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Sunday, February 1, 2015

6th Biennial Diaspora Conference planning underway

Saturday, January 31, 2015 | 10:59 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica – State Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade Arnaldo Brown has recently met with the JAMPRO team to start preparation for another anticipated Diaspora Conference to be held in Montego Bay from June 13-18 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

With a record number of 1,500 attendees in 2013, this year’s Conference is set to be another record breaker and results-oriented event proving Jamaica and its Diaspora’s serious dedication to partnering for development.

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6th Biennial Diaspora Conference planning underway

UWI students take top spots at US Student Leadership Conference

By Balford Henry, Senior Staff Reporter

Saturday, January 31, 2015 | 1:20 PM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Garrick Donaldson and Rashaun Kanute Watson, undergraduate students in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies, Mona took first and second places respectively at the Charles E Williams II Advanced Leadership Institute annual Oratorical Contest in the USA.

The contest was staged at the 27th South-western Black Student Leadership Conference on Saturday, January 24 at the Texas A&M University. The UWI was also presented with an award for International Recognition.

The subject this year was, “Homicide is the leading cause of death amongst African American youth ages 15-24″.

Black youth in the US are 10 times more likely to be victims of homicide than their white peers. On August 9, 2014 an unarmed 18-year old African American male, Michael Brown, was shot 6 times and killed by a white police officer, Darren Wilson, as Brown and a friend were approaching the sidewalk. After his death the photos of Brown that were used, not only, portrayed a negative image of Brown; but young black males over all.

Mainstream media and commercial advertising continue to portray African-Americans in stereotypical roles with anti-black images. How did you believe the media framed the shooting of Michael Brown and why? Do you believe this situation stood for the justice and equality our nation prides itself on?

The Charles E Williams Advanced Leadership Institute (ALI) is a special forum specifically for seasoned student leaders who have demonstrated their abilities at their own colleges.

ALI pushes these students to take it to the next level. This limited enrolment programme is held in conjunction with Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference (SBSLC), but provides a more in-depth workshop line-up and one-on-one attention.

The UWI participants received a generous contribution from the principals office.

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UWI students take top spots at US Student Leadership Conference

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Final four face off in conference championships

BY TONY SCOTT

Friday, January 16, 2015

LAST weekend’s Divisional Play-off round had its fair share of excitement and controversy, and when the dust settled, the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots were left standing.

The Divisional Play-offs usually deliver some of the best football of the season and this year’s was no exception. We saw the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Seattle Seahawks, play like the champions that they are, whipping the Panthers 31-17. It seems these guys are peaking at the right time and the possibility of repeating looms large. There has not been a repeat Super Bowl winner since the Patriots in 2004.

The Seahawks showed some inconsistencies during the regular season due to injuries and off-the-field strife, but now they seem to have got their groove back, which makes them a favourite to go all the way.

Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts put on a stellar display against the iconic Peyton Manning and his Denver Broncos, beating them 24-13. Luck proved once and for all that he is destined for greatness and that indeed the old order has changed, yielding place to the new. The Luck era has begun and his next big test comes up this Sunday as he faces yet another iconic figure in Tom Brady.

Speaking of Tom Brady, he led the Patriots to an impressive 35-31 come-from-behind victory over a determined Ravens team, advancing to his ninth AFC Championship game. Many of us had the Ravens, who were 6.5 point betting underdogs, to at least cover the point spread, which they did. But the Patriots prevailed on the scoreboard. The Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era is one for the record books.

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers went up against Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys in a game that ended amidst an officiating controversy that saw a spectacular Dez Bryant catch disallowed after review. This was a game-changer and the Packers went on to beat the Cowboys 26-21.

Now I’m no fan of the Dallas Cowboys, but what I saw on the replays indicated that it was a catch. Some say that this call was poetic justice as the Cowboys were the beneficiaries of a similar ruling in their wild card game against the Lions a week earlier. Aaron Rodgers is obviously still not 100 per cent, but thanks to the protection of his offensive line he was able to make plays from inside and outside the pocket.

As far as our post-season picks go, Peter Lindo posted a 3-1 mark last week and now leads the pack with an impressive 7-1 play-off picks record, which probably makes him unassailable. Way to go, Peter. Andre Hutchinson also went 3-1 last week (5-3 overall), while yours truly went 3-1 as well (4-4 overall). Bringing up the rear for the first time this season is the regular season picks champion Mark Archer, who went 1-3 last week and is a surprising 3-5 in the play-offs. We’ll see how the guys do this week.

Let’s take a look at the impending clashes, starting first with the Indianapolis Colts at the New England Patriots in Foxboro. First of all, there is the home field advantage factor which automatically gives the Patriots the edge. Not that they need it, because they are formidable opponents anywhere. Add to this the fact that the Patriots beat the Colts 42-20 back in November and they’ve beaten Indy in five straight meetings.

The Patriots have a culture of winning and their superstar quarterback Tom Brady is coming off a good performance against a tough Ravens team. Their defence is somewhat suspect and this could be exploited by Andrew Luck, particularly if he gets hot and gets hot early. Luck’s protection is very good, too, as demonstrated against the Broncos when he went virtually untouched.

My take on this game is that once again youth may very well prevail, and the pendulum may swing in favour of the young gun to outlast the old veteran.

In the earlier game on Sunday, the Green Bay Packers visit the Seattle Seahawks and find themselves facing a team that is playing at a very high level in all aspects of their game. The defence is fearsome and the offence is explosive. They also have a pretty good quarterback in Russell Wilson, who is arguably the best of the young guns. Then there is the hostile environment in Seattle where the noise level can be disruptive to the opposing signal caller. Seattle also beat Green Bay 36-16 back in Week One of this season. I anticipate a game that will go back and forth before coming down to the final play. If I were writing the script, Russell Wilson would hand off the ball to Marshawn Lynch, and ‘The Beast’ would run roughshod over the Packers defence and explode in the end zone for the winning score.

On Sunday, the Packers vs Seahawks game will air on FOX at 3:05 pm, while Colts vs Patriots kicks off at 6:40 pm on CBS. You can also head to Ribbiz Ultra Lounge at the Acropolis Barbican, Cuddy’z Sports Bar or Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records to take in some BIG screen action. You can even place your bets on the games at those venues up to five minutes before kick-off.

The Super Bowl match-up is almost set, folks. Enjoy the games and I hope you all win some money with JustBet. Make sure to watch the JustBet sports betting feature, JustBet Before The Whistle, this and every Thursday at 9:30 pm on TVJ.

To find out more about JustBet, including how to bet and where to place your bets, visit www.justbetja.com, ‘like’ us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/justbet, ‘follow’ us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/justbet_ja, watch our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/justbetja or call our help line toll-free at 1-888-SUPPORT (1-888-787-7678).

EXPERTS’ PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD

PETER LINDO’S Conference Championship Picks (in bold)

SEAHAWKS v PACKERS

PATRIOTS v COLTS

Last week’s record: 3-1

Play-off Record to date: 7-1

ANDRE HUTCHINSON’S Conference Championship Picks (in bold)

SEAHAWKS v PACKERS

PATRIOTS v COLTS

Last week’s record: 3-1

Play-off Record to date: 5-3

TONY SCOTT’S Conference Championship Picks (in bold)

SEAHAWKS v PACKERS

PATRIOTS v COLTS

Last week’s record: 3-1

Play-off Record to date: 4-4

MARK ARCHER’S Conference Championship Picks (in bold)

SEAHAWKS v PACKERS

PATRIOTS v COLTS

Last week’s record: 1-3

Play-off Record to date: 3-5

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Final four face off in conference championships

Bell at Special Olympics Head of Delegation Conference

As part of the preparation for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games there is a Head of Delegation Conference being held in Los Angeles, United States, from January 21 to January 26.

The games will be also staged in Los Angeles, running from July 25 to August 2.

Items on the conference agenda range from athletes’ registration to sport and competition, venues, transportation, meals, medical care, and media and communication.

Lorna Bell, the executive director of Special Olympics Jamaica, is representing the country at the conference.

“These meetings are very important, especially when your delegation is huge and of course, remember we are travelling with special athletes, so it is important to look at housing, transportation and meals,” Bell said.

“I will also use the opportunity to meet the Jamaican community and share with them exactly the importance of these games.”

Over 170 countries and approximately 7,000 Special Olympics athletes are expected to attend the Summer Games.

Jamaica’s delegation should comprise 88 individuals. That includes 69 athletes, 17 coaches and two officials. They will compete in aquatics, athletics, badminton, basketball, bocce, football, female futsal and volleyball.

Bocce is a sport in which players use an underarm action to bowl a ball at a target. Points are gained by the ball’s proximity to the target.

Jamaica won international acclaim due to historic achievements at the Special Olympics 2013 World Winter Games in the Republic of Korea.

The tropical island won silver medals in two ice figure skating categories to go with their second-place finish in floor hockey.

Special Olympics aims to provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

The programme offers these individuals the opportunity to develop physical fitness, participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families and other Special Olympics athletes.

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Bell at Special Olympics Head of Delegation Conference

Monday, October 20, 2014

West conference schools seek to extend basketball win

PAUL A REID Observer West writer

Thursday, October 16, 2014

MONTEGO BAY, St James — TWO days after splitting their season opening double-header in Wakefield, Cornwall College and Muschett High will both be hoping to extend their winning starts as the ISSA Western Conference high school boys’ basketball competition continues with two double-headers today.

Muschett High will travel to Holland High for two games while Cornwall College will host Spot Valley High, the Under-16 champions from last season.

Holland High and Spot Valley are making their first appearance of the season while Cornwall College defeated Muschett High (56-23) in the Under-16 and Muschett High beat Cornwall College in the Under-19 (65-40) on Tuesday.

In the Under-16 game, Giovanni Bailey scored 12 points and Alwayde Thompson got 11 for Cornwall as they dominated Muschett leading 17-4 after the first quarter, 27-12 at half time and 33-20 at the end of the third quarter.

Michael Tomlinson scored 12 points for Muschett.

Obrien Clarke scored a game high 21 points for Muschett in the Under-19 game and grabbed eight rebounds as they took control of the game early.

D’Jair Bulgin also scored 10 points for Muschett while Rashid Davis scored 12 points for Cornwall and Andrew Johnson scored 11 points.

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West conference schools seek to extend basketball win

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

“Marijuana tourism” a key topic at upcoming Caribbean conference

Water Pipes with weed with smoke behind bongs in marijuana shop as souvenirs

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Tuesday September 9, 2014, CMC – The deputy chief executive officer of Jamaica’s first medical marijuana company, Richard Kildare, will lead of debate on the notion or reality of marijuana tourism during the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) later this month.

The September 17-19 conference will be held in the United States Virgin Islands and apart from Kildare, presentations will also come from Dr. James Hospedales, the executive director of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), and Josef Woodman, the chief executive officer and founder of Patients Beyond Borders.

Rory Johnston, a PhD student at the faculty of health sciences at Simon Fraser University in Canada, will present on the ethical and legal implications, as well as the risks associated with medical tourism.

“This presentation will provide an overview of the key challenges that medical tourism poses to the operation of equitable health systems – those that are accessible to local populations and responsive to their needs.

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“Examples will be drawn from both established medical tourism destinations and projects being pursued in the Caribbean to explore how negative health equity impacts can emerge and ways in which they might be anticipated and minimized,” Johnston said.

The CTO said that the debate surrounding marijuana tourism has taken a sharper focus in recent months following its legalization for recreational use by two US states, including Colorado.

Uruguay has also become the first country in the world to make it legal to grow, sell and consume cannabis.

Since it became legal to smoke marijuana in Colorado at the start of the year, there have been several reports of a boom in arrivals from both within and outside the United States.

The Colorado office of state planning and budgeting reported US$19 million in tax revenue from recreational marijuana during the first half of the year, although it didn’t say how much of that was from tourism versus local buyers.

“The Caribbean has an interest in this subject, the Caribbean has an interest in attracting visitors to our shores, and so medical tourism, including the discussion about marijuana, is going to be one of the parts of the debate that we have,” said CTO secretary general, Hugh Riley.

“One of the interesting aspects of that particular debate is looking at the medical evidence because it’s important that we do not look at one particular aspect. At the end of the day we have to make decisions that are in the best interest of the people of the Caribbean,” Riley added, noting that now is an opportune time to have a debate on the issue.

“We can pretend it doesn’t exist and the rest of the world isn’t talking about it or we can deal with it head on, debate it, look at the facts and then move on to the next action,” he said.

The CTO said that apart from the debate on “marijuana tourism” the three day event will also examine a number of “provocative” issues confronting the regional tourism sector.

The CTO said that SOTIC, organized in collaboration with the USVI department of tourism, will bring together speakers of international and regional acclaim from various fields linked to tourism to provide best case practices and winning strategies on a wide range of issues that impact the region’s primary money earner.

It is being held under the theme “Realizing the Vision: Positioning Caribbean Tourism for Major Change”.

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“Marijuana tourism” a key topic at upcoming Caribbean conference

Friday, September 6, 2013

DBJ hosts major venture capital conference September 9

MANAGING Director of the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) Milverton Reynolds is hoping that the venture capital conference — ‘Advancing innovation and entrepreneurship – Seeding Tomorrow’s Opportunities’ — on September 9 at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston will be “oversubscribed”.

Reynolds said the conference, which is part of the educational thrust about the Jamaica Venture Capital Programme (JVCP), launched in February this year as a partnership between the DBJ and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), will answer important questions in the minds of stakeholders at all levels.“In the last few years the DBJ has placed strategic focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). What we have been seeing is that, for a variety of reasons, access to finance continues to elude many of the SMEs that we would like to see in a position to access financing so that they can grow their business. This applies to not only established SMEs but also to young entrepreneurs who would like to establish themselves, but the access to financing keeps eluding them,” Reynolds told editors and reporters at the weekly Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper’s Beechwood Avenue offices in Kingston.“Some of the reasons for their inability to access funding relates to their business models; a lot of them don’t have the capability to put together a business plan so that they can go to the bank and access financing, some of them they are not registered or they don’t have an account,” he pointed out.Yesterday, Audrey Richards, project consultant with the Jamaica Venture Capital Programme, said the conference would expose participants to expertise from across the globe as well as those available locally.“We are bringing in a number of experts from different countries, mainly the United States, but included among them is Paul Ahlstrom, who is himself an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, and he has been involved in the development of eco-systems in a number of countries and he surely recognises what is needed for entrepreneurs,” she said.From the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) persons will share in the knowledge from Susana Garcia-Robles, principal investment specialist for the MIF, which has participated in a number of venture capital and private equity investments across Latin America.In addition, the conference will benefit from the expertise of Cate Ambrose, who is head of the Latin American Venture Capital Association, which has members in Latin America and the Caribbean.“They have developed a scorecard which they use to rank venture capital markets in venture capital industries in all of these different countries. Jamaica currently doesn’t have a ranking, Trinidad and Tobago does. One of the things we want to be able to do is to be ranked on that scorecard to show where Jamaica is to the world. It is something that international investors would look to see so that is very important,” Richards noted.“We also have a number of local and other international presenters and fund managers, there are a number of companies, as well as individuals who have been involved in venture capital quietly. But what we have recognised is that there is a lot of interest, not just from corporate Jamaica but also institutions, because everybody now sees the need to diversify their portfolios because of the high percentage concentration in government of Jamaica securities that everybody is now seeking to diversify away from,” she added.The all-day affair, which officially kicks off at 8:30, will begin with registration at 7:30 and end at 8:30 that evening. It will be followed by a post conference networking reception.“It’s a very busy day, it’s a lot of information, and what it is we want at the end of the day that there is an understanding of not only the programme we are embarking on but what the market and the investors are saying, what other countries have done and what we need to be doing here in Jamaica,” Richards said.Following the conference, the DBJ will pull together a number of stakeholders to finalise the areas pinpointed for development, Richards told the Observer.“Based on that we will pull together a strategic plan to access funding,” she said.Participants in yesterday’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange (from left) Audrey Richards, project consultant for the Jamaica Venture Capital Programme; Milverton Reynolds, managing director of the Development Bank of Jamaica; Wayne Beecher, senior specialist at the Multilateral Investment Fund, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank; and Lisandra Rickards, entrepreneur development trainer at the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship. (PHOTO: NAPHTALI JUNIOR)

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DBJ hosts major venture capital conference September 9

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Jamaica to present at regional Special Olympics conference

Sport

BY SANJAY MYERS Observer staff reporter Sunday, July 21, 2013

SPECIAL Olympics Jamaica (SOJ) Executive Director Lorna Bell is excited at the prospect of sharing the country’s feats at the 2013 World Winter Games when she addresses the regional body at a July 22-25 conference in Charlotte.In a statement ahead of her trip to the Special Olympics North America (SONA) Conference for the presentation titled ‘Leveraging National and World Games Marketing and Communications’, Bell did not disguise her enthusiasm.“It is an honour to be invited to share Jamaica’s tremendous success at this year’s World Winter Games in Korea and the visibility this great movement received as a result of the extensive media coverage our athletes garnered for other Special Olympics programmes to learn from,” said Bell, who will be travelling to the United States alongside outstanding SOJ athlete Tamra Mitchell.Earlier this year, the local body basked in the global spotlight thanks to Jamaica’s outstanding display at the Games in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.The country won two silver medals in ice figure skating to go with their second-place finish in floor hockey at the eight-day Championships.The SONA meeting is part of a wider acknowledgement of the Special Olympics International movement, which celebrated its 45th year this month.At the conference, members are also expected to discuss plans for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games to be held in Los Angeles.The SONA region has over half-million athletes participating in all 30 sports offered by Special Olympics. It is the home to athletes from the Caribbean, Canada and the United States.Special Olympics is a global movement for people with intellectual disabilities that fosters inclusion and helps to spotlight their struggles and accomplishments.The disabilities can either be acquired or genetic and can include cases of Down’s Syndrome, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy.There are approximately 4.2 million athletes across 170 countries training and competing in the Special Olympics organisation.BELL… it is an honour to be invited to share Jamaica’s tremendous success at this year’s World Winter Games in Korea

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Jamaica to present at regional Special Olympics conference

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Shelly Ann, Jeter walk out of Diamond League press conference

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Tufton tables questions on recent diaspora conference

News

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

OPPOSITION spokesman on foreign affairs and foreign trade, Dr Christopher Tufton, has tabled questions in the Senate seeking information on the benefit of the recent Jamaica Diaspora Conference in Montego Bay.Among the queries is how many overseas-based participants attended the recently concluded conference, which was held in Montego Bay, St James, from June 16 Additionally, the former minister of agriculture, and minister of industry and commerce under the previous Jamaica Labour Party Administration is seeking answers to:* How many of the attendants were prospective investors, delegates, and other categories of special interest stakeholder group?* What was the cost to the government for staging the event?* What were the main conclusions and specific plans agreed to, coming out of the conference?* What timelines were established for targeted plans and programmes coming out of the decisions arrived at the conference? and* How does the government intend to ensure that these timelines for policies and programmes implementation are kept?The Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, convened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, is the global forum that connects Jamaicans from all over the world with Jamaicans in the home country.The event seeks to strengthen existing linkages and networks and to build alliances for Jamaica’s development and standing in the world.TUFTON… seeking to find out, among other things, how many people participated in the conference

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