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Jean Gregoire Sagbo Becomes First Black Politician Elected In Russia
 In this July 20, 2010 photo, Russian councilman Jean Gregoire Sagbo smiles in Novozavidovo, a village 100 kilometers (65 miles) north of Moscow. People in this Russian town used to stare at Jean Gregoire Sagbo because they had never seen a black man. Now they say they see in him something equally rare _ an honest politician. Sagbo last month became the first black to be elected to office in Russia. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev).
NOVOZAVIDOVO, Russia — People in this Russian town used to stare at Jean Gregoire Sagbo because they had never seen a black man. Now they say they see in him something equally rare – an honest politician.
Sagbo last month became the first black to be elected to office in Russia.
In a country where racism is entrenched and often violent, Sagbo's election as one of Novozavidovo's 10 municipal councilors is a milestone. But among the town's 10,000 people, the 48-year-old from the West African country of Benin is viewed simply a Russian who cares about his hometown.
He promises to revive the impoverished, garbage-strewn town where he has lived for 21 years and raised a family. His plans include reducing rampant drug addiction, cleaning up a polluted lake and delivering heating to homes.
"Novozavidovo is dying," Sagbo said in an interview in the ramshackle municipal building. "This is my home, my town. We can't live like this."
"His skin is black but he is Russian inside," said Vyacheslav Arakelov, the mayor. "The way he cares about this place, only a Russian can care."
Sagbo isn't the first black in Russian politics. Another West African, Joaquin Crima of Guinea-Bissau, ran for head of a southern Russian district a year ago but was heavily defeated.
Crima was dubbed by the media "Russia's Obama." Now they've shifted the title to Sagbo, much to his annoyance.
"My name is not Obama. It's sensationalism," he said. "He is black and I am black, but it's a totally different situation."
Inspired by communist ideology, Sagbo came to Soviet Russia in 1982 to study economics in Moscow. There he met his wife, a Novozavidovo native. He moved to the town about 100 kilometers (65 miles) north of Moscow in 1989 to be close to his in-laws.
Today he is a father of two, and negotiates real estate sales for a Moscow conglomerate. His council job is unpaid.
Sagbo says neither he nor his wife wanted him to get into politics, viewing it as a dirty, dangerous business, but the town council and residents persuaded him to run for office.
They already knew him as a man of strong civic impulse. He had cleaned the entrance to his apartment building, planted flowers and spent his own money on street improvements. Ten years ago he organized volunteers and started what became an annual day of collecting garbage.
He said he feels no racism in the town. "I am one of them. I am home here," Sagbo said.
He felt that during his first year in the town, when his 4-year-old son Maxim came home in tears, saying a teenage boy spat at him. Sagbo ran outside in a rage, demanding that the spitter explain himself. Women sitting nearby also berated the teenager. Then the whole street joined in.
Russia's black population hasn't been officially counted but some studies estimate about 40,000 "Afro-Russians." Many are attracted by universities that are less costly than in the West. Scores of them suffer racially motivated attacks every year – 49 in Moscow alone in 2009, according to the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy Task Force on Racial Violence and Harassment, an advocacy group.
After the Soviet Union collapsed, Novozavidovo's industries were rapidly privatized, leaving it in financial ruin.
High unemployment, corruption, alcoholism and pollution blight what was once an idyllic town, just a short distance from the Zavidovo National Park, where Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev take nature retreats.
Denis Voronin, a 33-year-old engineer in Novozavidovo, said Sagbo was the town's first politician to get elected fairly, without resorting to buying votes
"Previous politicians were all criminals," he said.
A former administration head – the equivalent of mayor in rural Russia – was shot to death by unknown assailants two years ago.
The post is now held by Arakelov, a veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan who says he also wants to clean up corruption. He says money used to constantly disappear from the town budget and is being investigated by tax police.
Residents say they pay providers for heat and hot water, but because of ineffective monitoring by the municipality they don't get much of either. The toilet in the municipal building is a room with a hole in the floor.
As a councilor, Sagbo has already scored some successes. He mobilized residents to collect money and turn dilapidated lots between buildings into colorful playgrounds with new swings and painted fences.
As he strolled around his neighborhood everyone greeted him and he responded in his fluent, French-African-accented Russian. Boys waved to Sagbo, who had promised them a soccer field.
Sitting in the newly painted playground with her son, Irina Danilenko said it was the only improvement she has seen in the five years she has lived here.
"We don't care about his race," said Danilenko, 31. "We consider him one of us."
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Bauxite revival in Jamaica - 629 get jobs
as Windalco Ewarton reopens
BY PAUL HENRY Observer staff reporter henryp@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, July 23, 2010
 A ribbon is cut to celebrate yesterday's reopening of Windalco's Ewarton aluminium refinery plant in St Catherine, a year and four months after the global downturn forced the plant's closure. Participating in the occasion are (from left) Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee, executive director of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute; Leonid Stavitsky, Windalco's managing director; Takov Itskov, UC Rusal deputy CEO and director of international alumina business; Mining and Energy Minister James Robertson; Labour Minister Pearnel Charles; Transport Minister Mike Henry; a Windalco employee; and Robert Pickersgill, member of Parliament for North West St Catherine, where the plant is located. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)WINDALCO's aluminium refinery in Ewarton, St Catherine, was reopened yesterday -- a year and four months after it was forced to close in the face of a global recession which caused a slump in the demand for the product.
The reopening of the bauxite plant is expected to boost the economy of Ewarton, Linstead, and surrounding communities in St Catherine, as in addition to the direct employment of 629 people, dozens of others are expected to benefit from the plant's operation.
A ribbon is cut to celebrate yesterday's reopening of Windalco's Ewarton aluminium refinery plant in St Catherine, a year and four months after the global downturn forced the plant's closure. Participating in the occasion are (from left) Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee, executive director of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute; Leonid Stavitsky, Windalco's managing director; Takov Itskov, UC Rusal deputy CEO and director of international alumina business; Mining and Energy Minister James Robertson; Labour Minister Pearnel Charles; Transport Minister Mike Henry; a Windalco employee; and Robert Pickersgill, member of Parliament for North West St Catherine, where the plant is located. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
[Hide Description] A ribbon is cut to celebrate yesterday's reopening of Windalco's Ewarton aluminium refinery plant in St Catherine, a year and four months after the global downturn forced the plant's closure. Participating in the occasion are (from left) Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee, executive director of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute; Leonid Stavitsky, Windalco's managing director; Takov Itskov, UC Rusal deputy CEO and director of international alumina business; Mining and Energy Minister James Robertson; Labour Minister Pearnel Charles; Transport Minister Mike Henry; a Windalco employee; and Robert Pickersgill, member of Parliament for North West St Catherine, where the plant is located. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
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The reopening, which was yesterday touted as part of the Government's initiative to revitalise the bauxite industry by increasing efficiency, expanding output and enhancing competitiveness, is also expected to boost the country's foreign exchange earnings.
The bauxite industry that had seen declines over the years was especially hit hard by the recent global economic downturn, which resulted in thousands of sector workers losing their jobs as plants closed their doors or downsized operations.
Windalco's Ewarton plant was among three of the island's four refineries that ceased operations between March and May of last year, which was said to be among the worst periods in the annals of the world aluminium and local bauxite/alumina industry.
The Ewarton plant — in which the Russian aluminium refinery giant UC Rusal has a majority share of 90 per cent — is being reopened at a time when the demand for aluminium is set to increase substantially, especially towards the end of the year, due to heavy consumption in the burgeoning Chinese and Russian markets.
Speaking at a ceremony yesterday afternoon on the plant's grounds to mark the re-opening, Mining and Energy Minister James Robertson said the move was timely due to "strong positive movements towards a global recovery" in the demand for the product.
"As a result, the Jamaican industry has begun to undergo a rejuvenation spurred by the positive turn in global developments," Robertson said. "The impact on the national economy will be positive and immediate in terms of employment -- where the toll had been severe -- but also in foreign exchange earnings and Government revenue," he added.
The industry is a vital part of the Jamaican economy, providing four per cent of the country's GDP and more than US$1 billion in export earnings, according to statistics provided by the Ministry of Mining and Energy yesterday.
Windalco's Ewarton closure last year March left a void, which represented approximately 15 per cent of the country's alumina capacity, according to ministry figures.
Yesterday, Igor Dorofeev, UC Rusal's country manager, told the Observer that the 50-year-old plant has the capacity to produce 650,000 tonnes of aluminium per year. He said that production is estimated to stand at 300,000 tonnes for the remaining five months of the year. Production started yesterday, Dorofeev said.
Apart from the direct employment of 629 that comes with the reopening of the sprawling compound, the spin-off is expected to substantially benefit the communities in close proximity to the plant, mines and port, as well as the "many service providers to Windalco", Robertson said.
"They have relied on the operations for employment and the sustainability of the many small businesses that rely on the patronage of the company and its workforce," he said.
"Today is a bright day for us," the minister added, while calling on stakeholders, including unions, to "step up to the plate and put the Jamaican bauxite/alumina industry back on the forefront of the global alumina industry".
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Speaker snubs Church to appoint first black Vicar of Westminster
By Simon Walters and Jonathan Petre
Last updated at 11:13 PM on 26th June 2010
 Rose Hudson-Wilkin
Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin has been appointed as chaplain to the House of Commons
The Queen of England was last night dragged into a bitter row over the appointment of a black woman as Chaplain to the House of Commons.
Commons Speaker John Bercow has refused to give the job to the candidate picked by the Dean of Westminster Abbey, the Very Rev Dr John Hall, who answers to the Queen.
He has chosen instead the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, a Jamaican-born vicar in one of the poorest parts of East London. Sources say he objected to appointing ‘another predictable middle-aged white man’.
Mr Bercow was so determined to win the power struggle that he has cut the ties between Parliament and the Abbey, where state funerals, weddings and coronations take place – effectively splitting the Chaplain’s historic role in two.
The Abbey authorities have responded by refusing to give Mrs Hudson-Wilkin the palatial grace-and-favour apartment in the Abbey cloisters where the current Commons Chaplain lives.
The man snubbed by Mr Bercow, 46-year-old Andrew Tremlett, currently a Canon at Bristol Cathedral, is to be made a Canon at Westminster Abbey as a ‘consolation prize’ by the Queen.
But he will have to make do with half the salary of the Commons Chaplain.
The move will be seen by some as the Speaker showing support for those campaigning to force the Church of England to allow women to become bishops, as well for helping ethnic minorities achieve high-profile public posts.
Outspoken Mrs Hudson-Wilkin, 49 – who is married with three children – has already been tipped to be the first woman bishop.
A controversial figure, she led calls for the Church of England to apologise for its role in slavery and has lambasted racism in the clergy. A friend said her views were ‘radical, Left of centre’.
But the row has divided opinion at Westminster, where by custom the Commons Chaplain fulfills a dual role, acting as ‘Vicar of Parliament’ while also being Sub-Dean of Westminster Abbey and the Rector of St Margaret’s Church in Parliament Square.
 Speaker John Bercow and wife Sally: Sources say he objected to appointing 'another predictable middle-aged white man'
One senior parliamentarian said: ‘It is a tragic mistake for the Speaker to cut the ties with the Abbey. He seems to have done it on a whim because other people did not think Mrs Hudson-Wilkin was the best candidate.’
A Church of England source said: ‘This is a shame. This post may seem to some like a historical anomaly but it has survived and it works.
‘It would be better if it was not split in two. Modernising everything is not always a good thing. Sometimes it is the result of someone throwing their weight around.’
 John HallDr John Hall was the Dean of Westminster's choice for the role as Chaplain to the House of Commons
The source said he did not know if the Queen had formed a view but that it could concern her, adding: ‘She tends to be conservative in these things.’
However, a source close to Mr Bercow maintained: ‘We did not want yet another predictable, middle-aged, white man who is like a mini Archbishop of Canterbury.
‘Many MPs went to the Chaplain for advice and comfort over the expenses affair or the Iraq War. They need someone they can talk to, not someone who can quote theological texts to them.’
The appointment is the latest controversy for Mr Bercow, whose wife Sally caused outrage by confessing in interviews to casual sex as a result of alcohol. His religious status is described by friends as ‘Jewish by ethnicity’.
The appointment of Mrs Hudson-Wilkin, who is a friend of Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, follows the retirement of Commons Chaplain Canon Robert Wright.
A selection panel, led by Dr Hall and including representatives of Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, the Speaker’s office and Lambeth Palace, drew up a shortlist of six, including Canon Tremlett and Mrs Hudson-Wilkin.
Dr Hall picked Canon Tremlett and recommended him to the Queen.
Usually, the Speaker rubber-stamps the Dean’s – and by extension the Queen’s – choice, but not this time.
When the two men failed to agree, Mr Bercow said he would split from the Abbey and appoint Mrs Hudson-Wilkin as Commons Chaplain alone. Mr Tremlett will take over the duties at the Abbey and as Rector of St Margaret’s.
Mrs Hudson-Wilkin will receive the £25,000 Commons Chaplain’s salary, but not the £20,000 wage that goes with the Abbey post. That will go to Mr Tremlett, who will also be given the grace-and-favour home in the Abbey.
One of the key tasks at Westminster for Mrs Hudson-Wilkin, who intends to retain her parish in Hackney, East London, is to read the prayers at the start of each day’s sitting.
The Hebrew scholar
Canon Andrew Tremlett is a quintessentially English cleric. Born in Devon, he took a degree in classics at Cambridge before training for the priesthood at Oxford, where he specialised in Biblical Hebrew.
He moved to Bristol Cathedral in 2008 where he became Canon for development, responsible for the buildings, development of the Cathedral’s ‘strategy’, and pastoral care of congregations.
Married with three children, his interests include playing the piano and learning Arabic. Canon Tremlett was ordained in 1989 and his roles have since included being Chaplain to the English Church in Rotterdam, Holland.
The girl from Montego Bay
In stark contrast to Canon Tremlett, the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin routinely confronts knife crime and gang culture in one of East London’s poorest parishes.
Mrs Hudson-Wilkin said at the time of her appointment as vicar in Hackney in 1998: ‘Some members struggled with me. They had been told that no priest worth anything would want to come here. On top of that I’m a woman and black.’
A good friend of the first black archbishop, Dr John Sentamu, she is a rising star in the Church. She was bought up in Montego Bay and travelled to England to join the Church Army aged 18.
She is now regularly tipped to become the Church’s first woman bishop if, as many expect, the current ban is lifted.
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 Ursula M. Burns
Chief Executive Office, Xerox
Ursula M. Burns is chief executive officer of Xerox Corporation.
Burns joined Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern and later assumed roles in product development and planning. From 1992 through 2000, Burns led several business teams including the office color and fax business and office network printing business.
In 2000, she was named senior vice president, Corporate Strategic Services, heading up manufacturing and supply chain operations. She then took on the broader role of leading Xerox's global research as well as product development, marketing and delivery. In April 2007, Burns was named president of Xerox, expanding her leadership to also include the company's IT organization, corporate strategy, human resources, corporate marketing and global accounts. At that time, she was also elected a member of the company's Board of Directors. Burns was named chief executive officer in July 2009.
Burns earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of NYU and a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. She serves on professional and community boards, including American Express Corp., CASA - (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse) at Columbia University, FIRST - (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), National Academy Foundation, MIT, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the University of Rochester. Burns was also named by President Barack Obama to help lead the White House national program on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in November 2009.
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BRENDA PARIS JOINS LOUISE HAREL'S CABINET
 Montreal, January 18th, 2009 - Louise Harel, Leader of the Official Opposition of the City of Montreal announces the nomination of Brenda Paris to her Cabinet as Senior Adviser.Ms. Paris was Mayoral Candidate for Côte-des-Neiges - Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in the last election and is Past-President of Union Montreal. She will be responsible for the public transport and public security dossiers as well as communications with the anglophone communities at large.
"It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome Brenda Paris to my team. She is a woman who has a great wealth of professional expertise and has a profound knowledge of the issues that concern Montrealers", declared Louise Harel. Ms. Paris is an experienced administrator and has worked as a senior manager in different organisations in the public, para-public and non-profit sectors, notably in transport and the gouvernment", declared the Leader of the Official Opposition.
Between 2001 and 2009, Brenda Paris sat as a member of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Urban Transit Corporation as Client Representative. An educator, trainer and consultant on gender and diversity issues and community empowernment, she has a vast expertise in the development of mentor and leadership programs and academic student success policies.
"I am delighted to join Louise Harel's Cabinet. Her commitment to improve the quality of life for all Montrealers and her desire to make Montreal a great city where everyone can thrive, makes me very proud to be a part of her team. I will fulfill the mandate she has given me with great determination", concluded Brenda Paris.
- 30 -
Information:
Marie-Hélène d'Entremont
Press Attaché
Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition
City of Montréal
Tel.: 514-872-2934
Cell.: 514-247-0446
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Sonny Bradshaw dies
Renowned 83 year old Jamaican Jazz musician Sonny Bradshaw died in London on Saturday, October 10, 2009, at 11 pm. He was recovering from a serious stroke in early August 2009 that affected his brain.
In the 1950s, the Sonny Bradshaw Seven were famous not only for their dexterity as big band performers, but also because their creator - Bradshaw himself - arranged their productions to sound just like the 14-piece big bands of the day. Several leading musicians, including saxophonist Dean Fraser and drummer Desi Jones, got their start with this band.
Almost 60 years in the business, Sonny Bradshaw was a musical genius who taught himself to read music and play the trumpet - all coming out of a love of knowing how things work and how they were put together.
As a child growing up in Kingston, he would visit the junior library downtown to get the latest issue of Popular Mechanics, out of which he learnt to make his own radio and listen to the new music that was not yet popular on the island. He was later to integrate these new sounds into the repertoire of his band, and attract an increasingly large following because of it.
On March 28, 2008, Bradshaw celebrated his 81st birthday in London, having a grand old time with wife, jazz singer Myrna Hague, and dear friend old Andy Hamilton, (90 and just then awarded his MBE - Member of the Order of the British Empire) who celebrated his 'earth day' around the same time. Bradshaw took his trumpet with him.
Bradshaw was also a former president of the Jamaica Federation of Musicians and wrote a weekly column, 'Musicman', in The Star, The Gleaner's afternoon tabloid.
Since 1991, Bradshaw and his wife Myrna Hague had promoted the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival, an annual event held in June throughout that resort town and Kingston. Over the years, it has featured traditional jazz performers, like Jimmy Smits and Herbie Mann.
Sonny Bradshaw was awarded the Order of Distinction for his contribution to Jamaican music.
Excerpts from The Jamaican Gleaner, April 20, 2008 and elsewhere
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Usain Bolt Sets New 19.19 seconds World Record for Jamaica in the men's 200 Meters
 20 August 2009 - Berlin, Germany - Just when you thought Usain Bolt could not surprise any more, he only goes and runs another World record - this time over 200m.
Bolt's winning time - 19.19* - looks more like a grandparent's year of birth than a time for the 200m, but although it may take a while to digest, those are the new World record figures.
Former 200m World record-holder Michael Johnson had said earlier in the day that he felt Bolt was too tired to improve on the record of 19.30. But then again, Bolt does not know the meaning of fatigue.
Back in 1996 when Johnson set the world record of 19.32, it was widely acknowledged as one of the toughest records on the books. Bolt bettered it in Beijing, of course, but with this latest improvement it must surely be considered one of the greatest performances of all time, along with his 9.58* in the 100m last Sunday.
When Bolt set his sprint World records in Beijing, he was clearly trying harder in the 200m compared to his easing-down exploits in his 9.69 run over 100m. But the -0.9m/s wind reading in the Beijing 200m final gave hope that, in better conditions, Bolt would be capable of improving the record in better conditions.
So with the promise of another momentous performance from Bolt - along with the highly anticipated High Jump duel between Blanka Vlasic and Ariane Freidrich - the Berlin Olympic stadium was near capacity.
And Bolt did not disappoint.
But his crack at breaking the record was almost over before it even began. Frenchman David Alerte false-started and Bolt registered a slow reaction of 0.345. Fortunately, he had another attempt to start and at the second time of asking he absolutely nailed it - 0.133, the fastest reaction of the field.
The lanky Jamaican flew around the bend and was surged into the lead as he shot into the home straight. At half way, Shawn Crawford of the USA was in a clear silver medal position.
But while Bolt maintained - and extended - his lead, Crawford was being caught by Panama's Alonso Edward and US team-mate Wallace Spearmon.
Bolt streaked ahead to stop the clock at 19.20, later rounded down to 19.19, while Edward and Spearmon succeeded in catching Crawford. Edward, who came into this year with a 20.62 PB, registered a South American Area record of 19.81 in second place and at 19 years old became the youngest ever World medallist in the men's 200m. His time is also a world age-19 best, breaking the 19.88 set by Bolt in 2006. And anyone who breaks one of Bolt's records is certainly set for a bright future.
Spearmon won his second successive World 200m bronze with a time of 19.85 - his third best ever clocking - while Crawford tightened up on the line with a time of 19.89.
It was the first time in history that four men had dipped under 19.90 in the same race and also the first time in which five men had broken 20 seconds.
Whoever said Berlin was a slow track?
Certainly not Bolt. While speaking to track-side interviewers after his lap of honour, he said: "It wasn't a good race, but it was a fast one."
Indeed it boiled down to a race between Bolt and the clock, and his winning margin of 0.62 seconds is by far the biggest in World Championships history.
Rounding out the top eight were Jamaican Steve Mullings (19.98) in fifth, Charles Clark of the USA in sixth (20.39), Azerbaijan youngster Ramil Guliyev in seventh (20.61) and Alerte in eighth with 20.68.
Bolt improved his previous 200m World record by 0.11, the same amount of time he chopped off his 100m record on Sunday. But, as was the case in Beijing, he ran tonight's race into a headwind (-0.3m/s), which again begs the question - can he go quicker in better conditions?
For his efforts here tonight, Bolt bagged $160,000 to add to his 100m winnings of $160,000 (both prize packets include the $100,000 World record bonus from TDK). That's roughly $11,123 for each second of his 100m and 200m performances combined.
Of course there will always be the speculation of what defending champion Tyson Gay could have achieved if he had accepted his place in the 200m. No doubt, he would have been Bolt's closest challenger, but even Gay himself would probably admit that 19.19 is just a little beyond what he is currently capable of.
It could prove to be beyond what any other human is capable of for years to come. Any human, that is, but the man himself - Usain Bolt.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
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Usain Bolt Sets New 9.58 seconds World Record for Jamaica in the men's 100 Meters
 Once again in a blurred world all of his own, Usain Bolt demonstrated yet again why he is a once in a lifetime phenomenon, careering down the Berlin Olympic Stadium track to record an even more astounding landmark in athletic endeavour than the unreal world 100 metres record he set at the Olympics in Beijing.
Not only did the 22-year-old Jamaican live up to all the fevered expectations which his China tour de force had engendered. He did much, much more. Exactly one year to the day since he ran 9.69sec in the Bird’s Nest stadium, he lowered the mark to 9.58sec and in the 96 years of International Association of Athletics Federations’ records, no man has ever improved the best time in the blue-riband event by a greater margin.
Eleven hundredths of a second. Even Bolt looked as if he couldn’t quite credit the seemingly impossible as he wheeled around the track afterwards, arms spread wide like an aeroplane. Yes, a man really can fly.
In the same historic stadium where Jesse Owens created his legend 73 years before, Bolt simply embellished his own as he became the only man in history to cross the line first in two successive major championship 100m finals with a new world record to his name.
Forget the stats, though; just gasp once more at the sight of the eighth wonder of the world.
And so much for the feverishly-hyped “grossen duell”. How must Tyson Gay, America’s reigning champion, have felt? In what was supposed to be a two-horse race, in the lane outside Bolt he got off to the better start and recorded the third fastest time in history, 9.71sec, yet still found himself passed by Bolt as if Nijinsky was cruising past a selling plater.
Source: Telegraph.co.uk
By Ian Chadband, Chief Sports Correspondent in Berlin
Published: 11:56PM BST 16 Aug 2009
Note: Jamaican men have broken the last five world records in the 100 meters:
9 77 seconds by Asafa Powell (Jamaica), June 14, 2005
9.74 seconds by Asafa Powell (Jamaica), September 9, 2007
9.72 seconds by Usain Bolt (Jamaica), May 31,2008
9.69 seconds by Usain Bolt (Jamaica), August 16, 2008
9.58 seconds by Usain Bolt (Jamaica), August 16, 2009
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Jamaicans Dominate Women's 100 Meter Race
 (L-R) Kerron Stewart and Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica celebrate silver and gold respectively after the women's 100 metres final.
Photo: Getty Images
In the individual women's 100m sprint Augut 18, 2009, the Jamaicans were simply sensational. Olympic champion Shelly Ann Fraser grabbed the gold with a time of 10.73. It made her the equal third fastest female sprinter in history as she held off fast-finishing compatriot Kerron Stewart. in a thrilling finish.
Only Marion Jones and Florence Griffith-Joyner -- two athletes long tainted by suspicions of drug cheating and in Jones' case suspicions later confirmed -- now stand ahead of her on the all-time list.
The Caribbean nation dominated the event at this meet, producing four of the eight finallists, but it was Fraser who led the celebrations. The braces on her teeth could not hide the smile afterwards. She dropped to the track and laid her head down to soak up the moment.
Fraser had been one of the five Jamaican athletes threatened with expulsion form the team last week after not attending the team's official camp. Only last minute intervention by the governing body, the IAAF, secured her place on the start list.
She took full advantage.
"The victory is no surprise for me and the time of 10.73 seconds neither," she said afterwards. "If you look at the time of the semi-final, it was clear that the final was going to be even faster. I left all the world behind me down there on the track. I wanted to win and made a perfect start and then executed well."
She had sprung out of the blocks and had almost a metre lead on her rival by the half way mark but the taller Stewart came home in a hurry and very nearly caught her at the line - finishing in 10.75. The result went to a photo finish but Fraser had hung on.
American Carmelita Jeter finished third to claim the bronze medal while Veronica Campbell Brown, the defending world champion could only manage fourth place in 10.95.
But as Fraser was fronting the media to receive her plaudits the sprint events at this competition received a blow, with American Tyson Gay withdrawing from his anticipated 200m showdown with Usain Bolt. Gay has struggled with a groin injury in the lead-up to these Championships.
It did not stop him running his fastest ever 100m on Sunday night to grab the silver medal but after that run the American said his groin was "just hanging on."
Despite saying earlier in the da bthat he thought he would vontest the 200m, bginning this morning, Gay had withdrawn by the end of competition last night.
Dan Silkstone, Berlin
August 18, 2009 - 7:08AM
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Rachel Christie crowned the first Black Miss England
 Rachel Christie, athlete and neice of Linford Christie, Britain's Olympic Gold medalist, has been crowned as the new Miss England. Click the link below for more.
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Links to President Barack Obama
Click the link below to view the White House website:
Click the link below for an official selection of photographs of
President Obama in action:
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Home Depot executive still proud to wear apron
By RACHEL TOBIN RAMOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, April 19, 2009
 THE ANN-MARIE CAMPBELL FILE• Job: Home Depot, president, Southern Division
• Age: 44
• Raised: St. Thomas, Jamaica
• Residence: Smyrna
• Family: Husband of 22 years, Christopher, and two sons, Ryan, 16 and Alex, 12. (Her husband, also a native of Jamaica, owns Chris' Caribbean Cafe in Smyrna.)
• Education: MBA and bachelor's in philosophy from Georgia State University.
• Philanthropy: Serves on the board of the Atlanta Union Mission.
• Hobbies: Loves to read. Most recent book: "Outliers, The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell.
• Favorite tool: A rake, "Because I get to expend a lot of energy."
• Craziest do-it-yourself project: Replacing the splines and screens right above her home's pool when she lived in Florida.
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Meeting Ann-Marie Campbell is like encountering a force of nature. She started at Home Depot as a cashier. Now, when she visits one of the hundreds of stores under her supervision, she gets out on the floor to see what customers need.
The energetic 44-year- old is the president of Home Depot’s Southern Division. During a recent interview in the Buckhead store, she was a whirlwind, checking in with the store manager and other employees, and asking customers if they needed help. She is responsible for the sales and operations of 640 stores in 15 states, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. About 100,000 staffers fall under her purview.
And she may know a lot of them, because Campbell, a native of Jamaica, started her 24-year career with Home Depot as a cashier.
Since then, she has finished a degree in philosophy and an MBA, both at Georgia State, and has held a variety of positions from overseeing online sales to being vice president of vendor services.
But last year, when she took the helm of the Southern Division, she was thrilled to go from office jobs at corporate headquarters to her in-store roots, where it’s not uncommon for her to walk all day long.
She recently explained how she approaches her job, given the dour economic times.
Q: What is your biggest challenge in this retail environment?
A: We [Home Depot] started in 1979 when there was a recession. This is what we were built on — to help people take their well-earned money and do more with it.
Q: You started as a cashier. Tell me how that helps you in your current job.
A: Customers come in and leave through the front. No matter what happens on the floor, a cashier can make it right. It’s important we get good cashiers, who like and love people.
Q: How do you find people like that?
A: We look for people who are happy around people.
Q: Is it easier to get good people in this economy?
A: Absolutely. This is fertile ground.
Q: You have a big region. How do you manage such a large area?
A: It’s all about getting the right people in the right jobs. It’s “teach concepts, manage processes and lead people.” We’ve done a great job in simplifying the direction for our stores.
Q: What are the regional differences in the products your stores carry?
A: In Miami, there’s concrete mortar. In Atlanta, there’s more of a focus on decks and yards. In Texas, fencing is big. We also have a riding lawn mower market in the Southeast. We sell a lot of tractors in parts of North Carolina, Texas and Georgia. But not Miami. The strength of Home Depot is our regional merchandising. They can respond to behavioral changes.
Q: What is it like as a woman in a historically male-oriented industry?
A: When I started 24 years ago, it was more dominated by men. I had to gain knowledge because you build your credibility with knowledge. People respect knowledge. Today, a lot of women are do-it-yourselfers. It’s dramatically different.
Q: Is Home Depot ready for spring, and what is your favorite new product?
A: Spring is our Christmas. It’s our opportunity to reconnect with our customers, and we are absolutely ready. New product? Since I started in paint, I’ll go with paint. We have a new primer and paint in one can.
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10.5 Year-old Jonathan McCoy tells us Why We Should Not Use The "N" Word
Click the link below to see and hear young Jonathan's remarkable speech
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You Need a Passport to visit the USA
Starting June 1, 2009, you will need a passport if you want to travel to the United States by land or water.
You now need a passport or a Nexus card (good for low-risk, frequent travelers) to go the the USA by air.
Don't wait until the last minute; get your passport early.
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Obama Shakes Hands With Black Royal Guard in Britain
For those of you that saw the picture of President Obama shaking the hand of the black Royal Guard, here is video of what actually happened.
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Top marks - Team members describe how cops, soldiers defused hijack at Montego Bay Airport, Jamaica
Published in the Gleaner: Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Adrian Frater, News Editor
 Commissioner of Police Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin (left) gesticulates while addressing members of the media during a Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) board of directors meeting held yesterday in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew. Looking on are Milton Samuda (centre), president of the JCC, and Francis Kennedy, second vice-president. Lewin told members of the media he would not be breathing down the necks of personnel investigating Sunday night's hijacking of a charter aeroplane at Sangster International Airport as there were various procedures to be carried out before information could be revealed to the press. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Western Bureau:
As accolades continued to pour in for the security forces, the men who carried out the mission in which 21-year-old hijacker Stephen Fray was apprehended and his hostages rescued without injury said yesterday the merit of their training in a situation which had the potential of going awfully wrong was tested.
"My first concern was that he (Fray) might try to harm the passengers and crew and the detrimental effect that would have on Jamaica," Superintendent Maurice Robinson, the commanding officer for the St James police, told The Gleaner yesterday. "We were also concerned about the young man's mental state."
Yesterday, another group gave public praise for the peaceful end to this week's hijack/hostage drama at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James.
The Jamaica Council of Churches said it was grateful to God "for the gifts of courage, level-headedness and wisdom with which He endowed all the professionals who worked tirelessly to ensure the safe release of all passengers and crew of CanJet Flight 918".
"(We are) also relieved that no injury befell the young hijacker and anticipate that while the law takes its course, he will receive any medical attention deemed necessary by the relevant professionals," the council added.
Based on the account of one member of the airline crew, who was rescued in the daring early-morning operation, it was done with such professional precision that, for her, it was "like watching a well-scripted version of Fox television's Cops" unfolding before her eyes.
After failed attempts by family members and a police negotiating team, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Ferguson and police chaplain, Reverend Courtney Walters, to get Fray to abandon his plans to be flown to Cuba, the decision was then taken to challenge the hijacker and rescue the hostages.
Personal safety secondary
Once the decision was made to storm the aircraft, personal safety became secondary to the national interest, as it became apparent that it was a mission in which failure was not an option.
"We went into the plane via the pilot's window and hid in the aircraft," said a member of the rescue team who preferred not to be identified. "A family member was then brought on-board to speak to Fray as a form of distraction."
While an agitated Fray was speaking to the family member, members of the police-military rescue team quickly moved into place, crawling on their stomachs towards the back of the aircraft where Fray and the hostages were located.
"When we got close enough, we realised that the gun he had in his possession was tucked in his waistband," said the lawman. "At a pre-arranged signal, a member of the team rushed him and we all joined in and overpowered him."
Like the aircraft crew member who praised the execution of the rescue, Robinson was also quite impressed with the professional manner in which the situation was handled.
"I felt a certain sense of awe and satisfaction to know that we have in Jamaica the persons capable of carrying out these complex manoeuvres."
Relieved there were no injuries
ACP Denver Frater, the commanding officer for Area One, is relieved that no one was injured, the suspect was arrested and the weapon recovered.
"I want to thank the team (police and military), the airport staff, private security companies and members of the community, who all assisted in the operation," said Frater.
In giving the current status of the investigations, Frater said a team, comprising members of Organised Crime Division, Major Investigation Task Force and Senior Superintendent Calvin Benjamin from CIB headquarters, has joined the local investigation headed by Superintendent Clinton Laing and Deputy Superintendent Michael Garrick. They have been interviewing several persons.
Fray will be interviewed today in the presence of his lawyer, following which it will be determined whether he will be charged.
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Who is Stephen Fray?
Published: Tuesday | April 21, 2009
Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer
 Jovial, timid and reserved are some of the adjectives that have been used to describe aeroplane hijacker, Stephen Fray, by his friends and members of his community in Albion, Montego Bay, St James.
Western Bureau:
Twenty-one-year-old Stephen Fray lives with his father and grandmother at the family home in the quiet residential community of Albion in Montego Bay, St James.
His neighbours view him as a polite and helpful individual who was not known to be involved in any illicit activities.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Albion resident revealed that Fray recently offered to help find some customers for some clothes that one of his neighbours had on sale.
"I respected his manners, as whenever he passed in the mornings, he would say good morning or good afternoon. I have never seen him display any kind of behaviour out of the norm," the concerned resident told The Gleaner.
However, The Gleaner has learnt that Fray has been dealing with difficult personal issues in recent times.
Fray was an avid track-and-field athlete while attending Mount Alvernia Preparatory. He excelled in academics, which earned him a spot at Cornwall College, from which he graduated in 2003. Fray later attended the Montego Bay Community College (MBCC) and graduated last year.
Schoolmate of the troubled young man, Rayon Earle, explained that while growing up, Fray was considered a timid individual and not someone who could carry out such an act.
"He and I were schoolmates at Mount Alvernia Prep and Montego Bay Community College. We ran together on the track team in prep school," a surprised Earle stated. "Fray was a quiet, but playful person who had a sense of humour."
Not a violent person
MBCC was abuzz with discussion on the hijacking incident yesterday. One female student, who did not wish to be identified, said Fray seemed fine when she last saw him just two weeks ago.
"When I saw him the other day he looked ok to me. We don't know Fray to be a violent person; he was very jovial and sociable while he was at school. I just hope that whatever he is going through he will be fine, " she said
The Fray family are well-known businesspersons in Montego Bay, as his grandfather once operated a furniture store, and some of his other relatives operate their own businesses. The Gleaner understands that Stephen Fray's father is a licensed firearm holder.
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First Black Female Flight Crew
African-American women continue to demonstrate professionalism, intelligence and unlimited potential as they contribute to our overall struggle for unlimited freedom, access and opportunity in America. The sisters on Flights 5202 and 5106 (a jet owned by Atlantic Southeast Airlines) have proven that African-American women can do anything if just given a fair opportunity.
They made history on Thursday, February 12, 2009 as the first all African American female crew.
 Operated flight 5202 from Atlanta to Nashville and flight 5106 from
Nashville back to Atlanta
 The crew included CPT Rachelle Jones, 2nd on right, FO Stephanie Grant, 1st on left, FA's Robin Rogers and Diana Galloway!
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Dr. Monique Ford, a Jamaican woman tops at world-renowned Mayo Clinic
 DESTINY appears to have conspired to link Jamaican Dr Monique Ford with the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester , Minnesota in the United States .
 During her first clinical year at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Ford worked with Mayo-trained cardiologist Charles Denbow, and recalls being "fascinated with his prowess." Then, in her biochemistry final exams, her external examiner was Professor Whyte-Owen, also a Mayo associate.
Ford finished at the top of her second-year class, earning the EV Ellington Memorial Award and, more importantly, a scholarship to the Mayo Graduate School .
Sited in rural Minnesota , with the state capital Minneapolis and the Canadian border to the north and "cornfields in every direction once you drive more than 20 miles," says Ford, the Mayo Clinic, a top research facility, was a major adjustment for her in several ways.
"They have more MRI machines than the nation of Canada ," she said in a Sunday Observer interview, "and added to that I'm walking down hallways and meeting people who have discovered new treatments and have things named after them - Nobel laureates and the like."
Still, the young research fellow proved her mettle amongst the giants and trailblazers, earning the school's Excellence in Internship Award (2003) and Intern of the Year (2002-03).
 Now, she has distinguished herself yet again, receiving the 'LeeAnn MacCaffrey MD Women in Medicine Award' for 2005, an announcement made by Mayo in April.
In correspondence issued under the signature of Dr Nicholas LaRusso, chair of the department of medicine and two directors of Internal Medicine Residency, Ford was described as a "superb" resident with "excellent clinical skills" and an "inquisitive mind".
Named after yet another renowned Mayo researcher, the award is presented for outstanding achievement to a third-year resident.
As far as she's aware, Ford is the first non-US national and the first woman of colour to receive the award. She feels elated, but adds that she doesn't put too much stock in awards, but moreso her work.
In that regard, she has already absorbed the philosophy of the institutions founding Mayo Brothers: 'The needs of the patient are the only ones to be considered'.
She continues at Mayo Clinic's Division of Cadrdiovascular Diseases as a research fellow in cardiology on a programme that began July.
Apart from the pressure of the Mayo reputation, Ford says there were social challenges in adjusting to the staunchly conservative midwestern region, when she first arrived in Minnesota .
"There isn't any hangout or social life in Rochester ," she pointed out in the telephone interview. "Mostly I take tennis lessons, and occasionally I'd go with friends over to Minneapolis or to Wisconsin ."
The latter, she adds, contains a Jamaican-style restaurant - run not by a Jamaican but by a Wisconsin native who has visited Jamaica many times.
Ford overcame the homesickness by making a conscious decision to "network with every Jamaican within a hundred-mile radius."
That tactic and what she describes as the family-oriented character of the community, helped ease her initial frustration.
Its indeed a long way to come for Ford, the second of four children born to a pharmacy rep and a teacher. Even from her preparatory school days at Our Lady of the Angels on Molynes Road , Kingston , young Monique exhibited a great interest in science.
Her parents, Mr and Mrs Linval Ford, long convinced of the merits of a quality education, encouraged their daughter in her resolve to become a scientist.
By the time she transited to Immaculate Conception High, Ford realised she wanted to be more involved in applied research. "I really want to contribute tot he overall well-being of mankind," she said.
Under the watchful eye and firm hand of Sister Maureen Clare - "She taught me the value of discipline and what it meant to excel as a woman and a lady," said Ford - and Sister Mary Catherine - "She helped foster my love of Spanish" - Ford began on the road of promise and achievement that has so far led her to the heart of medical research.
Her current areas of specialty are in the cardiology and coronary fields and Ford plans to become an interventional cardiologist.
For the layman, the field largely entails the opening of blocked arteries, but also repairing valves without the need for open-heart surgery.
Long-term, her dream is to return to Jamaica and open a catheterisation centre.
"Coronary disease is the number one killer in both developed and developing countries," she says. "In Jamaica , someone who lacks the resources to fly to Miami or similarly get special treatment, will likely die. I want to change that."
In addition to lots of start up capital and more study, realising that dream will require much traveling, something which Ford claims to relish.
For now: "I'd love to go to Europe , and see the works of the Impressionists close up," she said.
In the meantime, the largely closed-in Rochester social scene also facilitates another of her interests - movies. Ford is partial to dramas, like Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning Mystic River .
Hollywood may never welcome her to its podium, but at her present rate of achievement, Dr Monique Ford arguably has the medical equivalent of an Oscar.
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 JAMAICAN IN 1,000 MILE YUKON RACEAt the "Top Of The World", in the Yukon and Alaska wilderness of northwestern North America, a twenty-five year old Jamaican Musher, Newton Marshall from Chukka Cove, Jamaica is holding his own.
Newton, with the backing of Jimmy Buffet, yes "The Jimmy Buffet" and several other Jamaican sponsors, gathered a pack of dogs and hauled off to the frozen tundra to participate in the epic event.
Jamaican Rookie Sleddog driver, Newton Marshall, finished the Yukon Quest in 13th place ahead of 16 other drivers. His elapsed time was 11 days 19hrs 2min.
Some of the remaining 16 Sled Dog teams, still on the course, may complete the arduous Quest either later today, Friday or on Saturday.
A finish line news report from the Yukon Quest Newsroom: "Steel drum music began to filter over the river bed as the crowd awaited Jamaican musher Newton Marshall. The film crew that has been following him for over a year was on hand as well as a number of other media outlets. Champion musher Hans Gatt who has been training Newton watched the river for the familiar bob of a headlamp and the sound of his dogs. Newton rounded the bend and the crowd cheered and applauded as he came down the chute. When asked how hard his journey had been he stated that many things in life are hard and he was proud.
Click this link for more: yukonquest.weebly.com
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VANCOUVER - Former U.S. president Bill Clinton is praising Canada's banking system.
Clinton, who was in Vancouver yesterday to speak to a business group, says Canadians are very lucky to have a government and system that encourages one of the best banking communities in the world.
The two-term Democratic president says if Canada keeps it up, it will avoid the banking mess being experienced in the United States.
Clinton says U.S. and foreign bankers now will have to rely less on innovative financial products for profits than on old-fashioned lending to help produce goods and services.
Clinton's viewpoint got a quick endorsement from Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, who was also at the event. Day said Canadians should be reassured that one of the greatest U.S. presidents when it comes to
economics thinks Canada is on the right track.
October 18, 2008 - 11:39
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Story from Macleans.ca: http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=n101811A
© Rogers Publishing
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Italy’s Attacks on Migrants Fuel Debate on Racism
 Abdul William Guibre (nickname: Abba), born in Burkina Faso and raised in Italy, was beaten to death in Milan, Italy in September 2008 by a bar’s father-and-son proprietors. The two, Fausto and Daniele Cristofoli, suspected Mr. Guibre, 19, of stealing money and set upon him with a metal rod, the authorities said, when it appeared he had stolen a package of cookies. During the altercation, the attackers shouted “dirty black,” lawyers for both sides said.
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