Lauryn Hill Working on Follow-Up to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Says Producer
After contributing to the soundtrack for Netflix's Nina Simone documentary, Lauryn Hill is said to be working on a possible sequel to her 1998 classic album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
In a recent feature in The FADER, Jayson Jackson, producer and associate of Hill, reveals that she's been inspired to create new music. "The Nina Simone experience pushed her hand in a way," Jackson says.
He then spoke on Lauryn's creative space these days. "I can say this, I know creating makes her very happy," he says. "I couldn’t see her doing as much as she did [on the Simone project] in any state other than happiness."
Another indicator comes from producer Phil Nicolo, who was a co-founder of her old label, Ruffhouse Records. "She is closer than ever to finishing the follow-up to Miseducation," he says. "She wants to be right. She wants to be perfect."
Source-ABC
10 Dead, 7 Wounded in Oregon College Shooting
An angry President Barack Obama demanded the American people push Congress to pass "common sense" gun laws after a gunman murdered 10 people Thursday and wounded seven at an Oregon college.
A grim Obama appeared on television hours after the shootings to remind the nation that the majority of Americans, including law-abiding gun owners, want tougher laws.
He said Americans have become numb to what has become routine in the U.S. — a mass shooting, followed by his White House statements, and the response by those who oppose more gun control. He said the argument that more guns make people safer cannot be done with a straight face.
Obama appealed to voters to remember who supports and opposes gun laws in next year's elections.
Details of the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, on the U.S. Pacific coast, remain unclear, including the exact number of victims.
Earthquake rattles St Lucia
The National Emergency Management Organization, (NEMO) says sections of the island were rocked by an earthquake on Thursday afternoon.
The Seismic Research Centre at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago, confirmed that a 4.8. Magnitude quake was felt in St Lucia, Dominica, St Vincent, and Martinique at approximately 2:30pm (local time).
According to a NEMO official here, reports of tremors were received from the north and south of the island.
Earlier this week NEMO Director Velda Joseph called on residents to be prepared for hazards outside of tropical cyclones, citing a series of earthquakes in the region recently, including four tremors on Sunday.
Source-CMC
Former Transport and Works Minister slams UK prison plan as Cameron tells Caribbean to look beyond reparation for slavery
Veteran Jamaican parliamentarian Mike Henry yesterday said that Britain was adding "insult to injury" with its £25-million grant to help construct a new prison in Jamaica and vowed to take his fight for reparation for slavery to the International Court of Justice.
Henry expressed his annoyance with London as British Prime Minister David Cameron urged the region to "move on" from the issue of reparations and focus on the future.
"Slavery was and is abhorrent in all its forms. It has no place whatsoever in any civilised society, and Britain is proud to have eventually led the way in its abolition," Cameron told a joint sitting of both Houses of Jamaica's Parliament.
"I acknowledge that these wounds run very deep, indeed. But, I do hope that, as friends who have gone through so much together since those darkest of times, we can move on from this painful legacy and continue to build for the future," he said.
Cameron stated that his reason for wanting to come to Jamaica was because of his interest of the future relationship between the UK and the Caribbean.
"I'm here because we have common aspirations and interests that we can meet better by working more closely together. I passionately believe that our relationship now is more important than it has ever been -- for both of us," he said.
However, Henry, who represents Clarendon Central in the legislature, and a small group of placard-bearing demonstrators supporting reparations and who staged a peaceful protest outside Gordon House, were not convinced.
Henry, who has consistently led the fight for reparation in Parliament, boycotted the joint sitting.
"I still stand resolute that Britain has not apologised for slavery," Henry told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
He said that he was aware that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has said that she had raised the issue with Cameron, "but is she satisfied with the response?"
Henry said that he would continue his fight to take the matter to the International Court of Justice.
Source-Jamaica Observer
TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the 24th meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, 30 September 2015, at the Hon. N J S Francis Building on Grand Turk.
The Hon. Premier and the Hon. Minister of Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture were present and the Hon. Minister of Finance, Trade and Investment and the Hon. Minister of Infrastructure Housing and Planning joined by teleconference from Providenciales. The Hon. Deputy Premier, the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication and the Hon. Minister of Border Control and Employment were unable to attend.
At this meeting Cabinet:
• Approved the list of public holidays for TCI for 2016;
• Approved for public release and dissemination the TCI Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Guidance Notes for the administration of the Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) with the UK and USA to improve international tax compliance;
• Discussed the proposed draft Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bill (2015) and Regulations and agreed that further work would be carried out before bringing the draft Bill and Regulations back to the next meeting of Cabinet for further consideration;
• Received a presentation from the Planning Department on the findings of a Consultative Report following public consultation on proposed variations in the height and density of new buildings in Providenciales and, having considered the findings, recommendations and views of the public, instructed the Planning Department to make any necessary changes to the TCI Development Manual and to prepare a paper for the next meeting of Cabinet with proposed recommendations for re-designation of zoning areas for new applications for buildings up to 12 storeys in height;
• Agreed to convey to the TCI Airports Authority its support for the construction of a Forward Based Operation (FBO) in Grand Turk and requested the Airports Authority to give urgent consideration to the proposals received for the FBO;
• Instructed the Ministry of Finance to produce a paper for approval at the next meeting of Cabinet to introduce zero-rated import duty for individuals and businesses in TCI to purchase and import CCTV security equipment for domestic and commercial properties;
• Agreed that the Governor, Premier, Police Commissioner, and Minister of Border Control would meet on 14 October for a meeting of the National Security Council, proposed by the Police Commissioner. They would, in addition to considering responses to current security risks and longer term strategies, finalize membership of the proposed wider National Security Advisory Council to include representatives from the Opposition, and the business, education and church communities.
RTC News will have more on the following Cabinet meeting by Ministers.
Police begin investigations into death of a six year old boy
Police have begun investigations into circumstances surrounding the death of a six year old boy in North Caicos.
The six year old was reportedly found dead last night (Tuesday 29th September) by his father at their home in Bottle Creek.
Police Press Liaison Officer Audley Astwood confirmed the death of the youngster to RTC News, however say that a postmortem will be performed to determine the cause of death.
The father of the little boy reportedly told the media that his son, a student of the Adlaide Ombler Primary School, came home from school Tuesday and took a nap, but never woke up.
The little boy’s parents are said to be of Haitian descent.
Joaquin dumps rain in TCI
A day of solid rain has brought flooding to low-lying areas as a surprising Tropical Storm that upgraded to a hurricane, began dumping rain over the Turks & Caicos Islands while gradually moving towards the Bahamas chain.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Joaquin packing maximum sustained winds near 85 miles per hour with higher gusts, and which has been heading to the southwest, has been generating some high surf and battering waves.
Michael Stubbs, senior forecaster at the Met Office in Nassau, told RTC News that much of this weather is associated with the Lunar Eclipse that the Turks and Caicos and the rest of the world witnessed last Sunday – conditions that are likely to last through Friday.
A release from Mr. Derek Been of the Ports Authority of the Turks and Caicos Islands, confirmed to RTC News this afternoon that a small Haitian Trading Vessel - the M/V Remembrance – that was moored at South Dock in Grand Turk, was completely destroyed by high waves and winds associated with Tropical Storm Joaquim during the early hours of this morning (Wednesday September 30, 2015).
“We are most thankful that there were no casualties or life threatening injuries to the crew of the vessel. Clean up efforts commenced this morning and is ongoing,” Been said.
Meanwhile, the department of Meteorology in Nassau Bahamas in its alert #6 at 6pm today, said Joaquin has strengthened some more as it moves toward the central Bahamas...
DIGICEL FIRST OPERATOR TO IMPLEMENT AD CONTROL TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND HELP DRIVE BROADBAND ACCESS
Digicel, a leading provider of communications and entertainment services to customers in the Caribbean and South Pacific, announced today that it is deploying ad control technology at the network level on its networks across the globe to ensure a better experience for customers and to encourage the likes of Google, Facebook and Yahoo to help connect the 4.2 billion unconnected people across the globe. Ad control technology benefits both consumers and network operators alike. With ads using up as much as 10% of a customers’ data plan allowance, this move will allow customers to browse the mobile web and apps without interruption from unwanted advertising messages.
Starting in Jamaica and rolling out to its other markets in the Caribbean and South Pacific in the coming months, Digicel will work with Israeli start-up, Shine Technologies, to be the first operator worldwide to deploy Shine’s mobile ad control technology at the network level. Shine’s technology blocks display and video ads inserted by ad networks in both mobile browsers and apps.
For network operators meanwhile, for whom bandwidth is one of the most costly considerations, Digicel is looking to companies like Google, Yahoo and Facebook to enter into revenue sharing agreements with it so that this money in turn can be reinvested in network deployment and ultimately the bridging of the digital divide. Currently, these companies do not pay to make use of the network and the services they provide on it suck up bandwidth to make money for themselves through advertising while putting no money in.
Broadband has proven to be transformative in both developed and developing countries alike promising to improve people’s lives and livelihoods and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. In line with this, network operators across the world are investing billions in deploying state-of-the-art networks. Latest figures from the ITU state that 43% of the global population now has some form of regular access to the internet, but there are still some 4.2 billion people who do not. And in the least developed countries, this number drops to a very low one in ten people who have access.
Denis O’Brien, Chairman of Digicel Group, explains; “This is about giving customers the best experience and about getting access to broadband to the unconnected and allowing them to benefit from the opportunities it affords. Companies like Google, Yahoo and Facebook talk a great game and take a lot of credit when it comes to pushing the idea of broadband for all – but they put no money in. Instead they unashamedly trade off the efforts and investments of network operators like Digicel to make money for themselves. That’s unacceptable, and we as a network operator, are taking a stand against them to force them to put their hands in their pockets and play a real role in improving the opportunities for economic empowerment for the global population.”
Ron Porat, CEO at Shine, explains; “Shine is dedicated to putting a stop to the abusive behavior of mobile advertising toward the network operator and the consumer. As the first operator worldwide to deploy our technology at the network level, Digicel is making a clear call for an improved customer experience. We believe it is now time for everyone in the digital advertising ecosystem to look to the future and start having a conversation about how better and sustainable digital advertising can be created to foster stronger, mutually beneficial relationships that are based on transparency and trust.”
'Week of the Young Child to be observed
The Ministry and Department of Education join with the many Early Childhood Centers and Schools across the Turks and Caicos Islands in recognition of the 'Week of the Young Child".
The week commences October 5-9, 2015 under the theme "Celebrating Our Youngest Learners: - Grow a Reader and Watch them Bloom".
The early childhood years serve as an essential foundation for subsequent literacy development, as it plays a key role in enabling early learning experiences that are linked to children becoming proficient in reading later on in life.
Reading is fundamental as it engages all subject areas, equipping children with the necessary developmental skills that will allow them to communicate with others expressing their thoughts, feelings and ideas. It broadens their sensitivity towards letter sounds and helps them to acquire greater phonological awareness and phonics. Reading also empowers children to grasp new concepts, builds their vocabulary and heightens their understanding in comprehension.
It is with this in mind that the Department of Education urges all early childhood schools and centers to position their early literacy programmes to the forefront. Reading activities must be visible with print rich environments and various types of interesting books, materials and resources that support and encourage reading. It must involve the home, school and the community and be promoted by its parents, teachers and children.
In keeping with this, a number of activities have been planned for schools and centers to become involved. Some of the activities include Reading Aloud to young children, Reading with a Buddy and looking at books independently. These activities will help to stimulate language and cognitive skills which will build upon a child's motivation, curiosity and memory.
Day 1 Monday, October 5th
Celebrate Your Students' Favourite Book
• Promote the use of literacy centers to enhance reading.
• Teachers to create a Literacy Center using their students' favourite book.
• Plan creative activities to teach lessons based on the story.
Day 2 Tuesday, October 6th
Celebrate Digital Learning Day
• Share and celebrate effective teaching and innovative learning strategies in the use of digital and instructional technology.
Day 3 Wednesday, October 7th
Celebrate Get Caught Reading Day
• Inspire children and adults to make it a habit to take time to read a little each day.
• Capture and share photos of family, friends, students and colleagues reading on social media
Day 4 Thursday, October 8th
Buddy Reading Day
• To encourage older students to pair up to read for younger ones Family members to identify a specific time to read for children on a daily bases.
• Allow children to choose their favourite book to read
Day 5 Friday, October 9th
Read Aloud Day
• Teachers share and model tips for reading aloud to children such as always reading the title and author, previewing the book, varying pitch and speed, and discussing the book.
• Invite parents /well-wishers to read to students
• Encourage parents/community members to donate books
"Drop everything and Read" - Everyone is encouraged to drop everything and read at 1pm each day for ten minutes during the week. Reading is fun across the TCI
Everyone across the TCI is encouraged to instill the love for books in young children from a very tender age by reading to them.
DIGICEL WINS 2015 ETHICALCORP RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS AWARD FOR ITS ROLE IN THE RESTORATION OF HAITI’S EDUCATION SYSTEM
Digicel, a leading provider of communications and entertainment services to customers in the Caribbean and South Pacific, has won a 2015 Ethical-corp Responsible Business Award for its efforts to help rebuild the education system in Haiti following the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake.
The Ethical-corp Responsible Business Awards recognise companies that adopt and promote responsible business practices throughout their organisation, improving the lives of their customers and the communities in which they operate. Digicel was selected as winner in the “Most Effective International Community Investment” category from a shortlist of eight global companies including Barclays, the Hershey Company, Primark, UPS and Vester-gard at an awards ceremony at the Cumberland Hotel in London on September 25th.
Haiti’s education system was on the verge of collapse as a result of the 2010 earthquake, which destroyed 90 percent of the country’s infrastructure. Through the Digicel Foundation, Digicel kick-started reconstruction efforts by increasing the number of schools it committed to build in local communities from 20 to 50. Digicel further expanded its support by building more permanent, earthquake-resistant buildings, funding teacher training courses and creating jobs throughout local communities. To date, the Digicel Foundation has invested more than US$39 million in its school-building project, completing 150 schools and creating more than 10,500 construction jobs and making it the single largest school builder in the Caribbean.
Digicel Group CEO, Colm Delves, said; “Supporting our communities and the needy across the world is a core part of Digicel’s ethos of giving back and helping the less fortunate. It was an easy decision for Digicel to help those who were severely affected by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti – especially the children who were at a significant disadvantage due to the widespread destruction of schools across the country,” said Digicel Group CEO, Colm Delves.
“Winning this award is a testament to the hard work and sacrifices made by our colleagues in Digicel Haiti and the work of the Digicel Foundation. We are happy that these students now have comfortable surroundings in which to learn and grow,” Delves added.
Today, more than 50,000 students in Haiti attend schools built by the Digicel Foundation. Digicel continues to nurture education throughout Haiti with an additional investment of US$12 million to fund critical teacher training and development programmes, all of which help to ensure Haiti’s young people enjoy the bright future they deserve.
Digicel Group is a leading global communications provider with operations in 33 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific. After more than 14 years of operation, total investment to date stands at over US$5 billion worldwide. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.
The company, which bills itself the bigger, better network, is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Caribbean Premier League. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team.
Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Haiti, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea and Trinidad and Tobago which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.