Brown-Earle told the Jamaica Observer that this type of anxiety may present itself in students because of the almost two-year break from physical schools, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

"They are going to face some unusual challenges. Some of them are going to have separation anxiety, they will feel anxious about leaving their home environment. Basically, for the past two years they are used to being at home, so for some of them, especially younger children, it might be stressful to be separated," Brown-Earle stated.

At the same time, she added, if a parent or teacher notices that a child is showing signs of anxiety, such as profusely perspiring or trembling when the weather is not a factor or being disruptive in class and speaking up about attending school, the first thing that needs to be done is to validate their feelings.

"So, it's going to be important for parents especially to stay calm and positive. If the children are telling you that they are worried and they are having some negative feelings about the school and so on, be patient with them and be understanding towards them," Brown-Earle advised, noting that she understands that parents may also be feeling some level of anxiety, given the pandemic.

However, she cautioned that, "We want to also set the tone. Because if the parents present with anxiety then the children are going to be more anxious. The parents themselves must be in charge of their emotions."

Additionally, she said that it is important that while at home, if the parents are in a position to do so, they should separate themselves from their children, since parents, who weren't able to have another caregiver around, were constantly with their child.

"They (parents) can say, 'you know what, I'm going to go down the road for 20 minutes because I have somebody else to stay with them.' Because you know, many children for the past three years, they have clung on to [their parents]. One mother told me that because she doesn't have a caregiver she has never got a break from her child. She's a good friend of mine. I had to say, 'you know what, send them here for a whole day' because she lives far away from family and friends," Brown-Earle explained.

She also noted that while separation anxiety may be seen in exam students, younger children and special needs students are mostly affected by this condition.

"We see the separation anxiety largely in the younger ones who probably went to a little part of grade one and then now they are in grade three and they are used to their parents being around them. But we also see it in some of the high school students who have special needs," she said.

"The special needs children, we want to focus on them especially because now they already probably was very closed to their parents, many times for special needs children the parents are overprotective, and now they have to be separated to go to school. Probably it's the first time in a new school because some of them were in grade one but now that we are out of school with the learning loss and other issues, we realise that this child is autistic, this child has some intellectual deficit and has to go to another school. So for them easing back into a school mode is going to be very important," Brown-Earle continued.

Face-to-face learning resumed at most public schools on Monday, March 7

Brown-Earle, meanwhile, said while she was very pleased when she learned that students would return to the classroom because of the academic and socialisation implications, she was also very concerned that teachers may be "burnout" from the stress of teaching during a deadly pandemic.

"We want them to engage in self-care and we want the administrators to pay attention to teachers who are possibly burnt out because of all that they have been doing - getting enough sleep, nutrition, are they exercising and, of course, communicating with any mental health services that they need to vent and share their issues?" Brown-Earle said. She noted, too, that signs of a teacher being burnt out can present itself as lack of enthusiasm, detachment from students and colleagues, physical health issues and reduced performance.

"I feel the same way as if I would be in my 50s; it's just that the legs can't carry me like before but I don't mind," Lyn told the Jamaica Observer during the celebration with family, close friends and church brethren at St Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in St Andrew.

Asked about the secret to longevity, Lyn said, "Trust in the Lord. Don't overeat, try to eat the right things. Keep active and things will be okay."

Unlike many senior citizens Lyn is adept at using a smartphone, though she admits, while bursting into laughter, that she's "Not very good, but I can help myself a little bit."

But her cousin Patricia Williamson told the Observer that the 100-year-old is always texting and making calls through the messaging service WhatsApp.

"She is savvy at using the smartphone and I remember when I called her straight and she said, 'Yvonne, you should call me on WhatsApp, man.' She is so meticulous at using the smartphone. She uses WhatsApp and sends text messages, and when she's answering she does so like the young people - when you send her something to laugh about she send you the 'Lol'. She is just marvellous," said Williamson.

Also commenting on Lyn's phone skills was her daughter Janica Lyn Fraser, who noted that Lyn will go through her contacts and sends a text to whoever she needs to.

"She can bring up the emojis [on WhatsApp] to put smiley faces in her messages," said Lyn Frazer who noted that even though her mother suffers from arthritis and partial vision loss in her left eye, she is quite self-sufficient and has no major illnesses.

"She has those things but that's it, no sicknesses. She is in good health, and she conducts her own affairs. She lives on her own and doesn't have a helper. She is really one of a kind and is very self-sufficient. She loves her family and will do anything for us," said the beaming daughter.

Lyn, who is from Claremont, St Ann, was married to Reginald, who passed away in 1962. The union produced two children - Janica and Raymond.

In honour of her 100th birthday Lyn received a card from The Queen.

According to her relatives, Sylvia was an excellent dressmaker and owner of grocery stores in Mandeville and Kingston before moving to New York.

After living overseas for 30 years, Lyn returned to Jamaica to take care of her mother who died shortly after celebrating her 104th birthday.

Now living in St Andrew, Lyn spends her days doing what she loves, which includes taking care of her pets.

"I have a lot of animals. I have birds, fish, cat, dogs and so they keep me occupied and I just do my housework and so forth. Sometimes I rest up a little. I get up in the mornings and, after I do the little check with the animals, I go back and take a little five (sleep), but I just keep active all the time," Lyn explained.

Another cousin, Beverly Chin, described Lyn as a beautiful person who is gentle, sweet-natured and young at heart.

"I am just in awe of her memory, and whenever I visit her I leave inspired by her because she is just very composed and calm and she is courageous in everything. She is a very happy person. I think her secret to longevity is enjoying life," said Chin.

Lyn's friend and church brother, Errol Gregory, said he always looks forward to calling her every Sunday morning.

"I like her kindness. We became such close friends that I call her if she's up. The other thing I remember fondly is that my glasses are always dirty, and at some time in the church service she's going to let me take them off and clean them and when she's finished, I can see as far as Montego Bay," shared Gregory.

For 96-year-old Constance Milwood, Lyn is more than a friend.

"She is not a friend, she is my sister. We share everything together. I've known her from in the 70s. We are one," said Milwood who is Lyn's neighbour.

At right is the school's principal, Jennifer Ferguson, who was on hand to greet the Guardian Life team and to receive the supplies of masks, bleach, hand soap, sanitiser, and toilet tissue.

The Jamaica Observer had published two articles highlighting the situation - with store workers, vendors in the area and others lamenting the health hazard that the public was exposed to due to the raw sewage flowing on the roadway for more than five months.

In February the National Water Commission (NWC) blamed the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) for failing to fix a broken sewer lateral belonging to a property it owns at the corner of Half-Way-Tree Road and Slipe Road.

But last week the knitted eyebrows, denoting anger and frustration, that existed on the faces of some of the people turned to smiles after the Observer stories prompted action from the authorities.

There was evidence of digging from a pit located between a pharmacy and the property owned by KSAMC.

The Observer was told that the authorities sent equipment and six trucks to empty the pit as well as to correct piping issues.

"Dem come one Friday night and it never fix good, so dem come back the Sunday morning," said one male vendor.

Another male vendor said he was glad when he saw the corrective work being carried out.

According to the vendor, the morning when major work was done was a big relief. "I thank you Observer fi get it work pon. A nuff people come and interview and mi never see anything done. From Observer come, mi keep on a see it inna di paper. That was excellent," said the vendor.

In the meantime, Andre, an employee of a store in the area, said he was pleased that the awful sight and stench have disappeared.

"... Before, me never pleased because it smell a way and vehicle stop a morning time and we affi go out and deal with di customers so mi glad it deal wid.

"Di people dem fi mek sure seh dem have good pipeline fi dem business place. Always keep an eye out for those things and give it urgent attention. Di road free yah now and mi feel good, mi naa lie," said Andre.

The survey, conducted last weekend by Jermaine Williams, chairman of the Education and Research Committee, canvassed 345 educators across all school levels islandwide. Of the total respondents 54.5 per cent teach at the primary level, 28.1 per cent are spread across the secondary and tertiary levels, as well as in special education, while 13.2 per cent are in the early childhood system.

According to JTA President Winston Smith, the challenges raised by teachers such as students' work attitude and social development would be common among those who have been absent from school for the last two years as the novel coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of campuses.

"Those students have come back in the system now and while we are happy that they are back in the system, they are the ones who teachers would appear to be speaking to and whose attitude towards schoolwork have significantly declined," Smith told the Jamaica Observer on Monday.

"The attitude, mannerism, and behaviour of these children are not in keeping with the norm or the level expected of students that age, because they would have been left wild; so to bring them back into a school session, in a confined space, rules of engagement, behaviour and so forth within the school set-up are now being applied. The adjustment to that may be proving a little challenging and as such it is creating some issues for the teachers," he added.

According to the survey, 86.5 per cent of respondents said they found teaching more demanding than before the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Among the reasons they gave was that class control is more difficult, interest level of students is low, there is a decline in social skills and there are also learning gaps.

Asked to rate the level of preparedness at their schools for full resumption of classes, 30 per cent of the educators said it was fair; 26 per cent said good; 22 per cent, very good; 13 per cent, excellent; and nine per cent, poor.

Commenting on those responses, Smith said, "What they are saying is that they have made everything to the best of their abilities ready for school, and that speaks volume to the profession and the way our teachers have moved towards seeking how to bridge that gap and restore learning loss."

When the educators were asked to state how they had navigated the teaching and learning process during the first full week of face-to-face classes, among the most popular responses were that it was a struggle, they were very cautious, innovative solutions were utilised in classes, they tried their best to use resources provided, and they had to conduct testing and evaluation of students.

Asked to make suggestions for a more seamless teaching and learning process the educators said that teachers need to formulate intervention plans to address the issues, and parents need to assist their children more with homework. They also pointed to the need for more resources and the assignment of teacher assistants "so that more students can get the help they need during school hours".

Additionally, the educators suggested that more teachers be employed in order to reduce class sizes and create a safer environment, given the presence of COVID-19.

They also suggested pull-out programmes for slow learners, additional classrooms and furniture, the provision of more teaching and learning material, as well as better salaries and Internet connectivity upgrades.

Smith said he is committed to discussing the survey results with the Ministry of Education to see how best the teaching and learning process can be improved.

"I intend to engage the ministry in a more wholesome discussion to say, here are some of the grave concerns from the teachers and how can you facilitate this process and assist the schools in ensuring that we address those issues to expedite the process of recovery," he said.

According to the union's Vice-President Ruddy Thomas, there is a "plethora of outstanding issues" on the agenda, which has impacted the well-being of its members at CMU, financially and otherwise, "in what has become increasingly challenging times".

The BITU currently holds bargaining rights for administration, ancillary and technical staff.

Thomas explained that the mode and intent behind the engagements, which were scheduled by the management for October 20 to 22 to roll out a new organisational structure, transitional plan and employment arrangement for the workers, have caused several of them to become incensed.

He said that the university's failure to address the labour issues has impacted the terms and conditions of employment in several instances, and is in flagrant breach of agreements and directives in others.

"This is exacerbated by reports we have received indicating that the university has been employing persons, while claiming not to have an organisational structure approved by the Ministry of Finance or Education, and that these newly hired persons were being paid at significantly higher salaries than incumbents holding similar positions," Thomas claimed.

According to him, the "outstanding matters" include: Finalisation of a human resources policy manual, which has been 12 years in the making; completing negotiations on claims which were served in relation to a contract period commencing 2017; remedying a contractual breach related to the workers' lunch allowance, forcing them to determine which alternate days they can eat; addressing the union on inconsistencies with the recent payment of anniversary increments, where it appears people who are less entitled have been paid in preference to others.

Thomas named the other issues as: The absence of documented contracts, contracts with entitlements left off and the issuance of inferior contracts, with reduced tenure and value; the engagement of external people to fill vacancies on a 'new organisational structure', while qualifications of current staff are missing from personnel files; and uniforms and PPE which remain outstanding for in excess of two years, in some instances.

The former police officer, a retired detective inspector, had last week testified during the ongoing trial of 33 alleged members of the gang that Stephanie Christie, also known as Mumma, had in September 2017 approached him with an offer of $100,000 to spring Bryan, who had been held for questioning.

He said he countered that bribe with a demand of his own for "two tall-up, tall-up crissas" (brand new rifles) as payback instead, to which Christie animatedly agreed, swearing on her child's life that when Bryan, whom she said was her partner, was released from custody, the gang would give him the guns.

He further said upon telling Bryan of the encounter with Christie and the arrangement to get the two rifles, Bryan laughed and said, "Cool man, nuh worry yuhself bout dat." He said upon asking Bryan for a contact number, he supplied him with one that he recognised as one of those given to him by Christie.

On Monday, under intense cross-examination by senior attorney Lloyd McFarlane who represents Bryan, the lawman maintained that he negotiated with Christie in that manner because he wanted to "get the guns off the street".

McFarlane chided the lawman for using deception to elicit that pledge from Christie and his client, arguing that the former cop understood that since the police had nothing with which to charge Bryan, at that point he already knew they would have to release him later that day.

"You were going to let him go. Why would he come back with two firearms? Him like yuh?" McFarlane asked disdainfully.

"You would have to ask him that," the former cop shot back.

"I'm asking you," McFarlane fired back before going further to charge that the cop, by his own admissions, "had no earthly reason to hold" Bryan.

"You released him because you had no basis for holding him. Why yuh didn't tell that to Mumma when she was asking you?" McFarlane demanded.

"Because I wanted to get information from her," the former lawman replied coolly.

"Oh, so you just lied to her," McFarlane said testily.

"If you want to call it lying. You are calling it lying, sir. I would call it unconventional methods," the former detective inspector responded.

McFarlane went on to accost the lawman over what he said were discrepancies and omissions in his statement regarding the time he supposedly interviewed Bryan as against what he told the court in his testimony.

He ended his blistering cross-examination with a caustic and rhetorical, "Is it only fair to say that the only reason we should not describe you as a lying policeman is because you are no longer a policeman?"

Last week the retired inspector of police, who was the only witness capable of formally identifying the accused Jason Brown, alias City Puss and Lucifer, five months into the trial described how he had to disassociate himself from the police stationed in Spanish Town in order to gain the trust of those being extorted by the alleged gangster. On Monday the former detective inspector, who had spent 31 years in the constabulary, went on to detail for the court other occasions on which he had seen Brown (who is presently serving time for another matter) and heard him speak.

On one occasion in 2018 he said Brown, who was brought to Spanish Town courthouse to be charged along with other alleged members of the outfit, "started behaving in a boisterous manner", forcing the court to temporarily recess.

"He was shouting, saying him don't even know dem man yah weh wi a charge him wid. He started his tantrum from he entered the courtroom to when he entered the dock. I would say he continued for an estimated 10 to 15 minutes, and they tried to calm him down," the former lawman said. He told the court that even after Brown was escorted to the holding area he was "hurling expletives" and threats similar to those he had voiced when threatening victims who he was supposedly extorting over the phone.

Defence attorneys will today resume their cross-examination of the former cop when the matter resumes at 10:00 am in the Home Circuit Division of the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston.

Finzi-Smith, a former army officer with 43 years of experience in security and investigation spanning military and private sectors, said a special unit like the one he recommended reaped a lot of success in the past, and subsequently he is calling for its return.

Following the incident, which occurred after 5:00 am, a recording from an alleged female passenger of the bus - which was held up at a section of Spanish Town Road in St Andrew - began circulating on social media. The woman claimed in the audio that at least five men, bearing what appeared to be firearms, stopped the bus and robbed most of the passengers of valuables. She also alleged that the driver of the vehicle was physically assaulted for failure to comply with their repeated requests to open the bus door so they could gain entry.

On Monday Finzi-Smith recommended that just as how traps are set to catch rats, a similar approach should be taken to apprehend thieves who sometimes hold up vehicles and rob people, using real firearms as well as fake guns made of wood to also intimidate the victims.

He suggested that Ibex and other employers negotiate with the police to have decoy personnel pose as passengers on staff and other buses to discourage the practise and capture perpetrators.

"Every rat has a run [specific route]; they don't just run helter-skelter. They have patterns. Whatever you use to catch them, you put it somewhere along the run. When a man comes to rob a place, he is coming from one direction and leaving in another. You have to wait and catch him on his way in or on his way out.

"For the next little while, put armed security officers or police on the buses and tint the windows so that they can't tell who is in there, and let's see what happens. Everybody can tell you what is wrong but nobody can tell you what the solution is. It is very simple. I had a sign on a door where I lived which said 'This house is guarded by a shotgun three nights a week, you guess which three.'

"My advice to the employees is to be very alert and aware. When they put you in a bus and say go home, they have no control. It is now for the call centre to ensure that for a little while, part of their thing is either an escort or have somebody on the bus," Finzi-Smith said.

He recommended that members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who have an understanding of specific geographical spaces be used to patrol these hot spots, and said he identified this problem decades ago. He explained that being familiar with a particular territory would make it easier to apprehend thieves and other criminals.

"That is my other problem. Constables are assigned to areas they don't know the geography of. You are dealing with youngsters who are running in gullies all their life," he said, making the point that it is usually easy for criminals to escape and remain undetected.

When the Jamaica Observer visited Ibex in New Kingston in St Andrew on Monday a few workers expressed concerns for their safety. A number of them recommended that a special provision be made for qualified call centre workers to be granted firearm permits. Others held the belief that young people should seek employment instead of becoming criminals.

"Even if the driver carries a gun, it can be a problem. If a man knows that, him will rob same way and take the gun from the driver. As call centre workers we don't get much, so why you want to come and rob us? Call centre work is for any level of people. You as a young man who decides to rob a bus, get up and look a call centre work. You people need to stop the laziness and go look work. That is my honest truth," one worker said.

Further, the female in the audio which went viral blamed the poor road conditions for the ordeal.

"Di driver start reverse, but the road bad. He should have gone forward. When him reverse him stuck inna di middle of the road because di road bad. When him stuck inna di middle of the road dem come and dem beat him, because dem a tell him fi open di door mek dem come een.

"Everybody deh pon top a me a bawl fi dem life and dem baby. Di first man step out inna di road wid rifle. Mi hear di people dem bawl out. The first thing mi do a tek mi phone out a mi bag, run go round a di back a di bus and throw it round a di back seat. Dem come een and mi seh 'Mi nuh have nuh phone' and dem a seh 'Big eediat gyal! How you fi work a Ibex and you nuh have nuh phone?' Dem tek weh money and expensive phones. A three somebody phone get saved.

"One boy have two phone so him give dem one. A next girl put her phone in her crotches. Di next one hold di driver by him neck and draw him through, and is like dem wah draw weh di driver go inna di lane. Wi a seh 'Mek di driver stay, please. Don't go away with him.' Wi a beg dem please nuh go weh wid di driver."

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Damion Manderson, acting head of the St Andrew South Police Division where the incident occurred, told the Observer on Monday that so far only three people, including the driver, reported the incident to the police.

According to local reports, Professor Ryan passed away on Sunday morning.

Following news of his death, Minister of Communication Symon De Nobriga conveyed his deepest condolence to his family, colleagues, and loved ones.

In a statement the minister said he heard the sad news and thinks that the country will be all the poorer for his passing.

"As a writer, researcher, political scientist and as an academic he will be missed but he will live on in the body of his work and the memories forged with those he impacted throughout his life," De Nobriga said.

Ryan received a BA (Hons) degree in History from the University of Toronto in 1960 and a PhD in Political Science from Cornell University in 1966.

He also taught at York University in Toronto, University of Ghana, Makerere University in Uganda, and in the Department of Government of The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St Augustine, Trinidad. Professor Ryan was departmental head from 1976 to 1979.

On Monday, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, vice chancellor at The UWI, said Ryan's contribution to the rise of The UWI as an excellent, ethical and activist academy sets him apart as a stalwart of scholarship and an icon of the academe.

"Over a period of four decades, this phenomenally dedicated doyen charted new ground in political science and stood his ground for the relevance and legitimacy of his discipline and institution. In this regard, we recognise and celebrate his intellectual and scholastic contribution to The UWI as it continues on a journey of service to the Caribbean people," Sir Hilary said.

"Selwyn was not only a solid and reliable political scientist that left no stone unturned in the search for facts and truths, but a splendid articulator of his empirical discoveries. He was a brilliant research empiricist." Theorising was not his preference. His primary commitment was to enable society to clearly understand the issues at hand for purposes of shaping political policy and practice," added the vice chancellor.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT

1937: The world's first blood bank is established at Chicago's Cook County Hospital by Dr Bernard Fantus. It is a breakthrough for surgical procedures and emergency treatments.

OTHER EVENTS

44 BCE: Roman dictator Julius Caesar is assassinated this day, the Ides of March, by a group of nobles, among whom were Cassius and Brutus.

1848: Hungarian intellectuals stage bloodless revolution in Budapest against Austro-Hungarian empire. It is put down by Russian troops the next year.

1874: France assumes protectorate over central Indochina region of Annam, which breaks off vassalage to China.

1894: France and Germany agree on boundaries between French Congo and Cameroons.

1903: British conquest of northern Nigeria is complete.

1917: Czar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates after humiliating defeat by the Germans. The Russian State and military begin to dissolve.

1919: The American Legion is founded in Paris.

1938: Nazi Germany seizes Czechoslovakia with little resistance, after having annexed the Sudetenland, with its fortifications, the previous year.

1964: Following a highly publicised affair, American actress Elizabeth Taylor weds British actor Richard Burton in Montreal; they divorced in 1974 and briefly remarry (1975-76).

1965: About a week after a civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, is halted due to violent opposition, US President Lyndon B Johnson delivered his 'We Shall Overcome' speech, in which he introduced voting rights legislation that was passed later that year.

1985: The first Internet domain name, symbolics.com, is registered by the Symbolics Computer Corp of Massachusetts.

1988: Israeli authorities impose travel ban on Palestinians in occupied territories.

1989: Soviet Union's President Mikhail S Gorbachev calls for rapid measures to ease chronic Soviet food shortages.

1990: The Congress of People's Deputies of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics elects Mikhail Gorbachev to the newly created post of president of the Soviet Union.

1991: Serbian President Borisav Jovic resigns after the collective presidency fails to declare a nationwide state of emergency.

1992: A second earthquake in a short time strikes eastern Turkey, killing an estimated 800 people.

1993: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin offers, after a meeting with US President Bill Clinton, to surrender part of the Golan Heights to Syria.

1998: CBS's 60 Minutes airs an interview with former White House employee Kathleen Willey, who said President Bill Clinton had made unwelcome sexual advances toward her in the Oval Office in 1993, a charge denied by the president.

2000: In a forensic first, a grand jury in New York indicts an unidentified man for three rapes based on his DNA genetic profile.

2001: Armed Chechens hijack a Russian plane carrying 174 people after it takes off from Turkey and force it to land in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

2003: Rebels led by ousted army chief General Francois Bozize capture the Central African Republic's capital, Bangui, and the international airport while President Ange-Felix Patasse was out of the country. Bozize declared himself president. Hu Jintao succeeds Jiang Zemin as the president of China.

2004: Saudi security forces kill two militants, including one considered al-Qaeda's chief of operations on the Arabian Peninsula, in a shoot-out in the capital Riyadh.

2006: A Spanish boat recovers the bodies of 24 people believed to be African migrants floating in waters off the coast of Mauritania, hundreds of miles south of the Canary Islands.

2007: The Islamic militant Hamas and its Fatah rivals forge a unity Palestinian Government to end more than a year of political wrangling, isolation, and bloodshed. Israel quickly rejects the new leadership, saying it fails to recognise the Jewish State.

2008: China orders tourists out of Tibet's capital while troops on foot and in armoured vehicles patrol the streets and enforce a strict curfew a day after riots that a Tibetan exile group says left at least 30 protesters dead.

2009: Thousands of anti-government protesters led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif head to Islamabad for a planned sit-in at Parliament, ramping up a power struggle that risks hobbling a vital Western ally in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

2013: The chief of Syria's main, Western-backed rebel group marks the second anniversary of the start of the uprising against President Bashar.

2011: Anti-government protests were held in several cities across Syria, considered the beginning of the county's civil war.

2019: More than 1.5 million students participated in climate change protests around the world as part of Fridays for Future, a movement started by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

Charles de Montalembert, French author (1810-1870); Jules Chevalier, French priest/founder of Sacred Heart Missionaries (1824-1907); Henri Saint Cyr, Swedish equestrian/Olympic gold medallist (1902-1979); Harry James, US band leader (1916-1983); Judd Hirsch, US actor (1935- ); Christopher Gonzalez, Jamaican sculptor/painter (1943-2008); Sly Stone, US singer/musician(1943- ); will.i.am, US rapper/musician (1975- ); Eva Longoria Parker, US actress (1975- )

- AP

The Manchester Municipal Corporation signed the 15-year contract which will see Ideas Execution - a construction and renovation business - building a jerk centre and car wash at the yam park, to be renamed Melrose Village.

The facility will also be rebranded by J Wray & Nephew.

The property, located adjacent to a section of Melrose Hill Bypass, was reopened last December following a four-month closure.

Chief executive officer of Ideas Execution Kevin Frith said the expansion will lead to the development of the yam park.

"... It will also lead to the mentoring and training of the existing vendors at the facility," he said.

He added that when completed the yam park will become more of a rest stop, and with additional seating as well. He said the existing vendors are set to benefit from entrepreneurial training and financial literacy.

"It is important that the vendors see themselves as business people in a viable commercial trade," he said.

"Within the first six months we will be implementing the mentorship programme and the training programme for the vendors. We believe that this approach will strengthen the future prospects of the yam park and ensure its sustainability," he said.

Frith said the project is fitting in with the celebration of the nation's Diamond Jubilee this year.

Chief executive officer at the municipal corporation Winston Palmer said the contract will bring great benefits.

"This partnership will cater to a wider clientèle across the parish and we also know that the vendors will benefit tremendously," he said.

Vendors at the facility told the Jamaica Observer they are awaiting further information on how the project will benefit them.

Samara South, public affairs and government relations specialist at J Wray & Nephew, said the rebranding of the yam park is being done as part of the company's contribution to Jamaica's 60th anniversary of Independence celebrations.

"J Wray & Nephew is a big part of the community; we are a big part of Brand Jamaica. For us, this project is more than us having our brand on something, it is about giving back to the community, giving the vendors a chance to earn," she declared.

"Throughout Jamaica and in the year of our 60th anniversary, we will be doing several of these projects as part of our contribution and giving back to Jamaica 60," she added.

Minister of Transport and Mining Audley Shaw endorsed the initiative and said that the yam park is a part of mined-out lands which are now being put to use.

"I like the fact that we will now be combining our historic roast yam with a jerk centre," he shared.

However, he expressed concern that the construction of the US$188-million May Pen to Williamsfield leg of the east-west corridor of Highway 2000 might affect access to the yam park.

"The highway which is being constructed is probably going to pass on the bottom side of it, so I don't know if we can find some formula where people travelling on the highway will also be able to have access to this very important park," he said.

The highway - which will reduce travel time between Kingston, Mandeville and points west - was originally scheduled for completion in October 2022, but this has been extended to March 2023.

With the alignment of the highway set to incorporate Melrose Hill Bypass, the National Road Operating & Constructing Company (NROCC) - which is responsible for overseeing the design, construction and maintenance of Jamaica's highways - said following consultations with the municipality and vendors at Melrose Yam Park it has set aside land to build eight additional stalls.

These will be on the westbound side of the upgraded road to allow motorists heading westbound to support vending along the corridor.

Environmental manager at NROCC, Errol Mortley, said the road adjacent to the yam park will be modified.

"We will be modifying it so that we have four lanes on that road," he disclosed.

During last Thursday's monthly meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation (SJMC), councillors said the problem of abandoned vehicles has plagued the parish for years. The lone crane truck owned by Western Parks and Markets (WPM) Waste Management Limited, the regional arm of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), has been out of service for several months and derelict vehicles have become an eyesore and possible health risk.

No timeline has been given for how long the crane truck is expected to be out of use, however WPM's senior public cleansing inspector, Julian Robinson told the meeting that the solid waste team is trying to find other ways to tackle the issue.

"There are some problems with the boom and piston that operate the crane, so that unit is still out of operation. We are looking at getting some other lifting device to have a number of these derelict vehicles in and around the parish removed," Robinson said.

Councillor Kerry Thomas (People's National Party, Mount Salem Division) suggested that the agency could benefit from a partnership with scrap metal companies. He was confident, he said, that they would welcome the partnership as they were in a "very lucrative" line of business.

"Regarding derelict vehicles, we have been at this for a long while. Can solid waste partner with scrap metal companies?" the councillor queried.

Once vehicles are tagged and identified for removal from the streets, he said, there was no need to take them to the dump if scrap metal companies agree to take them.

It will now be up to the WPM to see if the idea has merit.

"I will make the necessary recommendation, as was stated by Councillor Thomas, to the operation team and the decision will be theirs," the WMP's Robinson said of the suggestion.

However, while acknowledging his colleague's recommendation, Councillor Gregory Wint (Jamaica Labour Party, Welcome Hall Division) suggested a different approach, one that may be quicker to implement. He pointed out that he had made a suggestion, in a previous meeting, for WPM and the health department to work together with the council to identify a solution. That will take time, he said, and the council has a responsibility to act.

"We have a wrecker system that we use to take up motor vehicles, could we find some way to assist us councillors, especially in rural areas, by picking up these bulky wastes and bringing them to the dump?" Wint questioned. "What Councillor Thomas is saying, I know that it sounds very good but that would be long in coming. So, if we could sit down with them... and see how we can find ways and means, because if the waste comes through local government we must find some resources through the council to help us councillors get rid of derelict vehicles."

He said he has been asking, for five years, to have abandoned vehicles removed from his division and some dump sites are now close to gullies or on privately owned land.

"Let us see if we can have some arrangements or a meeting to discuss this as soon as possible. They are not only dangerous, but they retain water and bring mosquito problems with them," he warned.

- Rochelle Clayton

During last Thursday's monthly meeting of the St Thomas Municipal Corporation, MPM's Acting Regional Operations Manager Nigel Gooden advised that there is an ongoing push by headquarters - the National Solid Waste Management Authority - to hire drivers. The aim is to have one assigned to St Thomas, along with a truck, to avoid daily trips into Kingston.

"We have sent two drivers to do the test and they failed at Island Traffic Authority, so we are still looking for a driver. It is a two-part test where drivers take a written and driving test. The drivers have been failing the practical aspect of the test," Gooden explained.

Pressed on details about the search for drivers, he said a general newspaper advertisement had been placed but doubted there was one specifically for St Thomas.

This did not sit well with Councillor John Lee (Jamaica Labour Party, Yallahs Division).

"We are suffering from this garbage collection problem so the recruitment ad should state 'St Thomas driver needed'. We have so many truck drivers migrating to Canada from the parish," the councillor argued.

He believes the distance of some eastern communities coupled with the lack of enough truck drivers to make multiple trips in an area is causing the pile-up of garbage in the parish, an issue some of his "We need more trucks! In my division people are calling me every day about the pile-up of garbage. It makes no sense to pile up garbage and keep it at your house for weeks. This only makes the situation worse," said Councillor Hubert Williams (People's National Party, White Horses Division).

One of the suggestions being mooted is the addition of another landfill that will facilitate the eastern section of the parish. An area in Winchester has been acquired to accommodate the landfill. However, approval is needed.

But Councillor Williams questioned the wisdom of that proposal which will see garbage being transported from the western end of the parish to its east.

"I can see a logistical nightmare... I don't understand this. How can we take garbage, for example, from Cedar Valley all the way to Winchester? It doesn't make sense. This is just a clear waste of money," he said.

The infrastructure is to comprise two multipurpose science labs, a computer lab, a digital library, four smart classrooms, two multipurpose classrooms, reading rooms, office space for staff and student leaders.

Speaking at last Monday's groundbreaking ceremony, Bourne said Knox College is a symbol of excellence in the Jamaican educational landscape in many respects and noted that the National Education Inspectorate ranks the school as exceptional.

"The quality of education children receive significantly shapes their personal destinies and society's capacity for peace, justice, freedom, creativity, innovation, economic growth and development," he said.

"Now, more than ever in our history as a country, schools must be community-changing agencies instead of community-reflecting institutions. Our schools must equip learners with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, character and levels of awareness to allow them to become successful and productive citizens who contribute positively to society," he added.

The sixth-form programme was restarted at the school in 2008.

"Since then, it has grown significantly and is now a highly sought after programme," said Bourne.

He said there is an urgent need for space to accommodate students sitting the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

"When we began in 2008 we registered 39 students to sit seven CAPE subjects. We now have over 240 students registered in over 40 different CAPE units and we have to be artificially capping that number," he said.

He added that the Knox College sixth-form block had long been conceptualised, but construction was not started due to limited funding.

He commended the school's alumni for raising the "starting blocks of money" of $25 million as the school celebrates its 75th anniversary.

"We will begin construction [in] this our anniversary year. We have set ourselves a timeline of 18 months to complete this project," he said.

Member of Parliament for Clarendon North Western Phillip Henriques and past students, namely Bourne; Chief of Defence Staff Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman; chairman of Knox Community College and Knox Trust Dunbar McFarlane; businessman Paul Lyn; chairman of the school's 75th anniversary fund-raising committee Courtney Campbell collectively donated $1.5 million towards the project at Monday's ground-breaking ceremony.

Campbell said many students from traditional high schools have enrolled in the sixth-form programme at Knox College.

"We are all proud of the fact that Knox College has maintained an excellent record of academic performance and holistic student development over our 75 years," he said.

"Many students from other highly rated secondary schools are choosing to pursue their sixth-form studies at Knox. It is imperative therefore that we establish the facilities to offer more to the talented young people of this country," he added.

Jackson was one of four people travelling in a private motor vehicle on the Trinity Ville main road in St Thomas when the car slammed into a utility pole at approximately 3:00 pm. The occupants were taken to hospital where three of them were treated and released. Jackson, though, was in an unresponsive state and was admitted.

The teen had been staying with relatives in Trinity Ville and went to Morant Bay to pick up some money to purchase back-to-school supplies. While returning to Trinity Ville the crash occurred.

"He is in need of blood. He is still in the Intensive Care Unit on a machine. He is not breathing by himself. He has not yet done the major surgery to his pelvis going down to his right leg. That is a surgery he is going to go into as soon as he is strong enough and he is going to need a lot blood for that as well. They are still doing tests. They did a CT scan. The doctors think they should do an MRI soon," Turner-Francis told the Jamaica Observer.

She thanked Morant Bay High School for the help the family has received so far, and KPH for keeping Jackson alive to date.

"The family has been getting a lot of support from the school. They have been encouraging us and putting up people to make blood donations. They ensure that we have transportation and so forth. We had an hour of prayer at school on Friday for him where the students participated. The staff at KPH have been doing very well," she said.

Turner-Francis also made an appeal to motorists.

"I am a motorist who always encourages other motorists to drive carefully, not just for themselves but for others. I encourage you to drive safely. Most of the time accidents like these are not just short-term injuries, but long-term injuries that may not affect just your life but cause others to be affected because of your carelessness," she said.

Jamaicans wishing to give blood may do so at a blood bank using the name Michael Jackson. Receipt showing proof of donation may be sent to Turner-Francis who can be reached at 876-574-1247. Monetary donations can be sent to National Commercial Bank Morant Bay branch, account number 644144380 in the name Lasana Turner-Francis.

On Friday, the National Road Safety Unit renewed its call for road users to exercise caution as it reported that from January 1 this year to Friday, 88 people were killed in fatal crashes.

In 2021, a total of 487 people perished in crashes, with males accounting for 87 per cent. The unit has made a particular appeal to men to take heed.

The unit said that is not comforting as families are losing breadwinners and homes, while communities and the economy face severe consequences.

"Motorists are reminded to show patience and care when driving, overtaking or passing vehicles. It is imperative to be cautious, drive carefully and follow traffic rules," the unit said.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

1964: A jury in Dallas finds Jack Ruby guilty of the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the suspected assassin of US President John F Kennedy, in November 1963.

OTHER EVENTS

1558: Ferdinand I assumes title of Holy Roman Emperor without being crowned by the pope.

1689: Convention Parliament meets in Scotland, and William and Mary are proclaimed King and Queen of England.

1757: British Admiral John Byng is executed for neglect of duty resulting in loss of Menorca.

1794: American Eli Whitney receives a patent for the cotton gin.

1840: Constitution in Rome is promulgated by Pope Pius IX.

1844: Carlos Antonio Lopez sworn in as first constitutional president of Paraguay.

1900: US Congress ratifies the Gold Standard Act.

1917: China severs diplomatic relations with Germany in World War I.

1923: US President Warren Harding becomes the first chief executive to file an income tax report.

1939: The Republic of Czechoslovakia is dissolved, opening the way for Nazi occupation.

1951: United Nations forces recapture Seoul during the Korean War.

1965: Israel's Cabinet formally approves establishment of diplomatic relations with West Germany.

1973: United States relaxes embargo on arms shipments to Pakistan and India.

1976: Egypt's President Anwar Sadat asks Parliament to cancel treaty with Soviet Union, charging that Moscow failed to provide arms that had been promised.

1988: Iran and Iraq unleash missiles on each other's capitals as so-called "war of the cities" erupts.

1991: Emir returns to Kuwait after more than seven months in exile and more than two weeks after his country was freed from Iraqi occupation.

1992: The warring parties in Croatia pledge to cooperate to end the civil war ahead of the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force.

1993: An independent UN-sponsored commission releases a report blaming the bulk of atrocities committed during El Salvador's civil war on the country's military.

1994: In a setback to long-time ruler Gnassingbe Eyadema, the opposition is declared victorious in Togo's first democratic parliamentary election.

1995: Astronaut Norman Thagard becomes the first American to enter space aboard a Russian rocket as he and two cosmonauts blast off aboard a Soyuz spacecraft, headed for the Mir space station.

1998: India's Congress party appoints as its president Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

2002: Serbia and Montenegro, the two republics that comprise the Yugoslav federation, sign an accord to restructure their ties and formally drop the name Yugoslavia.

2003: South Korea urges North Korea to defuse its nuclear standoff through multilateral talks. The US warns the communist country is just months away from enriching uranium to make atomic bombs.

2004: Brushing off US criticism of a one-sided election campaign, Russian President Vladimir Putin claims victory after voters hand him an expected landslide 71 per cent win for a second four-year term.

2007: A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visits North Korea for the first time since the country kicked inspectors out in 2002, a significant first step toward renewed relations. IAEA officials say North Korea is committed to nuclear disarmament.

2008: Protests by Buddhist monks in Tibet turn violent. Shops and vehicles are set on fire and gunshots are heard in the streets of the capital, Lhasa. The Dalai Lama calls on China to stop using force against protesters.

2009: Three foreign aid workers abducted in Sudan's lawless Darfur region are released unharmed three days after their abduction at gunpoint led international groups to question how they can continue to work in the area.

2010: French voters scarred by economic crisis deal President Nicolas Sarkozy and his conservative leadership a stern blow by strongly favouring leftist candidates in regional elections.

2011: The US Embassy in Tel Aviv says it is "deeply concerned" by Israel's plans to build hundreds of new homes in the West Bank following a deadly attack on a settler family, calling Israeli settlements "illegitimate" and an obstacle to peacemaking.

2012: President Barack Obama and British Prime Minster David Cameron say for the first time that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces will hand over the lead combat role to Afghanistan forces next year as the US and its allies aim to get out by the end of 2014.

2013: Pope Francis puts his humility on display during his first day as pontiff, stopping by his hotel to pick up his luggage and pay the bill himself in a decidedly different style of papacy than his tradition-minded predecessor who kept to the Vatican.

2017: A blustery late-season storm plastered the north-east with sleet and snow, paralysing much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor but falling well short of predicted snow totals in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

Casey Jones, US railroad engineer (1864-1900); Maxim Gorky, Russian novelist (1868-1936); Albert Einstein, German-born physicist (1879-1955); Michael Caine, English actor (1933- ); Quincy Jones, US music producer (1933- ); Wolfgang Petersen, US director (1941- ); Billy Crystal, US actor/comedian (1948- )

- AP

Chakula Reggae band leader Errol "Chakula" McDonald, attorney-at-law Marcus Goffe, and singer Isha Bel all voiced support for the banknote, saying that the island's first national hero deserves the recognition and that the currency will push Jamaicans to research his work, which had international impact.

"They say Marcus was the first national hero. To the work weh Marcus Garvey do, there is nobody weh can compare to him," McDonald argued in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Sunday.

"To me, I think it is symbolic that Marcus Garvey should really have his own thing. Marcus Garvey's teachings will lead you back to Haile Selassie's teachings. Selassie's teachings are what the people of Jamaica need right now to put them in the right mindset," McDonald insisted.

"Marcus Garvey taught us about self-reliance and overcoming our obstacles. We always a depend pon and a beg people. We want loan and everything from foreign when we have everything that we need right here. All we need right now is the will, and that is what Marcus Garvey's teachings would give to the people. He is the one who dem always forget over the years. He deserves to be the only one [on the $100 banknote]," McDonald said.

Last week Tuesday, Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke, in his budget presentation, announced changes to all banknotes, explaining that the decision was not only to upgrade the security, use of life, and technical needs of the currency, but to also restore the heroes to prominence on the banknotes and promote unity in the country. The new notes will also feature a Jamaica 60th anniversary logo, along with a shift in the security strip from the middle to the right.

A new $2,000 note will feature former prime ministers and political rivals Michael Manley and Edward Seaga. National heroes Alexander Bustamante and Norman Manley will be on the new $1,000 bill, while national heroes Nanny of the Maroons and Sam Sharpe will feature on the new $500 note. Former prime ministers Sir Donald Sangster and Hugh Shearer will appear on the upgraded $5,000, while national heroes Paul Bogle and George William Gordon will feature on the upgraded $50 note. Garvey is the only person to be featured on the $100 note.

Born in St Ann's Bay, St Ann, on August 17, 1887, Garvey rose to world prominence as leader of the Pan-Africanist movement, which sought to unify people of African descent across the world.

Historians say that by 1920 the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), founded six years before by Garvey, claimed four million members. The movement transformed him into an inspirational figure for other civil rights advocates, especially in the United States.

Garvey's influence also helped to pave the way for the Rastafarian faith to take shape.

On Sunday, Goffe, himself a Rastafarian, said the decision to place Garvey by himself was a good one.

"I would say that it is giving due prominence to our first national hero for his international significance, not only for Jamaica, but for the whole African Diaspora. One could even say that there is no space for anyone to be there with him. His presence is large enough. The fact that he is there by himself is a fitting standout," said the attorney.

Bel, who is also a songwriter and UNIA member, told the Observer that the new $100 should motivate people to want to know why Garvey was given prominence while other bills will bear the images of two people.

"Him being on that money by himself is symbolic enough to show young people that they should do some research. He was that advocate for African people to know themselves and find their own place and develop their own industries. He went as far as to create the UNIA. Everybody else copied his work. Look at Singapore, their very system is set up on a lot of Marcus Garvey's teachings," argued Bel, whose given name Natalie Walsh.

"He created so many platforms for so many people. He made such a big impact in the USA. He started companies when black people weren't considered forerunners to start any business. He did so much across continents. He is the first man to bring the African Diaspora from all different angles together. He is a black African man who pulled himself from being a printer's son and went on to continually cut roads until he reached the US, and that was before anybody else was doing it," Bel said.

"He lit a spark in black people around the world. Our other leaders followed the British models. Marcus Garvey did not follow anybody. Marcus Garvey should be taught in schools to young people. If we put a lot of Marcus Garvey's philosophies you would find that more creators are coming instead of our country regressing and copying everybody when we used to be pioneers," she said.

In the meantime, McDonald disagreed with idea of printing a banknote with images of Manley and Seaga beside each other.

"I am not of the view that Seaga and Manley should be on one bill. That is not going to make unity. What is going to make unity is policies that will engage all parties and people of Jamaica. Both of them stood for something completely different. I see what dem trying to do, but I think it is ill-advised," he said.

In early Jamaica, Black River was a booming town as residents made their wealth from exporting logwood brought down the town's famous river, said to be the longest in Jamaica as it begins near Coleyville in Manchester as Hector's River, running westerly and, after passing Troy in Westmoreland, goes underground in the Cockpit Country. It emerges as the One Eye River in Oxford, Manchester, then goes underground again and when it comes above ground at Mexico in St Elizabeth it officially becomes Black River, travelling south to the Caribbean Sea.

The Black River is said to be navigable for approximately 12 miles.

"We are elated that we got to do this in an even bigger way this year. And even though we are still nowhere near our pre-COVID numbers, we are happy that we were able to execute a successful event with our corporate and non-corporate teams who have supported us over the many years," said Sagicor Group Jamaica President and CEO Christopher Zacca.

"We are truly thankful to the teams who came out to support and who, through their registration, have given back to a great cause by playing their part to help us raise funds for our beneficiary - Kingston Public Hospital," Zacca added.

The 24th staging of Sagicor Foundation's annual charity road race - Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run - was dubbed the Sigma Team 'Bubble' Run as it was the first of two in-person road races held under COVID-19 restrictions.

The event, as stipulated by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, catered to participants who were fully vaccinated, with all entrants having to show proof of vaccination to participate.

More than 1,000 fully vaccinated people registered with corporate teams for the 5.5-kilometre road race, which represents the largest number of participants registered for an in-person running event since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

Last year the organisers held one in-person event - the Sagicor Sigma Invitational Run - which had just under 100 participants.

Executive director of Sagicor Foundation Alysia White said she was happy with the flow of the event and that participants had a fun and safe run.

"We executed the event in accordance with the approved safety protocols we presented to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and had teams in waves of up to 220 persons going off at staggered times," White said.

"We are optimistic that next year, for our 25th anniversary, we will be able to have even more people out," White said. However, she added that Sagicor remains guided by the authorities for in-person executions as the safety of all stakeholders remains paramount.

"In addition to the Sagicor Foundation's goal of raising $50 million for the Kingston Public Hospital through this year's Sigma Run, we, along with our partners at Running Events and Reggae Marathon, also wanted to show how large-scale sporting events can take place safely and responsibly in this new era - and I believe we accomplished that today," White said.

The road race kicked off at 6:45 am, with warm-up activities at the start line hosted by Jennifer "Jenny Jenny" Small. The first run got off at 7:10 am, with subsequent waves going off at set time intervals to avoid crowding.

This year's Sigma Run patrons, Olympic hurdles medallists Megan Tapper and Hansle Parchment, were also on stage as honorary starters to set off the runners.

Running Events Jamaica, led by Sigma Run Co-Race Director Alfred "Frano" Francis, managed the timing system for the runners using the MYLAPS electronic race monitoring system. Winners were selected based on overall net time. The overall Corporate Run male winner was Dwimar Pinnock of Court Administration Division, who finished the race in 24:31 minutes, while the overall fastest female and Corporate Run female winner was Angelika Wollenweber of Jamaica Infrastructure Operators, who finished in 30:39 minutes.

The first finisher of the race was Richard Brown, a guest of the Bank of Jamaica team who crossed the finish line in a time of 22:54 minutes.

Former representative for the Faculty of Law at UTech Britnie Edwards told the Jamaica Observer she was informed that admittance will be done either through an entrance exam or based on an evaluation of transcripts.

"In 2019 when I started UTech, it was a given that we'd have to do the entrance exam, but since COVID-19 we now know there's a possibility that our transcripts will be used. So essentially, we've become even more focused on getting good grades in order to have a good chance of entry," she said.

Both methods, Edwards said, will still be dependent on how many spaces are available after students from The University of the West Indies (The UWI) are placed.

According to Article 3 of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, students who receive a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLBs) from The UWI will receive an automatic entrance to NMLS. Students from other institutions, like UTech, will be placed after.

To this end, Edwards said her peers are arranging study marathons to excel at UTech if transcripts will be used, and to prepare for the possibility of an entrance exam this year. She, however, hopes they will be informed in time if an entrance exam will be used.

"We'd prefer the transcript method, but you still don't want to leave a chance and have a limited time to prepare in the event that Norman Manley Law School decides to give us an exam," she said.

Edwards said, however, even with the uncertainties of an entrance exam or the transcript method she will not be daunted - whether she secures a place at NMLS or not.

"There are people who tell us if it doesn't work out it's not the end of the road...pursue other options, go to other places in the Commonwealth. Don't make the dream die because of limited spaces in one law school," she said.

After contacting the registrar of the NMLS, the Observer was directed to its website which had a notice to students prepared by The Council of Legal Education, concerning the possible methods that will be used this year.

"This information assumes that a face-to-face examination can be conducted. If, due to the current pandemic or any other prevailing situation, this is not possible, applicants will be informed by way of a notice posted on the websites of the law schools" it read.

The document also outlined the possibility of using transcripts.

"If the examination is not conducted, it will be replaced by an evaluation of the transcript of the applicant's Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree. This is in order to ensure that, in accordance with the requirements of Article 3 of the Agreement Establishing the Council of Legal Education, 1971, the degree is recognised as equivalent to the LLB from The University of the West Indies," it stated.

Meanwhile, Dennis Palmer, a former UTech student who is now a first-year student at NMLS, said he was among the few students who were admitted based on an assessment of his transcript.

He said he was content choosing to attend UTech over The UWI, though knowing it could be challenging to secure a place at NMLS.

"I think a lot of people chose UTech because it is way cheaper than The University of the West Indies, and also, a lot of people wanted to have the practical experience before going into Norman Manley Law School," he said.

Twenty-four-year-old Danmar Clarke, another recent graduate of UTech, said any method used for entrance this year will have pros and cons.

"For me, this (the transcript method) is a great approach as it easily allows the law school to identify students who have been performing excellently at the faculty level. However, we will still have a lot of students with low GPA's, which means they probably won't be able to attend," he said.

Danika Bourg, student representative for the Faculty of Law at UTech and president of the Faculty of Law Students Executive Cabinet, said students will just have to prepare for anything.

"I feel that both of the systems have their pros and cons and no system is perfect, but at the end of the day students just have to try their best at every level," she said.

Bourg added that there was a forum organised by her committee last month at which the NMLS registrar, Carlando Francis, was in attendance. She said he provided guidance on how the registration process will work for those trying to secure a place at the institution.

OVD-Info, which monitors arrests during protests, said police had detained 817 people during demonstrations in 37 cities in Russia.

An AFP journalist reporting from a protest in the capital Moscow witnessed at least a dozen arrests and said police were taking away anybody without press papers.

A young woman was shouting "Peace to the world" as she was taken away by two policemen, the journalist said.

Some of the riot police had the letter "Z" in the colours of the Russian flag on their helmets, the AFP reporter said.

The letter, seen on Russian tanks and vehicles in Ukraine, has become a symbol of support for what Moscow calls its "special military operation".

Law enforcement in Moscow said Sunday evening they had detained around 300 people in the capital's centre for breaches of public order.

In Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg AFP saw multiple arrests, including a protester being dragged across the ground.

The city's central Nevsky Avenue was closed off by police, with a dozen police vans parked along the road.

According to AFP, several journalists were detained.

Dressed in a yellow hat and blue jacket, 20-year-old Kristina said she was "expressing her protest" by wearing the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

"It's scary to go outside, of course. They are detaining everyone. Lots of my friends have been detained in the past few days, some were even expelled from university," she told AFP.

Last weekend police arrested more than 5,000 protesters across Russia.

Protesters risk fines and possible prison sentences by taking to the streets.

OVD-Info says that 14,804 people have been detained at rallies across the country to protest the Russian military incursion in Ukraine, which was launched on February 24.

The move could have critical effects including the grounding of a significant portion of the Russian fleet, more than 700 of which are believed to be licensed in Bermuda.

"International sanctions on the aviation sector have had a significant impact on the ability to sustain safety oversight on Russian-operated aircraft on the Bermuda Aircraft Registry," the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) said late Saturday in a statement.

The system has been restricted to such a degree that the BCAA "is unable to confidently approve these aircraft as being airworthy", the agency said.

As of late March 12, "the BCAA has provisionally suspended all Certificates of Airworthiness of those aircraft operating under the Article 83bis Agreement between Bermuda and the Russian Federation", it said.

The announcement is the latest blow to a Russian commercial airlines sector already reeling from punitive measures after the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian carrier Aeroflot was banned from the airspace of the entire European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada, forcing it to suspend flights to these destinations, while American aviation giant Boeing suspended its support for Russian airlines and its operations in Moscow.

Aviation industry experts told AFP Sunday the move by BCAA jeopardises Russia's ability to operate these aircraft.

Following the license suspension, "aviation authorities... will almost certainly say 'We don't want your planes,'" said Michel Merluzeau, an aerospace market analyst with AIR, although he added that Russian authorities could say that if proper maintenance is done, they can still fly in Russia.

But with sanctions barring manufacturers Airbus and Boeing from selling spare parts and offering maintenance, operating the aircraft without such indispensable assistance "cannot last long", Merluzeau added.

Earlier Bermuda's Government said there are more than 900 aircraft registered in the tiny territory, which is considered to be a tax haven.

A "significant amount" of those planes are used by commercial Russian air operators, according to BCAA.

Late last month a British MP, Liz Saville-Roberts, told Parliament of the need to effectively implement sanctions against Russia's civilian aircraft fleet, saying 713 leased Russian aircraft are registered in Bermuda.

According to General Manager Winston Watson, current supply arrangements remain intact and the refinery is actively pursuing additional suppliers.

"During these types of geopolitical events, smaller countries such as Jamaica may experience greater challenges in sourcing both crude oil and refined products. However, we are sparing no efforts to ensure that we have access to reliable crude and product supply," a Petrojam release quotes Watson.

He said that a team from the refinery is currently in the USA attending the annual American Fuel Petrochemical Manufacturers conference to meet with oil traders and other national oil companies in an effort to secure additional options/contracts for both crude oil and refined products.

"Currently, the refinery sources crude from Petrobas in Brazil and from Colombia and Ecuador. Small quantities of crude are also purchased from Barbados. However, since this Ukraine crisis, the refinery has reached out to other countries in the region, including Guyana and Argentina, to secure additional options for crude oil, and is currently in dialogue with PetroEcuador (Ecuador) and Ecopetrol (Colombia) to establish term supply agreements," Watson said.

Petrojam said it is also in dialogue with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) with a view to secure a term arrangement to source approximately four million barrels of crude oil per annum. The refinery also has existing term contracts in place with current and alternative suppliers of refined products.

Watson said that Petrojam has additional crude oil storage in St Eustatius, where up to one million barrels of crude oil can be stored and then shipped to Petrojam in required quantities for processing. Alternative storage arrangements are also being explored.

Petrojam, Jamaica's sole oil refinery, commemorates 40 years of service to Jamaica this year, having commenced operations in 1982 following the Government's purchase of the refinery from ESSO.

Watson stated that global events such as the Ukraine war underscore the benefit of having a refinery, especially as an island nation.

"In times of conflict or natural disasters, crude is always easier to source than finished products. Petrojam's refining capabilities give us an advantage in meeting local energy demand," he said.

"The new policy of the St Mary Municipal Corporation is that, once we see foundation dig and batter board put up, it is demolition time... That is the action you need to take going forward," he told the corporation's Enforcement Supervisor Stanley Davis as well as its Acting Director of Planing Alphus Gordon.

Creary gave the order during last Thursday's monthly meeting of the corporation after being informed about notices being served for illegal construction at Bell Hill and Liberty Castle.

"I would love to hear some more reports coming in saying, 'We visited and we noticed these illegal constructions, and they were demolished.' Let's not clog the court system since we have the authority to do [demolition]," Creary insisted.

He lamented that it takes months to get building-related matters before the court.

"If you demolish them then you won't need to go to the court," Creary told the officers. "Once the buildings are in the early stages of construction, I want the demolitions to take place."

The previous pedestrian bridge was taken out of operation decades ago but the columns that anchored it are still in place.

The structure linked two crucial streets in Port Maria - Main Street where the transportation centre is situated, and Market Street where the public library, market and Claude Stuart Park are located.

The swinging bridge was also convenient for people wishing to escape the traffic and bustle of Port Maria's town centre.

"That pedestrian Bailey bridge that we intend on putting back is absolutely critical to the town," Mayor of Port Maria Richard Creary declared during last Thursday's sitting of the St Mary Municipal Corporation.

He had made a similar declaration a decade ago when he was mayor and chairman of the corporation.

During the meeting Thursday, Creary explained that plans for the new swinging bridge were far advanced up to when the local government elections were held in 2012 and his Jamaica Labour Party lost its control of the St Mary Municipal Corporation.

The political tables again turned in the 2016 Local Government Elections, and Creary was again placed in charge of the corporation.

Now, in the twilight of his current stint, Creary, who is the councillor of the Richmond Division, is happy to be taking another shot at having the new footbridge in place.

"We will be pursuing this and hopefully, we can complete it before the end of the year as one of the 60th Independence anniversary legacy projects," he told councillors at the meeting.

He has a grand opportunity to make the project a reality considering that the corporation is likely to have construction of the bridge funded by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

That ministry, Creary disclosed, has written to the corporation asking it to identify a legacy project for St Mary in recognition of the island's 60th anniversary this year.

The rebuilding of the pedestrian bridge was high on the list of proposals put forward during a recent meeting of the corporation's Civic and Culture Committee, Creary said.

He also stated that he has written to the National Works Agency (NWA) requesting its technical expertise in terms of providing estimates in relation to the proposed bridge. The NWA has responded positively.

In the meantime, residents like Phillip Brown, who will turn 61 next month, have fond memories of the original footbridge.

He recalled that it swung high above the Otram, and so was never affected when the river was in spate.

Brown, who lives at Pagee district in Port Maria, also told the Jamaica Observer that boys had fun leaping from the footbridge into the river below.

"Wi need back the swinging bridge so that the elders can use it to go across the river and go to the market," Brown added. "The elders afraid to cross the [current] bridge because vehicles drive on it and any accident can happen."

"The NSWMA failed to collect garbage across the parish resulting in overflowing receptacles, the creation of more illegal dumps, and an increase of the rodent population. There are communities where garbage has not been collected since December 2021..." Councillor Scean Barnswell (PNP, Hayes Division) read aloud.

"Be it resolved that the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service withhold further payments to the NSWMA for uncollected garbage for the months of December 2021 and January 2022 for failure to meet its obligation," added Barnswell, who is the corporation's minority leader. Seven of the councillors came to office on a PNP ticket.

There was a nine-seven vote, along party lines, against the resolution.

While agreeing that the garbage situation is dire and needs immediate attention, Councillor Hershell Brown (Jamaica Labour Party, Chapelton Division) explained that he would not support the resolution because it was impossible to action.

"A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. We cannot do a resolution so that the Ministry of Finance don't pay, that's just not possible. If we were paying we could do a resolution to say let us approve withholding payment. We cannot take a decision for the Ministry of Finance. While the idea is good, the resolution has no merit because it is taking a decision for the Ministry of Finance which we don't have the authority to do. This resolution cannot go forward because we can't control it," said Brown.

However, Barnswell shot back, "It would be foolhardy for us to sit here and see our citizens complaining miserably day after day about uncollected garbage and we do nothing about it. Chairman, this resolution is indicating to service providers that we at the CMC will not sit idly by and pay scant regard to the services that they are giving the people of this parish. The NSWMA is an agency of Government. I think, as one of their customers, we have a right to say we are not satisfied with the service they are giving the parish of Clarendon."

It was "dishonest" he said, for the agency to accept payment without providing an acceptable level of service and it was important that a "message" be sent to them.

While conceding that there were serious challenges with garbage collection in the parish, Councillor Joel Williams (JLP, Denbigh Division) sought to put the issue in context, referencing the problems being faced nationally and previous updates provided by central government. Williams pointed out that Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie had apologised to the entire country.

"He knows of the challenges we are facing but it's because there are not enough trucks in the system. He went further to explain to us that the Government had to shift much funds that were allocated for the purchase of 100 garbage trucks to the MOH [Ministry of Health] because of the [novel coronavirus] pandemic," said Williams.

However, Councillor Anthony O'Connor (PNP, Crofts Hill Division), who seconded Barnswell's resolution, was unimpressed with that line of reasoning.

"The constituents I represent don't want to hear about monies being shifted for the sake of COVID when their garbage is overflowing their containers because that is not a compromise. It is from one thing to the other, when we have an infestation of rats and roaches that leads to other medical problems," he argued. "It's like we are [agreeing to either be] killed by COVID or... by leptospirosis. Even though we are not writing the cheque, the monies were paid by the citizens of this parish for their property tax which pays for garbage collection. So we have to at least send a suggestion to the ministry that we are paying for services not rendered," he argued.

Councillor Carlton Bailey (PNP, Milk River Division) added his voice to the call to send a message to the NSWMA.

"I think the NSWMA is collecting money under false pretences. Even if we don't have the authority to pressure the Ministry of Finance, we need to let it be known that we are upset. If we have a serious case of leptospirosis it will make COVID look like a baby. This is not politics, this is for the safety of all human beings," he urged.

In an attempt to quell flaring tempers Mayor Winston Maragh explained that 50 trucks will be paid for in this financial year and should arrive in the next financial year.

"The NSWMA has also been searching for trucks for hire. If we make the suggestion to withhold funds from the NSWMA, how will that help the situation?" he questioned.

At this point the nine councillors elected on a JLP ticket voted against approving the resolution.

Noting that all JLP councillors had voted against the resolution and none had abstained, Barnswell exited the room, followed by the other six councillors elected on a PNP ticket.

Speaking at last Thursday's monthly meeting of the municipal corporation, head of the Manchester police Superintendent Lloyd Darby said 18 more serious crimes were committed over the period.

He added that the police have cleared up almost 50 per cent of the serious crimes committed with 36 cases being solved since the start of this year.

Manchester has recorded one less murder since the start of the year with five people being killed compared to six for the corresponding period last year.

Darby said the police are seeing increased cases of shootings, robberies, and break-ins.

He added that aggravated assault is down and the reported cases of rape are the same for the corresponding periods.

He is appealing for the public's assistance in seizing firearms, which, he said, are the main weapons used by criminals.

"Of the five murders since the start of 2022, four have been committed with the use of firearms and 85 per cent of the robberies are with [the use of] firearms," he said.

"The seizure of firearms is very critical to our policing efforts and we continue to seek the assistance of the public," he shared.

Superintendent Darby provided an update on two recent murders in Silent Hill near Christiana and Greenvale in Manchester.

Twenty-nine-year-old Deshawn Thompson, otherwise called Bigs, was killed on Saturday, March 5 in Silent Hill.

He said that Thompson and other patrons were at a bar, which is attached to his house, when a man walked into the bar, ordered a cigarette, then pulled a firearm from his waistband and ordered patrons to lay down.

"He went over to Thompson and shot him in his head and upper body," said Darby.

"We are making progress with this investigation and we are hopeful that we will be able to clear this murder," he added.

Superintendent Darby also said the police have arrested one person and are seeking two other people in relation to the February 17 murder of 76-year-old Teddy Clarke in Texas, Greenvale.

"I've had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise," Obama tweeted, adding that his wife, former first Lady Michelle Obama, has so far tested negative.

"Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted," he wrote.

Obama, plus fellow presidents Jimmy Carter, George W Bush, Bill Clinton - and their former first ladies - appeared together in a one-minute video released last March, endorsing the US vaccination campaign and sharing what they missed about pre-pandemic life.

"This vaccine means hope," Obama said in the video. "It will protect you and those you love from this dangerous and deadly disease."

In August Obama scaled back his 60th birthday celebrations due to the spread of the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus.

Conservative political opponents had lashed out at the president for planning to host an outdoor party - at which attendees were required to be vaccinated - that had been expected to draw hundreds of guests, after Democrats had criticised Donald Trump's Administration for organising several maskless events at the White House.

Obama reiterated his support for the vaccine in his tweet Sunday, saying his own positive test was "a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven't already, even as cases go down".

Despite a vocal anti-vaccination constituency in the country, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say more than 80 per cent of all people ages five and older in the United States have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.

US daily case counts have fallen off sharply, according to the CDC, with an average of around 35,000 cases per day in mid-March compared to a peak of an average of 810,000 cases per day in mid-January.

Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 31 attacks on health care have been documented via the World Health Organization (WHO) Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA), said the joint statement.

It was signed by the heads of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund and the WHO.

"To attack the most vulnerable - babies, children, pregnant women and those already suffering from illness and disease, and health workers risking their own lives to save lives - is an act of unconscionable cruelty," they said.

In 24 of the reported attacks, health care facilities were damaged or destroyed, while in five cases ambulances were hit, they added. A total of 12 people were killed and 34 injured.

The statement called for an immediate ceasefire.

Aid and health-care workers had to be able to work in safety, "including immunisation against COVID-19 and polio, and the supply of life-saving medicines for civilians across Ukraine as well as to refugees crossing into neighbouring countries," they said.

At least three people were killed, including a young girl, in an attack last Wednesday on a children's hospital in Mariupol in southern Ukraine.

According to the United Nations' reproductive health agency, two other Ukrainian maternity hospitals had already been attacked and destroyed before that strike.

"Attacks on health care and health workers directly impact people's ability to access essential health services - especially women, children and other vulnerable groups," the UN agency chiefs said in their statement on Sunday.

"I thought about how grandma would feel. I know she would be very proud of me for pushing through that," the 17-year-old lower sixth form student at Merl Grove High School told the Jamaica Observer.

The "that", she referenced, was the painful loss of her grandmother, 59-year-old Valerie Ennis.

Ennis was the sole fatality in a collision between a minibus, in which she was a passenger, and a motor car on the Bog Walk Gorge on June 8, 2021. The force of the collision had pushed the Toyota Hiace bus off the road into the Rio Cobre, from which local divers pulled nine people, including Ennis.

The pride that Ennis would have felt was knowing that her granddaughter had aced her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations last year gaining Mathematics, English, Agricultural Science, Principles of Accounts, Biology, and Chemistry all at the grade 1 level; and geography and literature at grade 2.

"She would be broadcasting it right now and she would be very proud, and would be hugging me," Francis said.

The results placed her first in Jamaica and third among the top 10 students on the Caribbean Examinations Council 2021 merit list for agricultural science.

Francis admitted that after her grandmother died she lost some enthusiasm to sit the exams.

"At first when I lost her, I did lose motivation, like three weeks before the exams. But I had the support of my family members and my teachers as well. So they really helped me to push through," she said.

Her mother Elorine Smith couldn't be more proud of her.

"She is my only child and she has always been an 'A' student. I know my mom would have been so proud of her. I prayed about it because our family is close-knit. My mom was so supportive of everything," she told the Observer.

Smith explained that her mother's funeral was deliberately held in August, after Francis completed her exams, to ensure she would focus on doing her best.

"My daughter doesn't show emotions that easily, so I didn't know what she was going through. I would always be concerned about what she was going through, so even with the exams going on and planning of the funeral, I still had to stay strong for her. But trust me, she showed a level of strength at that point. It was surprising, but she remained focused, even despite all that was happening," she said.

Jadyn's father, Mark Francis, described her as a go-getter.

"I am feeling really great. I am proud of her and I feel so happy. I couldn't wait until she got home to hold her and show her a lot of love. Anything she puts her mind to, she will get it done. She is a great kid," he said.

Her former Agricultural Science teacher, Nhashara Lewis Davis, was just as pleased.

"I had no doubt Jadyn would have performed the way she did. Jadyn's work ethic, her diligence and everything about her was unmatched. We were still online when we were preparing for the exams and she would turn up for every class, she did not miss a beat," Lewis Davis said.

Nephrology nurse manager at Mandeville Regional Hospital Marika Davis-Miller said people need to ascertain whether they are suffering from acute or end stage renal disease.

Speaking at a health fair on the grounds of Mandeville Regional Hospital in recognition of World Kidney Day celebrated last Thursday, Davis-Miller said more than 50 people were screened at the event.

"We are screening people to see if they are at risk of getting kidney disease, so we are getting blood pressure tests. We are doing glucose tests, urine tests and also we are using an i-STAT machine to test the chemistry to see if people are at risk for it," she said.

The i-STAT is an in vitro whole-blood analyser that uses single-use cartridges for critical care tests at the point of care, such as blood gases, electrolytes, metabolites and coagulation.

According to Davis-Miller, since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic there has been an increase in the number of people being diagnosed with kidney failure.

"Once they catch (the virus) they have come down with acute renal failure and it varies in age - from teens to adults. The good thing about acute [renal failure] is that it is reversible if we catch it early," she explained.

She said uncontrolled high blood pressure and uncontrolled diabetes are the leading causes of renal failure worldwide.

"We have a renal clinic [at Mandeville Regional] and the majority of the people, about 90 per cent, have either uncontrolled high blood pressure or uncontrolled diabetes, which leads them to end stage renal disease," she said.

"For people in the clinic [with] end stage renal disease, we have five stages [of] renal failure. People will be there with stage three and then something can happen and they end up at stage five. When you reach five you need dialysis, so we have seen a number of people who need dialysis," Davis-Miller said

Pointing out that the renal unit only has 12 stations and has a waiting list of people in need of dialysis, Davis-Miller said, "It is a burden on the system, because in order for somebody to get on the machine... [a patient] has to die, which I know we don't really want to hear, but it is reality."

She said the renal unit is aiming to host health fairs annually.

"Based on the theme for this year, it is about knowledge and educating people on prevention, so we would like for people to prevent renal failure. We are telling everybody what they can do to avoid it," she said.

"First, do your screening every year, [check] your blood pressure and blood studies as well, exercise, eat healthy food. Those who are on medications please take [them] how they are prescribed," she added.

(Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Caribbean islands face the threat of severe water scarcity more and more each day, and farmers from those islands are being urged to watch how they use water for irrigation, and pesticide and fertiliser applications, among other things.

In 2016, the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) put several Caribbean countries under an immediate drought watch. The situation was "a major concern" due to the "below-normal" rainfall recorded during the previous dry and wet seasons, putting human health and the environment at risk.

The countries included Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, northern Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and northern Suriname.

Keeta Bowens, a St Vincent farmer, told the Jamaica Observer that she wouldn't survive if another drought were to hit her country. Currently, she sources water from a small spring near her seven-acre farm.

"I farm dasheen, potato, carrot, cucumber, watermelon, sweet pepper, tomato. Because of what I farm, water is very important to me. And where I am farming, there is a small spring close by. That's where I source my water from. The distance to a river from where the land is a lot," she said.

Locally, Wayne Thomas, a St Catherine-based livestock farmer, said improving water management is essential to a viable and productive agro-food sector.

"I rear chicken, pig and cow. Water is the most important thing. We use water to wash the animals and feed them. For example, we have to wash out the pig pen and the animals have to consume water," he said.

"In droughts, truck affi truck water up in our place. We have to buy water from a well and they transport it through the area. How much you spend to truck water depends on how big your farm is," he said, noting that he has 10 acres of land.

For chicken rearing alone, he said that requires at least two trucks of water a week.

"One truck carry 3,000-odd gallon. It depends on the size of the farm... I have to get water every week. Some farmers have to get water every day of every two days. You have farmers that draw water six, seven, eight trips for the day," he told the Sunday Observer.

Poultry farmer Valdez Bullock, also from St Catherine, said he uses about 80,000 gallons of water monthly.

"It is my truck and the operational cost on that per load is about $11,000 per trip. It carries almost 10,000 gallons. I purchase the water, buy gas oil, pay the driver. I source the water down at Green Acres (pumping station) in St Catherine," he said.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Resilient Caribbean Initiative has implemented a Water Energy Food (WEF) Nexus subproject in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, and St Kitts and Nevis.

The project, launched in February 2021, will run until 2023 and will include solar-powered irrigation alternatives, including aquaponic or hydroponic systems.

An estimated 70 farmers from across the beneficiary countries will involve the implementation of selected water and energy efficient irrigation, water harvesting and storage systems.

Bajan farmer Devane Toppin sources water from catchment wells.

"When there is a drought and we don't really get any rain to collect the water in the wells, the water pressure gets low. It replenishes as long as we are getting rain. We got to hope the rain falls," he told the Sunday Observer.

"Various farmers using the water out of the wells, so some will be coming out and if some coming out and none going back in, you know what will happen. The water levels will get low. Therefore, water will go on a ration where there will be a split down of the amount of farmers in half and half will get water at a certain time on a schedule, and then the other half on another schedule," Toppin added.

Michael Mclish, operator of The Clucking Chicken Ja - located in Portmore, St Catherine, uses about 1,200 gallons of water weekly, and that is only for his pigs.

"Adequate and safe water is essential for healthy animals. Having water available to livestock allows for optimal animal performance. Feed intake is directly related to their water intake, so the less an animal drinks, the less feed it will consume which will lead to reduced weight gain. Water is needed for the digestion of food, excretion and for cooling down the body's temperature," Mclish said.

"It includes, but is not limited to, supplying drinking water to livestock and chickens, cleaning of animals, cleaning of chicken coop and pig pen, growing of crops, crop cooling, fertiliser spreading, etc."

Mclish told the Sunday Observer that he sources water from a canal that flows from the Rio Cobre under the irrigation organisation and National Water Commission (NWC) waterlines.

"Animals need to have access to water at least three to four times a day, so if I'm unable to get water for two days straight, they will start to eat less and more slowly, which will reduce the potential for daily weight gain. If that happens, they are more at risk to all kinds of diseases and that will lead to a decrease in production," he said.

The National Irrigation Commission Ltd (NIC) said Jamaica is "extremely vulnerable" to drought, with February to March and July to August usually being the driest periods. The commission said as a result, plans need to be put in place to mitigate the possible effects of drought.

Ainsworth Riley, the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA) agribusiness specialist in Jamaica, told the Sunday Observer that climate change is at the top of the agenda where the agriculture sector is concerned, because it impacts both farmers across livestock as well as crops.

"In recent years, the weather patterns has not been adhering to the normal, and so, we have periods of high intensity of rainfall and then we have periods of drought. We encourage farmers to make adjustments to their farming practices," said Riley.

"In the case of those who are doing crops, we emphasise drip irrigation systems so that they use less water. Along with the irrigation system, we encourage having a storage tank connected to that and connected to the storage tank, we try to promote water harvesting systems whether it be from the catchment of their roofs, or they can set up a little shed with zinc at the top and conduits so when it rains, they can harvest and store water."

It follows a report coming out of the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) that information obtained in respect of the abduction of a female student last Thursday points to the same man who took away the youngster and another girl last October.

According to police sources, two female students were walking to CASE's farm about 5:00 am on Thursday when one of them went back to the dorm to get a notebook. She was abducted by a man and an alarm was made.

On Saturday, president of the Portland institution Dr Derrick Deslandes told the Jamaica Observer that the man is suspected to be Davian Bryan.

"That is what our information suggests," said Deslandes. "His parents live on the extreme east of the CASE property, and I think they are probably squatting on the CASE property, so he would've known the CASE property very well. He's from the area and the information we have gleaned suggests that he is the person," Deslandes continued.

The student was eventually found by students and taken to the Port Antonio Hospital, as she appeared to be hurt. Further, the students formed a search party to find the perpetrator, but were unsuccessful.

Also, the student returned to campus after a medical examination and counselling, and police secured clothing believed to be that of her attacker that was found in the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Kenneth Chin, commanding officer for the Portland Police Division, and Senior Superintendent of Police Stephanie Lindsay told the Sunday Observer that the police could not confirm that Bryan was involved.

But Phylisa's mother, Latoya Dyer, told the Sunday Observer that the community of Bath has been on alert ever since they heard about Bryan's possible involvement in the CASE abduction.

"I heard about it. We have to be on the lookout. Mi really feel disappointed that this end up happen again," she said on Saturday.

"It's not a baby again, but mi still feel so disappointed. I can't even find words to say. Look how long dem fi ketch dat boy and all now nobody cyaa ketch him," Dyer lamented.

She expressed frustration that Bryan seems to be an impossible target to catch.

"You only hear that he is at one place and when you go, he's not there and nobody [knows] where he is. So, we just have to be on the lookout."

Bryan, who is before the court on rape and illegal possession of firearm charges, is the main suspect in the kidnapping of Phylisa and 13-year-old Winshae Barrett in Bath, St Thomas, both of which occurred in one week.

Phylisa was alone on her veranda on Thursday, October 14, playing with her puppy, when Bryan came to purchase an item some time after 6:00 pm. Phylisa's older sister then discovered that she had gone missing.

Two days after Phylisa was rescued, Winshae was snatched from her home. The girl was reported missing some time after 4:00 pm on Saturday after accompanying her older sister to feed pigs in their backyard. She was found the day after in heavy foliage outside Spring Bank, a neighbouring community to Bath.

Phylisa's father, Korian Prussia, also expressed disappointment at the possibility that Bryan could "strike again."

"If him try fi kidnap somebody else and it nuh happen, that just mean that him a go do it again. Him a go deh bout the place a give trouble and dem need fi ketch him. I would be more disappointed if him do it again," he told the Sunday Observer.

Prussia said he believes the man will now be returning to St Thomas .

"I don't know what to say. I don't think him have anybody a support him like that, so him a go head back here."

Dyer responded saying that she is happy her daughter has been out of St Thomas since the incident.

"She is still getting counselling. I think they are working well. It's okay and they are there for help. I have a lot of friends and family counselling me as well, so I am okay," she told the Sunday Observer in November.

Donnovan Donnal, the girl's cousin, agreed.

"The community a go feel worse, because it sound like him a go head back this side now. Him run weh from St Thomas and now him a go run from Portland and come right back. I wouldn't say the police let down the family though because dem a do dem work still," he reasoned.

Donnal added: "I am disappointed. The family is disappointed. I was never expecting to hear anything like this again. We never wah this fi happen again. Di man need fi get captured so the people dem can feel more comfortable. Even the pickney dem... dem nuh comfortable all now."

At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Deslandes said it was "an unfortunate incident" and indicated that that campus is returning to some level of normalcy after a meeting with students, board members and the police, and additional security measures that have been put in place.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for Portland Eastern Ann-Marie Vaz said in a press release that she has mobilised a team to assist the police in lawful steps being taken to find the person who attacked the CASE student.

Even a WhatsApp message that he sent to those in his group was met with cynicism, some even saying that it was fake and his account had been hacked.

But confirmation came later that Montague, Member of Parliament for St Mary Western, and freshly appointed minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for, among other things, the housing portfolio, was no longer a member of Prime Minister Andrew Holness's Cabinet.

When the Jamaica Observer contacted him on Saturday, Montague said that he could not say much more on the matter of his leaving the Cabinet, as his lawyers had instructed him not to speak on the issue until certain matters had been dealt with.

However, in response to a question as to whether or not he was forced by Holness to resign or be faced with dismissal, Montague responded flatly: "No!"

"I have been contemplating it for a while, but for now I have been advised to keep quiet," was all the seasoned politician, who also served as mayor of Port Maria, the St Mary parish capital, would say.

Around 10:59 Friday night, a WhatsApp message from Montague stated:

"Good night. Just letting you know that within the last hour I handed in my resignation to the PM as minister.

"There are some personal matters that I have to deal with. I need the time and space to treat with these matters. I have to deal with them. I have retained a law firm and is being guided.

"I am in good spirits and took time to think this through."

Close to midnight, an oddly-worded Jamaica House statement from Holness on the resignation said:

"Late this evening, I met with Minister Robert Montague who tendered his resignation with immediate effect. Minister Montague expressed that it was a privilege to have had the 'opportunity to serve at the highest levels in government '."

Last week, a report by the Integrity Commission blamed former ministers of national security Peter Bunting and Montague for allowing people with what the commission described as being of "questionable character" to get gun licences while the public officials served as policy head of the nation's security.

The document, titled 'Special Report of Investigation Allegations Concerning Acts of Impropriety, Irregularity and Corruption in the Issuance of Firearm User Licences to Persons of 'Questionable Character', was tabled in Parliament and later released to the media.

On Thursday, Bunting lashed the commission and threatened to pursue legal action against media organisations which reported aspects of the findings, while, on the same day, Montague responded in a statement:

"I take note of the report tabled by the Integrity Commission in the House of Representatives concerning my then fulfilment of my statutory duty to assess and make a decison on the issuance of gun licences to a range of people who appealed having been initially denied.

"The report is grossly misrepresentative and incomplete. It is unfortunate that, prior to the tabling of the report, despite a suggestion made to me that I'd be given the courtesy, I was not fully given the opportunity to respond to that which the commission sought to assert as 'facts'.

"Every Jamaican citizen, regardless of their station or status in society, deserves to be afforded the full courtesy of natural justice. Every citizen has a right to be heard or to respond to accusations. This due process was not fully afforded to me.

"The report also fails to take into consideration that all my actions concerning the referenced issue were informed and guided by the recommendation of a panel of experts which I had tasked with assisting in assessing appeals made to me in my capacity as minister of security.

"Despite the fact that the Integrity Commission report contained no adverse legal recommendations concerning me because I carried out my statutory function, I have referred the report to my lawyers for further review."

As for Bunting, who the commission accused of approving two firearm licences during his time as security minister (2012-2016), the People's National Party (PNP) issued a statement Saturday, again throwing its support behind the Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate.

It said: "Senator Peter Bunting released a detailed statement outlining the facts of the two cases. The details reinforced that the decisions were made in the proper exercise of his ministerial authority, considering the facts before him, and the recommendations of the review panel.

"Given the outcome of the investigations by the Integrity Commission, and the additional details provided by Mr Bunting, there is no question of the two decisions being in any manner tainted by corruption or improper motive. There is nothing that has come to light that suggests that the decisions were flawed or improper, and we are guided by due process."

On Saturday, as the news of Montague's walk into the unknown sunk in, some Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) officials, who are confessed Montague sympathisers, suggested that he was forced out, one even putting forward the view that Montague's examination pass marks were at a higher level than others in the Cabinet.

"Bobby's rope is very short," the former parliamentarian said. "You guys in media play down this thing about race and class in this country, but these are things you should never disregard...they are still at play."

Another said that Montague was always beset by petty jealousies within and outside of the JLP, which always made him a target.

"I would not tell you that his stewardship over ministries that he has held policy direction over was always without flaw...far from that in some cases...but others have done far worse, yet they continue to be held high in Government.

"What is Montague's fault? Is it that he, a little country boy who grew up in tough conditions, pushed his way through high school and became deputy head boy at St Mary High School should never run as chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party?" Is that among the real issues? the veteran asked.

Yet another in Montague's corner said that the ruling party was at a stage now whereby the first name to be called if anything went wrong in Government was Montague's.

"He has to always make sure that his i's are dotted, and his t's are crossed, and it isn't right. Also, when you are outspoken and not from a strong economic background in this country, things work against you," stated the long-time party influencial, a woman.

Montague, at one stage the only sitting JLP councillor (Carron Hall Division) in the St Mary Parish Council, now municipal corporation, became MP in September 2007 when the JLP ended the 18-year reign of the PNP in Government.

He defeated Delano Franklyn of the PNP in St Mary Western, but lost the seat to Jolyan Silvera in the December General Election. However, Montague rebounded with an impressive victory in the 2016 General Election, won again by the JLP, which ended the first one-term run of the PNP. He was victorious again in the 2020 election.

Apart from serving as minister of national security, and minister without portfolio, Montague was also minister in charge of local government and its reform; and transport and mining.

Figures obtained by the Jamaica Observer showed that in 2020 it cost $13,000 to feed one inmate per month and the island's prison population currently amounts to just about 3,700.

The revised Estimates of Expenditure for the current financial year show a food bill of $527, 374,000 million, with that figure expected to rise to $581,431,000 for the coming financial year 2022/2023 for diet charges.

The issue of the feeding of prisoners has been a vexed one for many Jamaicans over the years. It is popular opinion that prisoners should be made to work to pay their debt to society and feed themselves.

There are two farm prisons in Jamaica - the Tamarind Farm Correctional Centre in St Catherine and the Richmond Adult Correctional Facility in St Mary. But sources tell the Sunday Observer that there is very little taking place in terms of work and productivity on the farms which mostly lie fallow.

A source close to the Richmond Adult Correctional facility said: "There isn't enough staff and we have to focus more on security, so farming takes a back seat. We do a little here and there but nothing on a wide scale. We supply some of the other institutions with eggs from a small chicken farm and our pig rearing is at an all-time low. I believe it is time for the authorities to take a close look at what is going on because there is enough land available for cultivation and production and we should be putting more into the system in terms of ground provisions, meat and vegetables. That would lessen the burden on the taxpayers and funds could be shifted to assist with more rehabilitation programmes."

Richmond Farm once incorporated a large banana cultivation with cash crops mixed in, including corn, string beans, pak choi and cucumber.

A correctional officer at a high-security facility said many staff members are furious that the Government is laying out so much on feeding inmates and is calling for an audit of the services. "The Auditor General's Department needs to look deeply into what is taking place in prisons. From where many of us sit we see this as a money-making thing. Jamaica is in problems in terms of fish heads...It's a friendship thing and somebody needs to look at how the produce contracts are awarded."

He continued: "You have many prisoners who desperately want to work. They want to be doing something. So why is a man sentenced to hard labour and he can laze about all day, sometimes making mischief. It is an absolute disgrace that so many acres of land at Richmond and Tamarind Farm remain under-utilised and are turning into forest and the institutions are buying things like yam, sweet potato, cabbage, callaloo and bananas. The taxpayers of this country need some answers.

"If there was better management of the men, they would be able to supply all of the fresh produce that is required," he added.

Minister with responsibility for the correctional services Zavia Mayne and the Commissioner of Corrections Lt Col (Ret) Gary Rowe remained tight-lipped about the feeding programme in the service, refusing to respond to questions posed by the Sunday Observer.

Another area of concern raised by the correctional officer is in the area of dietary needs for inmates who suffer from diabetes and/or hypertension. "We are supposed to have nutritionists and doctors who screen and make recommendations for certain inmates with medical conditions. But from what I have observed they are just fed what is there and the daily menu leaves a lot to be desired.

"I know this prison, but what is served raises questions about where all that money is going. For example, every day there is rice and dumplings. Sometimes there is cornmeal porridge and crackers. They have recently introduced salt fish and there is a limited variety of meat kind. So, what is half a billion dollars being spent on annually?"

Notwithstanding, officials warn that the practice shouldn't be fostered, as if the children are caught, they will be found to be in breach of the Offensive Weapons (Prohibition) Act.

One parent told the Jamaica Observer that she insisted that her son take a scissors to school when he began secondary education and had to travel a distance to get to school.

"This is not something that came with COVID... or just now that face-to-face classes start again. I have been telling my son to hide a scissors in his bag and take to school for years now... since he started high school. Remember all kinds of people out on the road, and to get to and from school, my son uses public transportation. Anything can happen, especially now," the woman said.

"I am not sending my child to school to stab anybody's child or pick fight. I tell him if you're on the road and your life in danger, try and defend yourself and try alert people to help you."

Another parent said: "When my daughter was going to high school, she had to go to Half-Way-Tree and she carried a little knife. Thank God she never had to use it, but there was a time back then when people were holding up and robbing the schoolchildren in the Half-Way-Tree area. And even now that she graduate from school, she take taxi to UWI [The University of the West Indies] and she still carry her protection."

The discussion follows a social media post by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) last Wednesday, which highlighted tools that were confiscated from students at a school after a search. Thirteen scissors and four knives were counted, among other things.

"As classes have resumed for students across the island, the St Catherine North Police have been working to ensure the learning environment is safe. Inspector Ishmale Williams and team conducted a search at a school in the division where these items were taken from students," the JCF wrote on Twitter.

One individual responded to the JCF's post saying: "Frankly, I understand some of these. My cousin was jumped twice and robbed by grown men once. My brother was accosted too, so I lowkey get why some of them bring some of those things."

Some inquired why a pepper spray was seized, implying that female students rely on them for protection.

"Why the pepper spray though? It is not safe for our girls on the road," another individual wrote.

Senior Superintendent of Police Gary Francis cited the Offensive Weapons (Prohibition) Act, noting that no individual should arm themselves with offensive weapons in public.

The Act defines 'public' as every highway, road or other passageway, court, parade, wharf; school premises, public garden, open space or any place used for the purposes of sports and games; and any other place or premises to which, at the material time, the public has access, whether on payment or otherwise.

"That's simple. As long as the person who commits the act is over the age of 12, it is considered an offence. That is really a no-no. There is no provision for a waiver, so any weapon that is classified as an offensive weapon that is being carried around by anyone, whether a student or adult, is a breach of the law. That is the legal position on the matter," Francis told the Sunday Observ er.

"It's not something that we really want to put in our children's minds, as they move towards getting their education. Those weapons may very well be called upon to be used in cases when they were never meant to. A simple dispute and the student may very emotionally pull on them. They should not have them."

Francis added that parents shouldn't facilitate such behaviour.

"We encourage parents to desist from arming their children to send to school and encourage to speak with the PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) body and get the police involved to get support, in terms of safety tips that can be practised so the students can feel safe. There is the whole aspect of the fear of crime defence being different from crime. So, you want them to feel safe from the fear of crime and crime itself."

He added: "Your tool of trade is your tool or trade and there were some instances where there were some students who participated in some different kinds of vocation at school, and provisions were made by the schools to keep whatever machines - a scissors or whatever tool - that the students would need to use."

Linvern Wright, head of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS), also denounced the act.

"It is of concern and principals and deans of discipline along with teachers are really trying to be alert to ensure that these things don't pass the school gates and then go beyond that to having children injured. It is a problem we have to deal with nationally. The police have it to deal with, and I think parents have it to deal with at home because of the mentality that we have. We just have to see how we can mitigate it as we go along," told the Sunday Observer.

One parent agreed. The woman argued: "I don't believe in that. You give your child a weapon to bring to school, and you're turning that innocent child into a war-monger. You are putting thoughts into their head. Dem probably all a think fi go kill people. I could ever tell my child fi bring nothing like that go school."

A graduate from an all-boy institution told the Sunday Observer that he used a school-required instrument as a weapon.

"When I was attending school, I didn't bring any particular weapon per se like scissors or knife. However, I did technical drawing so I had a T-Square and you could say the T-Square was my weapon if anything should happen when I was going home or even if things break out at school. But it was mainly for the road purpose," he said.

Meanwhile, Francis reasoned that law enforcers don't want students to be law breakers.

"We want them to go to school and build their capacity to continue the process of nation-building. So, it is not in our interest to lock up any student. We want them to not incriminate themselves by taking around offensive weapons. Our interest is to build our country stronger and better, and our future resides in our young people. Through the different divisions, we have sections that focus on community safety and security and the school resource officer.

"And even in divisions where there are no active school resource officers, the police stations in the area have a responsibility to actually support the various schools with whatever general security and checks, and giving pep talks and security tips. So, those are things that principals, guidance counsellors, deans of disciplines call up on the police for from time to time. There is the Community safety and security headquarters also, that they call upon to give support to them in better securing themselves without being armed without offensive weapons."

This comes as part of the foundation's observance of Salt Awareness Week 2022, from March 14 to 20, under the theme 'Shake the Salt Habit'.

The most recent Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey (2017) reports that approximately 1 in every 10 Jamaican consumes excessive amounts of salt/sodium by adding salt at the table or through frequent consumption of salty sauces and processed foods high in sodium.

"Unfortunately, most of our processed foods are high in sodium, with many containing several sources of sodium. More than 60 per cent of packaged foods contain table salt (sodium chloride), and other additives include sodium benzoate, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), brine and soy sauce," said clinical nutritionist at the Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR) and board member at the HFJ, Dr Suzanne Soares-Wynter.

"Foods with high amounts of sodium per serving include the ready-to-heat/ready-to-eat foods such as soups and pastries, and processed meats like corned beef and sausages. Most sauces, spreads, dried spices, and seasoning have excess sodium, and these are used frequently in food preparation. Even beverages like sports and energy drinks, and non-dairy milks can have high sodium. Consumers can easily consume a lot of salt given the wide variety of products with excess salt," she added.

While sodium plays a critical role in several human bodily functions such as blood volume and pressure regulation, osmotic equilibrium, and the control of pH levels in our bodies, Dr Soares-Wynter warns that negligence to monitor and regulate daily consumptions can result in persons developing a heightened and unhealthy preference for its excess.

Diets high in salt are associated with an increased risk of developing the "silent killer", hypertension. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, and blindness. It is also a major risk factors for heart disease.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a daily intake of less than 2,300-milligrams of sodium (a little less than one teaspoon of salt) for basic life functions.

"The issue is that, in addition to the overconsumption of table salt, a lot of processed foods already contain high amounts of salt, some even exceeding the daily recommendation in one sitting," said Barbara McGaw, project manager of the Global Health Advocacy Project, HFJ.

According to the World Action on Salt, Sugar & Health, three quarters of the salt we consume on a daily basis comes from packaged and pre-prepared foods. This cannot be removed by the consumer, so simply telling people to eat less salt will have limited effect.

Effective front-of-package warning labels (FOPWL) is also necessary so that consumers are aware when products are high in salt. A recent PAHO/UTech study in Jamaica found that the black octagonal "High In" front-of-package warning labels were most effective in assisting consumers to identify products high in salt, fat, and sugars.

On the occasion of World Salt Awareness Week, the HFJ is calling for the food industry to also be mindful of the negative impact of excess salt on health, and to reduce the salt content in their products - shake the salt habit so that we can all live longer, healthier lives.

The calls come days after the Integrity Commission report on the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) citing Montague for knowingly granting firearm permits to six people with criminal traces while he was national security minister. The former minister oversaw the FLA from 2016 to 2018.

Bunting, who was Montague's predecessor, was also cited for two alleged breaches in the report.

One call for Bunting to step aside came from political commentator Lloyd B Smith, who is also a former Member of Parliament for St James Central and one-time deputy speaker of the House of Representatives during a People's National Party (PNP) Administration.

Speaking to the Jamaica Observer on Saturday, Smith pointed out that Bunting, who previously served as minister of national security, should step aside from the Senate.

"I noticed that he has been threatening legal action and I don't know the basis of that as I am yet to be fully advised. What I would say to him in the meantime, is he should at least remove himself from the Senate until he can clear his name," Smith said.

"He, too, should do the right thing and set an example. I think it all boils down to accountability and respect for the rule of law and integrity to those who wish to lead us politically and otherwise," the former politician added.

As for Montague, Smith told the Sunday Observer that he did the "honourable thing" by resigning amid these shocking allegations.

"I think Montague's decision to demit office is the right thing to do because for some time now he has been plagued with a number of so-called scandals and this latest FLA issue really has been unfortunate," he said.

Smith continued, "He is one of the most outstanding politicians in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), having been chairman and running successful elections in St Mary. It is such a pity that his career has taken this tragic turn, but he has done the right thing by stepping down and I wish him well."

Popular public affairs commentator Kevin O'Brien Chang also shared his concerns about the Integrity Commission report.

Calling for the leader of the Opposition Mark Golding to put his foot down, Chang told the Sunday Observer that the allegations made by the Integrity Commission against Bunting should be respected.

"I expect the same thing from the Opposition leader - whatever positions you have given Bunting take them away," said Chang.

"Remember this is not just regular people speculating, this is the Integrity Commission where we have a body of men and women with exceptional characters to give us the truth. If we cannot believe in the Integrity Commission, then what can we believe in?" he questioned.

"Why wouldn't they both resign? It is the logical expectation. They should both acknowledge the authority of the Integrity Commission," maintained Chang.

He noted that these allegations of handing over legal firearms to people of questionable character must be taken seriously as crime continues to plague the country.

"We cannot control the illegal guns, though we are trying, but we can control the legal guns. I believe that if we don't do everything we can to control them, we are basically saying we don't care about the people who are being murdered then," he stated.

"We have seen cases in the past with murders being traced back to legal guns. So, if I am a security minister, I'm going to make sure that nobody with a [criminal] past gets a gun," Chang told the Sunday Observer.

The political commentator shared that he has noticed a "paradigm shift" being experienced by the Andrew Holness-led JLP. With the JLP being plagued with scandals since 2016, he commended Prime Minister Holness for ensuring that these political representatives who have brought shame on the party resign from their roles.

"We have had five events since 2016 - Andrew Wheathley and PetroJam, Ruel Reid as education minister, George Wright and the stool business, Floyd Green allegedly out during lockdown and now Robert Montague. This is not even the first time Montague's name has been involved in scandals," said Chang.

"Montague has had many lives, so like many people, I don't believe he should have gone back to the Cabinet that last time. But eventually he crossed the line, so I think we are seeing a new paradigm shift," he added.

Former mayor of Montego Bay Shalman Scott has not only called for the resignation of both political representatives but wants a thorough investigation into the matter.

"We have been having too many cases of allegations and proof of corruption coming out of political representatives from both sides of the political divide," Scott told the Sunday Observer.

"Since 1990, we have had some 30 major cases of corruption in Government. Of those 30 major cases, only one has concluded where the politician who was responsible was severely punished. That was the then minister of labour and public service, JAG Smith who was sent to prison in 1990 for the embezzlement of the farm workers' money," Scott pointed out.

Scott claimed that allegations of corruption in Government had caused a high level of distrust among the citizens of Jamaica.

This, he told the Sunday Observer, should be the very reason why all political representatives who are found guilty of corruption should be penalised.

"The last two general elections spoke very loudly to the level of disaffection and dissatisfaction with the political process in the country. The turnout fell between the two elections by 11 per cent," said Scott.

"These situations worsen the mistrust among the citizens of the country and there will be consequences as world history has taught us because after a certain level of disaffection, then comes revolution," he added.

The former mayor appealed, "They should be punished. This is later than we think, and we are a short way from social upheaval. One of the greatest contributing factor of this social upheaval will be an accumulation of mistrust in successive governments."

In 2018, 642 new cases were recorded in Jamaica and 373 people passed away from the disease.

This type of cancer occurs in the colon, which is the large intestine, or in the rectum. It is developed from abnormal growths, called polyps, which can be removed before they become cancerous. It is, therefore, one of the most preventable cancers if people are screened regularly and practice a healthy lifestyle.

Risk factors for colorectal cancer include obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, diet high in processed fat and low in fibre, excessive smoking, inflammatory bowel disease, being over the age of 45 and family history.

Warning signs include blood or mucus in the stool, change in bowel movements (sudden bouts of diarrhoea or constipation), loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, unexplained anaemia or low blood count.

In making a diagnosis doctors will usually encourage people to do a colonoscopy if they notice one or more of the above warning signs. A colonoscopy involves placing a colonoscope (flexible tube) into the rectum with a tiny camera attached to view the inside of the entire colon, and remove polyps before they become cancerous. It also allows for biopsies to be done where necessary. A light sedative is always used to make the procedure more comfortable. Other tests include barium enema, CT colonoscopy and screening.

Of note, feelings of fear, sadness, guilt, disillusionment, and anger often come after receiving a cancer diagnosis. However, the Jamaica Cancer Society provides the following as guidelines to living with the disease.

Gathering information from medical experts on treatment options and the implications of each will empower patients and help them to deal with the fear of the unknown.

Get regular check-ups and make lifestyle changes, including making better food choices and to engage in some type of physical activity. This strengthens the immune system and helps to reduce feelings of depression.

Hold on to a sense of normalcy - A cancer diagnosis does not prevent persons from living a long and fulfilling life. Individuals should instead continue to take pleasure in spending time with friends and family, engaging in physical activity, taking trips and developing their career goals.

Seek emotional support - Family and friends can be a source of emotional support as well as professional counselling, both of which allow people to process their emotions and give them the tools to handle these emotions.

At the beginning of the pandemic, most scientists were unanimous in the doctrine of "herd immunity" as a pathway to ending the pandemic. Herd immunity could be achieved through widescale infection of the community or widescale vaccination. Widescale vaccination was the safer and more predictable option and so was universally adopted as the preferred pathway to herd immunity. This acknowledgement led to a welcome race by the pharmaceutical industry to develop safe and effective vaccines spurred by massive investments from wealthy nations led by the USA. Prominent and ultimately successful in the race for safe and effective vaccine development were AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, among many others. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines contain messenger RNA (mRNA) and the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine contains a harmless version of a virus unrelated to the virus that causes COVID-19. These give instructions to cells in your body to create an immune response. This response helps protect you from getting sick with COVID-19 in the future. After the body produces an immune response, all vaccine ingredients are discarded. These vaccines were among the safest vaccines ever made.

Vaccinations despite misinformation and vaccine hesitancy

Despite the remarkable safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, there was an unprecedented onslaught of misinformation in the public space leading to vaccine hesitancy within many communities, sometimes expected because of lingering injustices and distrust of the establishment. The problem was compounded in countries where poor planning and execution hampered the delivery of vaccines to vulnerable populations. Many countries, especially the more advanced ones, have found mechanisms to vaccinate large populations to pave the way for return to normalcy. Globally, nearly 11 billion vaccine doses have been administered with 4.4 billion fully vaccinated, equating to about 56 per cent of the global population. About 75 per cent of the population of the USA and 87 per cent of the Chinese population is fully vaccinated compared to only 22 per cent of the Jamaican population. Only one per cent of the Jamaican population has received a booster dose. When compared to other low- and middle-income countries, Jamaica's poor vaccination rate is troubling and poses a problem for the return to normalcy in the island. Compared to other countries in the English-speaking Caribbean, Jamaica has one of the lowest vaccination rates. Trinidad and Tobago, Cayman Islands, Antigua, Barbados, all have vaccination rates more than 50 per cent of their population. Far away in Africa, countries like Rwanda and Morocco have achieved more than 60 per cent vaccination rates, significantly better than the 22 per cent underachievement in Jamaica.

Test to treat

In December 2021, the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) approved two oral antivirals from Pfizer (Paxlovid) and Merck (Molnupiravir) for the treatment of COVID-19 in patients at high risk of severe disease. Both medications are highly effective against COVID especially when administered within the first five days of symptom onset. The Pfizer pill, for example, has been documented to reduce the risk of hospitalisation from COVID by more than 90 per cent.

To ensure safety of the nation amidst the drive for normalcy, US President Joe Biden in his recent State of the Union address announced the launch of a new Test to Treat initiative that would increase testing for SARS-CoV-2 at pharmacy outlets with initiation of antiviral treatment on the spot at no cost to the patient. This initiative is part of the National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan that includes VA hospitals, community health centres and long-term care facilities across the USA.

The highly infectious but less severe Omicron variant has been a blessing in disguise as many individuals got infected and developed antibodies without enduring levels of severity of illness seen during the delta variant wave. With widescale vaccinations, early detection, and treatment and a large population with antibodies, we expect containment of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and return to normal life in the near term. With only 22 per cent vaccination rate in Jamaica, however, we may still have a longer way to go than comparable locations. It is time for us to do a proper introspection to understand why we have not performed as well compared to our peers and make corrective actions to improve our vaccination rates and overall pandemic response. We should also be aggressively engaging the pharmaceutical industry to gain access to the newly approved effective antivirals from Pfizer and Merck. A test to treat programme in Jamaica will also go a long way in preventing another surge so we can begin the process of social and economic recovery and ultimately a return to normal life. While some may argue that we may not have the funds to purchase, there are other leverages that we can bring to the table to ensure we gain access.

Dr Ernest Madu, MD, FACC and Dr Paul Edwards, MD, FACC are consultant cardiologists for Heart Institute of the Caribbean (HIC) and HIC Heart Hospital. HIC is the regional centre of excellence for cardiovascular care in the English-speaking Caribbean and has pioneered a transformation in the way cardiovascular care is delivered in the region. HIC Heart Hospital is registered by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and is the only heart hospital in Jamaica. Correspondence to info@caribbeanheart.com or call 876-906-2107

Following his presentation last Tuesday, auditing, tax and consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), led by Caricom Tax Leader Brian Denning, has provided its own assessment of the budget presentation. So too has Victoria Mutual Investments Limited (VMIL), which, on Wednesday, March 9, hosted its Post-Budget Forum 2022 with executive director of Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI) Dr Damien King as a panellist.

Chief among the concerns of PwC was the "$5.6-billion gap which the Government proposes to fund utilising prior year cash balances. The 2022/23 National Expenditure Budget is forecast has a bill of $912 billion, with revenues estimated for the year of $906.4 billion."

With tax revenues projected to be $671.5 billion, the Government also expects income from capital initiatives including divestment of State assets that will contribute $14.1-billion and a $4.9-billion grant.

While Clarke announced that for the fifth-consecutive year there will be no new taxes, PwC asserts that "Post-pandemic growth economic recovery inflation generally and dramatic increases in oil prices will undoubtedly contribute to the increased tax take."

Still, the audit firm commends the minister for recognising that "the Jamaican public will bear more taxes due to increased prices" as a result of local and global inflation, as well as higher import charges and the Special Consumption Tax (SCT) on fuel.

On the matter of the SCT on fuel, and calls for a roll-back on the tax given inflationary and geopolitical pressures, Dr King noted that the finance minister made the right call. He argued that one needs to look at the strategic objective in maintaining the tax on petrol, which is to provide "relief for the citizenry who are facing economic hardship".

The CaPRI executive director pointed out further that the Government can lose revenue from reducing or repealing the SCT or it can expend funds through a give-back.

"It is much better to do it in a way that will [benefit] the people who are neediest and the minister's proposal does that in a very targeted way, especially focusing on the PATH programme," King stated.

He, however, believes that Dr Clarke's budget does not go far enough to protect the vulnerable and financially marginalised, even with the announcement of an unemployment insurance. Responding to a question on the effectiveness of the unemployment insurance, King said that "it's a positive", especially given the importance of social safety nets to protect the vulnerable.

But he highlighted that the unemployment insurance will only serve those who have been formally employed.

"The neediest in our society, the ones who are really struggling to get by, don't have formal sector jobs. Some of them have never had formal sector jobs. Those...in the bottom 25 per cent are going to be little helped by unemployment insurance," the economist told the audience at the VMIL forum.

"It is going to help some people but it is not where the greatest need in society is when you talk about our social safety net," he continued.

To this end, King recommended a restructuring of the "economy and the regulations that incentivise people to be informal".

As an example, he pointed out that employees and employers pay a total five per cent in National Housing Trust contributions but some have yet to qualify for a mortgage. The CaPRI head added that even when contributors reclaim their returns, the interest rate applied is lower than inflation.

Regarding National Insurance Scheme contributions, King said, "Inflation erodes the pension that you get so rapidly that you end up not getting back value for money."

The issue of payroll deductions was also a 'key audit matter' raised by PwC, who stated that the finance minister did not adequately address the issue.

"Minister Clarke announced the GOJ's intention to consolidate these into a single payroll deductions but no further information was provided as to how it is proposed to be done. This announcement is welcome as reform in this area is overdue," the audit firm remarked.

Though PwC prefers a harmonisation of the "tax base", it indicated that the finance minister's intentions are still unclear.

In the meantime, the firm hailed a number of announcements that will enhance the regulatory, fiscal and business framework. Among them were the promulgation of a new Customs Act and the establishment of a Fiscal Commission to ensure adherence to Jamaica's fiscal rules.

The Fiscal Commission has gained the interest of the Inter-American Development who last week announced the disbursement of a US$100-million loan on the premise of its establishment to oversee the management of funds.

In his preamble on Wednesday, King listed the formation of the Fiscal Commission as an opportunity for the Jamaican economy's recovery from the impact of COVID-19. Declaring that "the pandemic over", the economist pointed to recovery in productivity levels and employment and a stable foreign exchange reserves as positive indicators.

"We have seen the trajectory of debt has steadily and consistently come down," he added.

Notwithstanding, King highlighted that high shipping costs, inflation, rising cost of oil, and the Russia-Ukraine war as possible risks.

"The ongoing geopolitical and economic turmoil caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine could constrain the anticipated rebound and impact projections as the year progresses, so time will tell as to whether a Supplemental Budget may be required," PwC stated in its review.

Speaking at the formal signing, Xesus Johnston, CEO of Prime Sports Jamaica Ltd, a member of the Supreme Ventures Group expressed his satisfaction with the agreement.

"We are pleased to finalise this agreement between Supreme Ventures and the JGRA as it promises to be beneficial for all involved. This partnership further underscores SVL's support of small businesses as it gives local gasoline retail entrepreneurs the opportunity to add another revenue stream while potentially gaining new clientele through the SVL customers who may not have otherwise visited the service station. SV customers will now enjoy even easier access to our products through the widened retailer network of JGRA member stations."

The agreement will see the new distribution channel being able to offer both phone top-up and SV lottery games in the initial phases. The top-up offering will afford customers even more access to "right price" credit on which the SV retail network prides itself.

President of the JGRA, Dianne Parram, noted that, "The JGRA is delighted that we have concluded the agreement with SVL as our members have been eagerly anticipating the start of this mutually beneficial relationship. Members of the JGRA have expressed their desire to be included in the SVL network and with this MOU, our members are provided with greater business opportunities."

There are currently over 1,400 retailers in the Supreme Ventures network across Jamaica, providing direct and facilitating indirect employment for over 7,000 people.

The four-man team of Shanwayne Stephens, Rolando Reid, Matthew Wekpe and Ashley Watson met on September 18, 2021, three months before qualifying for the Olympics and becoming the first Jamaica team to do so in 24 years.

The team clocked 1:00.80 seconds in heat one, 1:01.39 seconds in heat two, and then 1:01.23 seconds in heat three.

In an exclusive interview with the Jamaica Observer, three of the men recalled the road to that point being filled with uncertainty and tough decisions.

Stephens, pilot for both teams, started in 2017. He ended up in bobsleigh as a result of being a member of the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom, where they used ice sports as training for personal development.

"The team manager of the Air Force team just happened to know the team manager of the Jamaica team. He passed my details over, and they invited me to come to trials. I've been with the team ever since. It was a smooth transition. When I first met everybody, everybody was really welcoming," he stated.

Reid related to the Sunday Observer that in 2019, a friend told him he wanted to take on the bobsleigh journey and wanted him to be a part of it.

Reid, 29, said he was just looking to train him for the local try-outs. Eventually, he competed and came out as the top recruit.

At the time, he was a teacher of economics at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level.

"Due to the nature of work, I was unable to travel with the team to Lake Placid in New York to train. All I was doing was training out here on my own while the team was away. The first season in 2019/2020 I only got about 10 days on ice," he said.

"Fast forward to the 2020/2021 season, the same thing happened. I entered the North American Cup and due to lack of experience and a lack of equipment, I wasn't able to qualify for the race. I was honestly frustrated. I was training for two years but not really getting anything. It's not like track and field where you show up at a track meet and run and go back home."

Watson was reading for a master's degree in physiotherapy when the team met, and training took a toll on that. He also invested thousands of dollars in a home gym and put his business on pause.

"A lot of sacrifices were done. I stopped all my income and studied while training. That was pretty stressful... being away from friends and family for quite a few months of the year just to quality. Lots of training went into this," he told the Sunday Observer.

"It was a lot of weight and sprint training, and pushing anything I could find; cars, sleds, trolleys and that kinda prepared me for the sport. My job is to push the sled as fast as possible, so I need the leg speed as well as the power because the sleds are pretty heavy."

Brakeman Nimroy Turgott and Stephens make up the two-man team that dropped out after heat three with a time of 1:01.54.

Turgott, 29, was screaming at his television in 2008, cheering on Jamaican athletes at the Beijing, China Olympics. When he eventually decided to participate in bobsled in 2017, he told the Sunday Observer that many people told him to stop daydreaming.

"A teacher in high school first told me to stop doing sports. And then a lot of persons don't even know much about bobsleigh, and when they hear about it, they think it's just a joke, or that we are just there for a show. But we actually put in the work and qualified. I couldn't be more proud."

Turgott, a father, said he doesn't care so much about the results, and is happy his name has been added to a 34-year legacy.

Jamaica bobsled team made its debut in 1988.

"It's an honour. It's a proud moment. We stepped forward and did what we did this year. Knowing that I am a part of that is an amazing feeling. My story is just getting started," Turgott added.

Meanwhile, Stephens told the Sunday Observer that despite not finishing where they wanted to, the experience was fantastic.

"Everybody just wanted us to do well. It wasn't the result that we wanted, but it almost was the result that was to be expected. With the equipment that we were using at the time, just for us to even qualify for the games was a big ask for the team, and we managed to pull it off. We managed to pull it off, and then we went out there and we did everything we could've done to give the best performance."

It's the same for Reid who walked away from his job as a teacher to focus on the sport.

"It's a sport that doesn't really pay. I have my bills to pay, and I became a father in January 2021. I had a decision to make. I was faced with 'Do I stay in the position I was in terms of teaching, paying the bills and staying with my daughter? Or do I pursue this thing I have been pursuing for two years?' I couldn't afford to give up at that point," he recalled, noting that with family support, he journeyed to Lake Placid in September 2021 and met the other members of the team. That was the first time he trained on ice.

The Olympians said there were various moments throughout the Olympics that made the experience unforgettable.

For Stephens, one of such was when the team stepped out during the opening ceremony.

"That sort of solidified all the hard work that we managed to put in. That was like our first reward," he said.

Another golden moment for him was when the team stepped out on the line with, "all four of us in our Jamaica gear, having the flag. We all looked at each other and said, 'Alright, come on boys. Let's give this our best shot.' We literally ran off the top of the hill like fire and ice as we would say, and gave it the best that we could," he added, excitedly.

Reid told the Sunday Observer that participating in the event, with top tier production and resources was positively overwhelming.

"The hospitality that the Chinese gave us was remarkable and the facility was remarkable as well. I can't picture any other nation building such a fantastic and phenomenal facility. It's a state-of-the-art type of thing. We were going up against teams that have been together for four, eight, 12 years and going to their second and third Olympics. I am pleased. We were just having fun and putting on the best show we could. We left everything on the track."

Turgott said the experience has left him eager for the 2026 staging in Italy.

"It just added to the fuel that I have; I am a competitor. Knowing we achieved what we achieved, it's just moving forward from now and getting to the next game. I already started thinking about training plans and stuff like that," he said, laughing.

Watson added: "Making the Olympics was like a dream come true. Especially for Jamaica. It's very close to my heart because I'm born in the UK, but my father was born and bred in Jamaica. I got Jamaican blood in me, so being able to make Jamaica, my heritage, my family proud was a great honour. In the pandemic with everyone down, I feel like we made people happy and have something to look forward to. It's amazing and it was surreal. It still doesn't feel real now."

In fact, the clergyman was resolute that all of the planned functions will still go ahead.

"I don't know how we will do it yet but we will still be having service come Sunday. The church is not the building. We are the people and our hearts are to rebuild and I believe that what will come from this is something bigger,"Bishop Collins told the Jamaica Observer.

He revealed that the destruction of the roughly 18-year-old structure that was predominantly constructed from wood, left the members "emotionally distraught at first".

"But they (members) are resilient. We have to come together, organise ourselves, gather ourselves," he argued.

Eugent McLean, the church's overseer, told the Sunday Observer that members last met at the church Wednesday night where Bible studies were held, less than six hours before the fire razed the building.

"Nothing was saved," McLean bemoaned.

Thursday afternoon, head of the Trelawny Division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade Deputy Superintendent Roland Walters noted that the cause of the blaze was still being investigated and an estimate for the damage was not yet assessed. He, however, noted that "the risk will be a phenomenal and the loss will be phenomenal.

"Our investigation continues. We have our theories but we will not divulge because the investigation is in progress at this time," the Trelawny fire chief shared.

He noted that the Falmouth Fire Department received and responded to a call around 3:14 am of a fire at a building at the intersection of Albert Street and Cornwall Street in Falmouth.

The fire department responded with two units which put out the blaze at the church and sections of a bordering house. The house was extensively damaged by the fire, but the church burnt down flat.

The intervention of the firefighters resulted in putting out the fire before it reached four houses surrounding the church.

Despite the loss of the church building and equipment, Deputy Superintendent Roland lauded his team for their outstanding work in putting out the fire before it escaped to the nearby houses.

"The construction of the buildings around are Georgian-styled, mainly board and Spanish wall. We were able to save four buildings of such construction.We believe it was a job well done. Our operation continued way into the early hours of the morning until we were able to contain the fire and it was totally extinguished," Deputy Superintendent Walters said.

Up to Friday afternoon members of the church were seen loading a truck with loads of the charred remains of equipment, furniture and the building.

New research from AARP, a US-based non-profit and non-partisan organisation that empowers people to choose how they live as they age, found that at least 44 per cent of older adults view technology more positively as a way to stay connected than they did before COVID-19. In addition, four out of five adults age 50 and over rely on technology to stay connected and in touch with family and friends.

The report also found that for those 50 years and over, the use of smartphones increased dramatically. For instance, its use for ordering groceries grew from six per cent to 24 per cent; its use for personal health increased from 28 per cent to 40 per cent for activities such as tele-health visits, ordering prescriptions, or making appointments; accessing health and fitness information also increased 25 per cent to 44 per cent; and smartphone usage for financial transactions increased 37 per cent to 53 per cent.

Henry Osborne, technical product manager at Jamaica National Group and technology expert, said the report is not surprising and noted that, not only has the pandemic forced many to embrace technology, but seniors are now taking a new perspective on the benefits of technology.

"The use of apps can be beneficial to our seniors in more ways than one. We have apps ranging from those that can assist with their health to entertainment, financial, and communication," he explained.

Osborne said one such app that often proves useful to seniors is the pill monitor app. This app can help ensure that seniors don't forget about when to take any of their medications.

"This app allows you to schedule reminders by day, date, and time. You can even send your doctor a log of medications taken," he explained.

He said one such app is Pillboxie, which is available on iOS. An alternative from the Play Store is Medisafe.

"Once the app is downloaded, an Internet connection isn't required to activate it. Owners receive administration alerts even if their devices are in sleep mode. When it's time to take a medication, the device makes a noise. The user then merely checks off the dose in the app. The app is easily customised to accommodate any number of medications and daily dose times," he explained.

As people age, it is likely that their memory can start to decline and affect their ability to function.

Physicians, however, maintain that remaining active will assist in maintaining strong nerve connections in the brain, which will improve communication in general. They believe that exercising this complex network of neurons in your brain can increase memory function and could potentially keep dementia at bay.

Osborne stated that the Elevate brain training app is a technology that can be used for maths, memory, and word games to improve various skills, such as reading comprehension, listening, writing, and speaking. This app is also available on iOS and Android devices, in both free and paid versions.

For keeping in touch with family and friends, Osborne recommends the use of WhatsApp, which is a very popular messaging app, allowing you to send text and voice messages, share photos, videos, documents, and even your current location.

" WhatsApp makes it easy to have group chats so that you can create groups of either family or friends and share your day-to-day life with them," he explained.

Osborne noted that video calling is another great way to stay in contact with friends and family, and adds an extra dimension that regular phone calls can't. Facetime is automatically included on iPhones, but is unavailable for Android. Luckily, there are tons of other apps that work on both types of phones," he said.

" Google Duo is probably the easiest one to use. Just add your loved one's phone number, then tap their name and wait for them to pick up. Google Duo is available for free on Android and iOS devices," he said.

Now, eight years later, the 47-year-old woman is once again heading under the knife to remove a large pancreatic pseudocyst she has developed from damage caused by medication, but she needs your help to do so.

"I was diagnosed at the end of January. I got ill while at work and my boss advised me to go do testing. The results came back indicating that I have a huge lump in my stomach," Brown told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

Upon instructions from her doctor, Brown went ahead and did further testing to ascertain the nature of this foreign object in her body.

"When I did the ultrasound, it showed that I was having a pancreatic pseudocyst, but then further testing, a CT scan, showed that the cyst is protruding from behind the liver. So, it pushed away all the organs and protruded to the front of the stomach," the woman shared.

The size of the pseudocyst, its volume equating to two litres, coupled with the potential hazard it poses to her obviously failing health has forced Brown to seek surgical expertise from professionals operating out of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). She was then given an operation date for March 28 and a bill for $400,000. However, she told the Sunday Observer that she cannot find the money.

Brown, an employee of Eleni's Bakery in St Andrew, is asking for the assistance of good Samaritans to help in financing the removal of this deadly pseudocyst.

"This surgery would mean a whole lot because then I wouldn't have to walk around worrying that I don't want to be bounced [by anybody] when I am taking the bus. I am always praying that something doesn't hit me and the cyst bursts in my stomach. If the cyst bursts, then it can cause further damage to organs and contaminate my stomach," said Brown.

The woman told the Sunday Observer that she is no stranger to life's ups and downs. In 2014, after ending a tumultuous relationship with a long-term partner, she was the victim of an acid attack.

"About 95 per cent of my body was burned. I spent a year in the hospital - damaged. It's like waking up one day and your whole life has changed. So, I have been dealing with all that and I figured that at some point in time the different medications affected me. As far as the doctors are concerned, I picked up an infection, so my body is pushing it out in that manner," the woman shared.

Her attacker left her for dead, but the woman refused to give up on herself.

"I was supposed to be a dead woman, but God favoured me. I must have been doing good at some point in my life. I kind of humour myself to say that I have become a computer because there are a lot of 'cut and paste' on me. But I am healed," she said while chuckling.

Though she tries to see the positive in her experience, her life's new journey hasn't been easy physically nor emotionally as she has had to pick up the broken pieces.

"The experience has been devastating, don't ask me how I do it or how I cope because I don't think it is really me. The interesting part is that it happened, and I have always lived my life to say life gives you good, but you must know how to walk through the rough roads as well," Brown shared.

She added, "If you can embrace the rough roads like you embrace the good paths, then you will get there at some point. The good thing is that I have learned to deal with negativity by looking at the positive side of life."

"This thing practically wiped my life out, but I've always been who I am. I do not let society determine the person I am. You can take away my face, you can scar my body, but I am going on. Burn isn't just about the outer scars, it's the emotional and spiritual impact, it tears away every part of you," she continued.

Brown told the Sunday Observer that heading back into the working world wasn't the easiest thing for her, emotionally. But, as an attempt to remove herself from a toxic situation, she continued to embrace the journey.

"I didn't know what I could do anymore. I lost so much memory of so many things. I didn't know who I was anymore, I didn't know anything. So, I'm questioning myself to see what I do next because I was seeing society for what society is, I am no longer the pretty face and the concept of what society figures I should look like," she explained.

She stated, "People look at me as if I am alien, but I embraced all of that and I stepped out. I took on the challenge, and though it has been a rough road, it has also taught me a lot."

With this pancreatic pseudocyst reflecting another roadblock in the woman's journey through life, Brown is looking forward to days where her health is restored.

Anyone wishing to help can reach out to Brown at Eleni's Bakery 876-544-2731 or 876-279-7907.