Posted by Yardie Luke on September 30, 2010 under Hurricane News | 
THE FLOOD rains which lashed the island over the past three days have claimed at least two lives and there are growing fears that many other persons might have died, as the outer bands of what developed into Tropical Storm Nicole rocked Jamaica.
A teenage boy and a 68-year-old farmer were confirmed dead in what could be one of the most deadly weather systems to have hit the island in more than a decade.
A family of six is among the persons reported missing and feared dead, but there were unconfirmed reports last night that at least six other persons could not be accounted for.
The first worrying signs came in the wee hours of yesterday morning when news broke that the wall of the Sandy Gully had collapsed, near Liguanea Avenue in St Andrew, pulling three houses into the raging waters.
It was quickly confirmed that a woman, her four children, her common-law husband and a visiting female friend were in one of the houses at the time it fell into the gully.
At the break of day, as the water flow subsided, the nude body of one of the children, a young boy, was seen near the collapsed building inside the gully.
A frantic search was launched but up to late last night, as the other persons had not been found sparking fears that they had been buried in the rubble or their bodies washed into the sea.
“Me can’t tek this. Me know all of them and the woman is a good woman who work hard and is always trying,” said one neighbour with tears flowing down her face.
Other persons cried quietly as they expressed regret at the tragedy.
Member of parliament for the area, Delroy Chuck, was equally struck by the tragedy which he claimed was avoidable.
“Obviously, it is a combination of factors that has caused the collapse of the house,” Chuck told The Gleaner.
“The house was built right on the gully bank and the gully floor and its banks were eroding. Up to Saturday, I was viewing it because I have made representation already to the National Works Agency about the many gullies in the community that need to be repaired and this was one of them,” Chuck added.
Death confirmed
Hours later, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that 68-year-old farmer Lenford Blake was washed away by torrential rains in Flagaman, St Elizabeth.
While the police were unable to provide details on the circumstances surrounding Blake’s death, it was reported he was at a bar in the community when he left. On his way home, he was reportedly swept away by gushing waters.
That news was quickly followed by reports that a man who attempted to cross the flooded ford in the Hope River in Harbour View, St Andrew, had been washed away.
Residents claimed to have seen the unidentified man’s body floating towards the sea.
The body was not found up to press time and the police were unable to provide any information.
In 2008, Tropical Gustav caused 15 deaths and left millions of dollars in damage. SOURCE: Jamaica-Gleaner.com
Posted by Yardie Luke on September 28, 2010 under Famous Jamaicans |
Despite his current incarceration, Buju Banton was heavily involved in putting together this latest album, Before The Dawn
. From choosing the final track listing and labouring over the phone with the producers and engineers to get the mixes just right, as well as to conceptualising the project’s distinguished packaging, was the level of his involvement.
Hard copies of the album contain a special note written from inside the Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater, Florida, where he has been housed for the past nine months.
Before The Dawn will drop in North America and Japan today. The release date for the UK and France has been set for October 4, however, it will be available in the rest of Europe a few days earlier from October 1. Fans around the world may pre-order the album now on both iTunes and Amazon.com.
The ninth studio album by the international musician, Before The Dawn boasts 10 tracks that comprise some of the most powerful songs written by Banton since his professional entry into the music business over twenty years ago.
Recorded at Banton’s own Gargamel Music studio in Kingston, Jamaica, Before The Dawn is said to contain the traditional roots Reggae sound on the track Do Good, a little classic rock on the tune No Smoking At All, and deep reggae on Battered & Bruised. Buju’s handlers have named the track Innocent as the album’s unofficial anthem, which they claim strikes a highly personal chord that is hoped will resonate deeply with the artiste’s long-time fans. SOURCE: Jamaica Observer
Posted by Yardie Luke on September 24, 2010 under Jamaica Travel |
Mark the date: October 10th 2010 or simply 10/10/10.
It is Carnival Time again!
The 2010 MIAMI CARNIVAL will be held on Sunday, October 10th, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium (Dolphin Stadium) in the City of Miami Gardens. Miami Carnival is a celebration of creativity: an eruption of revelry, colorful and spectacular costumes and pulsating music. It is a time when the diversity of the caribbean community can be seen as people of all ages and races come together to shed their inhibitions and enjoy a release from everyday stress. Dolphin Stadium is home to numerous NFL Super Bowls and major entertainment productions, including Jazz in the Gardens. The Miami Broward One Carnival Host Committee has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Sun Life Stadium and its affiliates and the Miami Dolphins organization to secure the Stadium as a venue for the Miami Carnival on Columbus Day Weekend each year. This spirited agreement represents a major opportunity for the Miami Carnival to build the future and sustainability of the Carnival brand at a world renowned venue. MORE INFO
Posted by Yardie Luke on September 22, 2010 under Jamaica Travel |
All passengers making airline reservations for travel to the United States are now required to provide their birth date, sex and passport number, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tightens access to flights operating in its airspace.
The information is required 72 hours in advance of travel.
Tagged ‘Secure Flight’, a recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, came into effect on September 16. The information provided at the time seats are booked must exactly match the data on each traveller’s ID, says a news report on the Homeland Security website.
The move is aimed at cauterising a repeat of the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 29, 2009. The flight was the target of a failed al-Qaida plot, in which a passenger tried to detonate plastic explosives sewn to his underwear, although the passenger’s name was listed on the ‘No Fly’ list.
The Secure Flight programme is a collaboration of the DHS and United States (US) Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
One of the US’ largest carriers, American Airlines, in letters to their passengers, have described the introduction of the reservation rules as “designed to enhance the security of domestic and international commercial air travel by streamlining the DHS watch list-matching process”.
Reservation
The airline said that all passengers must have Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD) in their reservation at least 72 hours prior to departure.
“You will be unable to travel without providing this information,” said American.
Only passengers who are cleared to fly by the TSA will be given boarding passes.
The airline noted that compliance with this mandate will require that any ticket purchase on or after September 15 will need to provide SFPD.
Efforts to get a comment from national carrier Air Jamaica proved futile, as its public relations unit is now based in Trinidad and Tobago.
In the meantime, passengers may go to www.aa.com/secureflight for further information. SOURCE
Posted by Yardie Luke on September 20, 2010 under Famous Jamaicans |
Hello My Caribbean Friends
I invite you to join me in listening to “The Open Mic” show aired at lunchtime 12 noon to 12:59 pm (Eastern Time). If you are in Dade, Broward or Palm Beach county you can tune in to 1170 AM. If you are out of the listening area you can hear the show online at WAVS1170.com.
The host of the show is famous Jamaican radio personality Winston Barnes. The show is educational and seeks to inform the audience on politics, finance, health, music and entertainment, travel and sports.
Recent shows have revealed information on loan modification fraud, mortgage reduction, the health on the banking industry, politics in Jamaica and the US and crime in Jamaica.
Most of us first heard of the passing of “Arrow” on The Open Mic show last Wednesday.
If you missed the show, a summary can be viewed at FriendsOfWinstonBarnes.com.
Your Truly,
Yardie Luke
Posted by Yardie Luke on September 14, 2010 under Saving Money |
The information presented here applies to residents of the USA.
While listening to the Winston Barnes show today (wavs1170.com) it became very obvious that many of our Caribbean friends have been taken advantage of by unsavory attorneys, mortgage adjusters, insurance adjusters, debt consolidators and some other licensed professionals.
Unfortunately the trusting and vulnerable among us (usually the elderly and immigrants) are seen as “easy preys” for skilled and corrupt professionals.
One person said on the “Open Mic” show that he paid $700 to an attorney to pursue a case and was told weeks later to pay $300 per month to keep the case open even after the attorney failed to show what he had done up to that point.
Another caller to the “Open Mic” show said that an Insurance Adjuster received $10,000 for an insurance claim but only gave her $5600. That amounts to a fee of 44% which seems excessive.
Many fellow Jamaicans and others have lost money to fraudulent mortgage adjusters and debt consolidation firms. Others have paid for home repairs that were either left incomplete or done in a sloppy manner.
AS A GENERAL RULE DO NOT HAND OVER YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY TO ANYONE BEFORE SERVICE HAS BEEN RENDERED.
CHECK YOUR STATE’S LICENSING AND REGULATION DIVISION TO SEE IF THERE ARE COMPLAINTS AGAINST A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL BEFORE AGREEING TO HAVE HIM/HER WORK FOR YOU.
If you feel you are the victim of fraud or deceptive practices contact the DIVISION OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS/SERVICES in you state. Also get in touch with the Department of Licensing IF it is not part of the DIVISION OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS.
If a case of fraud was committed across state line get in touch with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC.gov)
Here is a list of websites that may help you when a professional failed to deliver as promised:
NY – Consumer Protection Board
NYC – Department of Consumer Affairs (includes Department of Licensing)
Florida – Division of Consumer Services
Florida – Office of FL Attorney General Fraud Alerts
New Jersey – Division of Consumer Affairs
Illinois – Illinois Attorney General Consumer Protection Division
Illinois – Department of Financial & Professional Regulation
California – Department of Consumer Affairs (includes Department of Licensing)
Los Angeles County – Department of Consumer Affairs
Texas – Office of Attorney General Consumer Protection
Texas - Department of Licensing & Regulation
Georgia – Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs
Virginia – Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Massachusetts - Office of Consumer Affairs & Business Regulation
Connecticut – Department of Consumer Protection (includes Department of Licensing)
North Carolina – Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
South Carolina – Department of Consumer Affairs
News about fraudulent companies:
Bogus Advance-Fee Credit Card Operation Targeted Hispanic Consumers
Payday Loan Defendant Settles FTC Charges; Illegally Tried to Garnish Borrowers’ Wages
Posted by Yardie Luke on September 11, 2010 under Jamaica Sports |
Usain Bolt is set to arrive in Australia on Tuesday to launch his very own sports drink: Gatorade Bolt Lemon Ice.
The beverage is the latest addition to the Gatorade line of sports drinks and has been available in Australia since mid-August.
Inspired by the charismatic world’s fastest man, Gatorade Bolt Lemon Ice contains a six-per cent carbohydrate blend that helps speed fluid back into the body and fuel working muscles. The drink is the same formula as other Gatorade drinks and delivers the same benefits, the only difference being the new flavour, Lemon Ice.
“I’m happy that Gatorade is bringing me to Australia for my first visit Down Under,” said Bolt, who just recently returned home from the United Kingdom where he spent the last couple of weeks promoting his book – Usain Bolt My Story: 9.58 Being the World’s Fastest Man.
“I’ve been using Gatorade sports drinks since 2008 and I am really honoured that they have now named their latest product after me,” Bolt said.
Initial sales of the drink in Australia have been strong but, at present, Gatorade says they have no plans to release the drink elsewhere.
While in Australia, Bolt will be working with the fastest men in football, helping them compete at their full potential, as well as giving them tips on hydration. He will also be donating to them bottles of Gatorade Bolt Lemon Ice.
In Australia, the entire Gatorade range, including Gatorade Bolt Lemon Ice, is used and endorsed by the Australian Institute of Sports, Victorian Institute of Sports and Sports Dieticians Australia. SOURCE
Posted by Yardie Luke on September 8, 2010 under Jamaica Sports |
Jamaican Olympic and World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser has escaped a mandatory two-year ban after the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) agreed with the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association’s (JAAA) authorities that circumstances around her case were exceptional and did not merit such a punishment.
The 23-year-old, tested positive for a non- performance enhancement prohibitive substance, Oxycodone, at a Diamond League meet in Shanghai, China.
The JAAA tribunal will now meet to determine what sanctions are to be handed down to Fraser.
Fraser in May, gave her account of the events which led to her positive test at a three-member JAAA disciplinary panel hearing headed by former chief justice, Lensley Wolfe.
Fraser, in media reports prior to the hearing, said she took a painkiller for a tooth condition prior to the meet. However, as per procedure, she failed to report it on the meet’s drug testing form. The painkiller, according to reports, was Oxycodone.
While not a performance-enhancing drug or masking agent, as per IAAF rules, the drug is on the World Anti-Doping Agency list of drugs which must be declared by an athlete prior to competition.
In the meanwhile Bobby Gaye Wilkins received a two year ban for a banned substance. SOURCE
Posted by Yardie Luke on September 7, 2010 under Health |
The health benefits of sex extend well beyond the bedroom. Turns out sex is good for you in ways you may never have imagined.
By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Feature Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
When you’re in the mood, it’s a sure bet that the last thing on your mind is boosting your immune system or maintaining a healthy weight. Yet good sex offers those health benefits and more.
That’s a surprise to many people, says Joy Davidson, PhD, a New York psychologist and sex therapist. “Of course, sex is everywhere in the media,” she says. “But the idea that we are vital, sexual creatures is still looked at in some cases with disgust or in other cases a bit of embarrassment. So to really take a look at how our sexuality adds to our life and enhances our life and our health, both physical and psychological, is eye-opening for many people.”
Sex does a body good in a number of ways, according to Davidson and other experts. The benefits aren’t just anecdotal or hearsay — each of these 10 health benefits of sex is backed by scientific scrutiny.
Among the benefits of healthy loving in a relationship:
Better Sex Starting Today!
1. Sex Relieves Stress
A big health benefit of sex is lower blood pressure and overall stress reduction, according to researchers from Scotland who reported their findings in the journal Biological Psychology. They studied 24 women and 22 men who kept records of their sexual activity. Then the researchers subjected them to stressful situations — such as speaking in public and doing verbal arithmetic — and noted their blood pressure response to stress.
Those who had intercourse had better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviors or abstained.
Another study published in the same journal found that frequent intercourse was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure in cohabiting participants. Yet other research found a link between partner hugs and lower blood pressure in women.
2. Sex Boosts Immunity
Good sexual health may mean better physical health. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. Scientists at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., took samples of saliva, which contain IgA, from 112 college students who reported the frequency of sex they had.
Those in the “frequent” group — once or twice a week — had higher levels of IgA than those in the other three groups — who reported being abstinent, having sex less than once a week, or having it very often, three or more times weekly.
3. Sex Burns Calories
Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound. Doubling up, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions.
“Sex is a great mode of exercise,” says Patti Britton, PhD, a Los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators and Therapists. It takes work, from both a physical and psychological perspective, to do it well, she says.
4. Sex Improves Cardiovascular Health
While some older folks may worry that the efforts expended during sex could cause a stroke, that’s not so, according to researchers from England. In a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, scientists found frequency of sex was not associated with stroke in the 914 men they followed for 20 years.
And the heart health benefits of sex don’t end there. The researchers also found that having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for the men, compared with those who had sex less than once a month.
5. Sex Boosts Self-Esteem
Boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex, collected by University of Texas researchers and published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.
That finding makes sense to Gina Ogden, PhD, a sex therapist and marriage and family therapist in Cambridge, Mass., although she finds that those who already have self-esteem say they sometimes have sex to feel even better. “One of the reasons people say they have sex is to feel good about themselves,” she tells WebMD. “Great sex begins with self-esteem, and it raises it. If the sex is loving, connected, and what you want, it raises it.”
6. Sex Improves Intimacy
Having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which helps us bond and build trust. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina evaluated 59 premenopausal women before and after warm contact with their husbands and partners ending with hugs. They found that the more contact, the higher the oxytocin levels.
“Oxytocin allows us to feel the urge to nurture and to bond,” Britton says.
Higher oxytocin has also been linked with a feeling of generosity. So if you’re feeling suddenly more generous toward your partner than usual, credit the love hormone.
7. Sex Reduces Pain
As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins increase, and pain declines. So if your headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin levels.
In a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 48 volunteers who inhaled oxytocin vapor and then had their fingers pricked lowered their pain threshold by more than half.
8. Sex Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Frequent ejaculations, especially in 20-something men, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer later in life, Australian researchers reported in the British Journal of Urology International. When they followed men diagnosed with prostate cancer and those without, they found no association of prostate cancer with the number of sexual partners as the men reached their 30s, 40s, and 50s.
But they found men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third.
Another study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more a month, were linked to lower prostate cancer risk in older men, as well, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly.
9. Sex Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles
For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels during sex offers a couple of benefits. You will enjoy more pleasure, and you’ll also strengthen the area and help to minimize the risk of incontinence later in life.
To do a basic Kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor, as if you’re trying to stop the flow of urine. Count to three, then release.
10. Sex Helps You Sleep Better
The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, according to research.
And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure. Something to think about, especially if you’ve been wondering why your guy can be active one minute and snoring the next.
SOURCE: WebMD
Posted by Yardie Luke on under Jamaica Sports |
Eight days … … three gold medals … … three world records … one amazing reputation firmly established. Usain Bolt’s life – and the world of sport – would never be quite the same again.
16 August 2008 … Beijing, China … the Bird’s Nest stadium … 91,000 spectators and an unimaginably huge global television audience … the final of the men’s 100 metres at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. The crack of the starter’s pistol triggers thousands of camera flash bulbs … and precisely 9.69 seconds later a young Jamaican streaks across the finishing line to claim the gold medal and his destiny.
Four days later Bolt claims the 200 metres gold, setting a new world record of 19.30 into the bargain, the night before his 22nd birthday. Then on 22nd August he leads the Jamaican team to more glory in the 4 x 100 metres relay final, in yet another world record time.
Since those heady days of the Beijing Olympics in August 2008, Usain Bolt has lowered both the 100 metres and 200 metres world records once again – to a barely believable 9.58 and 19.19 seconds respectively – as the World Championships in Berlin brought two more gold medals and yet more superlatives. At a stroke the Jamaican has become the greatest sports star in the world.
9.58 is Usain Bolt’s story
so far, in his own words, beautifully illustrated with dozens of specially commissioned photographs. It’s about a skinny kid from the parish of Trelawny, where they harvest the best yams in the world.
It’s about growing up playing cricket and football in the warm Jamaican sun, then discovering that he could run fast, very fast.
It’s about family, friends and the laid-back Jamaican culture.
It’s about Auntie Lillian’s pork and dumplings and Dad’s grocery store in the sleepy village of Sherwood Content.
It’s about what makes him tick, where he gets his motivation and where he takes his inspiration.
It’s about the highs and the lows, the dedication and sacrifices required to get to the top.
It’s about fast food, partying, dancehall music, fast cars and that lightning bolt pose.
It’s about radiating sport’s biggest smile. This is the story of the fastest man on the planet.
