The Lighter Side of Jamaican News

TIME: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 20:44 UTC

¶1. (U) Senior Superintendent Renato Adams, the controversial former head of the disbanded Crime Management Unit (CMU), has been reinstated to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Adams was taken off active duty in 2004 pending the outcome of the trial in which he and five other members of the CMU were tried for the murder of four people in Crawle (also referred to as Kraal), Clarendon (Ref A). Following his acquittal in December 2005, Adams was reinstated on June 12 to a newly created intelligence position that reports directly to JCF Commissioner Lucius Thomas. Adams’s duties will include collecting, receiving and analyzing intelligence and passing that information on to various agencies and police officers.

¶2. (C) Bishop Herro Blair (protect), head of the Peace Management Initiative and one of the members of the board headed by Commissioner Thomas that investigated the Crawle incident, discussed Adams with poloff on June 13. According to Blair [Read more →]

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[Editor's Note: This one is short and spicy, but rather interesting. Who would have thought that one of the most "highly regarded" businessmen in Jamaica - and now public servant - would make such an association? One wonders why the two were acquainted, the nature of the relationship and the favours granted.

The US Embassy does a [Read more →]

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Time: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:26 UTC

Summary
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¶1. (C) The Jamaican Financial Services Commission (FSC) has identified up to 30 unregulated investment schemes, with the three biggest being Cash Plus, Olint, and World Wise (reftels). Acting FSC Director George Roper met privately with Econoffs on August 13 to discuss the latest developments in the collapse of these schemes. He said the three largest were fueled by deposits from numerous smaller “feeder” schemes. He believes it will take time for the effect of the schemes’ collapse to unravel and, although there will be some contagion effect among the banks, the overall economic impact should not be as serious as the financial crisis Jamaica experienced in the mid-1990s. The collapse of Olint was brought on by the withdrawal of funds by its two most influential clients, who took out an estimated USD 500 million, causing a fatal run on the assets. Olint CEO Davis Smith held lavish parties leading up to the collapse, including one in Turks and Caicos in which he rented a private jet to fly in guests from Jamaica. Attendees were said to include some of the island’s most influential business and political figures; the political fallout of the collapse is still uncertain. Perceptions of Smith range from highly talented currency trader brought down by gambling to an ethically challenged trader who got caught up in the hype of other pyramid schemes. Olint appears to have had significant deposits, with estimates as high as [Read more →]

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Time: Wed, 6 Jun 2007 18:09 UTC

¶1. (SBU) Poloff recently met with longtime People’s National Party (PNP) activist and organizer Karen Cross to discuss recent media reports of problems within the PNP which could impact the outcome of the upcoming elections (due by October 2007). During the meeting, Cross confirmed that there is still a strong cadre of Peter Phillips (Minister of National Security) supporters who are unhappy with Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller’s (PSM) handpicked candidates in some constituencies. This, coupled with ongoing scandals (albeit minor ones) appears to have dampened overall levels of enthusiasm for the PNP. Cross also discussed PNP working-level dissatisfaction with PSM’s growing relationship with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, the growing distance between the U.S. and Jamaica, and possible cabinet changes should the PNP win the general election.

[Read more →]

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The leaks finally became a flood.

After the initial “drip-drip” of information, Wikileaks decided to release the entire database of cables when the file was (ironically) leaked onto the web. The US Embassy cables revealed in late 2010 “contain diplomatic analysis from world leaders, and the diplomats’ assessment of host countries and their officials.”

We have sifted through the rubble and will post a few cables that may be of concern to Jamaicans, but at the expense of being a party-pooper, we might as well let you know that there are no “blockbusters” within (at least, not yet). The cables do, however, give great insight into how US officials think of local players (politicians, public servants, business people, et al), and how readily our local politicians and public servants provide all sorts of information to US embassy officials.

We will redact names of ordinary citizens, particularly if their life may be endangered by revelation. However, there will be NO redaction of the names of politicians or any other public figures.

Some of these posts will be very short, some will be rather long, but all – in our estimation – are worth reading.

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Vasta B. – Yaadinfo Contributor    [ Website ]

Greetings my brothers and sisters of Chock-Blocko.

Let’s get to my mystic ode, this Blog Opera will make you believe that a man can fly. Remember this is an ode about Vastaman ‘Jamaica’s 1st Superhero’……So STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN!

CUT TO.
HEATHROW AIRPORT, CAR-PARK. 4.00PM

[Read more →]

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Naomi J. – Yaadinfo Contributor    [ Website ]

NEW BLOG POSTED: by Mz. Bumper Queen.
MEMBER SINCE: 12th August 2005
DATE: Sunday 5th October 2008
TIME: 03:49am
PRIVACY: Diary
TITLE: Bare issues and Soggy tissues

I can’t sleep man. I really can’t and it’s annoying! I’ve counted bare sheep. In fact I’ve counted every last animal in the whole farm yard man. I even counted the number of things I would do to that Eski beat MC, Wiley, if I had just three hours alone with him. I’ve really tried to doze off, I promise. It looks like this insomnia has me on lockdown!

OK, so apparently it’s true. Men really are like roses… [Read more →]

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The Crackberry stranglehold on the Caribbean. Are there alternatives? Or is it the best choice?

I got bit by the PDA bug pretty early. But I’ve always made the mistake of trying to get on the best technical platform, instead of the most popular one. Yes, I said “mistake”, since my Psion Series 5Mx from 2001, my Palm Tungsten, and the Nokia E71 I currently own are all relics – victims of marketing’s domination over technology.

[Read more →]

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Vasta B. – Yaadinfo Contributor    [ Website ]

Greetings Citizens of Chocko-Blocko.

Today Uncle Chester was honoured a Hero. If you were ever confronted by a terrorist, would you cave-in and whimper, or “Get-up-Stand-up & Fart-pon-Dem-Fi yu-Rights”?? Read on, and please comment on what you would do?

CUT TO:
HEATHROW AIRPORT ARRIVAL LOUNGE. 3.00 PM

ANNOUNCEMENT (VO)
“Will Mr. Buster, Junior, or Mama Mention please make their way to the VIP section please”.

[Read more →]

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Photo by Dwayne Watkins – Yaadinfo Contributor    [ Website ]

A tree reaches towards the heavens from the centre of this perfect hideaway, ensconced between lush mangroves.

Yet another of Jamaica’s myriad picturesque locales, captured by our photographer as tourists soak up the sun and enjoy the beach.

[Read more →]

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