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Friday, February 27, 2015     TODAY'S celebration of Jamaica Day in schools is an opportunity to showcase the best examples of the island, according to event convenor Amina Blackwood Meeks. Students celebrate Jamaica Day at a Corporate Area school  in 2014. (OBSERVER FILE PHOTO) "Jamaica Day is an opportunity to live one of the objectives in the Culture in Education Programme, which is to raise Jamaicans to be the best examples of Jamaicans to Jamaicans," she said. Blackwood Meeks, who is also the director of the Culture in Education Programme at the Ministry of Education, reasoned that there is a community and education benefit to the observance of the day. "We want our children to understand their culture, who they are, where they are from... in the context of their various communities. It (Jamaica Day) allows each of the schools to engage in community renewal projects, unique to where they are located, and build relationships with past student associ...

Friday, February 27, 2015 | 2:39 AM     SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — South Africa made 408 for five against the West Indies on Friday, the second-highest World Cup total of all time. South Africa's batsman AB de Villiers (L) celebrates  with teammate Farhaan Behardien after reaching a  century during the 2015 Cricket World Cup Pool B match between South Africa and the West Indies at the Sydney  Cricket Ground on Friday. (Photos: AFP)   In the process, South Africa captain AB de Villiers smashed the second-fastest World Cup century off 52 balls in the Pool B game at the Sydney Cricket Ground before finishing on 162 not out. The highest World Cup total is 413 for five made by India against Bermuda, a non-Test nation, in Trinidad in 2007. The fastest ever World Cup century was made by Ireland's Kevin O'Brien, off 50 balls, against England in Bangalore during the 2011 tournament.   W. I.  Fans Friday's innings was the second time in a...

 BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, February 27, 2015     ELEVEN people were yesterday rushed to hospital following an early morning motor vehicle collision in Christian Pen, Portmore, St Catherine. Awful tradegy Police report that about 5:45 am a Hiace bus with several passengers was travelling along the Christian Pen main road, heading towards Spanish Town, when it collided with a Jamaica Urban Transit Company bus travelling in the opposite direction. People alleging to be eyewitnesses said the driver of the Hiace swerved to avoid a pothole in the road. The impact of the crash caused the Hiace bus to overturn, pinning the driver and several other passengers inside for several hours. It took the combined effort of residents, firefighters, and police to remove the injured from the mangled wreck. Leroy Tomlinson, whose mother was trapped in the bus, was one of the residents who responded to the desperate ...

Thursday, February 26, 2015     BRUCE James, president of the MVP Track & Field Club, says the multi-million dollar boost provided by National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation is evidence that the club's achievements in athletics have not gone unnoticed. (From left) NCB Group chairman Michael Lee-Chin, MVP  Club assistant coach Paul Francis, NCB Foundation chairman Thalia Lyn, NCB Foundation CEO Nadine Matthews, Jamaica  and MVP 400-metre runner Shericka Williams, MVP Club president Bruce James and MVP athlete Simoya  Campbell display a cheque which represents the $30 million  promised to MVP by NCB Foundation. The presentation was  done at the UTech field yesterday.  (PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS) The NCB Group chairman Michael Lee-Chin oversaw the handing over of a $30-million cheque at the club's University of Technology base in St Andrew yesterday as part of a project to give student athletes nutritional and medical support. "NCB have...

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, February 26, 2015     TEACHERS, administrative and ancillary staff were yesterday locked out of the Trench Town High School in Kingston for several hours as students, joined by their parents and residents, padlocked the gates to the institution to protest against a Government decision to merge the school with neighbouring Charlie Smith High. A Trench Town High School student holds on to a placard  while Member of Parliament for St Andrew Southern Dr Omar Davis addresses a meeting at the school following a protest  by students and parents, yesterday. (PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON) DAVIES... I don't deal with intimidation and that is what it is "No Trench Town, no school" chanted some of the placard-bearing students. The action of the protesting students forced teachers and other staff members to stand outside the compound and watch. The padlocks were removed following int...

BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter  Thursday, February 26, 2015    ALTHOUGH 14-year-old Santoya Campbell was last Saturday laid to rest here, three days after 37-yearold Cornelius Robinson was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her, members of her Logwood, Shrewsbury community are still in shock over the teen's horrific end. Protesters Like several other members of the rustic farming community, Veniesha Hill is of the view that the penalty handed down for such a gruesome crime was a mere slap on the wrist. Hill strongly believes that Robinson, a fashion designer and photo studio operator, should instead have been given a death sentence for the Janury 26 murder. "Him wicked. Rope feh go round him neck and hang him because him kill the pickney," an enraged Hill lashed out. But father of the deceased, 75-year-old Felix Campbell, who lives outside the community but frequents Logwood, was contented with the sentence handed down by Justice Martin Gayle in...

Thursday, February 26, 2015     TOM Tavares-Finson, attorney-at-law representing deejay Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey, said charges brought against his client are a misunderstanding. Admiral Bailey "I indicated that the travel documents they are alleging are fraudulent are documents that he [Admiral] has been using for over 25 years. I am satisfied that when the matter comes before the court, we will be able to offer an explanation...," Tavares-Finson told the Jamaica Observer. Admiral Bailey, whose given name is Glendon Bailey, was slapped with fraud-related charges when he attempted to renew a passport in the name Micheal George Sullivan at the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency on Monday. He is booked to appear in the Corporate Area Criminal Court on Thursday, March 5. Admiral Bailey is charged with two counts of uttering forged documents, two counts of obtaining passport by false pretence, two counts of possession of forged documents, one count ...

Courtesy of the family/The Fresno Bee After 67 years of marriage, Floyd and Violet Hartwig  died on February 11 just five hours apart  at their home in Easton, California. With their beds pushed together,  the couple held hands  up until Floyd's last breath, The Fresno Bee reports. Violet died five hours later. Courtesy of the family/The Fresno Bee "We felt blessed because we knew that's what they wanted," their daughter Donna Scharton said.The Hartwigs first met while they were in elementary school. They began dating in the 1940s while Floyd was on leave from the Navy during World War II. While he was away, the young lovebirds kept in touch through love letters like the one below: more Love you my dearest and want you so. Vi, I heard our song this evening and it sure did make me homesick for you. Honey, did you ever get a record of it? I certainly hope so as I want to listen to it and have you in my arms at the same time

EDDIE RAY ROUTH STEPHENVILLE, Texas, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The Texas trial of a man charged with fatally shooting former U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whose best-selling autobiography was turned into the blockbuster movie "American Sniper, was halted on Monday due to an ice storm. EDDIE RAY ROUTH Closing arguments had been expected to start Monday and now will come shortly after the trial resumes, followed by jury deliberations. Eddie Ray Routh, 27, is accused of shooting Kyle and Kyle's friend Chad Littlefield multiple times at a gun range about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Fort Worth in February 2013 and then fleeing in Kyle's pickup truck.

Bill O'Reilly has repeatedly claimed he personally "heard" a shotgun blast that killed a figure in the investigation into President John F. Kennedy's assassination while reporting for a Dallas television station in 1977. O'Reilly's claim is implausible and contradicted by his former newsroom colleagues who denied the tale in interviews with  Media Matters . A police report, contemporaneous reporting, and a congressional investigator who was probing Kennedy's death further undermine O'Reilly's story. George de Mohrenschildt was a  Russian emigre  who befriended Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and testified before the Warren Commission investigating the Kennedy assassination. On March 29, 1977, the same day he  was contacted  by the House Select Committee on Assassinations, he committed suicide at his daughter's home in Florida. At the time, O'Reilly was a reporter for Dallas' WFAA-TV who regularly reported ...

Tuesday, February 24, 2015 | 8:55 PM   KINGSTON, Jamaica — The much anticipated amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act was a short while ago passed in the House of Representatives. The debate on the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill, often referred to as the ganja law, was piloted in the House, by Minister of National Security, Peter Bunting. The Bill was passed in the Senate on February sixth, piloted by Minister of Justice, Senator Mark Golding, under intense scrutiny from the Opposition, during a seven-hour debate. It was eventually passed with five amendments, and was tabled in the House of Representatives on February 10. More information later.

By Alex Orlov for  Life by DailyBurn If you feel wide awake when your head hits the pillow at night, you're not alone. Approximately  60 million Americans  report having experienced insomnia in any given year, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Even worse, 40 million Americans suffer from long-term sleep disorders. Missing sleep is nothing to yawn about. "Chronic sleep deprivation has lots of negative consequences," says Sonia Ancoli-Israel, fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. She notes that the health risks associated with missed Zzs can include poor cognitive function, problems with attention and concentration, dementia and an increased risk of heart disease. Why Every Night Of Sleep Matters Are you getting enough shut-eye? Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep a night, according to Ancoli-Israel. "People are ...

  Tuesday, February 24, 2015 | 2:04 AM  Chris Gayle on the attack Canberra, Australia (AFP) — West Indies opener Chris Gayle became the first batsman to score a double century in a World Cup innings when he reached the landmark against Zimbabwe in a Pool B clash in Canberra on Tuesday. Gayle, who might have been given out lbw before he had scored, brought up his first double century in 226 one-day internationals off just 138 balls including nine fours and 16 sixes. Gayle and Samuels The 35-year-old Jamaica left-hander's innings surpassed the previous World Cup best of 188 not out by South Africa's Gary Kirsten against the United Arab Emirates at Rawalpindi in 1996. It was also only the fifth double century in all ODI cricket and the first by a non-Indian, with Rohit Sharma (two), Sachin Tendulkar and  Virender Sehwag the only other batsmen to achieve the feat. more

 Tuesday, February 24, 2015  JAMAICAN deejay Admiral Bailey is scheduled to appear in the Corporate Area Criminal Court on Thursday, March 5 after he was arrested yesterday on fraud-related charges. Admiral Bailey According to the police, the deejay, whose real name is Glendon Bailey, went to the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) about 10:30 am yesterday and attempted to renew a passport in the name Micheal George Sullivan. "During the renewal process, his true identity was revealed. Subsequently, investigators from PICA detained him," the police communications unit said in a news release. The police said he was charged with: * two counts of uttering forged documents; * two counts of obtaining passport by false pretence; * two counts of possession of forged documents; * one count of attempting to obtain a passport by false pretence; and * one count of conspiracy to defraud. more

BY KARENA BENNETT Observer staff reporter bennettk@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, February 24, 2015  SCORES of Riverton City residents early yesterday gathered on Spanish Town Road in Kingston to protest against the police shooting of Oneil Calvin Thorpe, one of their own. Residents of Riverton City protest yesterday against Sunday  night’s fatal police shooting of Oneil Thorpe in the inner-city  community. (PHOTO: PETE SANKEY) Thorpe, alias 'Chiney Man', was reportedly shot dead by the police about 9:00 pm Sunday at a dance in the community. According to residents, the 35-year-old Thorpe was at the dance being held a short distance from his home when police surrounded the area. Thorpe, the residents claimed, was called by police officers who forced him around a corner, after which a number of shots were heard. He was allegedly found with his mouth gagged and bullet wounds to his chest. "A girl (woman) at the bar was listening to hear if he was going to...

BY ANNALISA DONAHEY  Sunday, February 22, 2015     RAVEN Maragh, a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Communication Studies, was recently selected as one of the University of Iowa Obermann Center HASTAC scholar recipients for the 2014-2015 academic year. MARAGH ... attended Westwood High School in Trelawny The HASTAC award, or Humanities, Arts, Sciences, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory, awards two graduate students with a monetary gift and a unique experience to promote and attend a variety of forums and events through the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies. The programme is specifically designed for graduate students with knowledge and interests in digital media, higher education, digital humanities, and technology in the arts. Maragh is a perfect fit for this programme as her focus is in media and communications and she has quite a bit of experience in the field. She was born in Mandeville, Jamaica on November 29, 1990, attended Belair...

BY DONNA HUSSEY-WHYTE Sunday Observer staff reporter husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, February 22, 2015     SINCE last Sunday when 14-year-old Leslie-Ann Goulbourne's condition was highlighted in the Sunday Observer, her mother and her doctor have reported that the child is getting worse as the days go by. (L)GOULBOURNE ... her condition has got worse & (R)WILLIAMS ... I thank God that Dr Charles is her surgeon Since last June, Leslie-Ann has been diagnosed with germinoma, a non-malignant tumour that affects the brain and the spine. She has undergone four brain surgeries, six weeks of radiotherapy, weekly visits to the hospital and numerous tests and scans. But the tumour has now spread to the teen's spine, crippling one of her arms and partially blinding the other eye. Germinoma is a germ cell tumour that forms in the pineal gland area of the brain. Pineal tumour patients typically experience a build-up of fluid within the brain, causing headaches, na...

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter  Friday, February 20, 2015     SAVANNA-LA-MAR, West-moreland — Fashion designer and photo studio operator 37-year-old Cornelius Robinson, who pleaded guilty to the murder of 14-year-old schoolgirl Santoya Campbell, was sentenced to life when he appeared in the Westmoreland Circuit Court yesterday. The businessman, of a Shrewsbury, Westmoreland, address, will become eligible for parole after he spends 25 years behind bars. Prior to handing down the sentence, Justice Martin Gayle gave Robinson an opportunity to speak. During his address to the court he broke down in tears as he apologised to family members of the deceased, as well as people who he said "looked up to him". On Tuesday, January 27, Santoya's body was found in garbage bags under a bridge, near a river close to the Frome Technical High School, where she was a grade eight student. Subsequent post-mortem results, which proved that the young student was pregnant, ...

Thursday, February 19, 2015BY KIMMO MATTHEWSObserver staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  SIX people, including three members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, were rushed to hospital yesterday following a two-vehicle crash on Half- Way -Tree Road, in the vicinity of the Beechwood Avenue intersection, in St Andrew. A traffic cop gives instructions at the scene of this motor vehicle  crash on Half-Way-Tree Road at the Beechwood Avenue intersection,  in St Andrew, yesterday. Six people, including three police  officers, were injured in the two-vehicle crash. See full story on Page 3. (PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS) Police said that the accident occurred about 12:15 pm when an unmarked police service vehicle, a Suzuki SX4, that was exiting Beechwood Avenue collided with a blue Toyota Wish that was travelling north on Half -Way-Tree Road. "I was standing at the bus stop waiting to get a bus when I heard the loud [sound]. I almost fainted," said one woma...

  Wednesday, February 18, 2015     THE Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has again found itself on the receiving end of an unfavourable decision by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), after it was yesterday slapped with an order to refund close to $1 billion to customers. Jamaica Public Service The sum is for charges made to customers’ accounts from March to December 2013 for foreign exchange adjustment on fuel supplied by Petrojam. In a lengthy release, the utility regulator said the light and power company is to refund customers for the charges, which it included on their bills without consultation. Public education specialist at the OUR, Elizabeth Bennett-Marsh told the Jamaica Observer that the JPS’s justification for the charge was that “it adjusts the fuel cost recovered for any differences between the estimated fuel cost computed at the exchange rate at the end of the month in which it incurs the fuel cost and the exchange rate at which these US...

Wednesday, February 18, 2015     MAXIE ROBINSON, the 48-year-old man implicated in the death-threat hoax against Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, was yesterday remanded into custody when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court. HOLNESS... has more to come According to court documents, Robinson went to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) headquarters on Belmont Road in Kingston, on the afternoon of January 28, and reported that JLP MPs Daryl Vaz (West Portland), James Robertson (West St Thomas) and Othniel Lawrence, caretaker for the North West St Ann constituency, had contracted three men to assassinate Holness and general secretary Dr Horace Chang. Robinson, a resident of Sommerton District in St Ann, had, according to court documents, submitted the names of the three would-be assassins. The allegation of the assassination plot went public with the police beefing up security around Holness, who had commented publicly on the matter. The accuse...

BY RACQUEL PORTER Observer staff reporter porterr@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, February 17, 2015 DARYL Vaz walked out of the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday a free man after the prosecution's main witness, Sergeant Jubert Llewellyn, told the court that he gave a statement in the Opposition MP's corruption case under duress, saying that he had never been more "stressed in my life". Daryl Vaz He said also that he was told by then Assistant Commissioner of Police Justin Felice that he would not be allowed to leave his (Felice's) office at Oxford Road in Kingston until he gave a statement. "We were there from 7:30 to midnight," he said, speaking of himself and Sergeant Delon Lewis. "Sergeant Lewis and myself, on arrival at the office [South Tower], met Inspector Reid, assistant commissioner of police, and Assistant Commissioner Haye," Llewellyn said. "We were cajoled, compelled, forced, coerced, and bound...

The Huffington Post  |  By Ed Mazza Email Posted: 02/17/2015 1:59 am EST  A Mississippi lawmaker says racist comments recently attributed to him  were taken out of context  and supposed to be off the record. State Rep. Gene Alday, a Republican says racist comments State Rep. Gene Alday, a Republican, told The Clarion-Ledger he was against increased funding for education, in particular funding to improve literacy. During his explanation, Alday said he comes " from a town where all the blacks are getting food stamps and what I call 'welfare crazy checks .' They don't work." Alday also told the newspaper about a time he visited an emergency room.  “I liked to died. I laid in there for hours because they (black people) were in there being treated for gunshots," Alday was quoted as saying.  Alday didn't deny the comments attributed to him. However, he said he was not a racist. " I am definitely not a racist, at all ," Alday told Missis...

WASHINGTON -- A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Monday that will temporarily prevent the Obama administration from moving forward with its executive actions on immigration while a lawsuit against the president works its way through the courts. Obama The order, by Judge Andrew Hanen of the U.S. District Court in Brownsvi lle, Texas, was an early stumble for the administration in what will likely be a long legal battle over whether President Barack Obama overstepped his constitutional authority with the wide-reaching executive actions on immigration he announced last November. While the injunction does not pronounce Obama's actions illegal, it prevents the administration from implementing them until the court rules on their constitutionality. The federal government is expected to appeal the ruling. The impact of the order will be felt almost immediately: One of Obama's actions is set to take effect on Feb. 18. On that day, the administration was set to...