TOP 20 DANCE HALL SINGLES

Richie B Energy Beat ( August 20 -26, 2008)

TW LW WC TITLE/ARTISTE/LABEL
01 1 9 Nuh Linga – Elephant Man – Board House (2wks@#1) NM
02 3 8 Gimmi Likkle – Beenie Man – Born So Records U-1
03 2 14 Gully Creepa – Elephant Man – Seanizzle (4wks@#1) D-1
04 4 18 Stinking Rich – Serani – Daseca NM
05 6 13 Dem Nuh Want Nuh Gal – Assassin – Board House U-1
06 5 17 Nah Go Nuh Weh – Vybz Kartel – Big Ship (2wks@#1) D-1
07 9 6 Winner – Konshens – Natural Bridge/Cash Flow U-2
08 10 9 Hustle – Andrew & Wada Blood – Fire Links U-2
09 7 17 Chiney-K – Mavado – Big Ship (pp#2) D-2
10 8 22 Wine Gal – Beenie Man – TJ Records (3wks@#1) D-2
11 13 6 Dem Yah & Dem Yah – Flippa Mafia – Board House U-2
12 15 4 Inna Di Car Back – Mavado – Big Ship U-3
13 17 3 Trailer Load Of Money – Vybz Kartel– Adidjaheim Records/ ChimneyRecordsU-4
14 14 5 More Money – Harry Toddler – Downsound Records NM
15 12 16 Dancers Anthem – RDX – Apt 19 (pp#5) D-3
16 18 4 Shake That Body – PI feat. Elephant Man – Track Pusha Music U-2
17 19 2 Bottom Of The Barrel – Tifa – Ward 21 U-2
18 20 2 I’m So Special – Mavado – TJ Records U-2
19 16 9 Study People – Serani – Fire Links (pp#12) D-3
20 11 20 I’m On The Rock – Mavado – Baby G (2wks@#1) D-9

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Western Jamaica braces for storm

KERIL WRIGHT, Observer staff reporter kerilw@jamaicaobserver.com Friday, August 29, 2008

MONTEGO BAY, St James - Hundreds of residents across western Jamaica were asked to evacuate their communities yesterday as the island prepared for an onslaught from Tropical Storm Gustav, which swept across the island packing heavy rains and 70-mph winds.

Others, who up to late Wednesday evening were doubtful about the storm, were spurred into action and by mid-morning supermarkets and haberdasheries were filled with persons stocking up on last-minute supplies of food and essentials such as batteries, candles and kerosene lamps.

Those advised to evacuate included residents of Warf Road in Westmoreland, which suffered from heavy flooding from recent rains, as well as several communities across Trelawny including Salt Marsh, Zion in Martha Brae, Bottom Road in Clarks Town, Jackson Town and Wakefield.

Additionally, in Trelawny, some 62 residents along with some 26 staff members were relocated from the Infirmary to the Hague Primary School approximately five miles away. The infirmary, located along the town's western coastline, is prone to flooding from storm surges.

Similarly, officials in Hanover evacuated over 50 residents from their infirmary, which is situated along the coast in Lucea. Residents of the flood-prone seaside community of Bulls Bay were asked to be on high alert to evacuate if needed, and one family was housed at the Esher Primary School.

St James had only suffered intermittent rains up to late yesterday afternoon with the mayor, Charles Sinclair, promising yesterday that all shelters would be opened by early afternoon. Disaster officials in the parish said they had undergone a major drain-cleaning operation and was not expecting any major flooding in the downtown area, but had concerns for residents along the coast in areas such as Greenwood and Rose Hall.

All flights from the Sangster International Airport (SIA) were cancelled after 2:30 pm yesterday with airport officials advising that they would remain open until 4:00 pm for an American Airlines flight.

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Gustav's Fury

Tropical storm rips off roofs, dumps heavy rain on Jamaica

ALICIA DUNKLEY, Observer staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com Friday, August 29, 2008

Gustav, the deceptive tropical storm that snuck up on Jamaica's eastern and southern coasts after a sharp change in course Wednesday night, yesterday blew off roofs and downed trees as it lumbered across the island, dumping heavy rain along the way.

The storm, packing winds of 75 miles per hour and moving at six mph, also knocked out electricity in some areas and left several roads flooded, but there were no immediate reports of injury.

Last night, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) said that a hurricane warning remained in effect for the island. It also said that 700 people were in 31 shelters in Portland, Clarendon, St Elizabeth, Manchester, St Mary, St James, Clarendon with the majority in St Thomas.

Up to late Wednesday, Jamaicans on the island's north coast were bracing for heavy rain and wind from Gustav's outer bands, as the storm was forecast to travel through the Windward Passage on the way to the Cayman Islands and the western tip of Cuba.

A Port Royal resident checks his lanterns yesterday to ensure that they are functional in preparation for the arrival of Tropical Storm Gustav which brought heavy wind and rain to Jamaica, causing rough seas as seen here at Harbour View in St Andrew. (Photos: Karl McLarty and Michael Gordon)

However, overnight, Gustav made an almost 90-degree turn south from Haiti and slow-marched toward Jamaica's eastern and southern coasts.

At least one road was closed in St Andrew as a result of the storm, while traffic signals at several intersections in the Corporate Area were deactivated by the National Works Agency (NWA).

Stephen Shaw, communication and customer services manager at the NWA, said the Newcastle main road, which was damaged by rains associated with Hurricane Fay two weeks ago, was closed, following a further deterioration of the roadway by heavy rains associated with Gustav.

The NWA, said Shaw, activated its emergency operations centre yesterday and put teams on high alert to respond as early as possible to problems relating to the island's road network.

The Normal Manley International Airport in Kingston was closed early yesterday, while the Sangster Airport in Montego Bay was expected to close by 4:00 pm. Air Jamaica, the national carrier, cancelled all its flights, while the state-run Jamaica Urban Transit Company pulled buses from all routes by 11:00 yesterday morning.

Gustav, which killed at least 22 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, was last night forecast to make its way across southern parishes with tropical storm force winds extending up to 45 miles from the centre.

The Meteorological Service said rainfall which was occurring over most parishes was expected to spread towards to the west of the island with an increase in strong, gusty winds.

Duty forecaster at the Met Service, Glenroy Brown, told the Observer that Gustav was not expected to strengthen to a hurricane until after it has passed the island sometime today.
Yesterday morning, thousands of Jamaicans rushed to make last-minute preparations on the approach of the storm.
Several flocked hardware stores where they bought tarpaulins and board to secure their homes, while others went to grocery stores to get water, tinned food, biscuit, bread, batteries for transistor radios and flashlights, and candles.

Thousands of Jamaicans ignored evacuation orders from the ODPEM and refused to leave their homes, despite the threat posed by the storm.

The ODPEM early yesterday issued evacuation orders for people in 20 communities in St Catherine, including flood-prone trouble areas in the municipality of Portmore, Old Harbour Bay, Bushy Park and Nightingale Grove.

Residents in the communities of Hague, Zion, Clarks Town, Salt Marsh, Wakefield, and Bunkers Hill in Trelawny were also told to move to the designated emergency shelters.

In the eastern parish of St Thomas, which suffered considerable damage when Hurricane Dean hit sections of the island in 2007, residents of 16 communities were told to leave their homes and stay at public shelters, while people in the flood-prone areas of Portland Cottage, Rocky Point and Mitchell Town in Clarendon were asked to move to higher ground.

Residents of several communities in Westmoreland, St Elizabeth and Manchester were also advised to head to designated shelters in their area.

Last night, the Ministry of Health appealed to persons with chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and asthma who were given evacuation orders to take their medication to the shelters with them.

The Met Service said between six and 12 inches of rainfall was expected from the storm, but up to 5:15 yesterday just over half an inch of rain was reported in Kingston, the Jamaican capital.

Storm surges, said the Met Service, could reach up to two metres above normal tide levels, mainly along southern coastal areas and warned all small craft operators, including fishermen from the cays and banks, to secure their vessels and remain in safe harbour until all warning messages were lifted and wind and sea conditions returned to normal.

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St James' most wanted remanded

WESTERN BUREAU:

A September 12 date has been set for the preliminary enquiry in the case against one of St James' 'most-wanted' men, who is answering a murder charge in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court.

Omar 'Yellow' Lamey was remanded yesterday when he appeared before RM Winsome Henry.

RM Henry said she believed the evidence in the matter was sufficient to pursue a case.

Lamey, who is listed among St James' 10 most-wanted men, turned himself over to the police on July 27, more than two years after an incident in which he allegedly stabbed another man to death.

Allegations are that there was an altercation between a group of men over a chair at a nightclub in 2006, and a witness allegedly saw Lamey stab the man in his neck. The man later died.

It was revealed to the court that the witness, upon seeing Lamey's photo in a newspaper, identified him as the person who had inflicted the fatal stab.

Defence attorney Trevor Ho-Lyn questioned if the witness' statement should be taken as proper identification. He also stated that his client had had no idea that he was being sought by the police until he saw his photo in the newspaper.

RM Henry said the fact that the witness knew the accused before and was able to positively state that he was the one who had allegedly committed the act, was enough evidence for the court to act on.

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Cops link murder to Clansman don

Police believe the murder of a couple two weeks ago in St Elizabeth may have to do with a court case involving Tesha Miller, reputed leader of the Spanish Town, St Catherine-based Clansman gang.

On August 11, Jason Cranston, 30, and Sonia Bennett, 45, were believed to have been trailed from Kingston to St Elizabeth where they were slain. Cranston was shot as he sat in his Suzuki truck, while Bennett was killed trying to escape the attackers.

In the wake of the deadly attack, which investigators dubbed a contract killing, it was reported that Cranston, a resident of Job Lane in Spanish Town, St Catherine, was a witness in a case against Miller. Police say Cranston was urged to enter the Witness Protection Programme but declined.

Miller and another man, whose name is being withheld pending his arrest, are to be tried for the April 7, 2004, murder of Robert Haughton on St John's Road in Spanish Town. Cranston witnessed this incident.

Contract killing

Crime chief, Deputy Commissioner Mark Shields, said though it started out as mere speculation, police believe that the murders were linked to the Clansman boss.

"We have the intelligence and it points that the murder was indeed a contract killing," DCP Shields said before adding, "Yes, I'm aware of the incident and the subsequent speculation ... It is something that the police are looking at on a serious level."

In addition to Haughton's killing, Miller, 27, is facing trial for the murders of Oraine Jackson, Jeffery Johnson,and Nicole Allen in Braeton, St Catherine, on January 14, 2005.

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Athletes' parents to be honoured

MARK CUMMINGS, Observer West senior reporter Thursday, August 28, 2008

FALMOUTH, Trelawny - The Trelawny Parish Council says it will pay special tribute to the parents of this parish's native athletes who represented the country in the just-concluded Olympic Games in Beijing, China, at its regular monthly meeting in September.

At the same time, according to a press release, the council will also honour the parents at a special Civic function at Albert Town Square in the parish, on Heroes Day, October 20.

Athletes whose parents are to be honoured include: Olympic gold triple medallist, Usain Bolt; 200m gold medallist Veronica Campbell Brown ; 4x 100m gold medallist Michael Frater and Ricardo Chambers.

"A lot of focus has been on the athletes themselves, but without the parents we would never have any athletes. Some of these parents have gone through many sacrifices so they are worth recognising," Colin Gager, the mayor of Falmouth and chairman of the Trelawny Parish Council told the Observer West.

"The planned functions are intended to show the parents that their work is greatly appreciated and should be commended," he emphasised.

He said at the Civic ceremony, the parents will receive plaques and framed citations.

Meanwhile, Gager said that the athletes from the parish who participated in the Olympic Games, will also be given special recognition by the council.

A special committee has been established under the leadership of mayor Gager to organise a special welcome-home function for them.

"The planning for this function is now in its preliminary stage, as the Trelawny Parish Council will have to await the return of the athletes to the island, before announcing a date for the welcome-home ceremony," the mayor said

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10 Stylish dancehall tips

BY Michelle Downer Honorary Observer TEENage writer Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Although that summer is about to end, fashion will still be a part of our everyday lives, especially for you guys who are about to venture into university life. So here are a few tips from me, the 'blazing' diva in the dancehall, on how to be stylish all the time:

Photo: Naphtali Junior

1 Wear a hairstyle that suits your face
To be a true stylish diva you need to be able to style one hairdo multiple times and make it different.

2 Ensure that your clothes fit your body type
Your clothes must work for you. It is very inappropriate to wear tight jeans that bunches at the top. Ensure that your jeans accentuate your curves.

3 Dress for the occasion
Enough said.

4 Feeling comfortable in what you wear is a must.

5 FABulous shoes is a must!

6 Make sure you accessorise well
Accessories must complement your look, whether it may be in the form of a handbag, earrings or a necklace.

7 Always keep it simple
I would only suggest flamboyance for weddings or birthdays, but for parties just keep it simple and clean. Dressing up can be confusing if you don't know what you're doing. Dress down for the daytime although some divas are able to rock high fashion all the time and still be comfortable in it. However, I recommend flip-flops for daytime.

Tip: Put on your clothes then look in the mirror and see what will complement that outfit. That's what I always do!

8 Make-up is a plus
Your make-up should not be too dramatic unless it's the runway or the stage. For simple events like parties you don't have to go too much. Wear minimal make-up in the daytime. What you must do though is to make your make-up blend with your outfit.

9 Pick a colour that works for your skin tone.

10 Last, but not least, challenge yourself to fashion
DO NOT be reserved. Step out of the box and challenge yourself to be fashionable. You don't have to be conservative everyday.

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Jamaica's shining Olympic moment

MARK WIGNALL Thursday, August 28, 2008

In early August the sons and daughters of Africans, kidnapped from their homeland and forced into 400 years of making Europeans and their ethnic offshoots in other lands rich, made the trip from Jamaica to the hub of the Orient - this time on their own steam and far above the surface of what is a watery grave for hundreds of thousands of their kin thrown overboard while en route to Babylon.

In 2008 Western European countries and the larger land masses they had made into colonies have done well with the riches they had brutally extracted from our labour. They have become industrial giants and wield enormous economic and political power and have demonstrated, most painfully, the force of their military might. Meanwhile, many of us in Jamaica have still not awoken to the reality that those countries who once ruled us either politically or economically have long signalled that they owe us nothing and nothing is forthcoming.

In the interim, with too much backwardness demonstrated in how we have managed our own socio-economic and political affairs since the "attainment" of independence, our past masters have seen it fit to dole out money to us in the form of grants and soft loans, sufficient enough to keep us in hock to them forever.

That fact is painfully recognised by our home-grown leaders, but they themselves are enslaved by the people whom they lead. At this time the umbilical cord of economic dependency cannot be broken if policemen, teachers, nurses, doctors, street sweepers, etc, are to be given a salary. Michael Manley paid the political price for attempting the trek down that road.

Because so much of what we do is dictated by the money of rich outsiders who are well aware of the gap between our rum pockets and whisky appetites, we are always aching for a chance to demonstrate to the rest of the world that there is a better side to us even if its manifestation is in the form of physical prowess. We began it in 1948, and 60 years later Usain Bolt has caught the arrow and has aimed it for the heavens.

And so when our Jamaican young men and women departed our shores for Beijing, soon to be the world's capital city, we saw in them all of our dreams and aspirations. As their physical bodies jetted off to China we sent the deepest part of our spiritual sides with them. They were our front-line warriors, the cream of the crop, and they had trained extremely hard. Politicians needed them, businessmen needed them. Every poor Jamaican being passed over like human chaff needed them. Brand name "Jamaica" needed a lift.

Some of the very omissions and evil commissions of our political leaders have produced some of our athletes. Some of the stars whom we now acclaim are the products of zones of exclusion in political garrisons. Others are from humble circumstances in deep rural areas. It therefore pains me to find out that the parents of one of the athletes have been told by a criminal don that he "wants his piece of the action" when the athlete returns. My source is very high in the JCF.

One of the questions we may be forced to ask one day is: Should Jamaica's economic picture change to, say, a Singapore in 40 years from now, with the focus on creating and maintaining wealth, will we still be able to produce our stock of world-beating athletes?

That said, we went to China and, courtesy of Usain Bolt, we "colonised" it. Michael Phelps in swimming was more than awesome, but where he was brutally efficient in how he executed his wins, Bolt did all that but added magnetism, brashness and "cool" to his craft.

With 2.14 gold medals per million population, Jamaica topped the world. What a country! And what a man like Usain Bolt!

The president of the IOC has decided that his personal view of what he sees as Bolt's showboating must trump the unwritten rules of the protocols involved. Even though it would not have gone any better had he uttered his views after the game, Mr Rogge, in his inbuilt inflexibility had not in the least considered the scope of Bolt's Olympic achievement.

His 100 metres was no mere world record. It was Bolt beautifully, confidently and defiantly bettering himself, and it had never before been done in quite the same way. It was no mere three wins. It was a devastation of the field in the 100 and 200 and the relay. At 22, Bolt has demonstrated that he fully understands the other side of competition - that ability to psychologically tame the competition and at the same time, sell his brand of charisma to the huge crowd, dancehall Gully Creeper, Nuh Linga- style and all.

Is the son of a slave not allowed to celebrate the epitome of his true freedom - his triumph and standing atop the world? Plus in his post-race interviews (unlike some Olympians before him), Bolt has proved himself to be a highly intelligent, articulate young man, and very business savvy too.

Did Rogge not see that it is the very state of mind and adrenalin rush that helped Bolt to the magnificent win in the 100 that was in operation - before and after the race - that he would have liked the youngster to tame? I agree that the Olympics is about the "gentlemanly art of competition", but Rogge has forgotten that in reality it is a series of spectator-driven events and people have paid money to be entertained.

Seeing a superstar athlete in the full throes of his celebratory humanness is a part of that very entertainment.

One hopes of course that no influences from a certain large and powerful country were brought to bear on Rogge for the sake of refocusing attention on another superstar athlete.
Holiday, etc.

What Usain Bolt and our other track and field athletes have done for this country in one week will take our politicians 50 years to attain. And the politicians know it.

For this reason, they will be forced to give the people what they want. The best day to declare a public holiday is on the day of their return. Usain Bolt is now Jamaican public property and he is at the top of the superstar ladder.

And please, this time around, do not rename any seedy street or lane in honour of any of our athletes. We took Brentford Road and named it after a pioneer of Jamaican recorded music, Coxone Dodd. Well, it is still as seedy and dirty as it ever was.

The stadium in Trelawny should be renamed the Usain Bolt Sports Complex. Either the Chinese or Puma should be approached in the process of inking a mutually beneficial deal that will see that complex through years of economic viability.

Again, congrats to all of the athletes, the coaches and the Jamaican Olympic officials. We could not have asked for more.

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'I went out there with all my heart ...' Says Asafa Powell

published: Thursday | August 28, 2008

BEIJING:

AFTER EXPRESSING shock that he did not medal in the men's 100 metres, Asafa Powell bounced back with an impressive 4x100m anchor for Jamaica to set a new world record.

"It's just a great feeling. I came out here tonight to push myself and help Usain on his course for his third gold and three world records," said Powell, the former world's 100 metres record holder at 9.74 seconds, after the race.

"I just went out there with all my heart and Jamaica on my mind with the excitement and everything," added Powell, who has broken the world record two times.

"I expected to go 36, but next time around.

"I did not know that we had broken the record," Powell said. "We're very excited and next year we are going to be stronger."

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080828/sports/sports2.html

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Bolt raring to go in Zurich

published: Thursday | August 28, 2008

Usain Bolt, triple gold medal winner at the Beijing Games, gestures during a news conference ahead of the Golden League track and field meet 'Weltklasse Zurich' in Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday. The meeting will take place tomorrow. - AP

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP:

AFTER ALL the Olympic hoopla, Usain Bolt said yesterday he just wants to get back to his day job. Running fast.

"Track and field is my job. This is what I do, I work," Bolt told reporters in Zurich, where he races for the first time since Beijing in the 100 metres tomorrow.

"Right now I'm just trying to get my blood pumping pretty much. I've been doing a little bit of training and just looking forward to the meeting," Bolt said.

The new Olympic champion and world record holder at 100 and 200 metres landed in Switzerland on Monday, direct from China for the first of three European meets before he can head back to an inevitable hero's welcome in Jamaica.

Not worried

"I know the celebrations will wait till I get home so I'm not worried," said 22-year-old Bolt, who was serenaded by a crowd of 91,000 in the 'Bird's Nest' stadium singing "Happy Birthday" to him last week.

The work promises to be lucrative if Bolt can lower the 9.69-second time he set with ease in the Olympic 100 final.

The Weltklasse meet organisers have offered a world-record bonus of US$50,000 (€34,000) and a one kilogramme (2.2-pound) gold bar worth around US$27,000 (€18,300). Bolt will get another US$16,000 (€10,900) for winning the race, adding up to a potential haul of US$93,000 (63,000).

"I don't know what time I will run," Bolt said. "I am just trying to come here and let the fans enjoy my performance. Because they come here to see a performance."

Away from the track, the 1.96-metre (6-foot-5) world's fastest man cut a laid-back, languid figure and said he has been catching up on sleep since arriving in Switzerland.

Coach Glenn Mills said his athlete has been in heavy demand to attend functions for sponsors, media and the Jamaican Government.

Still in good shape

"He hasn't really had time to get rest and training," Mills said. "But he is still pretty much in good shape and he will put on a good show on Friday."

As the new superstar of athletics, it is a lifestyle that Bolt likely will have to get accustomed to while being hailed by commentators as the man to restore the sport's credibility and popularity after two decades of doping scandals.

Bolt said he was ready to accept some of the responsibility to regain the trust of fans.

"I am just trying to help (the sport)," he said. "It is a good thing I am doing. I hope other people see that.

"I can't do it on my own personally but the other guys definitely are stepping up. I think track and field is getting better."

Bolt denied that his trademark celebrations - which the Beijing fans appeared to love - were disrespectful to his opponents, as was suggested by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge.

"I never disrespect any other athletes," he said. "If you did track and field you should know that. I saw that I was going to win and I celebrated because I worked hard all year and I got what I wanted."

Mills defended Bolt and said he believed the accusations originated from American television stations, that he said didn't complain when Florence Griffith-Joyner played to the crowd while winning the women's 100 and 200 metres in 1988.

"They are the ones who started it," he said. "I think that Usain's dominance in the 100m brings a lot of jealousy because normally you have one country that usually dominates this event," Mills said.

"I have been to eight Olympics and I have seen celebration of all kinds. I was in Seoul and Flo-Jo was running the last 20 metres with her hand waving in front of the other competitors. Nobody said anything.

"I think the comments are unfair and that there was a certain amount of targeting," Mills said. "If they are trying to get in his mind they are wasting their time."

In front of a sold-out crowd of 26,000 in Zurich tomorrow, Bolt is scheduled for a rematch with Olympic runner-up Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago and Walter Dix of the United States, who won the bronze medal.

The 100 record has been equalled or broken on three previous occasions at the Weltklasse meet. In 1960, Armin Hary of West Germany clocked the first 10.0 time, while Carl Lewis in 1988 equalled the 9.93 mark he shared with fellow American Calvin Smith. Two years ago, Bolt's Jamaican relay teammate Asafa Powell ran 9.77 for the third time.

Bolt will stay in Switzerland to take aim at his new 200 mark of 19.30 at the Athletissima Grand Prix meet in Lausanne on Tuesday. He then goes to Brussels, Belgium, to run the 100 at the final Golden League meet of the European summer on September 5.

"I haven't set any goals for the rest of the season," he said. "Just try to get through the season injury-free and go home and enjoy myself."

Mills believes Bolt one day will run the 9.52 time that biomechanics experts believe could have been achieved in a flat-out effort in the 100 final in Beijing. But not just yet.

"This is his first year of running the 100m. In two more years he should be peaking at the distance."

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080828/sports/sports1.html

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Patriotism flagging at public buildings

published: Thursday | August 28, 2008

Latoya Grindley, Freelance Writer

Left: A man walks past a flagpole at the Supreme Court building, one of several bare structures in the Kingston Metropolitan Area. Right: An empty flagpole rises towards the sky at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on North Street in Kingston. - Photos by Norman Grindley/Acting Photo Editor

If the Jamaican flag didn't have any significance for many citizens before, it certainly did during the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Yet, while unbridled patriotism and pride drove many Jamaicans to decorate vehicles, houses, handcarts and stalls in the national colours, the Jamaican flag was notably absent at many government buildings.

Checks throughout the Kingston Metropolitan Area showed that very few government agencies had flags hoisted, evident by the preponderance of empty flagpoles on properties.

Poles at the Supreme Court building, St Andrew Parish Library, and Ministry of Labour and Social Security's Overseas Employment Office in central Kingston were among several which stood bare.

Flag protocol

Protocol stipulates that the Jamaican flag be raised at 8 a.m. and lowered at sunset. Aside from government buildings, the flag should also be flown at public schools when in session.

Despite the departure from tradition at government edifices, Jamaicans, and even foreigners, sported the national colours and flag with dignity.

Jamaican memorabilia, especially the flags, were definitely in high demand. The streets were transformed into a grand gala of colour as vendors ditched regular fare and peddled flags of every size, some emblazoned with images ranging from Bob Marley to sprint wunderkind, Usain Bolt.

"Mi never see so much flag and people dress in Jamaican colours so yet. Not even when Reggae Boyz make World Cup I see so much flag - is a good feeling, man," said Martin Brown, who donned a black, green and gold T-shirt on the final day of the Olympics.

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Gustav Lingers

published: Thursday | August 28, 2008


Phyliss Bennett (left) and Monica Donaldson, both of Clark's Town, Trelawny, shopping for lanterns and other essential items in preparation for Gustav, at Azan's Supercentre in Cross Roads, St Andrew, yesterday. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

A crawling Tropical Storm Gustav kept Jamaicans on the edge yesterday as it continued on a path that would put it between Jamaica and Cuba by late this afternoon.

The slow pace of the system left most Jamaicans in limbo, as projections changed almost by the hour as to when the island would begin to feel the effects of the seventh tropical storm of the current Atlantic hurricane season.

Gustav was initially projected to pass Jamaica late last night or early this morning, but after slamming into Haiti the system lost strength, moving from a Category One hurricane to a strong tropical storm.

The system also lost some pace and reduced the speed of its dangerous trek across the Caribbean from 11 kilometres, or seven miles per hour, to six kilometres, or three miles per hour.

That was expected to change last night, with forecasters projecting that Gustav could regain hurricane strength over the next two days.

Heavy rains

Up to late yesterday forecasters were projecting that the island would experience rainfall of between six and 12 inches, with some areas getting as much as 25 inches.

That could lead to flooding in several communities, particularly low-lying areas on the northeastern coast.

A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning remained in effect for the island last night as the Met Service continued to urge Jamaicans to brace for bad weather.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080828/lead/lead1.html

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