have found a "miracle" treatment for HIV/AIDS.
The method was based on medicinal plants and a Koranic verse. All participants were ordered to give up their antiretroviral drugs.
SEE IT DEH!!!! DEM NAH TROUBLE GAMBIA.....ONLY JAMAICA DEM WAH GET INVOLVED IN DEM HOMOSEXUAL f**kERY
I have been a respected male teacher for many years now, but I have had a major problem for years. I tend to look at naked pictures of guys and then I masturbate. My fiancée caught me one day and I told her that the page popped up and I just looked but then I started thinking of her and that is why my pants were down.
Pastor, do I need help?
D.B., New Jersey, USA
Dear D.B.,
Your woman would have to be very naive to believe your big lie. You were looking at naked men photographs because you are a bisexual. Straight men don't admire men. And if your fiancée is smart, she would wonder why such gay porno pictures will just pop up on your computer screen.
Man, you have a problem and you should seek professional help. It is not a problem you should ignore so I would suggest that you apply for pop-up blockers. Remove every pornographic site from your computer. Admit to your fiancée that you have a problem and ask her to help you deal with the matter. You see, sir, since she saw you with your pants down while admiring pictures of naked men, she has been wondering whether she made a big mistake by falling in love with you. So tell her you need help.
Pastor
Which 1 Yuh Think Is Better MONSTA HEMPIRE OR SCARE DEM KRU
-- Edited by Delvito at 09:09, 2008-05-17
Lady Saw Assembles Her 'A' Team
No longer signed to record production and distribution giant, VP Records, Lady Saw has set about assembling her 'A' team which includes producers and sought-after publicist Ray Alexander and is confident of taking huge leaps in her career.
Now working on a new album, it's as yet untitled, the talented deejay is working with a slew of reggae/dancehall's most respected producers. Among them are Sly and Robbie, Jazzy T, Scatta, Baby G, Ward 21 and John John. She will also be doing some of the production work herself.
Among the first tracks to hit the streets will be Belvedere Heights by Ward 21 and Baby Take Your Time, produced by Scatta. The video for these tracks will be unveiled shortly after the release of the singles.
Also on her musical itinerary is a "big belly song", which Lady Saw says is quite humorous, and which is already causing quite a stir in the dancehall. Dedicated to the fat women, it shows them in a positive light, "and they just love it", Saw says.
In between getting the album out, she is preparing for her European tour, which kicks off in July. "I love performing in Europe and I am looking forward to it,"she says.
the man who created the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, sentenced to 25 years
ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- Lou Pearlman, the man who created the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in federal prison for engineering a decades-long scam that bilked thousands of investors out of their life savings.
Lou Pealman was the boy band king, then fleeced investors of some $300 million.
It was the maximum sentence the boy band mogul could receive for allegedly swindling some $300 million from investors and banks since the early 1980s.
He pleaded guilty in March to two counts of conspiracy and single counts of money laundering and presenting a false claim in bankruptcy court.
U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp noted that many victims were Pearlman's relatives, friends and retirees in their 70s or 80s who lost everything.
United States-based law professor David P Rowe has sued the failed investment scheme Cash Plus Limited and its embattled head Carlos Hill to recover a whopping J$117 million, making his the largest suit filed so far by a disgruntled lender to the scheme.
News of Rowe's suit emerged yesterday at about the same time that Justice Donald McIntosh ordered that Hill be imprisoned for six weeks if he does not, by June 19, disclose his assets as directed by the court last month when it ordered the freezing of his assets based on an application brought by businessman Alexander Haber.
Haber is suing Hill to recover close to $30 million he said he had invested in the ill-fated Cash Plus in October and November last year.
Rowe, a Jamaican who resides in the state of Florida, joins a long list of irate lenders who have taken legal action to recover millions of dollars loaned to Cash Plus before its recent demise.
The second highest suit filed against Cash Plus and Hill to date is a J$108 million action brought by another US lawyer, Sandra Robinson, from Houston Texas.
Rowe said in papers filed with the Supreme Court last month that he had loaned monies to Cash Plus with the agreement that he would receive a monthly interest rate of 10 per cent. During November 2006 and January 2007, Rowe said, he was provided with written loan agreements with respect to the loans.
The professor, who is the son of the late High Court judge Ira Rowe, further stated in court documents that he had, subsequent to January 2007, loaned "further sums" to the defendant but that he received no written loan agreement.
According to Rowe's affidavit, subsequent to January 2007 the monies on the account were converted to US dollars, creating a US dollar loan arrangement and a new interest rate of 13 per cent per month added to the outstanding balance.
Rowe is charging Cash Plus with breach of contract, claiming that he had not, since January 1 this year, received any interest payment of his principal, "despite repeated requests and demands" by him and his lawyers.
According to Rowe, he is owed a balance of US$1,663,537.15 as at March 31, inclusive of principal and interest.
Rowe said that he has suffered loss and damages and incurred expenses due to the non-payment on which he is seeking 13 per cent interest per month from January 1 until payment.
The matter comes up for hearing on July 17.
Kevin Bandoian, the recent court approved receiver/manager of Cash Plus has been named as third defendant.
Yesterday's court ultimatum to Hill was issued after lawyers from the firm Hart Muirhead and Fatta made the application for Hill to be committed to prison on behalf of Haber.
Haber, who claimed in court documents last month that Hill "induced" him to invest in Cash Plus, said he pumped both US and local currencies into the scheme with the understanding that the monies would be invested in "safe, solid and secure investment", and that he would receive a 10 per cent monthly return on his principal. This never materialised, Haber said in court documents.
Should Hill be incarcerated in June, it would not be his first stint behind bars.
The 60-year-old Hill had, before coming to Jamaica in 2002, spent a decade in US prison for mail and loan fraud.
Hill has also spent approximately three weeks locked up at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre following his arrest on April 10 for fraud, regarding Cash Plus investors' money. His brother, Bertram Hill, and Cash Plus' chief financial officer Peter Wilson were also arrested and charged with fraud.
Following the arrests, the police told reporters that documents seized at Carlos Hill's Norbrook, St Andrew residence linked a number of companies and accounts around the world to him and Cash Plus. All three are on bail.
MI CONSIDER A FREAK TO BE A BOWER,FCK INNA BATTY ETC.......
Elephant Man - he did chunes wit R. Kelly, the original young gyal tekka, years before deva ratt come out, not to mention a REPUTED bowcyat...we know he's a bowaz because ele made a chune name "r. kelly face" which is about bunnin out bowcyat.
Buju Banton - well at one point i thought we bun dem out and we nuh tek bakk we chat, but buju is de original "apologizer" for when boom bye bye came out wah day...he is also a chichi-contract signer (to be fair, really only bounty killa neva sign it)...
TOK - smaddy tell Bassie dat chichiman is the HEAD OF ALLLLL CORRUPTION! not termite...i mean dat alone would make de big dutty hypocrites, but TOK still make big chunes, and they followed up chichiman with "keep it blazing" on the liquid riddim (jeremy harding production, whatever happened to him?); where they say "we tan up behind de lyrix pan we paper, we bun dem we nuh leff a ash nor a vapor"...oh word? yuh bun out termite?! i guess the fya only burns hot when money isnt involved
Harry Toddler's baby mother and girlfriend...who is hotter?
-- Edited by miggskills at 20:53, 2008-01-26
Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn believes justice is being denied because of the culture of silence inculcated in the society.
This culture was on show yesterday after three men were murdered at Woodpecker Avenue, Kingston 11, as residents appeared reluctant to speak about the day's events when The Gleaner visited.
The dead men are Leslie Williams, 64, mason of Flinch Crescent; 35-year-old Shawn Davis, of Canary Avenue both in Kingston 11; and Mark Pennant, 39, of Hitchin Street, Allman Town, Kingston. The age of the injured man has not yet been ascertained.
Fashionable and hip
Llewellyn, who was speaking at the Montego Bay Community College Hospitality and Creative Studies Department Job Readiness Seminar at the Half Moon Conference Centre, Rose Hall, said the culture of silence makes it fashionable and hip to turn a blind eye to many of society's ills.
She said this sometimes caused accused persons to return to the society with more zest to commit greater crimes, sometimes affecting those who kept quiet.
"What it has spawned is an age where we now have the 'informer-fi-dead' culture, and that culture ensures that a lot of good cases that would be dealt with in the court sometimes go out the door because we do not have people who are prepared to do their duty and come to court to give the evidence about what they saw," she said.
She explained that this phenomenon goes back some time, as children were in the past criticised, even by parents, for speaking out.
When The Gleaner visited Woodpecker Avenue, residents, though unwilling to speak about the murders themselves, pleaded for calm to return to the area.
The three murders added to Jamaica's spiralling crime rate, with around 600 murders committed since the start of the year.
Renewed violence also erupted in east Kingston yesterday, resulting in the murders of two persons in Rockfort. The incident took place at Hyppolite Road at 2:30 a.m.
Police reports are that 26-year-old Conrad McKnight and his live-in girlfriend, Crystal Lawrence, were killed by gunmen who forced open a window to their home and shot them.
McKnight and Lawrence died instantly. The Constabulary Communication Network said investigators from the Kingston Eastern police division have made no arrests for the homicides.
Rockfort relatively quiet
Rockfort has been relatively quiet this year, but has been a hub for criminal activity in the last two years.
Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin yesterday reiterated his determination to see community policing placed at the forefront of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's drive to c****at crime.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Community Based Policing Implementation Team, Lewin said the time had come for pilot projects concerned with community policing to become a thing of the past.
He told the gathering that community safety branches are to be established in each police station across the island, with officers dedicated to community policing.
"The Jamaica Constabulary Force's focus on community policing is formed on the notion that, if communities are to be made safe, everyone from the government through regional and local partners, the public and the private sectors the churches and voluntary organisations and, of course, the people who live in our communities must play their part," he said.
A DAD of four whose testicles had to be cut off after a botched vasectomy is demanding Ł1million in damages.
A DAD of four whose testicles had to be cut off after a botched vasectomy is demanding Ł1million in damages.
Daniel Stalker, 51, had the bungled snip in 1996 and has suffered 12 years of agony and hell since.
Bungled ... Dr Paul Dewart
Ex-Army private Daniel, who this week won his case against the health authority who operated, said last night: Im living in misery.
He said he screamed out during his snip at an Edinburgh family planning clinic but surgeon Dr Paul Dewart only stopped when Daniel vomited after feeling a surgical instrument in his scrotum.
By then one testicle had gone black and doubled in size. Daniel, of Dunbar, had both removed in 1998 after they grew to the size of tennis balls.
Daniel too ill to get out of bed most days said life is tough for his carers wife, Elizabeth, 47, and children, Gayle, 25, Michael, 23, John, 15, and Aimee, 12.
He said: The money wont give me my life back and will not take away the pain, but it will hopefully help my family.
I feel for my them as Ive tried to take my own life five times. The pain really is unbearable.
Edinburghs Court of Session heard a medical instrument was pushed into an unanaesthetised part of Daniels scrotum.
Dr Dewart said he could not remember the op but a judge said his claim lacked credibility. A court will set the level of damages Lothian Health Board must pay.
 |
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is now looking for a man and his child after they say the two were barricaded inside a home overnight. The JSO SWAT Team surrounded a home on the Northside Thursday night.
Police went to serve an injunction to 37-year-old Nathan DeVoe at 5612 Mahalia, near the intersection of US-1 and Edgewood at 6:45 p.m.
They went to tell DeVoe that he had to leave the home he shared with his wife and two-year-old child Natalie. The injunction gave temporary custody of the couple's child to the mother pending a hearing in family court.
As the officers spoke with DeVoe and his wife, explaining that DeVoe would have to go, he suddenly grabbed the child, ran back into the home and slammed the front door.
Police spent several hours trying to contact DeVoe to negotiate with him. The SWAT Team finally made it into the home early Friday morning. However, when they got inside DeVoe and the child were no where to be found. Officials are now searching for the two.
JSO says DeVoe has a long criminal history. Because of his known criminal past, SWAT was called out and several neighboring homes were evacuated. The child's mother is safe and unharmed.
"He has a lengthy criminal record. He has past arrests for armed robbery, aggravated battery, a few drug charges as well. We're going to be very deliberate with this incident. We want to, again, as I said, have a peaceful resolution without incident, hopefully," said JSO spokesperson Ken Jefferson.
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL -- 47-year-old Mary Boswell and her 29-year-old son Larry Whitworth have been missing since their roommate's body was discovered in a pond near their home in Columbia County. Boswell is now in custody.
State troopers in Roane County, Tennessee spotted the mother and son driving the victim's truck, and gave chase on foot when the two jumped out of the truck on the side of the highway.
Five agencies and tracking dogs took part in the search on the ground and in the air.
Mary Boswell was caught by police while her son barricaded himself in a trailer.
Police fired five rounds of tear gas into the trailer then went inside, but Whitworth had fled.
Officers were still searching the area for him as of late Thursday night.
A family friend reported 59-year-old James Gifford missing Wednesday morning. His wallet was found on the side of a road in Hamilton County.
Officers in Columbia County went to his home and no one answered the door. A neighbor called police a few hours later after seeing Gifford's body in a nearby pond.
Police said the home is at the intersection of Brasque Drive and Poitier Driver. Hostage negotiators and SWAT team members have been called to assist.
We have been told the neighborhood in the surrounding area is on lockdown.
Police also say there was a restraining order against the man from seeing his child. The child's mother is waiting outside of the home with SWAT members.
Teen shot to death in car ID'd
|Sentinel Staff Writer11:28 AM EDT, May 23, 2008A 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed Thursday in the area of Goldwyn Avenue has been identified as John Erik Rivera, the Orange County Sheriff's Office reported Friday.
Detectives think Rivera was involved in a drug transaction when he was shot twice while inside a red Honda Civic about 4:10 p.m., the Sheriff's Office reported.
The investigation is ongoing and there are no suspects.
Bunting recants - Apologises to Shaw
published: Thursday | May 22, 2008
Edmond Campbell, Senior News Coordinator
Bunting
PETER BUNTING, Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, yesterday retracted statements he made last week accusing Finance and the Public Service Minister Audley Shaw of misleading the House with his claims about a so-called "sweetheart deal".
In a statement to the House, Bunting said there was a "misunderstanding on my part as to the transaction the minister was referring to".
In that regard, the People's National Party (PNP) general secretary said he was withdrawing his earlier claims that "no such transaction occurred", and that the minister had misled the House.
Bunting told his colleagues he regretted any confusion his pronouncements had caused, adding that he had not intentionally set out to mislead the House.
Earlier this month, lines were drawn when Bunting rebuffed Shaw's claims that the company he previously chaired was involved in a sweetheart deal with the former PNP government. At that time, he said Shaw had breached the Standing Orders of the House and demanded he withdraw his remarks or face sanctions.
Documentary evidence
However, Shaw returned to the House with documentary evidence of the transaction between DB&G and the then government.
In attempting to explain the misunderstanding yesterday, Bunting said: "The minister's words were fairly interpreted by me as referring to the outright sale by FINSAC (Financial Sector Adjustment Company Limited) of its residual share of the collections from the bad loan portfolio administered by the Jamaica Redevelopment Foundation (JRF)."
Both MPs had earlier accused each other of misleading the House, an offence that could attract sanctions from the Privileges Committee of Parliament.
But a motion was moved in the House on Tuesday, which paved the way for the neighbouring MPs to resolve the row on the floor of Parliament, without having to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee.
Sweetheart deals
Shaw
In closing the Budget Debate last month, Shaw charged that Bunting had benefited from sweetheart deals in the sale of assets acquired by FINSAC.
Yesterday, Bunting said the transaction which occurred was a short-term financing arrangement which showed full repayment of US$29.6 million by the Ministry of Finance to DB&G within 120 days.
However, the Central Manchester MP made it clear he believed the transaction with the previous administration was above board.
"Further evidence that the receivables were not sold to DB&G is the fact that FINSAC retains, to this day, ownership of its share of the bad loan portfolio, administered by the Jamaica Redevelopment Foundation," Bunting said.
Government MP Everald Warmington rejected the manner in which Bunting withdrew the statement, arguing that the MP should apologise to all the members for misleading the House.
However, in intervening, Andrew Gallimore, acting leader of Government business, said Shaw, Bunting and House Speaker Delroy Chuck had agreed the withdrawal would signal an end to the matter.
He said the members should therefore respect the agreement reached between the parties concerned, and the motion was passed with Warmington's dissent.
Prostitution sting turns violent in Tampa; officer injured
Police say Officer Alberto Burgos was posing as a customer when he was approached by a woman and two men early Monday.
According to investigators, Burgos arranged to meet the others with $50 cash at a Tampa park. Once there, authorities say the two men attempted to rob Burgos, dragging him from his van and beating him.
A police spokeswoman says one of the men brandished a knife. Burgos then fired at the men, striking one in the upper body. Police say the man is hospitalized in critical condition.
Officers are searching for the other man. The woman is in custody.
Miami, FL -- 19, May 2008) The countdown has begun for Best Of The Best 2008! South Florida's longest running Memorial Weekend reggae concert is going down Sunday May 25th at Bicentennial Park (1075 Biscayne Blvd.) in bubbling downtown Miami.
The stellar list of artists confirmed for this year's concert include legends Super Cat, Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Sizzla, Junior Reid, Barrington Levy, soca king Machel Montano, Tarrus Riley, Mavado, Etana, Dean Frasier, Assassin, Serani, Bling Dawg and New Kidz. Doors open at 1pm sharp. Stage show kicks off at 2pm and ends at 11pm.
In addition to bringing together Jamaica's biggest stars for Best Of The Best 2008, Rocker's Island Entertainment, in association with Massive B Sound System, Inc., will have South Florida 'pon lock with the sexiest parties throughout the entire weekend!
GAYS WON'T BOYCOTT JAMAICA - Will not encourage tourists to shun the island
Gay rights group EGALE has decided not to call for the boycott of Jamaica as they had previously threatened.
In a release Tuesday, the human rights organisation said it would not suggest that Canadians shun Jamaica as a tourist destination but added that they would continue their campaign against perceived homophobia here.
"We will continue to raise the level of education, and awareness around homophobia in Jamaica, and continuing to fight for sexual freedom on the island and the right to live free from fear as a queer in Jamaica," Egale representative Akim Ade Larcher said.
In March, Egale, a Canadian group, issued an ultimatum in an open letter to Anne-Marie Bonner, Jamaica's consul general in Toronto.
In the letter, spokespersons for Egale, along with Rev Brent Hawkes, said they wanted the Government of Jamaica to produce public service announcements denouncing homophobic/transphobic violence.
They also called for a national homophobia/transphobia education campaign, and the repealing of the buggery laws and other legislation that further stigmatise, discriminate and criminalise consensual same-sex acts.
In the letter the group had promised to make a public announcement on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, calling for, among other things, a Canadian Tourism boycott on Jamaica and a blockade of goods and services from here.
However, earlier this week Egale, while promising to continue its campaign, refrained from advocating a boycott.
"We have a responsibility to continue to educate the Canada LGBT (lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals and transsexual) community on countries which criminalise same-sex acts and we also have a responsibility to LGBT Jamaicans who have sought refuge in Canada to tell their story of persecution and violence whilst in Jamaica. Every Canadian citizen can then make an informed choice whether to travel to such countries," the release stated.
Egale's decision had come after Bonner had sent an official response to the group last Thursday. In the response she stated that the Jamaican Forum for Lesbians All-sexuals and Gays (JFLAG) did not support a boycott of Jamaica's tourism and trade. She added that the Government has taken action to reduce incidence of violence by the security forces and condemns all forms of violence.
"You would be aware of the public statement issued by the government on 14th April 2008 reiterating its strong condemnation of mob attacks and violence against any individual or groups for any reason whatsoever," the statement said
The statement added, "The Constitution and laws of Jamaica provide protection and rights for all. There is not an intention to write into the Constitution specific reference to any particular group, as all groups and individuals have equality under the law."
It is a rare thing when you meet an artiste who c****ines stunning good looks with great intelligence and extraordinary vocal talent. But Alibra belongs to that rare species of artistes, and she is ready to take her place in the music business.
She has been b****ing radio into submission with her current single, Clearly, which has been in constant rotation on Power 96 and Wave Radio in New York and Florida, as well as on ZIP 103FM and Irie FM. Other singles doing well include the syrupy-sweet collaboration Not Controlling You with Pinchers.Clearly has become somewhat of a female anthem.
Elise Kelly said it is a female anthem, not derogatory, I am pro-woman, not anti-male. Every line came from my life, it is about people in general and the fact they want to dictate, even something as trivial as how you dress, it can be an issue to people, the Old Harbour High graduate said.
"It is not a relationship song, it is an empowerment song.
Alibra has been aggressively promoting the music videos for the Clearly and In My World, and under the guidance of the shrewd Clifton Lawrence, C.E.O. of Five Star Records, she has matured into a creative dynamo who is looking to break onto the scene in a big way.
I am happy with how things are going right now, there are always more doors which can be opened. I need to do more shows and more recordings, but I am taking it one step at a time. Next year, I hope to grace the stage of Reggae Sumfest, that is one of my biggest dreams, she said.
Alibra has been doing music professionally for the last five years but she has seemed to come into her own recently with some sparkling performances during the KLAS-In Season school tour.
The KLAS school tour was a great opportunity, you both connect with the people who are performing and the ones who are listening, it gave me great exposure and constantly performing, it helps you as an artiste, honing and perfecting your craft, Alibra said.
Alibra has done top class c****inations including one with decorated dancehall artiste Beenie Man, and others with the likes of Chuck Fenda, Tanto Metro, and the legendary Pinchers.
Many Jamaicans may still remember not just her beautiful face but also her captivating vocals from the Tastee Talent Contest in 2000 when she won Best Dress and Star Search at Traxx where she not only won a segment but went on to gain invaluable experience and links. After her segment ended on Traxx, she was immediately waltzed away by producer Mikey Bennett who asked her to do a single.
Alibra went on to grace the stage at Bling Dawgs Summer Jam and the annual De La Vega City Dance. She has performed on some of the biggest and best dancehall shows inside of the United States, including Irie Jamboree in Queens, NY, Reggae Fest in New Jersey, and Grand Prix in the Bronx. Although she was born in Kingston and grew up in Spanish Town.
For Alibra, the next step will be her debut album that will introduce her to an international audience.
I am working on an album, I have about seven tracks complete so far, and I am trying to get the right mix of songs and the best quality of work out there, she said.
TW LW WOC Artiste Name - Song Title - Record Label
01 03 13 Beenie Man- Wine Gal-TJ Records-5wks@#1
02 04 08 Da'Ville-Yesterday-Fashozy Records--Shot to Watch
03 01 13 Busy Signal-Pon Di Edge-Star Kutt-3wks@#1
04 02 12 Demarco-Duppy Know Who Fi Frighten-John John-Peak@#2
05 06 10 Spice- Whoa-Truck Back
06 08 07 Damian & Stephen Marley-The Mission-Baby G
07 09 07 Mavado-On The Rock-Baby G
08 05 09 Busy Signal-Unknown Number-Juke Boxx
09 07 11 Mykal Rose-Shoot Out-John John-Peak#@4
10 10 06 Bounty Killer-Nuh Fren Fish-Foota Hype
A rampaging mob in western Kenya burnt 15 women accused of witchcraft to death
May 22, 2008. (AFP)
A rampaging mob in western Kenya burnt 15 women accused of witchcraft to death, a local official and villagers told AFP Wednesday.
"This is unacceptable. People must not take the law into their own hands simply because they suspected someone," said Mwangi Ngunyi, the head of Nyamaiya district. "We will hunt the suspects down," he added.
The gang of about 100 people moved from house to house late Tuesday, tied up their victims and set them ablaze, the official said.
Ngunyi added that the mob also torched 50 houses in Nyakeo village, located some 300 kilometres (180 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi.
"I can't believe my wife of many years would be killed so brutally by people who cannot prove their case even before God," said Enoch Obiero, a pastor.
"My mother has always been a role model to the entire village and why the mob had to kill her will remain a mystery to me forever," lamented 32-year-old Emily Monari.
The region, populated mainly by the Kisii tribe, has been dubbed Kenya's "sorcery belt" due to mob attacks on women suspected of witchcraft.
Efforts by the authorities to clamp down on vigilante and mob justice have been unsuccessful.
Dozens of suspected people were killed in western Kenya in the 1990s, amid allegations of sorcery.
Several cases were also reported in recent months in neighbouring Tanzania, forcing President Jakaya Kikwete to order special protection for albino, who were being murdered and mutilated for good luck by with-doctors
It's full speed ahead where dancehall artiste Lady Saw is concerned. The female DJ is now engrossed in working on her next album and one thing she is promising is that it will be hot! "I don't know yet what the title will be, but I am working with several top producers such as Ward 21, Sly & Robbie, Skatta, Baby G, John John, Jazzy T among others,
Saw who is involved in a lot of projects with these producers says it will be quite a task selecting that final 16 tracks which will be making the cut for the album. Although she doesn't know yet what the final selections will be she is promising that it will contain something for every one. "It will have tracks with the kind of message 'No Less Than A Woman' gave, you know speaking to realities of life, and the fun stuff," she shared reassuring that her fans will definitely not be stuck with a boring repetitive album.
But for now she is not in any rush as she is having fun keeping her performance commitments and putting out singles in between. She told Us of her upcoming single which she says will be 'mashing up the place'. The single in question "A Nuh Yuh Belly" is a jazzy, funny song that makes women with "protruding bellies" feel good about themselves!
Marshalls True Story for a June release
Dancehall star Wayne Marshall is currently putting the final touches to his highly anticipated compilation CD, True Story (to drop in June), which the artiste reveals is well worth the wait.
Its going to be crazy. It features a mix of my new music but also includes many other artistes doing dubplates, exclusive freestyles and creative skits all in the name of True Story. The beats and songs are going to be unpredictable. It delivers hip hop riddims with dancehall and reggae, he said last week. This CD is strictly for promotion purposes and will be distributed extensively over the Internet and on the streets.
The extensive guest list includes Bounty Killer, Busy Signal and Sean Paul (with whom Marshall recorded As far As I Can See). Mavado and Jay Zs collabo for On The Rock also makes the cut while Damian Junior Gong Marley, Stephen Marley, Bling Dawg, Future Fambo, Esco, Demarco and Dr Evil all bring their unique lyrical magic to the project.
Most of the tracks are songs never heard before. A lot of work has been put into it to give every listener something to write home about, the 28-year-old artiste explained. The interludes are hilarious, the mixing is on point and the CD is hosted by Federation Sound headed by Max Glazer, who is wellknown in hip hop and reggae circles. A DVD is also included in the package to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the CD.
Earlier this year, Marshall declared that this new project and his forthcoming studio album represent important new steps on his musical journey.
Right now for me, its all about reinventing myself and discovering a new sound. Im exploring my voice, getting to try new techniques, understanding these techniques and experimenting with new styles of delivery. So Im excited about finding new ways of delivering my material and new styles of poetic expression, he said. Fans can expect a lot because we are planning to infiltrate the biz and looking forward to doing a lot more videos. We are trying to create a big bang for the summer. Fans have a lot to look out for. Theres so much going on. We really stepping up the game with a whole lot of Wayne Marshall vibes so people are going to feel the impact.
In the meantime, fans can enjoy the music video for Marshalls new single, Me By Myself, currently in heavy rotation on local and cable television.
Vybz Kartel said he is working on his new double CD album, which will be exclusively produced by Stephen "Di Genius" McGregor, the album will be a collaborative effort between Kartel's own label Adijaheim Records and Big Ship.
When asked about the concept behind the double disc he told 876radio.com that one disc will feature some of his most prominent dancehall anthems such as 'Empire Army' and 'Nuh Bodda Try', amongst others. While the other will contain all exclusive tracks (never heard before) the disc will take on a storytelling format, similar to the Notorious B.I.G. classic 'Ready To Die'.
According to the Emperor, he has the utmost respect for Don Corleone who is arguable the best dancehall producer in the world, but Stephen McGregor is a very close second and edging closer with experience, which is why he's allowing the youngster complete production authority over the entire project. When asked about the album's name and date he was hesitant to answer but chuckled and said,
"Me a called it 'Time to Teach'
and it a drop January 2008,
new year, new leaf, new lyrics, new album..
a suh we a dweet everything brand new".
He said the album will be independently distributed throughout Jamaica and the Caribbean, but hinted the worldwide distribution may be handled by Greensleeves. In closing he added fans can look out for a revolution in Dancehall as he is coming to change the game again. Indeed this is revolutionary has the only other artiste in recent times to have drop a double disc was the Warlord himself Bounty Killer with his 'Ghetto Dictionary: The Art Of War'
Mother who routinely caged adopted children will be caged herself
Sullivan
A Jacksonville woman who a judge said caged three of her adopted children like animals was sentenced to 20 years in prison today after two of the children testified about their treatment.
Sullivan
Brenda M. Sullivan, 51, pleaded guilty in January to three counts of aggravated child abuse. She had claimed that a cage-like contraption she kept her 49-pound, 17-year-old mentally disabled son in was prescribed by a doctor, but he testified that he prescribed the crib when the boy was 7 and it never had a slatted wood covering.
Circuit Judge Mallory Cooper heard from two other children, both 13, who testified today that they were kept in similar cages. Cooper ordered Sullivan hidden behind a screen while the children testified so they didnt have to see her.
Sullivans husband, Wilson Sullivan, also was charged in the case but died before it was resolved.
-- Edited by alligcold at 18:58, 2008-05-22
Phoenix will make the first powered descent to Mars since the Viking 2 mission in 1976.
Unlike previous landers it will not bounce down on a cluster of air bags.
Instead, the American probe will brake by firing retro-rockets, like a craft from the Thunderbirds TV puppet show.
Slowing to 5mph, Phoenix will set itself down on three legs.
Ice
It is expected to land at 12.53am British Summer Time on Monday.
In 2002, the American space agency Nasas Mars Odyssey orbiter discovered signs of ice beneath the surface of the north polar plain.
Phoenix has a robot arm almost eight feet long which will reach out and dig a 20-inch deep trench to extract soil and ice samples.
The material will be transferred to an on-board lab containing some of the most advanced technology ever sent to Mars.
The instruments include a microscope which is 1,000 times more powerful than any other, equipment to carry out chemical analysis and a stereoscopic camera for taking pictures.
Dr Tom Pike, who heads a team from Imperial College London which made silicon substrate "slides" for the probes two microscopes, said: "What Phoenix could show is the potential for life, and thats a very interesting result on its own."
The landing area, nicknamed "The Green Valley", is an enormous flat plain where the ice has cracked into giant polygonal paving slabs.
Dr Pike said scientists were interested in the shape of the soil particles. If they were rounded, it would suggest erosion by liquid water some time in the past.
Entering the Martian atmosphere at 13,000 mph, the probe will have to survive temperatures of 1,427C before deploying its parachute.
Anthony B Life Over Death Exclusive Digital Release...BADANG!!!
Greensleeves recording artiste Vybz Kartels new album, Vybz Kartel Presents Addi the Teacha is about to come down on the game like ten tonnes of condemned Carib cement.
One876Entertainment.com got a sneak preview of his latest exclusive tracks with Stephen McGregor last week, hearing songs such as Imagine, the semi-autobiographical Court Case, and some hip hop flavoured freestyles that will flip your wig.
According to Vybz Kartel, the album is a manifesto covering everything from economics to ecology. Addi the Teacha is fast emerging as a master storyteller who utilizes a diverse array of lyrical and musical approaches to communicate thesis: the world is a bleak, dark place where violence and death are inevitable.
With the genius producer McGregor laying the sped-up dancehall-rap hybrids, it is clear that VK has achieved an intensity with his gun-slinging verses and weed-worship odes that few artistes ever attain.
Just check the lyrics to the single, High Q.
So solomonic is the chronic Its a supersonic supertonic, have me speaking in Islamic Hieroglyphic and Slavonic Blubonic chronic, shake head, tek tonic
The concept is the weed makes me so high that everything raise, even mi IQ, and is just further proof that the week promotes intelligence through meditation, the man whose weed rhymes in Most High and Send On.
He has also been working with Don Corleon recording six tracks with the chart-topping producer. One of those tracks is the single, Wine Pon You on the Raging Bull rhythm. He has another combination track called Pimp Juice with Nuclear that is getting a lot of airplay on FM radio.
I plan to do a video for Wine Pon Y-O-U and Imagine as well, Nordia Rose is going to do them, he said. Topline Entertainment now books for the artiste.
Break with Alliance
He addressed concerns that he had lost a significant portion of his fan base since his split with The Alliance.
Vybz Kartels fan base cannot be diminished, the only thing that has been diminished is those that respect the Alliance as a group, he said. Everyone has an artiste who they respect and love and if a so-called fan is not a fan of Kartel anymore simply because he has left The Alliance, then that fan is not a genuine fan and he or she will not be missed.
He asserted that his street credibility is still high despite attempts to smear his name in the garrisons of the nation where his core support resides.
Street credibility is about being a man, and standing up for what you believe in, even if you have to stand alone and the streets respect and recognize that in me, he said.
Late last year, Kartel inked a booking deal with Topline Entertainment, and has moved aggressively to consolidate his business dealings, and cultivate a new professional relationship with the music industry. He has a number of Caribbean bookings lined up including a show in Trinidad on February 9th, and a slew of shows for the US Virgin Islands, Barbados, and Canada in March.
The shows are coming in like crazy, like wow, so I am spending a lot of time in the studio to move closer to completing the album for Greensleeves right now, he said.
Bob Marley Documentary Switches Directors, Scorcese Drops Out
Martin Scorcese recently gave up his seat in the director's chair to Jonathan Demme for an upcoming Bob Marley documentary.
According to Scorcese's camp, the award-winning director had to pull out because of "scheduling conflicts."
But the guy taking his place is no slouch. Demme directed Beloved, Philadelphia and Silence of the Lambs among other big feature films, as well as a concert documentary on Neil Young and music videos for Bruce Springsteen. The director is also related to Ted Demme, the creator of Yo! MTV Raps.
The still unnamed Marley doc is slated for global release on Feb. 6, 2010, the 65th anniversary of the icon's birth, as reported by Billboard.
The Marleys are keeping Bob films under family control, with son Ziggy Marley set to co-executive producing this documentary and Bob's wife Rita Marley executive producing a seperate biopic on the late legend.
As SOHH previously reported, Lauryn Hill, who is married to the reggae legend's son with Janet Hunt, Rohan Marley, may star in that film. That flick is based on Rita's 2004 autobiography, No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley and will chronicle Bob's childhood, the pair's rocky 15-year marriage and his 1981 death from cancer.
Ziggy's movie is a Tuff Gong Pictures and Shangri-La Entertainment release, while Rita's rendition is produced by the Weinstein Co.
Police say a woman killed a suspect in her husband's death
NORTH MIAMI - North Miami police say a woman killed a suspect in her husband's death.
Orlando Mesa was gunned down April 20th just outside his house. His 1-year-old child was hit in the arm and leg.
Days later Janepsy Mesa asked the public for help during a press conference at the police station.
Police say Nissim and her husband knew each other. Orlando Mesa had been arrested a month before his death on a charge of marijuana possession with intent to sell.
HIV Infected Man Rants on Video About His Escapades...man from new York and names called
This man read of the names of the women and also said how easy it was cause of what he is driving and wearing and ladies claim they dont watch what a man have? Well from having sex with this man he gave you something along with it spelt like H I V
All roads lead to Negril Spot in Negril, Westmoreland on Labour Day, May 23, 2008 where the self-proclaimed Warlord, Bounty Killer, will headline a star-studded lineup. This includes Turbulence, Ginjah, I-Maroon, Danny English, Charly Black, Ras Myrhdak, Queen Paula, The Real Sheriff, Mikeylous, Bingi Iron, Whiskey Baggio, Jah Weise, Flo G, Teedeh Emmanuel, Heali Tafari, Bitta Weed, KG 9, Prince Pin, Singing Bailey, Spuggi, Dezi Boyd, Dadda, Loco, Spring I, Jay Q, D.S. Trybal, Mega Star, Rasmel, Peeto, Father Boukie, Ras E, Jah Light, Cali 101 (out of Canada), Snipa (out of England), Baby Boom (out of USA), Triple Trett, Genuwine Eskapade, J-Star among others.
Music will be provided by Q 45, Mega Watt, DJ Stunna and DJ Thuggi, DJ Kentucky, Star Warrior and DJ Delta. The promoters are having all night giveaways and drink specials.
The event is courtesy of DJ Mega Watt and Must Get Rich Records in association with AOT Fusion Entertainment. Gates open at 7p.m. while showtime is 9p.m. Emcees are DJ Champagne and Allan Ranks.
| US lawyer files $108-million suit against Cash Plus |
THE beleaguered alternative investment scheme Cash Plus Limited has been slapped with another multimillion-dollar lawsuit.
The troubled entity is now being sued by United States lawyer Sandra Robinson, one of many disgruntled lenders to the scheme, for a whopping J$108 million, making it the biggest lawsuit brought against Cash Plus and its boss Carlos Hill to date.
Hill is currently facing fraud charges relating to the activities of the company.
Scores of lenders have filed multimillion dollar suits to recover money owed by Cash Plus. As far as Observer reports show, the second largest suit filed against the scheme by disgruntled investors was recently brought by Kingston businessman Alexander Haber, who is seeking to recover close to $30 million.
Robinson, who is from Houston, Texas, is suing Cash Plus for breach of contract. Along with Cash Plus and Hill, the suit also names the recent court-approved receiver/ manager, Kevin Bandoian, as a defendant.
Robinson said in her affidavit, filed on May 14, that between January and August 2007 she loaned Cash Plus $101,354,102.80, with the promise of a 10 per cent per month return on the money loaned. According to the affidavit, Robinson at March this year was owed $98,500,000 plus interest.
The claimant is expected to ask the court on July 17, when the matter comes up for hearing, that Hill disclose the worldwide location of all his assets. Robinson will also ask the court for a freezing of Hill and Cash Plus' assets.
The result of an assessment of Cash Plus issued by Bandoian this week revealed that Cash Plus was not in a position to pay out the billions of dollars owing to approximately 40,000 lenders. The report said that Cash Plus was being operated as a pyramid scheme.
Hill, his brother Bertram Hill and chief financial officer Peter Wilson were arrested last month and slapped with several counts of fraud following several complaints from lenders.
The three, who are currently on bail, are to return to the Half-Way-Tree Resident Magistrate Court on July 17
Sports fans, especially basketabll fans should be EXCITED.
Spike Lee announced in Cannes on Monday that he is directing a feature-length documentary about Michael 'Air' Jordan, who some argue is the best pro-basketball player in history.
Lee revealed that he hopes to bring the doc to next year's Cannes Festival.
MJ on the Cannes red carpet!
The project will feature previously-unseen footage shot by NBA cameras during the final two years in Jordan's career, the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.
Michael is just the latest sports star to get the documentary treatment.
Retired boxer Mike Tyson is currently in Cannes, where a film about him is screening.
An ongoing turf war in the volatile Rockfort community of east Kingston has now left a common-law couple dead and other residents of the community gripped with fear.
Dead are 26-year-old Conrad Mcknight and his common-law wife, 20-year-old Crystal Lawrence.
Police reports are that about 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, armed thugs went to a house on Hyppolite Road where they forced their way in and opened fire on the couple.
They died on the spot.
Their one-year-old infant was also at the house but was spared, the police said.
Meanwhile, THE STAR has learnt that men from that street are at odds with men from other sections of the community.
The men are reportedly feuding over the refusal of men from Hyppolite Road to join forces with the alleged area leader.
This, residents are claiming, has resulted in the reports of several shootings and unbearable tension.
"Di yute dem a seh dem nah link wid di don so naturally fi him thugs dem a waan step pon dem ... Di place tense, tense, tense," one resident told THE STAR.
The police say they will be maintaining a strong presence in the area.
2 Comments written below
Considering his years of touring experience, long list of creative credits and numerous album releases in reggae music its no wonder why recording artist Christopher Campbell more popularly known as Norris Man has decided to branch out and start his own record label dubbed Home & Away Music.
Norris who was previously featured on VP Records Strictly the Best Reggae Compilation spoke with 876radio.com about his vision for Home & Away Music.
"Well right now I'm looking to work mainly with young female artists who I think are sometimes stifled in the business, many of them are talent but just dont have the support and the result is there careers become stagnant.
Home & Away will be that avenue which will allow them to develop their sound and style. In the end I want to know that when I decide to sign an artist I know them to a certain extent, I can say this is what there capable of and this is their niche market. I recently came back too, I did a few shows up in Canada were i performed in Hamilton, Ajax, Vancoveri and Banquet Hall, it was a successful run seeing that Norris Man hasn't performed in Canada since 2001".
Norris Man is also schedule to perform on Chezidek show on the 21st of June in St. Ann's Bay.
The fall of the investment scheme Cash Plus Limited has not only brought scores of investors to their knees but has also inspired artistes to pen songs.
Dancehall artistes such as Beenie Man, Monster Empire, Assassin and others are lamenting the collapse of the company through music.
Cash Plus Limited was incorporated on May 5, 2003, by Carlos Hill, and during the period 2004 to 2007, received lenders' funds totalling $22 billion. Its lenders are still reeling from the bad news that they have to wait longer to see if they will recover their monies.
On the entertainment scene the Cash Plus woes have hit the right chords, as songs about the failed scheme have been getting 'forwards'.
Beenie Man speaks
In his new song Understand Yu'self, Beenie Man speaks to the private sector, which he claims reaps the benefit while the poor suffers.
"Dem invest inna Cash Plus and di whole ting go buss/afta wi give yuh trust nutting yuh do fi us, private sector understand yuhself," Beenie says.
In Monster Empire's Cash Minus, the group looks at the downfall of Cash Plus saying: "Di people waan back dem money now, yuh think cash a go plus, it a go minus ... a fren go encourage mi join up ... when di time fi collect come, time up." In the chorus one of the members of the empire sings, "want back money from Cash Plus to put inna di bank."
According to General B from Monster Empire, this was a personal experience for him and others in the group who lost money.
He told THE STAR, "It come in like me collapse wid it, nuff people put dem heart and soul inna Cash Plus."
For Assassin, money is at the centre of his latest song Money Make the World Go Round. In the song Assassin claims: "Tek some money from somewhere ... cause everybody waan spend some money ... people mek me tell yuh weh a di worse money, money weh yuh loss or money weh yuh caan get back like Cash Plus money," he deejays.
While these artistes talk about Cash Plus-related issues there are artistes such as Mr Vegas, who had invested money in the scheme but have not recorded a song.
"Bwoy yuh know Cash Plus have money fi mi. Right now mi think seh it just ... I don't even know what to say, Jamaican people see a way out to make money and it's unfortunate that it all came crashing down. It hurt a lot of people, just mek poor people poorer but I guess is just reality," said Mr Vegas.
George nooks upset
Vegas says the investment he had in Cash Plus was money that he can afford to lose, but in the future he plans to put his money straight in the bank, showing no interest in investment schemes.
George Nooks also admitted that he also invested in the scheme. "I'm very very upset, when yuh think that everything would work out you get to find out there was nothing there but there was always a risk, when you go into the office they told you what could happen."
Miss Kitty Fired!
LIBELLOUS SONG
According to Kitty, who has been with Nationwide for little under a year, her termination from the station started last week when she was suspended from her show for five days for playing a song that the station believed was libellous.
"Someone heard it and thought it could implicate persons. I got the suspension, although I thought it was too long for my first offence in the company. I took it cause dem seh so," Kitty said.
After getting suspended, Kitty and her supervisors, were in meetings, after which Kitty was officially fired from the station on Monday.
When THE STAR contacted Nationwide News CEO Cliff Hughes, he confirmed that Miss Kitty was no longer with the station stating, "essentially, the reason is that we find that the demands of a daily radio programme, her behaviour is inconsistent with the rigorous demands, we thought it best to separate."
AUDITIONS FOR NEW HOSTS
As for The Entertainment Office, the show will continue without Miss Kitty and the station will be hosting auditions to find a new host. In the meantime, Hughes stressed: "Miss Kitty is a very talented young woman, I wish her well. I think she will do well, she has a lot of potential. She has challenges to overcome, but I feel that she will."
While Miss Kitty says the incident is an unfortunate one, she believes better will come.
"Miss Kitty is a brand, this show is something I've worked for, is not like I have a family name behind me. it's something I brought to the programme and have worked very hard at. Nationwide gained a lot from me. they didn't build me. I got a show and made it something," she said.
Miss Kitty says she is not upset, but sees this as a new opportunity with new possibilities. Miss Kitty told THE STAR that she has new prospects in the making and says she will be back on afternoon radio.
Elements of personality
"People want entertainment, someone they can relate to, who can entertain them with real-life lessons and issues. I'm bringing back the elements of personality back to afternoon radio, cause most people just seem to play music ... I know I am marketable, I'm still young and this is a lesson well learnt. In my next job, I will have a better understanding,"she said.
WASHINGTON - President Bush announced Wednesday that Americans soon will be allowed to send cell phones to Cubans a move that he hopes will push the communist regime to increase freedom of expression for Cuban citizens.
Addressing recent changes in Cuba, Bush said, "Cubans are now allowed to purchase mobile phones, DVD players and computers and they have been told that they will be able to purchase toasters and other basic appliances in 2010."
TUXTLA GUTIERREZ: A donkey is doing time in southern Mexico for assault and battery.
The animal was locked up at a local jail after it bit and kicked two men near a ranch in Chiapas state, police said yesterday.
Officer Sinar Gomez said the donkey will remain behind bars until its owner agrees to pay the men's medical bills."Around here, if someone commits a crime they are jailed," Gomez said, "no matter who they are."
 |
| Golding meets Gordon Brown LONDON, England - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (left) meets the prime minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, outside 10 Downing Street in London yesterday. Golding was elected in September 2007 and it is his first official visit to the United Kingdom as prime minister of Jamaica. (Photo: AP) |
Prime Minister Bruce Golding has forcefully reiterated that homosexuals have no place in his Cabinet, even as he sought to assure gay people that attitudes towards same-sex unions are changing in Jamaica and that the state respects their right to privacy.
In a sometimes c****ative interview with journalist Stephen Sackur on the British Broadcasting Corporation Television's (BBC-TV's) discussion show, Hardtalk, aired yesterday, Golding was emphatic in his declaration that Jamaica would not bow to the dictates of lobby groups who want to define standards and morals for the island.
Asked by Sackur whether he was more accepting now of homosexuals, given his declaration in 2006 when he was in Opposition that homosexuals will "find no solace" in any Cabinet formed by him, Golding said that in appointing a Cabinet a prime minister exercises judgement. "That is his exclusive responsibility. There's no right to being in a Cabinet," he said.
Sackur, apparently not satisfied with Golding's answer, said: "No, but you've just told me that you believe that Jamaica is on track to give real equality before the law to homosexuals. But you yourself have said that homosexuals will find no solace in any Cabinet formed by me."
Golding, however, shot back: "That has nothing to do with equality before the law."
Sackur pressed further, asking Golding: "Do you not have a duty to consider people on their merits?" to which the prime minister replied that he considered people in terms of their ability and the extent to which they are going to be able to exercise their function with independence.
When Sackur suggested that Golding clearly considered appointing people to his Cabinet based on their sexuality, the prime minister said that it was his responsibility to appoint an executive that will discharge its duties without fear, favour and intimidation.
"What kind of signal does that send about Jamaica to the outside world, indeed to potential investors." asked Sackur.
"One signal that it sends is that Jamaica is not going to allow values to be imposed on it from outside," replied Golding.
"We're gonna have to determine that ourselves, and we're gonna have to determine to what extent those values will adapt over time to change, to changing perceptions and to changing understandings as to how people live, but it can't be on the basis that lobby groups, far away from Jamaica, are going to start to define for Jamaica how it must establish its own standards and its own morals."
Jamaica has had a long battle with rights groups who have consistently lambasted the island for its strong opposition to homosexuality.
The previous People's National Party Government has, on more than one occasion, told gay lobbyists that they should not try to force the island to accept their way of life.
In the BBC interview, Sackur asked Golding whether he would want to live in a Jamaica in the future where homosexuals can be a part of his Cabinet or any Cabinet.
"I want to live in a Jamaica where persons are free to conduct their private relations," Golding replied. "But I'm not talking about leading Jamaica in a direction where its own values are going to be assaulted by others."
Sackur, however, was still not satisfied. "With respect, that is not an answer to my question," he said. "Let me put it to you one more time. Do you, in the future, want to live in a Jamaica where a gay man or a gay woman can be in the Cabinet?"
Golding replied: "Sure they can be in the Cabinet; not mine."
Sackur: "But do you want to live in a Jamaica where they can be and they should be and it would be entirely natural for them to be so?"
Golding: "I do not know that that is necessarily the direction in which I want my country to go."
Earlier in the interview, in response to Sackur's reference to violent attacks on men accused of being homosexuals in Jamaica, Golding said that the authorities were clear that crimes against persons because of their sexual orientation must be pursued with the same vigour as any other crime.
He also explained that while Jamaica had a long-standing culture that is very opposed to homosexuality, there is greater acceptance now that people have different lifestyles and that their privacy must be respected.
It's crazy how trials work. Yesterday, during the infamous R. Kelly trial, the jury was shown the tape and R. Kelly had to sit there and watch it too. If you missed the opening arguments, you can check them out here.
Billboard.com says that R. was 'looking grim' and that he "occasionally rocked in his chair and rested his chin in his hand".
It's crazy how they describe the video (if you've seen it, you probably never thought about it like this):
At the start of the videotape, the man hands the female money and she mouths the words, "Thank you." She is often blank-faced, impassive. The man speaks to the female in a hushed, monotone voice, and she calls him "Daddy." Songs from the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys blare from a radio. The female dances with the man out of view. Back in view, he has sex with her. The man walks up to the camera to adjust it a few times, but his face is often obscured.
|
No New Posts | 
|
New Posts |
|
Topic is Closed | 
|
Sticky |