Blaine Dowdle, CEO of MedCannAccess, Canada, looks on as Wanda James, member of Cannabis Global Initiative out of Colorado, addresses the public session of the Cannabis Stakeholders Forum at the PCJ Auditorium, in New Kingston on Sunday. Colorado is one of two US states to have recently legalised the recreational use of marijuana. – Rudolph Brown/Photographer—–   By Alessandro Boyd— Canada is willing to purchase marijuana from Jamaica, a lucrative deal that could potentially earn billions of dollars for the … Read entire article »

By Nadine Wilson—-   Mathew Robinson after dropping 50 pounds (then) A side view of Robinson, who moved from a pants size of 45 inches to 38 inches in five months.—- MANY people come to Jamaica for sun, sea and sand, but when 57-year-old Mathew Robinson came to the island in mid-September last year, it was for a new lease on life. The Manhattan architect told his brother he was coming to Jamaica on vacation, but instead, he spent … Read entire article »

By Paul Henry— CAMPBELL… described as friendly, kind and helpful (inserted) Campbell’s home on Baptist Road in Middle Quarters, St Elizabeth. (PHOTOS: GREGORY BENNETT) THE murder last Friday night of a 75-year-old returned resident in St Elizabeth is believed by the police to be a contract killing. Robert Campbell was attacked and shot near his two-storey home on Baptist Road in Middle Quarters by a gunman who called out to him before opening fire. Campbell’s household helper, who … Read entire article »

Queen Ifrica performs at Rebel Salute 2014. – Photo by Adrian Frater— By Adrian Frater— Queen Ifrica is standing her ground on her views on homosexuality and marijuana and used the stage at Rebel Salute 2014 in St Ann on Saturday night to make it clear those views would find expression. However, she justified her anti-homosexuality views by referring to the reproductive process. “Children are the future and them can only born through heterosexual relationship,” Ifrica said, asking for … Read entire article »

  Ziggy Marley By Sherry Lucas—- Jamaican bandleader and reggae musician Ziggy Marley and R&B singer Fantasia will headline August’s Jackson Rhythm & Blues Festival at the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum. Multiple Grammy-winning Marley is the oldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley, with popular singles that include “True to Myself,” “People Get Ready” and “Tomorrow People.” Grammy-winning Fantasia, who hit the national stage as winner of “American Idol’s” third season, is known for “Bittersweet,” “I Believe,” “Ain’t Gon’ Beg … Read entire article »

—By Jacob Blickenstaff—- Rocksteady greats Tex Dixon, left, and Keith Rowe. Jacob Blickenstaff Performing as Keith & Tex, singing duo Keith Rowe and Phillip “Tex” Dixon hit it big in Jamaica in 1967 with their rocksteady anthem, “Stop That Train,” popularizing a song first recorded two years earlier by the Spanishtonians. (You may recognize another version of the song: “Draw Your Brakes,” from the soundtrack to Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come.) Rocksteady, a style of Jamaican music popular for a … Read entire article »

By Tim Reynolds— The Jamaican bobsled team may be headed to another Olympics. The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Olympic organizers said Saturday that Jamaica has qualified for the two-man competition at next month’s Sochi Games, though it remains unclear if the fledgling squad will get a chance to race. Funding is a serious problem and sled driver Winston Watts told The Associated Press on Saturday that he’s trying to raise … Read entire article »

By Brian Bonitto— Tarrus Riley—- SINGER Tarrus Riley pays tribute to the Rock Steady era on his upcoming album, Love Situation, set for release on February 4. The 14-track project, his fifth studio album, is largely produced by saxophonist Dean Fraser, Riley’s musical director, and distributed digitally by Zojak World Wide. Shane Brown, who is part of Riley’s management team, also produced a track on the set. He told the Sunday Observer that Love Situation is an ode to … Read entire article »

By Howard Campbell—  Bobby Kimball—-   AT the 1983 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Bobby Kimball and his colleagues in the band Toto were seated next to some of the biggest names in the music business. That night, they upstaged their more heralded rivals with Rosanna, the hit song from their album Toto IV, taking home six Grammys including for Song of The Year. “That brought us to a level where no one else was. The album started selling again … Read entire article »

Stitchie Former top-flight dancehall star-turned-preacher, the charismatic Lieutenant Stitchie, had many tongues wagging on Saturday night as he unleashed a dazzling dancehall-flavoured set on the second night of Rebel Salute 2014 at Richmond Estate, St Ann. Stitchie, who left the dancehall for the church in 1997, all but rolled back the clock, as while his lyrics were not secular and were introduced with Christian-style social commentary, his handling of the stage evoked pleasant memories of his dancehall days. The … Read entire article »