OFFICIAL STATEMENT: 

In a joint statement issued by the presidents of the World Anti-Doping Agency, International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the following foods have been placed on the list of banned substances issued by WADA: yam, green bananas, cocoa, dasheen, breadfruit, ackee and saltfish, mackeral run down, turned cornmeal, Jerked pork and chicken, escovietched fish Malta, Supligen, Milo (said to be the food drink of Champions), Horlicks and coconut oil. Jamaicans seem to become extremely athletic on diets with these foods. Coming out of WADA labs, one of the major banned substances from Jamaica is the Cassava root, a high fibre, high starch tuber root eaten in Jamaica. It has properties which are said to enhance endurance and cause muscle fibres to twitch faster. This comes after extensive study of the diets of the Jamaican athletes which took part in the Beijing 2008 Olympic games. Though natural foods it is felt by WADA that these foods because of their unique properties give Jamaican athletes an unfair advantage. High concentrations of carbohydrates and other naturally occurring substances are said to be mimicking the effects of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). Some foods have been noted to in particular cause an unusual increase in the male hormone testosterone. As such WADA has seen it fit to add these foods to the list of banned substances. Given the sensitivity of this issue, Jamaican athletes participating in the current Olympic games underway in Beijing have not been banned but must submit to these new restrictions within the next two years. Two substances which have been discovered in testing of the Jamaican foods are “yamstenine”, a yam derivative and “cocosterone”, a derivative of the coco plant. These substances have been found to mimic nandrolone and the blood booster EPO, hence the preliminary banning of the substances themselves and the banning of the foods they derive from.

FAST and Human Rights Activists Oppose Death Penalty

In an effort to reduce the crime rate by using it as a deterrent for criminals and to appease the scared public, the JLP will in a few weeks vote either in favour of or against resuming the death penalty. The JLP's wish to resume executions in Jamaica as an anti-crime strategy has come under fire from various sects.

Yvonne Sobers of Families Against State Terrorism (FAST) sees this move as being "fundamentally abhorrent".

Human rights activist Nancy Anderson is also opposed to the idea of executions. "I am opposed to the idea of capital punishment, it doesn't help, it is not a deterrent...We condemn people who kill and then we turn around and kill them, it is farcical."

Miss Anderson also pointed to cases where prisoners were sentenced to death, placed on death row, only to be later released when new evidence proved their innocents. What would have happened if they were executed before the new evidence was discovered? She said that life imprisonment should be enough of a deterrent for criminals.

Amnesty International has recommended that Jamaica and other Caribbean states should follow the decision of Illinois Governor George Ryan, and overturn the death penalty of all 167 inmates on death row in the state.

"The law is that no one should kill anyone."

A white- Jewish congressman, who is up for re-election this year and an advocate for the US apologizing to minority groups for past mistreatments, and a sponsor for Memphis blacks, is pleased as the US government will be taking a vote in the House of Representatives to offer a formal apology to the black Americans for "enslavement and racial segregation".

The US has officially recognized that "lingering consequences" from slavery and segregation continue to haunt black Americans, as they embrace their first black presidential nominee, Barack Obama.

The US government has apologized for the abuse of ethnic minorities twice in the past: in 1988 they apologized to the Japanese Americans for WW11 and the Hawaiians in 1993.Once the apology is passed, the Senate will need to approve it before George Bush can sign the measure into law.

The apology states; "An apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization and injustices cannot erase the past, but confession of the wrongs committed can speed racial healing and reconciliation and help Americans confront the ghost of their past.

"Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Florida, North Carolina and Alabama states have each approved apologies for slavery.

Italian Court Frees Weed

In Italy a new ruling by the Supreme Court of Cassation has sided with the Rastafarian religion's treatment of marijuana as a sacred sacrament.

The news from Rome hit the streets Friday morning, as a case brought before appeal judges against a reggae musician sentenced to 16 months in prison by a lower court in Perugia, was overturned.

Virtually unheard of in Roman Catholic Italy, Rastafarians were presented to the court as a faith that allows its members to smoke even 10 grams of marijuana daily.

In the ruling the Court of Cassation stated, "Members of the Rastafari faith were entitled to have in possession 'abundant' amounts of marijuana since smoking is an integral part of their religion.

 The Jamaican Government needs to take this situation into consideration and leave the Ganja Farmer to grow the blessed weed...

'DAGGA IS GOOD'

His journey started out like most selectors back in the days when you had to start from the lifting of the speaker boxes, drive in the back of the truck to go the dance and you only got play ‘early warm’ before the main selectors arrived. He came from the shadows of one of the deadliest combinations in the arena in Glamour G and Lenny, to become the MAN on one of the wickedest sounds to play on the face of this earth. Without a doubt, Bass Odyssey and to a greater extent, Squingy made me the clash fan that I am today.

It was the nights I went to these dances to hear my sound play and to listen in reverence to what this “Vulture (people who know of him will understand this aka)” had to say when the heat was on and he had to come up with a counter-action for an idiot sound-boy careless speech. I remember dance’s when his adversary would say that Squingy teeth them drop out, him skinny and whatever else about his appearance; but in stead of bitching about it and losing his cool Squingy accepted the fact that he did not look too good and use his uniqueness to his advantage and win over the crowd and eventually the dance.

We all knew that he was sick and could hardly walk much less command a stage, yet he tried his best to represent on the battlefield; World Clash Jamaica 2007 when his sound was struggling he tried to do the usual antics to win over the audience, this time he however failed and almost lost his life trying to please his beloved fans. With the crowd getting restless and wondering whether or not the event was going continue; Squingy took the microphone and said that he was ok and that the clash must go on. Squingy played to appease the clash fans, he was a true gentleman in this arena even when it was him alone against the world, and he stood up and fought to the finish. He never did the whole bad man thing; he tried at all times to be respectful to the rules and traditions of this game (although him cuss too much bad words and the suck your muma thing).

Squingy is one of the icons of our clash industry and I will challenge anybody who can say any different. With all true champions, there are certain things and specific times that define there career; if Squingy never ever plays in a next clash (hardly like as the man love it) UK Cup 2008 will go down as one of his finest moments. Through-out this event which had almost all the elite members of the clash arena, he controlled the dance from start to finish and had the whole crowd eating from his hands and proved that he is truly Legendary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gysXo4jFlwQ