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Friday, November 19, 2010
Buju Banton out on bailBuju Banton out on bail Can't wait to sleep in his own bed
REGGAE artiste Buju Banton this afternoon walked out of the Pinellas County Jail in
Tampa, Florida after he was granted bail in an immigration court. Banton has been in jail since December last year when he
was arrested for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine. A member of his legal team, Marc Seitles, said the artiste was overjoyed that he gained some measure
of freedom.  Buju Banton...walked out of jail today. 
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"Buju can’t wait to have a nice meal and sleep in his
own bed,” Seitle said. In September, Banton, whose real
name is Mark Myrie, was left pondering his fate after a 12-member jury could not reach a unanimous decision about his innocence
or guilt. He will be retried in February next year. Banton met the conditions bail set by US magistrate Anthony Porcelli after his friend
and son of Reggae King Bob Marley, Stephen Marley, put up his US$300,000 house as collateral. Myrie will have to wear a tracking device and will be under 24-hour surveillance from a security company.
He has also signed an extradition waiver and will not be allowed to leave the Middle District of Souther District of Florida
until his trial begins. He will only be allowed to visit
a doctor and his lawyer. Also he must submit himself to
urine tests to prove that he is not using banned substances.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Zebra sentenced to 30 years for sexual offences Guilty of carnal
abuse and buggery
POPULAR dancehall
deejay ‘Zebra’ was sentenced to 30 years at hard labour in the St Catherine Circuit Court, this morning. The deejay, whose real name is Garfield Vassell, was found guilty
this week for carnal abuse and buggery. Zebra...sentenced to 30 years.
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The crown led evidence that the entertainer who is from Spanish
Town, sexually assaulted the teenage daughter of his girlfriend. He
was held in June last year, after eluding the police for four months. Zebra who was was previously found guilty of rape and was freed in 2008 on that charge.
Disaster in Haiti: Recovery and relief
 A boy suffering with cholera symptoms is carried by a relative to a Doctors Without Borders
hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Nov. 18. (Emilio
Morenatti/Associated Press)
Cholera
toll 'likely much larger'More than 1,100 people have died from cholera and 18,000 have been
hospitalized since an outbreak began in Haiti's north in mid-October. But the real number of cases is "likely much larger"
and better data collection is needed to track the disease as it spreads through villages and remote areas, a United Nations official says. The UN is asking for $164 million US to help fight the outbreak. Haiti's president and UN representatives, meanwhile, have called for calm after a string of riots. In
the northern city of Cap-Haitien, protesters have clashed with UN troops and erected barricades of flaming tires and other
debris. The protesters blame a contingent of Nepalese peacekeepers for the cholera epidemic. Demonstrators set up burning barricades in the capital, Port-au-Prince, on Thursday. Vehicles belonging to the UN and non-governmental organizations were pelted
with rocks, while Haitian police responded with tear gas. The UN Stabilization
Mission in Haiti has dismissed the protests as politically motivated, linking them to the Nov. 28 presidential elections.
Haitian refugee camps not secure: report
 An aerial view of camps for earthquake survivors in Port-au-Prince. (St-Felix Evens/Reuters)An international
aid organization says Haitians living in refugee camps set up after a devastating January earthquake are at risk of hunger,
gang intimidation and rape. Refugees International, a U.S.-based non-governmental organization,
made the claims in its latest field report, called "Haiti: Still Trapped in the Emergency Phase," just one day after
former U.S. president Bill Clinton toured a Port-au-Prince camp. On Thursday, it called for
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to step in to provide security in the dangerous camps. "People are being threatened by gangs, and women are getting raped," said Refugees International president
Michel Gabaudan in a news release. "Practically, no one is available to communicate with the people living in these squalid
camps and find better ways to protect them." Refugees International says there are still
1,300 camps in Haiti, mostly run by the International Organization of Migration (IOM). It blames the IOM for not providing
enough management or security officials. The IOM could not be immediately reached for comment. "Whether
or not UNHCR plays a large role … it's not really for us to decide," said UNHCR spokesperson Tim Irwin. "It's
the lead agencies on the ground that would have to ask." UNHCR workers weren't in Haiti
before the earthquake struck, and the agency has limited resources, although it does have a "small number" of people
in Haiti in an advisory role, Irwin said. "In the absence of camp managers, self-appointed
camp committees have sprung up," said Refugees International's Melanie Teff, who helped author the report. "In some
cases, these are beneficial. But in others, these committees are made up of gang members, presenting themselves to aid workers
as camp committees and intimidating camp residents," Teff said Haitians still living in
camps often have "no one to turn to for help." Clinton promises aidDuring a visit to a sprawling camp for the homeless in
Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, Clinton said desperately needed U.S. aid is coming to Haiti, despite delays. Clinton, co-chair of the commission overseeing Haiti's reconstruction, expressed frustration with the slow delivery of
promised funds by donors who have delivered about $732 million of a promised $5.3 billion in funds for 2010-11, along with
debt relief. Most notably absent is the United States, which has yet to deliver any of its promised
$1.15 billion. "First of all, in the next day or so, it will become obvious that the United
States is making a huge down payment on that," the former U.S. president and husband of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
told reporters, without providing details. "Secondly, I'm not too concerned — although
I'm frustrated — because the Congress have approved the money that the secretary of state and the White House asked
for." Clinton listened to refugees in a hillside camp of 55,000 who complained of a lack
of food, jobs and housing nine months after the earthquake.
Haiti cholera outbreak grows
 A man suffering cholera symptoms holds his serum bag as he is treated in Robine, Haiti, on
Saturday. A spreading cholera outbreak in rural Haiti threatened to outpace aid groups as they try to keep the disease from
reaching the camps of earthquake survivors in Port-au-Prince. (Ramon Espinosa/Associated Press)An outbreak of cholera is worsening in Haiti, and moving closer to the country's
earthquake-devastated capital, Port-au-Prince.
As of the most recent reports on Saturday evening,
the disease has killed at least 208 people and sickened another 2,674. There are concerns tens
of thousands of people made homeless by January's earthquake could be at risk. The outbreak
began in the rural Artibonite region, which hosts more than one million quake refugees. Cases have now been confirmed outside
of Artibonite, in Arcahaie, a town closer to the capital. Health officials fear what could happen
if the disease spreads to Port-au-Prince, where hundreds of thousands of quake survivors live in tarp camps. "If the epidemic makes its way to Port-au-Prince, where children and families are living in unsanitary, overcrowded
camps, the results could be disastrous," said Dr. Estrella Serrano, World Vision's emergency response health and nutrition
manager. Reuters reported that UN humanitarian spokeswoman Imogen Wall said five cases of cholera
have been reported in Port-au-Prince, but she said those people contracted the disease in the Artibonite region before they
returned to the capital and became sick. "They were very quickly diagnosed and isolated,"
Wall told Reuters. "This is not a new location of infection."  A boy suffering from cholera sleeps while waiting for medical treatment at a hospital in the
Marchand Dessaline zone, about 36 kilometres from the town of Saint Marc, on Friday. (St-Felix Evens/Reuters)Cholera is a waterborne bacterial infection spread through contaminated
water. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and death within hours. Treatment involves administering
a salt-and-sugar-based rehydration serum.
Red Cross spokeswoman Julie Sell said that beginning
Monday teams would begin teaching disease prevention to people living in the refugee camps. "We
are taking this very seriously, but we also want to make sure that every one of our people have the information they need,"
she said.
Cholera backlash fuels anti-UN protests in Haiti
Disease death toll passes 1,000
 A child with cholera symptoms is treated by volunteer American doctors at a hospital in Archaie,
Haiti, on Monday.(Ramon Espinosa/Associated Press)Anti-United Nations riots spread to several Haitian cities and towns Tuesday, as protesters blaming
a contingent of Nepalese peacekeepers for a cholera outbreak exchanged gunfire with UN soldiers. The protests left at least two people dead. A demonstrator was shot dead by a UN peacekeeper during an exchange of gunfire
in Quartier Morin, near Haiti's second-largest city of Cap-Haitien, the UN mission said. It said it was investigating the
shooting but asserted the soldier acted in self-defence. Haiti Senate President Kelly Bastien told Radio Vision 2000 that a second demonstrator was shot and
killed in Cap-Haitien itself. He did not know who shot him. The 12,000-member force reported
that at least six UN personnel were wounded in protests at Hinche in the central plateau, while local Radio Metropole reported
that at least 12 Haitians were injured in Cap-Haitien. The protests apparently began in Cap-Haitien
early Monday and within hours had paralyzed much of the northern port city. An Associated Press television cameraman trying
to reach the area was repelled by protesters throwing rocks and bottles from a barricade. As
the day went on, other protests broke out in surrounding towns and the central plateau. Local reporters said a police station
was burned in Cap-Haitien and rocks thrown at peacekeeping bases. A small protest was also reported in the northwestern city
of Gonaives, but UN police said it ended peacefully. The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti,
or MINUSTAH, dismissed the protests as politically motivated, linking them to the fast-approaching Nov. 28 presidential elections.  A woman covers her face from the smoke of burning tires set up by demonstrators in Port-au-Prince,
Haiti, on Monday. (Emilio Morenatti/Associated Perss)"The way events unfolded suggests that these incidents were politically motivated, aimed at creating
a climate of insecurity on the eve of elections. MINUSTAH calls the people to remain vigilant and not be manipulated by enemies
of stability and democracy in the country," the mission said in a statement. Officials
said investigations to determine if the protesters' suspicions are correct will have to wait. The
UN's World Health Organization said in Geneva on Tuesday that efforts should focus on controlling the disease, not determining
where it came from. WHO spokesman Fadela Chaib told reporters that "at some time we will
do further investigation but it's not a priority right now." The UN's spokeswoman in Geneva,
Corinne Momal-Vanian, described the suspicion that Nepalese troops were to blame for the outbreak as "misinformation." The cholera backlash plays upon some Haitians' long-standing resentment of the 12,000-member UN military
mission, which has been the dominant security force in Haiti since 2004. It is also rooted both in fear of a disease previously
unknown to Haiti and internationally shared suspicion that the UN base could have been a source of the infection. Death toll tops 1,000The country's
Health Ministry said Tuesday that the official death toll had passed 1,000, hitting 1,034 as of Sunday. Figures are released
following two days of review.  Aid workers say official figures may understate the epidemic. While the Health Ministry
says more than 16,700 people have been hospitalized nationwide, Doctors Without Borders said its clinics alone have treated
more than 12,000 people with cholera and cholera-like symptoms. Cholera had never been documented
in Haiti before it broke out about three weeks ago. Suspicions quickly surrounded a Nepalese
base located on the Artibonite River system, where the outbreak started. The soldiers arrived there in October following outbreaks
in their home country and about a week before Haiti's epidemic was discovered. The U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention found that the cholera strain now ravaging the country matched a strain specific to South
Asia, but said they had not pinpointed its origin or how it arrived in Haiti. Following an Associated
Press investigation, the UN acknowledged that there were sanitation problems at the base, but said its soldiers were not responsible
for the outbreak. Transmitted by feces, the disease can be all but prevented if people have
access to safe drinking water and regularly wash their hands. President René Préval
addressed the nation on Sunday to dispel myths and educate people on good sanitation and hygiene. But sanitary conditions don't exist in much of Haiti and the disease has spread across the countryside and to nearly
all the country's major population centres, including the capital, Port-au-Prince. Doctors Without Borders and other medical
aid groups have expressed concern that the outbreak could eventually sicken hundreds of thousands of people. In the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, health officials banned used clothing from
being sold in outdoor markets along the shared border as a precautionary measure to stop the disease's spread. Even with those precautions, the Dominican reported its first confirmed case of cholera on Tuesday. Officials said the
case involved a Haitian citizen who had recently returned from his home country. The Dominican never had a confirmed case
of cholera until this year.
Haiti protests against UN flare again
'This epidemic is not going to go away,' UN official says
 A child suffering cholera symptoms is examined at the Doctors Without Borders temporary hospital
in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Tuesday. (Emilio Morenatti/Associated
Press)Protesters in Haiti's capital are lashing out at United Nations peacekeepers
and the government, blocking roads and attacking foreigners' vehicles. Demonstrators have set
up burning barricades, and Haitian police have responded with tear gas. Vehicles belonging to the UN and non-governmental
organizations have been pelted with rocks. The growing protest comes a week before national
elections, and some of the demonstrators are destroying campaign posters for President Rene Preval's Unity party. It follows days of rioting in northern Haiti over suspicions that UN soldiers introduced a cholera epidemic into the
country. The UN military mission denies responsibility for the epidemic. The number of cholera
cases in Haiti is likely much higher than official figures suggest because many patients never make it to hospitals or treatment
centres, a UN official said. The Pan American Health Organization said in a statement Wednesday
that 1,100 people have died and more than 18,000 people have been hospitalized since the cholera outbreak in Haiti began in
late October. But the real number of cases is "likely much larger" and better data collection is needed
to track the disease as it spreads through villages and remote areas, said Nigel Fisher, the United Nations co-ordinator of
humanitarian affairs in Haiti. "I think right now what you have in terms of official figures
are underestimates of the true nature of the epidemic," Fisher told CBC News. Outbreak now in 7 of 10 regionsThe outbreak has now spread
to seven of the country's 10 administrative regions, known as departments, the Pan American Health Organization said. "This epidemic is not going to go away," Fisher said, noting that experience in other countries
suggests the cholera outbreak could last as long as a year. "It is almost impossible to stop." Fisher said government agencies and relief organizations are using radio, text messages and volunteers to spread the
word about how cholera is spread and how to prevent it.  A boy with cholera symptoms is carried by a relative to the St. Catherine hospital, run by
Doctors Without Borders, in the Cité Soleil area of Port-au-Prince on Thursday. (Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press)He said the number of cholera
treatment centres is increasing but recent protests have been slowing the delivery of aid to some areas, particularly near
Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second-largest city. "We have had a number of protests from Haitians
not wanting the centres in their communities because they fear they will somehow get infected," said. "We're trying
to say having a treatment centre close is actually an advantage to you." Fisher said the
source of the cholera outbreak is not yet clear. He said initial tests done by the U.S. Center
for Disease Control and confirmed by the World Health Organization showed the cholera in Haiti was from South Asia —
but didn't provide the precise origin of the strain. "Yesterday I learned there was a French
epidemiologist who, with a different methodology, is pointing more clearly at the Nepalese," he said. He said he couldn't confirm the information, but said a group of UN officials will meet with the French epidemiologist
to discuss his methodology and finding. The UN has called for nearly $164 million US to assist
with the cholera outbreak. The European Commission said Thursday that European nations should send Haiti a whole range of
medical supplies, not just money, to fight the cholera outbreak. The commission said there is
a great need for medical skills, beds, epidemiological expertise, antibiotics, intravenous catheters, body bags, water purification
tablets, rehydration salts and ambulances.
New book on Marley
NEW YORK, USA — A new book
on Reggae legend Bob Marley, hit bookstores in the United States last week. The book, a predominantly pictorial composition, is the work of renowned international photographer Kim Gottlieb-Walker,
and husband Jeff. The pictures were shot by Kim who was then an underground photojournalist, at a time when Jeff was working
as the United States head of publicity for Island Records, which was then Marley's record label. One of the never-before-seen photos of reggae King Bob Marley as included in this latest book. (Photo: C Kim Gottlieb-Walker)
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Gottlieb-Walker, who had extraordinary access to many of the leading
Reggae artistes and producers in the 1970s, is believed to be the first outsider to have photographed Marley and those around
him. The new book contains pictures of the reggae king,
which has never before been seen nor published. It includes
commentaries by Roger Steffens, founding editor of The Beat magazine, and a foreword by Cameron Crowe, Hollywood film-maker
and Rolling Stone writer. Entitled Bob Marley and The Golden
Age of Reggae, 1975-1976, the book also contains vivid quotes about Marley, and captures the rise and evolution of reggae,
with an unparalleled insight into some of the music's most iconic artistes of that era. These include Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, Toots and The Maytals, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, The Heptones,
Inner Circle, Jacob Miller, Burning Spear, Jimmy Cliff, George Harrison and Third World among others. In a telephone interview from her home in California, Gottlieb-Walker said she was motivated to write
the book after "reflecting on the development of reggae over several years and where the music is today." Husband Jeff added, "It is also a tribute to the Marley family
and those who have made an immense contribution to the genre." Gottilieb-Walker
said there was "no plans to promote the book in Jamaica at this time, but I would like to contribute to the Marley Charity
which bears the name of one of his hit songs, One Love." The
book is published by United Kingdom-based Titan Books and is being distributed in the US by Ramdon House.
Dancehall's finest line up with LIME
IT could have been an all-star
dancehall concert line-up at the Blue Mountain Room, Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston, last Friday as the LIME roster of
artistes was announced to the public. The cheers were loudest
for Bounty Killer, the formerly cross, angry and miserable one announced as now calmer and collected, but the audience had
more than enough lung power to whoop for Beenie Man, Mavado, Elephant Man and Khago, who performed his hit Nah Sell Out Me
Fren Dem. The LIME stars all align. Front row from left. Ce’Cile, Ishawna, Timberlee, Denyque, Quizz, Prodigal and Khago. Back
row from left, Elephant Man, Chi Ching Ching, Bounty Killer, Mavado and LIME’s Garry Sinclair and Errol Miller. (Photo:
Karl McLarty)
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However, although there were more standout performers stepping
on stage in individually designed, stylish LIME shirts -- among them Ce'Cile, Prodigal, Timberlee, Denyque and Ishawna, with
QQ at school and Alaine on tour -- the depth of the roster was underscored by the number of persons and the diversity of the
line-up. Selectors Liquid and Elektra and TV show host Quizz
span dancehall and media, while 'Tall Man' led out the Portmore-based Flava Unit sound system. The Blaze nightclub deejays
and Portmore Society crew presented themselves in their respective groups, as the base venue and promotions arm of LIME's
music involvement. Dancer and occasional deejay Chi Ching Ching was up in his bling glory. The Portmore Pacesetters Marching Band, decked out by LIME, started off the announcements with the rattle
and roll of their trap sets, while biker Cutter sent a rev of energy through the audience as he rode his sports bike off the
stage and through the audience, which parted for him. And
there was a very familiar face in sprinter Asafa Powell, a 'returning endorsee'. LIME's Garry Sinclair said: "We are going to deliver a Christmas like you have never seen from LIME.
It would take a blind person to not realise this is a new LIME".
Beenie Man drops 8 collabs with friends Deejay Beenie Man, buoyed by the success of his hit singles, Rum
and Red Bull and I'm Okay, has tackled a new ambitious musical project which he hopes will help to re-define his legacy as
a leader and innovator in the world of dancehall. Beenie
Man has enlisted the help of his superstar friends on the musical project he has dubbed Beenie Man and Friends and the result
is eight great combination singles, each featuring Beenie Man, on a bouncy dancehall beat. BEENIE MAN... No other artiste in the business has ever tried anything like this before. I am writing, arranging and co-producing
every song on the riddim, and I am also performing on every song on the riddim.
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"No other artiste in the business has ever tried anything
like this before. I am writing, arranging and co-producing every song on the riddim, and I am also performing on every song
on the riddim," a proud Beenie Man said. "The only thing I haven't done is build the riddim, that was done by Danny
Browne." The project features the talents of artistes
such as Khago, D'Angel, Ding Dong, Fambo, Deva Bratt, Kantana, Versatile, Cee Gee and Laden. "I plan to shoot a video for the single called Time of My Life with D'Angel, and a medley video
with all the others, I already have the concept in my head, it is going to be sick," he said, laughing. This audacious project grew from an idea that Beenie Man had years ago, but he got
the raging fever last month and within a week, and a couple of urgent Blackberry pings and messages, he had pulled the critical
elements together. "It is something I had always wanted to
do, but I just didn't have the courage to do it at the time. So I just sat down and did it and it all came together. Right
now, ah MD time now, Gaza done gone across the world already, now ah MD time," Beenie Man said. Interestingly, he has been trying to convince one-time nemesis and new-found friend Bounty Killer to
participate in the project, but Beenie claims the "logistics of getting him to voice the song is hard". "Ah mi friend still, but is too much drama to get him to actually voice. Serani
voice already, Mavado said he will voice, but I cannot wait on them. In fact, it is up to Bounty, Elephant and Kartel if they
want to be on it, mi reach out to them already," he said. This
is a project that is close to his heart, his DNA is embedded in the rhythm itself as his son, Marco Dean lends his voice to
the instrumental. "Marco Dean is on the version, so is not
really a song, he is not ready for that yet," he said. Beenie
Man has put a lot of effort into trying to recruit the best and brightest stars in dancehall to put their weight behind the
project, but even with the mixed results, he waves off the disappointment as only he can. "If dem did give me a riddim, mi woulda voice pon it already...mi have my pride," he said. In the meantime, the project has already been released and the
artiste says it is getting excellent rotation on radio. Beenie
Man is scheduled to leave the island today for a two-week tour of the African continent, which will see him performing in
the cities of Freetown, Sierra Leone as well as Johanessburg and Cape Town in South Africa. He returns to the island on December 1, after which he is set to do a three-city swing through Canada.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Gregory Isaacs' UK Farewell
family, friends and fans of the
late Reggae star Gregory Isaacs, popularly known as the Cool Ruler, gathered at the All Saints Anglican Church in Harrow Weald
, London on Wednesday to bid farewell to the crroner who died on October 25. The Jamaican Government was represented by High Commissioner to the UK, Anthony Johnson, while a number of
Isaacs's contemporaries packed the North London church for the service. Gregory Isaacs’s trademark fedora adorns the casket inside the church.
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The singer's remains were expected to arrive in Jamaican yesterday.
Isaacs is to be accorded a state funeral next Saturday, November 20 at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston starting
at 10:00 am Viewing of Isaacs' body will take place at
the same venue on Friday, November 19 between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm.The theme for the Thanksgiving Service is Red Rose for
Gregory and persons attending being asked to take along a red rose and to wear black or white or a combination and to be seated
by 9:30 am. A tribute concert is also being organised for
Thursday, November 18 at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The interview, visa qualifications, and US Immigration Law Ask the US Embassy THIS column is Part II of a series
on what to expect during a nonimmigrant visa interview. Today's column covers aspects of United States immigration law, factors
affecting qualifications for a B1/B2 visitor's visa, and the visa interview. Ninety percent of the Embassy's nonimmigrant
visa workload is B1/B2 applicants. Part III will follow-on with information about receiving your visa and the appropriate
uses of a B1/B2 visa. US Immigration Law Each applicant should be forthcoming and honest with the consular officer to ensure that the officer has accurate information
to use in making an adjudication decision. (Observer file photo)
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US
Immigration Law states that all B1/B2 visa applicants must demonstrate that they do not intend to immigrate to the United
States. This includes showing strong family, social, or economic connections, as well as proof that the individual intends
to stay in the United States temporarily. During an interview, interviewing officers also evaluate if individuals will use
their visa for the purpose intended, such as visiting or conducting temporary business. Since the 1950s, the US government
has applied this principle of immigrant intent to applicants at every embassy around the world. Each officer has undergone rigorous and extensive training to ensure that they can efficiently and effectively
interview applicants. All officers receive the same training from the US Department of State on immigration law, interviewing
skills, and technological systems used in our offices. At the conclusion of this training, officers are commissioned by the
President of the United States to perform their consular activities. Due to this training and their experience of doing thousands
of visa interviews, as well as the demand for visas, officers generally complete an interview within three to five minutes. Qualifications Officers are tasked to facilitate
legitimate travel for qualified applicants, while also identifying applicants that do not qualify under US immigration law.
As stated, applicants qualify by demonstrating that they do not intend to immigrate to the US. Applicants can show that they do not intend to immigrate through their connections, or ties, to Jamaica
and demonstrating that they will not engage in activities that will violate their status in the US. Some ways to do this include: * Professional ties and employment history: number of years of
work experience, salary, or attainment of a degree or certificate; *
Travel: Demonstrated travel history or length of previous international travels; * Social ties: Involvement in social or charitable organisations or family connections. These are only a short list of examples; note that there are numerous other ways to
demonstrate ties to Jamaica and qualify for a nonimmigrant visitor's visa. Each applicant should be forthcoming and honest
with the consular officer to ensure that the officer has accurate information to use in making an adjudication decision. Finishing the visa Interview At the conclusion of the interview, the officer will notify the applicant of the decision to approve
or refuse the visa application. Applicants who are refused will receive a short verbal explanation and a longer written explanation
of the reason for the refusal. If an officer determines that an applicant does not qualify for a visa, that person should
not consider reapplying until they are able to show a significant change in their situation that they feel qualifies them
for a visa. Keep in mind that all officers apply US Immigration Law in the same way for each applicant-a new interview with
a different officer can result in the same conclusion if new information is not presented. If applicants are issued a visa, they will be instructed to co-ordinate with DHL, which is located within
the embassy, to make delivery return arrangements for their passport. The American Embassy staff in Kingston will answer any questions you may have regarding US consular law, regulations
and/or practice. In order to respect the privacy of applicants, the embassy will not answer questions on specific personal
applications.
Mavado turns himself in to police Vybz Kartel also being questioned DANCEHALL artiste Mavado turned
himself in to the Constant Spring Police shortly before noon today. Mavado,
whose name is David Brooks, was accompanied by his attorney Chris Tavares-Finson. Mavado...turned himself into police. (Observer file photo)
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He, along with his rival deejay Vybz Kartel, was last night named
as a person of interest by the St Andrew North police in relation to serious crimes that have been committed in the division
recently. Mavado hails from the impoverished community of Cassava
Piece and has considerable influence there. Police say
they will be interrogating the two deejays.
Baby Cham's back in the game DAMIAN Beckett, aka Cham, is a
deejay on a mission. His plan is to get dancehall back to the good old glory days. The 33-year-old dancehall stalwart has again teamed up with acclaimed producer, songwriter and musician
Dave Kelly to produce dancehall hits, similar to that which the, duo unleashed back in the late 90s. Baby Cham
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The latest project to bear fruit from the hit factory of Dave Kelly
and Baby Cham is the track Stronger featuring Bounty Killer and Mykal Rose. The song which was recorded in Dave's Miami studio,
is on the Kid Is Back riddim and according to Cham, the music is "on and popping once again". "You know every time Dave Kelly and Cham get together is pure niceness, we wanted to lift the vibe
in the music and so we decided it was time to release some hits and raise the bar in dancehall." Cham reiterated that dancehall fans were complaining of the lack of creativity in the music, and it is
with that he decided to come up with the good quality material which he said is currently lacking in modern day dancehall. The deejay, who hails from Sherlock Crescent in Duhaney Park, St
Andrew, says he and long time friend Bounty Killer have settled their differences and are on a path to making hits in the
studio once again. "I must credit Bounty Killer for extending
an olive branch and mending our friendship, he was the one that said we should set aside our differences and start putting
out good quality material for the fans once again." Through
the synergy, Dave Kelly, Cham and Bounty Killer have been in the studio working hard on some new hits which includes Bounty
Killer's new track, The Message. Cham, who has been living
overseas, says he wants to bring back the days when dancehall and the music was clean and fun, and explains the reasoning
behind his hiatus from the music business. "Cham is not into
mediocrity, so I am not the kind of deejay who is going to put out 15-20 tunes in a month, no, when we decide to work on a
project my fans can know that is pure quality they are getting and not quantity." The energetic crowd-pleaser, Cham is set to make a number of appearances in Jamaica this Christmas starting
with the GT Extravaganza on Christmas day. In 2000 Cham dropped is
first album, WOW The Story which featured singles, The Mass, Funny Man and Ghetto Pledge. The dancehall stalwart was at it again in 2006 with Ghetto Story which featured tracks such as Rude Boy
Pledge and Tic Toc. Throughout his career, Cham has collaborated with many hip hop and R&B artistes such as Foxy Brown,
Alicia Keys, Carl Thomas, Shawn Mims, Akon and T-Pain.
Stars R Us pays tribute to Gregory Isaacs The next staging of the popular
series Stars R Us, on Saturday December 4 at Mas Camp in Kingston, will be all about the late Gregory Isaacs. According to promoter Kevin Smith, there is no way he could miss an opportunity to
pay tribute to the artiste who made 23 appearances on this series. Viewing of Isaacs’ body will take place at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Friday, November 19 between 11:00 am
and 3:00 pm
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"Gregory has been a staple on Stars R Us since its inception.
He has performed in Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Portland - it didn't matter where it was being held, Gregory would
be there," the promoter said. "Gregory has never
had a mediocre performance during all of these appearances. In keeping with that spirit of the singer we will be going all
out to ensure that this event is just as special," he explained, adding that most of the artistes on the bill were really
close to the Cool Ruler. In fact, Errol Dunkley who is on the lineup was the first person to introduce Gregory to the stage. "It will definitely be a Stars R Us with a difference,"
Smith said as he informed that dub poet Mutabaruka will control of the music. 'He will be spinning some of Gregory's hottest hits throughout the night and showing his skill as a disc
jock," the promoter shared. Patrons will not be left
out as they will be receiving free posters of the late artiste. The
attractive lineup of performers are Leroy Sibbles, Johnny Clarke, John Holt, Errol Dunkley, Derrick Morgan, The Melodians,
Nikki Dillon, Ernest Wilson, Carl Dawkins and Tinga Stewart with backing being provided by Lloyd Parkes and We the People
Band. Meanwhile, it has been announced that the thanksgiving
service to celebrate the life of the late Reggae star will be held at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday, November
20, starting at 10:00 am Viewing of Isaacs' body will take
place at the same venue on Friday, November 19 between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. The theme for the Thanksgiving Service is Red Rose for Gregory and persons attending being asked to take along
a red rose and to wear black or white or a combination and to be seated by 9:30 am. The first hour of the service will be a musical tribute to Gregory and will feature Reggae artistes including
Lloyd Parkes and We the People Band, Ken Boothe, Freddie McGregor, Mavado, the Tamlins and Bongo Herman. A tribute concert is also being organised for Thursday, November 18 at the Ranny Williams
Entertainment Centre. The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture is
assisting the Isaacs family with the arrangements for the service which is being planned by a committee comprised of family
members, music industry personnel and officials of the Ministry. The committee is chaired by the minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange. The body of the legendary Reggae artiste who died in England on
October 25, will be flown to Jamaica on this Thursday. Isaacs' body will be interred at the Dovecot Memorial Park.
Bounty back in court January 11 THE trial involving popular dancehall
deejay Bounty Killer accused of using a hammer, a gold chain and mosquito zapper to beat his girlfriend, was yesterday postponed
for January 11, after the woman failed to show up for the trial. The
entertainer, whose real name is Rodney Price, was arrested in September on a charged of unlawful wounding following an alleged
incident at his Oaklands apartment in Kingston, where he reportedly attacked his 19-year-old lover, Raquel Smith. Bounty Killer
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When the case was called up yesterday morning in the Corporate
Area Resident Magistrate's Court, several calls for Smith went unanswered as a result the matter was delayed for a few minutes. Price's attorney Christopher Townsend later informed Resident Magistrate
Lorna Shelly Williams that he had been told by Smith's attorney Terrence Ballentine on the last occasion that he and his client
might not be in the island for the beginning of the trial. As a
result, the magistrate rescheduled the trial for next year and issued a bench warrant for Smith. Townsend then asked the magistrate
if his client's passport, which was taken by police as a condition of his $500,000 bail, could be returned. However, he was instructed to return to court on November 26 to make the application. On the last court date in October, Smith indicated through her
lawyer, that she wanted the matter to be sent to mediation. Ballentine
said his client and Price had been together for three years and he had never hit her until the incident. He said Smith wanted
to continue her relationship with the deejay. However, Magistrate
Shelly Williams firmly dismissed that notion. Price's bail
was extended. According to the complainant in her statement,
she visited the entertainer on September 15 at about 5:00 am, and while she was in his bedroom he attacked her. She said he
grabbed her by her hair and throat, pushed her on the bed and started to hit her in the head. The complainant said the artiste used his chain to hit her all over her body. However, she said she managed
to escape and ran into the washroom but he followed her and used a mosquito zapper to hit her on her right wrist, causing
bruises. She said the artiste then grabbed her by her neck
and said, "Like how u bleeding, betta me jus kill u and done cause that is a sign that you should die." She said he then left and went to the kitchen and returned with a hammer, which he
used to hit her on her knees and in her head. The complainant
said after the artiste was finished assaulting her, he asked for a massage and she complied as she was fearful for her life.
She said they later went to bed and she got up at about midday the next day and did some household chores. However, she said when she was leaving the accused hugged her and gave her US$100 and
Ja$2,000.
Police want Kartel, Mavado
Wanted for questioning
in relation to recent crimes in St Andrew North Police Division J THE St Andrew North police have tonight named dancehall deejays Vybz Kartel and Mavado as persons of
interest. Vybz Kartel, whose real name is Adijah Palmer and
Mavado, whose name is David Brooks are wanted by investigators to face interviews in relation to recent crimes committed in
the division. Police say Kartel wields considerable influence
in a community known as 'Big Yard' while Mavado hails from a nearby community of Cassava Piece and is very influential there. Last week Friday evening two men – 26-year-old Randal White
otherwise called 'Troy' and Kevon Brown, 23 – both of Big Yard addresses were shot dead On Mannings Hill Road near the
entrance to Big Yard. Investigators said the double murder was the
result of an internal conflict in Big Yard and named the two dead men as suspects in a number of shootings that took place
in the area. The police said even though they were well known in Big Yard no one was seen mourning at the crime scene. Palmer and Brooks are to report to the Constant Spring Police Station
by 3:00 pm tomorrow.
Kartel turns himself in POPULAR dancehall deejay Vybz Kartel, is now being questioned by
detectives at the Constant Spring Police Station. Kartel
turned himself in to the cops in the presence of his attorney Valerie Nieta-Robertson, a short while ago. Vybz Kartel...turned himself in to the cops. (Observer file photo)
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He and his dancehall rival Mavado were last night named as persons
of interest by the police who want to interrogate both men in relation to a series of crimes committed in the division recently. Kartel, whose real name is Adijah Palmer and Mavado, who real name
is David Brooks, both wield considerable influence in the neighbouring communities of 'Big Yard' and Cassava Piece which are
situated on Mannings Hill Road in St Andrew. Gangs from
both communities were at loggerheads for months during which several murders and shootings were committed. However a truce
between both artistes led to a lull in the violence earlier this year.
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