Forum: News & Topical Issues
- Ninja Man converted to Christianity in 1997 and at that time was called Brother Desmond. The deejay, who says he is still a Christian, has championed the cause for peace in Jamaica.
Harry Toddler, once a Christian, is back in the dancehall, but says he does not like to discuss his religion in interviews.
WAR THEM WANT ME NAH BACK....NEW SONG FROM 2 JAGO YOUTHS
TELL ME WHAT U THINK
war dem want we nah back-0001.mp3 - 2.40MB
-- Edited by miggskills at 16:40, 2008-02-09
America is the country notorious for thier obsession with convenience. They have drive-thru fast food, drive-thru atm machines, drive-thru liquor stores, vending machines that distribute sodas, coffee, snacks, and even Cup-of-Noodles! Just when you thought youve seen it all, Los Angeles brings something new to the table MARIJUANA VENDING MACHINES! No, this is not a joke!
The Associated Press has reported that some medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles have made marijuana vending machines accessible to their clients.
The computerized machine requires fingerprint identification and a prepaid card with a magnetic stripe. Once the card and fingerprint are verified, a bright green envelope with the pot drops down a slot.
Vincent Mehdizadeh [owner and inventor of the machine] says any user approved for medical marijuana and registered in a computer database at his dispensaries can pre-purchase the drug and then use the machine to pick up.
The process provides convenience and privacy for users who may otherwise feel uncomfortable about buying marijuana, Mehdizadeh said.
The vending machine is said to make marijuana less expensive, as you dont have to pay someone to sit behind a counter.
Mehdizadeh said he sought the advice of doctors, and decided to limit the amount of marijuana per user to an ounce per week. Each purchase from the machine yields 1/8th or 2/8th of an ounce. The 1/8th ounce packet would cost about $40 - $20 lower than the average price at other dispensaries.
We have yet to see if these vending machines will last. I know the DEA is having a fit!
Ill close this by reminding you of California Governor, Arnold Schwarzeneggers infamous quote from last year, Marijuana is not a drug, its a leaf.
AMEN!
ME NAH LIE L.A. A TRY TURN AMSTERDAM NOW!!... dem want soem a ja now
video clip belowMediazone movie night!!!! which nite uhnuh want fi be movie nite?
01/31/2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4224201
COPS in a Mexican city are so fat officials are considering paying them a bonus to slim down.
The central Mexican city of Aguascalientes will decide next week whether to pay £5 for every kilogram that officers lose, a police spokesman said.
"We do have some fat officers. We have been encouraging them for a while to lose weight, to be more agile, to do sport," he added.
Obesity is one of the biggest health problems in Mexico, where diabetes is the biggest killer.
Sex, drugs, and dirty movies: CleanFlicks sues doppelganger
Police in Utah recently busted 31-year old Daniel Thompson for paying 14-year-old girls $20 each for oral sex. At Thompson's business, cops found a cache of pornographic films "along with a keg of beer, painkillers and two cameras hooked up to a television." Such stories are typical enough not to arouse much in the way of commentary, but this one had the sweet stink of hypocrisy about it: Thompson's business was selling "clean" versions of films with the naughty bits trimmed away.
This sounds more than a bit like the controversial CleanFlicks company from a few years back, and that's no coincidence. Thompson had in fact been passing himself off as the operator of CleanFlicks, though in reality, he had little to do with the company. When news of his arrest broke, papers and blogs began reporting a link between Thompson and CleanFlicks, with some even claiming that he was the company's founder.
The problem: CleanFlicks is still in business after its drubbing at the hands of Hollywood, and it now sells unedited versions of family-friendly films. Given the terrifically bad press surrounding the Thompson case, CleanFlicks went on a PR campaign to clear its name and also filed a federal lawsuit against Thompson.
When CleanFlicks sold off its bricks-and-mortar stores several years ago, Thompson's father bought a couple and gave them to his son to run... when Thompson got out of jail for securities fraud. In retrospect, this wasn't a great idea, but you've got to feel for the father who tried to help his son go straight, only to be rewarded with lurid stories of booze and porn.
Daniel Thompson was made the manager of two stores, which he continued to operate under the "CleanFlicks" name. CleanFlix, which had stopped offering its edited movies after losing a federal court battle in 2006, told Thompson to stop using its name. Thompson renamed his stores to "Flix Club" and continued to edit films.
But Thompson apparently continued to use the CleanFlicks name in his marketing, even using the MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/cleanflicks.
In the wake of Thompson's bust, CleanFlicks has filed a federal lawsuit (a copy of which was seen by Ars Technica) that seeks, among other things, $100,000 under the Cyberpiracy Prevention Act. It also wants at least $1 million for the willful use of the company's trademark.
CleanFlicks even launched a web site to clear up the confusion and asked all "journalists, bloggers, and media outlets" to correct any inaccurate information that has already been published. The company's response has been strident, but that's to be expected; CleanFlicks announced its new business model in January, only to find its launch undermined by horrible PR a few weeks later.
One copyright-related sidenote to this case: Thompson had continued to edit films at Flix Club because he claimed that an "educational exemption" in copyright law made the practice legal if he sold to schools and universities. While copyright law does contain some special film-related provisions for educational settings, FlixClub's practices seem unlikely to have passed muster in court.
The whole scheme unraveled after the mother of one of the 14-year-old girls asked her daughter where a new $20 bill had come from. The answer ("Servicing some guy in the back of his booze-and pills-filled storefront, Mom") landed Thompson in trouble with both the police and with CleanFlicks. While prosecutors might toss him in jail, CleanFlicks looks to bankrupt him.
Is there any hypocrisy in a company like CleanFlicks once trampling on the copyright of filmmakers and now using the legal system to enforce its own intellectual property rights? We report, you decide.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080205-sex-drugs-and-dirty-movies-cleanflicks-sues-cyberpirate.html
By CHRIS KITCHING, SUN MEDIA
U.S. federal agents seized $1.6 million US worth of Canadian-grown pot when a semi-trailer was inspected at a border crossing south of Winnipeg last weekend.
Agents at the Pembina, N.D., port of entry found 555 pounds of marijuana -- contained in 488 vacuum-packed bags -- hidden under the floorboards of the trailer, said Mike Milne, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
"A seizure of this size really hurts whoever is involved in the smuggling of it," Milne said yesterday from Seattle, Wash.
He said it is believed the highly-potent "B.C. bud" variety was hydroponically grown north of the border.
The bust happened Saturday at 9 p.m. and is the third largest at a North Dakota port of entry. Emerson, Man., is on the Canadian side of the crossing.
Agents made the discovery when they used a gamma-ray imaging machine, similar to an X-ray, to scan the supposedly empty trailer.
"They saw an anomaly. Something looked funny in the floorboards," Milne said.
Authorities removed the boards, revealing the not-so-secret compartment where the pot was concealed.
No one has been charged. The driver is a Canadian citizen, but authorities will not reveal additional information about him or his employer because he has not been implicated. He was questioned and released.
It appears he was unaware the pot was in the trailer, but the investigation is ongoing, Milne said. The tractor-trailer unit, valued at $34,000, was seized.
Milne said agents are trying to find out who grew the pot and where, and who was to receive it.
Drug traffickers can earn up to $6,000 US for a pound of marijuana in some U.S. markets, Milne said.
The largest drug seizure at a North Dakota crossing was in 2003 in Portal, opposite North Portal, Sask.
PEAT MOSS
About 1,235 pounds of marijuana, valued at $3.7 million US, was stuffed in cardboard boxes and duffel bags hidden in a shipment of peat moss and planting soil, Milne said.
Last May, agents at the Pembina crossing made the second-largest bust when they found 584 pounds of pot in the walls of a semi-trailer, Milne said.
Code:
http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/World/2008/02/08/4834308-sun.html
The Navy is hoping that their newest 10 megajoule railgun (topping their old pathetic 9 megajoule) will replace the standard 5-inch guns on most of their ships. Projectiles fired at this energy level reach about 5,600 mph, but the Navy isn't stopping there. They have their eyes set on a 64 megajoule system capable of shooting at over 13,000 mph and hitting 5 meter targets from 200 nautical miles.
To give you a sense of scale, an 8 megajoule test shot has an impacting force that the Navy describes as being the equivalent of "hitting a target with a Ford Taurus at 380 mph.
More AT
http://www.geekologie.com/2008/02/navy_tests_new_railgun_it_look.php
Wednesday, 06 February 2008 Popular dancehall artiste 28-year-old "Deva Brat", whose real name is Sheldon Smith, was arrested on Tuesday evening on a charge of carnal abuse.
Mr. Smith, who resides in Westchester, Portmore, St. Catherine is charged with one count of rape.
It is reported that the alleged incident took place on Monday.
Allegations are that Mr. Smith took a 14-year-old girl to his house and assaulted her.
The matter was reported to the police and the entertainer arrested.
Rescuers were walking through rubble when 11-month-old suddenly moved
CASTALIAN SPRINGS, Tenn. - The muddy field was littered with debris after a wave of violent storms: living room couches, strollers, children's toys. So when two rescuers came upon a baby, they thought he was a doll.
Then he moved.
"We grabbed hold of his neck (to take a pulse) and he took a breath of air and started crying," said David Harmon, a firefighter from a nearby county who was combing the field for tornado victims.
The boy was found at least 100 yards away from where his family's house had been, possibly lifted by the storm's fierce winds, according to witnesses at the scene on Thursday. There was no trace of exactly where the house stood. His mother, who did not survive, was found in the same field.
As the death toll across the region rose by two Thursday to 57 people, the infant was a sign of hope. The 11-month old boy, named Kyson, was surrounded by flattened homes, bricks from a blown-apart post office and snapped trees, a devastating scene similar to so many communities across the South.
The baby's mother, 24-year-old Kerri Stowell, was one of six people killed in the small community, said Sumner County Sheriff Bob Barker.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23050298/
**Harry Toddler hits number number 7 on local charts**
The artiste, who is riding high on the strength of his hit single, Don't Run In which is #7 on the Jamaica Music Countdown charts, was wowed by the ovation he got from the crowed."Ah just crazy love at the show, the fans dem really love the flavour that Harry Toddler is bringing to the game right now, I got a big foward especially for Bad Man No Dress Like Girl," he said.
The deejay performed at the show alongside long-time friend and former Scare Dem Crew compatrior, Elephant Man. Toddler has been recording several songs in recent weeks as established producers have steadily sent hot beats his way. He recently recorded a single called No Tearing with Jam 2. The deejay's video for Don't Run In premiered recently on local TV and is on the RE MVP Countdown charts at #25. Fans who want to vote for the video can do so by texting the number 25 to 444-2473.
"It is very malicious on the part of the Star to publish a picture without first ascertaining the origin of the photo or confirming the authenticity of the picture and/or its content and as such I have no choice but to take legal action against the Gleaner Company of Jamaica because it obvious they seek to defame my character".
So first instinct was to head for a copy of the local paper upon our acquisition, the story needed no introduction as we were greeted by a large photo on the cover with four men two of whom had likeness to that of deejays Aidonia and Vybz Kartel holding some high powered weapons.
Upon further investigation it was revealed that the two entertainers were locked in a meeting with their attorneys with the intention of pursuing legal actions against The Gleaner Company of Jamaica Ltd. for defamation of character.
According to a statement released by Ms. Valrie Neita-Robertson she said, We view with some concern the publishing of a photo by The Star in circumstances where the authenticity of the document as well as its origin is not known by the newspaper especially in circumstances where that same newspaper has certain ethical guidelines which it has laid down for itself with respect to news reporting,.
In the same breath that the statement was made a challenge was also issued to the Police to prove the authenticity of the photo as it is said that the photograph was taken outside of the geographical boundaries and jurisdiction of Jamaica. Even though members of Operation Kingfish are adamant that the photo is 100% authentic.
Efforts by our team to reach the Constabulary Communication Network for a comment proved futile.
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy arrested after 21 pupils were taken ill when a substance believed to be pepper spray was released at their school has been bailed.
The boy, who was held on suspicion of possessing a banned weapon and discharging a noxious substance, was freed on bail shortly before 9pm last night.
The 1,200-pupil Christ Church High School in Ashford, Kent, was evacuated after the substance was let off in the rear stairwell of a classroom block at about 12.20pm yesterday.
Twenty-one pupils were taken to the William Harvey Hospital suffering from minor breathing difficulties, coughing, sore eyes and vomiting, and all were later sent home.
Ambulance crews assessed a further 35 pupils at the scene while fire crews wearing breathing apparatus ventilated the building.
In a separate incident, two parents were arrested at the school on suspicion of assaulting police and were taken into custody at Ashford police station.
A Kent Police spokesman said the two men, aged 32 and 37, have since been freed on bail pending further inquiries.
Police said officers used parva spray during the arrests of the pair - an entirely different substance from the illegal one that was used inside the school.
Lessons returned to normal a couple of hours after the incident, a Kent County Council spokeswoman said.
POLICE are investigating the death of an 18-month-old boy in an accident involving a car outside his home.
Police were called to an address in Kibblesworth, Gateshead, at about 4pm yesterday after they received reports that the toddler had been involved in a collision with a car.
The boy was airlifted by a police helicopter to the Hospital, where he later died.
Screams
Neighbour Brian Coulson said he believed the boys father had been driving his Land Rover Freelander when the accident happened.
He said: I was in my house and I just heard screams from outside. It was quite a shock but I didnt realise what they were.
"I went outside and the Freelander was just jacked up on one side. I never even saw the little kiddie.
The police came to my door and I asked if it was the kiddie that was involved and they just said yes and I said how was the kiddie and he just shook his head.
"I didnt know how to take that at the time but now I know he died.
He was a nice little lad, a bonny little lad.
Mr Coulson continued: As far as I know it was the little boys father who was driving the car. I think he was reversing off his drive.
He added that the boys parents had lived in the house for five years and had another older child.
Another neighbour described the boy, who was named in reports as Jake, as a gorgeous little boy.
It was a really awful scene to be greeted by, Jake had gone under the wheels and they couldnt get him out, the neighbour told a local newspaper.
The whole street is feeling the shock of this, its a cruel thing to happen to good people.
A Northumbria Police spokesman confirmed officers had attended a collision between an 18-month-old boy and a car.
He said: The boy was airlifted to Newcastle General Hospital by the force helicopter, where he subsequently died.
-- Edited by littlemisslinkz at 11:12, 2008-02-08
Martin Scorsese To Direct Bob Marley Documentary
Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese has signed on to develop a full-length documentary on the life of the late legendary reggae musician-songwriter Bob Marley.
In addition to Scorsese, the project will gain support from multi-millionaire Steve Bings Shangri-La Entertainment and international sales agent Fortissimo Films.
The documentary, having already received permission from the Marley family, will also have direct input and support from Marleys son, Ziggy. He will take on the role as one of the executive producers of the project.
I am thrilled that the Marley family will finally have the opportunity to document our fathers legacy and are truly honored to have Mr. Scorsese guide the journey, Ziggy said.
While the title of the film has yet to be decided, the release date has already been set for February 6, 2010. This date will mark the 65th anniversary of Bob Marleys birth.
Scorsese is widely recognized for his work on Oscar-nominated films including Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Casino, The Aviator and 2007 Best Picture Winner The Departed.
At only 36 years old, Bob Marley passed away in 1981 from cancer. He has received icon status and his legacy continues from his popularizing of the Ethiopia-centric, ganja-infused Rastafarian religion, giving the entire Caribbean nation a distinct and global projection.
SOURCES: Reuters, Carribean Net News, Variety
Reported By Cyrus Langhorne
Arrested ... woman is escorted from plane
A WOMAN passenger on a commuter plane has been charged with hijacking after she allegedly stabbed both pilots and threatened to blow up the 19-seat aircraft.
The pilots were attacked about 20 minutes into the Air New Zealand flight between the South Island cities of Blenheim and Christchurch by a woman armed with a knife who demanded to be flown to Australia, police said in a statement.
Neither pilot was seriously hurt and they were able to land the plane safely.
Their assailant tried to tamper with the controls of the plane as it was coming in to land at Christchurch and was only disarmed when the plane hit turbulence, police said.
Police with dogs boarded the plane and arrested a 33-year-old woman, who is originally from Somalia. She was later charged with hijacking and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and was due to appear in court in Christchurch on Saturday.
The plane was left on the runway while a bomb squad was called in, but no bomb was found aboard, Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Dave Cliff said.
The two pilots were taken to Christchurch hospital but their wounds were not life-threatening. One passenger and the woman arrested were treated for minor cuts.
'Miracle' baby tossed 300 feet by twister found alive
CASTALIAN SPRINGS, Tennessee -- Armed with nothing but a flashlight and finding no signs of life, firefighter David Harmon made one final search of tornado wreckage and made the discovery of a lifetime.
Kyson Stowell was thrown a hundred yards but had only minor injuries.
"I shined the flashlight across it and said 'I've got a baby doll.' And before I got 'I've got a baby doll' out of my mouth, it moved," Harmon said.
In pitch darkness, in the middle of a field, Harmon found a baby boy covered with mud and debris.
"As soon as we rolled the baby over, it took a gasp of air and started crying," he said.
Eleven-month-old Kyson Stowell was thrown a hundred yards when a tornado shattered his home. He was found shivering but with only minor injuries. His mother, Kerri, was killed.
His grandfather, Douglas Stowell, described Kyson and his mother as "best friends."
"She was a good mother to him," he said. "I just hate to see her gone. ... He loved his momma, and she loved him."
Douglas Stowell estimated that it was at least two hours after the storm before the baby was found. "He's just a miracle," the grandfather told reporters.
The entire area where Kyson was found had been searched once, and rescuers found nothing. After sorting through all the debris, they found a baby stroller and decided to look again.
Harmon said he was overwhelmed by the experience and felt connected to Kyson.
"He'll always have a special place in my heart," he said. "I hope I continue to stay in contact with the grandparents, and I would like to get to know the kid as he gets older.
Kerri Stowell was one of 56 people killed across the South earlier this week in the deadliest tornado outbreak in the United States in more than 20 years. The storms ripped apart houses and trapped residents of university dorms and a retirement home in debris.
President Bush plans to visit parts of storm-ravaged Tennessee on Friday, a day after declaring five counties in the state "major disaster" areas.
"The president's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Hardin, Macon, Madison, Shelby, and Sumner," the White House said in a statement.
The assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.
On Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff met with officials in Jackson, Tennessee, which suffered the heaviest loss of life.
Of the 56 killed in the tornadoes that struck five states, 32 died in Tennessee. There were four fatalities in Alabama, 13 in Arkansas and seven in Kentucky.
Chertoff toured the devastated regions of Tennessee and expressed his awe at the "sheer randomness" of the tornadoes.
Literally one house is pulverized and one house remains standing," Chertoff said, noting Kyson's survival and the death of the baby's mother.
"There's a quality to the tornadoes of randomness that really is humbling."
He vowed the federal government would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with local and state officials across the affected area "so we can begin the process of rebuilding.
David Paulison, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said FEMA has improved its communication with local authorities since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The difference that we see in the state, local and federal response from what we saw in Katrina is developing that partnership, developing the communication, that unified command system we did not have," Paulison said.
"And it is working -- it worked in California [wildfires], it worked in Oklahoma a couple of months ago with the ice storms and it's going to work here also."
Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist said 60 people in his town were injured in tornadoes that damaged 576 homes. About 100 of the 576 homes were destroyed, he said.
The mayor estimated the damage in his town at "upwards of $70 million," and he noted that several other tornadoes have hit the town in past years.
"It's as if we go around with a bull's-eye on our backs," he said.
Much of that damage happened at Union University, where the women's dormitories were destroyed, along with two academic buildings. Other school buildings received lesser damage.
No students were among the fatalities. Of the nine students hospitalized overnight, four have been released, university President David Dockery said. Two of the remaining five are in critical condition, he said.
"We're very confident that, with God's help, we're going to be able to move forward, to restore Union University to its greatness and to better days ahead,"
However for some strange reason we just dismissed it as another case of loose gossip, but it seems the rumours have manifested into reality. 876radio.com recently caught with the "Z" and asked her about the reason for her departure from the local cable station.
In and exclusive interview she told us that her resignation was tendered and became effective today (Feb.07) and there was no bad *lo** between, herself and the station, as they parted on amicable terms. "As a matter of fact we are all still good friends ...chuckle".
When asked the reason she said, "I have so many things happening in my life right now, and a lot of projects working on and therefore it was on this basis that I made the decision to leave HYPE, so now I can focus and devote more time to my other projects".
She declined to divulge the details, (she don't want it to get jinxed) but said we should just keep our eyes and ears to the streets as a lot will be unfolding in the coming months.
Of course we did ask if there is any chance of her working for the competitor she laughed and said "NO.. that was never a consideration". One things is certain for sure she will be missed from the UP & Live show, with her feisty yet charismatic attitude and we the family of 876radio.com would just like to take this opportunity to wish her all the best in her future endeavours.
This is another exclusive brought to you by the good folks at 876radio.com
If you're looking to sell high-grade marijuana, Craigslist may not be the place to do it. A man learned that the hard way when the "buyer" who contacted him turned out to be an undercover officer, Stamford police said.
Police said Steven Zahorsky, 24, posted an ad for "Mary Jane in Fairfield County." The ad offered a half-ounce of "A plus" marijuana for $220 and the same amount of "B plus" marijuana for $160.
Stamford Lt. Jon Fontneau said officers spotted the ad and responded, claiming to be a painting crew interested in buying drugs during a work break.
Zahorsky allegedly agreed to sell three-quarters of an ounce of marijuana at an Interstate 95 rest stop, Fontneau said.
Police said they arrived Wednesday afternoon and called Zahorsky's cell phone. He answered and agreed to meet at the rest stop McDonald's in 15 minutes.
Zahorsky allegedly stopped at the undercover officer's car and took $320 in cash in exchange for the marijuana, police said.
When Stamford and Darien officers arrested Zahorsky, he claimed he was at the McDonald's to eat and had no idea why police were arresting him, Fontneau said.
He said police found $320 on Zahorsky and the undercover officer's number on his cell phone.
They searched Zahorsky's Bridgeport apartment and found three bags of marijuana and one bag of hallucinogenic mushrooms, along with a shotgun, ammunition and a digital scale, Fontneau said.
Zahorsky was charged with several drug charges and released on $10,000 bond. He is due back in Stamford Superior Court on Feb. 13. No one answered the phone at a number listed for Zahorsky.
People from 450 cities can post classified ads and opinions on Craigslist.
Code:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/02/01/national/a101835S23.DTL
-- Edited by viper_3kj at 09:53, 2008-02-07
Buju Should apologize for Boom Bye Bye before performance in Guyana
In a letter to the editor of Guyana's Stabroek News Tracii McGregor president of reggae artist Buju Banton's company Gargamel Music explains that Buju Banton has moved on from the days of Boom-Bye-Bye. Tracii's letter was written in response to concerns being raised about Buju Banton by SASOD Guyana. SASOD is a group based in Guyana which is committed to eradicating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. The group website reports that the reggae artist's(Buju Banton) "lyrics...gleefully promote pouring acid over gay men and setting them on fire".
Buju Banton is schedule to perform at Guyana's National Stadium in on October 27 an event which has promoters facing enormous pressure from SASOD Guyana. In response to SASOD the GT Entertainment group promoters of the reggae event have committed to ensuring that the Guyana Music Festival is not discriminatory to any Guyanese citizen. But SASOD is adamant the Buju must apologize for Boom bye bye.
BEVERLY HILLS Put down the Crystal Geyser, loser. The hydrating hip, including Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx and reportedly Paris Hilton's dog, drink couture water that costs up to $90 a bottle.
CAROL KRON / Copley News Service
Bling H2O, on display in its signature Beverly Hills store, may be the mostexpensive bottled water in the world.
Yep, the day has arrived when natural spring water bottled at the source in of all places Dandridge, Tenn. is more expensive than some fine wines. That's because it's Bling H2O, which comes in limited-edition, wine-sized corked frosted bottles embedded with Swarovski crystals spelling out its name. A round or rectangular charm denoting the genuine Swarovski adornments hangs from a bottleneck chain.
Either you bling or you don't bling, says Bling H2O founder Kevin Boyd, a Hollywood writer-producer whose credits include The Jamie Foxx Show.
The personable 43-year-old aquaman is in his tiny retro-mod Bling retail store and showroom, surrounded by bottles of the liquid gold andspinoff apparel such as Bling boy shorts. A 750-milliliter bottle of water sells here for $40. If you chug the same bottle at the über-trendy Tao nightclub at The Venetian in Las Vegas, it'll set you back $90.
The half-size Baby Bling can cost $55 at hot spots, but it's $25 at the store. Even then, it's pricier and far less filling than the New York steak lunch at the famed Milton Berle-founded Friars club just down the street.
This is pop culture in a bottle, Boyd says.
CAROL KRON / Copley News Service
Kevin Boyd, founder of the super-luxury Bling H2O, says the 1,200 limited-edition bottles with the crimson red Swarovski crystals sold out.
Since launching last year, Bling has turned up at an after-party for the MTV Video Music Awards, in the dressing rooms of the 48th annual Grammy Awards, and at a style lounge for the Emmys, where it was used to give stars facials because of its good 7.3 pH balance. Bling also made the scene at Super Bowl festivities in Miami and at NBA All-Star game happenings in Las Vegas.
Ben Stiller recently had 10 cases flown to Cabo San Lucas, where he was filming a Farrelly brothers comedy. Foxx, who quaffs Bling onstage while performing concerts, had the splashy splish-splash delivered to the L.A. set of Dreamgirls and to Dubai, where he was shooting the upcoming thriller The Kingdom.
It was while working on Foxx's now-defunct TV show years ago that Boyd says he noticed people carrying bottled water on the studio lot like a fashion accessory. For instance, there were the Fiji sippers who thought it was cool that an exotic island quenched their thirst.
Anytime we'd have guest stars come to the show, they'd always request a certain water, Boyd says, adding some also requested certain bottles of booze. Evian water was very popular back then. That was the buzz water.
After Boyd noticed patrons at ritzy nightspots ordering bottles of water with their Cristal, he tapped into the noncarbonated rich niche.
We wanted to have the most exquisite, the most luxurious, lavish bottle of water in the world, with premium water with premium packaging that merits a premium price tag, Boyd says. As far as I know, this is the most expensive bottled water in the world.
AdvertisementDiane Felicissimo says that's true, and she ought to know. A water connoisseur, she owns and runs Via Genova, a five-table water bar/cafe far from the glitz of Hollywood in Chappaqua, N.Y. She added Bling to her menu of nearly 40 still and sparkling waters about three months ago.
It's so popular, enthuses Felicissimo, who sells the large Bling for $55 and the small one for $30. The little ones are flying off the shelves.
By far, Bling is the big-ticket of her wet fare. Other large glass bottles cost from $5.50 for Speyside Glenlivet, drawn from a 500-millon-year-old rock formation in Scotland, to $28.50 for 10 Thousand BC, which is melted glacier ice from British Columbia, supposedly bottled to inspirational music.
Bling comes from a crystal clear spring in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, says Boyd, noting the source won a gold medal in an international water taste test.
The pimped-up bottles, of course, are the bait. They come in several color schemes, including one of cobalt blue glass and one with canary yellow crystals.
Apparently, image-makers overseas also are nuts enough to pay $4 a gulp. Our No. 1 market is France. They're selling it at the Louis Vuitton store on the Champs Elysées in Paris, Boyd says. A shop in Italy is supposedly getting, gulp, $200 a bottle.
There's people who simply want the best of everything, says Lou Abin, managing partner of the star-trodden Tao nightclub in Las Vegas. A slew of celebs have partied at the extravagant Asian-themed in-spot from Pamela Anderson to Christina Aguilera to Madonna but Abin won't say which VIPs had the $90 water experience at their table. He did reveal Bling imbibers request the bottle all the time as a take-home souvenir.
Boyd says Bling also is served at the posh Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons hotel and the new chic L.A. club Tatou, where Michael Ray, the first winner of TV's Hell's Kitchen is the celebrity chef.
Foxx, rapper Lil Jon and party-girl heiress Nicky Hilton all get regular home or office deliveries of Bling, Boyd says. Sometimes the shipments include basic Blings, which are sans-crystals 16.9-ounce plastic screw-top bottles that resemble your ordinary Arrowhead. The plastic logo version, convenient for status-seekers at the gym or pool, cost $2 each at the Bling store.
When caseloads of Bling were dispatched to the Hiltons' Beverly Hills estate for a party for Paris, Boyd says he included as a gift a custom-made bottle of Bling for Tinkerbell inscribed Muttini with a paw print. He says a British tabloid later reported seeing the celebutante offer the gourmet beverage to the Chihuahua.
Boyd's storefront, on busy Santa Monica Boulevard with impossible parking, has no water-wanting walk-ins this morning. But his employee takes phone and Internet orders, some from average schmos wanting a bottle or two. Boyd says he's shipped Bling to as far away as South Africa and Taiwan. He's heard of people refilling the bottles with alcohol, displaying them unopened on their home bar, and using them for vases.
Someone from Australia bought a $40 bottle and then paid $120 for shipping, he says.
For Valentine's Day, a New Jersey man contacted the store and asked a bottle be sent to his sweetheart in Scottsdale, Ariz., with a message referring to a cheaper, vogue water. Because you're way too classy to be drinking Voss, baby, the love note read.
Obviously, it's a strange water world.
I understand to a lot of people it's outrageous, the price of the water, Boyd concedes. And often time people say that water is such a premium in other countries and things of that nature. This is just an option. You can buy a Bentley or you can buy a Honda.
Or you can buy a Rolls-Royce for your cotton-mouth. But what's it taste like? At her watering hole, Felicissimo pours a selection from Italy rumored to be the choice of the Vatican, another mined from below a 1,000-year-old volcanic belt in Japan, and 1 Litre, an Oprah fav from a pristine Canadian forest.
Bling is a beautiful light crisp water, says Felicissimo, who houses and presents her clear liquids like fine wines. It's not the lightest and crispest I've ever tasted. But the bottles are beautiful and it's definitely the flashiest.
Deva Bratt held for carnal abuse - Second such charge for deejay
By Rasbert Turner and Teino Evans, STAR Writers
Deva Bratt - File
Which uhnuh want to see first on movie night?!!
Cops, firemen and residents of Greenvale, Manchester, spent several hours on Tuesday night searching for a man they believed had fallen into a deep hole while he was being chased by a mob.
The residents, from the community which is close to Mandeville, along with cops and firemen with bright lights, probed the hole they believed the man, who was one of three persons accused of being homosexual, had fallen into. He was being chased by men with machetes and clubs when the incident occurred.
According to a police report, at about 8 p.m., the residents broke into a house where three young men were alleged to be engaged in homosexual activities.
Two of the men were severely beaten and chopped while the third escaped. A search of the area ensued and *lo** seen at the entrance to the hole, led to speculation that the missing man had fallen in or was killed nearby.The old-school king of the microphone is looking to become the new-school king of the booth with an upcoming Hip Hop album
Bill Cosby - a staunch critic of some rap music - is set to release a Hip-Hop album called State of Emergency, which will be a sanitized, issue-oriented CD.
Sources told AllHipHop.com that the actor, comedian and philanthropist will address issues like proper parenting, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, Black-on-Black crime and the dropout rate in Americas high schools.
Cosbys album will not contain any profane language, nor will it offer any denigrating comments towards women.
State of Emergency would be the 35th album for the legendary comedian, actor, who released his first album Bill Cosby is a Very Funny Fellow in 1963.
Source: AllHipHop.com
Do you thing Bill would be able to pull this off and make some noise in todays Hip Hop trend? Hmm A bold move but the king of Jell-Os voice will definitely make a lot of noise!
A state lawmaker wants to ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers but please, don't be offended. He says he never even expected his plan to become law.
"I was trying to shed a little light on the number one problem in Mississippi," said Republican Rep. John Read of Gautier, who acknowledges that at 5-foot-11 and 230 pounds, he'd probably have a tough time under his own bill.
More than 30 percent of adults in Mississippi are considered it obese, according to a 2007 study by the Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention.
The state House Public Health Committee chairman, Democrat Steve Holland of Plantersville, said he is going to "shred" the bill.
"It is too oppressive for government to require a restaurant owner to police another human being from their own indiscretions," Holland said Monday.
The bill had no specifics about how obesity would be defined, or how restaurants were supposed to determine if a customer was obese.
Al Stamps, who owns a restaurant in Jackson, said it is "absurd" for the state to consider telling him which customers he can't serve. He and his wife, Kim, do a bustling lunch business at Cool Al's, which serves big burgers beef or veggie and specialty foods like "Sassy Momma Sweet Potato Fries."
"There is a better way to deal with health issues than to impose those kind of regulations," Al Stamps said. "I'm sorry you can't do it by treating adults like children and telling them what they can and cannot eat."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/02/04/national/a120740S54.DTL
In an average day your hands will have come into indirect contact with 15 penises
An average person's yearly fast food intake will contain 12 pubic hairs.
In a year you will have swallowed 14 insects - while you slept!
Annually you will shake hands with 11 women who have recently masturbated
Annually you will shake hands with 6 men who have recently masturbated
In a lifetime 22 workmen will have examined the contents of your dirty linen basket.
At an average wedding reception you have a 1/100 chance of getting a cold sore
Daily you will breath in 1 liter of other peoples' anal gases.
and wash your damn hands !!!!!!!
-- Edited by miggskills at 23:36, 2008-02-03
The talk show host, whose overall net worth is $2.5 billion, pocketed $260 million between June 2006 and June 2007, according to the financial publication. Her revenues come from a number of successful enterprises, including her daytime talk show, magazine, satellite radio channel, Broadway show and newly-announced cable network slated to debut late next year.
Source: Eurweb
If you do the math, Oprah makes $740,000 a day Thats insane!!!
Check out the complete top 10 list of highest paid black celebs below:
1. Oprah Winfrey - $260M
2. Tiger Woods - $100M
3. Jay Z - $83M
4. 50 Cent - $33M
5. Kobe Bryant - $33M
6. Shaquille ONeil - $32M
7. Michael Jordan - $31M
8. Will Smith $31M
9. Beyonce - $27M
10. Lebron James - $27M
A. Tell them face to face that you are annoyed with them?
B. Give subtle hints and hope they get the picture?
C. Call a trusted friend aside and ask that friend to tell the persons they annoy you?
STUDENT NOT ALLOWED ON CAMPUS BECAUSE OF BAD HAIRCUT
Posted: Jan 31, 2008 11:12 PM EST
Student Not Allowed on Campus Due to Haircut
Officials with the Lafayette Parish School Board say a 14 year old boy who is sporting an unusual haircut will not be allowed to return to school until he conforms to board policy. But as it turns out the haircut wasn't the boys idea it was his mothers way of trying to enforce discipline.
"I cut his hair as a discipline tool. It's a bad haircut for bad behavior." That's what Laura Jones says her son Deontraye McLennan needs and deserves. Especially after he brought home a report card that she says is just as bad as his haircut.
The haircut was so bad, Deontraye decided to skip school because he was embarra**c*ated. But the defiant 14 year-old didn't just go home. He hitchhiked from Carencro to Palmetto which is about 35 miles away.
He even bought a stolen scooter from a stranger to help him make the trip to a family member's house. But once his mom found him safe and sound Jones went to Carencro middle school to see about Deontraye skipping class.
And that's when Jones says administrators told her that this is unacceptable and action would be taken against the haircut. Since Jones was told her son's haircut was extreme, she was directed to the school's handbook and administrators say what's in the handbook will be strictly enforced.
According to the handbook, designs shaven into the head are not permitted. Deputy Superintendent Katherine Landry says the student will not be allowed in school until he complies.
Regardless of what happens from this point, Deontraye says the embarra**c*ating haircut has changed his attitude. School Board Leaders say the Principal's actions were correct in handling the situation.
Right now, the case is being appealed to interim Superintendent Brunel Lemoine.
..YU TINK MI WOULDA GUH SCHOOL WID MI HAIR A LOOK SO? NO SAH
-- Edited by DJ OP at 12:10, 2008-02-07
AMY WINEHOUSE to write the new James Bond theme as well as croon it - but ONLY if she stays off drugs for two months.
AMY WINEHOUSE will get to write the new James Bond theme as well as croon it - but ONLY if she stays off drugs for two months.
The Rehab singer - back to her best and appearing neither shaken nor stirred by her spell in an addiction clinic - has been told she must still be clean in April to make the record.
A source confirmed last night: Thats when the Bond people make a final decision on who sings the theme. If Amy is clean then, its hers.
Crack spy ... Daniel Craig
Amy yesterday took a trip out of the London clinic where she is being treated, and has been given the boost by film bosses despite some people around her doubting she would be fit to even sing the song let alone write it.
The insider said of DANIEL CRAIGs new 007 film Quantum Of Solace: It will have a dark and moody feel so Amy would be absolutely perfect.
Its another fantastic carrot being dangled to encourage her to give up drugs.
Last night shamed Amy, 24, was still waiting to learn if she will be allowed a US visa to attend Sundays Grammy awards in Los Angeles - where she is up for six Songs.
The grim discovery was made by a member of staff at the rear of the Amazon store in Kilburn, North West London.
Cops are currently carrying out a search for the missing head in the area.
Forensic experts, meanwhile, are preparing to gently tear open the masking tape used to wrap the body. Homicide cops are investigating.
One source said : "At the moment we don't know if the victim is a man or a woman. Whoever did this has gone to some trouble to try and stop us from identifying the victim."
Mavado was just there in November, said manager Julian Jones-Griffith. The reception to his performance was so good there has been a flood of offers for him to return there right away. Bounty Killer is an absolute icon in the UK and we go there every year with him so the promoter decided to go all out and put on one show. In a word, its going to be history.The mini-tour will see three shows, in Birmingham, Bradford and London, with demand for tickets so high there may have to be another London date added. Baby Cham and Spice have also been added to the line-up, making it a show not to be missed. Alliance rising star Einstein and Future Fambo will also be making their presence felt on the tour.
The UK shows will kick off Bounty Killers European tour, which will carry him to France, Holland, Germany, Belgium and Italy. Mavado will go on to some shows in the Caribbean.
In related news, the ling-awaited video for Mavados Little X-directed Last Night will be hitting screens early this month.
CLARKSBURG, West Virginia (CNN) -- The FBI is gearing up to create a massive computer database of people's physical characteristics, all part of an effort the bureau says to better identify criminals and terrorists.
But it's an issue that raises major privacy concerns -- what one civil liberties expert says should concern all Americans.
The bureau is expected to announce in coming days the awarding of a $1 billion, 10-year contract to help create the database that will compile an array of biometric information -- from palm prints to eye scans.
Kimberly Del Greco, the FBI's Biometric Services section chief, said adding to the database is "important to protect the borders to keep the terrorists out, protect our citizens, our neighbors, our children so they can have good jobs, and have a safe country to live in."
But it's unnerving to privacy experts.
"It's the beginning of the surveillance society where you can be tracked anywhere, any time and all your movements, and eventually all your activities will be tracked and noted and correlated," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Technology and Liberty Project.
The FBI already has 55 million sets of fingerprints on file. In coming years, the bureau wants to compare palm prints, scars and tattoos, iris eye patterns, and facial shapes. The idea is to combine various pieces of biometric information to positively identify a potential suspect.
A lot will depend on how quickly technology is perfected, according to Thomas Bush, the FBI official in charge of the Clarksburg, West Virginia, facility where the FBI houses its current fingerprint database. Watch what the FBI hopes to gain »
"Fingerprints will still be the big player," Bush, assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division, told CNN.
But he added, "Whatever the biometric that comes down the road, we need to be able to plug that in and play."
First up, he said, are palm prints. The FBI has already begun collecting images and hopes to soon use these as an additional means of making identifications. Countries that are already using such images find 20 percent of their positive matches come from latent palm prints left at crime scenes, the FBI's Bush said.
The FBI has also started collecting mug shots and pictures of scars and tattoos. These images are being stored for now as the technology is fine-tuned. All of the FBI's biometric data is stored on computers 30-feet underground in the Clarksburg facility.
In addition, the FBI could soon start comparing people's eyes -- specifically the iris, or the colored part of an eye -- as part of its new biometrics program called Next Generation Identification.
Nearby, at West Virginia University's Center for Identification Technology Research, researchers are already testing some of these technologies that will ultimately be used by the FBI.
"The best increase in accuracy will come from fusing different biometrics together," said Bojan Cukic, the co-director of the center.
But while law enforcement officials are excited about the possibilities of these new technologies, privacy advocates are upset the FBI will be collecting so much personal information.
"People who don't think mistakes are going to be made I don't think fly enough," said Steinhardt.
He said thousands of mistakes have been made with the use of the so-called no-fly lists at airports -- and that giving law enforcement widespread data collection techniques should cause major privacy alarms.
"There are real consequences to people," Steinhardt said. Watch concerns over more data collection »
You don't have to be a criminal or a terrorist to be checked against the database. More than 55 percent of the checks the FBI runs involve criminal background checks for people applying for sensitive jobs in government or jobs working with vulnerable people such as children and the elderly, according to the FBI.
The FBI says it hasn't been saving the fingerprints for those checks, but that may change. The FBI plans a so-called "rap-back" service in which an employer could ask the FBI to keep the prints for an employee on file and let the employer know if the person ever has a brush with the law. The FBI says it will first have to clear hurdles with state privacy laws, and people would have to sign waivers allowing their information to be kept.
Critics say people are being forced to give up too much personal information. But Lawrence Hornak, the co-director of the research center at West Virginia University, said it could actually enhance people's privacy.
"It allows you to project your identity as being you," said Hornak. "And it allows people to avoid identity theft, things of that nature." Watch Hornak describe why he thinks it's a "privacy enhancer" »
There remains the question of how reliable these new biometric technologies will be. A 2006 German study looking at facial recognition in a crowded train station found successful matches could be made 60 percent of the time during the day. But when lighting conditions worsened at night, the results shrank to a success rate of 10 to 20 percent.
As work on these technologies continues, researchers are quick to admit what's proven to be the most accurate so far. "Iris technology is perceived today, together with fingerprints, to be the most accurate," said Cukic.
But in the future all kinds of methods may be employed. Some researchers are looking at the way people walk as a possible additional means of identification.
The FBI says it will protect all this personal data and only collect information on criminals and those seeking sensitive jobs.
The ACLU's Steinhardt doesn't believe it will stop there.
"This had started out being a program to track or identify criminals," he said. "Now we're talking about large swaths of the population -- workers, volunteers in youth programs. Eventually, it's going to be everybody." E-mail to a friend
Code:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/04/fbi.biometrics/index.html
The album "Call My Name" was released eight months ago and has yielded several popular singles; "Keep Me Safe", "Can't Tek It (a duet with Chrisinti)", "Remedy" and "Big Tingz" which is up for it's own award in the best single category. "Big Tingz" was also named one of the Top 100 Reggae Singles of 2007 in New York.
MIRACLE tot Onur Calar is safe and well after being hurled 40ft from a burning building into to a policeman's arms.
Little Onur Calar was seen being thrown from the fourth-storey of the building by his family as they desperately tried to save him.
The toddler is now being looked after by his uncle Erdal Calar.
But his brother Ilyas, two, died and last night his parents were seriously ill.
Nine Turks were killed in the suspected racist arson attack in Ludwigshafen, Germany, including two of Onurs cousins and his aunt.
Sixty others were hurt
Safe ... Onur Calar
As of now, R&B sensation, Usher, hasnt officially announced an album title or release date for his follow-up to his 2004 mega-smash hit, Confessions, but the word is that the wait wont be too much longer.
I was speaking to him the other day, asking him when he was gonna start putting singles out, Jermaine Dupri tells MTV News late last week. He said, Soon. So, its coming.
Dupri, a longtime friend and collaborator of Ushers, is slated to contribute to the singers next offering. It looks as if Dupris words are a prophecy fulfilled because since last speaking with MTV News, two new Usher records have surfaced.
In The Club, produced by Polow Da Don is getting play, currently, on Atlanta radio stations. Young Jeezy is featured on the bass heavy, mid-tempo club ready banger. I wanna make love in this club, Usher sings on the chorus.
The second record, which is already floating around on the Internet, is called Moving Mountains and is said to be produced by Timbaland. As for the rest of the album, Philadelphia producers, Dre & Vidal have contributed several songs, while Lil Jon is waiting for the right record to add to Ushers musical concoction.
The King of Crunk, having already given three smashes to Usher with Yeah!, Red Light and Lovers and Friends, isnt trying to force anything.
Im trying to find a new sound. I dont wanna come and have the same old, same old. Im trying to give Usher that stadium record again. I dont wanna give him no bullshit. I wanna give him another Yeah!, another record that sets the tone for his entire album," said Jon.
There is no word as to whether In The Club or Moving Mountains are official singles or if they will even make the album.
Beeni + Bounty
Kartel + Movado
Black Rhyno + Munga
weh unu suh?....me seh busy and aidonia
Woman Allegedly Straps Beer Case Into Seat Belt While Child Remains Unrestrained
What's the most precious thing in your car? Police in St. Augustine, Florida were stunned to find out what one woman's priorities appeared to be. They stopped a motorist over the weekend for allegedly running a red light and discovered a mother and her 16-month-old daughter both sitting in the back of the vehicle with no restraints on. The youngster was allowed to wander freely without an infant seat and nothing to contain her in the event of an accident.
That's bad enough. But what cops found when they peered in closer stunned them. The woman had apparently used the seat belt to keep something safe - a case of beer. The 24 bottles of suds were securely strapped in to ensure nothing happened to them and that they made a safe journey.
The driver, 46-year-old Tina Williams, couldn't explain why the child wasn't properly tethered and refused to take a breathalyzer test at the scene. Police allege they found drug paraphernalia in her purse, and she's since been charged with a host of offences, including driving under the influence, driving without a licence and child abuse.
But maybe the most shocking part of the story is what didn't happen. The mother in the back seat, a 20-year-old woman, has so far not been charged with anything and the youngster was released back into her custody.
By: Joseph Cunningham
If everything goes according to plan, the legacy of the Crowned Prince of Reggae, Dennis Emanuel Brown, will be further immortalized with the establishment of a 24-hour Internet radio station exclusively for his music.
"We're in the planning stages right now of doing an Internet radio station dedicated to the life, times and music of Dennis Emanuel Brown," Patrick Lafayette, honorary member of the Dennis Brown Trust, revealed during a recent interview.
"Strictly Dennis Brown, 24 hours, seven days per week. Anywhere you are and have Internet access, you can log on and you just get non-stop Dennis Brown - 24/7 live! We looking to begin within a few more months and it will be based where we can provide the widest broad band," Lafayette added.
The idea evolved out of a series of annual celebrations on 'D Brown's' birthday in the form of marathon radio programmes and simulcast among Kool 97FM the BBC and the London-based Choice FM.
Lafayette said, "Over the past three years, when I was with Kool 97FM, we did simulcast with Ranking Ms P from the BBC. That was very very successful. We had the opportunity to hear some of the features we produced aired over the BBC to 80 million people. Later on we extended the works of Dennis (Brown) in terms of the biography. We delved a little bit into his actual philosophy, and focused a little on his alma mater, Central Branch All Age School. The Dennis Brown Trust contributes to the school's feeding programme and provides scholarships to needy students."
Girl of 16 moves in with her 49-year-old RE teacher then informs parents by email
A schoolgirl of 16 has walked out on her family to live with her 49-year-old religious education teacher.
Jess Anderson's parents were left devastated when she moved in with Clive Richards, a father of two who has been married three times.
They knew nothing of their daughter's relationship with Richards - who has now left her school - until she sent them an email telling them she had moved out
The deputy head girl, who is expected to achieve a string of A grades in her GCSEs this summer, failed to return to her parents' £575,000 detached home after school two weeks ago.
When her mother managed to contact her by phone that evening, she was told to check her emails - and found a message about the new arrangement.
Jess and Richards are living in the same village as her family in a rented cottage they share with the teacher's 14-year-old son.
Her mother Frances Hichens and stepfather Phil, 50, said they were "living a nightmare".
"This has come completely out of the blue," said Mrs Hichens, a 38-year-old hospital ward clerk who has not spoken to her daughter since.
"We are going out of our minds with worry, and they are living just half a mile away.
"It is like grieving, only worse, because there is no end in sight."
Mrs Hichens, a mother of two, has been told by police that she has no legal right to stop her daughter living with Richards.
At 16, Jess can decide where she lives.
While it is an offence for an adult in a position of trust to have sex with an under-18 in his charge, this cannot apply to Richards as he left the school last April.
Richards's third wife left their £500-a-month rented home in Goldsithney, near Penzance, Cornwall, three days before Jess moved in last month.
Julia Richards, a 38-year-old teaching assistant, took one of her two sons with her, but the other boy chose to stay.
She refuses to comment on the situation for fear of upsetting her children, but a close friend said: "What Clive has done is utterly morally wrong.
"To think he was teaching children about ethics makes it all the more shocking.
"He was in a position of trust and he has abused that trust.
"Julia is in a terrible situation."
Mrs Hichens and her property developer husband say the relationship has torn their family apart.
Fighting back tears, Mrs Hichens said: "Jessica has never been any trouble.
"People always said we had it easy as parents because she was so polite and well-behaved.
"I know 16-year-old girls want to be grown-up and sophisticated but this is not the answer.
"I love her so much - we all do. We just want her back."
Richards, who has taught in schools across the country, refused to comment except to say: "We have done nothing wrong."
After leaving the school he began preliminary training to become a vicar at a local parish.
But this ended after some churchgoers became concerned about his behaviour.
He and Jess are believed to be living on income support and child benefits.
Despite the misery caused by their relationship the pair have apparently signed up as "agony aunt and uncle", advising other couples, on an internet site partly dedicated to "age-gap relationships".
According to a source close to her family, Jess sent emails to her parents and other relatives insisting she has not been "brainwashed or groomed".
But her father, Steven Anderson, said: "The whole thing beggars belief. I have never seen this man and if I did I don't know how I'd react."
A family friend said: "This man is an adult with a family and should have walked away from this.
"It is going to have a massive effect on Jess - not just now, but when she is an adult too.
"She thinks she is living out a fantasy but it will only end in tears."
This evening will see the premiere of the film Africa Unite at the Carib 5 Cinema, Kingston; the documentary starring American actor Danny Glover, Angelique Kidjo, the I-Threes and the Marley family. Africa Unite is centred on the Marleys family first family trip to Ethiopia in 2005 for the twelve-hour concert held in the capital city of Addis Ababa. 300,000 persons from across the globe helped the Marley family celebrate Bob Marley's 60th birthday that year with this massive outdoor concert.
Africa Unite is a masterful film focusing on the Africa Unite concert as well as the Marley familys travelogue, humanitarian documentary and documenting the spirit of the legendary reggae icon. The film also includes rare archival footage of Marley himself. The 2005 concert was the realization of an ambitious vision of unity that Bob Marley preached about when he himself performed his historic 1978 Zimbabwe concert.
According to Executive Producer Mrs Rita Marley the film chronicles the concert before, during and after. It also covers various important historical events in Africa as well as the history of the icon Bob Marley. She explained its about Africa Unite, its about the unification of all Africans- those at home and those abroad. Its about togetherness, the film is a combination of the events that happened in Africa during the Africa Unite event. While the film is anchored by the marathon Marley benefit concert there are parallel narratives that help to create a fuller picture of Bob Marley's personal dream of a Pan-African movement on the continent and throughout the Diaspora.
A Tuff Gong Pictures production for Rita Marley Foundation and Bob Marley Foundation, the film features principle persons to the cause of uniting the nation such as UNICEFs Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover, Jamaican politician Dudley Thompson, world music sensation Angelique Kidjo, Marleys mother Mrs Booker, American singer Lauryn Hill, Bob Andy, singer Penny Afro, the Marley boys- Ziggy, Stephen, Damian, Rohan and Julian, as well as a special appearance by Princess Mary the granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie.
Directed by Stephanie Black, Rita Marley emphasizes that the documentary is a one of kind film. She said its truly one of a kind- places and things that youve never seen before or dreamed they existed. Were quite fortunate we were able to make it into a documentary. One of those unique moments is Ras Bongo Tawney, featured in Black's award winning documentary Life and Debt. Tawney's recollections are of the early and severe discrimination that Rastas faced in Jamaica making it clear how far the Rastafarian movement has really progressed. He remembers when merely wearing dreadlocks was considered not fashion, but a crime.
Another special moment in the film is the presence of American actor Danny Glover. According to Mrs. Marley, Glovers involvement is more than just acting but the actor showed a genuine interest in the achievement of African youth. She said, UNICEF sponsored him to attend in the first place for the youth symposium- showing the youths how they can be what they want to be. Footage from these workshops and symposiums assist in demonstrating the amount of education and organizing necessary to rebuild a present day movement that reclaims the mid 20th century goals of leaders like Jomo Kenyatta and Haile Selassie.
Proceeds from the film premiere will be going towards various charities in Jamaica. While this February is the premiere of the film the Africa Unite movement continues as Rita Marley emphasizes were taking Africa Unite around the continent.
Tuff Gong Pictures production for Rita Marley Foundation and Bob Marley Foundation and it is directed by Stephanie Black.
Meantime, the 4th International Africa Unite Smile Jamaica Youth Symposium at Liberty Hall (Marcus Garvey Museum), Kingston, Jamaica will come to a close today.
The Youth Symposium is an annual event on the Africa Unite calendar. Youth from various nations on the African continent, the Caribbean and in the U.S.A. convene to discuss and provide realistic solutions to various issues and challenges that exist in their native homelands and the world. The topics include HIV/Aids, Black Leadership, The Role and Importance of the Girl Child. This will be done through the guidance of educators and acclaimed professionals.
Other activities include:
Bob Marley Birthday Celebration and Dinner
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
7:00pm
Strawberry Hill Hotel
Kingston
Jamaica Celebrates Bob
9:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The Bob Marley Museum
56 Hope Road
Kingston 6
African Film Festival
8:00pm
The Bob Marley Museum
56 Hope Road
Kingston 6
That's what industry insiders are asking given all the foreboding signs taking place in recent weeks. The constant raids on places of entertainment, coupled with the high profile recent arrests of Sheldon 'Aidonia' Lawrence and Ryan 'Bascom X' Sudlow on gun-related charges has hurt dancehall's image.Now, a statement from Operation Kingfish yesterday suggested that the crimefighters were in possession of what they described as a 'very disturbing photograph' with Adidjah 'Vybz Kartel' Palmer and Sheldon 'Aidonia' Lawrence allegedly posing with high powered weapons.
Spokesman for Operation Kingfish Inspector Steve Brown says the police want to interview the men in the presence of their lawyers and commence investigations into the matter.
Contacted today, Vybz Kartel's publicity team said that the entertainer's lawyer had already been in touch with the Operation Kingfish personnel to set up a date for the interview. Yesterday, Vybz Kartel was freed of the charges of indecent language used at a stage show in Ocho Rios in January.
-- Edited by DJ OP at 10:26, 2008-02-05
Hugh Hefner, Playboy magazine founder, and Playboy Playmates and girlfriends (from left) Kendra Wilkinson, Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. - Contributed
Bangshowbiz:
Hugh Hefner is trying for a baby with girlfriend Holly Madison.
The 28-year-old blonde and 81-year-old Playboy founder are so desperate for a baby that they are spending nearly all their time having sex.
Marriage rumours
She said: "We do want a baby. There has been lots of trying - lots of trying!
"My perfect Valentine's Day present would be a house and a kid."
Although he is trying for a baby, Hugh refuses to comment on marriage rumours, saying: "There will be lots of romantic years ahead, but a wedding? We will see."
Hugh already has four children - Christie, 55, and David, 52, from his 10-year marriage to Mildred Williams, and 17-year-old Marsden and 16-year-old Cooper with former Playboy model Kimberley Conrad, to whom he is still legally married.
Holly, 28, first moved into the Los Angeles Playboy Mansion as one of Hugh's eight official girlfriends in 2001.
At present, Holly is one of three live-in girlfriends, along with Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt. The trio of beauties stars in the reality TV show The Girls Next Door.
|
No New Posts | 
|
New Posts |
|
Topic is Closed | 
|
Sticky |