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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Djokovic settles down to win at US Open

NEW YORK, USA (AP) — Novak Djokovic faced two set points early in his second-round match at the US Open.

He saved them, won the set, then needed less than an hour to close out a victory. The 2011 champion beat 87th-ranked Benjamin Becker of Germany 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 yesterday.Becker had a chance to serve for the first set at 5-4. But he wasted the first with a forehand into the net and the second when a backhand sailed wide.The wind was swirling at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as it often does during the day to players’ frustration.“You need to have this adjustment, footwork, steps, in order to get on the ball,” Djokovic said.Another Grand Slam winner, Li Na, also showed some championship form earlier on Ashe.This time, her opponent, Laura Robson, looked very much like a teenager.The fifth-seeded Li avenged her third-round upset loss to the young Brit at last year’s US Open, winning in straight sets at the same stage at Flushing Meadows.Li, the 2011 French Open champ, rallied from down a break in the second set for a 6-2, 7-5 victory.Li was nervous after she noticed that her draw was a repeat from last year. A pep talk from coach Carlos Rodriguez eased her anxiety.Agnieszka Radwanska needed nearly two hours to slip past number 32-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 7-6 (1). The third-seeded Pole faced 10 break points, but Pavlyuchenkova was able to convert only two, while Radwanska was three for five.Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki, seeded 16th, won’t be making a run at Flushing Meadows after she was eliminated in straight sets by Ekaterina Makarova. The 24th-seeded Russian won 6-4, 7-5.A year ago, Robson’s upset of Li was the biggest victory of her breakthrough run. Meanwhile, it was the third straight frustrating US Open loss for the Chinese star.Robson was ranked 89th coming into last year’s tournament. She had never advanced past the second round at a Grand Slam event or defeated a top-10 opponent.That all changed when she upset major champions Kim Clijsters and Li back-to-back to make the fourth round. Now 19, Robson was seeded 30th at Flushing Meadows and coming off a fourth-round run at Wimbledon.Li had 34 unforced errors in their match a year ago, and she lamented then that the free points lifted the teen’s confidence. This time, Robson never had much of an opening.Li surprised herself with 11 aces yesterday — including one on a second serve on match point — and won all nine points when she went to the net. She’s back in the fourth round at the US Open for the first time since 2009.Her run over, Robson now must face an unfortunate reality for many teenagers: getting her wisdom teeth out.“All the other girls in the locker room are telling me their horror stories: ‘Oh, yeah, I pulled my gauze out and it was just blood,”‘ Robson said. “So that’s not too nice.”Defending champs Serena Williams and Andy Murray were scheduled for matches late yesterday. Williams will be back on court a day after playing singles and doubles, facing Yaroslava Shvedova in the nightcap at Ashe.Two other US Open winners, Juan Martin del Potro and Lleyton Hewitt, were also due to face each other.

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Djokovic settles down to win at US Open

Jamaica lose 66-68 to Uruguay in FIBA Americas Champs

Sport

BY SANJAY MYERS Observer staff reporter myerss@jamaicaobserver.com Saturday, August 31, 2013 | 1:56 PM

CARACAS, Venezuela — Jamaica put in a battling display on Saturday but mistakes at critical moments against Group A opponents Uruguay saw them losing 66-68 in the dying seconds of the FIBA Americas Championship game at the Poliedro de Caracas.Forward Samardo Samuels led Jamaica with 19 points from 6/13 shooting along with six rebounds. The lively point guard Akeem Scott, who played over 36 minutes, was 4/7 from three-point range to end with 18 points. He also had four steals and two assists.Uruguay’s centre Esteban Batista led all scorers with 22 points. After defeat to Canada on Friday, the Jamaicans now have a 0-2 record from their opening two matches. The Jamrockerz have a break on Sunday before clashing with Puerto Rico Monday at 1:00 pm Jamaica time. On Tuesday, Jamaica will close out the preliminary phase with a 7:00 pm clash with Brazil. The top four countries in each of the two groups advance to the second round. The four semi-finalists automatically qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.

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Jamaica lose 66-68 to Uruguay in FIBA Americas Champs

16-y-o Roxann Laing of Washington Gardens, Kingston missing

Wild Gilbert: 25 years later

IN the aftermath of arguably the most devastating natural disaster to hit Jamaica, Lloyd Lovindeer was inspired to write the song that became the biggest hit of his career.

That song, Wild Gilbert, was released in late-September 1988, just days after the Category Five Hurricane Gilbert smashed the country, killing 45 persons and leaving hundreds homeless.“I was surprised that the song took off the way it did because at the time there were other Gilbert songs released before mine. But Wild Gilbert was huge,” Lovindeer, 65, recalled last week during an interview with the Sunday Observer.Wild Gilbert is one of the fastest-selling singles in Jamaica, reportedly selling over 200,000 copies. Lovindeer, a former Kingston College student, had a few minor hits prior to Wild Gilbert.“Babylon Boops which came out in 1986, was my biggest hit up to that point. I also had other hits like Don’t Bend Down and Man Shortage,” he said.Babylon Boops was his response to deejay Super Cat’s smash hit song Boops. Its impact was nothing compared to the runaway success of Wild Gilbert.Lovindeer vividly remembers what he was doing when the hurricane hit.“I was inside the house watching what was going on, on the outside, when the idea for the song hit me. My satellite dish was destroyed during the hurricane. It was an experience.”He still resides in that house at Hope Road in St Andrew.Wild Gilbert was recorded at Dynamic Sounds in Kingston with the Riddim Kings as backing band and Lovindeer as producer.The rib-tickling number gave Lovindeer a national profile and set the pace for follow-up hits like Pocomania Day, which he did with Chalice.Lovindeer was born in Kingston but moved to Ewarton, St Catherine shortly after his parents migrated to England. He returned to Kingston at age 12.After leaving KC, he got involved in music when he and friends formed the Fabulous Flames song-and-dance group.Their first recording, done in 1971, was a cover of Neil Diamond’s Holly Holy produced by Clancy Eccles.After the Fabulous Flames split, Lovindeer moved to Canada, where he lived from 1976 to 1982.Back in Jamaica, he released The Blinking Bus, his first solo recording, on his TSOJ label.Lovindeer is busy completing The Land of The One Love People, a double album scheduled for release at the end of this month.It has collaborations with Judy Mowatt, Kip Rich, Goddy Goddy, Singing Melody, Tarrus Riley and Lady G.

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Wild Gilbert:
25 years later

Man City rebound against Hull City

LONDON, England (AFP) — Alvaro Negredo came off the bench and scored for the second Premier League game running as Manchester City edged promoted Hull City 2-0 yesterday.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side was labouring in the sunshine at the Etihad Stadium and endured several nervous moments before the former Sevilla striker made the breakthrough 20 minutes into the second half.A sumptuous last-minute free-kick from Yaya Toure settled matters, but after their shock 3-2 loss at promoted Cardiff City last weekend, City once again showed plenty of margin for improvement.“It was hard work. Every match is going to be hard work,” said City manager Pellegrini.“Hull defended very well. We know you have to give 100 per cent to win every match, but I think today that we were more concentrated in defence than the last game against Cardiff.”City made two changes to their starting XI, with fit-again Matija Nastasic replacing Javi Garcia in central defence and Aleksandar Kolarov coming in for Gael Clichy at left-back, while Danny Graham took the place of suspended striker Yannick Sagbo for Hull.The visitors started brightly, with Sone Aluko wastefully dragging a shot wide after bursting clear in the eighth minute and Graham seeing a volley chalked off for offside.Pellegrini introduced new signing Negredo in place of the ineffective Edin Dzeko at half-time and the Spaniard almost made an immediate impact, only to completely miscue his header from David Silva’s lofted pass.Negredo would not be denied, however, and in the 65th minute he broke the deadlock with a firm downward header from Pablo Zabaleta’s floated right-wing centre.It had been an arduous afternoon for the 2012 champions, but Toure added sheen to the result by bending a 22-yard free-kick over the wall and in off the crossbar in the 90th minute.“You know that Achilles’ heel we have got — can we score?” said Hull manager Steve Bruce.“We’ve had really good possession, played well, created the chances, can we score the goal? Unfortunately, we’ve created enough but we haven’t been able to score and that’s the difference at this level.”Promoted Crystal Palace recorded their first win of the season after late goals from Dwight Gayle and Stuart O’Keefe secured a 3-1 victory at home to Sunderland in the day’s evening game.Danny Gabbidon’s fortuitous early opener was cancelled out by a 64th-minute header from fit-again Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher, but Gayle restored the hosts’ lead with a penalty 11 minutes from time after visiting captain John O’Shea had been sent off for bringing him down in the box.Substitute O’Keefe added a fine third in injury time, curling a superb strike into the top-left corner from the edge of the area.Unsettled Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye made his return as a second-half substitute against Fulham at St James’ Park, but it was another Frenchman, Hatem Ben Arfa, who proved the match-winner in a 1-0 victory.The former Marseille winger jinked infield from the right before bending a fierce shot past goalkeeper David Stockdale in the 86th minute to give Alan Pardew’s side a first win of the season.Pardew said that the presence of Cabaye, who was the subject of an unsuccessful bid from Arsenal recently, was not a guarantee that he would stay at the club beyond the close of the transfer window.“It doesn’t mean he’s staying because the window is staying open until 11:00 pm (2200GMT) on Monday,” said the Newcastle manager.“It’s a worry and we’ve marked his agent’s card that if he wants to do business, then he should do it early.”Stoke City also left it late before inflicting a first defeat of the season upon West Ham United at Upton Park, with Jermaine Pennant scoring the game’s only goal from an 82nd-minute free-kick.New signing Nathan Redmond earned Norwich City a 1-0 win over Southampton, cutting in from the left and drilling a low shot into the bottom-left corner mid-way through the second half at Carrow Road.Cardiff, meanwhile, followed up their shock win over Manchester City with a 0-0 draw at home to Everton.Two of English football’s most enduring fixtures take place today, with Manchester United manager David Moyes taking his side to Liverpool for the first time and Arsenal hosting Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby.Chelsea and Aston Villa are not in action this weekend due to the London club’s participation in the European Super Cup, which saw them beaten on penalties by Bayern Munich in Prague on Friday.Manchester City’s Alvaro Negredo (top right), scores past Hull’s goalkeeper Allan McGregor (left), during their English Premier League soccer match at The Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, yesterday. (PHOTO: AP)

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Man City rebound against Hull City

Retired farmer, 105, thinks men are too wild

Mavis Ethlyn Mitchell is one of the most pleasant centenarians that one could ever come across.

Her warm smile, love for God, and her constant jokes, has visitors forgetting all else as they bask in her presence. At 105 she still lights up a room.The first sentence uttered upon introduction to the small-bodied woman wearing a floral dress, drew bouts of laughter from those around her.“Mi glad fi see you come for you ago give me some money to buy mi drink,” she said laughing. She then proceeded to disclose that she loves to drink Wincarnis Tonic Wine.“Mi drink mi little beer and something, and mi drink mi wine too. I drink Wincarnis Tonic Wine. Mi not going drink to drunk, ’cause mi don’t want drunk. Mi just want drink to satisfy,” she said.Her daughter Esmie Cameron, 71, hastily pointed out that she no longer drinks wine which was once one of her favourite drinks.“Is long time now she don’t drink,” Cameron said. “But she use to drink her wine. She stopped drinking since she started going to church, so is a long time now.”That was in 2005 when Mitchell became a member of the Constant Spring Seventh-day Adventist Church.Asked why she stopped drinking, Mitchell declared, “after dem nuh give mi. If dem give mi mi woulda drink it man!”Mitchell was born on January 1, 1908 and grew up in Burnt Ground, Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth. She was raised by her parents Florence Blair and Richard Mitchell, along with four brothers and sisters. She was the eldest of the five. All her siblings have predeceased her.Mitchell attended the Scofield Elementary in St Elizabeth before meeting and marrying the love of her life, David Mitchell.She married at a young age and enjoyed her life, taking care of her children without the hassle of working out.However, when her husband died while her 10 children were still very young, Mitchell had to take on the task of being both mother and father to them, as things got tough.And even after the death of six of the children, the centenarian still took in five others and cared for them, including sending each one to school.“Them father dead gone lef them and mi affi work like a man. Mi had to work like man and mine them, Mitchell told the Jamaica Observer on Thursday. “Lawd have mercy, mi work like a bad cow. Mi plant up mi garden, plant gungo, corn, yam, sweet potato and sell. Mi plant up big place you know, plant flowers, everything. Food was there to kill when mi coulda work. And mi use to dig wid mi pickaxe and my hoe,” she said.Mitchell’s husband died 64 years ago.But remarrying, even to make things easier financially for herself and her children, was not an option for the single mother.“The man dem a nuh good smaddy. Dem wild!” she said. “Dem wild like wild puss! So mi never bother worry (marry again) for them wild and mi nuh like that. Dem nuh nice at all.”And along with their unfaithful nature, Mitchell said that she did not want “any man to come and beat mi pickney dem”.As a child growing up, she loved the Revival Church and was an ardent member.However, after moving to Kingston in 2002, she became a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.“I like going to church. I was a church woman,” she stated.‘Ms Mavis’ or ‘Auntie’, as she is known to many, was said to be strict but kind and loving.“She was very strict,” her daughter Cameron said. “We couldn’t do nothing wrong. But I am glad for the way she grow me. She was strict. I remember she would give us half-hour every Sunday to go next door and play, but when half-hour came she would stand topside the house and call us and we had to reach before she reach down to the house or she would beat us,” Cameron said. “But she was kind and loving and she caring,” Cameron added.Despite being a single mom, another of Mitchell’s daughters, Hazel Plummer recalled that she would take people’s children in her house and care for them.“She took five with us and took care of them and sent them to school,” Plummer, who was present during the interview at the centenarian’s Havendale home said. “And she love to give joke. She would let you laugh until you weak. And she still loves to give joke now.”Her children recalled that their mom would let everyone in the family go to church and when she visits church, everybody loved her and would gather around her to receive their hugs and kisses.But in spite of her love for church and the fellowship she received there, Mitchell has been prevented from attending since January this year after she had an accident at home.“She was going to the bathroom and slipped and fell in the passageway,” said Cameron, who shares the home with her mom. “She fell in the passage and broke her hip and had to be hospitalised.”Her daughters and her caregiver, Audrey Heath said that prior to that, Mitchell was very active, doing just about everything.“She would rake up the entire yard by herself, as big as it is,” Cameron said. “She would dress herself and if you ever see how she throw the garbage bag over her shoulder and take it outside.”All that has stopped now, however, because she has to be dependent on a walker.“She love God,” Heath said. “Every morning she wakes up she prays and sings to God. She is always doing that. Not only in the mornings but right throughout the day in fact.”“I’m a child of God,” said Mitchell, who has no problem remembering important things of the past. She still has good vision, while her hearing is not as sharp as it used to be.Today, Mitchell is proud of her remaining four children, among them Hermine Mitchell, who resides overseas, and Clarence who lives in Jamaica. She is surrounded by over 50 grand and great grandchildren.Inspite of having to move around with a walker after breaking her hip in January, Mavis Mitchell is still able to hold her own.Mavis Mitchell, 105, remembers working and caring for her children as a single mother after her husband died 64 years ago.Mavis Mitchell is surrounded by her (L-R) caregiver Audrey Heath, great Mavis Mitchell loves granddaughter Anela Cameron, and daughters Hazel Plummer and Esmie Cameron

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Retired farmer, 105, thinks men are too wild

Meet Brother Jimmy: reggae student

Entertainment

Richard Johnson Sunday, September 01, 2013

IN his song Music Lesson, reggae king Bob Marley declared: “Music gonna teach them one lesson.”That has been the experience of Brother Jimmy, a media personality from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.The dreadlocked presenter of a cable television magazine show, says reggae music has been an influential force in his life. He says growing up in the French department, he was not exposed to the teachings of black leaders.“I was 12 years old when I first started listening to reggae. Man like Jacob Miller, Burning Spear and of course Bob Marley,” Brother Jimmy explains.”I hear them sing about people like Marcus Garvey, (Ethiopian Emperor Haile) Selassie and other black leaders. I start to ask myself, ‘who is Garvey’? It force me to go and learn about my black history. Reggae music is the story of my culture, it help me find my way,” he asserts in a thick French accent.This sense of black identity comes over in his television show, BWorld Connection (which means Black World Connection).“The concept of the show is simple — to highlight examples of excellence in the black world, not just in music and sports, and also to show how reggae can teach us valuable lessons,” Brother Jimmy notes.He has lost track of the number of times he has visited Jamaica, and is a regular at major music events such as Reggae Sumfest, Sting and Rebel Salute.His current reggae favourites are I-Octane, Sizzla and Bounty Killer.“I like artistes who have something to say — a positive message, fight against corrupt politics, message of love, culture and redemption. I really don’t have the time to listen to music that is really not saying anything.”Reggae music is the story of my culture.BROTHER JIMMY… reggae music is the story of my culture.

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