Constitution reform moves forward in Turks and Caicos
The deadline of January 14, 2011 for interested parties who still wish to comment on the revised recommendations, submitted by constitutional and
electoral reform Advisor, Kate Sullivan. the constitutional reform consultant hired by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), has
announced a deadline of January 14, 2011 for submissions from interested parties.
The constitutional and electoral reform process was one of the top stories of 2010 that grew out of public statements by the FCO's then Director of
Overseas Territories Colin Roberts, a Labour Party appointee, who had indicated that the process would go forward with minimum consultation with
Islanders themselves.
This was vehemently objected to by residents in the TCI who voiced their objection via the local and international media and through their
participation in another of 2010s top stories -- the large and peaceful Unity March in Providenciales in March 2010.
The FCO Advisor later switched gears and conducted two rounds of town hall style meetings on all the populated islands. Ms. Sullivan met with
concerned citizens, who did not hesitate to speak out and network with her. In her first round of meetings, many reported she had a laid back,
unconcerned attitude and was not taking notes.
However, her second set of meetings, which came after her first set of recommendations were published and, after the May 2010 general election in
Britain, which put the former Labour government who appointed her into opposition, she appeared more open and consultative.
Unfortunately, on the most populated island of Providenciales (Provo), she was met not only by concerned residents but also by angry demonstrators
who burned her recommendations in the parking lot and who caused her to close down the meeting early.
During the earlier second round of meetings she mentioned she would conduct yet a third round after she issued her second revised set of
recommendations. This second revised set included stronger restrictions on enlarging the voting franchise and the mandatory requirement that the
deputy governor remain, as before, a Belonger.
However, Ms. Sullivan and His Excellency Governor Gordon Wetherell became the target of yet another demonstration at the Provo airport the day that
the new Minister of Overseas Territories Henry Bellingham visited and announced a delay in elections from the proposed date of mid 2011.
Demonstrators known to be activists from the Progressive National Party (PNP) hurried to the airport to intercept Bellingham but met Ms. Sullivan
and the governor instead. Sullivan and the governor had to be escorted by police to their waiting plane, which flew them back to the Nations
capital, Grand Turk.
Sullivan later announced she would not conduct any further meetings, but would meet with the TCI All Party team, which had been initiated by the
Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership and who themselves conducted town hall meetings around the islands. The All Party Group is headed by attorney Wendell Swan, who was part of a delegation that appeared before the United Nations Committee on Decolonization, pleading the TCI case.
Constitutional reform is one of the principal milestones recently set by Bellingham that must be met and passed before elections can be
rescheduled.
Sullivan has now said that she will be concluding her recommendations and forwarding them to Mr. Bellingham, who will then prepare a draft
constitution and has set a deadline of January 14, 2011 for late submissions from interested parties.
Incidents of gunfire and house fires mar Christmas Day celebrations
'During the early hours of Christmas Day, persons reported the discharge of a firearm in the area of Blue Hills, Providenciales.
Following initial police enquiries officers mobilised quickly and later that morning executed a search warrant at a house in Blue Hills in what
was a police firearms operation.
A male person was arrested shortly after that and is assisting with their enquiries.
A police spokesman said that the police response to this report was swift and effective, resulting in one person being arrested, however, he
appealed for any witnesses to come forward and reminded the public that anyone can call Crime-Stoppers on 1 800 TIPS (8477) with information
relating to this incident or any other crime should they wish to help.
He continued that the police response shows our continuing commitment in responding quickly and effectively through our zero tolerance approach and
in taking the fight against crime to the criminal, in this instance while most people are celebrating Christmas Day morning.'
Assistant Commissioner of Police Dave Ryder and Detective Sargeant Calvin Chase, wish everyone a Happy and crime free Christmas and New Year.
But it wasn't altogether a crime free holiday here in the nation's capital as residents here awoke to news of two fires one at the vacant residence
of former Premier Michael Missick at Cork Tree Beach and the other at the very popular and only fish plant Missick's fish market as well as the
adjoining Dominican food store on Front Street in the West Road district of Grand Turk.
That business establishment area has for years been the hang out spot for young and old alike, most of whom gather under the tree for a game of
dominoes, and to chat about the social issues confronting this country.
While Police have launched an investigation into both fires, speculation is rife that arson may have played a part in both fires.
Just a few weeks ago a vacant building, formerly used as storage area for TIMCO, was destroyed by fire, which also caused the adjacent Poop-Deck
fast food establishment to go up in flames.
This came on the heels of the fire at the Ona Glinton Primary School which resulted in the displacement of faculty, staff and students.
Those fires are still under investigation.
Talks underway to develop TCI Christian Council
The Assemblies of God Executive Committee met recently for the first time in the Turks and Caicos Islands and while visiting discussed the
possibility of helping to create an official TCI Christian Council.
Pastor Bradley Handfield and the Community Fellowship Center, welcomed the contingent from the Bahamas that included Rev. Patrick Paul,
Assemblies of God general superintendent and Bahamas Christian Council President.
A legally recognized Christian Council representing all Christians in the TCI is a dream that Handfield has had for some time.
Rev. Patrick Paul, president of the Bahamas Christian Council (BCC), told the Free Press during his visit that he had meetings with the
Providenciales Ministerial Fellowship (PMF) to facilitate talks about helping to create a TCI Christian Council and said prospects look very,
very good.
It is unfortunate the TCI is finding itself in the position they are in, he said. Paul believes it is a good time for the local community to come
together in this way, pointing to the success the organization has had in the Bahamas since it was created some 39 years ago.
Paul says the organization in the Bahamas has brought counsel, support and strength to the holistic development of that country. The undercurrent of
the church also changed the political situation in the country, he said, with more than 80 percent of all major denominations participating.
There are more than 50 churches on Providenciales and another dozen on Grand Turk. Handfield said pooling the power and resources of those
churches could have an incredible influence on the direction of the TCI.
In addition to wielding political influence, the Christian Council could assist in areas such as education and the economy, he explained.
It is clear in my mind we have tremendous influence. We are really concerned about where we are as a people in the TCI, Handfield said.
Their Christian approach is a holistic approach, supporting the individuals and families and through that kind of support they could make
a difference for the better in the TCI, he explained.
Handfield noted that they do not have the support of all the ministries yet, but hopes are high for the future. Paul said he anticipates a second
meeting to take place within the next 30 days to continue the discussions.
Paul was joined on his visit by Rev. Robert Lockhart, Assistant Superintendent; Rev. Stafford Symonette, General Presbyter; Rev. Unay
Jones, Secretary; Terrance Jones, Presbyter for Grand Bahama; and Tamiko Collie, Presbyter for Nassau.
Beyonce is 2010’s Highest Earning Musician; Oprah Tops List Overall
Beyoncé’s estimated earnings of $87 million this year were enough to make her the highest-ranking musician on Forbes’ list of Hollywood’s 20 Highest Earners of 2010.
The R&B/pop star ranks at No. 9. on the list overall, while the No. 2-highest earning musician Britney Spears comes in at No. 13 overall with $64 million netted over the past year. Lady Gaga was the third highest earning musician, and ranks No. 14 overall with $62 million earned.
Other musical artists who made the bottom half of the list include Madonna (No. 15 with $58 million), Miley Cyrus (No. 18 with $48 million) and Taylor Swift (No. 19 with $45 million).
Oprah Winfrey easily snagged the top spot on the list with a whopping $315 million netted in 2010, while “Avatar” director James Cameron came in second with $210 million.
With Beyoncé earning $87 million in 2010, she and husband Jay-Z further prove their status as an unstoppable power couple.
In August, the rapper topped Forbes’ “Hip-Hop Cash Kings” list after making $63 million over a 12-month period.
Alison ready for TNT carnival
Soca queen Alison Hinds will be giving her last performance at home for the year at the Ship Inn on Thursday night.
Hinds has not performed locally since Crop-Over, and it is the first time she will be performing in this kind of setting in a number of years.
She has also released a couple of tracks for Trinidad Carnival, which she said were doing well. There is one which was first released in Toronto on the Girl Scout rhythm called Soca Queen.
“It’s been received very well, not only in Trinidad but all over. Now, when you release songs you do an email blast . . . . I’ve been getting lots of really good feedback about it,” she said.
Hinds has also released Makalele, a few Chutney tracks and she is also on a remix with Gyptian for his Nah Let Go.
“It is looking real nice, and I have a couple more songs to release for Trinidad Carnival,” Hinds added.
She plans to be in Trinidad from early February to perform and make other public appearances in the lead-up to the spectacular climax in March. 
Artistes wow Sting crowd 2010
Sizzla Kalonji and I-Octane were the artistes who got the most 'forwards' from patrons at Sting 2010 on Sunday. At 6:16 a.m., Sizzla rejuvenated a dull Jam World crowd as he entered the staged singing Simplicity. He immediately gained the crowd's attention and kept the momentum, as he performed hits continually for more than half an hour. Some of his songs included: Got It Right There, Praise Ye Jah, Run Out and Thank You Mama.
At 7:10 a.m., I-Octane came out to a hail of fireworks and cheers from patrons. The welcome got warmer when MC Nuffy announced that he was from Portmore, where Jam World is located. The artiste had the crowd's attention for his entire performance which lasted for a little more than 15 minutes. Songs such as Mama A You Alone, Mine Who Dem A Dis, Puff It and Lose A Friend were some of the hits featured during his set.
Earlier, Richie Spice, the first of the 13 warriors appeared at 4:45 a.m., and was well received. He was also hailed as one of the best performers for the event. KipRich, Blak Ryno, Beenie Man and Agent Sasco, aka Assassin, ended the event with a blast at 8 a.m. in a joint effort. The collaboration which began with Kip Rich's appearance at 7:43, as he stirred up an already energetic crowd as he made comments about Vybz Kartel. Ryno appeared shortly before Beenie Man with Agent Sasco appearing after. Others among the crowd favourites were Khago, Lady Saw, Etana, Nesbeth, Food Kartel, Iya Blaze, Chuck Fenda, Gyptian, Tanto Blacks, D.I., Ce'Cile, Reggae Queen and Face.
Although he was present at the venue, Bounty Killer did not perform at Sting because it is alleged that the organiser, Supreme Promotions, did not honour its end of an arrangement between both parties.
Bounty Killer was named as one of the '13 Warriors' of Sting and he was scheduled to do a performance with Beenie Man. However, he did not take the stage at the event which was held at Jam World in Portmore on Sunday.
According to a representative of Solid Agency, the company that books Bounty Killer, the decision was made after Supreme Promotions breached their agreement.
"Prior to Sting, both Bounty and Supreme Promotions had a contractual arrangement. On Monday morning, Bounty was present in the venue. Prior to his performance, Supreme Promotions did not live up to their contractual obligations and this in return caused Bounty Killer not to perform," the representative told THE STAR, noting that a statement will be ready by today.
"They breached the terms of the contract. Despite being at the venue, there is no way he could perform based on what had happened."
Efforts were made to get in contact with Isaiah Laing from Supreme Promotions but calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.
SOURCE:The Star
Madonna plays Santa for Malawi children
Madonna wasn't able to visit Malawi this Christmas, but she let the children in the six orphanages she funds there know they were very much on her mind this holiday season.
Boxes of toys, chocolate, other sweets and clothes were shipped with a handwritten note from the star, which read, "To my Malawi children on Christmas and Boxing Day. I wish I was with you. See you soon M."
Inside the goodie boxes were miniature Christmas cards signed by Madonna, Lourdes and Rocco.
"How so sweet this woman is!" said Lucy Chipeta, director of Home of Hope Orphanage in Mchinji, where Madonna adopted son David in 2006, as more than 500 children scrambled for toys and bars of chocolate.
Near another orphanage, Consol Homes, more than 1,000 people from surrounding villages were invited to an open-air party. All the orphans and under-privileged children who registered with the center received clothes.
"Madonna says she always enjoys the traditional dances the villagers perform for her when she visits," said Yacinta Chapomba, director of Consol Homes. "She asked us to invite as many villagers as possible for the Christmas party."
The singer planned to return to Malawi in November alongside U2 singer Bono, but the trip, according to sources, was rescheduled for the spring.
SOURCE:PEOPLE.COM
Autopsy scheduled for singer-songwriter Teena Marie
An autopsy will be conducted Tuesday on the body of R&B singer-songwriter Teena Marie, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
It was not immediately clear when the results would be available, but the coroner's office said it hopes to have the autopsy completed on Tuesday.
The artist was found dead Sunday at her California home.
Born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California, the 54-year-old artist was nominated four times for a Grammy Award, according to her official website.
Marie was found dead by her daughter after apparently dying in her sleep, manager Mike Gardner said.
The publicist said she talked on Saturday with Marie, who told her that she was excited about heading to Atlanta to perform this week -- in what would have been her first performance since the seizure.
While no cause of death has been released, the singer's publicist Lynn Jeter said that Marie suffered a grand mal seizure a month ago.
"Luckily, someone was there," Jeter said of that seizure. "The ambulance took her to the hospital, and on the way she had another seizure."
Among her songs were "Lovergirl," "Portuguese Love," "Ooo La La La," and "I'm a Sucker for Your Love."
Marie recorded for various record labels, including Motown, Epic, Stax Records and Cash Money Classics, after bursting onto the national music scene as a 19-year-old, according to her website. Her last studio album was "Congo Square."
"I am horrified by the sudden death of my darling Teena Marie," Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement sent by his publicist. "She was my 'baby,' always true to herself, always true to her heart."
Berry called her a "powerhouse performer, writer, producer and arranger."
"When I first auditioned her she was so awesome she blew me away," Gordy said. "She had so much soul -- the only thing white about her was her skin."
England retain cricket's Ashes
Indicating a resurgence of cricket prowess in the sport's homeland, England has trounced arch-rival Australia to retain the Ashes, the most storied trophy in international cricket.
A dominant English team wrapped up the fourth Test match in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday morning with an innings victory -- the most decisive manner of victory in cricket.
The win gives England a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five-game series being played during this southern hemisphere summer. With one of the earlier games having been indecisive and with only one Test match remaining, the worst England can do is finish the series 2-2 -- an outcome which would see England, as current holder of the Ashes, retain the trophy.
This is the first time in 24 years that England has won and then retained the Ashes in consecutive series of this every-two-year contest -- a rivalry that began in 1877, making it one of the oldest continuous rivalries in international sport.
England's crushing victory in this Fourth Test followed an equally overwhelming innings triumph in the Second Test in Adelaide earlier this month -- two of the most decisive victories England has scored against Australia in recent decades.
With the First Test having been a draw (meaning there was no winner), the Fifth and final Test in Sydney next month gives the determined and confident Englishmen a chance to register a 3-1 series triumph over an Australian team that appears less talented and spirited than the Aussie teams that have been a dominant power in international cricket for the past two decades.
The Ashes trophy is a small urn which traces back to 1882, when Australia beat England in England for the first time and a British newspaper ran a tongue-in-cheek "obituary" saying cricket had died and the body would be cremated and the ashes sent to Australia.
NBA-best Spurs rout Bryant and reeling Lakers
Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were on the bench before the final horn, and not because of their bad shooting nights. That's how easy it was for the San Antonio Spurs .
On the other end, Kobe Bryant was also out of the game early. That's how bad it's getting for the Los Angeles Lakers .
Tony Parker scored 23 points and the Spurs, backing up their NBA-best record against the defending champions, beat a still-frustrated Bryant and the reeling Lakers 97-82 on Tuesday night.
"It's always great to beat the champion," Ginobili said.
The Spurs improved to 27-4, and if there are any doubts about that record being inflated, they can likely put those to rest this week. Next up is Dallas, one of the only teams to beat them this season, followed by games against Oklahoma City, New York and Boston.
The Lakers, meanwhile, can't seem to beat anyone.
It was another humiliation for the Lakers, who lost a week ago by 19 at home to lowly Milwaukee. That was followed by letting LeBron James and the Miami Heat leave the Staples Center with another easy victory on Christmas Day, in one of the highest-rated televised NBA games in recent years.
Bryant railed on his team's lack of focus following the Heat loss, but had a more quiet disappointment after the Spurs became the third straight team to crush the Lakers.
Bryant had 21 points on 8-of-27 shooting, at one point missing 13 shots in a row. He answered questions in clipped sentences before saying he was confident the Lakers can steer out of their stunning tailspin.
"I'm just (mad) at myself," Bryant said. "(Mad) I didn't play well."
He wasn't the only one on the Lakers. Bryant alluded to Derek Fisher's technical foul, after getting into a confrontation with Richard Jefferson, about the attitude throughout the team.
The Lakers dropped to 21-10, marking the first time since 2007 they've reached 10 losses this early.
"We're all moody," Bryant said. "Fish got a tech today and he's the basketball version of Barack Obama. Everybody's a little moody right now."
DeJuan Blair had 17 points and 15 rebounds, leading an unlikely Spurs cast that buried the Lakers in the fourth. Jefferson scored 17 points and George Hill had 10 while the Spurs coasted toward the end, almost remarkably, while Duncan and Ginobili were reduced to non-factors on offense.
Duncan was 1 of 7 from the field and had two points. Ginobili made only 3 of 12, finishing with nine points.
"It means Tony Parker was amazing tonight," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum had 10 points apiece for the Lakers. When the buzzer sounded, Bryant was the first off the bench and headed back to the locker room.
It's only December, but Bryant hasn't treated the slump as a mere blip.
After James and Dwyane Wade coasted to a 14-point win in Los Angeles on Saturday, Bryant seethed over a second straight home loss. He said it was as though the games "mean more to our opponents than they do us" and grumbled over the focus of the two-time defending champs.
Bryant came out like he was trying to set an example. He scored eight of the Lakers' first 10 points - all within the first 3 minutes - and attempted 10 shots in the first quarter alone.
Covered by Hill in the second quarter, Bryant drew his third technical foul in three games when the two confronted each other under the basket. They continued talking back to the other end of the court.
"I just wanted him to know that you might be an NBA All-Star and the MVP, but I won't back down from anybody," Hill said.
For all that intensity, Bryant had a miserable night.
After making four of his first five shots, Bryant missed 13 shots in a row and turned the ball over four times. The slump finally ended with 4:44 left in the third quarter on a wide-open 3-pointer.
The Spurs' stars weren't faring any better. But they had help.
Duncan and Ginobili were a combined 1 for 13 in the first half, with the Argentine clanking four 3-pointers and Duncan unable to finish near the rim against Pau Gasol.
Notes: It was a rare sellout at the AT&T Center, which has seldom been packed this season despite the historic franchise start for the Spurs. ... Sixteen other teams in NBA history had as good or better record as the Spurs through 31 games, most recently the 2007-08 Boston Celtics (28-3).
SOURCE:AP