Friday, August 29, 2008

Entertainment Suss for Friday 08/29/08 - listen on Afrocaribradio.com

This is Entertainment Suss with Lady D and Mama ASID - 08/29/08
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Kingston Police murdered Spragga’s son?

By POD313
URL: Police murdered Spragga’s son?
Police murdered Spragga’s son?
STARCover_1_PUAINspraggOM Kingston Police murdered Spraggas son?  Why ?
The family of Carlton ‘Carlisle’ Grant is seriously concerned about what they describe as a desperate attempt by the police to cover up his killing last Saturday night.
They say that the police have been acting unprofessionally and have fabricated a tale to cover their tracks after shooting the 17-year-old.
Fired gun

Grant, son of deejay Spragga Benz, was killed by the police along Church Street last Saturday night. Police allege that they were on patrol when two men were seen on a bicycle. They were signalled to stop and complied. One of the men, the police reported, pulled a gun and fired at them. The fire was returned and the men ran. The area was searched and Grant was found suffering from gunshot wounds. A semi-automatic pistol was also allegedly taken from him. Grant was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

But this report, Grant’s family says, is totally false. They say they have witnesses who gave a completely different story.
Grant’s aunt and another family member who contacted THE STAR yesterday said the teen and another man were first signalled to stop. The police, they say, exited their vehicle, questioned the men and eventually fired a shot which hit the teen in his face.
The other young man, they said, was told to run and while he was doing so additional shots were fired at him.


Suspicious

What makes the family even more suspicious of the police’s report is that they saw a videotape that shows Grant going into a gas station near to Church Street to purchase a sandwich minutes before the incident. They say that there was no sign of a weapon on the teen. This video they say will be given to the police to use in their investigations.


Yesterday, to make things even worse, they say there was an attempt to arrest the other youngster after they went to make a report. “Is like them a try get rid ah him. Dem a try everything to cover up them tracks,” one family member said.

Grant’s death has been devastating for the family, especially for Spragga, who returned to the island on Monday. “Him fadda just hug up Sharon (Grant’s mother) and say she must not cry. And him not really saying anything, you just see pure tears running from him eyes,” Grant’s aunt said.

She describes the teen as a quiet child who wanted to be an actor. Having been in the movie Shottas, he was set to be part of another movie to be shot overseas later this year.

Efforts by THE STAR to get a comment from the Bureau of Special Investigations which is investigating the incident was unsuccessful up to press time.

SPRAGGA SAYS NO RETALIATION
Mi ah read the website, dancehallmuzik.com where Spragga Benz urges no retaliation for the shooting death of his son. In the interview, Spragga said: “I just want di yute dem fi take it easy and let the law take its course. Mek wi see what di investigations will find out. I want dem to know dat it’s all a part a life.” When asked if the police had officially spoken with him regarding the incident he replied, ” No, nobody nuh talk to me, but right now mi not even innna di frame a mind fi talk to nobody either.
And what a way dem find Dr. Dre son dead just so so so? This is a very bad week for celebrity dads.





TEACH !!, Tired of the Politricks, election 2008 | Leave a Comment

Black Leaders, Celebrities in Denver for Obama Camp ‘Unity’ Breakfast on MLK Anniversary

mlk Remembering The Dream..and making it Happen
August 28, 2008 12:51 PM
Kate Barrett
ABC News’ Jennifer Parker reports: Civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, Bernice King, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, as well as African American celebrities like Oprah Winfrey’s best friend Gayle King, Cicely Tyson, Lou Gossett Jr., and actors Alfrie Woodard and Blair Underwood, gathered for breakfast in Denver today on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s famed ‘I Have a Dream Speech.’ The event, a “unity” breakfast organized by Barack Obama’s campaign, occurred just hours before Obama delivers his own historic acceptance speech as the nation’s first African American major party presidential candidate.
“I hope I can remain upright in my chair,” Gayle King told ABC News of Obama’s speech at Invesco Field, which is expected to be delivered tonight before an estimated 76,000 people.
When people say ‘I have a dream’ today, I say my dream is coming true,” she said. “I knew this day would come and I still know it.”
Of her friend Oprah Winfrey, who is in town for Obama’s speech, King said, “She wouldn’t miss it.”
For many black leaders the day is charged with emotion.
“Having been at the march in 1963 several feet from the platform and looking directly in the face of Dr. King when he made that historic address, today could not be more appropriate or more fitting,” civil rights leader the Rev. Otis Moss Jr. told ABC News.
“Sen. Obama represents the very thing that Dr. King articulated, not only in that speech, but in his entire life and work,” Moss said.
“I’m numb, I’m absolutely numb,” Tyson told ABCNews.com.
“I never, ever dreamed that, in my lifetime, I would be witnessing this,” Tyson added.
“I really don’t know what he’d say,” said Georgia Rep. John Lewis, when asked what civil rights icon King would say were he alive today. “But I think he’d say ‘hallelujah.’”
Lewis is the last living person who spoke at the MLK march.
Firing up a crowd of about 500 black Democratic delegates, celebrities and faith leaders, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, president of the Coalition for the People’s Agenda, said Obama doesn’t have to be a civil rights leader between now and November.
“He can go ahead and be president and leave the agitating to us,” he said to cheers and whoops of “That’s right!”
“The most important thing he can do for the nation is get elected,” Lowery said.
Bernice King also brought the crowd to its feet, arguing that, despite Obama’s historic accomplishment, her father’s work is far from done.
“He declared that he may not get there with us,” she said, “and we are on our way to the promised land, but we are not there yet and our next step is unity.”
“Let us be satisfied when our young men are going to college not going to jail,” she said to loud cheers and applause. “The movement is not there, let’s continue the movement!”
Not to be outdone, Sharpton brought the crowd again to their feet with a verbal slap against President George W. Bush.
“The media keeps talking about passing the baton,” he said of news coverage about former President Bill Clinton’s solid endorsement last night of Obama. “The only baton that we’re going to pass is from George Bush to Barack Obama.”
Sharpton said civil rights leaders will go in November to “states that seem to have difficulty counting votes.”
“We’re going to make sure that the names of African American voters don’t mysteriously disappear,” he said, “Not this time! We will not be divided. Not this time!”
Other speakers echoed that Obama’s candidacy alone isn’t enough.
Charles Steele of the Georgia Southern Christian Leadership Conference said Obama is about to make history, but the fight isn’t over.
“We might quit at this point, but we can’t quit, we can’t let Martin Luther King, and other civil rights leaders in the movement, down,” Steele said. “I challenge you to think about this moment not as a fulfillment of the dream, but an important step along the way.”
Steele said African Americans still have to fight on a daily basis against higher rates of poverty and racism.
Others expressed pride in Obama for being the first black to run for president on a major party ticket.
“I just wish my dad was here to see this,” said actress Holly Robinson Peete, whose late father, TV producer Matt Robinson, marched on Washington.
“He would be so proud of Obama,” she said.
“To have it occur on the 45th anniversary of the march on Washington — that it was destined to be. It could have never been anyone else,” Tyson said.
“My old friend Jane Pittman used to say that when a child is born, folks look into its face and ask, ‘Are you the one? Are you the one?’ Well, he is definitely the one,” she said.

Barack Obama.. what can I say

By POD313
Barack Obama Ignites the Crowd with his Acceptance Speech

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama laid out his plan to lead the country into an era of change as he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night, securing his place in history as the first African-American to lead a major party ticket.

Sen. Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination for the presidency Thursday night.
Sen. Barack Obama accepted his party’s nomination for the presidency Thursday night.
corner_wire_BL Remembering The Dream..and making it Happen
“Change happens because the American people demand it — because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time. America, this is one of those moments,” he told supporters at the Democratic National Convention. “I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming.”
Obama pitted himself against John McCain, repeatedly countering attacks from his Republican rival while casting the election as a choice between change and failure, as he addressed tens of thousands of cheering people and millions of primetime TV viewers.
In addition to slamming McCain on Iraq, energy policy and health care, Obama said his rival for the White House is out of touch with the concerns of the average American. VideoWatch Obama accept the historic nomination »
“He said that our economy has made ‘great progress’ under this president. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisers — the man who wrote his economic plan — was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a ‘mental recession,’ and that we’ve become, and I quote, ‘a nation of whiners,’ ” Obama said, eliciting boos from the crowd. VideoWatch Obama blast the status quo »
The speech marked the culmination of the four-day convention in Denver, during which party leaders pushed to heal the rift from a bitter and prolonged primary battle between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton. By Thursday, Obama had received clear endorsements from Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton.

By early evening, the line of people seeking to get into Invesco Field to hear Obama’s address stretched for six miles, and the crowd that filled the stadium was more than 80,000 strong.
“I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring,” Obama told the audience. “What the naysayers don’t understand is that this election has never been about me. It’s about you.”
In a statement issued immediately after the speech, the McCain campaign called the speech “misleading” and said it was “fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama.”
“When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain: Sen. Obama still has no record of bipartisanship, still opposes offshore drilling, still voted to raise taxes on those making just $42,000 per year, and still voted against funds for American troops in harm’s way. The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be president,” said a statement from the campaign. The “temple” is a reference to the columns that formed the backdrop for Obama’s speech.
Obama also outlined his promises for the nation — vowing to cut taxes, end the country’s dependence on oil from the Middle East and offer affordable healthcare for all Americans. He also pledged to end the war in Iraq responsibly, and “finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.” iReport.com: Watch and share your thoughts on Obama’s speech
He wrapped up his speech by telling the crowd, “America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future.” VideoWatch as fireworks mark the end of the convention »
The crowd gave Obama a roaring welcome and met lines of his speech with chants of his catchphrase, “Yes, we can.”
Many political pundits said Obama hit it out of the park with his nearly 50-minute speech, and those in attendance agreed. interactive Remembering The Dream..and making it Happen See what CNN analysts have to say about Obama’s speech »
“It was an excellent home run,” said Matt Besser, an Obama representative to the DNC platform committee. “He did everything he needed to do. He gracefully dissected John McCain and then set out his own vision, and clearly everyone got it.”
In the hours leading up to the speech, a star-studded line up of musicians performed, including Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Sheryl Crow and Will.i.am. VideoWatch musicians perform at the convention »
The scene was much like a rock concert, with the foot-stomping, flag-waving crowd dancing and bouncing beach balls as they awaited Obama’s arrival.
When Obama officially locked in his party’s nomination on Wednesday, delegates sobbed, cheered and hugged in celebration of the historic moment.
The Democratic candidate’s address fell on the 45th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech.
In an emotional tribute to the slain civil rights leader earlier in the evening, King’s children paid respect to their father and said he would have been proud of the party and the generation that would realize his dream. Civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, were seen hugging each other and weeping.
McCain also honored Obama’s achievement in a television ad that aired during the convention.
art.gore.gi Remembering The Dream..and making it Happen
Earlier in the evening, former presidential candidate Al Gore turned the focus to the environment, an issue that received little attention earlier in the week. He also invoked the bitterly disputed 2000 presidential election to argue that Americans should elect Obama in November. Read about Gore’s address
Eight years ago, some said there was not much difference between the nominees of the two major parties and it didn’t really matter who became president,” he told delegates. “But here we all are in 2008, and I doubt anyone would argue now that election didn’t matter,” he said.


URL: Tourists, residents flee as Gustav swamps Jamaica


St Mary cop murdered
published: Friday | August 29, 2008

Not even the pouring rains of Tropical Storm Gustav were enough to quiet the gunmen who continued their murderous rampage in St Mary yesterday.

This time their victim was police Inspector Audley Smith, the acting head of operations in St Mary.

Reports are that Smith had just left the St Mary Parish Council Emergency Operation Centre and stopped at a bar in Race Course in the parish when he was fatally shot by the gunmen shortly before eight yesterday evening.

Up to late last night, details of the murder were not available and investigators had not determined a motive.

Minutes after the shooting, an obviously shocked Mayor of Port Maria Richard Creary expressed regret at the killing of the cop who spent most of yesterday involved in planning the council's disaster response.

Major send-off

"He was one of the best policemen you can find, everybody loved him and St Mary will not be the same without him," Creary said.

The mayor noted that residents of Retreat in the parish had staged a major send-off for Smith when he was transferred to the Oracabessa Police Station recently.

Smith was the 10th member of the police force to be murdered since the start of the year and the second inspector this month.

Inspector Dennis Gardner and Corporal Rodney Henry were murdered in separate incidents on August 2.

Gustav's gift to Rae Town
published: Friday | August 29, 2008


Residents of Rae Town, Kingston, scramble for fish as strong waves lash the Kingston shoreline yesterday.

While some Jamaicans were busy running away from the oncoming Tropical Storm Gustav, some residents of downtown Kingston were running towards it with buckets, scandal bags, pots, pans and everything else they could find. They were hoping to catch fish that were literally jumping out of the water and on to the beach.

The residents discovered the catch around 4 p.m. when they saw some policemen at the seashore staring down into the rough polluted sea along Victoria Pier. To their amazement, they saw a school of fish popping out of the murky water in almost miraculous proportions reminiscent of biblical miracles. Many quickly grabbed what they could, while others quickly fetched containers for the catch.

As news spread about the bounty, scores of people scampered to the area, anxious to get their share of the Gustav gift.

"Me see some police down there so and mi cousin call me and wi go down there and start pick dem up," said one woman, who had caught about a dozen fish.

It was a real fish fest, where a wide variety was available for the catchers. Grunt, parrot and grouper in various sizes will make quite a feast for residents. One man supposedly caught a jackfish. However, when our news team arrived, we were unable to locate him.

Lucky catch

The residents said their lucky catch was washed ashore by the storm currents.

The increased intensity of the rains caused by the storm did not deter other residents, who heard about the surprise catch, from seeking out a piece of the action.

Armed with crates, buckets and just about anything that could carry the fish, adults and children rushed to the waterfront, lining the shoreline from Rae Town to Port Royal Street. They moved feverishly to find the right spot that was offering the best reward. Despite the heavy downpours and the rising tide, the residents cast their fears aside for the prospect of a free-fish meal.


This resident of Rae Town, Kingston, carries a bucket of fish, which were washed ashore during wind and rain associated with Tropical Storm Gustav, yesterday. - PHOTOS BY Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

Marine biologist Peter Gayle surmises the fish could have jumped from the sea as a result of being robbed of oxygen because of excessive nutrients that could have washed into the marine environment from land.

"It could also be that there was something caustic in the water," Gayle guessed.

Environmentalist Peter Espeut has a similar theory. He believes the fish could have found themselves on land because of a condition called chemical oxygen demand, in which chemicals in the water could be robbing the fish of oxygen, forcing them to find air above the ocean.

"With the Kingston Harbour so polluted, it might be a possible explanation," he said.

Family emergency plan

Assign roles/responsibilities for hurricane preparedness and evacuation to each member of the household long before actual storm.

Establish an evacuation plan and map out exit strategy and route.

Review emergency plans monthly.

Ensure all doors and windows are properly secured to make break-ins difficult.

Alert parish disaster coordinator and police when evacuating premises.

Place furniture on raised platform, e.g. building blocks, to prevent flood damage.

If not carrying all important documents, such as passports and ID cards, lock them in a watertight container.


One person was injured yesterday as this minibus carrying four persons overturned on Hope Road in St Andrew. The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle after it skidded on the wet road. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

Hurricane tips

Three-day supply of water (one gallon per person, per day) and ready-to-eat non-perishable foods, such as tuna, sardines, canned sausage, crackers, canned fruit


This satellite image shows Tropical Storm Gustav over the Caribbean on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008. (AP / NOAA)
This satellite image shows Tropical Storm Gustav over the Caribbean on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008. (AP / NOAA)

Tourists, residents flee as Gustav swamps Jamaica

Updated Thu. Aug. 28 2008 8:37 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The death toll from Tropical Storm Gustav is at 59 as the storm swerves across Jamaica - and may have its sights set on New Orleans.
160_ap_gustav1_080827 Tourists, residents flee as Gustav swamps JamaicaAt least 51 people died in Haiti from floods, mudslides and falling trees while eight more people were buried when a cliff gave way in the Dominican Republic. One woman died clutching her 11-month-old baby while five more of her children were smothered in the wreckage beside her.
As of 8 p.m. ET, Gustav was centered about 25 km west of Kingston, Jamaica and about 485 km east-southeast of Grand Cayman and is moving westward at about 11 km/h.
Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on this track the center of Gustav will cross Jamaica tonight and move near or over the Cayman Islands Friday.
A U.S. Coast Guard boat passes fuel oil storage tanks on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008. The brief respite for consumers at the pump may soon come to an abrupt end as preparations for tropical storm Gustav curtail refining activity near the U.S. coast. (AP /Mark Lennihan)
A U.S. Coast Guard boat passes fuel oil storage tanks on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008. The brief respite for consumers at the pump may soon come to an abrupt end as preparations for tropical storm Gustav curtail refining activity near the U.S. coast. (AP /Mark Lennihan)
Meanwhile, tension is mounting on the U.S. Gulf Coast as Louisiana and Texas national guards are on standby in advance of the storm.
Officials in New Orleans also pondering an evacuation of the city nearly three years to the day Hurricane Katrina battered the city.

Mayor Ray Nagin, who was attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver, left early to help the city prepare.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said he believes there’s a good chance Gustav will strike the Gulf Coast.

In Jamaica, authorities urged people in rural areas to find shelter while businesses remained open Thursday in Kingston.

Ronald Jackson of Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness (ODPEM) told CTV Newsnet on Thursday that they’ve begun the process of evacuating parts of the southern and northern coasts of the island, but have not forced residents to leave their homes.

Jackson said they have seen a steady flow of people in the 34 shelters they have opened; five of which are now occupied.

ODPEM are not getting the high levels of compliance they would like to see with evacuation orders, Jackson said, but he added that it is a marked improvement from over the last six years.
In the Cayman Islands, tourists were being evacuated Thursday as resorts shut down in advance of the storm.

Stacey McLaughlan of Albany, N.Y., said she and her husband were told to leave their resort by noon Thursday.

McLaughlan told The Associated Press she was told that if she didn’t leave the island she’d have to go to a shelter.

700 persons now in 31 shelters - ODPEM

By POD313
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is reporting that 700 persons are in shelters islandwide as of 6:00 pm with almost half of them in St Thomas. Meanwhile one shelter in St Catherine, Old Harbour High School,


Irie Jamboree may be effected by Gustav - Gosh !

By POD313
Thursday talk - Gustav to affect Irie Jamboree?
28 Aug 2008 | by Abena, Freelance Writer / one876entertainment.com
Iriejamboree07 Irie Jamboree may be effected by Gustav - Gosh !
WILL GUSTAV AFFECT IRIE JAMBOREE?
There are concerns that TS Gustav may affect Irie Jamboree’s promotional activities as a number of artistes may have had their flights postponed because of the inclement weather associated with the TS. Deejay Beenie Man who is in England, and singer Mavado are two of the headline acts who may have to tweak their travel arrangements if they intend to make it to New York for the show. Today, Air Jamaica plans to cancel all flights as of 12 noon at the Norman Manley Int’l airport and as of 2:30 p.m. at Donald Sangster International. When flights resume on Saturday, there could be an ugly backlog that could affect the availability of flights to New York. One876 will keep you posted to let you know what’s popping?
MACKA HOSTS BACK TO SCHOOL GIVEAWAY
macka_diamond_book Irie Jamboree may be effected by Gustav - Gosh !
Mi love how Macka ah give back to the community, she was a part of a back to school giveaway recently where she gave away Chubby back to school gifts and Caribbean Cool gift baskets to children.
BOLT RETURNS TO JAMAICA SEPTEMBER 3
Mi hear say Bolt will be returning to Jamaica September 3 so there is going to be pandemonium in Jamaica next week when him drop inna the place, worse, we just survive big storm and ah try build back. That will be like a big occasion fi we rejoice inna the fact that we are a blessed nation.


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Kartel and Mavado - is it Real or Memorex ?

What do you think about the feud between Vybz Kartel & Mavado – Real or Fake?

vybz_kartel_mavado_feud_song_artistes.jpgWhile Vybz Kartel and Mavado are not on good terms in Jamaica, the remix of ‘Gangsta’ by French producers Daddy & Hypa (D&H) is fast becoming a monster hit in France. The remix features Mavado, Vybz Kartel and newcomer Delus. You can listen to the Gangsta remix on the OutAroad music player
However, what we are here to discuss today is the feud between Mavado and Vybz - is it real or fake?

Kartel is a promotions machine “Money Over War”

By POD313

DJ Vybz Kartel’s Honda Accord bombed?

vybz_kartel_car_bombed_jamaica_fire_honda Kartel is a promotions machine Money Over War
Gangster lyricist Adejah Palmer more popularly known as Vybz Kartel was given a rude awakening when his Honda Accord motor car was allegedly bombed outside of his plush upper St Andrew home in the late hours of Sunday 24th August. According to reports from the area, a motorcycle was heard entering the road on which the Dj lives and moments later an explosion shattered the silence complimented by the sound of the motorcycle speeding off.
When the OutARoad.com team arrived on the scene, the charred remains of the car were seen outside the deejay’s gate cooling down.
The Dj was not available for comment, but OutARoad.com team hopes that he stays safe and that there will be no repeat of this incident.
It is unclear as to what were the motives behind the bombing but OutAroad.com will keep you posted as the saga unfolds.

vybz_kartel_car_bombed_jamaica_fire_honda1 Kartel is a promotions machine Money Over War

It was an Electrical Problem - Vybz Kartel

Dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel sent out a press release stating that his car was not fire bombed even though residents strongly believed that it was the act of a motorcyclist who sped from the scene seconds after the car exploded.
However, according to reports from Vybz Kartel, he had no idea of his car being bombed by a motorcyclist. He also mentioned that his Honda had an electrical problem, which might be the caused for the car to explode.
The deejay added that, he has nothing against Mavado and even if Mavado has something against him, it is not evident. Vybz Kartel said he has no time to focus on negative things right now as his focus is 100% about making money - money over war.

8 Babies and Still Baking - the one and only Elephant Man

By POD313
All Ele's Children

Elephant Man - File

STAR of the month Elephant man has dispelled rumours of having 27 children and used the opportunity to shed some light on his family life.
Most Jamaican people have heard of his famous 'anaconda' in his songs but they have also heard that Elephant Man has many children. However, he says he has only eight children; scattered in Jamaica and the United States. His youngest child is five years old and the eldest, 10 years old.
When THE STAR asked him about the rumours, he said, "Why dem did seh mi have AIDS? Dat's just people!"
Nonetheless, he says he has a good relationship with his children.
"Dem love give trouble 'cause dem know seh dem father name Elephant. Mi talk to dem every day 'cause de whole a dem have cell phone. Dem mek mi know weh a gwaan wid dem school work," Elephant Man told THE STAR.
Though the children are many, he was unwilling to disclose if he will marry one of his many babymothers.
"Mi nuh have no wife. No sah, mi nuh plan fi get married 'cause mi too young fi dat. When mi 'bout 50 years old, mi think 'bout dat," he said.
-Sadeke Brooks

New Bolt Dances Dash into the Dancehall

By POD313
New 'Bolt Dances' hit the street
Jamaica's Usain Bolt, left, and Asafa Powell celebrate winning the gold in the men's 4x100-metre relay on Friday at the Beijing Olympics in China. - AP
Usain Bolt did some of the latest dance moves while at the Beijing Olympics and to show their appreciation, dancers have created moves to represent the top Jamaican sprinter.
After completing the 100 metre men's finals, Bolt did Ovamar's 'Nuh Linga' and after the 200 metre finals he did Ice's 'Gully Creepa' and Shelly Belly's 'Nineties Rock'.
Upon seeing Bolt's actions, Ice says he was pleased to see the athlete show aspects of the Jamaican culture on the international stage; but more so because Bolt chose to do his dance.
Hence, after only seeing Bolt complete the race, he created the 'Gully Bolt'. It includes Bolt's signature lightening sign, the beating of the chest and Ice mimicking a runner.
"Him (Bolt) do di ting a Beijing but mi notice seh him neva did a deal wid di 'Gully Creepa' di right way so mi jus fix up something fi him," Ice told THE STAR.
Ice is not the only dancer to make a dance for Bolt as Timeless Dancer's Taz created another called 'Lightning Bolt'.
"Wah motivate mi is dat after him win the 100 metre him do 'Nuh Linga' and den when him win 200 metre him do 'Gully Creepa' and 'Nineties Rock'. So mi realise seh dem nuh have no dance fi him so mi seh him need a dance fi himself," Taz said.
In his dance, Taz starts by rotating his hands that are lowered, which is calling the other runners to come forward. Afterwards, he beats his chest with the right hand and then the left. He then extends his risen hands left and right and points to the imaginary scoreboard. In addition, he brushes his hair with both hands as Bolt did prior to the start of the race.
Since creating the dance, Taz says the public has been responding well to it. He says the dance was premiered last Thursday on Hype TV with Elephant Man, who sings songs like Gully Creepa and Nuh Linga. On Saturday it was done at The Gleaner Olympic Party and the Magnum Road show at the Kingston Waterfront. On Sunday it was done at Passion Sundays, which is held at Hillview Avenue.
Like the songs dedicated to Olympians, the dances in tribute to them are likely to pile in.

JA Star/ Debut Album For Buju Banton's Gargamel Music Label

Buju Banton - file

Dancehall up-and-comer New Kidz, the first artiste on international reggae star Buju Banton's independent label, Gargamel Music, will be releasing his new single, Woman, Tuesday, September 2.
The song is the first track from Kidz' yet-to-be titled album, slated for release early next year and will feature some of Jamaica's top producers including John John, Delly Ranx, Laba Laba, Liquid and, of course, the Gargamel production crew.
New Kidz, aka Anthony Bennett, was born and raised in Kingston in a home brimming with the rhythms of his father's sound system. He was drawn very early to a musical path inspiration that would shape his life.
Following a stint as selector, Kidz had collaborations with other dancehall greats including Elephant Man (Wash Out).
After rocking the crowds at some of the hottest Caribbean music festivals including Sting, Fully Loaded, Sumfest and touring for two years as the warm-up act for Buju Banton, Kidz has evolved into an entertainer, songwriter and budding producer, who is honed and ready to take centre stage. He humbly states: "Good music can talk to the people, influence people, teach people. I just want to lift music up ... Trust me. Just give me a listen."
New Kidz is currently in New York for several promotional events and is available for interviews through Thursday, August 28.
The Dutch Accept I-Octane

I-Octane. - file

Conscious singer I-Octane returned home on a high after making good on his first ever European performance at the Sundance Festival in Holland on August 10. The singer was surprised at the response he received from the estimated 30-35,000 patrons as he belted out his popular singles such as Stab Vampire, Poverty and Different Page.
He was surprised by how well they knew his songs. He felt that it was one of his best performances yet and was grateful to perform in front of a huge crowd of caucasians and hearing them singing his songs word for word.
The songs went over so well, that I-Octane found himself performing tracks more than once. When he touched Different Page, in the singers own words, 'It was a different page all together'. He had to do that song three times, before he could eventually satisfy their insatiable appetite for the single.
The singer had every reason to enjoy his first stint in Europe as he was a hot commodity there, doing one interview after another for magazines, radio and television stations. That was not the only thing occupying his time as he was also in demand to do dub plates and specials for various sounds in that part of the world.
I-Octane also did a superb performance in Canada at the Toronto International Music Festival, which took place last weekend at Oakville Italian Garden, Toronto.
The singer is expected to return to the island on Tuesday to shoot the video for his number-one single Different Page.
According to the singer's management company, Arrows Recording, they should have shot the video already, but rain put paid to those plans.


KANYE REMEMBERS MOM DURING DNC: Rapper wishes Donda could've been there to witness Obama make history.


*As America's first black presidential nominee was celebrated at the Democratic National Convention this week, the thoughts of many African Americans turned toward deceased loved ones who did not live to witness it happen.

"It's an incredible time to be around. I wish my momma could have seen this day," said Kanye West to the Associated Press early Thursday before his performance at Bono's ONE campaign party.
West, whose set included "Touch the Sky," "Home" and "Stronger," was also joined on stage by Jamie Foxx to sing "Gold Digger," which the Oscar winner preceded with a shout out to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
"We make history, man," Foxx told the crowd. "With Obama, we make history. If you ready for Obama, make some noise. Yo man, let's do this for Obama."
West was backed by a band clad in black outfits that were described by the Associated Press as Mad Max-meets-DNC riot police. The Chicago-born artist also sang two new songs he said he'd written in the past several days – both more focused on relationships and heartbreak than politics.
The ONE party also drew such celebs as Forest Whitaker and Ashley Judd, who arrived with Foxx waving an American flag, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner and former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle.



FAITH EVANS ADMITS BEATING LIL' KIM


*In her new book, "Keeping the Faith" singer Faith Evans writes of catching rapper Lil Kim red-handed and buck naked in the bed of her husband, the late Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace.
Evans writes: I don’t know what got into my head. But I decided that I needed to know once and for all what Big was really trying to do. On that night before Christmas, I drove to Big’s house on a mission to find out where I really stood.
The security guard at the gate just waved me in when I pulled up. It was Christmas Eve and she’d seen me come into the complex with the kids, so I guess she didn’t think anything of it. I parked in the rear of Big’s town house and walked up to the garage. It was locked. I hadn’t been over to Big’s house a whole lot but I did know that you jiggle the garage door a certain way and unlock it.
I got into the garage, where there was an elevator that would take me to both floors of Big’s duplex. There I was, rocking a black skully cap and a heavy goose-down jacket, tiptoeing into the elevator and pressing the button to go up to the second floor, where his bedroom was located. I got to Big’s bedroom door, turned the knob, and went inside. As soon as I saw a small lump next to Big’s large frame, I flew into a rage, ran over to the side of the bed, and pulled back the covers. I grabbed some chick out of the bed and started beating her ass. At some point, the chick’s wig came off in my hand; it was a short, cropped wig. I stopped throwing punches for a minute to get a good look at the chick I was beating up. It was Lil Kim. She was completely butt-naked, yelling as I pushed her around the room.
“So you not f***king her, right?” I screamed at Big. “Yeah, you not messing with her anymore, right?”
When they heard all the commotion, Cease, D-Roc, and Gutter came running into the room. ‘Oh sh**!” they yelled in unison. “It’s Faye! How the hell she get in here?”
Big sat up in bed and pointed at Kim, who was standing in a corner of the room, trying to cover her naked body with her hands while I was still yelling at Big. “Yo, get her outta here,’ Big said. They led Kim out of the room and she screamed and cursed the whole way.
It was absolutely crazy in that house. Kim was naked and being led somewhere to get dressed. I was still screaming on Big. Damion, Cease, and Gutter were laughing in amazement that I would be so bold. And Big looked like he was just too through with all of us. He sat up in bed shaking his head. Kim left the house and I stayed, talking to Big about why he couldn’t be honest with me about her.
"I thought it was all about Tiffany?” I asked. "You still messing with Kim, too?” Big had nothing to say.
I have to say I actually felt some pity for Kim. Big had a wife, and she settled for messing with him. Then he started dating Tiffany and Big had a wife and a mistress. And Kim still settled for being the other other woman. It seemed pretty sad to settle for that.
When I left a few hours later to get the kids, I noticed that Kim had taken my key to my Land Cruiser and scratched up my entire car, from the hood to the back bumper. Even though we ended up having sex that day, at that point I decided I was 100 percent through. I was not going to be a ride or die chick, always going to lengths to show Big how I felt. I was the mother of his child and his wife. But I was going to have to let go.


R. KELLY WANTED FOR QUESTIONING IN S.A.: Authorities probe link to tour scam.

Kells strikes back in statement saying it's all a lie


*Authorities in South Africa are looking to question R. Kelly regarding a scam in which he allegedly profited $130,000 from a tour despite failing to show up, reports WENN.




Busiswe Zakwe was arrested and charged with swindling thousands of dollars from investors by promising ticket sale profits if they brought an R. Kelly tour to the country in 2005. Kelly never stepped foot in South Africa, but the woman claims she deposited the investors' money into his account.
Local police have reportedly confirmed that the account Zakwe claims is Kelly's is authentic, but the money is nowhere to be found. Police want to question Kelly about the missing funds.
Zakwe has been charged with fraud and is due to appear in a local court on September 10.
UPDATE:
R. Kelly's camp today released the following statement regarding media reports about an alleged South African swindler who used his name to bilk investors.
"There is absolutely no truth to the reports that R. Kelly received money from a South African woman accused of swindling investors by convincing them to invest in a non-existent R. Kelly tour in 2005. Mr. Kelly has no knowledge of this woman, has never received any money from her, and has not been contacted by any law enforcement authorities regarding the matter. He will, of course, cooperate fully with any legitimate investigation of this matter, since he has nothing to hide.


SHAQUILLE ACCUSER HAS STALKING HISTORY: Woman filed restraining order against Alexis Miller last year.


*The woman who accused Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal of harassing her has herself been accused of stalking, reports TMZ.com.
Alexis Miller, an Atlanta rapper who goes by MaryJane, got a restraining order against Shaq last week, claiming he threatened her and, among other things, made heavy-breathing phone calls to her.
TMZ said it obtained court papers flied last year by Lakisha Renae Hall in which a judge ordered Miller to stay 500 yards away from her and avoid any contact.
Alexis Miller
The website also learned that in October 2007, Miller tried getting a restraining order against Jonathan Stubbs, claiming he stalked her -- once pulling out a gun, shooting it once and yelling, "Who were you with?" That petition was dismissed because Miller never followed through.


O.J. PUNCHED OUT BY ARNELLE: Simpsons get into a physical altercation over dad's girlfriend.

*The New York Daily News is reporting that O.J. Simpson was knocked to the ground Sunday by his daughter Arnelle in a tussle over his 32-year-old girlfriend, Christie Prody.

"Arnelle had a fight with Christie over Christie's behavior," a source told the newspaper. "That's what started the whole thing. Christie has some problems with drinking, and Arnelle got mad. O.J. said 'Don't talk to her like that,' and Arnelle pushed him."
According to the source, Arnelle, 39, called 911 in a fit of guilt after she toppled her 61-year-old dad, giving him a minor head injury. The National Enquirer quoted a source saying O.J. was "cut on the back of his head, blood was coming out the side of his mouth and his lip was cut."
Arnelle Simpson
The Enquirer said Arnelle was also upset with O.J. for giving money to Prody, while his high school sweetheart - Arnelle's mom, Marguerite Whitley - has to work at WalMart to make ends meet.
Additionally, Arnelle lashed out at OJ for "ditching" Whitley to marry Nicole Brown Simpson, the Enquirer reported. O.J. was acquitted of Nicole's murder in 1995. Two years later, a civil jury found him "responsible" for the killing.
The police report says the altercation ended when Arnelle agreed to leave O.J.'s house "in order to let things calm down."


MUHAMMAD ALI'S LONGTIME MANAGER DIES: Jabir Herbert Muhammad passed away following heart surgery.
*Jabir Herbert Muhammad, who served as boxer Muhammad Ali's manager for most of his professional career, died on Monday following heart surgery in Chicago, his son told the Associated Press. He was 79.


SUGE KNIGHT POSTS BAIL IN ASSAULT/DRUG CASE: Mogul accused of beating and pulling knife on his girlfriend.

Marion 'Suge' Knight

Marion 'Suge' Knight ... His name may derive from 'Sugar Bear', but he's far from cuddly.
Marion "Suge" Knight, founder of recently bankrupt Death Row Records, was allegedly beating up his girlfriend at 6.30am (Wednesday) when Las Vegas police all of a sudden interrupted. Knight was arrested and charged with battery domestic-violence, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance and possession of dangerous drugs without a prescription, the Associated Press reported.

For someone whose nickname is derived from "Sugar Bear", 43-year-old Knight does not have a very cuddly personal history. He has been jailed for assault on numerous occasions, accused of assault on even more occasions, and Dr Dre himself allegedly has a Protection Order against the hip-hop mogul.

In this case, Knight was discovered in a car park near the Las Vegas Strip, "violently beating" a woman while holding a knife. Though the woman's name and age have not been released, police said she identified herself as Knight's girlfriend of three years. She had not been stabbed but was treated at a hospital for her injuries.
"This is a very large man," Las Vegas police lieutenant Chris Carroll emphasised to journalists. "He was on top of her, actually in the act of violently beating her when the officers arrived, with the knife in his hand."
Police were initially called to the scene due to a minor traffic accident. Knight's car had veered on to the curb after he punched his girlfriend in the head and she "grabbed the steering wheel", police said.

Knight was also found to be in possession of ecstasy and the prescription narcotic Hydrocodone.
Yesterday, Knight paid $19,000 (£8,500) in bail and agreed to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on September 26 2008.

*Marion "Suge" Knight posted bail and was back on the street Wednesday night after being arrested and jailed for allegedly beating his girlfriend and brandishing a knife near the Las Vegas Strip, reports the AP.

According to a court spokeswoman, the 43-year-old founder of bankrupt Death Row Records posted $19,000 bail and was released with a promise to appear Sept. 26 in Las Vegas Justice Court.

Suge was arrested at about 6:40 a.m. after officers arrived at the scene of a minor traffic accident and found him hitting a woman in a parking lot off a busy thoroughfare.
"This is a very large man," said Las Vegas police Lt. Chris Carroll, estimating his weight at more than twice the woman's. "He was on top of her, actually in the act of violently beating her when the officers arrived, with the knife in his hand."
Knight dropped the folding knife when cops arrived and was taken into custody without incident, Carroll said.
The woman was not stabbed but she was treated at a hospital for injuries that Carroll said were not life-threatening. Police did not release the woman's name or age, but said she identified herself as Knight's girlfriend of three years.
View aerial footage of Suge's arrest here.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Lady D and Mama ASID's Political Susu for Wednesday August 27, 2008


Lady D and Mama ASID's Political Susu for Wednesday August 27, 2008

Political Susu for Wednesday August 27, 2008
Click Here to Go to AfroCaribRadio.com

This weeks' focus is on Caribbean and European Games; Economics and Empowerment. Jamaica is a Myriad of Issues and then we add Trinidad.. OOOOOOOOoooohhh-LAWD !

This show promises to be a battle of the issues - Love Caribbean Stylie.
Tune in at 3:45 - 4:45 pm on Wednesdays to check out the real politics with Lady D and Mama ASID on Political Susu - hosted by Lady D's Drive Time Show -
Live Weekly on Afrocaribradio.com



Obama Leads McCain Among Single Women




According to a recent poll, Senator Obama leads McCain 61-29 among single women in battleground states. We wonder why???

BTW - Michelle Obama looked simply smashing when she delivered her speech - what do you think ?



A Hurricane Watch for the Caribbean Watch is ON.

Gusty Gustav! - Jamaica braces for heavy rains after hurricane hammers Haiti - Island on full alert
published: Wednesday | August 27, 2008


Golding
The island's disaster response machinery is now ready for action, as Jamaica prepares for a brush from Hurricane Gustav.
The country is not expected to get a direct hit as the centre of Gustav is projected to pass several miles off Jamaica's north coast sometime this afternoon into tomorrow morning.

However, the Government is taking no chances and, with a hurricane warning already in effect, national emergency operation centres and parish emergency operation centres were activated late yesterday and early this morning.
Yesterday, Gustav barrelled into Haiti, toppling trees, dumping rain and sending global fuel prices soaring on fears the storm could become "extremely dangerous" when it reaches the Gulf of Mexico.

The hurricane roared ashore about 40 miles from Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, with top sustained winds near 90mph, bending palm trees and kicking up surf along waterfronts of dilapidated wooden buildings.
Oil prices shot up by US$5 a barrel yesterday after the National Hurricane Center predicted Gustav could enter the gulf as a major hurricane this weekend. But even as news trickled out of Haiti about the devastation being caused by the Hurricane it was a confident Prime Minister Bruce Golding who provided the update on Jamaica's preparations after a meeting of the National Disaster Committee yesterday.
This is the first time that Jamaica will face a major battle with Mother Nature since the Golding administration took the reins of power just under one year ago.

The prime minister told journalists during a press conference at Jamaica House that there was no reason for alarm.

"We are guardedly optimistic that we won't suffer anything of the damage that we have experienced in recent years but we cannot afford to be complacent," Golding said.

Precautions
He announced that all the necessary precautions were being taken at the national and parish levels and urged all Jamaicans to do their part.

"There are particular areas that do not need more than a Category One or a Category Two hurricane to come under severe stress and, therefore, what we want to say to the people of Jamaica is don't take this one lightly. Let's not be careless," Golding added.

He noted that despite the projections that Jamaica would not suffer a direct hit from Gustav, hurricanes have been noted to make sudden significant changes in direction.

Flood-prone areas
According to Golding, with Gustav projected to move off the north coast, special attention is being paid to flood-prone areas such as Ocho Rios in St Ann where last-minute mitigation measures were continuing yesterday.

In the meantime, Golding announced that the Government has already contacted private sector entities to ensure that heavy duty equipment will be available if needed to clear blocked roads and deal with other emergencies.

The private sector entities will provide support for the National Works Agency (NWA) which has already put its disaster response teams on stand-by.

Equipment ready
Stephen Shaw, manager of communication and customer services at the NWA, says contact has already been made with contractors who will be key partners in the disaster response efforts. He says equipment is being positioned in key areas including the Junction Road in St Mary and in Roselle, St Thomas, to ensure quick response in the event the island is significantly impacted by Gustav.

According to Shaw, the NWA has spent $100 million on drain cleaning and flood mitigation in the last three months with critical drains already cleaned in several communities.

The NWA spent yesterday focussing on reopening several drains in the parishes of St James and Clarendon.

As hurricane Gustav moves closer to Jamaica, residents in Papine, St Andrew, stock up on kerosene yesterday. - Norman Grindley/Acting Photography editor


Assign roles/responsibilities for hurricane preparedness and evacuation to each member of the household long before actual storm. Establish an evacuation plan and map out exit strategy and route.
Review emergency plans monthly.

Ensure all doors and windows are properly secured to make break-ins difficult.

Alert parish disaster coordinator and police when evacuating premises.
Place furniture on raised platform, e.g. building blocks, to prevent flood damage.

If not carrying all important documents, such as passports and ID cards, lock them in a watertight container.



A graphic showing the projected path of Hurricane Gustav at 8 p.m. yesterday.


Community policing to help dismantle gangs, says MacMillan
Kimmo Matthews
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

NATIONAL Security Minister Colonel Trevor MacMillan says the police will, over the next few months, place greater emphasis on its community initiative to help dismantle criminal gangs and arrest the country's spiralling crime rate.

MacMillan made the remarks at a community meeting in Avon Park, Kingston, on Wednesday which was organised by member of parliament for South St Andrew, Dr Omar Davies. Dr Davies had organised the meeting to give residents a chance to speak with security officials and to relate some of the problems they face daily.

"The nation continues to be affected by the fast-rising murders, and we believe that community policing is the way to solve this problem," MacMillan said.

"It is not only aimed at establishing a greater relationship between the police and residents, but I believe that it is one of the only solutions to fighting crime," the minister said.

He said as part of the approach, he and the police commissioner were working on a plan to assign at least one cop from each station to be in constant contact with residents of the community in which the station is based.

"This special police officer will be responsible for going into the area where his station is located to hear from the people and to keep close contact with the people as a way of building the relationship between the police and citizens in each community," the minister explained.
He said other plans include programmes to improve the cops' human relations skills.

As for his reasons for targeting criminal gangs, the security minister said gang violence was responsible for the majority of the over 950 murders that have occurred since the start of the year.

"There are more than 150 criminal gangs in Jamaica and these gangs are responsible for the majority of the murders," he told the Observer.

Holness favours searching students for weapons

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Education Minister Andrew Holness says his ministry has endorsed the position that teachers have a right to search students to ensure that they are not carrying weapons.

"We are going to be signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the police where the police will be assisting you in searching your school and your students. It cannot be that weapons such as knives, guns and other forms of offensive weapons are allowed to easily enter our school campuses without any form of consequences," minister Holness said in his address at the 44th Annual Conference for the Jamaica Teachers' Association.

The conference, which concluded on August 20 at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios, St Ann, was held under the theme, 'Building a Culture of Learning in Schools: Enabling Independent, Enthusiastic and Successful Learners'.

"Let me use this medium to warn parents and to warn students who are inclined to take weapons to schools that if you are caught you will not be treated as a student," Holness said and encouraged parents to check their children before sending them off to school.

The school, he said, was not a war zone, hence the possession of weapons in schools would not be tolerated.

"The teaching and learning environment is under threat. It adds to the frustration of our teachers and makes education a futile endeavour and what we intend to do is take back our schools from criminals and criminals-to-be," he stressed.

He also encouraged principals to take charge of their schools as they have the authority to ensure a safe and secure environment.


Police to investigate burning of Vybz Kartel's car

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

THE police yesterday promised a thorough investigation into the burning of a Honda motor car belonging to dancehall entertainer Vybz Kartel at his home in the upscale Norbrook community in St Andrew after it was allegedly firebombed.
This, despite a press release from the entertainer - whose real name is Adijah Palmer - that the vehicle was burnt to a crisp because of an electrical problem.
The Honda motor car belonging to Vybz Kartel on fire at his Norbrook, St Andrew home Sunday night.
Residents of the upscale community reported hearing an explosion and a motorcycle speeding off before the vehicle was seen on fire in front of the entertainer's home.

But in a release yesterday, Palmer maintained that "the Honda had an electrical problem and the fireman came and extinguished the blaze".

"That's all, my car was not firebombed," he said.

The police were, however, not impressed.

"This is not something that we are going to take lightly. The investigation is ongoing as the forensic and Scene of the Crime units went to the scene to ascertain the cause of the fire," head of crime for the St Andrew North police division, acting Deputy Superintendent Altermoth 'Parra' Campbell, told the Observer yesterday.

An auto electrical engineer, who did not wish to be named, said it would be unusual for a parked vehicle to burn unless it had just been driven.

"It is unusual for that to happen when it is standing still, but it is possible if it was being used," the engineer told the Observer.

Yesterday, in commenting on the incident on his website outaroad.com, Palmer said he had nothing against fellow dancehall entertainer Mavado - an obvious reference to speculation that there is bad blood brewing between both artistes.

Both DJs have penned songs about each other and their respective family members.
"At the end of the day, Jamaicans should know it's just music, no physical altercation," Palmer's publicist stated. "Mi no have nothing against David. If he does against me, I don't see it."


D-DAY - Walker to swing axe at customs cheats
published: Wednesday | August 27, 2008


Walker ... accuses citizens of being just as guilty as offending customs officials in perpetuating corruption. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer What should be done to clean up corruption in the customs industry? Email recommendations to columns@gleanerjm.com.
September 1 D-Day

September 1 will mark three months since I have been at the Customs Department. We have had two demonstrations so far, or maybe I should say I have had two demonstrations. There's never a dull moment at Customs. Someone once said, be careful what you pray for because you might just get it. Well, I got what I prayed for - a challenging job.

Because of the nature of our economy, our natural resource mix and probably our proximity to the United States, we import a great deal of all we consume and the inputs of the precious little we manufacture. This means that the Customs Department is a very important cog in our national wheel and, therefore, can cause great frustration or great support for the hopes and aspirations of those who depend on imports.

Trade facilitation
Facilitation of trade, believe it or not, is not just a buzzword of Jamaica Customs but a major policy position of the World Customs Organisation (of which Jamaica is a member). For many importers I have spoken to, trade facilitation appears to mean one thing: "Accept the invoice with the price I am giving you and shut up, you silly bureaucrat."

They do not consider underinvoicing by up to 70 per cent of the true value, a corrupt practice, that's 'smart' business. They also don't see not declaring all the goods on the pallet, or describing them fictitiously, as corruption. Further, they see selling counterfeit goods as smart, because who can tell the difference anyway? And, if the buyer doesn't know, why is there a problem? "Pesky custom officers, get a real job, cho, if it wasn't one t'ing yuh see."

The abuse that customs officers suffer is really shameful. At the Norman Manley International Airport, I received a report last week that a customs officer was so shaken up when an Informal Commercial Importer (ICI) took off her shoe and said: "If you charge me duty on everything, I'm going to bus' your head with this (expletives deleted) shoe." Those words to an employee of the Government just doing her job. In the United States, if you harm a public servant doing his or her job, the penalties are higher than if you harm another citizen. We should protect all our public servants similarly. I can assure that the ICI did not see her behaviour as corrupt.

I am amazed, daily, at the volume of persons purchasing motor vehicles, claiming to have bought them at an auction at a bargain and when, from our investigations, we get the price that the auction house bought it for (because auctioneers' don't make cars), we find that the original purchasing price was higher than the importer's declared price. We are expected to believe that it was sold to the importer at a loss.

Wicked
When we question the uneconomic nature of such a transaction, we are told that a previous buyer could not complete the purchase and, therefore, they only had to pay the difference. I guess used-car dealers have found religion. When we refuse to accept this 'version', we are seen as wicked (I paraphrase), and we are told that if it was for our friend, we would "do a t'ing". These persons don't see themselves as corrupt. They are just "trying a thing" and, if caught, then I guess we all live to try again in the future.

The person who bribes or seeks to bribe a customs officer. to allow any of the above does not see himself as corrupt. He sees it as paying for a service. It always amazes me how quick those persons are to describe those customs officers as corrupt and how they have personal knowledge of these things, with an air of being street-savvy. But they don't see themselves as corrupt. Even more unfortunately, the customs officer, who has taken money to allow an importer to jump the line or evade duties payable, does not see himself as corrupt either. It's just the "runnings", influenced by insufficient salaries. Really? All are equally unacceptable.

We must begin to put down these corrupt practices. You are all too comfortable branding the police and politicians as such. When the roads are not fixed, projects not completed on time or if the schools start to complain about funding, quickly from some self-constructed pedestal of moral authority, so many described above point out corrupt politics but never include themselves.

When caught, the explanations always include claims of innocence, ignorance or an inability to pay the penalty. One of my nephews, a young man whose dad and I served in the army together and who remains a close personal friend, brought in a damaged car prior to my appointment. When I presented the proof to him that he paid more for the car, he apologised and asked if he could just pay the correct duty, but avoid the penalty. After he explained how the apparent authenticity of the fraudulent invoice is achieved, I told him to view the $500,000 penalty atop the recalculated duties as tuition and that he was learning a valuable business lesson early.

I am of the unshakeable view that when caught deliberately evading customs duties, persons should pay the penalty of three times the value of the goods. There are even some cases where these goods should also be forfeited. Mitigation and leniency only lead to the perception of corruption in Jamaica. My managers tell me they have been taught to suggest a penalty that encourages payment; all that does is encourage more corruption or the perception of corruption.



A customs agent and parcels unit team examining contents of incoming parcels to determine the extent of customs duty (if any) that the addressee may be required to pay. Parcels are checked by a team rather than an individual to ensure transparency. - Contributed



We will be taking a tougher stance on those persons who insist on pursuing corrupt practices in importation. Customs brokers need to publicise the new approach of the Customs Department to their importers so they are not seen as facilitating these corrupt practices. We have noticed a high correlation between some customs brokers and these practices and some of you are prostituting your licensees to broker agents and then claiming that your signature was forged and expecting the department to swallow these vapid excuses in your pleas for leniency.

Ordinarily I do not announce these things, I usually wait for a volunteer to come forward so that an example can be made of them, but I have decided to give fair warning. We have already started to apply the penalties but come September 1, we will go even further. Yes, we have some cleaning up to do in our own house and we intend to do that. Corruption robs us all - you of your dignity, the State of its revenue, and all of us of our reputations. All of us at the Customs Department have our jobs to do. It's a tough job but we're going to do it.

Danville Walker is the commissioner of customs.

MiPhone, Digicel at odds over towers
published: Wednesday | August 27, 2008

Susan Gordon, Staff Reporter


Webster
MiPhone and rival Digicel Jamaica are blaming each other for the breakdown of a reciprocal agreement brokered by government that allows telecommunication companies to share cell towers, with the Mexican company claiming that the Irish mobile operator was denying it access.

Digicel dismissed the claim, and countered that MiPhone was not conforming to the rules, as market rivalry heats up.

The idea behind the so-called 'co-location' agreement in effect for several years is to limit the amount of land needed to build the multiplicity of cell towers to blanket the island with signals, while allaying public concern about the environment and their health from the radiation.

But last week, the companies told Wednesday Business, that essentially the arrangement was struck as 'a gentleman's agreement' between the three big firms, the other being Cable and Wireless Jamaica, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Technology.

Digicel has more than 1,000 cell towers spread across the island; MiPhone wants to establish towers on some 600 sites.

MiPhone's chief operating officer Colin Webster said the arrangement, though not contractual, was working up to 2007, the point at which America Movil acquired the company from Oceanic Digital.
"The sad thing is that the relationship we've had with Digicel where you could go and fix your antenna, has broken down very badly because we have been actively blocked almost from the development that we are doing and the use of their towers," Webster told Wednesday Business last Friday in an interview.
"It was disappointing. Up to then, we had a very cordial and cooperative sharing arrangement," said Webster.

But Digicel's Technology Director Rohan Pottinger, denies reneging on the arrangement, and charged that it was MiPhone that has failed to meet the requirements laid down earlier this year by the Ministry of Energy, Mining & Telecommunications.

"There has been an arrangement between Digicel and MiPhone for co-location from as far back as 2003 which is still in use," said Pottinger.

"There is also a similar arrangement between Digicel and C&W," he said.
The company said it faces no such problems with Cable and Wireless. Sources tell Wednesday Business that C&WJ and MiPhone are sharing about 90 cell towers.

The older telecom had not responded to queries on the matter to press time.


MiPhone latest troubles follow behind its run in with planning authorities for failing to secure approval for the towers it is building.

MiPhone has blamed its Chinese contractor Huawei Technologies Jamaica Limited for the mix-up, which has delayed the planned roll out of its 3G service.
The company plans to build out about 600 towers to accommodate its 3G network, while retaining its 100 CDMA towers.

C&WJ is also on a massive build out of cell sites to accommodate its 3G network, a job contracted to Ericsson for over $2 billion.

Digicel's Pottinger said it was surprising that MiPhone had raised the tower sharing arrangement with Wednesday Business, but not with his company.

"Incidentally, we have had several meetings with MiPhone in recent months and it is interesting to note that they have not even once mentioned the issue of tower sharing in that time," said Pottinger.

MiPhone has not yet declared the markets that it plans to launch here, but it sources have told Wednesday Business that it was one of four companies to express interest in the 2.5 GHz spectrum to be auctioned.

That spectrum allows for subscriber television, mobile 3G service and wireless broadband internet.
Webster said the company was "undecided" about going after one of the three licences to be issued, but also said the company does not necessarily require the 2.6 GHz spectrum to enter the STV market.

"America Movil has this service, so it's just a matter of replicating it here," said Webster.

MiPhone, he adds, has applied to the Broadcasting Commission for a cable licence.

"Our immediate interest is through satellite - direct open satellite - essentially Direct TV..." he said.
sabrina.gordon@gleanerjm.com

Bauxite institute joins adult illiteracy fight
published: Wednesday | August 27, 2008


Up to 70 per cent of Jamaica's workforce does not have a high school education, according to Edward Shakes, executive director of the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL). The JFLL is partnering with the Jamaica Bauxite Institute to address adult illiteracy in areas affected by mining.

The two organisations met at the JFLL central Kingston offices to sign the memorandum of understanding yesterday. In sealing the partnership, Shakes said the initiative would facilitate remedial training in improving the literacy and numeracy of citizens in mining areas over the next five years.

Pilot programmes
He also emphasised the impact of literacy has on national development and stressed that it was imperative to increasing human capital labour productivity and therefore economic growth.

"This partnership fits in with our strategic plan," he said. "We must increase the number of adults who go through our programme to increase adult literacy, which is way too high in comparison to our neighbouring Caribbean society."

Communities from St Elizabeth, Manchester, St Catherine, Clarendon and St Ann will be represented by 17 selected persons from the joint bauxite community councils, in addition to other organisations.

Sixty participants are expected to benefit from the two pilot programmes due to get under way in St Elizabeth and St Ann.

Gov't pays out big bucks to store the dead
Private funeral homes collected $86 m in 2007/8
BY ALICIA DUNKLEY Observer staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

GOVERNMENT during the 2007/8 financial year paid out a whopping $86,405,961 to private funeral homes to collect and store the bodies of persons who die violently or 'under mysterious circumstances'.

The Government has over the years been forced to make large payouts to these funeral homes because the state is without a public morgue, while those at public hospitals are either run-down or overburdened.

The Kingston Metropolitan Region (KMR) - the Corporate Area, Spanish Town and the Municipality of Portmore - which has the largest number of violent deaths in the island is currently covered by Madden's Funeral Home.

The administration is, however, hoping that by the year 2010 the money paid to private funeral homes would be drastically reduced as it is expected that the public morgue to serve the KMR would be completed by then.

The estimate for building that facility has been put at $450 million.

According to Gilbert Scott, permanent secretary in the national security ministry, the high amount being paid out to funeral homes was one justification for the construction of the public morgue. He said it was expected that the cost to construct the facility would be recovered in about five years from its commissioning.

Plans for the construction of a public morgue in Jamaica's capital, Kingston, have been pending since 1989, but Scott said tenders were being examined and a contractor should be selected within another six to eight weeks. Work, he said, should begin by the end of December. He told the Observer that work had already started on a perimeter fencing for the state-of-the-art facility, which will be located at 149 Orange Street in downtown Kingston.

"Once we have assessed and selected what we consider to be the successful bidder then we have to get the approval of the National Contracts Commission before going to Cabinet for approval; only after that can we award the contract," Scott told the Observer. He said a 2010 completion date was envisioned for the building which should take about two years to construct.

"The decision to build the morgue is also related to our commitment to improve our criminal investigations through the application of new technologies and better access to the forensic evidence that will be facilitated with new modern facilities," Scott said. The Government in April of this year announced that it had allocated $200 million to begin construction of the long overdue public morgue for Kingston.

The former People's National Party Government in June of 2007 announced plans to allocate $80 million dollars for the construction of a state-of-the-art morgue in Kingston, in the aftermath of the exposure of the gross inadequacies of the island's pathological capabilities after the suspicious death of former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer.

According to police statistics, in 2006 Jamaica's murder rate stood at 1,340, rising to 1,574 in 2007. Since the start of the year well over 900 persons have died violently.

T&T PM holds talks with Golding
BY BALFORD HENRY Observer writer balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

TRINIDAD and Tobago's Prime Minister Patrick Manning is scheduled leave Kingston for Haiti this morning, after overnighting in Jamaica where he discussed the implications of his country's proposed political union with three smaller Caribbean Community (Caricom) states.

A Jamaica House press advisory yesterday invited only photo coverage of a meeting between Manning and Prime Minister Bruce Golding at Jamaica House in the evening. But, while the advisory stated that the two leaders would discuss the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe, it was evident that the crucial issue was the proposed political union.

Trinidadian newspapers reported yesterday that Manning had taken off on a "whirlwind tour of the Caribbean" in which he was scheduled to visit five countries, including Jamaica, where he would overnight, travelling approximately 6,000 miles in 36 hours.

The tour was scheduled to include the Bahamas, Belize and Suriname, as well, to discuss the proposed union. Manning is due to return to Port-of-Spain this evening.

On August 14, Trinidad and Tobago signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with three other Caricom countries - St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, and Grenada - indicating their intent to establish a political union by 2013.

It was also confirmed that Manning would meet with the leaders of Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts, and Montserrat last Wednesday to discuss those initiatives.

But while Golding's administration has remained committed to the goal of a Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), it has raised concerns about Manning's attempt to orchestrate a political union within Caricom, without discussions at the level of the Heads of Government within the regional unit.

Last Monday, Jamaica House warned that the proposals would have implications for the structure and future of the regional union.

Jamaica said it would request discussions on the issue among regional Heads of Government, at which point it would evaluate its position on the issue.

However, Manning continues to enjoy strong support from Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Stephenson King of St Lucia and Tillman Thomas of Grenada.

It is understood that a key aspect of the proposed political union is an oil and gas exploration policy.

There was concern, however, how a proposed common regime for the procurement of fossil fuels for energy and transportation by the members of the proposed union would sit with the current PetroCaribe agreement with Venezuela, which involves 13 Caricom countries.



MORE SCRUTINY: Bruce Golding
Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding has told Prime Minister Patrick Manning that his country will not participate in the political union now being pursued by the governments of Trinidad and Tobago and three other Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries by 2013.

Golding did so when he met Manning at the Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica House, Jamaica, on Monday evening.

Foreign Affairs Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, who was part of the delegation that travelled with Manning to Jamaica, confirmed yesterday that Golding expressed his administration's position that the implications of the proposed union on Caricom had to be carefully examined.

"Jamaica was concerned about how it would work and how it would affect the OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) and how it would affect Caricom," Gopee-Scoon said in a brief interview last evening.

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister in Jamaica stated yesterday that Golding said he looked forward to the study on the modalities for the proposed union now being undertaken.

Manning's office said last night that he and Gopee-Scoon will be holding a news conference this afternoon to discuss his visit to Jamaica, which was part of a two-day trip to that country, Belize, the Bahamas and Suriname that ended yesterday.

Manning, who turned 62 on August 17, just three days after he signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the political/economic union proposal, undertook the two-day trip to meet with the heads of government of the five Caricom countries not represented when the document was signed.

The Jamaica Prime Minister's Office added yesterday said that Golding, in his meeting with Manning, reiterated his administration's position that the political union proposal needs to be discussed at the level of the Caricom Heads of Government conference.

Last week, Manning told reporters during the post-Cabinet news conference he had "no doubt that a special meeting of Heads will be called in due course".

Manning then said, "But as an initiative which I led myself, I have a responsibility to sensitise my colleagues."

Jamaica pushing for EPA

published: Wednesday | August 27, 2008


The Government is pressing for the signing of the Cariforum-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), despite a warning from Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller to think carefully before inking the deal.

Kenneth Baugh, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, told Parliament yesterday that it was important for Jamaica to sign the EPA, even though there were concerns regarding the agreement.

"There is a need to depoliticise the issue. We are not in the business of ascribing blame, we are here for continuation," said Baugh.

In her contribution to the debate, Simpson Miller said negotiations were not concluded by her government because there were deficiencies with the EPA. She noted that, the PNP did not agree with the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause, which obliges African Caribbean and Pacific countries to extend to the European Commission on a line by line basis, any treatment they might negotiate with third parties.


ole mas: Trinidad and Tobago's midnight robber has the attention of the audience on Monday night at Carifiesta X festivities at Georgetown City Hall, Guyana. -Photos: MICHEAL BRUCE
From one island to another island.

The words of Nadia Batson's calypso resonated through the more-than-a-century-old Guyana City Hall on Monday evening as traditional characters from Trinidad and Tobago Carnival and members of the very diverse audience took a joyful jump together to Batson's music and Black Stalin's "Caribbean Man".
The event was the finale of D'Masquerade, a play put on by members of the Trinidad and Tobago theatre contingent.

Children in the audience hid their faces as the blue devil spat his fire, the jab-jabs cracked their whips, and the midnight robber blew his shrill whistle.

The interactive play, written by Felix Edinborough and Happy O'Connor of Tobago, uses the traditional characters to make a statement about some basic problems common to Caribbean societies-illiteracy, irresponsible parenting, and the culture of violence. The character of the midnight robber took an unusual turn as he was used to represent the gun culture. Early in the presentation he rapes the baby doll character and she produces a child (a doll which she carried throughout the production) for which he denies paternity.

The audience really got into it when Pierrot Grenade (Felix Edinborough) walked around with the baby doll character trying to find the baby's father, even among members of the audience, while the Midnight Robber stood in the shadows. "Look him over there", members of the audience took delight in shouting as the search continued with a crowded and fast-paced array of performances from wild and fancy Indians, a moko jumbie who took a tumble, fancy sailors, stick-fighters, burrokeets and other traditional characters.

The evening began with a "journey" to D'Masquerade and included performances from Digicel Rising Star 2007 Kay Alleyne; Tobago wedding dancers; extempo artiste Black Sage, who had Guyanese in the audience singing along to Guyanese calypsonian King Fighter's "Come Leh We Go Sukie"; rapso artiste Immortelle, "when I say rap, you say so"; second-place Groovy Soca Monarch winner Chucky, who got a young lady from the audience to demonstrate how to "Turnaround", Guyanese style; Chutney Soca Monarch Rooplal Girdharrie, who sang "Pagahallo, I'm Crazy for You"; and Tobago Soca Monarch Princess Adana, with a steamy version of Stalin's "Black Man Feeling To Party".

Guyanese in the audience said they were happy to have seen D'Masquerade. "Our mas is not like this, we have only one day on February 23 and it's mostly floats, this was fantastic," was the verdict.

Trinidad and Tobago contingent member Norvan Fullerton said he felt the audience got the message. "From one island to another island, we are sharing the same problems. We can't depend on the politicians, it is we the people who have to make it happen," he said.





nightmare: Stephen "Shines" Sampson speaks to the Express from his home yesterday.
Laventille resident Stephen "Shines" Sampson, who is under investigation by police for his part in a violent "FBI" video, yesterday described himself as a peace-loving citizen who does not battle anymore in rap.

Acting Police Commissioner James Philbert said on Monday that the individuals who took part in the video preaching violence against the police, which was posted on YouTube, were to be investigated.

Up to yesterday, no warrant had been issued for the arrest of 39-year-old Sampson.

However, Philbert was said to have issued instructions for his investigating officers to consult the Director of Public Prosecutions on the matter, to see whether the police can proceed with any action.

Speaking exclusively to the Express yesterday, Sampson said he had not been contacted by police. He said the whole affair was "a nightmare" and described the song and video as "a mix-tape track and experimental video that was never supposed to be seen by the public".

He said, "Anyone in the local hip-hop industry can tell you that those lyrics I used on that song are from verses I used when battling in a rhyme cipher. Those lyrics were used to humiliate my opponents and defeat them in lyrical battle, but I never recorded them.

Then, a Guyanese friend of mine called Zagga B came up with the hook, which talks about 'cochore' and Babylon, not Cudjoe! Because I needed another track for my latest mix-tape at the time, we put it together, but that song was done quite back in 2004 when I just started growing my ras."

"Cochore" is a Guyanese slang which is used to refer to a police informant. Sampson said he was acquainted with recently executed gang leader Merlin "Cudjoe" Allamby because they lived in the same area. He recalled that Allamby had been interviewed by him and featured in Part One of the "Real Talk" DVD Magazine.

The "Real Talk" DVD Magazine features interviews and testimonials from local artistes and entertainment industry figures, as well as ordinary citizens concerning pressing issues in society and the industry. After three successful editions, the creators of the DVD, Grassroots Entertainment, spawned a popular television programme of the same name, which airs weekly on Gayelle The Channel. Sampson is the host of both the popular DVD and this television programme.

At the time of the "FBI" video, Sampson had a dispute with the members of Grassroots and also called their name in the song. Today, they work together to produce film and edit the "Real Talk" series for broadcast on Gayelle. Sampson said this is indicative of the difference between the imagery depicted in the video and reality.

"Yes, I know that this video is not a positive reflection of my character, my neighbourhood or the hip-hop community in general, which is why it was never released in any form or fashion. It was one of my first attempts at creating a video and I tried to make it as interesting as possible with what I had at the time.

"Today, I am a much more responsible citizen, and I try to help and uplift the youths in my community by teaching them some of the skills I have learnt and encouraging them to get involved in music and the arts, instead of liming on the block or doing illegal things that can get them in trouble."

Admitting that the guns used in the video were not real handguns, Sampson said he was not even present during the taping of those parts of the video which featured the St Barb's Police Station in the background.

He said, "That video was done four years ago, when I was just learning how to edit videos, so I was happy to get any kind of footage. We shot one part on one day with a cyber-cam I borrowed for my computer, but Saga was not there at the time. When he came, he complained about the fact that we shot the video without him, so they went and shot that scene the next day.

"I am a peace-loving citizen now, I don't even battle anymore in rap and if my family get in trouble, who would I have to call, not the police? This is a lesson I have learnt and I hope others will learn from it as well to be careful what you do and say when you're young and reckless because it can come back to haunt you."



About one year ago, Prime Minister Patrick Manning brought to his Cabinet a letter, signed by former Grenada prime minister Dr Keith Mitchell, seeking an association between that country and Trinidad and Tobago, which, if accepted, would have made Grenada "a virtual colony" of Trinidad and Tobago.

Grenada wanted free access to Trinidad and Tobago's education system, health system, transportation system, et cetera.

"The only thing that the letter didn't speak of having access to was the Trinidad and Tobago treasury. But, of course that was an unspoken word. But clearly we would have been in effect minding Grenada," one former minister noted yesterday.

Another former Government minister stated that several members of the Cabinet felt that Mitchell was at the time looking for someone "to pay his (Grenada's) bills" and was "mamaguying" Trinidad and Tobago. Accordingly, the member said, the Cabinet totally rejected the idea.

Two weeks ago, Grenada's new Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, along with Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonzales, Stephenson King of St Lucia and Manning signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Port of Spain, committing themselves to economic union by 2011 and political union by 2013. The MOU comes at a time when Trinidad and Tobago's revenues are high and Grenada's treasury empty. On Monday, the Finance Minister of Grenada stated that that country's treasury was empty and that the Government might not be able to pay its public servants.

Furthermore, questions have been raised that Trinidad and Tobago would not be able to enter into such an arrangement without fundamental constitutional amendments.

"How can you do this without the sanction of the people?" one political observer asked.
However, one leading scholar and experienced regionalist stated yesterday that the question of whether any law seeking to give effect to political/economic union required a special parliamentary majority or a single parliamentary majority, depended on what sort of union was being contemplated.

"If you want to have a union that in effect impinges on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, that is another matter. So it really depends on what sort of relationship you are talking about," the scholar said.

The expert added, "As far as the (current) Constitution is concerned, it does not say you may or you may not (have a union).

"At this stage one hasn't a clue what is being considered. And I am not worried. Two years ago everything was constitutional reform. Two years later everybody has forgotten it. Everything now is 'integrate or disintegrate' and two years hence, everybody would have forgotten about this.

"These things are very complex. It takes a lot of talking, to-ing and fro-ing because each side would want to protect its own interest. So now you are just flying kite... It is a straw in the wind. You haven't begun to get the building blocks yet."

Black Woman Thinks...Religion, Politics, Race, Atheism and more...: Here's a Jamaican Joke!

I found this joke today on a blog that I read and advertise on from a fellow Jamaican woman. It was too good to pass by and nah show uhnu.. pass by her blog and big her up cau she well intelligent and feisty ta rass.

Mama

Black Woman Thinks...Religion, Politics, Race, Atheism and more...: Here's a Jamaican Joke!
10 January 2008 - Here's a Jamaican Joke!
Anyway, here's The Jamaican Lawyer Joke:
___________________________________________________________________
In a recent trial, a Mandeville prosecuting lawyer called to the witness stand his first witness, a grand motherly, elderly woman named Miss Ivy.

The lawyer approached her and asked, "Miss Ivy, do you know me?’’

She responded, "Why, yes of course me know you, Mr. Williams. Me know yu since yu was a likkle pissen tail pickney, and wata big disappointment yu is to yu fambily. Yu is a ole liard, yu cheat pan yuh wife, yuh chat people bizniz, and yuh red-eye, grudgeful and licky-licky. Yu tink yu is a big shot now but yu no realize seh yu will never amoun to nuttin more Dan a Two-bit paper pusher! Yes, me know yuh very well alright!!"

The Lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Miss Ivy, do you know the defense lawyer?"

She looked over at the defense lawyer and replied, "Of course, me know Mr. Bradley since him was a likkle bwoy too. Him lazy, and good-fe-nutten, him boasy, and him always a gwaan like him white. Him caan build nuh normal Relationship with any ooman. Fe him law practice a di worse eena Jamaica. Him chat nuff, him a ole teef, him dutty and narsty. A tree different ooman an four man me hear seh him a grine undah covah, an one a di ooman dem a fi yu missis (points at juror member)!!

Yes sah, me know him well."

The defense lawyer almost died of embarrassment.

The judge ordered both counselors to approach the bench, and in a very quiet voice, said, "If eeda of you rassclaat bastard arks har if she know me, a gwine lock up oonu bumbo-claat eena jail fi contempt!."