Malicious and false claims made to sully Wisynco brand

By Al Edwards

Sunday, February 02, 2014    

Local manufacturer Wisynco last week was the target of a malicious and vile social media campaign to denigrate its name and ruin its reputation.

Spurious and unsubstantiated claims were made that its products were laced with Aids-infected blood in an attempt to cause panic and prevent the public from purchasing Wisynco goods.

The Group has made strenuous efforts to reassure the public that all its products are of the highest standard and comply with rigourous hygiene and quality tests and can be safely consumed. Wisynco is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Justin Felice, who is head of the Financial Investigation Division (FID) said: “I have not heard of this incident but it possibly could be a criminal offence. Wisynco should get its lawyers to write a letter of complaint and send it into DCP Carl Williams on the 8th Floor of the South Tower on Hope Road.”

It is not established whether this act was done as corporate sabotage, or by a disgruntled employee or for retaliatory purposes to avenge a perceived wrong or slight.

On Friday, the Constabulary Communication Network issued a news release which read: “The Police are at this moment denying reports on social media that they are investigating reports of contaminated products at Wisynco Group Limited.

“At no time was the police ever called in to investigate any such case at Wisynco. There is also no report on any of our records from anyone about any issue concerning the consumption of any Wisynco products. The attribution to the Police involvement in investigating this rumour is malicious to both the Police and Wisynco.”

Former Deputy Police Commissioner and now head of Shields Crime & Security Consultants Limited, Mark Shields said: “If a criminal investigation were to be pursued the burden then becomes establishing beyond a reasonable doubt that this act was committed in order to attempt to deprive the company of money, or to blackmail it, or that violence was threatened, or there was some kind of extortion. There is certainly a case for civil action where the burden is proof is perhaps not so high. It is clearly wrong and actionable to maliciously seek to damage a company’s reputation.”

Wisynco has been operating in Jamaica for almost fifty years and is one of the stalwarts of the local manufacturing sector. It has the largest warehouse and distribution centre in the country. It produces local brands such as Wata, CranWata Bigga and Boom. It manufacuturers under licence Coca-Cola, Schweppes, and for Dr Pepper the Hawaiian Punch brand.

The Group employees 2,000 employees and is one of the largest taxpayers in Jamaica, re-investing all its profits in the country. It is getting set to make a $1 billion investment in a production and energy operation, which will be a game changer. It is renown for being one of the best sponsors of cultural and social events.

This attempt to malign and discredit Wisynco would jeopardise jobs from one of the largest local employers in Jamaica and one of its best corporate citizens.

Chairman of Wisynco, William Mahfood, speaking with Sunday Finance said: “If there ever were problems with any of our products, services or operations, we would be the first to go to the public, not just through social media but the formal media and be upfront and forthright about what we are being confronted with. We take our obligations to Jamaica and all our customers very seriously.”

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Malicious and false claims made to sully Wisynco brand

Mexican vigilante legalisation plan carries risks

BY MARK STEVENSON Associated Press News Analysis

Sunday, February 02, 2014    

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) — After months of tacit co-operation with rural vigilantes trying to drive out a cult-like drug cartel, the Mexican Government is seeking to permanently solve one of its toughest security problems with a plan to legalise the growing movement and bring it under the army’s control.

But the risks are high.

To succeed, the Government must enforce military discipline and instil respect for human rights and due process among more than 20,000 heavily armed civilians, then eventually disband them and send them back home in the western state of Michoacan.

In other Latin American countries, similar experiments have created State-backed militias that carried out widespread human rights abuses as armed civilians turned to vengeance, or assisted in mass killings. The Mexican army itself has been accused of rights abuses during the more than seven-year war against organised crime that has seen it deployed as a police force in much of the country.

Vigilante leaders met last Tuesday with Government officials to hash out details of the agreement that would put avocado and lime pickers with AR-15 semi-automatic rifles under army command. The Mexican military has a century-old tradition of mobilising “rural defence corps” manned by peasants to fight bandits and uprisings in the countryside.

If the latest experiment works, it will resolve one of the thorniest dilemmas in the barely year-old administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto: how to handle a movement that sprang up outside the law but successfully took on a pseudo-religious drug cartel, the Knights Templar, which Mexican authorities had been unwilling or unable to take on for years.

Over the last year, the vigilantes, many of them former migrant workers who spent years in the United States, have seized a dozen towns terrorised by extortion, killings and rapes at the hands of the cartel’s gunmen. Members of the Knights Templar have tried to portray themselves as soldiers in a reincarnation of a medieval religious order dedicated to Christianity and the expulsion of abusive police from their communities.

In many instances, Associated Press reporters have witnessed federal forces stand on the sidelines while the “self-defence” forces routed the cartel, and occasionally even aid the vigilantes by conducting joint patrols and manning highway checkpoints together.

Mexican experts so far have widely accepted the Administration’s plan announced late last Monday, calling it a smart way to maintain the movement’s momentum against the Knights Templar while protecting the Government against charges it was ceding the rule of law in the “hot lands” of Michoacan, a rugged Pacific Coast state of rich agricultural land and mountains studded by marijuana fields and methamphetamine labs.

But in other parts of Latin America, the news stirred traumatic memories.

Claudia Samayoa, a human rights activist in Guatemala, said the thousands of deaths attributed to the army-backed Peasant Self Defence Patrols during the country’s 1960-1996 civil war are too fresh to allow for more paramilitary forces in the region.

“The cure is going to be worse than the disease,” Samayoa said. “It would be better not to go down that road, and instead strengthen law enforcement and the justice and public safety systems.”

Margarita Solano, of the US risk-analysis firm Southern Pulse, said Mexico’s vigilantes have awakened memories of her native Colombia’s experience with self-defence forces such as the Convivir movement that fought leftist rebels in the 1990s. While the groups were initially welcomed, some were later accused of rights abuses.

“I’m finding differences and certain similarities that are frightening,” Solano said.

Mexican authorities are portraying the legalisation of the “self-defence” forces as a stop-gap measure. Unable to disarm the vigilantes because of the popular support they have for kicking the Knights Templar out of much of the state, federal officials will now have to work with them to clean up the rest of the gang — and then persuade the vigilantes to demobilise. The Government has stressed the plan is temporary, and says vigilantes will have to register their guns.

With self-defence checkpoints on most major roads in Michoacan’s hot lands, and armed vigilantes often drinking beer or smoking marijuana at their posts, there are ample possibilities for abuses.

But many Mexicans are less concerned than outsiders about the potential for wrongdoing by the vigilantes. They note there are fundamental differences between Michoacan, where relatively prosperous farmers are funding the vigilantes to fight cartel extortions, and Guatemala, Colombia and Peru, where poor farmers were pressed by right-wing governments into fighting bitter wars against leftist rebels.

In the rich, flat lands of Michoacan, “there aren’t any leftist guerrillas or poor farmers,” said Raul Benitez, a security expert at Mexico’s National Autonomous University. “Here there are well-off farmers fighting criminals.”

Unlike the vigilante movement in the neighbouring Mexico state of Guerrero, where “self-defence” forces are often anti-government, many of Michoacan’s vigilantes say they just want to get back the rich pasture and lime groves that the Knights Templar stole from them.

It is a mixed movement, in which upper middle-class orchard owners, ranchers and businessmen often pay farmworkers to help man self-defence patrols and buy them guns. But the poor were also affected by the cartel’s extortions and abuses, and have often had reasons of their own to join the movement.

“The comparisons with Colombia, Peru or Guatemala are an aberration,” Benitez said. “Right now, the self-defence forces need the respect of the local residents and public opinion, so I think they are not going to commit any crimes now.”

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Mexican vigilante legalisation plan carries risks

Famous FC find new home in Clarendon

BY OSHANE TOBIAS OBSERVER WRITER

Thursday, January 30, 2014    

MAY PEN, Clarendon — In two of the last three seasons, the Clarendon Captain’s Bakery Major League has been won by a newcomer Spartan Athletic in 2010-11 and Four Paths FC in 2011-12.

Jamalco broke the trend last season when they won ahead of Comfort, another promoted team.

This season — especially with the format of the competition being changed from a round-robin league structure to a cup competition: complete with a preliminary round, semi-final and final — the newcomers are looking to rekindle their championship mettle.

One such club is Famous FC, based in the Mineral Heights area.

But what many fans here don’t readily know about Famous is that they are not a promoted team from the parish’s Division One competition. They are actually a bona fide Major League team, transferred from the St Ann Football Association.

The club’s owners, Mark and Leisa Mitchell, a husband and wife team, were living in St Ann when the team was formed “about eight years ago”. The decision to move here was made only after their daughter passed her recent Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) for Clarendon College, her father’s alma mater.

Their son, who captains the Famous team, which is coached by Mitchell, was earlier transferred to Vere Technical High School.

Initially, the Mitchells had planned to keep the team in St Ann, but, as Mrs Mitchell explained, travelling from Clarendon to St Ann for games — sometimes twice per week — was proving costly.

“It just wasn’t feasible,” she told the Jamaica Observer. “It was just too expensive. But rather than (allowing the team to go under) we decided it was better to get it transferred.

“We are just a family that loves sports,” she added. “Right now, a number of the players on the team, who are from St Ann, are now living at our house.” Those players, she noted, are a fair blend of schoolboys from Vere and Denbigh High. “The oldest player on the team is 29,” she shared.

Now settled in their new parish, Mrs Mitchell said their number one aim is to take Famous FC “to the Premier League and beyond”.

That’s why they are taking aim at this season’s Major League title, which offers the winner a place in the South Central Confederation “Super Eight” play-off.

Alas, Famous haven’t made the best of starts to life in their new league. After making their debut with a 0-0 draw against former champions Original Hazard last week Monday, the newcomers were thrashed 3-0 by defending champions Jamalco at the Wembley Sports and Excellence Centre on Saturday.

They now occupy fourth place in Zone One on one point.

But no need to worry; they aren’t the only team yet to get off the mark. In fact, five other clubs are yet to win a game, including the disappointing Four Paths.

Champions of two seasons ago, the south-west Clarendon side opened their account with a scrappy 0-0 result against Comfort, before suffering a 3-2 home defeat to York Town — whose previous victory has since been awarded to Milk River after using an ineligible player in their January 20 fixture.

Four Paths, who are expected to challenge for the title, now sit bottom of Zone Two, which is being led by Milk River (four points) following their nil-all stalemate with Comfort (two) on Monday.

Results: Monymusk 0-1 Kemps Hill, Treadlight 2-1 Woodhall, Jamalco 3-0 Famous, Four Paths 2-3 York Town, New Bowens 2-0 Original Hazard, Comfort 0-0 Milk River.

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Famous FC find new home in Clarendon

Jazz & Blues night 3: Aaron Neville gets standing ovation

Saturday, February 01, 2014 | 10:53 PM    

TRELAWNY, Jamaica – American singer Aaron Neville got one of best responses from the audience at the 2014 staging of Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival at the Trelawny Multi-purpose stadium.

At the end of his performance on night 3 Saturday it was a standing ovation for the artiste who delivered all his expected favourites and more.

‘Everyone Plays the Fool’, ‘Don’t Know Much’ and ‘Don’t Go’ were among the top tracks dropped on loyal fans, some responding with wild screams.

Neville hooked the audience immediately after he was introduced onstage, with a medley including the Drifters’ Stand by Me, and Sam Cooke’s ‘Cupid’ and ‘Chain Gang’.

But Neville did not stick to one genre of music and evoked frantic screams as he ventured into reggae music with renditions of Bob Marley’s ‘Three little Birds’ and ‘Stir it Up’.

He was equally impressive delivering gospel selections including, ‘Study War No More’, ‘Lay down my Burden’, ‘When the Saint s Go Marching’, and ‘Amazing Grace’.

Other artistes left to perform on Saturday’s final night are O Jays, Beres Hammond and Chaka Khan.

Richard Johnson and Horace Hines

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Jazz & Blues night 3: Aaron Neville gets standing ovation

It is a criminal offence to share child porn, OCA warns

Wednesday, January 29, 2014 | 8:07 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Office of The Children’s Advocate (OCA) is advising the public that the sharing of child pornographic material is a criminal offence.

The OCA issued the reminder in light of reports of the circulation of pornographic content involving schoolgirls from a Clarendon-based school on popular social media site Facebook.

“It is very distressing to learn that there are persons in society, particularly adults, who are sharing and posting child pornographic material through email or on popular social media sites such as Facebook. This is act is intolerable, illegal and unacceptable,” Children’s Advocate, Diahann Gordon Harrison declared.

Gordon Harrison charged that the practice dehumanises children and “erodes the moral fabric of society.”

“If it is that we receive reports of such acts, and where possible, we have absolutely no objection in assisting the Police to bring these perpetrators to book. As a society we must find ways to assist our children and steer them toward a morally upstanding path, one which is befitting of a society we wish to lead,” Gordon Harrison insisted.

“It is time that we end this culture and obsession of sexually exploiting our children, and do away with the ‘a jus lickle sex, nutten nuh wrong wid dat mentality’,” the Children’s Advocate argued.

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It is a criminal offence to share child porn, OCA warns

Barcelona 5-1 Levante

Alexis Sanchez scored twice to help Barcelona rout Levante 5-1 at home and advance into the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey.

Adriano opened the scoring for Barcelona with a sumptuous curling effort, however Levante goalkeeper Javi Jimenez perhaps should have done better to keep the shot out. Just 25,551 fans were at the Nou Camp, according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.

Winning the tie 9-2 on aggregate, Carles Puyol, and Cesc Fabregas added to the Spanish giants’ tally after Levante went ahead through Loukas Vyntra’s header that hit Barcelona’s Sergio Roberto before going in.

Andres Iniesta returned after missing four games for the Catalans but was replaced by Pedro at the beginning of the second half while Lionel Messi was rested.

The Catalan club will play either Real Sociedad or third-tier Racing Santander next.

Sociedad lead the tie 3-1 going into the second leg, however, according to reports, Santander may boycott the game in a protest over unpaid wages.

—Daily Mail

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Barcelona 5-1 Levante

MAJOR UPSET

BY GERALD REID OBSERVER WRITER

Tuesday, January 28, 2014    

JOBS Lane “A” inflicted a major upset win when they defeated defending champions JAMALCO 27-24 in the 2013/2014 Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS)/Netball Jamaica Open League competition at the Leila Robinson Courts on Saturday last.

It was the first defeat for the Winston Nevers-coached Clarendon-based JAMALCO, while the Spanish Town-based aggregation maintained their unbeaten run to put themselves at the top of the point standings in Group 2 ahead of the defending champions. Both teams had won their earlier matches before their exciting rivalry. JAMALCO beat arch-rival Waulgrovians “A” 38-32, while Jobs Lane “A” outscored Hampshire “A” 20-13.

Herman Thorpe, coach of Jobs Lane “A” said he was very pleased with his team’s win. “Our team is a very fit and young combination and the players stood up to the task nicely in what was a very exciting encounter right to the final whistle,” Thorpe opined. He said the players were confident that they could have beaten JAMALCO based on the fact that the top teams are weakened as a result of the soon-to-start semi-professional league.

“It was a wonderful game and also the best performance this season by the players who were confident they could have beaten JAMALCO. The players felt very good and we are looking for another tough encounter when we face former many-time champions Waulgrovians “A”,” Thorpe indicated.

Losing coach Winston Nevers said despite the defeat the team played very well. “We are currently in a rebuilding phase with several young schoolgirl players whom we think will blossom quickly, say, within another three years. It is hard to start from scratch and but they will get theirs,” Nevers, the JAMALCO coach, said Jobs Lane “A” played well and are playing some very good netball. “I have been watching them over the years, and their win over us was not a surprise especially after losing so many players to the semi-pro.”

Results of matches played on Sunday were:

Maxfield Park “A” beat Drewsland “B” 24-013; Friendship outscored De La Vega 21-8; Blades United “A” and UTECH Knights played to a 19-19 draw; Maverley defeated Alexander Strikers “B” 21-15.

Pembroke Hall got the better of Rivoli United “B” 21-15; Molynes United “C” noosed out Maxfield Park “B” 19-18; Jetsetters “A” beat Alpha “A” 24-12; Rivoli United “A” defeated Upper Camp 24-11; Waulgrovians “B” rushed past Braeton United 33-10.

Mico “A” hammered Jetsetters “B: 39-5; Fresh Approach for the better of Hampshire “B” 15-9; Blades United “A” outscored Maverley 27-9; Maxfield Park beat Liguanea “B” 21-14; De La Vega beat Alexander Strikers “B” 21-11; UTECH Knights outscored Drewsland “B: 32-5; Mico “B” got past Jetsetters “A” 16-12; Alpha “B” got by Pembroke Hall 16-13; SPEG defeated Molynes United “C” 24-13; GC Foster Strikers “B” outscored Maxfield Park “B” 28-14.

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MAJOR UPSET