Judgement Day Tomorrow?

May 21 Billboard

Harold Camping and his organization, familyradio.com, has been creating quite a stir the last few days with their Judgement Day prophesy! Camping and his believers have predicted that Judgement day will be not in the distant future, not in a few years, but they have given the exact date! Yes, they have predicted that tomorrow, May 21, 2011 will be Judgement Day, and that all those who find favour in God's eyes will be caught up in a rapture while the earth will experience great earthquakes! But it doesn't end there as he further goes on to predict that the earth and the universe itself will all be destroyed in five months time, on October 21, 2011!

It seems Camping has not only mislead himself, but has mislead many others in his delusion, even here locally, as one of his believers stole the show on Religious Hard Talk just a few nights ago. The May 21 believers are so convinced of this that they have embarked on a massive campaign, which has resulted in many large billboards being placed all over the US and even here in Jamaica! There are also floods of Google ads and other forms of electronic media being used to propagate this baseless prediction.

Camping and his followers, however, despite claiming to be followers of God has completely disregarded the very word of God himself, which states that only God knows the exact time when He will brig fourth his judgement on those who fail to serve him. The Bible states in several books that only God himself can say when this great day will be:

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
-Matt 24:36 (New International Version (©1984))

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
-Mark 13:32 (New International Version (©1984))

"He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority."
-Acts 1:7 (New International Version (©1984))

However, Camping chose to ignore these scriptures and feels he is more special than even God's only begotten son and has made his prediction for God's day of Judgment. So much so that he has taken it upon himself to predict that it will be May 21, 2011. The Bible itself did make a prediction that is certainly true, that there shall be false prophets that will mislead. Camping and his following have proven what they are since it is already May 21, 2011 in half of the earth and nothing has happened thus far. But Camping is not the first who thinks he can beat God's word with his own prophesy and he shall certainly not be the last. The Bible has warned against people like him and they have manifested themselves, misleading many.

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Guilty, Is Buju's Verdict...

Buju Banton. Photo: Wikipedia.com

It was late 2009 when news rang out that the well known Dancehall & Reggae Artiste Buju Banton was arrested on drug charges and was remanded to await trial. This certainly shocked all Jamaican's here and abroad, including myself. but could Buju have been found guilty of such an unheard of accusation?

After spending close to a year in a federal jail, Buju faced the courts on several drug related charges, yet to the relief of many Jamaicans the case was thrown out and rules a mistrial dude to a jury deadlock. However the US authorities were still out for blood and managed to keep Buju remanded and to even get another trail with even more charges! Once again Buju Banton's many fans held their breath as this second trial took its course. Would Buju be freed once again or would he be found guilty?

Buju Banton and Legal team. Photo: Jamaica Gleaner

On Tuesday February 22, 2011 the wort fears of Mark Anthony Myrie, better known as Buju Banton, his family, friends and fans as he was found guilty on three of his cocaine related charges. According to the Jamaica Gleaner, "Buju has been found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilogramsor more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, knowingly and intentionally possessing a firearm in furtherance of and during the course of a drug-trafficking crime, and aiding and abetting others in using a communication facility in the commission of a felony." A very serious verdict that could see the famous and Grammy winning artiste 15 years to life in prison!

Even though Buju's legal team has announced it will appeal the verdict, things look dismal for the famous artiste. It is only hoped that they may score some form of victory and/or that the judge is lenient in sentencing Buju. In any case, it seems he will be seeing some serious prison time for these charges. I won't comment on whether or not I think he is guilty, the jury has already decided that and their thoughts are what really counts. All I have to say is that getting involved in drugs in any way or form, even if it's empty boasts is not a good idea and has dire consequences. Definitely something to stay as far as you can from, something Buju should have done in my humble opinion, because "it's not a easy road" in "bondage".

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Farewell Cool Ruler

Image from http://www.jahreggaeshop.com

The man dubbed as the Cool Ruler, an icon in the Jamaican Lovers Rock music, Gregory Isaacs has passed. This great Jamaican musical icon succumbed to his fight against lung cancer on October 25, 2010 in London at the age of 59.

Gregory Isaacs forty year musical career produced several hits such as Love is Overdue, Out Deh, Sad To Know, Big All Around, Rumours and my all time favorite Night Nurse. Like most great artistes he had his fair share of problems, due to his well known abuse of cocaine and subsequent run in with the law. Nevertheless Isaacs still managed to continue to produce hits and to have a successful career. He was also a staple and well anticipated performer at the Heineken Startime show which featured artistes and songs from the 70's.

Gregory Isaacs was certainly a great artiste and a powerful force in the Jamaican music and entertainment industry. Another great Jamaican icon has passed.

Enjoy my all time greatest Gregory Isaacs song, Night Nurse, below.

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Tivoli Aftermath - A Short Recap

Photo: Jamaica Observer

Some semblance of normality has returned to the majority of Kingston today, some four days into the joint military police operation in Tivoli Gardens. The official death toll given by the Jamaica Constabulary Force has risen from 44 to a shocking 73 by this morning. Even though for the most part the bullets have stopped flying, those remaining alive in Tivoli Gardens are still experiencing a measure of restriction as the police and military are still occupying the community.

Photo: Jamaica Observer

The media was finally allowed to enter Tivoli Gardens today on a restricted tour of the community as they were only allowed to visit certain areas and film only designated portions of the infamous Dudus stronghold. The walls of the buildings told the tales of the gun battle that engulfed the community. The voices of the residents was filled with anger, some with sorrow and some with desperation. However, amidst of all this, the wanted Christopher "Dudus" Coke has still not been captured as confirmed by the police and the Minister of Information. So the search continues and even produced an early morning operation in the upscale neighbourhood of Kirkland Heights resulting in the death of one man.

Photo: Jamaica Observer

However, despite the relative calm and appearance of normalcy, the incidents of the past few days which brought the city to a stand still remains on the minds of the entire Jamaica. A somewhat tense air hovers over the city despite the well anticipated rain that has descended on the parch earth of the city. Already 11 wanted men turned themselves  in within 24 hours of the police publishing a wanted list, but hopefully more good comes out of this tragic incident.

Sources: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/73-killed-in-West-Kingston, http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=19663, http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Tivoli-Gardens-tour-reveals-little

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Voicemail Member O'Neil Has Died

Photo: Jamaica Observer

In the midst of a higher death toll of forty four (44) civilians, released by the Public Defender this morning, Jamaica has learned about yest another death. O'Neil Edwards of the locally popular group Voicemail, after a long battle for his life, succumbed to his wounds this afternoon.

Photo: Jamaica Gleaner

It was reported that Edwards was ambushed and shot repeatedly, at least five (5) times, as he attempted to open his gate after returning home about 1:00am on May 10, 2010. He was discovered by neighbours and was rushed to the hospital where he has since been battling for his life. Since the incident, several local entertainers and fans help a public prayer vigil in Half Way tree to show their support for O'Neil and in hopes of some kind of recovery.

Photo: Yardflex.com

The attack on O'Neil, a popular entertainer, certainly shook many members of the music fraternity as well as fans  and violently demponstrated the far reaching grasps of criminality in our society. The grief will go even further, now that he has passed. Our entertainment industry has lost one of its prominent talents. The group Voicemail will never be the same, his family and friends as well as countless fans will no doubt see and feel the loss. Condolences to his family and friends.

Here are a few videos of the popular songs from the group:









Sources: http://www.yardflex.com/archives/006345.html#more, http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/-Voice-Mail-member-O-Neil-Edwards-shot-, http://gallery.jamaica-gleaner.com/gallery/voicemail-member-shot/, http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100526/lead/lead11.html

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Kingston Still In Turmoil!

Photo: Jamaica Observer

It is the third day since the State of Emergency was called for the city of Kingston and St. Andrew and since then, the violence, tension and battle between the security forces and gunmen has only escalated with casualties. The joint police and military forces made their way into the fortified and well defended garrison of Tivoli Gardens on Monday and was greeted by the expected heavy gunfire from those defending the Dudus stronghold, now termed by some as the Repuplic of Tivoli. However, the gun battles were not limited to just the Tivoli area, as it seemed that the entire Kingston was yesterday engulfed into this war between criminals and the security forces. Sporadic gun battles dotted the Kingston metropolitan area, in neighboring communities, however it also spread to the distance community of Red Hills Road and even as far as sections of Spanish Town.

Photo: Jamaica Observer

The continuous gun battles have now claimed many victims since it started from both sides. the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has reported that twenty six (26) civilians have been confirmed dead. The News has also reported that two (2) police officers in a gun battle in Mountain View and one (1) JCF officer and three (3) Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) soldiers have also been killed in the gun battle in the Tivoli Gardens operation. The Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) which has been treating many of the victims of this war, has not been spared the trauma of the gun battles as it too, despite the heavy contingent of security forces, heavy gun fire nearby sent patients and personnel scampering for cover. Residents of Tivoli Gardens and nearby communities have been calling in on local television stations and radio stations, now in desperation and fear due to the heavy exchange of gunfire between the security forces and gun men loyal to Dudus and painting a picture of the dire situation facing these embattled communities.

Photo: The Jamaica Gleaner

The standoff between the security forces and these armed criminals continues today in the affected regions and doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. Several business places in the countries capital especially ones in and near the affected areas remain closed. However, the overseas exam board which oversees the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) and the General Certificate of Education (GCE) exams as well as the Ministry of Education has insisted that students who have exams today should still sit them, but report to alternative locations. No doubt having to sit an exam in these conditions will affect the performance of the students that have risked their very lives to attend these exams. The reality of the danger these students face was reinforced this morning in the Marescaux Road area, which is surrounded by Wolmer's  and St. Hugh's High Schools, when gunshots rang out while students were sitting their exams.

Photo: Jamaica Observer

As the battle rages on and the security forces fight to regain control from these highly armed criminals, stability is still a goal to be achieved and normalcy a dream being pursued. It is a harsh reality, but at this rate more blood will be shed and more tears will fall in this battle for control and the apprehension of the wanted Tivoli "president" Christopher 'Dudus' Coke. We can only hope that this will end shortly and that the city can once again bustle with life and that some good will come out of this battle between our security forces and the many criminal elements that grip our capital.

Sources: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com, http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/

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Emergency! Kingston on Lock Down!

A road to Tivoli Gardens. Photo by David Madden http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmadden/

Immediately after the standoff between the Jamaica Government and the United States Government over the extradition of Christopher "Dudus" Coke ended, another standoff begun between the security forces and the determined supporters of the West Kingston area leader Dudus. After mounting pressure by the United States government, its justice department, and local bodies Bruce Golding on Monday bowed to the pressure and ordered the signing of the extradition order for the alleged drug kingpin Dudus. This immediately triggered an automatic defense move by Dudus loyals in the Tivoli community who mounter roadblocks cutting off entrances to the community and causing an early shutdown of businesses in the Kingston metropolitan area. However, that was juts the beginning of things to come!

Photo: Jamaica Gleaner

The tension continued to grow as a arrest warrant was issued for Dudus and the security forces as well as countless Dudus supporters geared up for the arrest of the infamous area don. A precursor to the events that were about to unfold was seen when  a large contingent of women dressed in white marched as far as Gordon House in protest of the extradition and arrest order that was issued. The protesting Dudus supporters chanted that Dudus should be left alone as he is the provider and protector of the Tivoli Gardens and some adjoining communities. Some went as far as saying, "Jesus died for us, so we will die for Dudus". But things were still set to only get worse.

Tivoli Gardens, Kingston Jamaica. Photo by David Madden http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmadden/

The tense moment here in the city of Kingston and St. Andrew has grown even more over the past week and is at its worse so far. The Gleaner reported has reported that today, shots have been fired in the Tivoli community, a police officer in the Hannah Town community has been shot and injured and the Hannah Town police station has been attacked and set ablaze forcing the security forces there to abandon the building. These events and the increasing tension has resulted in the issue of a State of Emergency being called for the city of Kingston and St. Andrew, commencing at 6:00pm this evening! As the pursuit of the wanted Christopher "Dudus" Coke intensifies, the tension and resulting seemingly inevitable civil unrest and bloodshed seems more of a reality. As I type this post I can even hear the sounds of helicopters flying in the distance, a surreal confirmation of the reality gripping this city, this country.

Tivoli Gardens, Kingston Jamaica. Photo by David Madden http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmadden/

I hope this issue is resolved quickly with minimal blood, or miraculously no bloodshed. This country is already in a critical state and the instability and overseas perception arising from this situation will only further serve to plunge us into even deeper into our unfortunate predicament. In the mean time I will continue to follow the situation on the news and try to stay in the relative safety of my residence.

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Good Bye Air Jamaica

Photo By Levar Gardon http://visual-embrace.com/

So as of the eve of April 30, 2010 the pride of the Jamaican sky, the Lovebird, the Jamaican national airline, Air Jamaica is no more. The government of Jamaica has once again succeeded in selling off another piece of Jamaica, another product of this country which defined it's individuality. I admit it has been a burden on the pockets of tax payers, but it is sad to see an icon of Jamaican nationalism go, and not just phased out but to be turned over into the hands of another country just as so many other local companies.

However I will not sit and lament on the shortcomings of the ones who instead of leading the country, are merely running it to the ground with their selfish, corrupt practices. Instead I will say a farewell to our national carrier and reminisce on the days when Jamaica had it's own pride in the sky, it's own name in the skies, it's own national airline. It was not always smooth going traveling with Air Jamaica, but it was our national carrier and as a somewhat patriotic Jamaican I always opted to fly Air Jamaica... even though most of the time it resulted in my cursing and ranting on my blog about their never ending delays (here, here, and here). Nevertheless, it had a great safety track record compared to other airlines, and that was a big encouragement to endure the lengthy delays that the average Air Jamaica customer had to endure. I will never forget though the in-flight meals which I enjoyed, maybe because I was so famished after their customary delays, the free headsets for the in-flight music and movies and of course the complementary champagne they used to offer... which they always mix with orange juice at my request.

Despite the protest of many Jamaicans, staff members and even the attempt of a pilot and staff conglomerate to buy the airline, it is now official that Caribbean Airlines has purchased our national carrier and Air Jamaica shall be no more. Within six months it will only be a faint memory and be replaced by the name and colours of the Trinidad based Caribbean Airlines. The employees of the former Air Jamaica have received their redundancy cheque, including a former coworker who left my department at what was Cable and Wireless Jamaica (now LIME) to work at Air Jamaica. I saw him at Mega Mart on Saturday and could only welcome him to the Unemployed Club and wish him all the best. My like hate relationship with Air Jamaica has come to an end. So I guess this is my farewell to the national carrier of the island of Jamaica, my farewell to Air Jamaica. Good by Air Jamaica, you will always be in our memories and in the hearts of so many Jamaicans here in Jamaica and abroad.

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No Water!!!

I am sure by now everyone has heard the saying, "Water is life". How true this statement is! The people of Kingston Jamaica have been seeing the reality of this more and more every day as this unusually long drought drags on. Residents and workers in the metropolitan region feel this more when it comes to piped water.

Since last year a lot of persons, myself included, have been living with water restrictions which seem to be getting even more stringent in the past months. When the first restriction was implemented, water was locked off at 10pm. a few months later it moved to 9pm, then to 8pm and then even to 7pm! Up to a few months ago it moved up to 5pm then to 4pm and now I have no piped water as early as 2pm! This is getting ridiculous now! And at this rate it seems we will be only having water for a few hours per day. I know it's a drought and we as humans have no control over that, but this problem is only compounded by the shortsightedness of the Jamaican governments and the ever worthless National Water Commission (NWC). Both these entities did not see it fit to increase the already inadequate reservoirs for the metropolitan area, which has grown (and is still growing) significantly since these reservoirs were commissioned.

Thanks to both the Jamaican government and NWC, the people of Jamaica are forced to suffer  from the scarcity of this precious commodity. It is true that one never really appreciates what one has until one looses it and I can testify to that. I took for granted the ease of life when these is a constant supply of piped water, but now I can definitely see how precious that privilege was! Now I have to go long periods without the precious commodity much to my discomfort as i don;t have a tank. It's even worse now that I am home most of the time due to this long span of unemployment. This lack of water has now forced me to adjust my lifestyle in so many ways. What do I mean? Well...

• Every day I have to catch water in jugs and pan before NWC locks off the water
• I only get to have a decent shower once per day
• If I need a bath during the lock-off I have to grab one of my 5 litre bottles
• If I have to do a big number I have to make sure I go early before they lock off the water
• The toilet doesn't get flushed often (that's putting it mildly) when I have to take a leak
• I have to force myself to cook earlier in the days before water is gone
• If I have to cook after the water is gone I have to make do with water from a bottle which makes cooking a real chore
• Dirty dishes and pots are piled up in the sink until the next morning
• Doing even the simple things like washing my hands is a challenge

These are just some of the things on the top off my head, but I am sure it will get only worse as this drought continues and the resultant water lock-offs intensifies. If this continues, life as we know it will get even harder and I am sure that cases of gastroenteritis and other poor sanitary practice diseases will surface and increase. We need the rain now, and a lot of it to quench this thirsty land and hopefully the idiots that run this country and the NWC will learn from this drought and it's effects. But then again, they all have tanks and can afford to get water trucked to them, so that's just wishful thinking.

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No JPS! NO!!!

No, is exactly what the Office of Utility Regulations (OUR) told the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) when they attempted once again to extort money from the Jamaican public. Once again JPS attempted a brazen attempt of high way robbery when it applied to the OUR for it's latest increase in its utility charges. The JPS applied for an increase to recover over four billion dollars from it's already burdened customers!

According to The Jamaica Gleaner, the JPS proposed that its customers pay a $4.2 billion dollars over a two year period by adding 6.75  cents per kilowatt hour to their existing high charges. This $4.2 billion dollars is not to improve it's service to customers or to make them more efficient, but to recover money payed out to its employees in a reclassification exercise that was completed in 2002. Now if this is not an outright plot of the JPS to rob Jamaican people I don't know what else is! Can you believe the audacity of this company to come up with a scheme like this, after the stunt they pulled off with the hurricane Ivan and Dean rip off and their recent rate increase?

Fortunately, the OUR  had the balls this time to tell them no, sparing the Jamaican consumers from outright robbery! The Jamaica Gleaner, reports that the OUR said that "the company's claim did not qualify under the z-factor provision, since the costs incurred were as a consequence of managerial decisions, as the JPS had agreed with the labour unions in 2000 to embark on the reclassification exercise." So JPS want us, the consumer, to pay for a management decision made between it, it's employees and their unions, next thing the will want to request a special increase for bonuses to their execs. Thank you OUR for standing up for the Jamaican consumers by telling the JPS no to their latest attempt of robbery! How is it that JPS is always plotting ways to extort more and more money from its customers? How come JPS? How come?

Source: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100304/lead/lead2.html

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Ground Zero

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stunnerj/4270287677/

We build our houses on it, our roadways, our places of work and worship, and it's there with every step we take. We would like to think it is stable, safe and secure when we set our feet firmly on the ground beneath us. But, this is nothing but a false sense of security, because just as we move to and fro, so does the earth, but often times with a profound effect.

Condolences and sympathy goes out to those in the Caribbean island of Haiti and their families world wide in the wake of the disastrous effects of the 7.0 earthquake that devastated the island on Tuesday January 12, 2010.

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The Bruce Who Stole Christmas

Usually on a Friday I like to post something on a light note, or even post a picture of some hot, sexy female scantily clad. And don't be fooled by the picture above, I am not even reviewing a movie! However this is not an ordinary Friday, it is the real Black Friday, not the one where you get to buy your desire at half the price, but one where you will want to hold on to your money for dear life! What is so bad about this Friday, and it's not Friday 13th?

Well, it's what was announced Thursday, that made this Friday so dark and gloomy. The Prime Minister and his henchman Audley Shaw announced yet another new set of taxes to the nation in Gordon House on Thursday afternoon! This is not just another ordinary tax package, but the mother of all tax packages that has been announced in the past, yes this one supersedes all the previous tax woes on the nation of Jamaica! Instead of being merry and enjoying the upcoming season, Jamaicans have been plunged into a solemn mood, by a picture painted with more hardship for the poor and the struggling working class of this island. But really, can one pronouncement be so bad?

Well remember a few months ago the government introduced new taxes on the poor Jamaican people who were already suffering from high prices and low pay. This is now compounded by this heavy and burdensome increase in existing taxes and the inclusion of basically all goods and services that was not previously taxed! It's as if the government unleashed the tax floodgates on the already burdened tax payers! Now let me depress you with the details:

• The standard rate for GCT will be going up from 16.5% to 17.5%
• Motorists will again be hit with an increase in the fuel tax which will increase to 15%.
• GCT will now be applied to electricity, residential customers using more than 200 kilowatt hour each month.
• Fresh fruit and vegetables, ground provisions, meat, poultry, fish, corned beef and pickled mackerel which were previously tax exempt will now attract GCT.
  
• Other basic food items such as canned sardines, mackerel, bread, buns and bullas are also included on the list of taxable items.
• Persons who require medical and surgical prostheses, orthopedics appliances will now have to pay GCT for these items.
• The Special Consumption Tax on cigarettes will be increased from $8,500 per 1,000 sticks to $10,500 per 1,000 sticks to raise $1.41 billion.
  
• TVJ Prime Time News has noted that even sanitary napkins will be taxed!

Yes my friends, it will now cost more money to even purchase the basic necessities. If the average Jamaican is now finding it hard to make ends meet, what are we going to do come January 2010? The government is hoping that these new overly burdensome taxes will correct the shortfall in the budget and impress the big bad IMF (International Monetary Fund), who they have been trying to woo for several months now. But this new tax measure will definitely put a serious dent into the personal budgets of the ordinary Jamaicans! I know this news has for a certain dampened the somewhat festive mood of this merry season. But you can still eat, drink and be merry this month, for as of January we shall starve!

Sources: http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=15347, http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=15346

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Michael Pryce Has Died

Journalist Michael Pryce has succumbed with his battle against the dreaded cancer when he died on Monday December 13 at the age of forty eight. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer in January 2006. Pryce is hailed by the Cancer Society Jamaica as a strong advocate for the fight against this disease that has claimed so many lives. He was hospitalised earlier this year at the University Hospital of the West Indies and subsequently travelled to the UK where he has citizenship.

He was born in Birmingham, England, but attended Kingston College and Vere Technical High School. He later returned to England, where he pursued university studies as well as serving a short time in the British army. Pryce's media career took spans several national and international media houses, including: BBC World Service and Choice FM radio in London, Television Jamaica, Radio Jamaica, and then finally joined CVM TV and HOT 102 in Jamaica.He worked as a broadcast journalist with CVM TV, covering and sports, anchoring news and sportscasts, as well as hosting current-affairs programmes.

This great journalist who was easily identified by his British accent on local TV and radio, will be missed by the media fraternity and the entire Jamaican audience.

Source: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091215/lead/lead7.html, http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/cancer-society-on-pryce

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Driva A Stopped!!!

Driver, don't stop at all, drop this Arizona round a Alba Mall
Driver, don't even hitch, collect dat likkle food deh yah and come back quick
Driver, just rememba di damn speed limit
Cau if yuh, run in di Feds my friend dat is it

-Driver A by Buju Banton

Well it seems when Buju penned those words to the song Driver A, he wasn't expecting to be in the hands of the Feds! Well none of his fans, as a matter of fact none of us expected to hear news that one of Jamaica's most well known artiste would be locked up by the American police for dealing in drugs! I bet the entire Jamaica was shocked when they saw the news that Reggae/Dancehall artiste Buju Banton (Mark Anthony Myrie) has been arrested in Miami for cocaine! Buju as well as two other men have been held in a sting operation by undercover DEA agents and it is alleged that they were in the process of purchasing five kilograms of cocaine.

I was shocked to hear the news that he was arrested for drugs, but even more shocked to hear that it was cocaine! I mean if he was being arrested for drugs, the first thought is that it would have been for weed (marijuana), but cocaine! It is alleged by the US law enforcement officers that Buju was instrumental in the drug deal and has been recorded brokering the deal and even recorded tasting the drug for validity. This is one tough pickle Buju is in, even though it is reported that he vigorously denies being a part of the drug deal. However, his denial is not enough to get him off the hook and it certainly not an easy road to beat this charge.

There has been no official word from Buju's management team on the issue and the local law enforcement personnel has not indicated that they have specifics on Buju's charges. However, we do know according to the Associated Press that Buju faces a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and faces up to 20 years in prison. It will be interesting to see how this turns out for Buju, who was just recently nominated for a Grammy for his latest album Rasta Got Soul. All of Buju's fans and of course Jamaicans on a whole are eager to hear the details and the fate of this popular artiste. Is he really innocent? Was he setup? is it a great conspiracy due to his anti-gay songs and recent nomination? I guess we all have to wait to see how this unfortunate ordeal plays out.

Source: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091215/lead/lead1.html, http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091214/lead/lead1.html, http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091213/lead/lead1.html, http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g22fxkrM8bnyJ6iWw7HcA-IycAZQD9CJR8E82

Poll Results

Do you think Buju Banton is guilty of the drug charges?

No	9 (26%)
Yes	19 (55%)
Not sure	5 (14%)
What drug charges?	1 (2%)

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They Have Returned and FREE!!!

Well it seems it will be a merry Christmas for cable subscribers here in Jamaica, for Flow customers at least! All indications are that Flow and HBO Latin America have ended their standoff and have struck a deal. Flow has conceded and has signed a deal with HBO Latin America to purchase their feed. This has resulted in the return of several HBO and CineMax channels to the Flows movie lineup (see chart below). Of course these new HBO and CineMax channels now come complete with Latin American ads and even some programmes are partially in Spanish. Seems I need to learn Spanish now... Um, where is that Rosetta Stone DVD? But I guess, Flow can't beat the big dogs so they just have to roll with them and work with the programme to return these channels that its Jamaican customers have become accustomed to.

However, this is not the end for the bag off goodies that Santa Flow has for its good little customers! As a special treat to its customers Flow has decided to offer its residential customers all eleven HBO and CineMax channels FREE for the Christmas season up until January 31, 2010! Yes fellow Flow customers you will be able to watch all these channels free for 2 months, enough to keep you entertained throughout the holiday season. They have further stated that they will soon provide further information on the packages that will be offered and pricing for these premium channels. Let's hope they will really be flexible as they claim they will be when they announce these plans. But in the meantime, entertain yourselves with the channels as Flow seeks to reacquaint you with this estranged channels.

www.flowjamaica.com

Source: http://www.flowjamaica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=249&Itemid=293

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Drought!

For almost the entire year the island of Jamaica has been experiencing a serious drought. The normally rainy months of April, May and October proved to be fruitless and with scarce rainfall too short and infrequent to mention. Even more disappointing was the peak of the hurricane season, even though I'm glad we didn't get a hurricane, but also we didn't get not even one good tropical wave to replenish the reservoirs and quench the thirst of the parched land! The Agricultural Minister announced that this is the worst drought the island has experienced in the past twenty years!

This drought has already begun to take its toll on the island, especially here in the Corporate area and even more so where I live. I have been experiencing water lock-offs since about June of this year, At first I used to loose piped water at about 10:00pm every night until e:00 the following morning, but things have now taken a turn for the worse. Now the water is being locked off as early as 7:30pm! And there is ominous news that as the drought progresses water restrictions will only increase, which would mean that customers will be seeing only a few hours of piped water per day.

However the far reaching consequences of this all island drought is not limited to just our individual pipelines, but the Agricultural sector too is feeling the effects if this drought being caused by what the scientist call El Nino. The longer this phenomenon continues our water supply, agriculture, livestock, and our normal day to day lives will continue to be placed into even more grave danger.

The National Worthless Commission... I mean National Water Commission (NWC), even though they cannot be blamed for the long term effects of this drought still needs to shoulder the blame along with the Jamaican Governments for the inadequate water supply the nation is facing. It seems that quite a few of the islands damns, especially the Hermitage Damn, which supplies the Kingston Metropolitan area have suffered reduced capacity over the past years due to silt. This reduced capacity coupled with increase population and businesses has further reduced the ability of these damns to collect and store enough water especially for times like these. However, our governments and NWC over the years did not see it prudent to increase our water storage capacity by dredging and/or increasing the number of reservoirs across the island, especially the city of Kingston.

It seems we all now need to take a backward... or I should say a forward step, to erect tanks and catchment facilities at our homes in order to ensure we have a fresh supply of water at our homes. Right now i think a meeting is in order at the half dead complex that i live to amend the Strata agreement to allow individuals to erect personal tanks, or for the strata to erect communal tanks for the complex. At this rate I will be living from bottle to bottle for my water supply and that just can't work! It's a serious state the country is in and even hotter, drier days are ahead as this El Nino drought drags on.

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Passport Rush!!!

The scene at the Passport Office on Wednesday from under one of the tents.

People, people and more people!!! That was the scene yesterday at the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) as hundreds and possibly in the thousands descended to get their new passports! It was so full that people were everywhere on the compound and even large tents were constructed to house only a fraction of the crowd! But why this great rush for for passports? Well the government announced on Tuesday of this week that effective Monday November 17, the fee for obtaining passports will see increases ranging from eighty percent to as much as three hundred and eight percent! this means that the cost of an adult passport will move from JM$2500 to JM$4500 and for minors JM$1500 to JM$2700. But if your passport is lost or stolen and you need to replace it, you are in fo a shocking increase! The fee for replacing a passport in such circumstances will jump from JM$2500 to a whopping JM$9500! So make sure you keep your passport under some serious lock and key!

So with this announcement, hundreds of Jamaicans descended on the passport office in a bid to cash in on the last of the low prices before the new fees take effect. Yours truly Stunner was also one of the members of this large throng of people trying to avoid the increase in fees. When I arrived at the passport office at about midday I was shocked by the sheer number of people there in hopes of getting their new passport, so I proceeded to the desk at the side of the building and after having my documents checked i was issued a number H84. Hmm, H4 shouldn't be so bad, so i went and asked one of the passport office staff what number are they processing and was told they were in the low B's! What, that mean I had hundreds of people as the tickets were numbered [Letter A-J][01-99]! With that in mind I decided I would go about my business until they close the gate at 3:30pm. I came back to the passport office at 3:40pm and was still greeted by a huge crown which seemed to have only increased since I was last there! However, determined to get my passport I decided to stay, and stay I did. I waited and waited until the day progressed from a brightly lit afternoon to dark night as my number wasn't called until approximately 6:40pm! After going into the office itself, I spend about 20 minutes to get processed, basically a whole day combined!

According to The Gleaner's website, the crowd at the passport office has not subsided but is even larger than it was yesterday! It is so bad that according to the report, three police units have been deployed to the passport office to aid the private security company to maintain order! judging from yesterday, I can just imagine what that crowd looks like today and fear to even imagine what it will look like on Friday! I am sure the passport office will make more than their Christmas money between Wednesday and Friday! But it is terrible to see that the government as well as employers are cutting back on increases and cutting jobs, yet government fees and the prices of goods and services are skyrocketing! As Buju said, "What more unuh want... people fi do?", thing rough and they are getting rougher. If you plan to get your passport before the fee increases, I wish you well!

Sources: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20091110/lead/lead5.html, http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=14273

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More Increases, More Hardship!

Once again, the hardship of the Jamaican people has increased. The Government recently tables its supplementary budget in Parliament and increased hardship was on the platter. The government has hiked the taxes on telephone calls, cards and instruments from the already high twenty percent (20%) to a whopping twenty five percent (25%). So now you will pay a quarter of the price of a call, phone card or instrument, plus the stipulated cost each time your take up that phone to make call, buy a phone card or purchase a new phone. Whoever said talk is cheap certainly didn't live or visit Jamaica! However the increase didn't stop there!

If you are thinking of traveling overseas any time soon you will be required to fork out some more money coupled with the already ridiculously high airfares. Why? The government has also chosen to increase the departure tax by a whopping eighty percent(80%)! So now instead of paying the regular JM$1000 for departure tax you will now be required to fork out an extra JM$800 to pay the new fee of JM$1800each time you purchase a ticket to travel. This government never fails to surprise as yesterday when they announced the increases they pulled a fast one and announced that these increases would be effective today, Thursday October1, 2009! Surprise!

However, the government wasn't all about increases as they announced that they will indeed be cutting something! What would cause the government to deviate from their trend of increasing? The government confirmed the fears of many public servants on Wednesday when they announced that they will be cutting the number of people employed to the public sector. Up to earlier this week the Labour Minister, Pernell Charles, stated that as far as he knows the Prime Minister would not be cutting jobs in the public sector, but the Prime Minister sang a different tune on Wednesday! No time-line has been given for this cut, but many speculate that it will be soon, with the IMF deal in sight. So once again the already high unemployment figure in Jamaica will increase.

The only good announcement that came from this supplementary budget was that the Cabinet was not immune from the public sector job cut and that the government will be seeking to cut down on the red tape and gymnastics required to start businesses. But even with this gleam of light the days ahead grow even darker and hardship will only increase for the average Jamaican.

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Swayze and Rhone Have Passed On

In just the space of two days the entertainment industry has lost two great icons on both the international scene and on the local scene.

theinsider.com photo

On Monday September 14, 2009 the world found out about the death of actor Patrick Swayze who succumbed to his battle against pancreatic cancer at the age of 57. Swayze was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer in January of 2008 and has been fighting this terrible disease while maintaining his acting career. Patrick Swazye is best known for his roles in the block buster movies and all time favorites Dirty Dancing and Ghost. The media's fascination with Swayze did not end with those two movies as he was named by People's Magazine as the sexiest man alive in 1991. His last lead role was the series The Beast, which premiered in January 2009 was later canceled due to the deterioration of his health. Hollywood has lost yet another great actor, the man who made Dirty Dancing appealing to so many females.

jamaicaobserver.com Photo

The local scene however, was not spared from the loss of an icon in its entertainment industry as on Tuesday September 15, 2009 the well known playwright, actor and director Trevor Rhone died in the hospital after suffering a heart attack at the age of 69. Trevor Rhone is best known for his plays with the most popular being Smile Orange, Old Story Time and Two can Play. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the first Jamaican movie The Harder They Come, which stared Jimmy Cliff and further served as a resident playwright at the Barn Theatre. This great talent did not go unnoticed as he was also a recipient of the Commander of the Order of Distinction. Another great produce of Jamaica and one of our most well known member of the dramatic arts fraternity.

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No More HBO and Cinemax!

When I came back to Jamaica from my New York vacation and turned on my television, I scrolled to my favorite movie stations, HBO and Cinemax, only to be greeted by the "rice grain" signals on my screen. What! I still can see the other channels quite well, so I know my cable is connected, maybe these two stations are just down at the moment. Two days later and still no HBO or Cinemax, this was serious! So I clicked over to the Logic One information channel and was greeted by this notice below.

Both HBO and Cinemax have been removed from the channel lineup as ordered by the Broadcasting Commission at the request of HBO Latin America! What? Why? How could the Broadcasting Commission order the removal of these well watched channels just like that, how could they?

This question was then answered in a notice from two of Kingston's biggest cable company, Logic One and Telstar. It seems HBO Latin America has ordered that our local cable companies cease and desist from broadcasting all HBO and Cinemax North America feed effective immediately. According to the notice HBO Latin America has claimed that it is in the advanced stages of preparing a channel for the Caribbean region, called HBO Caribbean. They have also assured the cable operators that the new channel will not be broadcast in Spanish of with Spanish sub-titles. The alternative proposed by by HBO Latin America for the Cinemax channel was in the form of movies produced by Warner Brothers. In other words, they are in the process of providing our cable operators with a watered down feed to broadcast to their subscribers.

No time-line was provided in the statement for the commence of these two new channels slated to replace the HBO and Cinemax that we were used to. So until then We will have to do well with the other movie channels in the lineup, that is if you don't have Flow. There has been no statement regarding Flow's channel lineup, so I assume Flow is unaffected by this action. (Update 09/09/09: I have been advised that Flow has removed the mention channels from their lineup too.)All this has raised a few questions: Why has HBO Latin America suddenly ordered a cease and desist? Are our cable providers not paying for the feed? Why does HBO Latin America want to give us a different (watered down) set of channels? Is it that they are giving us a substandard version to fit our budget? What will these new channels be like?

Whatever the reason is, one thing is for sure, it seems there will no longer be and HBO and Cinemax as we know it for these two cable operators and their subscribers.

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