Honey Bun topped three categories in the 2014 Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) awards held this month in Kingston. The Herbert and Michelle Chong-run company won Best Practices Award for Best Annual Report, Corporate Disclosure and Investor Relations (three years in a row), and Overall Winner.
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BY SANJAY MYERS Observer staff reporter
Saturday, December 20, 2014
WINNERS Reno FC were predictably the toast of the Flow Champions Cup Awards Ceremony held at the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) headquarters in New Kingston yesterday.
Reno, former giants of local football, have enjoyed a resurgence of late, gaining promotion to the 2014-15 Premier League and winning the 2014 Flow Cup Knockout title after defeating western rivals Montego Bay United 4-3 in an enthralling final in Catherine Hall, St James, in late November.
Reno were awarded $1.5 million and the winners’ trophy, while their lethal goal-poacher Craig Foster was given the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Foster’s four goals in the KO tournament also handed him the trophy as top goalscorer. The 23-year-old striker took home $70,000 for the MVP award and $55,000 for the scoring feat.
Foster, who scored a treble in the final, said it is “great to be rewarded” for his scoring exploits. Dino Williams of Montego Bay also scored three times in the final, but it was Reno substitute Dwayne Blake who got the game-decider in stoppage time.
Patrick Graham, the head coach of Westmoreland-based Reno, also won a trophy and cash prize of $55,000.
Reno and Tivoli Gardens FC were the top-scoring teams in the tournament with nine goals a-piece. A total of 66 goals were scored in 25 games.
Nicole Campbell, the sponsorship manager of Columbus Communications, Flow’s parent company, said it was a “very successful” Flow Champions Cup which featured “an epic final”.
Despite the corporate partnership developments involving Columbus Communications, Campbell said the cable, Internet and landline company “is set to continue” its participation as “title sponsors for the Champions Cup in 2015″.
The 2015 edition will be the final season of a three-year deal with the JFF and the Professional Football Association of Jamaica (PFAJ).
Captain Horace Burrell, the president of the JFF, congratulated the participating teams and gave special praise to Reno and made mention of the club’s significance in football development in the country.
While acknowledging Flow’s continued support, the JFF boss urged increased sponsorship in local football and said the Champions Cup KO offers “an excellent way to invest”.
The PFAJ chairman Edward Seaga, in giving his support to the competition, said the final was a memorable one.
“It has been a long time that I have seen a game that was as exciting and as competently played as in fact happened in the final of the competition in Montego Bay,” said the 84-year-old former Prime Minister of Jamaica.
Montego Bay, the current Premier League title-holders, were given $440,000 for placing second, while Harbour View FC won $220,000 for finishing third.
Waterhouse FC, the previous champions, were not able to defend their title after failing to show for their match versus hosts Montego Bay United. Waterhouse had sought a postponement, citing that a number of their players were ill with suspected cases of the chikungunya virus. But organisers turned them down, saying the deadline for such a request had passed.
Referee Karl Tyrell, his assistants Keble Williams and Terrence McKenzie and fourth official Denton Parchment were also recognised at the ceremony.
The 2014 Flow Champions Cup KO consisted of 14 parish or confederation winners as well as the 12 Premier League teams.
The budget for the tournament, including the television production, was said to be in excess of $25 million. Flow also awarded the top-scoring team for each round with $50,000. The prize money is intended for a charity cause of their choice within their community. Clinics were also hosted by a sports psychologist to aid players in their mental preparation for games.
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FOUR organisations have been selected as Ambassadors of Service Excellence by the Jamaica Customer Service Association (JaCSA), for their exceptional customer service.
The organisations, Sagicor Life Jamaica Limited, Jamaica International Insurance Company, National Housing Trust (NHT) and the Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James, are this year’s winners of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica
(PSOJ)/JaCSA Service Excellence Awards.
This was revealed by Deputy Chairman of JaCSA Richard Rowe, while giving an overview of the work of the organisation, at the National Customer Service Week (NCSW) church service held on Sunday.
Rowe explained that as Ambassadors, these entities will be showcased at JaCSA events and will work with the association and the Cabinet Office to promote and facilitate service excellence nationally.
Meanwhile, he urged service organisations and employers to commemorate NCSW week by raising awareness of the importance of customer service in their organisations.
“Boost morale through motivation and teamwork. Reward front-line and other representatives. Show appreciation to other departments and teams for their support and remind customers of your commitment to customer satisfaction. Spread love and care within your organisation, home, community and throughout Jamaica,” he encouraged.
The church service was the first in a series of activities organised by JaCSA to observe NCSW under the theme: ‘Exceptional Customer Experience: Gateway to National Transformation.’ JaCSA has partnered with the Office of the Cabinet and other institutions to host the week’s celebrations.
The highlight of the week will be a two-day Service Excellence Conference which ends today.
JaCSA was established in December 2001 and is a strategic partner of the International Customer Service Association.
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The Lynne Mitchell Foundation, based in Miramar, Florida, has awarded its second annual scholarships to Brianna Blair, Goldie Bourne and Ricardo Greaves formerly of Seaview Primary School in Southfield, St Elizabeth.
All three students earned a US$2,500 scholarship to attend their respective high schools.
The students were chosen for the award based on their excellent academic records and the leadership qualities they brought to light in their stellar scholarship essays. Each student will continue to earn the scholarship yearly in US$500 increments, provided they continue to demonstrate strong academic progress and extra-curricular leadership skills.
“We are so proud of their accomplishments,” said Marlene Gordon, president of the Lynne Mitchell Foundation, which was created to honour a Miramar resident of the same name. “We wish them continued success in their future endeavours.Our hope is that they will excel and use their talents to make a positive impact in the lives of others.”
Blair now attends St Elizabeth Technical High School, Bourne the Hampton High School for Girls and Greaves Munro College.
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Contributed Javaede Stevens and Shaday Ellis of Wilson’s Run Primary are very excited to about their new tablets.
Five students from western Jamaica have reason to celebrate with the news that they are being recognised by the Digicel Foundation for strides made in their reading levels.
Javaede Stevens, Orlando Scarlette, Mikilah Fernandez, Hue-Mario Malcolm and Shaday Ellis, were identified under the partnership with the Ministry of Education, Digicel Foundation and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The top performers from Petersfield Primary in Westmoreland, Lucea Primary in Hanover and Wilson’s Run Primary in Trelawny stepped out ahead of the more than 14,000 students enrolled in the first cohort of 32 schools from rural Jamaica.
Each awardee’s school fees will be covered until they complete their primary education. They also received a $50,000 educational grant and an Android tablet computer.
Javaede Stevens said; “I am so happy that I can use my tablet to learn more.”
Blossom Rhoden, mother of Orlando Scarlette, shared: “It is so important to know what is happening with your children. Orlando loves his teacher, and she has given me so much support in helping him do better in school.”
In addition to the improvements they have all made in their reading levels since being enrolled in the enrichment programme during the last school year, the students have also shown development in other areas including behaviour in school, manners and other subject areas outside of the programme.
Kareen Malcolm from Wilson’s Run Primary says; “I am elated that these students are being recognised even way up in the hills.” Many of our students are from poor socio-economic backgrounds and may not have opportunities like those being given through this award.”
The enrichment programme was designed in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to provide academic intervention for low performing students in primary schools. It seeks to foster improved performances by diagnosing and strategically treating students’ identified learning needs.
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The organisers of this years’ Music Industry Achievers Awards have announced that the event will be held at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston on July 10, 2014.
The show begins at 7 p.m., with the walking of the red carpet an hour earlier. Tickets for the show are now on sale at Quick Fix Tectronics, Shop #50, Clock Tower Plaza.
The star-studded event celebrates four years of honouring Jamaican entertainers for their creative efforts and contribution to the music fraternity. This year’s event will be hosted by the effervescent Jade from ZIP 103 and Phoenix from Kool FM.
Attendees will be entertained by performances from Versatile, Seanizzle, Tnez, Iyara, Omari, Ikaya, and many more. There will also be a special feature from a known international act this year.
“This is the defining year for The Music Industry Achievers Awards. we are going full force. I am promising a flawless show from the walking of the red carpet until the closing of the show,” said Nackesha Doyley, CEO of the Music Industry Achievers Awards.
For the first time, there will be live streaming at the red carpet by Panta Son, so non-attendees can watch from the comfort of their homes. Fame and Hitz FMs will be doing an outside broadcast.
The prestigious award boasts 27 categories and six ambassadors. Elise Kelly, Ron Muschette, and Jenny Jennyhave been named as three special awardees.
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The organisers of this years’ Music Industry Achievers Awards have announced that the event will be held at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston on July 10, 2014.
The show begins at 7 p.m., with the walking of the red carpet an hour earlier. Tickets for the show are now on sale at Quick Fix Tectronics, Shop #50, Clock Tower Plaza.
The star-studded event celebrates four years of honouring Jamaican entertainers for their creative efforts and contribution to the music fraternity. This year’s event will be hosted by the effervescent Jade from ZIP 103 and Phoenix from Kool FM.
Attendees will be entertained by performances from Versatile, Seanizzle, Tnez, Iyara, Omari, Ikaya, and many more. There will also be a special feature from a known international act this year.
“This is the defining year for The Music Industry Achievers Awards. we are going full force. I am promising a flawless show from the walking of the red carpet until the closing of the show,” said Nackesha Doyley, CEO of the Music Industry Achievers Awards.
For the first time, there will be live streaming at the red carpet by Panta Son, so non-attendees can watch from the comfort of their homes. Fame and Hitz FMs will be doing an outside broadcast.
The prestigious award boasts 27 categories and six ambassadors. Elise Kelly, Ron Muschette, and Jenny Jennyhave been named as three special awardees.
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BY HURBUN WILLIAMS Observer writer
Sunday, February 02, 2014
International Caribbean sports journalist, Jamaican Al Hamilton is a man on a mission.
A mission that is geared to establish a CARICOM Sports Awards committee to honour outstanding sporting personalities of the region.
Hamilton, who in 2003 was made an MBE by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, for his services to sport and an event he sponsored some 30 years ago as the Commonwealth Sports Awards (CSA), explained that he is now deeply involved in a Caribbean version of the CSA called Caribbean Awards For Sports Icons (CASI).
Hamilton explained that for the Caribbean, as a body, to set up such an organisation would serve to give merit to the memorable exploits of the pantheon of the region’s sporting arena who laid the foundation for which others are inspired to follow and to improve upon.
Hamilton, who made a brief stop over in Jamaica recently to receive the Certificate of Merit at the recently concluded RJR National Sportsman and Sportswoman Awards ceremony for his selfless contribution in promoting Caribbean Icons in sports, told the Jamaica Observer that the CASI “is a project that I am spending a bit more time trying to develop”.
Hamilton migrated to the United Kingdom in 1962 to improve his career as a photographer, but later became a journalist, explained that an award created by the Caribbean region that includes Cuba will serve to honour our legendary sports achievers by the individual Caribbean chain of islands through CASI.
Taking a critical look at the award he received, Hamilton said: “I have migrated for over 50 years, but I have always maintained my presence by coming back some three times a year and I have been involved in a number of sporting activities, as in 1987 when we brought the Jamaica/UK 11 to play against the Jamaica national side as part of our 25th anniversary.
“I was also involved in the first testimonial game here in Jamaica that was done some five years later for national footballers Paul ‘Tegat’ Davis and Anthony Corbett. And for this, we brought down John Barnes and Ian Wright.
So my involvement in terms of putting something back at home in terms of boxing is well documented.
“For me, I think the greatest honour any human being can have is to be applauded by his own national,” and that although one like himself has received awards in Ghana, Uganda and places like that, “this one was particularly special because it came from the country from which I emanated”.
Looking at his new project having spent all this time in the United Kingdom, Hamilton said what he would like to accomplish before the bell tolls, is to make a contribution to this region to see to it that recognition of Caribbean icons was given not only by separate organisations, but by the Caribbean Community.
“There is a kaleidoscope in our sporting achievement,” he said. “We are not just talking about the recent achievements in terms of Beijing, Berlin, Moscow, France ’98 and so forth, that must be applauded. I am talking about the heritage that goes back to ’48 that happened in London.”
And it is that Heritage: the Heritage of West Indies cricket and so forth that Hamilton would like to extend to also include Cuba, as it must not be forgotten that Cuba has been winning gold medals from way back in the 1920s.
This is the challenge that Hamilton proffered he would like to expand on. “We started the programme here in 2008, went to Nassau, Bahamas in 2009, and we are now in serious discussions with the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM),” Hamilton pointed out.
He added: “I have in fact just returned from Guyana where I had several meetings where the vibe, the feeling is mutual. So as it stands we will just wait and see how things develop.”
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THE presitgious annual Courtney Walsh Award for Excellence is considering adding a dimension where students will be recognised for their outstanding contribution to sports in tandem with academic excellence.
“This year, it is proposed that the Student Excellence Awards be introduced for nominees at the secondary education level. Schools will be asked to nominate one student who has displayed excellent qualities in academic performamce and represented the school in sport, while showing team commitment and good tenets for fair play,” according to the awards organisers.Should it be introduced this year, the winning students, who must be Jamaican nationals and currently in Grades 10 to 13 of secondary school, will get trophies, tablets and one year free Internet service.Also, the schools of the winning students will get a Supreme Ventures plaque and $250,000 award for development of a specified project to benefit the students and the institution.Meanwhile, nominations for the coveted and ninth annual Courtney Walsh Award for Excellence opened with a press launch at Cuddy’z Sports Bar and Restaurant, New Kingston Shopping Centre in Kingston on Thursday evening.In addressinng the function, Brian George, chairman of the Courtney Walsh Award for Excellence Selection Committee, extolled the exemplary qualities with which Ambassador Walsh used to distinguish himself on and off the field of play.The Courtney Walsh Award for Excellence is presented annually to an outstanding male or female Jamaican athlete between the ages of 18 and 40, who has represented the country at the senior level.The award is administered by the CHASE Fund.Inaugurated in 2005, the award is based on the positive attitudes demonstrated by Ambasador Walsh, and which makes him an exemplary role model.For the main award, nominees must exhibit for consideration a history of outstanding achievement in their chosen sport, with notable achievements in the calendar year preceding the award; a spirit of sportmanship and goodwill, reflected by truthfulness, courtesy and respect when dealing with other players/competitors and administrators; amodel of sporting endeavour, dedicated to improving individual performance; hard work and excellence in competition; strong national pride; appropriate leadership skills; appropriate deportment; a high level of discipline and integrity, both inside and outside of the sports arena; and humility in the face of victory.A selection committee, comprising a representative each from CHASE, the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), the Jamaica Cricket Association; the Sport Media; the institute of Sports (INSPORTS), the Sport Development Foundation (SDF) and three directors from the CHASE Board, is responsible for processing nominations and selecting the awardee each year.Since the introduction of the prestigious award, eight top achievers whose consistently excellent performances are recognised in Jamaica and oversees have been honoured. They include: James ‘Jimmy’ Clive Adams, 2005; Deon Hemmings, 2006; Elaine Davis, 2007; Nehemiah Perry, 2008; Brigitte Foster-Hylton, 2009; Aleen Bailey, 2010; Dr Neil Gardner, 2010; Veronica Campbell Brown, 2011.(From left) Brian George, chairman of the Courtney Walsh Award for Excellence Selection Committee; Dr David McBean, chairman Supreme Ventures Foundation; William ‘Billy’ Heaven, chairman of the Chase Fund and Ambassador Courtney Walsh at the launch of the awards at Cuddy’z Sports Bar in New Kingston on Thursday evening. (PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON)View the original article here
NEW YORK (AP) — Even if the hotly rumoured `N Sync reunion doesn’t happen, the MTV Video Music Awards are already shaping up as Justin Timberlake’s night.
The lead nominee — with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis — is up for six awards. Timberlake also will be honoured with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, and the anticipation over whether he and his old boy-band cronies will appear together will persist well after the show kicks off Sunday night from Brooklyn.MTV is officially mum, neither confirming nor denying the rumour, and Joey Fatone has even denied it officially. But `N Sync debuted a Twitter account Saturday, and the hubbub has overshadowed what will be an all-star line-up at the Barclays Center.Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Drake will perform hit singles for the first time, and Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus and — if the spurned Stephen Colbert is to be believed — Daft Punk square off in a song-of-the-summer competition. But `N Sync has managed to steal the thunder.“We’re just hoping we’re not doing anything after them because anything after `N Sync this year is going to be irrelevant,” One Direction’s Harry Styles said.One Direction didn’t give any clues about its role, and MTV has kept many details about the two-hour show under wraps. Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, A$AP Rocky, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jared Leto and last year’s host Kevin Hart (MTV has chosen to go without a host this year) are scheduled to participate, and former NBA player Jason Collins, who recently acknowledged he is gay, will introduce Macklemore and Lewis’ marriage equality anthem ‘Same Love’.The Seattle duo is the surprise of the year and is up for six awards, as Timberlake is. The Seattle rap crew has the top song from the first half of 2013, ‘Thrift Shop’ featuring Wanz, one of five songs up for the top honour: video of the year.Timberlake — who’s won seven moonman trophies — has the year’s best-selling album, ‘The 20/20 Experience’, and his follow-up ‘The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2’, is due out in September. His ‘Mirrors’ is up for video of the year. Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ featuring T.I. and Pharrell, Bruno Mars’ ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ and Swift’s ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ round out the category.Mars has the next-highest number of nominations, with four. Pink, Cyrus, Thicke and Thirty Seconds to Mars have three apiece.The show travels to Brooklyn and the brand new Barclays Center for the first time, which should change its vibe. It also will change the iconic moonman trophy. MTV commissioned Brooklyn artist KAWS to redesign the statuette for this year’s show.View the original article here
NEW YORK (AP) — Even if the hotly rumoured `N Sync reunion doesn’t happen, the MTV Video Music Awards are already shaping up as Justin Timberlake’s night.
The lead nominee — with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis — is up for six awards. Timberlake also will be honoured with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, and the anticipation over whether he and his old boy-band cronies will appear together will persist well after the show kicks off Sunday night from Brooklyn.MTV is officially mum, neither confirming nor denying the rumour, and Joey Fatone has even denied it officially. But `N Sync debuted a Twitter account Saturday, and the hubbub has overshadowed what will be an all-star line-up at the Barclays Center.Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Drake will perform hit singles for the first time, and Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus and — if the spurned Stephen Colbert is to be believed — Daft Punk square off in a song-of-the-summer competition. But `N Sync has managed to steal the thunder.“We’re just hoping we’re not doing anything after them because anything after `N Sync this year is going to be irrelevant,” One Direction’s Harry Styles said.One Direction didn’t give any clues about its role, and MTV has kept many details about the two-hour show under wraps. Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, A$AP Rocky, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jared Leto and last year’s host Kevin Hart (MTV has chosen to go without a host this year) are scheduled to participate, and former NBA player Jason Collins, who recently acknowledged he is gay, will introduce Macklemore and Lewis’ marriage equality anthem ‘Same Love’.The Seattle duo is the surprise of the year and is up for six awards, as Timberlake is. The Seattle rap crew has the top song from the first half of 2013, ‘Thrift Shop’ featuring Wanz, one of five songs up for the top honour: video of the year.Timberlake — who’s won seven moonman trophies — has the year’s best-selling album, ‘The 20/20 Experience’, and his follow-up ‘The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2’, is due out in September. His ‘Mirrors’ is up for video of the year. Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ featuring T.I. and Pharrell, Bruno Mars’ ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ and Swift’s ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ round out the category.Mars has the next-highest number of nominations, with four. Pink, Cyrus, Thicke and Thirty Seconds to Mars have three apiece.The show travels to Brooklyn and the brand new Barclays Center for the first time, which should change its vibe. It also will change the iconic moonman trophy. MTV commissioned Brooklyn artist KAWS to redesign the statuette for this year’s show.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserverView the original article here
Business
Tuesday, August 06, 2013View the original article here
DANCEHALL took the spotlight at the June 30 BET Awards in New York City with a high-energy segment produced by disc jockeys and sound system selectors Jabba and Bobby Konders.
It saw performances from Dawn Penn, Beenie Man, Chaka Demus and Pliers, and Elephant Man.With the exception of Elephant Man, all experienced a spike in sales of songs they performed, on Billboard’s Digital Reggae Singles Chart.There has been an increase in downloads for Penn’s You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No); Beenie Man’s Who Am I (Zim Zimma) and Girls Dem Sugar; and Chaka Demus and Pliers’ Murder She Wrote.The tracking week opened June 25 and closed at midnight five days later. Sales for that period will reflect on the Billboard charts for July 13.Penn first recorded You Don’t Love Me in the 1960s at Studio One for producer Clement ‘Coxson’ Dodd. In 1994, a remixed version reached number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 10 on the Dance Music Club Play chart.Hours after the BET Awards, the song sold 428 downloads and returned to the Digital Reggae Singles chart at number 60. The previous week, only 140 copies were sold.Total sales for You Don’t Love Me to date is 48,952.Murder She Wrote was released in 1993. One year later, it peaked at number 27 in the United Kingdom and number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.Since the BET Awards, Murder She Wrote has jumped from number 40 to number 21 on the Digital Reggae Singles chart, selling 1,234 downloads compared to 617 the previous week. The song’s total sales stands at 264,339 copies.First released in 1997, Girls Dem Sugar was remixed with Beenie Man and singer Mya in 2000. That version went number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 16 on the R&B Hip Hop table.On the latest Digital Reggae chart, Girls Dem Sugar re-enters at number 66 with 408 copies. The previous week, it moved 219 copies with total digital sales of 103,528.Who Am I (Zim Zimma), produced by Jeremy Harding in 1997, was featured on Beenie Man’s Many Moods of Moses album which sold over 250,000 copies.The single is back in the Digital chart at number 74 with 367 copies. The week before it moved 129 downloads, for mass figures of 58,938.Released in the US in 1998, Who Am I went number 40 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and number 15 on the R&B Hip Hop chart.HOUSE RULES
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