Bounty Killer gets flak for Lollipop song
Bounty Killer's camp has described the negative comments being made about the song My Boy Lollipop as baseless.
My Boy Lollipop is a collaboration done with upcoming act Gabriel. Since the release of remake of the Millie Small original of the same name, critics in the local dancehall community have reportedly been making disparaging comments as it relates to Bounty Killer's role in a song alluding to 'lollipop'.
Alliance Next Generation Manager Cross Cris who spoke on Bounty Killer's behalf yesterday had strong words for detractors.
"It's just people who have that kind of mind think that way. It's the same way they bashed the song (Hey Baby) with Bounty Killer and No Doubt and it went double platinum. What critics are saying is baseless; it's obvious they haven't listened to the song," he said.
According to Cross Cris, the song is legendary material before the existence of dancehall, and the message is about appreciation and not sex.
"People have always referred to their spouse as sugar and so forth. This song does not say anything about tasting or nothing oral. As I said, it's baseless and Bounty Killer would tell yuh the same thing," he told THE STAR.
For her part, Gabriel in an interview with the STAR said she was annoyed by the negative behaviour of some of the local music subscribers.
"I don't think they listen to the song, and they are being closed minded and judgmental," she said.
Gabriel said critics have been questioning Bounty Killer's gangster image since the release of the single, however, she was the one who sang the lines alluding to Lollipop.
"If they listen to the song, they will realise that Bounty did not say anything about lollipop, I was the one who sang that part. Maybe is because they don't know me, because if it was somebody else I don't think it would have been a problem," she said.
Despite the local backlash, Gabriel claims that the song is doing exceptionally well abroad.
"The response internationally is awesome, people from Paris and Italy are requesting dubplates. Right now I have literally lost count of the amount of dubs I have done for the song since its release," she said.
The singer disclosed that Paris based sound system Hartical Sound played the song in a dance and streamed the response to her and it was amazing to see how the international audience reacted.
"It was just beautiful, they showed so much love and it's a shame It's not getting that love locally. It's like we locally are not welcome to difference," she said.
In the meantime, Gabriel is grateful for the Bounty Killer collaboration.
"Most people didn't know I was on the Overproof Rhythm with a song called Dance Floor. However, since this song made the breakthrough, people have begun to recognise that single as well. Right now, am getting bookings and dubplates from strange places, I'm happy Bounty killer did the song, he knows good music and he is smart. So people support and don't be negative," she said.
Alec Baldwin 'kicked off plane' over Words With Friends
Actor Alec Baldwin says he was kicked off a plane for playing a popular online game before the flight took off.
The 30 Rock star says he was asked to leave a Los Angeles-New York American Airlines flight for playing Words with Friends, a mobile word game.
Mr Baldwin quickly took to Twitter to complain, saying an attendant "reamed me out" for playing the game.
American Airlines replied to Mr Baldwin via Twitter, saying they would "look into" the incident.
Air passengers are regularly told to shut down smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices before take-off and landing.
There was no confirmation whether Mr Baldwin had refused an instruction to stop playing the game.
#theresalwaysunited
Another passenger on the flight, former MTV Networks chief Michael J Wolf, first revealed that the film and TV star was in trouble.
"On an AA flight at LAX. Alec Baldwin removed from the plane. We had to go back to the gate. Terrible that everyone had to wait."
It did not appear that Mr Wolf was removed for using his mobile phone.
An American Airlines spokesman declined to comment on Mr Baldwin's removal, citing customer privacy.
An apparently indignant Mr Baldwin tweeted that he might switch his allegiance to United Airlines, saying #theresalwaysunited, but soon confirmed he had boarded another American Airlines flight.
The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week.
NBA's shortened schedule released, features 42 back-to-back-to-backs
The Los Angeles Lakers will play games on the first three nights of the NBA season, the first of 42 back-to-back-to-back sets teams will face during this lockout-shortened season.
The NBA announced the compacted, 66-game schedule on Tuesday night, one that will require every team to play on three consecutive nights at least once. And it will force every team to navigate demanding stretches that are never seen during a full season, such as the nine games in 12 nights the Atlanta Hawks face starting with their Dec. 27 opener.
The league's 66th season begins with five games on Christmas, including the Lakers hosting the Chicago Bulls. Los Angeles then visits Sacramento the next night before returning home to host Utah on Dec. 27.
Teams will play 48 conference games and 18 against the opposing conference, meaning they play only three nonconference opponents home and away. The league did preserve its most storied rivalry, with the Lakers traveling to Boston for a Feb. 9 matchup before the Celtics open a stretch of eight road games in 13 nights in March with games on back-to-back nights at Staples Center.
Dallas and Miami also will play twice, following their Christmas NBA finals rematch with a March 12 game in Miami. The Heat and Lakers also play two games.
The 50-game 1999 season featured 64 sets of back-to-back-to-backs and was plagued by sloppy basketball being played on fatigued legs. The NBA faces a similar predicament now after failing to reach a new labor deal in time to save the Nov. 1 start to the season.
Instead, a tentative agreement was reached on Nov. 26. Lawyers for the owners and players are still finalizing the rest of the deal, with both sides expected to vote on it Thursday before training camps and free agency open on Friday.
Aging teams such as the Celtics, Lakers and NBA champion Mavericks will have to pace themselves, while younger teams such as Oklahoma City figure to be better prepared for the grind.
"You're not going to have those breaks of three or four days that you sometimes got in the old 82-game schedule, when it was the normal regular schedule," former NBA coach and current analyst Mike Fratello said during the schedule announcement on NBA TV. "Now with everything being compacted, games come that much more quickly, you've got to gear up back up again, you move onto the next one immediately."
The Denver Nuggets, hit hard by free agency with three of their players in China, face another difficult obstacle in the schedule. They play five games in six nights spanning the new year, including a home-and-home set with the Lakers on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
The Nuggets do not host Carmelo Anthony, whom they traded to the Knicks last February. Deron Williams, sent from Utah to New Jersey days later, is scheduled to return to Salt Lake City on Jan. 14.
Other quirks of the schedule include:
- Toronto plays a franchise-record 19 games in 31 days in January, including five games in six days from Jan. 9-14.
- Cleveland has its longest homestand ever, nine games from Feb. 8-28 - including a visit from LeBron James and the Heat on Feb. 17.
- Philadelphia plays its first five games on the road, its longest season-opening trip ever.
Miami will appear on ABC or ESPN 16 times, the most allowable, followed by 15 appearances apiece for the Lakers and Bulls. The Lakers and Celtics each appear a league-high 10 times on TNT.
The Nets' final game in New Jersey after 35 years before heading to Brooklyn will be April 23 against Philadelphia. The Kings could play their finale in Sacramento on April 26 against the Lakers without a plan for a new arena.
Source: sportsillustrated
Windies hope Bravo recovers
Batsman Darren Bravo is recovering from the hamstring injury that curtailed his innings in the last one-day international on Monday, but West Indies are continuing to sweat on his fitness for the fourth game starting here tomorrow.
The stylish left-hander, who has been a key player for the Windies on the current tour, was forced to retire hurt on 26 while engaged in a promising 55-run, third-wicket stand with Marlon Samuels (58).
Bravo was able to walk around freely yesterday, however, with no dis-comfort from the injury, but will test his fitness when he trains at the Holkar Cricket Stadium this afternoon.
Team officials are hoping that with almost two days before the next encounter begins, that Bravo will be able to suit up.
The 22-year-old, the younger brother of all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, has emerged as one of the leaders of the Windies batting, and scored a half-century in the opening game in Cuttack last week.
He was outstanding in the preceding Test series, scoring two brilliant centuries in his last four innings.
West Indies trail 1-2 in the five-match one-day series, after winning the last game Ahmedabad by 16 runs.
Pavelec stops 39, Little scores, Jets stop Bruins
Ondrej Pavelec made save after save, fending off the Boston Bruins .
When it was all over, he had stopped 39 shots, and Bryan Little scored to help the Winnipeg Jets beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 Tuesday night, ending Boston's 15-game 15 game stretch in which it earned 29 of a possible 30 points.
"We know if we're going to stick with the plan, if we're going to play the way we want, that we can beat everybody," Pavelec said.
The Jets (12-11-4) moved above the .500 mark for the first time this season, and have won six of their last seven home games.
Little scored 94 seconds after Shawn Thornton tied the game for Boston. He controlled the puck off a neutral-zone faceoff, went the length of the ice and beat Tuukka Rask to the glove side.
"It was the loudest I've ever heard the arena," Little said. "It was unbelievable."
The goal came just six seconds after David Krejci drove Jets defenseman Mark Stuart into the end boards from behind. Krejci and Zach Bogosian were in the penalty box for offsetting roughing minors after the hit, which left Stuart face down and motionless on the ice. He later returned to the game.
Jets coach Claude Noel chose not to comment on the hit, saying he would let the league decide whether it was dirty. The rest of his postgame comments consisted of nothing but praise for his players.
"We're getting a lot of good games from a lot of people," Noel said. "It was goaltending, defense and forwards. Just smart, responsible play."
Pavelec withstood a flurry of shots in the final minutes of the game to preserve the lead. Rask made 33 saves for the Bruins.
The Bruins tied the game three minutes into the third, when Jets forward Jason Jaffray turned the puck over in his own zone and Thornton tipped in a shot from a bad angle by Daniel Paille.
"It was one of those nights when they weren't going in," Thornton said. "We generated enough chances to probably win this game. The last month or so they've been going in. Tonight they didn't."
Boston was coming off a Monday night win in Pittsburgh, but Thornton refused to use the back-to-back games as an excuse.
"That's all mental as far as I'm concerned," he said. "I think it's pretty easy to get through as long as you're strong mentally."
Jets captain Andrew Ladd opened the scoring late in the first period with a perfect snap shot to the top corner from outside the left faceoff dot past Rask's blocker.
The Bruins had the better chances in a scoreless second period, but Pavelec made several acrobatic saves. The best of his 17 saves in the period came off Krejci as he slid across his crease to prevent the tying goal.
Each team failed on two power plays in the second period.
Thomas Hearns, first four-division champ, tops new Hall of Fame class
Thomas "Hitman'' Hearns, the first man to win titles in four divisions, tops a list of 13 people elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum.
Hearns, who won five titles altogether, compiled a 155-8 amateur record and was 61-5-1 with 48 knockouts as a pro.
Also selected were: Mark Johnson, a two-division champion; ring announcer Michael Buffer; trainer Freddie Roach; broadcaster Al Bernstein; and journalist Michael Katz.
Posthumous honorees include: Cocoa Kid, Newsboy Brown, Leo Houck, and Jake Kilrain in the old-timer category; promoters Hugh D. McIntosh and Rip Valenti in the non-participant category; and James Wharton in the pioneer category.
Inductees were selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association and a panel of international boxing historians.
Induction day is June 10, 2012.
Trinidad frees men accused in PM assassination plot
Authorities in Trinidad & Tobago have released 16 men who were detained in an alleged plot to assassinate the country’s prime minister and members of her government.
Police information officer Sgt Wayne Mystar says there was not enough evidence to prosecute them. Their release came late yesterday, just before the expiration of a state of national emergency that allowed the government to detain them without charges.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar disclosed the alleged plot November 24 but gave few details. She blamed gangs opposed to the state of emergency and efforts to crack down on crime.
Selwyn Alexis, a local businessman detained in the plot, told reporters outside the jail that there never was an assassination plot.
Jamaican ObserverPORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Authorities in Trinidad & Tobago have released 16 men who were detained in an alleged plot to assassinate the country’s prime minister and members of her government.
Police information officer Sgt Wayne Mystar says there was not enough evidence to prosecute them. Their release came late yesterday, just before the expiration of a state of national emergency that allowed the government to detain them without charges.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar disclosed the alleged plot November 24 but gave few details. She blamed gangs opposed to the state of emergency and efforts to crack down on crime.
Selwyn Alexis, a local businessman detained in the plot, told reporters outside the jail that there never was an assassination plot.
Jamaican Observer
CARICOM- Cuba Day
This year marks the 39th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations of Cuba with Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, which took place on December 8th, 1972.
The Heads of State and of Government of Cuba and CARICOM who met in their First Summit in Havana on December 2002, decided to establish that December 8th will be observed as the CARICOM-Cuba Day and in commemoration to this date, Summit meetings will be held every three years.
CARICOM-Cuba Summit Meetings have allowed to systematize meetings at the highest level between our countries, in a climate of friendship and cooperation between Cuba and member countries.
Cuba has worked together with its Caribbean brothers and sisters with the purpose of ensuring the success of the 4th CARICOM-Cuba Summit, that will held on December 8, in Trinidad and Tobago.
Cuba maintains close and excellent relations of friendship, solidarity and cooperation with CARICOM member countries in different fields. Cooperation has been implemented in the fields of education, training of human resources, health, energy, agriculture and others.
Cuba has the political will to expand and further strengthen the links with the Caribbean.
The Caribbean region faces political, economic, social and natural challenges, which require a united attention.
Currently, 1 665 Cuban cooperators render services in the Caribbean, of whom 1 405 (84%) are from the health sector.
One of CARICOM member states, Haiti ranks fourth among the main recipient of our cooperation worldwide.
More than 4 thousand 072 Caribbean youths have graduated in our country, of whom one thousand 705 are medical doctors.
Presently, 2 926 Caribbean youths study in Cuba, of whom 2 279 are being trained in Medical Sciences degree courses.
Throughout these years of cooperation in solidarity with Caribbean nations, our doctors have made 26 million 195 thousand 929 consultations, performed 497 thousand 652 surgeries, assisted in 171 thousand 692 deliveries, vaccinated 1 million 850 thousand 734 persons and saved 425 thousand 601 lives.
Eight Ophthalmology Centers have been set up in the Caribbean with free use of the equipment and Cuban human resources.
Under Operation Miracle, 98 thousand 551 surgeries have been performed to persons from 15 Caribbean nations, which represents 1 surgery per every 158 inhabitants of the region.
As part of the Program for the Reconstruction and Strengthening of Haiti’s Health System, 23 Community Reference Hospitals, 30 Rehabilitation Wards and 12 Health Centers render services, among other health facilities.
Cuba offered 124 medical scholarships to Caribbean countries for the 2011-2012 academic year.
With the Yes, I Can Cuban literacy program, 219 thousand 852 persons from Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Grenada have been taught how to read and write and presently 50 thousand persons pursue studies in those countries. Most of them are citizens from the sister Republic of Haiti.
Cuba highly appreciates that CARICOM countries share a clear position against the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba and openly express themselves publicly in this regard.
Out of the 19 countries of the region that expressed their rejection against the blockade in their speeches at the 66 session of the United Nations General Assembly, 10 are members of CARICOM, including Dominica.
Cuban Embassy
APD rates stand
The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) Tuesday said it is “deeply disappointed and surprised” by the British government’s decision to continue discriminating against the Caribbean as it relates to the controversial Air Passenger Duty (APD) system.
In a 26-page document published Tuesday, London said that APD rates to Caribbean destinations will continue to be considerably higher than those to some competitor destinations.
The detailed tax tables published to coincide with the Chancellor’s statement show that the tax on economy long-haul flights of more than 6,000 miles will rise from £85 (US$132) to £92 (US$143) per person.
“Furthermore, the fact that Premium Economy passengers will continue to be charged the same APD as First Class passengers is a blow for those customers wanting to upgrade,” the CTO said in a statement, adding that “over a period of three years, the Caribbean and its community in the UK have consistently sought to raise the issue of APD at all levels of the British government and with the UK parliament”.
CTO chairman Ricky Skerrit said the British announcement on the APD “is a slap in the face for all Caribbean people.
“It dismisses all of the research and information CTO has provided to the British government over the past three years, and it contradicts the message sent by the UK Chancellor, George Osborne MP, in March 2011 when he cited the discrepancy between the USA and Caribbean APD rates as one of the reasons for holding a consultation on reform of UK APD.
“The Caribbean is the most tourism-dependent region of the world and the British government’s decision totally ignores the negative effect that APD is having on our economies and the Caribbean’s business partners in the UK travel industry,” said Skerrit, who is also the Minister of Tourism in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Last week, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) also expressed its “disappointed’ at the decision of the British government.
CHTA president Josef Forstmayr said data suggest that APD increases in the past two years have contributed significantly to falling arrivals from the UK, a prime source market for visitors for many Caribbean destinations.
“Any failure by the British government to address the discriminatory nature of the banding system will be deeply concerning and will justify the strongest possible condemnation by Caribbean governments,” Forstmayr said.
British media reports last Friday said that more than seven million people who have already booked flights departing after April 1 next year will be hit retrospectively by the rise, with the hikes set to catch 74million people in total over the year.
CTO said that while the Caribbean understands the challenge faced by the UK in respect of revenue raising, “the Caribbean does not believe that APD should be imposed at the expense of the Caribbean economy or its community in the UK”.
CTO recalled that the Caribbean made a formal response to the APD consultation in June, making it clear “we require parity in banding with the US” and that “a move to a two band system would address the Caribbean’s requirement if this resulted in equal treatment of all long haul destinations”.
The region said that no other option set out in the consultation addresses the concerns of the Caribbean.
Nation News
Eurozone crisis: New EU treaty 'may not be needed'
Tougher rules to tackle the eurozone debt crisis can be achieved without changing EU treaties, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy says.
In a leaked report for a crucial EU summit beginning on Thursday, he offers a fast-track "fiscal compact" that does not need lengthy ratification by parliaments or national referendums.
Germany and France are pushing for a new EU treaty by March, saying stricter rules should be enshrined there.
The US has backed their plans.
But Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the US Federal Reserve had no plans to give money to the International Monetary Fund to boost the eurozone's bailout fund.
Mr Geithner, who is meeting all major eurozone leaders during his three-day visit of Europe, stressed that more action was needed to boost economic growth in Europe, alongside the longer-term reforms. He meets President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Wednesday.
Mr Van Rompuy will be chairing the two-day summit, and all the signs are that it could be a bruising affair, the BBC's European affairs correspondent Chris Morris reports.
In the interim report, details of which have been obtained by the media, Mr Van Rompuy proposes a plan aimed at agreeing a "new fiscal compact" without holding a referendum or ratification by the parliaments of each eurozone country.
The draft says that tougher fiscal reforms can be adopted simply by amending a protocol - a procedure that needs national consensus but does not require substantial changes to the EU treaties.
This, Mr Van Rompuy argues, would speed up the implementation of reforms and remove any potential political complications.
The interim report contains the following key provisions:
- Each eurozone member's budget deficit should be below 3% of GDP and national debt under 60%
- A "golden rule" should be enshrined into national legislation to guarantee a balanced budget in the medium-term
- The eurozone bailout fund to be given a banking licence to borrow directly from the European Central Bank
- The European Commission to have the power to impose austerity measures automatically on countries which require bailouts
However, Mr Van Rompuy acknowledges that more far-reaching reforms would eventually require a change in EU treaties.
Some of the report's proposals tally with the Franco-German plan how to tackle the crisis, but some do not.
Paris and Berlin appear to be pushing through more radical measures, our correspondent says, and if all 27 EU members cannot agree, then they are prepared to work towards a new treaty involving the eurozone bloc and any other country that wants to join.
Such a move could leave Britain - a non-eurozone EU member - feeling more isolated, he says.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will not sign a new treaty without safeguards for to protect financial interests of the City of London and Britain's role in the European single market.
But such is the depth of the crisis surrounding the eurozone that the main focus is not on the EU solidarity but on restoring market confidence in whatever way proves possible, our correspondent says.
Earlier this week, Standard & Poor's put all eurozone nations on credit watch "with negative implications".