Vybz Kartel signed the Reggae Compassionate Act late September, just days before he was set to perform in France. Portmore Empire leader Vybz Kartel, has made his first public statement since singing a deal with the gay community in Europe.
Copies of the signed document flooded the internet over the past week, resulting in Kartel feeling the heat from dancehall fans. Kartel have since been shying away from the public due to the amount of attention the signing of the deed has drawn on him. Until Wednesday Vybz spoke to Gleaner journalists.
Kartel would not confirm the details but questioned why there was a brouhaha over his signing the document.
“Yes, I did. What’s the big deal? So what if I did?” he asked before hanging up the phone.
Lewis said the ‘big deal’ is to make sure performers adhere to the act’s strictures.
“Artistes should be aware of the influence their music could have on society,” Lewis said.
At a press conference in Montego Bay, St. James Thursday Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett said the invitation has been made in partnership with sandals resorts international.
The ministries of tourism and foreign affairs and foreign trade have offered the 33 Chilean miners, rescue workers and their spouses a relaxing Jamaican vacation.
They were trapped after part of the mine collapsed on August 5.
The press conference was held to give an update on the island’s readiness for Caribbean Marketplace to be held from January 16 to 18, next year.
The event will be held at the Montego Bay convention center which is still under construction.
Minister Bartlett said his ministry, along with related agencies, will be working closely with the foreign affairs ministry and sandals resorts to ensure the miners, rescue workers and their spouses are able to enjoy what he describes as a stress-free Jamaican vacation.
Thirty-three miners were brought out of the San Jose Mine in Chile on Wednesday after spending 69 days underground.
Deejay Vybz Kartel has cleared rumours of a Dispute between himself and producer Russian, as well as those circulating about his Portmore Empire member Jah Vinci.
Kartel clarified that despite rumours of a rift between himself and Russian everything is good between them. When asked about a Dispute, which had been circulating on the Internet he said, “Russian a mi pickney”. When contacted, Russian said he had got numerous calls from persons asking about a Dispute, but said, “there’s no beef.
Earlier this year, the two collaborated together on the hit Straight Jeans and Fitted, the first deejaying debut of the young producer, Russian. According to Russian, new material from his Head Concussion Music, featuring Kartel will also be released soon.
Speaking about young singer Jah Vinci, who is signed to Kartel’s Portmore Empire, Kartel said everything is good between them as well.
Jah Vinci has been quiet on the music scene of late with persons wondering what had been up with him. However, Kartel said, “we just drop a song wid me and Jah Vinci called Leadeth Me. Word on the streets is that Jah Vinci is not in Empire or that me have him inna me basement a clean me clarks, so this collab will kill all attempts at rumour’tism’.”
Among other releases from the deejay include Cakesoap for NotNice, Jah Jah Never Fail I for DJ Snoop, Cheat Pon Him for Birchill and More Dan Him CanBare for TJ Records.
Anti-GAY Riots Break Out In Serbia!
Police on Sunday clashed with thousands of far-right supporters who were trying to try disrupt a gay pride march in Belgrade. About 140 people were hurt and 200 were arrested.A European Union official says violent anti-gay riots in Serbia could hurt the Balkan country’s bid to join the bloc.Jelko Kacin, in charge of the European Parliament’s evaluation reports on Serbia, says the anti-gay riots “show an elementary lack” of tolerance for minority rights in Serbia and the “inefficiency” of the state in preventing such a trend.
The gay pride march was viewed as a test for Serbia’s government as it seeks EU membership.
U.S. Drug War Sparks Violence In Jamaica
Robert Muggah and Glaister Leslie, Contributors
Caribbean societies are reportedly being devastated by the highest rates of violent crime in the world. According to the United Nations, Bahamians, Jamaicans, Haitians, Puerto Ricans and Trinidadians are four times more likely to die by gun violence than a North American.
Worryingly, homicidal violence is worsening and spreading to countries previously thought immune.
The region’s political leaders are anxiously casting gangs as the new villains.
Although young men have long been recruited into gangs with support from local politicians, they are now being singled out as murderers, drug traffickers and, increasingly, terrorists. Fearful that local gangs are going global, the Caribbean is now at the centre of an international battle against organised crime.
Global war
Jamaica is a microcosm of the wider global war on gangs.
In May 2010, the Government’s efforts to capture alleged gang leader, Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, led to the death of more than 70 people and the shutdown of the nation’s capital for almost a week.
Behind the spectacular scenes of violence were long-standing allegations of state complicity in supporting gangs and systematic neglect of poorer communities.
Jamaica’s Government claims that the criminal gangs pose a clear and present danger to national security and its tourist-reliant economy. The Government has reported a fivefold increase in gang prevalence and a near doubling of murders over the past decade.
Public officials are using this evidence to justify aggressive pacification of the gang menace.
Historically, however, such tactics have seldom yielded the desired effect, instead they make things worse.
Academics such as Professor Anthony Harriott at the University of the West Indies argue that the sheer diversity of Jamaican gangs warrants a more sophisticated approach.
At one end of the gang spectrum are small, poor, and loosely organised groups of adolescent boys who believe they are defending their communities. They are seldom motivated by profit or power.
Social workers in Kingston have pointed out how amenable these so-called gang members are to social-welfare interventions.
Muscular crackdowns may, in fact, be driving some of them into the hands of the dons, or drug barons.
Political ties
At the other end are the larger, more organised gangs that are involved in more sophisticated black market activities.
Some of these gangs have long-established ties with the country’s politicians. They also have the resources to bribe – or directly challenge – Jamaica’s police and armed forces. Many also supply the pistols and assault rifles that smaller gangs use to such devastating effect.
Much like its Caribbean neighbours, Jamaica’s present crime-reduction strategy advocates heavy penalties, long incarceration periods and suppression.
In July, Jamaica’s Parliament enacted legislation – described by one legislator as “draconian, but necessary” – allowing persons charged with serious gun and drug-related offences to be held for up to 60 days without trial.
A close inspection of these actions reveals that while they may successfully fill prisons with young men, they do little to deter criminal violence.
The militarised response of the Jamaican Government to gangs reflects, to some extent, the fear and frustration of the country’s middle and upper classes.
For the country’s political elite, it is easier to support punitive measures to control deviants than challenge the deep-seated political corruption and neglect that facilitated the emergence of gangs to begin with.
For a brief moment it seemed that Jamaica might adopt a different approach to containing the gang threat.
Over the past 12 months, civil groups have been urging greater accountability in the distribution of state contracts – many of which were awarded to alleged gang leaders like Coke.
The civil groups have also been clamouring for transparency in the financing of political parties – much of which is believed to come from criminals. But these calls started dying out a few months ago.
Notwithstanding courageous scrutiny of the Government’s repressive tactics, most citizens are weary and and are more focused on the daily tasks of survival.
No clear strategy
Though widely recognised as a scourge across the Caribbean, there is no clear strategy for dismantling the region’s gang ecosystem.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is mandated to implement a regional crime and security agenda, but a plan has yet to emerge. The slow pace of progress reflects, to some extent, wider challenges of regional co-operation by Caribbean states.
To wit, the CARICOM meeting of Heads of Government in July ended with few concrete plans for collectively addressing the pernicious linkages between drugs, corruption and gangs.
The Caribbean Community has also looked to the US for support.
A five-year US$100 million Caribbean Basin Security Initiative was recently launched amid great fanfare.
The current effort is based on the ongoing US$464 million Mérida initiative under way in Central America and Mexico.
In the Caribbean, the focus is on 15 targeted states believed to be succumbing to fragility, if not outright failure.
Described by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as “a response to increasing rates of crime and violence in the region”, the effort is clearly motivated by the region’s function as a global trans-shipment hub for narcotics,
The outcome of Jamaica’s latest round of anti-gang efforts will be something of a canary in the mine for the rest of Caribbean.
A quiet hope
With Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding recently assuming the chairmanship of CARICOM, efforts at home will be seen as a showcase for other countries in the region.
Moreover, the US will be monitoring the situation closely to be sure its dollars are saving lives at home, and perhaps also in the Caribbean.
Since the pacification of Tivoli Gardens, there is quiet hope that the future may be different.
Jamaicans are right to demand meaningful change, accountability and a change of strategy in the country’s struggle with gang violence.
If these efforts are to be successful, they will need to focus their attention on the larger and more sophisticated gangs.
If they want to make durable improvements, Jamaican authorities would do well to introduce more transparent oversight over the issuing of service contracts, promote tangible opportunities for marginalised youth and encourage energetic civic action to keep authorities accountable to the citizens.
Kartel signs deal with gays? - Allegedly agrees not to perform hate music !
Reports by Tjenbé Rèd, the Afro-Caribbean association for the struggle against all forms of racism, homophobia and aids in France, are that deejay Vybz Kartel has signed the Reggae Compassionate Act which calls for the artiste to halt all anti-homophobic lyrics or statements.
News that the Stop Murder Music (SMM) France campaign received a signed copy of the RCA surfaced on the Internet a few weeks ago. A copy of the document, which has the artiste's name and what is alleged to be his signature, was placed on the site, www.tjenbered.fr. It is claimed that he signed the document on September 22.
Attempts by THE WEEKEND STAR to reach Kartel were unsuccessful as he was unavailable for comment.
According to a release on www.tjenbered.fr, "signing this Code of Practice is an example of real progress in the struggle against all forms of homophobia in Jamaica, France and the rest of the world. The SMM coalition has been waiting for this since 2004".
When contacted David Auerbach Chiffrin of the Tjenbé Rèd told THE WEEKEND STAR that they considered the signing to be a "courageous and noble act of solidarity between minorities".
minority
He added, "I think it was very courageous for him because I know for sure it is not proper for him in Jamaica to sign it. But it is the 21st century we have to move forward. We know very well what it is to be a minority in France and we cannot allow a minority, black people, to fight against another minority, gays."
In 2007, gay groups in the US and Europe drafted the Reggae Compassionate Act, which called on dancehall acts to be more tolerant to homosexuals.
For years, protests from gay activists have dogged the careers of Jamaican artistes internationally. Deejay Shabba Ranks experienced the backlash after responding to a question about Buju Banton's Boom Bye Bye. Buju himself has been plagued across the globe with banned concerts since doing that song, while others such as Beenie Man, TOK., Capleton, Sizzla and Elephant Man have experienced similar pressure.
Kartel performed at the Elysée-Montmartre in France in late September and according to the release on www.tjenbered.fr, attempts to stop the concert were being made by Ian Brossat, chair of the group of communist and Left Party elected representatives on Paris city council, counsellor for the 18th district, who had moved for a formal request to be sent to the capital's Prefect of Police asking him "to consider the risks to public order which might be provoked by" the singer's concert in the district.
It is alleged that after Kartel signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, the request was withdrawn in relation to this concert.
A concert which was to be held at the Elysée-Montmartre on Sept-ember 24 with reggae singer Sizzla Kalonji was subsequently cancelled due to efforts made by gay affiliates. The release added, "Vigilance is still required. Several performers of murder music have signed the RCA, then denied having signed it ... ."
According to Auerbach Chiffrin, they will be keeping on eye on Kartel to make sure he "respects his words".
The Earthquake Unit says the tremor measured 4.5 on the Richter Scale.
The epicentre was St Margaret’s Bay in Portland.
The Earthquake Unit at the University of the West Indies has confirmed that an earthquake this afternoon rocked sections of Jamaica.
The Earthquake Unit says the tremor happened about 4:32 this afternoon and lasted about 30 seconds.
No Bail For Reggae Star Buju Banton!
Buju Banton will spend another long week & weekend in jail because of a United States Judge Anthony Porcelli today reserved judgement in the bail hearing for the artiste and said he would make a ruling next week. Porcelli said he wanted to thoroughly review the arguments put forth by the defence and prosecution before making a judgement.
But prosecutor James Preston is staunchly opposing bail on the grounds that Banton is indeed a flight risk and asked for the application to be thrown out without a hearing.
Banton’s lawyer David Markus, is contending that his client is not a flight risk because of his popularity and says he will seek a bond in an immigration court if Banton is given bail.
Banton has been in jail since December last year when he arrested and charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine.
The Gay Liberation Network (GLN) has forced the cancellation of Capleton upcoming concert in Chicago. The Fireman Capleton was scheduled to perform at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago this Saturday & Reggae artist Capleton is one of many reggae artist currently experiencing fallout from Gay Rights pressures.
Gay Rights group GLN has put up more pressure on the owner of the venue to cancel Capleton show, claiming violence and hate in the Reggae artist lyrics towards homosexuals. But the club owner Jim Gouskos told the media that he was not aware of Capleton hate lyrics and that he cannot afford the US$11,000 to cancel the concert. However, the GLN in a letter told Gouskos that they will be out protesting this weekend if the show was not cancelled.
In the letter to Roger Fraser the GLN representative told Gouskos about their intentions if there demands are not met………..
“No respectable promoter would knowingly schedule a performer whose lyrics promoted violence and murder against blacks or Jews or Muslims. We ask for and expect the same consideration to be made concerning LGBT people. Very few promoters want to be associated with murderous bigotry and calls from the stage to commit mayhem.”
Capleton is currently embarked on a tour in the US to promote his latest album I-Ternal fire, which was released in the summer by VP Records. The tour maybe in jeopardy as Gay Rights groups are hinting to step up their pressure. Below is a banner they already have out.
Reggae artist Sizzla Kalonji also experience fallout over the summer after one of his concerts in Germany was cancelled due to pressures from Gay Rights organizations.
T.I. Finds Out if He Goes Back to Jail Next Week!
Only time will tell……
Rapper T.I. is counting down the days before appearing in court to find out if his probation will be revoked.
According to Media, Tip’s hearing will occur on October 15th. He will have to stand in front of a judge and answer to three possible violations: possession of Ecstasy, testing positive for opiates and associating with a convicted felon.
A Official report was made to the police and following investigations, the alleged assaulter was arrested and charged. The incident was confirmed by the investigating officer, Constable S Sewell from the Spanish Town Police Station. No immediate court date was given.
Tanto Blacks was stabbed at least three times last Friday night, after he had an altercation with his tenant.
Tanto received treatment at the Spanish Town Hospital before getting additional treatment at a private medical practice. “Me alright inno … me glad seh him deh a jail … me no wah nothing happen to him,”
R&B singer Mario laid the the smack down on his mom. I`m not sure if he did it or not but Mario says his mom’s fight with drugs is the root of his assault arrest, according to his attorney William “Hassan” Murphy III: “This is an unfortunate incident between a loving son and a mother who continues to struggle with a devastating addiction. Anyone who has waged the battle to save loved ones from the forces of drugs knows the irrational behavior that almost always accompanies their actions. Despite the allegations, Mario remains committed to supporting his mother.”
I cant imagine what its like to have my mom addicted to drugs but I feel bad for Mario, who knows what crack headed ish she was doing that he needed to restrain her.
Yesterday outgoing California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 1449 — which reduces adult marijuana possession charges from a criminal misdemeanor to a civil infraction. California Governor, Arnold Scwarzenegger has signed a bill reducing deciminalizing marijuana for anybody caught carrying under an ounce, NORML is reporting. Senate Bill 1449 amends the California Health and Safety Code so that the adult possession of up to 28.5 grams of marijuana is classified as an infraction, punishable by no more than a $100 fine — no court appearance, no court costs, and no criminal record.
Multiple winner Rick Ross opened the show at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center by performing “B.M.F.” and “MC Hammer” with Diddy, later bringing out Hammer himself for “Too Legit to Quit.” Gucci Mane and Swizz Beatz fired up the stage with “Gucci Time,” “Dilemma” collaborators Kelly Rowland and Nelly presented Nicki with an award, Waka Flocka Flame walked off the stage (and later got into a Twitter argument with BET executive Stephen Hill), and Dipset reunited.
A victorious Nicki Minaj couldn’t contain her excitement after winning three trophies at Saturday’s BET Hip Hop Awards, including Rookie of the Year, Made-You-Look Award, and People’s Champ Award. “One word for Hip Hop Awards. EPIC. Thank u BET. Love ya barbz/kenz!” tweeted the blonde bombshell after her big night.
An absent Jay-Z took home CD of the Year and Best Hip-Hop Video, Eminem scored Lyricist of the Year, and Drake scooped up MVP of the Year, while Salt-N-Pepa were honored for their contributions to hip-hop.
Blak Ryno For Court Nov 17!
Blak Ryno is to return to the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate Court on November 17 on charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon following an alleged fight with businessman Cory Todd.
Similarly, Todd’s wife Shemara is also to return to court on the said day for assaulting the entertainer’s girlfriend, Aneka McDonald.
Mario made headlines this morning for his out-of-character behavior. According to Media, the 24-year-old R&B singer was arrested and released on $50,000 bond for 2nd degree assault following an altercation with his mother earlier this week at their shared apartment in Baltimore, Md.
Mario’s mother Shawntia Hardaway told police that her son had gone on a rampage, breaking a mirror, shattering a china cabinet, and putting a hole in the closet door. Following his outburst, Mario allegedly pushed his mother “eight feet into a living room wall, where [she] hit her head on the wall.”
Their mother-son relationship has a history of trouble. The “Dancing with the Stars” contestant confronted his mother’s heroin addiction by staging an intervention in 2007 on MTV’s documentary “I Won’t Love You to Death,” where he allowed cameras to film him trying to get her clean. “I want to give you the gift of life, like you gave me,” he told her.
Deejay Blak Ryno will be slapped with charges in relation to a brawl at the Kingston Mega Mart store on Upper Waterloo in St. Andrew this afternoon. The brawl, which occurred at a time when most Kingstonians were stocking up on supplies because of the inclement weather affect the island, reportedly involved a businessman Corey Todd, and the artiste Blak Ryno, whose real name is Romane Anderson, as well as their spouses. Corey Todd’s wife could also be charged in the incident as she got into a tussle with Blak Ryno’s babymother as well. The incident was also captured on the store’s video security system.
The police have in their possession the weapon, a knife, which was used in the attack on businessman Corey Todd, proprietor of the company that manufactures and distributes Street Vybz rum. However, Blak Ryno’s publicity team has another spin on the incident, they allege that Blak Ryno and his babymother were beaten by a rampaging Corey Todd and his wife. A release said that Ryno was attacked by a close business associate of Vybz Kartel and his female companion.
According to the release, “the incident unfolded when Blak Ryno was exiting the facility and was confronted by the man who immediately assumed an aggressive posture towards the artiste with the statement “Go S*ck Yuh Mada” and proceeded to shove him, further stating “Weh yuh ago do p*ssy, you know how we thing set pon the Gaza”. Ryno, forced to defend himself got into a physical altercation with the man but it was quickly brought under control by the store’s security detailing”.
However the melee did not end there as the irate man and his female companion who were still inside the store then turned on Ryno’s baby mother inflicting several blows to her in the process. Thankfully the quick action of other shoppers and the security team quelled the hostile situation but not without her suffering some minor cut and bruises.
“Dem pull out mi hair, punch me, I got a cut in my face and several scratches” – Ryno’s baby mother exclaimed.
Blak Ryno and his female companion are now at the police station reporting the incident.
The artiste whose given name is Romane Anderson says he doesn’t know why the man and his companion attacked him and his baby mother.
Blak Ryno recently completed stints in French Guiana, Trinidad and returned to the island earlier this week following concerts in Tobago, Trinidad and Guyana, the latter was for accomplished West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle Birthday Celebrations. Upcoming performances include Belize and Costa Rica.
Buju Banton New Album To Be Released Today!
Buju Banton new album Before The Dawn will be released today.
Despite his incarceration the artiste was heavily involved in putting together this latest album. 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.
Several Roads In Jamaica Flooded After Heavy Rains!
Heavy rains lashing most of the island left several roads flooded, blocked, or reduced to single access yesterday. The National Works Agency (NWA) says sections of Manchester, St. Andrew, St. Thomas, and Portland, were under water. There are also reports that sections of Marcus Garvey Drive, near Tinson Pen, were also flooded. In Manchester, the roads from Dump to Moravia, and Alston to Christiana, were reduced to single lane access, due to landslides. The corridor from Papine to Bull Bay in St. Andrew was impassable at Cane River, as massive boulders blocked a section of the road. In St. Thomas, the roads from Morant Crossing to White Hall, Negro River to Hall Head, and Port Morant to Pleasant Hill, were also feeling the onslaught of the heavy rain. The NWA also reported a massive breakaway on the road from Morant Crossing to White Hall. The onslaught of rain is expected to continue today.
Still Waiting- Buju Trial... Not An Easy Road For Family!
Anxiety was fever pitch in Buju Banton’s old neighbourhood of Victoria Park yesterday where family and friends awaited a verdict in the singjay’s trial for drug possession.
For the second straight day, the 14-member jury failed to return a verdict in the case which began on Monday in a Federal court in Tampa, Florida.
They are expected to reconvene on Monday when Banton is expected to hear a guilty or not guilty decision for charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
Banton pleaded not guilty to the charges but faces life in prison if found guilty.
“It’s been tough, very tough for the family, but God will prevail. I know he’s coming home free,” said Olga Myrie, Banton’s stepmother.
Myrie interrupted the con-versation with The Gleaner at noon when she and neighbours dashed frantically to her living room to catch the television and radio news. They learned that the jury was still deliberating.
Singer, not a chemist
Olga Myrie said she last saw her stepson just before he left for the United States early last year to promote his Rasta Got Soul album. She insists the man she helped raise is innocent.
“I know him as a singer, not a chemist,” she said.
That is the popular ‘verdict’ in Victoria Park, a working-class housing scheme in Whitehall Avenue where Banton, real name Mark Myrie, grew up.
Georgia Bailey-Forrester, a long-time resident, said Banton has never been involved in hard drugs.
“I never hear of that. From mi hear, mi nuh believe,” she said.
Curtis Cole, a deejay who goes by the moniker Virgo Man, told The Gleaner he and Banton made the sound-system rounds as budding artistes in the early 1990s. A guilty sentence, he stated, would be devastating.
“A good, good youth, outspoken and determined. Him do good works ’bout the place. Him cyan go prison and waste that,” he said.
The home Olga Myrie shares with Banton’s father Benjamin, is a shrine of sorts to her 37-year-old stepson. The walls are lined with photographs of his days as a hot, young dancehall deejay in the early 1990s to his current status as a roots-reggae powerhouse.
Benjamin Myrie was not at home when The Gleaner went to his home yesterday.
Waiting for a verdict, his wife disclosed, has been tough for him.
Banton has been incarcerated in a Florida jail since last December when he and two alleged accomplices were arrested by Federal agents in the city of Sarasota. They said he and the men, James Mack and Ian Thomas, had just negotiated a cocaine deal at a nearby warehouse.
The alleged deal was set up by Alexander Johnson, an undercover informant for the United States government. Mack and Thomas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine.
Still No Verdict In Trial Of Reggae Singer Buju Banton Until Monday!
TAMPA – Jurors in the federal drug trial of Buju Banton went home for the weekend after deliberating for a second day without reaching a verdict. The 37-year-old reggae singer could face up to life in prison if convicted. Jurors deliberated for about seven hours today following about three hours of deliberations Thursday. The panel will return to court Monday. Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, had been held without bail since his arrest in December following a sting at a Sarasota warehouse. The defense maintains Banton was set up by a government informant who cajoled and charmed him into talking “garbage” about drug trafficking. But prosecutors are using tapes of Banton’s conversations and a video of him sampling cocaine to argue that the singer was a drug trafficker who hoped to expand his operations with the informant’s help.
Lindsay Lohan Denied Bail, Sent Back To Jail For Failing Drug Tests
She braced for consequences, and she got them.
Lindsay Lohan is headed back to jail a third time – and this may be the longest stay – after failing a mandatory drug test.
In a hearing Friday, the judge in her DUI case denied bail for the actress and ordered her held in custody until an Oct. 22 hearing.
Lohan, 24, made no comment and looked stunned as she stood up, was handcuffed and led away by sheriff's deputies out a side door.
Lohan tested dirty about three weeks after being released early from inpatient rehab at UCLA Medical Center on Aug. 24.
"This was certainly a setback for me but I am taking responsibility for my actions and I'm prepared to face the consequences," she Tweeted last week.
She previously completed 13 full days of a 30-day sentence in a Lynwood, Calif., jail on Aug. 2 after she violated probation in her DUI case.
Beenie Man Next Stop Zimbabwe !
BEENIE MAN for africa & the JAMAICAN dancehall star is joining the great trek by international stars to Zimbabwe after it was announced the Who Am I star will perform at the Old Hararians Sports Club on October 16.The Grammy-winning star joins a growing list of international stars who have staged performances in Zimbabwe recently, including Sean Paul, Luciano, Joe Thomas, akon & sizzla
Beenie’s one-off performance will be the highlight of a promotional summer festival organised by the soft drinks and beer maker, Delta Beverages through their Lion Lager brand.
Delta’s marketing manager Patricia Murambinda said Beenie Man would be arriving on October 15, before his gig at the Lion Lager Summer Festival a day later.
The 37-year-old Beenie Man, born Anthony Moses Davis, announced himself on the international stage with a 2002 duet with Janet Jackson in ‘Feel It Boy’ and got his first major break in the United States with the 2004 smash hit ‘Dude’.
Tapes Hurt Buju Banton Case- Damaging Testimony Against J'Can Artiste!
Defence attorney David Markus slung his arms across the shoulders of his lanky Reggae superstar client ‘Buju Banton’ at the end of the morning session of his cocaine trial at the Gibbons US Court here yesterday.
The gesture was one of support and reassurance after what appeared to be a tough first session for the defence.
Earlier, Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, could not stop shaking his head as he listened for a lengthy period as the prosecution played potentially damning recordings of his conversations with government informant Alexander Johnson, discussing drug deals and even diamond smuggling from Africa to Europe.
Banton’s fans, who had turned out in their numbers for the trial that started on Monday, were also stung by the recordings which were made between July and December 10, 2009 when Banton and two other men were arrested in Florida and slapped with cocaine-related charges.
The fans appeared deflated, coming off a high on Monday when the chief investigator in the matter said he had no evidence that Banton was a cocaine trafficker.
Yesterday, as the tapes were being played, one woman could be seen clutching her head and covering her ears. Others sat attentively, captivated by the conversations between the four-time Grammy nominee and Johnson, a convicted drug trafficker who has been working with the US Government since 1996 to sink other narco dealers.
Also played for the court was the video recording of December 8, 2009 in which Banton was seen tasting cocaine from a knife given to him by his long-time friend Ian Thomas after he used it to cut open a package containing five kilogrammes of cocaine during an undercover operation by the Sarasota Police Department at a warehouse.
Thomas was heard on the video saying that the cocaine was fish scale. Johnson later told the court that the term meant that the drug was of a high quality.
The mood, however, changed somewhat in the late afternoon when Banton’s lawyer started his examination of Johnson, who agreed that the singer did not finance the drug deal for which he, along with Thomas and James Mack from Georgia was arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilogrammes of cocaine.
Thomas and Mack have since pleaded guilty and have agreed to give evidence against the singer. The prosecution had on Monday indicated to the court that it would not call Thomas as a witness.
If found guilty, Banton could be sentenced to life imprisonment or slapped with millions of US dollars in fines.
Before the recordings were played yesterday, Johnson testified that he met Banton on a flight from Madrid, Spain, to Miami, Florida in July 2009. The flight lasted eight hours, Johnson said, and a conversation about drug dealing came up within an hour.
He said it was the singer who raised the issue. Johnson, who avoided looking at Banton during his evidence-in-chief, said immediately after landing he informed the police about his conversation with Banton which jump-started the investigation that included the recordings.
Johnson told the court that he met with Banton the following day, July 27, to further discuss the drug-trafficking venture, which he said the artiste was interested in starting.
The prosecution then played the expletive-laced recordings, which were made between July and December and in which the 37-year-old Banton was heard telling Johnson, “I am about making money, straight up”.
Banton was also heard asking Johnson if he had any contacts to acquire cocaine as he was willing to finance a deal. He also told Johnson that he did not have contacts in Venezuela and Panama, but that he was involved in smuggling diamonds from Africa to Europe.
He was also heard telling Johnson that: “It would be good to have our own contacts,” and that he would like to start small, as “I don’t want to take any risks”.
The artiste also warned the informant that he should stay away from a man known as Lloyd Evans as he was a snitch.
“There are a lot of snitches in the game,” Banton warned Johnson at one point, saying that it was hard for him to find anyone to trust.
Banton, dressed in a grey sports coat, shook his head while the recordings were being played and at some points appeared tense.
As the recordings kept rolling, some people in the courtroom chuckled in disbelief. Others seemed captivated.
In one conversation Banton was heard cursing and complaining to Johnson that the gay community, particularly the gay rights group GLAD (Gays and Lesbians Advocates and Defenders), was trying to ruin his career.
Banton had been at odds with the gay community since the 1990s following the release of his anti-gay monster hit Boom Bye Bye.
He was also heard complaining of being stressed out and said that he had 15 kids whose school fees needed to be paid.
With the case appearing to swing in favour of the prosecution, supporters who had earlier that morning held hands and prayed inside the 13A courtroom for an acquittal — as has been their routine since the trial started — expressed hope that the pendulum would again swing in their favour as it approached time for Johnson to be placed under the spotlight of cross-examination from lead defence attorney Markus.
Markus stood, took to the podium with his papers. Banton’s supporters held their breath. He politely greeted the 14 jurors — two of whom are African-Americans, the others white — then Johnson, and proceeded to whip out a card on which he had key parts of Johnson’s evidence typed. On one side of the card, displayed for jurors to see, were a set of check boxes in which he ticked when Johnson answered a question posed.
“Mr Myrie did not invest any money in any drug deal?”
Markus asked.
“With me? No,” the reply came.
Johnson, a Colombian who had served three years for drug-trafficking and was spared deportation in order to work with the US Government as an informant, said the artiste never sold or bought drugs and had never wired any money to him to invest in the illicit trade.
Johnson also admitted that Banton had never purchased any cocaine in Panama or Colombia and that their dealings never went beyond talk.
He, however, said that Banton had changed his mind from the initial talks of wanting to traffic drugs to making quick cash. Johnson said that was how the eight kilogrammes of cocaine came into play.
The informant did not readily answer when Markus asked if Myrie had stopped taking his calls following the warehouse meeting of December 8.
“Didn’t Ian Thomas tell you, ‘He [Myrie] does not want to do anything man? Talk to me. That’s not him. He is about music, he eats and sleeps the music’?” Markus asked, to which Johnson replied ‘yes’.
Markus is contending that his client had got cold feet and backed out of any previous talks to finance any drug venture and had stopped taking Johnson’s calls, and that Thomas took over the deal.
But Johnson stuck to his guns, saying that it was Banton and Thomas who approved the deal, even though the US$130,000 may have come from two men in Georgia called Ike and Tyke.
Johnson also told the court that he had no knowledge that Myrie had financed the deal in the police-controlled warehouse that led to Thomas and Mack’s arrest while attempting to purchase cocaine from US Drug Enforcement Agency agents.
Markus is expected to continue cross-examining Johnson when the trial resumes this morning.
Bob Marley's Family Loses Rights to His Songs to Universal Music.
(Reuters) - Bob Marley's family lost a lawsuit seeking the copyrights to several of the late Jamaican reggae singer's best-known recordings.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan said the UMG Recordings unit of Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group is the rightful owner of copyrights to five albums that Marley had recorded between 1973 and 1977 for Island Records.
The albums "Catch a Fire," "Burnin'," "Natty Dread," "Rastaman Vibrations" and "Exodus" were recorded with Marley's band The Wailers. They include some of Marley's best-known songs, including "Get Up, Stand Up," "I Shot the Sheriff," "No Woman, No Cry" and "One Love."
Marley died of cancer in 1981 at age 36.
Friday night's ruling is a defeat for Marley's widow Rita and nine children who had sought to recover millions of dollars in damages over UMG's effort to "exploit" what they called "the quintessential Bob Marley sound recordings."
L. Peter Parcher and Peter Shukat, who are lawyers for the family, did not immediately return calls seeking comment. UMG spokesman Peter LoFrumento said the company is pleased with Cote's ruling.
Marley's family accused UMG of intentionally withholding royalties from their company Fifty-Six Hope Road Music Ltd, and ignoring a 1995 agreement assigning them rights under the original recording agreements, court papers show.
It also accused UMG of failing as required to consult with them on key licensing decisions, including the use of Marley's music as "ringtones" on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile phones, the papers show.
But Cote concluded that Marley's recordings were "works made for hire" as defined under U.S. copyright law, entitling UMG to be designated the owner of those recordings, for both the initial 28-year copyright terms and for renewals.
"Each of the agreements provided that the sound recordings were the 'absolute property' of Island," Cote wrote. "Whether Marley would have recorded his music even if he had not entered the recording agreements with Island is beside the point."
She added that it was irrelevant that Marley might have maintained artistic control over the recording process. What mattered, she said, was that Island had a contractual "right" to accept or reject what he produced.
Cote also denied the Marley family's request for a ruling upholding its claims over digital downloads, citing ambiguity in a 1992 royalties agreement.
She directed the parties to enter court-supervised settlement talks, and scheduled an October 29 conference.
The case is Fifth-Six Hope Road Music Ltd v. UMG Recordings Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 08-06143.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Almost five months to the day of his highly-publicized visit to church after being finally granted bail on an assault charge, Bounty Killer is this Sunday morning again behind bars for the same charge – beating up a woman. This time with a hammer.
Reports are that yesterday, the light-handed deejay — whose passion for beating up women is legendary – got into an altercation with a woman at his house in Oaklands Apartments and physically abused her.
After the incident, the woman, whose name is being withheld, visited the Constant Spring Police Station, a few minutes away from the apartment complex and made a report that Rodney ‘Bounty Killer’ Pryce beat her with a hammer.
The police say that Pryce was arrested and charged with wounding, and was not given bail, possibly because it was a weekend. Bounty will face the courts early this week.
In April, Bounty spent two weeks in jail when he was repeatedly denied bail on another assault charge. He was warned by the Resident Magistrate that he should not appear before her on yet another charge of beating up a woman.
His then girlfriend, Kadeem Baker, dropped the charges and Killer was set free.
TOP THUGS TURN ON GANGS? - Members believe they informed while in custody
Several thugs who were recently listed as persons of interest by the police say their names have been tarnished and they are now being labelled as informers in their communities.
Checks by THE WEEKEND STAR have revealed that a number of these men from communities within theCorporate Area and St Catherine are now trying desperately to hold on to their 'tough-guy' image, as their counterparts believe they 'leaked' information to the police.
The men were detained following the May 24 incursion of Tivoli Gardens and its environs in west Kingston. The police had released the names of at least 30 men from various communities in the Corporate Area and St Catherine who they asked to turn themselves in. Majority of the identified men did so and were kept for a period of time before being released.
In one central Kingston community, one man who turned himself in to the police some two months ago, claimed since his release from custody he has noticed that a number of persons who were once close to him have been keeping their distance.
taken into custody.
He also claimed to hearing word being circulated in the community that he is a police informer and helped them with information when he was taken into custody.
"Wi know this a something weh di police dem plan eno, dem nuh waa see di togetherness so dem tek wi inna custody and dem call up other man name fi mek it look like seh a who dem did hold a call man name," the 32-year-old man who strongly requested anonymity reasoned.
According to him, persons told him that while he was in custody, the police visited his community and asked for the whereabouts of a number of men while claiming that they were tipped-off.
Another well-known thug Sniper, from a notorious St Catherine-based gang, told THE WEEKEND STAR that he too heard similar claims from persons after he was released from police custody recently.
Though he is feared by many, Sniper says that has not stopped the rumours from circulating and even added that it has caused segregation and animosity among members of the gang.
"It a cause a whole heap a friction inna wi ting and dat dangerous cause as simple as it sound, it can start big war. A di police dem a do it still eno but some man jus' feel like seh dem fi believe even though dem know seh mi a real warrior weh dem a par wid fi years and know mi naw sell dem out," he said. "Yea mi see man stop come roun mi certain ways like me and him inna war or suppen."
low profile
When THE WEEKEND STAR contacted another member of the gang, he admitted that he was one of those who has been keeping a low profile, as informers were indeed helping the police. He, however, did not give a name as to who he thought the informer might be.
"If yu see how di police dem work yu will see seh dem definitely a get information. All of a sudden dem know every man name or alias. Mi naw point no finger still but it best mi gwaan stay to miself fi now," the 24-year-old said.
In a recent interview with THE WEEKEND STAR, CIB Head, Assistant Commissioner Les Green, said police intelligence suggested that putting pressure on members of the criminal underworld has caused some amount of discomfort among them.
He said the police would be continuing with such efforts as they look to hinder the operations of these criminals.
"We know there is some level of discomfort in their circles but that is not our problem. Our aim is to stop them from doing whatever it is they do and we will continue to pressure them," ACP Green explained.
Jay-Z & Beyonce Make Guinness Book Of World Records As Biggest "Power Couple" For Earning $122 Million
Who is the world's highest earning celebrity? Which power couple dominates the entertainment world? What pop star commands the most searches on the Internet? The new Guinness World Records 2011 edition out now reveals all this and more in its celebrity-filled pages.
As one of the most talked about pop stars in recent memory, it should come as no surprise that Lady Gaga earned two records for the new book – "Most Searched-For Female" on Google and "Most Weeks On UK Chart In Any Year" with an astounding 154 weeks. Gaga shares her place in the new book alongside two of music's superstars – Jay-Z and Beyonce. Named the year's biggest "Power Couple", Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Beyonce Knowles earned an astounding $122 million through June 2009.
Two celebrities this year making headlines for their high profile personal lives also made the book. Lindsey Lohan, takes the dubious honor as "Most Infamous Female Celebrity" thanks to her run-ins with the law and the unfortunate performances of her latest movies and Tiger Woods, who ruled the tabloids for his extramarital affairs, didn't see an impact on his earnings yet as he assumes his place as the "Most Powerful Sports Star". The golf phenom raked in an impressive $103 million and topped the 2010 BusinessWeek Sports Power 100 list.
Miley Cyrus, a celebrity who has toed the line between controversy and a thriving career success, also enters into the book as the "Most Charted Teenager". The singer/actor, scored her 29th US Hot 100 chart entry on November 7, 2009 with"Party in the USA".
"Where else would Sarah Palin be beaten by Lady Gaga than in the Guinness World Records book! Gaga – who takes over from Palin as the most searched for female on the internet – is just one of the new big names to make it into the Guinness World Records book this year. She joins a stellar cast including Lindsay Lohan, A-Rod, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Brangelina, the Khardashians, and so on, in our most celeb-packed edition yet. These recession-proof stars guarantee to bring a bit of glamour to our book. Their artistic endeavors – and their influence over the public are indisputable," said Craig Glenday, Editor-In-Chief, Guinness World Records.
Although Twilight fans may take sides on Team Jacob or Team Edward one thing they can agree upon is that their favorite movie has made into the Guinness World Records book. In November 2009, the Twilight sequel New Moon eclipsed The Dark Knight to achieve the "Highest Opening Day Gross" of $72.7 million.
In tribute to the "King of Pop", the new Guinness World Records book features a special page devoted to Michael Jackson.The untimely death of MJ made the entertainer the "Most Searched-For Male" on the web and earned him several posthumous records reinforcing his spot at the top of the entertainment world. MJ, a fan of the Guinness World Records book, is a multiple record holder receiving eight over his lifetime for his chart achievements, album sales, earnings and charity donations.
This world renowned and celebrated annual, Guinness World Records 2011, contains the most comprehensive collection of the greatest and most amazing accomplishments from this past decade and beyond. A "must-have" for both knowledge-seekers and aspiring record-breakers of all ages, Guinness World Records 2011 is available September 15th for the suggested retail price of $28.95. For more information about Guinness World Records 2011, to find out how you can participate in Guinness World Records Day 2009 or to vote for your favorite records, visit our website at: www.guinnessworldrecords.com
About Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records is the universally recognized authority on record-breaking achievement. First published in 1955, the annual Guinness World Records book is published in more than 100 countries and 25 languages and is one of the highest-selling books under copyright of all time with more than 3 million copies sold annually across the globe. Guinness World Records celebrated its 50th anniversary edition in 2004, a year after the sale of its 100 millionth copy. Guinness World Records also annually publishes the Gamer's Edition; a records book devoted solely to the world of computer gaming and high score record achievements. The Guinness World Records website (www.guinnessworldrecords.com) receives more than 11 million visitors a year. Guinness World Records is part of the Jim Pattison Group, one of Canada's largest privately owned companies which is a conglomerate of interests, including advertising, broadcasting, grocery stores and automotive retailing.
TAXMAN STILL HAS BOUNTY'S VEHICLES
Bounty Killer - Contributed
There have been speculations as to how dancehall superstar Bounty Killer has been managing over the past couple of weeks since the Tax Administration Department seized his two luxury vehicles.
On August 28, the Tax Administration Department seized a Range Rover and Toyota Land Cruiser from the artiste, whose real name is Rodney Pryce, because he was said to owe millions in taxes.
But there are still no updates as to whether or not any progress is being made on the case, and if there is any hope of the vehicles being returned to him.
"It's really an accounting matter. I can't tell you what is happening at this stage," said Bounty Killer's attorney Linda Wright.
Adding, "I met with them and the accountant when it just happened and I guess they took it from there."
His manager Julian Jones-Griffiths could not be reached for a comment on the matter.
However, a source close to the camp said nothing has changed with his situation but negotiations are ongoing. The source also noted that Bounty had been managing well without the vehicles.
Meanwhile, another source claims to have spotted the entertainer going into and driving off in a heavily-tinted champagne coloured Toyota Corolla (Kingfish) recently.
In an earlier interview Wright said her client did file his annual returns, and paid monies to the tax department. She also said that the tax department assessed Bounty Killer for much more than he had paid and the artiste objected.
In July, the Tax Department also seized a Mercedes Benz motor vehicle from the home of dancehall star 'Elephant Man' whose real name is Oneil Bryan.
Grammy award-winning deejay, 'Beenie Man', whose real name is Moses Davis, was also hauled before the tax court in 2008 for allegedly owing millions of dollars in taxes.
Bounty Killer's vehicle being seized on a raid at Oaklands Apartment, recently. - Ricardo Makyn
Jamaican favourite celebrity couple defying critics as they were snapped looking happier than ever.
Andrew & Wada Blood Win The Freshman
With the change of season it seems as if everyone is moving away from hazy, sun-drenched summer tunes and pumping up with dance beats and hip hop. The Freshmen came down to a voting duel betweenAndrew & Wada Blood and Homeboy Sandman, with Andrew & Wada Blood eventually pulling through for the Freshmen win. Congratulations to the brothers! Their video will be added into regular on-air rotation by Monday. I wanted to note that Trampled by Turtlesreceived a lot of support in the comments section as well, and it was heart-warming to see a rather neglected genre getting so much love.
VYBZ KARTEL MAKES NEW SEX TAPE...COULD MAKE US $500,000 FROM PORN COMPANY
An ever so reliable source reports that dancehall prodigy Vybz Kartel has made a new sex tape. The source said that a piece of the tape was leaked to a porn company, and after viewing it they immediately contacted the gaza emporer to acquire the rights to release the tape.
The source said Kartel could make up to US$ 500,000 if he accept the deal from the porn company. In recent times some dancehall deejays are coming under fire for portraying pornstar qualities. Stay in touch, we will let you know when the tape surfaces.
Marriage Tweet By Drake Leaves His Female Fans As Well As His Own Mother Actually Believing It
Rapper Drake had the Web buzzing when he and his Young Money label-mate Nicki Minaj Tweeted last month that they suddenly got married.
"Please refer to @nickiminaj as Mrs. Aubrey Drake Graham and don't stare at her too long," the rapper Tweeted on Aug. 27. "She's finally mine."
"Yes, it's true," Minaj, 25, added via Twitter. "Drake and I tied the knot."
But no one was more surprised to hear the supposed big news than the rapper's mother.
"My mom was actually like, 'What happened? How did you elope?' " the rapper, 23, told PEOPLE.com at the MTV Movie Awards Sunday. "But we were just joking around. I never thought it would get so out of hand."
This wasn't the first time that Mama Drake likely wondered about her son's romantic life – last year, he was rumored to be dating Rihanna. And it didn't help matters when Drake bought himself a certain piece of jewelry around the time of the wedding Tweets.
"Ironically, I got a ring for myself, so people were like, 'Aw, you got married, and you have a ring you're wearing," he says.
Drake's seemingly innocent joke also had some additional backlash beyond his worried mom.
"People still think it's real," he says. "I'll look at a girl, and she'll be like, 'You're a married man. You shouldn't look at me that way.' "
Montana Fishburne Reportedly Checking Into Mental Rehab Facility
TMZ is reporting that silver spoon fed Hollywood baby, turned raunchy porn starlet, Montana Fishburne is checking into an inpatient facility to get her head examined.
The facility is reportedly is Southern California and deals with anger management, behavioral problems and mental illnesses.
Depending on what the results turn out to be, it could explain a lot regarding Montana's recent behavior. Including her decision to do porn when she clearly had other avenues afforded to her with her dad, Laurence Fishburne being a famous actor.
Stay tuned to this one.........
Jealousy Over Chicago Bulls Basketball Player, C.J. Watson Drove Floyd Mayweather Jr To Assault His Baby's Mom, Josie Harris
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was in a fit of jealousy over a basketball player when he allegedly attacked his baby mama, Josie Harris and threatened to kill the pair ... this according to the police report obtained by TMZ.
According to the report, Mayweather read text messages on Josie's phone ... which included messages from C.J. Watson(pictured below), who plays for the Chicago Bulls. According to the report, Mayweather screamed, "'Are you having sex with C.J.?' Harris replied, 'Yes, that is who I'm seeing now.'"
According to the report, the 10-year-old son of Mayweather and Harris told cops he "saw his dad was on his mother and was hitting and kicking her."
According to the report, "Harris stated that Mayweather began yelling at Harris, 'I'm going to kill you and the man your (sic) are messing around with.' He also stated, 'I'm going to have you both disappear.'"
The police report says Harris was taken to Southern Hills Hospital and treated for "minor facial injuries and a sore left arm." Pictures of the injuries were taken.
The police report goes on to say while Harris was at the hospital Mayweather called Georgia Parker -- Harris' friend who lives in the house -- and told her to get out of the house.
As for why Mayweather was arrested for grand larceny Friday ... the police report says he left with her Apple iPhone 4 ... valued at $322.17.
As we first reported, Josie Harris called the police at around 5 AM Thursday from her home in Vegas -- and when cops arrived she told them the professional boxer had attacked her and threatened to kill her.
85 Inmates Escape From Prison In Mexico Near Texas Border. 25 People Murdered In Juarez
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Gunmen killed 25 people in a series of drug-gang attacks in Ciudad Juarez, marking the deadliest day in more than two years for the Mexican border city. Farther east on the border, 85 inmates scaled the walls of a prison and escaped Friday in Mexico's biggest jail break in recent memory.
Despite the violence,President Felipe Calderonhotly disputed a statement this week byU.S. Secretary of State Hillary ClintonsayingMexico resembled Colombia two decades ago.
"These kind of comments like the ones made by Secretary of State Clinton ... so careless, so lacking in seriousness, are very painful for Mexico, because they damage Mexico's image terribly," Calderon told the Spanish-language network Univision.
"I think the main thing we have in common with Colombia is that both of our countries suffer from U.S. drug consumption," Calderon said."We are both victims of the enormous American consumption of drugs, and now the sales of weapons."
The toll in Thursday's attacks in Ciudad Juarez included 15 people killed when attackers stormed four homes in three hours, saidArturo Sandoval,a spokesman for theAttorney General's Office of Chihuahuastate, where Ciudad Juarez is located.
In the worst of those attacks, gunmen burst into a house and killed two young men — then killed four others for being witnesses.
Sandoval said it was the highest single-day murder toll in the city across fromEl Paso, Texas, since March 2008. He did not give more details of how many died back then, or say what day.
Two graffiti message appeared in Ciudad Juarez threatening Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the fugitive head of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
"You are killing our sons. You already did, and now we are going to kill your families," one sign read.
In the border city ofReynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas,85 inmates — 66 of whom were convicted or on trial for federal charges like weapons possession or drugs— scaled the Reynosa prison's 20-foot (6-meter) walls using ladders, said theTamaulipasstate public safety secretary,Jose Garza Garcia.
Garza Garciasaid 44 prison guards and employees were under investigation. Two were missing.
"The guards evidently helped in the escape,"he said. So far this year a total of 201 inmates have escaped from prisons in Tamaulipas.
Friday's escape was the largest single mass prison breakout in recent years. In 2009, armed assailants believed to be working for theZetas drug gangbroke 53 inmates out of a prison in the northern state of Zacatecas while guards stood by and did nothing to stop them.
Ciudad Juarez, with a population of 1.3 million, has become one of the world's most dangerous cities amid a turf war between the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels.
Violence has continued unabated despite the deployment of thousands of soldiers to the city this year. Federal police, including a special investigative unit, later took over security in the city as part of a new strategy announced by President Felipe Calderon.
More than2,100 people have been killedthis year in Ciudad Juarez, putting the city on pace to surpass its previous high of2,700, set last year.
Daily homicide tolls routinely reach double digits in Juarez; 24 people were killed Aug. 15.
Also Friday, Sandoval confirmed that a U.S. resident kidnapped in Ciudad Juarez last month was found dead.
Saul de la Rosa, 27, was abducted along with two other people when he crossed into Ciudad Juarez on Aug. 28. All three bodies were found Sept. 2, and Sandoval said documents found on De la Rosa indicated he was a U.S. resident.
Elsewhere in Mexico, at least five people were killed in the southern Pacific coast state of Guerrero, where various cartels are also fighting for territory, state police reported. One body was found floating in the ocean in a beach town just north of the resort city ofAcapulco, his hands and feet bound.
In central Morelos state, a prison riot left one inmate dead and eight wounded. Guerrero and Morelos state have both been battlegrounds for control the Beltran Leyva cartel since its leader,Arturo Beltran Leyva, was killed in a December shootout with Marines.
One of the alleged kingpins fighting for control of Morelos, U.S.-bornEdgar "La Barbie" Valdez Villarreal, was captured Aug. 30 by federal police, but different accounts of how he was caught have since emerged.
The Mexican government has said the arrest was the result of a 1 1/2-year investigation and a carefully planned raid involving agents specially trained abroad.
But a copy of the booking report obtained by The Associated Press and other media outlets Thursday indicates the officers who arrested him did not initially know who they had caught. The officers' report says they detained Valdez after chasing him in a suspicious three-vehicle convoy for several miles.
On Friday, Valdez's U.S. lawyer, Kent S*******, told The Associated Press that Mexican authorities lured Valdez to a business 10 miles from his ranch by having a detained associate call and ask to meet him. He said Valdez drove to the place, got out of the car and found himself surrounded.
S******* said Valdez told him the associate was forced to make the call at gunpoint.
"He wasn't pulled over for traffic. He wasn't chased at all,"S******* said."From what I understand, an associate of Mr. Valdez was ordered at gunpoint to send him a message telling him to come meet."
A federal police spokesman, who was not authorized by department rules to be quoted by name, said an associate of Valdez's apparently did call Valdez just before he was caught, but said that happened while police were tailing the associate's car inMexico City.
When the associate noticed the police, he opened fire and was killed in the ensuing gunbattle near a major shopping center, the spokesman said.
Also Friday, Mexico's attorney general said video tapes distributed by authorities showing Valdez giving a rambling account of his drug dealings are considered "interviews," and could not be formally submitted as evidence because his lawyer was not present.Attorney General Arturo Chavezsaid that in formal statements with his lawyer present, Valdez did not admit to the activities he acknowledged on the tapes.
S******* also said he filed an official request with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City asking that the U.S. government request Valdez be deported to face trial in the United States, where he faces charges in three states for allegedly trucking in tons of cocaine.
A Mexican judge last week ordered Valdez held for 40 days while prosecutors here decide whether to formally file organized crime and other charges. Mexican authorities have said deportation is a possibility but have made no decision.
Jamaica Leads The Carribean Out Of Recession With The Increase Of Tourists!
With the recovery in the Caribbean tourism sector now well established travellers from around the world have been flocking to the region.
Leading the way has been the luxury destination of Jamaica, with tourism minister Ed Bartlett charting the course of a remarkable recovery alongside colleagues at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).
Despite a global drop in the number of holiday travellers, Jamaica has managed not only to keep but raise its market share, posting worldwide visitor figures that show a 3.6 per cent rise earlier this year.
More recently the island welcomed approximately 1.3 million visitors between January and August this year.
Not that the recovery has been easy.
Fears over crime and the merger of Air Jamaica with rival Caribbean Air, in addition to the global tourism slowdown, are just some of the challenges which have recently been overcome by the island community.
Regional Hub
But as the destination continues to lead the Caribbean out of recession, what has led to the success? Among recent trends has been its emergence as a regional hub for aviation in the Caribbean.
Air Jamaica recently merged with Caribbean Air to create the largest carrier in the region, with the new airline now offering international passengers unrivalled access to a host of destinations.
Caribbean Air has also recently been joined by Bahamas-owned Western Air in offering flights to the island, with Bartlett welcoming the additional capacity.
“Getting connectivity to a destination is the essence of the ability of that destination to remain attractive,” he explained.
“It’s no good to have a beautiful, alluring, exciting, enchanting destination with attractions galore if nobody can get there.
“Being able to connect to the destination through airlift is very critical and is a very critical part of the strategy that we have adopted to grow tourism in Jamaica.”
Problems with Air Passenger Duty persist, however, with Mr Bartlett in the United Kingdom this week tolobbythe coalition government over proposed changes to the levy.
Fear of Crime
With the arrest of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke dominating headlines around the world earlier this year, the spotlight was inevitably turned on the safety of visitors to Jamaica.
However, Bartlett is quick to reassure holidaymakers.
“Every effort has to be made all around,” explained Bartlett.
“We in the Caribbean are challenged because we have had narcotic issues and other anti-social acts which have overtaken us based on, sometimes, the sheer struggle that we have to emerge out of poverty.
“But notwithstanding that, because tourism offers a great opportunity for job creation we have to ensure that the visitors who come are safe and all the necessary arrangements that have to be put in place ensure visitors feel comfortable all the while.”
The issue, however, is unlikely to disappear entirely.
The Caribbean is uniquely positioned between the largest exporters of controlled substances, South America, and the largest importers, the United States, making control of the illegal trade of drugs a real challange for authorities.
What can change, however, is global reporting of the problems experienced in Jamaica.
During the height of the Dudus Coke affair numerous media outlets were willing to give the impression Jamaica was under lockdown, when in reality a small proportion of the capital Kingston saw a state of emergency.
Tourist beaches, some four of five hours travel away, were completely unaffected. A recent marketing campaign has also begun to repair the damage to Jamaica’s reputation.
Autumn Season
Looking toward to the autumn holiday season, Bartlett remained “cautiously optimistic”, with Jamaica expected to attract a total of 1.9 million arrivals by year end.
“We continue to market destination Jamaica in a strong way,” he added.
“We are very pleased that we have recovered, to a large extent, from the limited state of emergency and the problems that emanated from it.”
Bartlett also noted, while the number of visitors expected was approximately 100,000 less than originally projected, the new figure of 1.9 million by the end of the year would be the highest number of arrivals the country has ever seen in one year.
JTB chairman John Lynch was also positive about the future, outlining the board’s marketing strategy ahead of the season.
He explained the JTB would be flying in about 2,000 travel agents during September to get a first hand look at what Jamaica has to offer.
Marketing blitzes have also been planned for Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Mr Lynch also confirmed television advertisements in the overseas markets will also resume in October.
“Jamaica is undoubtedly the best product in the Caribbean in terms of things to do and the condition of the hotels” he argued.
“The private sector has really done their jobs, so this is really a great destination.”
World Travel Awards
Following a run of unprecedented success Jamaica is preparing to celebrate the arrival of theWorld Travel Awardsin October this year.
The event will see industry leaders from across the region to compete for some of the most prestigious prizes on offer in the tourism sector.
2010 Reggae And Dancehalls Richest Celebs!
The United States based website Urban Islandz has released the names of the artistes they say are reggae and dancehall’s richest people. The list has a few interesting facts and insight into the artistes’ success. Topping the list of richest reggae artistes is Shaggy.
According to Urban Islandz, Shaggy’s 2001 album ‘Hot shot’ sold more than 20 million copies worldwide making him one of music’s top selling artistes. His net worth is a whopping US$22 million.
Veteran singer Jimmy Cliff is in second place with a net worth of US$18 million. Though the data collected was limited, ‘The Harder They Come’ star is said to be the second most iconic person in reggae music. This year he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In third place is dancehall artiste Sean Paul with a net worth estimated at US$11 million after his ‘Dutty Rock’ album sold more than six million copies.
Fourth goes to Ziggy Marley, who is estimated to be worth US$10 million. Ziggy’s Grammy award winning album ‘Love Is My Religion’ sold millions of copies worldwide.
In fifth place is Sean Kingston whose net worth is US$7 million. His popularity and riches started with his 2007 hit ‘Beautiful Girls’.
The sixth richest reggae artiste is Damion “Junior Gong” Marley with a net worth of US$6 million while in seventh place is reggae crooner Maxi Priest, whose net worth is estimated at US$4.6 million. Priest has been recording since the mid eighties.
The embattled Buju Banton is in eighth place with a net worth of US$4 million. At one point he was even known as the richest reggae artiste alive but lost ground after his run in with the gay community.
King of the dancehall Beenie Man is the ninth richest reggae/dancehall artiste with a net worth of US$3.7 million and rounding off the top ten is veteran deejay Bounty Killer who boasts a net worth of US$3 million after years of work in the music industry.
However, despite their riches, the now deceased king of reggae Bob Marley is named as the all time richest reggae musician of all times. Though deceased, he is still richer than all the artistes on the list combined.
Bob Marley is also down in history as one of the richest dead celebrities.
Nominations for the United Kingdom’s MOBO (Musicof Black Origin) Awards were announced yesterday. Here are the nominees in the ‘BestReggae’ category:
Damian Marley
Mavado
Gyptian
Vybz Kartel
Gappy Ranks
Now in its 15th year, the 2010 MOBO Awards will be held on October 20, 2010 at the Echo Arena Liverpool. Fans can vote for their favorites atmobo.com/voting. The Best Reggae category is determinedsolelyby the votes of fans.
Foxy Brown Pleads Not Guilty To N.Y. Court Violation!
Foxy Brown has pleaded not guilty to charges of violating a court order stemming from a 2007 confrontation with her neighbor in New York City.
Brown, whose real name is Inga Marchand, entered the plead Friday to a charge of criminal contempt. She could face up to one year in jail.
Prosecutors say Brown violated the order in July by screaming at neighbor Arlene Raymond before bending over, baring her buttocks and showing her underwear while shouting an obscenity.
The 31-year-old Brown was issued the order of protection after pleading guilty in 2008 to menacing Raymond with her cell phone.
The two had been in a dispute over Brown blasting her car stereo outside their Brooklyn building.
(Rikers Island I.D.) Lil Wayne Seen Without His Grills For The First Time!
Lil Wayne is gone till November but any news we hear or see about the Young Money CEO we want to know about. Lil Wayne’s Rikers Island prison I.D. photo showed up on the internet via slumz.boxden.com. In the pic we see Wayne without his classic diamond encrusted fronts, it’s a weird to see Wayne without them.
We can’t wait until Wayne comes home, just from this one picture of his Rikers Island i.d. card we see that is a Catholic, who knew? We see that Weezy hasn’t cut his dreads, his infamous locks are still long, long hair don’t care.
Vybz Kartel Feels Like He’s Being Targeted By Police!
Deejay Vybz Kartel feels targeted. He strongly believes that there are some persons who are conspiring to see him behind bars once again. Speaking to THE WEEKEND STAR, the deejay, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, said: “I feel like someone, or a group of people are conspiring to try to get me arrested. On Monday, I got a call from a friend who works at Greater Portmore Police Station telling me that there’s a rumour over there that I put out a hit on a police over there and that I should try clear my name. I immediately called my lawyer and informed her of the news and she said she was going to call the station to query the matter.” The deejay further said; “Somebody trying to set me up but that don’t hold no water because whether it is a routine check on the road, traffic violation or even question and answer, the cops and I have never had a bad encounter.”
don’t sling guns
He continued, “I sing songs, I don’t sling guns so I would like to go to the public because this is set up business that someone is obviously trying.”
Checks by THE WEEKEND STAR to verify the artiste’s claims were unsuccessful as all questions were directed to the top cop for the St Catherine South Division. However, several calls to his office and cellular phone went unanswered up to press time last night.
“I don’t know if it’s true or not, I’m not in the capacity to comment. It’s best you speak to the boss,” a corporal at the Greater Portmore Police Station said when THE WEEKEND STAR contacted there yesterday.
In June, Kartel was among a list of six men who were described as a ‘major person of interest’ and asked to turn themselves into police custody. On June 29, Kartel turned himself into police custody, during the time of the imposed state of emergency. He was released two weeks later.
In making reference to that arrest Kartel said yesterday, “this is not the first time someone tried to accuse me. While I was detained during the state of emergency, police came to me in the cell and said they received statement that I threatened a policeman’s life. When they contacted the policeman who was allegedly threatened, he said he didn’t know anything about that and that he and I were good friends from primary school days, we grew up together.”
VH1 Votes Bob Marley The 11TH Greatest Artist Of All Time!
VH1 will count down its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (the five-part countdown will continue every day at 10/9c through Thursday, Sept. 10). VH1 has revealed the Top 5 (although their specific ranking will remain a secret until the final show airs.
100 Alicia Keys 99 Hall & Oates 98 Depeche Mode 97 Pretenders 96 Journey 95 OutKast 94 Mariah Carey 93 Pearl Jam 92 LL Cool J 91 Green Day 90 Elvis Costello 89 Beastie Boys 88 Bee Gees 87 George Michael 86 N.W.A. 85 The Band 84 Curtis Mayfield 83 Earth, Wind and Fire 82 Steely Dan 81 ABBA 80 Mary J. Blige 79 Eminem 78 Judas Priest 77 Lynyrd Skynyrd 76 Run-D.M.C. 75 Rush 74 The Cure 73 Van Morrison 72 Janis Joplin 71 R.E.M. 70 Def Leppard 69 Tupac Shakur 68 Otis Redding 67 Coldplay 66 Justin Timberlake 65 The Doors 64 Talking Heads 63 Notorious B.I.G. 62 Genesis 61 Cream 60 Whitney Houston 59 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 58 Cheap Trick 57 Iggy & The Stooges 56 KISS 55 Peter Gabriel 54 Public Enemy 53 Little Richard 52 Beyoncé 51 Billy Joel 50 Sade 49 Parliament-Funkadelic 48 Rage Against The Machine 47 Jay-Z 46 Ramones 45 Al Green 44 Joni Mitchell 43 Ray Charles 42 Metallica 41 Van Halen 40 The Police 39 The Kinks 38 Sly & The Family Stone 37 Fleetwood Mac 36 Paul McCartney 35 Johnny Cash 34 Tina Turner 33 Guns N’ Roses 32 Black Sabbath 31 John Lennon 30 Aerosmith 29 Radiohead 28 Elton John 27 Aretha Franklin 26 Neil Young 25 Chuck Berry 24 The Velvet Underground 23 AC/DC 22 The Clash 21 Bruce Springsteen 20 Marvin Gaye 19 U2 18 Pink Floyd 17 Queen 16 Madonna 15 The Beach Boys 14 Nirvana 13 The Who 12 David Bowie 11 Bob Marley 10 Stevie Wonder 09 James Brown 08 Elvis Presley 07 Prince 06 Jimi Hendrix 05 Rolling Stones 04 Led Zeppelin 03 Michael Jackson 02 Bob Dylan 01 The Beatles
BMW Ends Production Of The M6
BMW M GmbH announced today that it will be ending production of the BMW M6 Coupe and the BMW M6 Convertible but before you start crying, just know that there is a replacement on the way. The only reason you should be crying is because BMW has confirmed that it will also cease production of its powerful 5.0LV10 engine that is capable of delivering maximum output at 7,750 rpm, with engine speed eventually topping out at 8,250 rpm.
The 5.0L V10 in the M6 lineup is expected to be replaced by the same twin-turbo V8 that we will see in the next-generation M5 due early next year.
BMW said that it sold a total of 14,152 M6s – 9,087 coupes and 5,065 convertibles.
Click through for the press release.
Press Release:
Munich.
BMW M GmbH has announced the end of production of the BMW M6 Coupé and the BMW M6 Convertible. The two high-performance models provide the most exclusive opportunity to experience on normal roads the hallmark athleticism of M vehicles combined with drive and chassis technology inspired by the world of motor racing. In total 14,152 examples of these high-performance sports cars were built: 9,087 units of the Coupé, which launched in 2005; and 5,065 Convertible models, presented the following year.
With the departure of these two fascinating and exceptional athletes and the already discontinued fourth-generation BMW M5, production will now also cease for the unique V10 high-rev engine. For years the 373 kW/507 hp powerplant has set the benchmark for delivering sheer power in cars that are both highly dynamic in character and symbolic of the outstanding expertise of BMW M GmbH in developing high-performance engines. For two years in succession, 2005 and 2006, the ten-cylinder unit took overall victory in the prestigious Engine of the Year Award, and in the two years that followed achieved first place on each occasion in the category for engines with displacement above 4 litres.
The stand-out feature of this unique engine, developed exclusively for the BMW M5 and BMW M6 models, is power delivery that is both extremely dynamic and smooth even at higher loads. Output is developed from a 5-litre displacement split between ten combustion chambers, with the two banks of cylinders cranked at 90 degrees to one another. The engine delivers maximum output at 7,750 rpm, with engine speed eventually peaking at 8,250 rpm, and it has maximum torque of 520 Nm. In addition to the high-rev concept, a number of other technological details – electronically-controlled individual throttle valves, an ionic current control system and lateral force-controlled oil supply – were also directly derived from motor racing.
In much the same way, design principles of chassis technology and lightweight construction also found their way from the race track to the road. In the case of the BMW M6 Coupé, for example, carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) – a material that largely owes its introduction in the automotive sector to Formula One – was used in both the roof and bumper design. Its power-to-weight ratio of 3.37 kilograms per hp is another unbeatable key indicator in the profile of the BMW M6 Coupé. Moreover, its outstanding performance characteristics are additionally supported by seven-speed SMG Drivelogic and Launch Control for maximum acceleration from a standing start, the speed-sensitive variable M differential lock, and model-specific chassis technology, including Electronic Damper Control (EDC) and compound brakes. Standstill to 100 km/h acceleration time is a mere 4.6 seconds. The BMW M6 Convertible takes just 0.2 seconds longer, giving the driver time to appreciate not only the thrilling dynamic performance but also the irresistible flair of an open-top premium sports car in the luxury class.
The BMW M6 Coupé and BMW M6 Convertible received worldwide acclaim as dream cars for automotive enthusiasts with sporting ambitions. The number one market for both models was the US, which recorded sales of 3,528 closed and 3,247 open-top vehicles, followed by Germany (1,183 / 541 units). In third position for sales of the BMW M6 Coupé came Great Britain and Ireland, with 619 vehicle registrations; in the case of the BMW M6 Convertible it was Canada, with 209 units sold.
Sales of the BMW M5 followed a similar pattern. The United States once again came out on top, with sales of 8,786 vehicles. Then, after the domestic market of Germany (2,473 units), Great Britain and Ireland generated the next highest demand on the continent of Europe, with 1,980 vehicles. In total the BMW M5 recorded global sales of over 20,000 cars in under five years, with current figures of 19,494 units for the BMW M5 Saloon and a further 1,009 units for the BMW M5 Touring, available since 2007.
The total combined figures for the fourth-generation BMW M5 exceed even those of its predecessor model, which was in production for six years. With that it has secured the current high point in the success story of the BMW M5, the first generation of which established the vehicle segment of high-performance saloons at its introduction in 1984.
Bob Marley's Daughter Pleads Guilty For Growing Marijuana
Makeda Jahnesta Marley, 29, the youngest child of the late singer-songwriter’s 13 acknowledged children, admitted to having nearly a dozen large marijuana plants insider home west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to theDaily Local Newsof West Chester.
She was arrested in 2008 after police say they found her removing plants from the basement when officers arrived on a domestic dispute call.
At a February hearing, Marley, who was born just three weeks after her father died, told the court she had exhausted a trust fund she received from her father’s estate when she turned 18. Sentencing is scheduled for October.
Her father, popular for songs such as ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ and ‘No Woman, No Cry’, brought attention to the Rastafarian movement, whose followers worship the Haile Selassie, the former Ethiopian leader, and use marijuana as an aid to spiritual enlightenment. He died of cancer in 1981 aged 36.
Christopher "Dudus" Coke Will Return To a Manhattan Court In November 6th
NEW YORK, United States – Former Tivoli Gardens don Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke will return to a Manhattan court on November 16 to continue his trial on drugs and gun running charges.
According to a report by Observer correspondent Harold Bailey, who covered Tuesday’s court appearance, the former Tivoli Gardens strongman appeared to be in good spirits.
Coke’s legal team has been bolstered by the inclusion of attorneys Steven Rosen and Frank Dodatto.
He was arrested on June 23 along the Mandela Highway after being on the run for almost a month. He was found in the company of popular pastor, rev Al Miller, who said he was taking Coke to the US Embassy in St Andrew. Miller has since been charged with harbouring a criminal and perverting the course of justice.
Coke is facing a long sentence if found guilty of the charges laid against him. His assets can also be seized.
He is reportedly being held under maximum security conditions and spends most of his days locked in a cramped cell.
Female Fan steals the mic from Nicki Minaj and raps her "Bottoms Up" Verse
Video after the break...
Female Fan steals the mic from Nicki Minaj and raps her "Bottoms Up" Verse
Nicki Minaj Speaks On Being Hip Hop's Gayest MC "The Gay Community Has Supported Me More Than I Ever Could Have Imagined"
Nicki Minaj is the new Queen of hip hop, and somewhere along the way, she has also become a big influence in the gay and lesbian community. Female pop artists like Madonna, Grace Jones and Lady Gaga have huge fan bases in those communities as well, but it's not something that has ever happened before in rap. The Trinidad born femcee recently talked with PaperMag about how this came to be, and why she embraces it. "I didn't set out to do that. I just like to put a spotlight on the people who support me, and it just so happens, you know, that the gay community has supported me -- more than I ever could have imagined," she says. "I see videos on YouTube where they impersonate me, and they do an amazing freaking job of dressing up as me." Nicki credits going to LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (the "Fame school") as being a major influence and with keeping her open minded. "I saw gay kids, I saw white kids, I saw grunge and pink hair and piercings," she recalls. "I think because of that, I didn't put limits on myself or what I was going to put in my raps. I really just wanted to be diverse." The Young Money rapper thinks that one day we will see a male counterpart have just as big of an impact in the gay community. Nicki, who has said she is bi-sexual, told Details that time might not come that soon though. "I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip-hop is too. But it's harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced. People view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we'll see one in my lifetime."
(Breaking News)Hostages Escape From Juicy Patties West Street Downtown Kingston.
Unknown Number of Gunmen are keeping employees & customers of Juicy Patties West Street hostage downtown kingston Jamaica. Media Reports:
The incident started about 6:00 pm. Police say that two robbers — one armed with a gun and the other unarmed — barged though a side door of the restaurant moments before closing time and held four persons hostage.
Three of the hostages have since been released.
Police and soldiers have swopped down on the area and have surrounded the building.
Police have asked members of the public to avoid the area.
More Info: soon!
Hurricane Earl Hits Canada
(Reuters) – Hurricane Earl made landfall in Canada on Saturday and fizzled after a series of scares along the U.S. East Coast, flooding roads, felling trees and cutting power to tens of thousands in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia.
One man died in the Halifax region after he swam into rough waters to secure a boat that had come loose from its mooring. He drowned while attempting to swim back to shore.
But the storm, downgraded successively from a fierce Category 4 hurricane, never packed the punch that had been feared earlier in the week, when experts warned of possible widespread damage in a region that includes some 1.1 million barrels per day of U.S. oil refining capacity.
“We dodged a bullet here,” Scott MacLeod, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said of Earl’s charge past Massachusetts as a tropical storm. “Other than some minor road closures due to localized flooding, we’re not getting a lot of reports of major damage.”
The storm was again a hurricane, but barely, when it reached Canada. It quickly weakened again to a tropical storm, with wind speeds under 74 mph, half of the wind speed of a violent Category 4 hurricane.
The storm, with initial gusts of 80 mph, cut power to 200,000 homes and business across the province of some 940,000. The Nova Scotia power authority said it could be two days before full power is restored.
As a large Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, Earl had been the largest hurricane to threaten the densely populated U.S. Atlantic shoreline since Hurricane Bob in 1991.
It delivered heavy rain and gusty winds to parts of the eastern United States en route to Canada, but the storm stayed mostly offshore and caused far less damage than feared on its path up the U.S. coast from North Carolina. It hit land in Nova Scotia, on the Atlantic coast.
In the provincial capital Halifax, powerful winds churned up the harbor and tossed litter through downtown streets as blacked-out traffic lights swayed alarmingly. It was hard to stand against the swirling, gusting wind.
Earl deposited about an inch of rain per hour as it crossed Nova Scotia and moved into the neighboring maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
Imperial Oil Ltd closed its 82,000 barrel a day Dartmouth refinery before the storm struck.
The refinery is one of three in Eastern Canada, and the closest one to the center of the storm.
EnCana Corp evacuated staff from its Deep Panuke prospect off the Nova Scotia coast after suspending drilling late on Monday. The company said it would know later on Saturday when they could return.
LIMITED LOSSES
The relatively light impact in the United States raised hopes that the Northeast will suffer only limited losses during the three-day Labor Day weekend, traditionally viewed as the final surge of summer tourist dollars for airlines and other businesses.
Storm-related outages from North Carolina to Connecticut knocked out power to about 3,300 customers, the U.S. Energy Department said — a small number that showed the mild impact of what had once shaped up to be a monster storm.
“I think right now the biggest thing we are dealing with in terms of aftermath are downed trees and power lines,” said Krista Higdon, a spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office.
By late afternoon, the U.S. National Hurricane Center described Earl as a tropical storm with maximum wind speeds of 70 mph. It said Earl was located about 20 miles west-northwest of the Magdalen Islands, Quebec, and was moving north-northeast at a speed of 40 mph..
So Much For Tiny Taking The All The Blame. Poice Now Say They Found Ecstasy Directly On T.I., Not in Maybach
Police have confirmed they found the drug ecstasy on rapper T.I. When he was stopped in Los Angeles Wednesday (September 2nd) evening.
Police said they found several pills on the rapper when he was stopped for making an illegal U-turn on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.
According to the Los Angeles County Police Department, the drugs were found directly on T.I. and his wife, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle.
No drugs were found in the Maybach T.I. was driving according to police, who arrested the newlyweds around 10:40 am.
T.I. is currently in Atlanta, where he is expected to meet with his probation officer, as well as the judge who sentenced him to a year in prison, for attempting to purchase machine guns and silencers prior to the BET Awards in 2007.
T.I. and Tiny have been charged with possession of a controlled substance.
They were released early Thursday morning on $10,000 bail a piece.
If convicted, both face up to a year in state prison.
Man goes on Stabbing Rampage At High School Reunion, Killing 1 Person & Injuring 8
Video After The Jump
A 28-year-old man who was recently released from prison was charged Saturday night in what police described as a bloody melee that left one dead and seven others wounded at a high school reunion in Cherry Hill earlier the same day.
James L. Dixon of 900 Kevin Road was charged with fatally stabbing Carrington McNutt and injuring at least seven others at a Walbrook High School reunion for classes 1995 through 2005 at the Patapsco Arena on Annapolis Road, said Agent Donny Moses, a police spokesman.
"One individual basically went on a stabbing rampage," he said.
Dixon is charged with first-degree murder, as well as several counts of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
Saturday afternoon, friends and relatives streamed in and out of McNutt's rowhouse in the 2800 block of W. Lafayette Ave. The house was his childhood home, where he lived with his mother and sister.
"Everybody from this neighborhood knew each other," said Carrington's sister, Chandra McNutt. She said lots of people from all over town were attending the reunion, although she did not attend.
"I'm still in shock," she said from inside the door. She said her brother left behind a young daughter.
Police say it is unclear at this point what caused the dispute.
McNutt was stabbed in the neck and upper torso, Moses said. He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center and pronounced dead at 1:40 a.m., about an hour after the fight. The other victims were taken to various area hospitals and are expected to survive, Moses said.
Wesley Souders, a manager at the arena who was working during the event, said the contract was for about 600 people to attend the dance, which was supposed to end at 2 a.m.
"They were playing their music. They were dancing. They seemed to be having a good time," he said.
About 25 security guards were manning the event, Souders said, and police are routinely notified ahead of time when the space is rented out. Police had stopped in and reported that "everything is fine," Souders said, but the fight broke out shortly after.
"We couldn't see exactly where it started," he said.
The parking lot behind the Patapsco Arena was packed with people attending a flea market Saturday afternoon while workers wearing white plastic jumpsuits cleaned inside the event hall. Some blood drops remained near the back entrance and down a concrete wheelchair ramp.
Moses said a knife — the apparent weapon — and a handgun, which was not used in the fight, were recovered from the scene.
Security on site detained witnesses who pointed to the suspect, police said.
McNutt and Dixon were involved in incidents of violence throughout their lives, court records show.
In June 2005, McNutt was shot on his own block. He was charged with attempted murder in the shooting a 28-year-old on the same block a few months later. The charge was not pursued, court records show.
Two years ago, McNutt was one of three people shot during an altercation outside the China Room nightclub on Calvert Street downtown and he had a number of drug convictions in Baltimore courts.
Dixon also had a prior criminal history.
In May 2003 he pled guilty to a drug distribution charge, receiving a 10-year sentence with nine years and six months suspended and three years of probation. A little more than a year later, he was found guilty of violating his probation and sentenced to six years. He was also found guilty in October 2005 on a burglary charge from 2004 and was sentenced to 15 years with all but five years suspended and three years of probation.
Deejay Flippa Mafia has seemingly been given a break at last and is reportedly out on bail in the United States. The artiste, real name Andrew Davis, was arrested earlier this year after he was allegedly caught trying to enter the United States illegally from the Bahamas in March. The deejay was arrested on March 16 and according to a report made in THE STAR, Flippa at the time knew he had no current legal immigration status in the U.S. After being arrested, Flippa was being held as a prosecution witness against Julio Santiesteban and Armando Amat, who were charged with encouraging and inducing an alien to enter or reside in the United States. Since then, Flippa has been held in Federal custody, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and more recently was reportedly being held in state custody.
Temple Black of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had confirmed Flippa’s detention.”I can confirm there is an ICE detainer but I cannot provide any further details based on our privacy policy.”An ICE detainer, according to the Immigration Policy Centre website immigrationpolicy.org, is a “tool used by ICE & other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to identify potentially deportable individuals who are housed in jails or prisons nationwide. An immigration detainer is an official request from ICE to another law enforcement agency (LEA) – such as a state or local jail – that the LEA notify ICE prior to releasing an individual from local custody so that ICE can arrange to take over custody.”
Family and friends of a man who suddenly collapsed and died at a church in central Kingston yesterday, believe ghosts may be responsible for his death.
"Wah day yah me and him inna di house and di duppy dem did a beat him. Me and him jus' siddung and yu could a see seh dem a lick him," a relative of Casper* the deceased man, told THE WEEKEND STAR yesterday, minutes after his mysterious death and while his body was still inside the church where he had reportedly collapsed.
While requesting that the article not be published, Casper's family members say he became ill sometime last week and was taken to see at least two doctors who could not diagnose him with an ailment.
They claim his situation got worst and he eventually told them he did not think he would live much longer.
"Him sick from last week Wednesday and nobody cyaa figure out a wah happen to him," the family again claimed while pointing to a number of bruises on her legs which she claimed was inflicted by the ghosts she believes are responsible for Casper's death.
As a result, they say he begged them to take him to church where he could get baptised.
THE WEEKEND STAR was told that Casper, who is from Denham Town, west Kingston, was taken to a church along Heroes Circle where he was baptised by a female pastor on Wednesday afternoon. It is further said that Casper requested that he be taken to church on the following day. He would take his final breath, however, while inside the church.
"Him did know seh him naw go mek it, so him ask fi get baptise before him eye shut. Him waa go a heaven, just like how you waa go a heaven," another family member said.
When THE WEEKEND STAR arrived at the church, a number of persons were seen blocking the entrance, seemingly in an attempt to hinder persons from seeing the body. Representatives from the Madden's Funeral Home came to collect the body close to 2:30 p.m. as curious onlookers watched.
*Names changed
Test Confirm the Drugs Found in T.I.'s Car Were Ecstasy Pills. Former Mayor of Atlanta, Andy Young Thinks Tip Was "Driving While Black"
T.I. and Tiny's Mugshots
Results are in on the pills found in T.I.'s car when he and his wife Tiny were arrested in L.A. Wednesday. The pills are confirmed to be Ecstacy according to a TMZ report.
The couple is due to appear in front of a judge today. While we wait to hear what happened in court, one person who's been in the rapper's corner thinks his arrest could have been the result of racial bias.
Andy Young, the former mayor of Atlanta told the Atlanta Constitution Journal he feels T.I. was stopped because he isAfrican American.
“There’s another culture in L.A. that I don’t understand,” Young said. “Most people in Los Angeles would wonder why he was stopped … I don’t know why they should have been stopped ... When a black man is stopped and not speeding … you call that driving while black.”
Young, who officiated T.I.'s wedding to Tiny has been the rappers' mentor since he was released from prison in March, after serving seven months on weapons charges.
Man Loses His During Deadly Shooting At Pennsylvania Sports Bar Caught On Tape*Warning Graphic Content*
Video After The Jump
When things get heated out in the streets these days, seems like the first reaction is for somebody to grab a gun and start blasting. Especially when you're out a a club or bar. People just don't scrap hardly anymore, outside of the occasional fight video you see here on ThisIs50.
The video you're about to check out is from an incident that happened back in April in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
What started as an argument in a parking lot ends in a deadly shooting. Notice not one punch is thrown before the shooter goes to his car to get his pistol.
Also peep how everybody except for the bartender gets low to the ground when the gunshots start. I don't know what the hell this woman was thinking, but her reaction time was mad slow.
A 25 year old man, Kevin Cobbs Jr lost his life during this senseless act of violence.
The person narrating the video is Omar Yildirim, the owner of Philly's Steaks Sports Bar and Grill where the shooting took place.
Woman's Face Disfigured When Stranger Throws Acid On It After Asking"Hey Pretty Girl Do You Want To Drink This?" Victim Speaks Out
Video After The Jump
VANCOUVER, Wash. — A 28-year-old Vancouver, Wash., woman who had acid thrown in her face has undergone surgery at a Portland hospital.
Legacy Emanuel Medical Center spokeswoman Amber Shoebridge said Wednesday night that Bethany Storro's surgery went well and she was resting.
Bethany Storro, of Vancouver, Wash., was getting something out of her car in downtown Vancouver when the attack happened Monday evening, her mother Nancy Neuwelt told The Oregonian.
Neuwelt said a young woman walked up to her daughter, said: "Hey pretty girl, do you want to drink this?" and tossed a cup of liquid in Storro's face.
"I’m a nice girl and I don’t know why this happened," Storro, 28, said Tuesday in her hospital room in the Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, The Columbian newspaper reported.
Storro said the pain was the most excruciating she had ever experienced, her mother told The Columbian.
"It was burning through her shirt. She took off her shirt and she was trying to wipe her face," Neuwelt said, according to the newspaper.
'Felt like her heart stopped' Storro "kind of remembers walking in circles," Neuwelt added. "She felt like her heart stopped at one point."
She collapsed, screaming for help, only to realize she was not being heard. She got back up and stumbled toward a group of people, The Oregonian reported.
"Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers," Storro said in a written statement Tuesday, The Oregonian reported. "I appreciate all of the well wishes being sent my way. I do ask, if anyone should know the woman who assaulted me, please contact the Vancouver Police."
Neuwelt said her daughter was wearing a pair of sunglasses she had bought shortly before the attack and that may have saved her eyesight. Still, Storro's family said her face will take months to heal.
"It's very bizarre, very random and very weird, and we don’t understand it," Neuwelt told The Columbian, speaking by phone from her daughter's bedside.
"She’s having a hard time," she added. "It's changed her life now and her emotions are all over the place."
Recently moved to city Neuwelt told The Columbian that her daughter had recently moved to Vancouver and was single with no children.
"She wanted to make a fresh start and this happened," Neuwelt, a worship leader and administrative assistant at a local church, told the paper. "Bethany is a really great, fun, energetic and adorable girl, and she didn’t deserve this."
"I am so disgusted with society right now!" Storro’s brother, Abraham Neuwelt of Seattle, said on his Facebook page, The Columbian reported.
"Yesterday my little sister got some form of acid thrown into her face while walking through downtown Vancouver, WA. She is currently in the hospital with severe burns and could face permanent damage. This incident was totally unprovoked and malicious in nature. If you believe in prayer, now is the time to ask for a full recovery and that the assailant be brought to justice!"
Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said doctors and authorities were trying to determine what kind of substance caused Storro's facial burns.
Police said the assailant was described as a black woman between 25 and 35, who wore a green shirt and khaki shorts, The Columbian reported. She had medium-length black hair that was pulled back.
Singer Lloyd was not only known for his crooning but his long luxurious locks. When VIBE broke the news last night that "Mr. Long Hair Don't Care" had taken the clippers to the dome all the internet was a buzz.
JAMAICANS will have the opportunity to hear President Bill Clinton when he visits Kingston next month.
Clinton, founder of the William J Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States of America, will deliver an address at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on October 25, on the topic which defines his current and growing international activism: embracing our common humanity.
Clinton served the as president for eight years.
His public speeches describe the challenge of globalisation, interdependence, and point the way toward a common future based on shared goals and values.
After leaving the White House, Clinton established the William J Clinton Foundation with the mission to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence.
Today the foundation has staff and volunteers around the world working to improve lives through several initiatives, including the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (now the Clinton Health Access Initiative, a separate non-profit organisation) which is helping two million people living with HIV/AIDS access lifesaving drugs. Other initiatives are applying a business-oriented approach worldwide to fight climate change and develop sustainable economic growth in Africa and Latin America.
The public lecture is presented by Whisky Productions, with the support of Digicel, Scotiabank and Supreme Ventures Limited.
New Video La lewis letting you know whats going on in the music industry so watch the video carefully.
Busy Signal On Path To Saving Dancehall!
Most dancehall artists’ careers have crashed and burned on American shores. From Yellowman to Shabba Ranks to Buju Banton, some of Jamaica’s most definitive vocalists couldn’t break through to a larger audience due to unwise collaborations, questionable judgments and bad advice.
Busy Signal, who boasts a collab with M.I.A. on the new Major Lazer EP, is determined not to follow that path.
“I’ve learned from their mistakes, ” the man born Reanno Gordon tells Spinner. “I try to think outside the box, beyond Jamaica. I mean, we sing gun lyrics here, and burn fire on this and burn fire on that, but that won’t bring you to the level that you need to go. I’ve seen this over and over again with artists from Jamaica. You sing those songs locally, people go crazy, but at the end of the day that won’t bring you to the wide level of exposure cause you’re probably lashing out against those that would be accepting you.”
Busy has managed to create huge domestic hits while pursuing hybrid rhythms and cool foreign collaborations. Nothing in his rapidly growing catalog sounds like the watered-down crossovers of years past, which saw hard-as-nails dancehall artists recording urban radio-baiting slow jams.
His new album ‘D.O.B.’ (which stands for “Difference of Busy” may contain covers of Phil Collins’ ‘One More Night’ and a one-drop revision of the Commodores’ ‘Night Shift,’ but both versions cut deep and don’t feel like blatant sellouts.
Within the rest of the album’s context, it’s clear these represent just one side of his personality, alongside the Latin-flavoured ‘Picante,’ the fierce ‘Summn a Go Gwaan’ with his mentor Bounty Killer, and the digital string flourishes of ‘Opera.’
“I’m not just about one track in my entire career,” he says. “I sing gun songs — I sing plenty of them — and I sing sex lyrics too. I mean, sex sells. I still sing conscious songs — I even sing a gospel, so I try to keep it well-rounded”.
Busy is crossing over differently than previous generations by tapping into the hot electro-tropical scene and spreading the results online, rather than through radio. Poirier remixed Busy’s ultra-minimal ‘Cool Baby’ into an anthemic dancefloor track — and gave it away as a free download. The African-inspired single ‘Jafrican Ting’ blew up earlier this year thanks to support from trendspotting magazine The Fader. However, he is best known outside dancehall circles for his work with Diplo’s Major Lazer project — which contributes the bonus track ‘Pon Me’ to ‘D.O.B.’ Busy finds great common ground with such producers.
“They fuse stuff and do different types of beats, it’s a good experience for me,” he observes. “I’m not really trying to change dancehall, it’s more trying to fuse it with different styles — getting a different taste but at the same time keeping it Jamaican dancehall culture, reggae music culture.”
More than ever, his approach is paying off, with big names increasingly coming to him. “I’m always in the studio, constantly doing tracks. I did one with Stephen Marley yesterday,” he recounts. On the way are vocals for beats supplied by Timbaland, Scott Storch and DJ Khaled.
“I’m lifting the culture on a wider scale of exposure,” Busy maintains, stressing once again that his self-directed musical diversity will help him go further. “There are all different types of people in the world. When people can choose, that’s always a good thing.”
Spotted: risingstarstv
T.I. & Tiny arrested for drug possesion
T.I. has had a run-in with the law once again. The King of the South and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Cottle have been arrested for alleged possession of a controlled substance.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies pulled over Tip and Tiny for making an illegal U-turn while they were driving in a Maybach on Sunset Boulevard around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 1). After officers smelled marijuana in the vehicle, the couple was taken into custody in West Hollywood, Calif. They remained in custody as of press time and are scheduled to make an appearance at the Beverly Hills Municipal Court on Friday. Bail was set at $10,000.
Police stated that they discovered a controlled substance in the car, which, under California law, constitutes methamphetamines, ecstasy, and a form of codeine used in Sizzurp. Inside of T.I. and Tiny’s car were Styrofoam cups, the cup of choice for those who drink the popular Southern concoction, but cops are now claiming that they may have found X pills in the whip.
The Atlanta MC is currently on probation after pleading guilty to weapons charges. He served seven months behind bars at a Federal Correction Institution in Arkansas last year.
T.I. and Tiny were married on July 30 and the rapper-turned-actor is fresh off the success of his film Takers, which debuted at No. 1 over the weekend.
President Obama declares end to Iraq war, pledging it's 'time to turn the page' and focus on economy
WASHINGTON - A somber President Obama declared an end to the long and costly Iraq war Tuesday night, pledging he now intends to "turn the page" to America's economic revival.
"The American combat mission in Iraq has ended," Obama told the nation in an 18-minute address, only his second from the Oval Office. "Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country."
The U.S. will help Iraq develop a stable government and keep up the increasingly difficult fight in Afghanistan, he pledged. But Obama asserted that "our central mission as a people and my central responsibility as President" is reinvigorating the limping economy at home.
"Today, our most urgent task is to restore our economy and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work," he said.
_____
The leader speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday night was not the anti-war candidate of 2008.
Thank goodness for that.
President Obama praised the fact that "the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country,"even though he opposed the troop surge that made it possible to turn the tide against the insurgency.
He hailed "a belief that out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization," even though he opposed the conflict from the start.
He commended the troops for defeating "a regime that had terrorized its people," when the fact is Saddam Hussein would probably still be in power today if not for the war.
Many will seize on the awkwardness of Obama giving credit to George W. Bush and the "dumb war" (Obama's words) he started. But when a President gets handed the keys to the country, he has to adjust to national security realities.
Obama didn't want to invade Iraq, as he delicately acknowledged Tuesday night. But the responsibility to make the best of it, and wind down the war, fell to him. He sucked it up, followed through with the surge and did what he promised, ending U.S. combat operations there.
In other words, he behaved like a responsible commander in chief. Let that be a lesson to those, especially on the far right, who seek to delegitimize all Obama says and does.
Obama's most rabid right-wing enemies must get used to it: This is America's President. This is the troops' commander. Whether you like it or not, at least until 2012.
Disagree with him. Disagree with him vociferously if you want. Dissent is perfectly American. But stop trying to smear him as un-American. That's sick and corrosive.
Do the majority of Republicans - who, according to a new Newsweek poll, reportedly believe that Obama "sympathizes with the goals of Islamic fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world" - really grasp what they're suggesting?
Does Rush Limbaugh, who calls "Imam Hussein Obama" an "anti-American President," have no shame?
Do these people understand that in Afghanistan, Obama has escalated a front-line war against Islamic fundamentalists?
Again: Disagreement is perfectly patriotic. But by unscrupulously attacking the patriotism of the commander in chief, rabid Obama haters are toying with the people whose service they claim to salute. decessor did?
The streets dem no talk how Kartel diss ZJ Liquid last week say him a wanna-be artiste and how much him ah copy Kartel ‘Oh’ like a fi him own and a bagga tings. Mi see the message dem pon mi bb from last week Friday but mi neva pay it no mind because it coulda be a fake bb wid people ah try style the deejay, but now mi hear say DJ Wayne vex over the whole ting and him play the other night and never play not even one Kartel and the streets ah buzz over wah a gwaan? ZJ Liquid and DJ Wizzle close from long time, from Montego Bay days and all these things, so it look like him vex over what dem say Kartel do..
Liquid Returns To Zip FM!
ZJ Liquid returns on air this week after more than a month-long suspension. According to a source, Liquid returns to ZIP FM this week after he was suspended in July for playing an expletive on air. ZJ Liquid, whose real name is Michael Brissett, played an unedited version of Andrew and Wada Blood’s Beggy Beggy on his ‘Fresh 2 Death’ segment. The ZJ immediately covered up the blunder by switching to another song, but not before it was noticed by a number of listeners. Playing an expletive on air is in direct violation of the Broadcasting Commission’s rules and regulations. This was the ZJ’s second offence since the start of the year. In February, Liquid was suspended indefinitely for playing an unedited version of Aidonia’s Love It. The ZJ returned to air a month later. A Facebook group, ‘Put Zj Liquid back on air’ was formed shortly after. The page currently has over 8,000 fans. On the page, a number of persons were awaiting confirmation as to when and if the Zip Jock would be back on air. One person commented, “Jah know me radio all a ketch dust, it nuh tun on back from Liquid stop play pon Zip!” Another person said, “Zip nuh good again without Liquid … what happen to ‘Fresh to Death Wednesday’… how we ago hear di fresh tunes, bossy, bus di youth! We need fi hear Liquid.” Attempts to reach both ZJ Liquid and ZIP FM’s station manager D’Adra Williams, were unsuccessful.
Rihanna Officially Got Waxed Then Dolled Up!
Rihanna is the latest celebrity to get waxed by Madam Tussauds. The famous wax museum will unveil Rihanna’s wax figure on Tuesday in Washington DC. Artist studied hundreds of photos and video to create this masterpiece and I must say they hit the nail right on the forehead. Rihanna recently made fun of her large forehead calling it a 5-head, after she burned herself with a curling iron. The wax figure looks exactly like Rihanna and I”m talking spitting image. I’m sure tourist all over the world will be lining up to take pictures of Rihanna’s freshly waxed… figure
Check out the pics below.
Dancehall Reggae Oil Painting Artworks By Elen G!
We are proud to present these fine pieces of oil painting artworks by Elen G. Elen is a young painter, graphic designer, disk jockey (selectress in My Lord Sound) and student from Israel who is inspired by the Dancehall Reggae and Roots oil painting of several Jamaican artistes and portraits. We think her paintings are awesome! Check them out and tell us what you think.
Paris Hilton Formally Charged W/Felony Cocaine Possession. Could Face 4 Years In Prison. Hilton Claims It Was A "Setup"[Video]
Video After The Jump
Paris Hilton's arrest on Friday in Las Vegas could land the socialite in jail again. The reality star was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance after police alleged that they found .8 grams of cocaine in her purse during a search following Friday's incident, Radar Online reports. The charges could land Hilton anything from probation to four years in prison; she could also face a $5,000 fine. Jillian Prieto, public information officer for the Clark County courts, confirmed that Hilton is due back in Vegas for an arraignment in the case on October 27. TMZ reported that unnamed friends of Hilton's said the hotel heiress and nightlife regular is wavering a bit from her initial "it wasn't my purse" story, explaining that Paris claims a friend recently borrowed the purse and "probably" left the illicit drug inside it. Hilton allegedly said the friend returned the bag but that she never bothered to check the contents before using it herself. The friend said Hilton explained that she was eating sushi at the Wynn resort with boyfriend Cy Waits when she got tired and Waits offered to drive her home before returning to his gig as a nightclub boss at the Wynn. "It could be a setup," Hilton is reportedly telling friends. "Everyone knows how against cocaine I am." Hilton was pinched after police stopped Waits' Cadillac Escalade when they smelled "the strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle," according to the police report in the incident. When one of the officers recognized the passenger as Hilton, he said she immediately tried to roll up her window. When police stopped the car and a crowd began to gather, Hilton told the officers she was "extremely embarrassed" and asked if she could use the bathroom at the Wynn and go inside to "prevent her from being molested by the growing crowd and also asked to go somewhere private and out of the public's eye until the investigation was over." A Radar Online story claimed Hilton could be off the hook because police allegedly failed to check her purse at the scene and instead didn't do so until she was inside the Wynn, which her lawyers could argue was an illegal search. The police report confirms that an officer escorted Hilton into the hotel to the Wynn security holding room while they waited for a female officer to take her to the restroom. Inside the Wynn, Paris asked if she could take some lip balm out of her purse, and when the officer handed it to her, he claimed in the report, "As she began, I saw a small bindle of what I believed to be cocaine in a clear baggie begin to fall from the purse and into my hand." Also found in the purse: a broken tablet of Albuterol — a prescription drug commonly used to treat asthma and wheezing — as well as Zig Zag rolling papers. Hilton copped to the Albuterol but said the cocaine was not hers and that the purse did not belong to her and that she'd borrowed it from a friend. When questioned by the police about the cocaine, she allegedly said "she had not seen it but now thought it was gum." Also inside the purse were $1,300 in cash and some of Hilton's credit cards. Reported boyfriend Waits failed a field sobriety test, according to the police report, and was also arrested in the incident and charged with driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol. The heiress had another run-in with the law over alleged drug possession earlier this summer when she was detained in South Africa at the World Cup for marijuana possession. But the case against Hilton was later dropped after officials learned that someone else in her group was smoking. Hilton has a history of getting in trouble for possessing substances and hitting the road, including a 23-day jail sentence in 2007 for violating probation stemming from a 2006 DUI bust.
A storm moving through the eastern Caribbean has strengthened to a Category Three hurricane, prompting warnings for several islands.
Hurricane Earl is generating sustained winds of 195km/h (120mph).
Forecasters say Earl is now a major hurricane, as it approaches the Leeward Islands, which include the British Virgin Islands.
Strong winds and heavy rains are already lashing the islands, east of Puerto Rico in the northern Caribbean.
A new hurricane warning has now been issued for the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra and Vieques, said the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Hurricane warnings are already in effect in Anguilla, St Martin and St Barthelemy, St Maarten, Saba, St Eustatius, the British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands.
Hurricane warnings are in place for Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy, St Maarten, Saba, St Eustatius, the British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico is also on hurricane alert.
The hurricane warning for Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis has been downgraded to a tropical storm warning. The Turks and Caicos islands are on alert.
People in the area are making preparations ahead of the storm, stocking up on food, water and other essential supplies, as well as trying to protect property.
THE TRIAL of reggae superstar Buju Banton has again been pushed back, leaving the Jamaican to spend more time in an American jail before getting a chance to clear his name. This has left the legal team of the reggae icon frustrated. "The trial was pushed back to September 20 despite our objection," David Oscar Markus of Buju's legal team toldThe Sunday Gleaner. "We are ready to go and Buju is looking forward to his day in court," Markus added. United States District Judge James Moody Jr last Thursday granted a one-week delay in the start of the trial based on a request by attorneys representing one of Buju's co-defendants, James Mack. Mack's lawyers had written to the judge seeking more time to prepare his defence. "The court grants this continuance to allow defendant Mack additional time to prepare for trial. The court finds the ends of justice served by the continuance to allow the defendant more time to prepare outweighs the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial," the judge said in his ruling handed down last Thursday. This is the fifth change in the scheduled start of a trial for Buju, who has been languishing in custody in Florida since last December when he was arrested on charges of conspiracy to possess cocaine, and aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Buju - whose correct name is Mark Myrie - Mack, and Ian Thomas were held following a sting operation by US law- enforcement officials. Latest album Initially, their trial was set to begin on March 3, but due to conflicting reports, the defence moved to start the trial on April 12. The court granted the motion and set the trial to begin on April 19. This was later shifted to June 21, and then to September 13. The new trial date is just over one week before the scheduled release of Buju's latest album titledBefore The Dawn. The album will contain 10 tracks that comprise some of the more prophetic songs written by Buju since his entry into the music business more than 20 years ago. The album's unofficial anthem isInnocent.
Haiti To Be Honored @ This Year’s West Indian American Day Carnival Parade!
Though its roots are in Trinidad and Tobago, the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade has always been an all-inclusive Caribbean affair, and this year, Haiti’s going to get some special attention, according to carnival spokeswoman Jean Alexander. Under the theme “Bridging Cultures,” the 43rd annual festivities will include a benefit concert on Thursday for survivors of Haiti’s Jan. 12 earthquake. The Thursday show kicks off the annual five-day event, which culminates with the massive carnival parade on Labor Day, Sept. 6, along Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. The parade of costume and music and floats begins at noon at Schenectady Ave. and Eastern Parkway. WIADCA President Yolanda Lezama-Clarkcuts a ribbon to start the procession, which travels down the parkway to Grand Army Plaza. Showtime is 7 p.m. Admission is $30 and $35 at the door. The benefit and other pre-parade shows will be held on the Brooklyn Museum grounds, 200 Eastern Parkway (entrance on Washington Ave.). The other pre-parade shows are:
* The “Stay in School Cultural Concert,” on Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Free for children and teens; $5 donation for adults.
* “Brass Fest,” starring Machel Montano HD, Patrice Roberts, Edwin Yearwood and Krosfyah, Destra, Lady Saw, Denise Belfon and more, on Friday from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door.
* Junior Carnival, the procession of costumed youngsters, takes place on Saturday, starting at Kingston Ave. and St. John’s Place and ending at the Brooklyn Museum grounds, where a show will be held. The show is free for kids in costumes and all children younger than 12; $5 for others. Show benefits WIADCA college scholarships.* Panorama, the anticipated steel pan competition, will be held on Friday from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Pan Sonatas will defend its title and vie for $20,000 first prize. Admission is $35 in advance $40 at the door.
* The Dimanche Gras show will be held next Sunday, featuring the Queen of the Bands competition, David Rudder, Rikki Jai, Aaron Duncan, Black Stalin, and a musical tribute to Rawlston Charles of Charlie’s Records, stilt walkers, the Rhythm Masters and a rare appearance by Kambule stick-fighters from Trinidad and Tobago.
Showtime is 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Admission is $30 in advance and $35 at the door. For more information on the West Indian Carnival and the parade and the pre-parade events, visit www.wiadca.com or call (718) 467-1797. Hot lineup under the calypso tent The Big Apple Calypso Revue tent is back, opening today at Brooklyn’s Restoration Plaza with a hot lineup of calypsonians from Trinidad and Tobago, other Caribbean nations and the U.S.
Yendi Phillipps Makes Jamaica’s History, Beauty Queen Gets Rousing Welcome In Montego Bay!
Jamaica’s history-making beauty queen Yendi Phillipps returned home yesterday to a rousing welcome from Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Jamaica Tourist Board Chairman John Lynch, other dignitaries and excited staff at the Sangster International Airport in this tourist resort city.
Phillipps, who placed second in this year’s Miss Universe pageant, the highest ever finish by a Jamaican in that contest, said she had no regrets about her response to a question about the death penalty during the question and answer segment of the pageant held in Las Vegas on Monday night.
Phillipps, who was accompanied on the flight by her boyfriend, Olympian and former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell, said she would be busy next year, as in addition to fulfilling her duties as Miss Jamaica Universe she wants to start her own charity.
Of the time she spent in Las Vegas leading up to and during the pageant, she said her finest moment was the opening dance. Phillipps expressed gratitude for the support she received from Jamaicans at home and abroad. Some Jamaicans have argued that her response to the question factored negatively in the final outcome.She thanked former beauty queens Nicole Haughton, Angelie Spencer and Kerri-Ann Clarke for their support, describing them as “nothing short of amazing”, and was full of praise for her family who she said was there for her when she needed support.
Check out the photos below!
Former 'Canadian Idol' Contestant Arrested For Alleged Involvement In Terror Plot Against Canada
OTTAWA— Two people were arrested Wednesday afternoon and a third terrorism suspect– one who moonwalked across a Montreal stage during an audition for Canadian Idol – was detained early Thursday, the Star has learned. Khuram Sher was arrested as part of an RCMP national security investigation, as police continue to investigate a possible cell allegedly plotting to attack targets at home. Sher told judges on the popular reality show in 2008 that he hailed from P***stan and was a fan of “hockey, music and acting.” He sings an off-tune rendition of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” with – as the show’s website describes – some “nifty” dance moves. “Have you ever thought of being a comedian?” asks one of the judges of the 26-year-old. Another remarks: “The dance moves were good, the singing, bad.” One source close to the investigation said Sher was actually a Canadian-born physician and graduate of McGill University – quite a different persona from goofy contestant wearing a traditional P***stani shalwar kameez and pakul hat as he performs robot dance moves and a Michael Jackson moonwalk. Two other alleged members of the group police believe were trying to form a local terrorism cell appeared in an Ottawa court Thursday. Hiva Alizadeh, 36, is charged with conspiracy, committing an act for terrorism purposes and providing or making available properties for terrorism purposes. The tall, thin Alizadeh appeared in court wearing a bushy beard and glasses, with a knitted skull cap and an open-neck checked shirt. Misbahuddin Ahmed is charged with conspiracy and other unspecified terrorism charges. Ahmed, who was born in 1983 and stands about five feet, 10 inches tall, wore a dark, neatly trimmed beard and a beige pullover in court. "He is in shock. That's all I can say," Ahmed’s Ottawa lawyer Ian Carter told reporters after the appearance.Sean May, lawyer for Alizadeh, said the charges against his client were very serious. "He seems to be taking the matter seriously and obviously very concerned about it," May told reporters. "They are very serious charges, no question about that. They are the most serious charges you can face except for a murder charge," he said. Both men were put over for a video appearance on Sept. 1. Ottawa’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team had been tracking the men for months and one of the suspects is alleged to have ties to high-level Al Qaeda affiliates abroad, sources close to the case told the Toronto Star. Known as “Project Samosa,” the RCMP investigation reportedly began with intelligence passed on by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The plot involved Canadian targets but was not “specific,” said a police source, adding that the arrests happened quickly since one suspect was planning to travel abroad. The alleged ringleader had reportedly travelled earlier to the border region between P***stan and Afghanistan in search of training. A news conference in Ottawa is scheduled for Thursday. Ahmed had worked for two years as a general radiography technologist at Ottawa’s Hospital Civic Campus. Guy Morency, the hospital’s director of diagnostic imaging, told the Star in an interview that Ahmed was a “stellar technologist.” “We’ve had no complaints about him,” he said. Morency said he had only met Ahmed a couple of times in meetings and described him as rather “nondescript.” But he did recall that Ahmed was able to provide “excellent” references from Montreal before he was hired. “We were very pleased with what we heard and received and he has proven himself since.” Morency, who was on vacation this week, said he would go into the hospital Thursday to speak with the department’s employees. “Obviously this is going to be upsetting for a lot of people. Neighbours living on the west-end cul-de-sac where the 26-year-old suspect lived with his wife and baby said the raid was shocking. “I live two doors down. It’s very scary,” said neighbour Janice Burtt.
Popular dancehall entertainer Carlton ‘Ghost’ Hylton was fined when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on Thursday to answer charges of possession of ganja.
Hylton was fined $100 or 10 days imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the offence. His fingerprints were ordered taken.
However, the singer’s attorney tried in vain to get the court not to have his client’s fingerprints taken.
His attorney stated that once Hylton’s fingerprints were taken, the convictions would be recorded for a specified period and this would in turn affect his prospects of travelling overseas.
Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey, however, declined the attorney’s request as she explained that this was not the first time Hylton was coming before the court for such a charge.
RM Pusey said she was disgusted with the actions of some of the popular entertainers who seemed to believe they were above the law.
Spotted: jamaica-star.
50 Cent Returns To Twitter; Calls Out Paris Hilton Over Cocaine Charge
(AllHipHop News) Rapper 50 Cent returned to his Twitter account today (August 28th) as promised.
The internationally known rap star commented on today's news that socialite Paris Hilton was arrested in Las Vegas for possessing cocaine.
Hilton was charged with felony cocaine possession on Friday night (August 27th), after police stopped her boyfriend's SUV after witnessing marijuana smoke emanating from the vehicle.
The rapper claimed that Hilton has been snorting the drug for years.
"Paris got cought with some cocaine last night Man that b**ch been sniffin that yola," 50 tweeted. "We was in mia a couple yrs ago she was gettin f***** up."
50 also blasted Kanye West, who also recently joined Twitter.
"I just looked at kanye page what the f**k kind a spaced out tweets are those...f**k that I aint never looking at that s**tagain."
Paris Hilton Arrested For Possession Of Cocaine In Las Vegas [Video]
LAS VEGAS -- Celebrity heiress Paris Hilton was arrested Friday night and booked into the Clark County Detention Center for possession of a controlled substance, described by Las Vegas Metro Police as cocaine. Hilton was a passenger in a car when Metro conducted a traffic stop around 11:30 p.m. Friday in front of the Wynn Hotel and Casino on the famed Las Vegas Strip, according to Officer Marcus Martin, public information officer. During the course of the traffic stop, police conducted a search and found an undisclosed amount of cocaine in Hilton's purse. An officer indicated to 8NewsNOW that a possible odor of marijuana was initially detected, requiring further interaction with police. Hilton was charged with possession of a controlled substance. A clerk at the Clark County Detention Center indicated early Saturday morning that Hilton "had been booked and released." Further details were not available from the jail. A Metro watch commander also said the male driver was arrested for DUI-Drugs. He declined to identify the driver. The celebrity Web site TMZ.com reported Hilton and her boyfriend Cy Waits were likely headed to Las Vegas on a private jet from Los Angeles Friday. Waits runs several nightclubs in Las Vegas.
Two dead in Westmoreland accidents
Driver crashes car in tree, bike rider collides with truck
Saturday, August 28, 2010
A motorist and a motorcycle rider are now dead following two accidents in Westmoreland. They have been identified as 22-year-old Fabian Wallace and Delroy Campbell, 22. Wallace died as a result of injuries he sustained when his car swerved off the road and crashed into a tree on the Gooden’s River Road yesterday. The Savanna-la-mar Police report that about 2:30 am Wallace was driving his Toyota Corolla motor car towards Frome when, on reaching a section of the roadway, he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a tree. He and the four passengers, whose ages ranging between 15 and 23 years, and who are all of George’s Plain in the parish, reportedly had to be cut from the vehicle by firefighters from the Savanna-la-mar Fire Department. The five were taken to the Savanna-la-mar Hospital where Wallace was pronounced dead and the others were admitted in serious condition. Campbell was killed when his motorcycle collided with a motor truck on West End main road in Negril, Westmoreland yesterday. The Negril Police report that about 2 pm Campbell was driving his motorcycle towards the Negril lighthouse when on reaching a section of the roadway, he collided with a motor truck. He reportedly received multiple injuries and was taken to the Savanna-la-mar Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Members of the gay and lesbian community are again making their voices heard when it comes to reggae artistes with anti-gay messages.
The latest Jamaican act to face the verbal outbursts is reggae artiste Sizzla Kalonji who is his European tour.
The 34-year old artiste, whose give name is Miguel Collins, was scheduled to perform at this years Chiemsee Reggae Summer in Germany which the artiste recently found out was cancelled.
It was understood that there was heavy pressure for several weeks from gay groups and politicians.
The decision to cancel the tour was because of safety reasons as they could not guarantee the safety for festival-goers, as a huge amount of protestors planned to attend the festival during Sizzla’s performance.
However, Sizzla’s fans may see him on stage very soon, as he is scheduled to perform in Europe in September and Japan in October.
"I love Nicki Minaj ,I told her ,I’d admit it, I hope one day we get married ,just to say we f-cking did it , And girl I’m f-cking serious I’m with it if you with it , Cause your verses turn me on, and your pants are mighty f***ed" - Drake
SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — A 40-year-old man who was wanted by the police after he allegedly sexually abused his 80-odd-year-old mother, was reportedly shot and killed at his home at Top Hill, St Elizabeth early yesterday.
The Junction Police say that in the "wee hours" of the morning, three police officers attached to the station went to the house of Rodney Joseph, who was accused of regularly sexually assaulting and beating his mother.
The police say they tried to convince Joseph to exit the house and leave peacefully with them but instead he issued threats.
It's alleged that Joseph subsequently rushed from inside the house with a knife in his hand and stabbed at a policeman who had to jump backwards to avoid injury.
A colleague reportedly fired three shots at the knife-wielding man hitting him in the shoulder and side. Joseph was rushed to the Black River Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Jay-Z Launches NY Yankees Apparel
Jay-Z claimed to make a Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee could, and now, he gets the chance to prove it. Today, it was announced that Hov has teamed up with the Bronx
Nicki Minaj Says The Thought Of Dating Diddy Makes Her "Gag". Calls Her Haters, "Losers"
Nicki Minaj has been the subject of a lot of rumors in her short career.
Has she had plastic surgery? Did she date Lil Wayne? Is she really bi-sexual? Is Diddy her manager and are the two of them involved romantically?
While she didn't clear up all speculation, the Young Money femcee did set the record straight on a couple of those topics.
In a recent interview with CNN, Nicki was asked about those Diddy rumors.
"You know how you look at your older brother? That's how I look at Diddy. When people say that, it makes me gag. He's my friend, and he's sweet and he's a great guy, but I could never see him that way," she said.
The article states that for the record, Diddy is not her manager.
Nicki also had a something to say about people that constantly put down her abilities as a rapper.
"The people that are inclined to hate are also inclined to be losers. A loser could never congratulate a winner - it's not in them" she says.
Team Gargamel has learned that Buju Banton‘s day in court has been pushed back for the fifth time! Previously rescheduled to start on September 13th, the long-delayed trial has now been set to begin on Monday, September 20, 2010. The high-profile, highly controversial case will be tried by Assistant U.S. Attorney, James C. Preston, Jr. and presided over by The Honorable Judge James S. Moody, Jr. at the Sam M. Gibbons U.S. District Courthouse in Tampa, Florida.
Represented by esteemed South Florida Super Lawyer, David Oscar Markus, the Reggae icon is looking forward to finally having the opportunity to defend himself. It goes without saying that Banton is also amped up about the forthcoming release of his prophetic new album, Before The Dawn, which will drop just eight days later on Tuesday, September 28th in the United States and Japan. The release date for most of Europe is Monday, October 1st, however, for the UK and France the date will be Friday October 4th.
30th anniversary release of Live Final Marley Performance
Thursday, August 26, 2010
At the time, everyone in Pittsburgh's Stanley Theatre knew they were witnesses to history. Bob Marley stood tall and proud on stage and beckoned them to Get Up, Stand Up, and they responded loudly with "wo yo yo yo". Later they discovered the history they witnessed, was in fact Bob's last performance.
Live Forever encapsulates the pure energy of that fateful performance by Jamaica's most legendary son. The original live recording, captured on tape by Marley's engineer Dennis Thompson, has been lovingly preserved and remastered for the 30th anniversary album release exclusively in the Caribbean. Adding to the distinctiveness of the collection-worthy album, is the special eco-friendly packaging.
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Bob had ascended to the pinnacle of his career when he took the stage in Pittsburgh; he had just completed a successful European run on his Uprising Tour and he had played on sold-out bills in New York's Madison Square Garden; simply put, he had arrived.
Everything about the concert was a reflection of Bob - the superior production, the masterful collection of musicians and the eclectic range of songs emphasising the complexity on the man turned superstar.
As widely respected journalist Patricia Meschino alluded to, the Live Forever album liner notes, "He was an anointed African freedom fighter celebrating an independent Zimbabwe, a visionary reggae emissary, straight from "yard", on Jammin', and an exiled leader inciting the movement of Jah people on Exodus. A compelling ghetto griot, Bob warned of the impending consequences due to the continual marginalisation of the poor on Burning and Looting and Dem Belly Full; he was a purveyor of peace decrying War and insisting on No More Trouble, and a progressive spiritualist glorifying the Natural Mystic. Effectively resolute in his desire to chase those Crazy Baldheads out of town, and in his excoriation of The Heathen, he was also a quintessentially cool roots-rocker, skanking to Carlton and Aston Barrett's deeply-grooved drum and bass cadence on the instrumental break of Rastaman Vibration. An irresistible suitor who coyly asked Is This Love? Bob was also a vulnerable, absolutely riveting romantic in his passionately conveyed rendition of No Woman No Cry.
The album also includes live renditions of: Uprising, Coming In From The Cold, Work, Zion Train, Redemption Song and Could You Be Loved. The entire concert, from his opening song to the final applause, spans the special double CD album.
Live Forever is Bob's last live recording from his final concert. This definitive Marley album, special double CD in eco-friendly packaging is a limited regional release which becomes available through Tuff Gong Distribution on September 23, 2010.
Dutty Coolie MY MOUTH WIRED SHUT FOR 6 WEEKS CUS MY JAW IS BROKEN I TWO PLACES....NO FOOOOOOD
TIVOLI WOMEN UNDER THREAT ❒ Some labelled as informers by returning thugs
DWAYNE McLEOD, Staff Reporter
Some women in west Kingston are now living in fear as word is being circulated that thugs who recently fled the community are planning to return, and take action against those persons who informed on them to the police.
THE STAR has learnt that some female residents in Tivoli Gardens, Denham Town and sections of Hannah Town have been labelled informers by men from the communities.
The men who vowed to challenge the security forces in defence of Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, had fled after the Labour Day invasion.
Following the pounding of the community by the security forces, subsequent operations led to the seizure of more than 100 illegal guns, thousands of assorted ammunition and also the arrest of several men. The police also released the identities of several persons believed to be linked to the lawlessness which once gripped the community.
have led some residents, mostly men, to believe the police are acting on information being supplied by women.
"A nuff woman dung yah a fret now, cause talk a go roun' seh when some a di man dem come back nuff a dem a guh get push out cause dem a informa," one male resident, who gave his name as Jacob, said when THE STAR visited the community yesterday.
During a chat with other men who joined the conversation, they claimed the women worked with the security forces as they had long wanted to see the fall of 'the system'.
punishments
According to the men, under the system, residents were governed by the rules and laws of Dudus, who could hand down punishment to those who violated them.
"A nuff a dem did waa see di system mash up eno. But dem fi memba seh a it use to keep di order inna west Kingston and mek it one a di safest place inna Jamaica," another man who requested anonymity said. "Nuff a dem nuh waa tek talk from nobody so a that why dem a work wid di babylon dem."
A number of women with whom THE STAR also spoke, admitted to being fearful of what might occur if the thugs who fled the community return.
"Word a go roun' seh a di woman dem a help di police find gun and a call up man name. Is a serious thing eno, cause when people seh yuh a informer dem a guh deal wid yu a way. And inna dem place yah when dem seh yu a informer a kill dem waa kill yu," one woman explained.
Others expressed similar thoughts but all said they were unaware of any woman who could be assisting the police with information.
Meanwhile, the police in west Kingston say while they have not picked up on the situation, they believe the accusations arise from the splendid relationship which residents and the police now share.
"The police and residents are having an excellent relationship, so it may be due to that fact," a Denham Town policeman said.
Head of the division, Deputy Superintendent Arthur Brown, said he was not aware of the fears of the women and promised to check if there was any truth to it and act accordingly.
He also appealed to the residents to continue working with the police for the improvemment of the community.
"I want to appeal to residents to work at strengthening the lovely partnership we have and not make criminals interfere," he said.
Nicki Minaj wants to work with Kartel?
Krista Henry, Staff Reporter
Nicki Minaj - Contributed
It seems that a collaboration between deejay Vybz Kartel and American rapper Nicki Minaj is not out of the question for the near future.
Last Saturday, the rapper, who is known for songs such as Your Love and Bedrock, posted on her official social- networking page twitter.com that she wants to work with the controversial deejay. Minaj tweeted, "I need Vybz Kartel for Pink Friday." Pink Friday is the official name of her debut album which is scheduled for release on November 23 on the Young Money-Universal Motown label.
ready to work
When contacted by THE STAR, Kartel was unaware of her desire to work with him but was more than ready to work with the rapper. He said, "I would definitely do it. No charge, just work out something in the Rampin' Shop. Although every female artiste wants to collab with the Teacha, for all I know that could be a fake tweet, a prank tweet. If she really want to do di, tell her me deh pon di Gaza."
unofficial collabo
Minaj has worked with Jamaican artistes before, with her unofficial collaboration with Gyptian on the Billboard chart-topping hit Hold Yuh. The remix was popular on youtube.com and garnered a lot of attention. The rapper was in Jamaica earlier this year with Jamaican singer Sean Kingston to shoot the video for their song Letting Go (Dutty Love) in Ocho Rios.
In the meantime, the normally media-friendly Vybz Kartel has been quiet in the weeks since his arrest during the state of emergency that was implemented in Kingston after the siege in Tivoli.
According to Kartel, he has been busy in the studio with a number of releases. He said, "I have singles No Lie and Taptada for DJ Kareem, Conscience Set Yuh Free and Making A Baby for Notnice. Plus I just finished the Dream video with Popcaan to premiere this Friday on ER and I am now doing a video for Chrome's Dumpa Truck. Popcaan and Sheba are off to Trinidad on Friday, Gaza Slim just wrecked Tobago and I'll be at Club Jamaica this Saturday with the usual suspects."
SHE DID WHAT?? Woman Caught Using Sex Toy While Watching Porn On Laptop.....All While She Was Driving
ELMWOOD PLACE - An Elmwood Place police officer who stopped a car because it had illegally tinted windows received a bit of a shock when he looked inside.
Officer Ross Gilbert said the driver, Colondra Hamilton, a 36-year-old Downtown resident, was sitting with her pants unzipped and a sex toy in her lap.
He said Hamilton told him she was using the toy while watching a sex video on a laptop computer that a passenger in the front seat held up so she could see it.
Gilbert charged her with "driving with inappropriate alertness" and having illegal tinted windows, according to the traffic ticket.
The incident occurred at 7 p.m., Aug. 17, on Township Avenue in Elmwood Place, a small village in central Hamilton County.
Gilbert admitted he had never encountered a traffic case quite like this one.
"It's very unusual," he said. "This is a first for me."
Hamilton was released on her own recognizance soon after her arrest.
She is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Hamilton County Municipal Court
'Gay lover' sentenced for attacking man
A 19-year-old boy who claimed he was gay yesterday told to a resident magistrate that he would kill himself if he was sentenced.
The teen, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty with explanation to charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and robbery with aggravation.
While appearing in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court, the accused said that he and the male complainant were friends and lovers.
The 27-year-old complainant from Kingston told the court that on August 7, while he was on his way home, the teen, who he admitted was his friend, was walking behind him and then started throwing stones at him.
A fight later developed between them. The complainant said he sustained several injuries to his hand, right shoulder and left side. He was treated at the Kingston Public Hospital and released. The complainant also reported that his friend stole his Nokia flashlight phone, valued about $2,500, and robbed him of $5,000.
However, the accused took pride in amusing the court, stating that they were lovers and "if you sentence me, mi a go kill miself". He explained that if the complainant goes back to his hang-out spot there is a possibility that men who knew about their case would kill him for taking the matter to court.
Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey sentenced him to three months' imprisonment, suspended for six months.
Heavy rains lashing most of the island left several roads flooded, blocked, or reduced to single access yesterday. The National Works Agency (NWA) says sections of Manchester, St. Andrew, St. Thomas, and Portland, were under water. There are also reports that sections of Marcus Garvey Drive, near Tinson Pen, were also flooded. In Manchester, the roads from Dump to Moravia, and Alston to Christiana, were reduced to single lane access, due to landslides. The corridor from Papine to Bull Bay in St. Andrew was impassable at Cane River, as massive boulders blocked a section of the road. In St. Thomas, the roads from Morant Crossing to White Hall, Negro River to Hall Head, and Port Morant to Pleasant Hill, were also feeling the onslaught of the heavy rain. The NWA also reported a massive breakaway on the road from Morant Crossing to White Hall. The onslaught of rain is expected to continue today.
Team Gargamel has learned that Buju Banton‘s day in court has been pushed back for the fifth time! Previously rescheduled to start on September 13th, the long-delayed trial has now been set to begin on Monday, September 20, 2010. The high-profile, highly controversial case will be tried by Assistant U.S. Attorney, James C. Preston, Jr. and presided over by The Honorable Judge James S. Moody, Jr. at the Sam M. Gibbons U.S. District Courthouse in Tampa, Florida.
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Vybz Kartel signed the Reggae Compassionate Act late September, just days before he was set to perform in France. Portmore Empire leader Vybz Kartel, has made his first public statement since singing a deal with the gay community in Europe.
Police on Sunday clashed with thousands of far-right supporters who were trying to try disrupt a gay pride march in Belgrade. About 140 people were hurt and 200 were arrested.A European Union official says violent anti-gay riots in Serbia could hurt the Balkan country’s bid to join the bloc.Jelko Kacin, in charge of the European Parliament’s evaluation reports on Serbia, says the anti-gay riots “show an elementary lack” of tolerance for minority rights in Serbia and the “inefficiency” of the state in preventing such a trend.
Robert Muggah and Glaister Leslie, Contributors
The Earthquake Unit says the tremor measured 4.5 on the Richter Scale.
Multiple winner Rick Ross opened the show at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center by performing “B.M.F.” and “MC Hammer” with Diddy, later bringing out Hammer himself for “Too Legit to Quit.” Gucci Mane and Swizz Beatz fired up the stage with “Gucci Time,” “Dilemma” collaborators Kelly Rowland and Nelly presented Nicki with an award, Waka Flocka Flame walked off the stage (and later got into a Twitter argument with BET executive Stephen Hill), and Dipset reunited.
BEENIE MAN for africa & the
Defence attorney David Markus slung his arms across the shoulders of his lanky Reggae superstar client ‘Buju Banton’ at the end of the morning session of his cocaine trial at the Gibbons US Court here yesterday.
With the recovery in the Caribbean tourism sector now well established travellers from around the world have been flocking to the region.
The United States based website Urban Islandz has released the names of the artistes they say are reggae and dancehall’s richest people. The list has a few interesting facts and insight into the artistes’ success. Topping the list of richest reggae artistes is Shaggy.
Foxy Brown has pleaded not guilty to charges of violating a court order stemming from a 2007 confrontation with her neighbor in New York City.
Lil Wayne is gone till November but any news we hear or see about the Young Money CEO we want to know about. Lil Wayne’s Rikers Island prison I.D. photo showed up on the internet via slumz.boxden.com. In the pic we see Wayne without his classic diamond encrusted fronts, it’s a weird to see Wayne without them.
Deejay Vybz Kartel feels targeted. He strongly believes that there are some persons who are conspiring to see him behind bars once again. Speaking to THE WEEKEND STAR, the deejay, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, said: “I feel like someone, or a group of people are conspiring to try to get me arrested. On Monday, I got a call from a friend who works at Greater Portmore Police Station telling me that there’s a rumour over there that I put out a hit on a police over there and that I should try clear my name. I immediately called my lawyer and informed her of the news and she said she was going to call the station to query the matter.” The deejay further said; “Somebody trying to set me up but that don’t hold no water because whether it is a routine check on the road, traffic violation or even question and answer, the cops and I have never had a bad encounter.”
VH1 will count down its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (the five-part countdown will continue every day at 10/9c through Thursday, Sept. 10). VH1 has revealed the Top 5 (although their specific ranking will remain a secret until the final show airs.
NEW YORK, United States – Former Tivoli Gardens don Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke will return to a Manhattan court on November 16 to continue his trial on drugs and gun running charges.
The streets dem no talk how Kartel diss ZJ Liquid last week say him a wanna-be artiste and how much him ah copy Kartel ‘Oh’ like a fi him own and a bagga tings. Mi see the message dem pon mi bb from last week Friday but mi neva pay it no mind because it coulda be a fake bb wid people ah try style the deejay, but now mi hear say DJ Wayne vex over the whole ting and him play the other night and never play not even one Kartel and the streets ah buzz over wah a gwaan? ZJ Liquid and DJ Wizzle close from long time, from Montego Bay days and all these things, so it look like him vex over what dem say Kartel do..
ZJ Liquid returns on air this week after more than a month-long suspension. According to a source, Liquid returns to ZIP FM this week after he was suspended in July for playing an expletive on air. ZJ Liquid, whose real name is Michael Brissett, played an unedited version of Andrew and Wada Blood’s Beggy Beggy on his ‘Fresh 2 Death’ segment. The ZJ immediately covered up the blunder by switching to another song, but not before it was noticed by a number of listeners. Playing an expletive on air is in direct violation of the Broadcasting Commission’s rules and regulations. This was the ZJ’s second offence since the start of the year. In February, Liquid was suspended indefinitely for playing an unedited version of Aidonia’s Love It. The ZJ returned to air a month later. A Facebook group, ‘Put Zj Liquid back on air’ was formed shortly after. The page currently has over 8,000 fans. On the page, a number of persons were awaiting confirmation as to when and if the Zip Jock would be back on air. One person commented, “Jah know me radio all a ketch dust, it nuh tun on back from Liquid stop play pon Zip!” Another person said, “Zip nuh good again without Liquid … what happen to ‘Fresh to Death Wednesday’… how we ago hear di fresh tunes, bossy, bus di youth! We need fi hear Liquid.” Attempts to reach both ZJ Liquid and ZIP FM’s station manager D’Adra Williams, were unsuccessful.
Though its roots are in Trinidad and Tobago, the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade has always been an all-inclusive Caribbean affair, and this year, Haiti’s going to get some special attention, according to carnival spokeswoman Jean Alexander. 
