Jamaicans in US support ganja decriminalisation but urge caution
The push by the Jamaican ganja lobby for authorities to decriminalise the use of the weed has won broad-based support within the Jamaican diaspora here.
However, there is also deep concern that the move should not impact negatively on relations between Jamaica and the United States. In that regard, many here are urging caution in dealing with the issue.
"We cannot afford to do anything that will anger the United States on this matter," said Joan Pinnock, an attorney and head of the Jamaica American Bar Association for the North East US.
She said that for medical and economic purposes: "I absolutely support decriminalisation of the use of marijuana... My concern, though, is that if this is done, many Jamaicans may think that the widescale and indiscriminate use of the drug is okay. We need to be reminded that while some states have legalised the use of marijuana to some degree, the Federal law against its use remains in place.
"As an attorney I have seen the consequences that our people have endured for using ganja. Every month there is a plane that carries mainly young men who have been deported to Jamaica after being convicted for the use of ganja. I fight to protect them, but it's not easy," she said.
Pinnock's views are shared by Irwin Clare, head of the Diaspora Advisory Board for the North East US.
Pointing to the US where 22 states and the District Of Columbia have varying laws allowing the use of marijuana, Clare argued that "Jamaica has a history of promoting decriminalisation of ganja and should not now be left behind on what seems to be shaping into a worldwide movement".
But he, too, suggested that the Jamaican Government be wary that US Federal laws do not recognise the use of ganja.
Dr Charles Anderson Sr, a Buffalo-based physician, also gave support to decriminalisation but urged more research on the harm ganja can do to the human brain.
The St Mary native, who is head of the Health and Medical Committee of the National Association of Jamaican and Supportive Organisations, said that there was no doubt that the indiscriminate use of ganja could have negative consequences.
"The good part is that it could be a medical bonanza," he said.
Decriminalisation has also found favour with Desmond Clarke, immediate past president of the Jamaica National Movement and Patrick Callum, head of G2K New York, the young professionals affiliate of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party.
Sharon Gordon, co-founder and chair of the Coalition To Preserve Reggae Music, is not worried about the US response to decriminalisation, insisting that: "Jamaica has waited too long to get this done. I don't feel we will have any problems with the Americans, given the trend the matter is taking here."
But Gordon said care must be taken that "our young people will not be able to use ganja freely".
Source-Observer
Paulwell says Jamaica must not be left behind as world takes on Marijuana
Jamaica will this year join a virtual tidal wave of countries across the globe in decriminalising ganja, forerunner to the establishment of a medicinal marijuana industry estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
The undertaking was given to the Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Research Taskforce (CCMRT) by Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives Phillip Paulwell, according to one of the main taskforce leaders, Delano Seiveright.
In a press statement yesterday, Seiveright said Paulwell, who is also the minister of science, technology, energy and mining, told members of the taskforce at a meeting last Thursday that “ganja will be decriminalised in Jamaica this year and emphasised that Jamaica cannot be allowed to be left behind on the issue”.
“He also reiterated the multiple economic, social and cultural benefits that Jamaica stands to gain if the laws are adjusted sooner rather than later,” Seiveright said.
He said the meeting held at the PCJ Auditorium in Kingston had agreed to the formal launch of the Future Ganja Growers Association next month to spearhead the establishment of a local ganja industry, which advocates swear will pump billions of dollars into the Jamaican economy.
If Paulwell’s promise becomes reality — a strong possibility because of bipartisan support in the Parliament — Jamaica could be the first Englishspeaking Caribbean country to decriminalise ganja and usher in a new era allowing Jamaicans to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes under State regulation.
Legalisation or decriminalisation of the weed has been sweeping the globe, led by the United States where Colorado, followed by Washington, has demonstrated the earning power of marijuana. America’s tax take has already been put at an estimated US$100 million a year.
Jamaica’s Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Research Taskforce comprises the Ganja Law Reform Coalition, the National Alliance for the Legalisation of Ganja and several members of civil society. The group is chaired by University of the West Indies, Mona Principal Professor Archibald McDonald. Other leading Ganja Law Reform advocates sitting on the taskforce include Paul Chang and Paul Burke.
The taskforce also reiterated that a compulsory condition of involvement in the growers association was agreement by members not to take any part, directly or indirectly, in the growing/cultivation of ganja until there is a legal and regulated framework in place.
The association, according to the press statement, would “represent the best interests of the various stakeholders, giving primacy of place to the traditional ganja cultivator for a specified period”.
It would lobby the Jamaican Government for the establishment of “a properly regulated cannabis industry in all aspects, cultivation, agro-processing, medicinal and its many and varied by-products”; and promote control, education and taxation “as important planks of a regulated cannabis industry”.
Source-Jamaica Observer
Profits at 'China's twitter' surge
Profits at Sina Corp, owner of China's largest Twitter-like site Weibo, surged in the fourth quarter, boosted by a jump in advertising revenue.
It reported a net profit of $44.5m (£26.7m) in the October-to-December period, up from $2.4m a year ago.
The numbers come amid reports that Sina is planning to list Weibo in the US and that it plans to raise nearly $500m by selling Weibo shares.
Weibo claims that it has over 500 million registered users.
China is the world's biggest internet market and social networking sites have become increasingly popular with users.
As a result, many firms have turned to the medium to advertise their products and services in an attempt to attract new customers, helping boost growth of companies such as Sina.
According to the firm's latest numbers, advertising revenues at Weibo rose to $56m during the fourth quarter - a 163% jump from a year earlier.
"The strong performance of Weibo's advertising and value-added services in the fourth quarter allowed us to end 2013 with strong top line and bottom line growth," said Charles Chao, chief executive of Sina.
The China Internet Network Information Center said in its annual report that almost 28 million people abandoned Weibo last year.
The fall marked the site's first drop in usage amid a government crackdown on so-called 'rumour mongers' online.
Weibo's surge in popularity gave users new opportunities for self-expression, but it also attracted the attention of authorities who moved swiftly to silence voices online.
A law was introduced to allow the Chinese government to jail microbloggers and dozens more were arrested.
Web users are believed to have migrated to mobile messaging platforms.
Mr Chao of Sina said the firm "will continue to focus on growing Weibo's user base and user engagement" in the current year.
LinkedIn testing Chinese language site
Professional networking service LinkedIn has launched a beta or test version of its Chinese language site.
The firm said the move is aimed at offering a more localised service to its users in China.
It is expected to boost LinkedIn's growth in China - where rival social networking firms such as Facebook and Twitter continue to remain blocked.
China is the world's largest internet market with more than 500 million internet users.
LinkedIn said it is also creating a joint venture with Sequoia China and China Broadband Capital to "help connect more than 140 million Chinese professionals with each other and with our more than 277 million existing members globally".
"Our mission is to connect the world's professionals and create greater economic opportunity - and this is a significant step towards achieving that goal," the firm said in a blogpost.
LinkedIn's English language site has been available in China for over a decade.
It already has four million users in the country.
LinkedIn said the Chinese language site will incorporate features aimed at helping local users drive more value from the service.
It has integrated Sina Weibo, China's largest Twitter-like service, into the platform that would allow members to import their Weibo contacts to their LinkedIn profile.
Members would also be allowed to link their LinkedIn account to their WeChat account, one of China's most popular mobile messaging services.
LinkedIn said that despite being present in the country for such a long period it was still in a "start-up phase" in China.
"We believe that the experience of our local team, combined with the considerable market expertise of our joint venture partners, position us well to explore our growth options in China," it said.
Source-BBC
Walt Disney World increases prices at its theme parks
Disney has raised the price of a one-day ticket to its Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida by $4 to $99 (£59.50).
Magic Kingdom is the world's most visited theme park, with more than 17 million visitors in 2012.
Ticket prices at other parks within Walt Disney World, including Epcot and Hollywood Studios, also jumped by $4.
The hike comes after Disney reported surging revenues from its theme park businesses.
In 2013, Disney made $671m from its theme parks - a 16% increase from the same period in 2012.
Overall, its parks brought in $3.6bn in revenue in 2013, a 6% increase from 2012, according to the firm's most recent financial filings.
The boost in revenue was "primarily due to increased guest spending at our domestic parks and resorts, which reflected higher average ticket prices and food, beverage and merchandise spending," according to Disney.
Disney said that the majority of visitors to its parks buy tickets for multiple days.
The company has theme parks throughout the world, with locations in Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.
According to a report from the Themed Entertainment Association and technology company AECOM, Disney's theme parks globally had more than 126 million visitors in 2012, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
Source-BBC
Netflix agrees Comcast streaming deal
Netflix has agreed a deal with Comcast, the biggest internet service provider in the US, that will see its videos streamed faster and more smoothly.
The multi-year deal will see Netflix servers connected directly to Comcast's network, removing third parties that slow down streaming speeds.
However, Comcast said Netflix would not get "preferential network treatment".
The terms of the deal, including whether Netflix was paying for it, were not disclosed by the firms.
"The companies have established a more direct connection between Netflix and Comcast, similar to other networks, that's already delivering an even better user experience to consumers, while also allowing for future growth in Netflix traffic," Comcast said in a statement.
The move comes just days after Comcast confirmed a deal to acquire Time Warner Cable for about $45bn (£27bn).
According to some estimates, the combined company would control more than one-third of the US high-speed internet market.
Netflix, a TV and movie streaming service, has 44 million subscribers - majority of them in the US.
The deal may see the firm enter similar deals, known as interconnect agreements, with other internet service providers across the country.
Source-BBC
Cuban cigar sales jump 8% in 2013
Sales of Cuba's famous cigars jumped 8% in 2013, helped by strong demand from the island's smokers and China, said Habanos SA.
Total sales reached $447m (£269m) up from $416m in 2012, according to the firm, which is co-owned by Cubatabaco and British firm Altadis.
Europe remains the biggest market, but demand from China and the Middle East has helped boost sales.
Cuban cigars are still banned from the US market.
The results were announced at the start of the annual Cuban cigar festival, held in Havana.
The event draws visitors and participants from the around the world.
The US is the biggest cigar market, but is off-limits to the industry due to an economic embargo imposed on communist Cuba by Washington more than half a century ago.
Source-BBC
Lego Movie blocks out US box office rivals
The Lego Movie is still towering over its rivals on the North American box office chart, after spending a third week at number one.
The film earned $31.5m (£18.9m) over the weekend, according to early estimates.
Kevin Costner crime drama 3 Days to Kill debuted in second place with $12.3m (£7.3m).
A sequel of the Lego Movie has just been announced, with a release date set for May 2017.
The Lego Movie is the highest-grossing film of the year so far.
"It's been really tough for any of the newcomers to displace Lego," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak.
"For Lego to earn $31m (£18.5m) in its third weekend, that would be impressive in its first weekend for any film in the first quarter."
Gladiator drama Pompeii, starring Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington, took third place with $10m (£5.9m), despite a mauling from many film critics.
The RoboCop reboot dropped from third to fourth place in its second week of release, taking $9.4m (£5.6m) while George Clooney's war movie, The Monuments Men, also dropped a place, from fourth to fifth.
Two Kevin Hart movies, About Last Night and Ride Along, took sixth and seventh place respectively.
Ride Along has also secured a sequel off the back of the first film's successful run.
Next week's releases include Liam Neeson's Non-Stop, which stars Lupita Nyong'o - she is up for a best supporting actress Oscar for 12 Years A Slave.
Meanwhile, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, only a third of Americans have seen any of the films nominated for best picture at this year's Academy Awards.
The poll questioned 1,433 Americans in an online survey - Somali piracy film Captain Phillips was the most watched by 15% of those questioned.
Gravity was second with 14% followed, on 12%, by both American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street.
A total of 67% of those surveyed said they had yet to see any of the 11 films in the poll.
The Academy Awards will be hosted by comedian Ellen DeGeneres on 2 March.
Best picture Oscar nominees
Gravity
Captain Phillips
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Dallas Buyers Club
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street
Ghostbusters star Harold Ramis dies aged 69
Actor and director Harold Ramis, best known for the films Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day, has died aged 69.
He died of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a rare disease that involves swelling of the blood vessels, his agent told the BBC.
The star found fame as bespectacled ghost-hunter Egon Spengler in the Ghostbusters franchise in 1984.
But he was also a talented writer and director, whose credits included Caddyshack and Animal House.
"His creativity, compassion, intelligence, humour and spirit will be missed by all who knew and loved him," said his family in a statement.
The star had reportedly been quiet about his illness, which dated back to 2010.
But several friends are said to have visited him recently, including Bill Murray from whom he had been estranged for years, the Chicago Tribune said.
Ramis' death prompted an outpouring of tributes on Twitter.
Billy Crystal, who starred in the director's mobster comedies Analyze This and Analyze That, wrote: "Sad to hear my friend Harold Ramis passed away.
"A brilliant, funny actor and director. A wonderful husband and dad. Big loss to us all."
Iron Man director Jon Favreau added: "No, no, not Harold Ramis. Worked for him years ago. He was the real deal. Growing up, his work changed my life. He will be missed."
He is survived by his wife, Erica, sons Julian and Daniel, daughter Violet and two grandchildren.
Source-BBC
Jermaine Dupri Hit With $1 Million Lawsuit
So So Def Recordings founder Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is facing a $1 million lawsuit. Radar Online reports that Dupri is being sued by his former business partner Eddie Weathers for failing to turn over profits on a merger deal involving Dieniahmar Music LLC.
Weathers claims that he and the Atlanta-based producer created the company together in 2005, and he owns 50% of the copyright interests in the Dieniahmar catalogue. Weathers also says when Dupri signed a co-publishing deal with EMI Music the following year he was not named as a co-owner.
According to court documents, this omission cost Weathers hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties. He was supposedly expected to get 50% of the profits but alleges all the money from EMI went to Dupri and his business manager.
After Dupri hired his new business manager, Willie Carter, in 2011, Weathers states he contacted Carter and EMI about his unpaid royalties. The docs state over the course of several years, Weathers attempted to get his cut of the money from Carter, but he had yet to get all his back royalties.
The suit also claims that he never received his portion of the sale of Dieniahmar to EMI in 2013. Weathers alleges he was owed $238,000 from the sale, but he was only given $10,000 from Dupri.
The civil case was filed in Fulton County, Georgia. Dupri, EMI/Sony/ATV, Dieniahmar, and Carter are all named as defendants.
Source-Allhiphop