CURTIS CAMPBELL, STAR Writer

Media personality Jenny Jenny is pregnant with her first child at age 37. According Jenny Jenny, to be pregnant at her age might be strange for some women, however all her personal decisions are orchestrated.

“I don’t do anything without planning, but now I am ready and that is my focus right now, age 37 is a long wait in comparison to some women but I was not ready until now,” she said.

Jenny Jenny disclosed that much of her years was spent developing her brand and her businesses and a child was not at the top of her immediate plans.

“I was busy doing productions and starting my company to ensure that when I had a child I can support my child, but then again some women have different focus, but I wanted to ensure that I was ready and now I feel like I am at that stage,” she said.

The baby is expected to be born in September and according to Jenny Jenny, even the birth month was planned.

“The baby is due in my month which is September and that was also planned. I made sure to do my thing (conceive) in December, so even that was planned,” she said.

Jenny Jenny says she will not do an ultrasound to ascertain the baby’s gender, and this is deliberate in an attempt to maintain that element of surprise.

“I don’t know the gender because I want a healthy surprise. I am also prepared to do tests to ensure that the baby is healthy … trust both God and science,” she laughed.

As it relates to her hectic schedule, Jenny Jenny also disclosed that she has plans to get a new host for her popular TV show Dancin’ Dynamite, depending on the response of the show’s fan base.

“My pregnancy won’t affect the show because the show ends in May; however, as women, we tend to be very unpredictable, so right now I am co-hosting with Weezy so that the audience can get familiar with her in that capacity. If the response is good, she might host the show … we respect the feedback of the audience because the show is loved and we value the audiences opinion,” she said.

Dancin’ Dynamite will be hosted in Negril this week at the Burger King plaza.

by Ron Carlson

“To tell the men from the boys, check the price of their toys!”

I motored into the shiny, new Quik Trip the other day with ulterior motives.

Disguising my true intentions with a generous offering to the pump gods, I looked both ways to make sure the coast was clear and hustled inside to fill up my tummy tank with junk food. A small voice inside persuaded me I needed chocolate.

Quik Trip is nobody’s fool. They just pretend to be a gas station. They disguise their true intentions by baiting vulnerable consumers with petroleum a cent cheaper than the Exxon-Mobil-Chevron-Phillip’s 66-House of Façade merger across the street. They make their money on candy, beer, and imitation burritos. Their goal is to get you and your wallet inside.

I love to shop for staples at Quik Trip. They sell more candy than my childhood “Five and Dime.” And it’s all so neat and clean and enticing. I don’t mind paying seventy-nine cents for a nickel candy bar if the presentation is pleasant. I feel the extra cost is justified by the privilege of looking.

Nobody should window-shop for free. We need to pay as we go. Eye candy comes with a price.

Growing up poor in the country, I used to cherish the day Montgomery Ward mailed their Christmas catalogue. My sister and I used to flip pages by the hour circling stuff we wanted. Even though we knew there was no money to buy anything, it was fun to lust over the stuff. We used to shop for free.

Discipline lessons learned as a child allow me to spend a few rainy Saturday afternoons a year at the Love Field Antique Mall window-shopping back in the warehouse where the vintage cars are displayed. I don’t go there to buy, but to look and lust. Sometimes I need a sugar fix; sometimes I need a chrome fix. Sometimes I need real chocolate; sometimes I need nothing more than eye candy.

If the merchants knew my true intentions, they would charge admission. Since they don’t, I buy a cheap trinket on the way out. It salves my conscience and rings their till.

I love to look at old cars. I love their lines. I love their knobs. I love their curves. I love their humps and bumps.

And I love their stories.

I stop and read every description and every history. I love good restoration stories, even though they are all nearly identical: “Rebuilt over twenty arduous years; seventy-nine thousand dollars invested; sell today for $9,500.”

Hey, nobody rebuilds an old car because it’s easy or fiscally responsible. A restorer’s true intentions are to create something so fine that other male baby boomers will lust over it.

I know. I’ve done it. Years ago I traded a forklift for a 1954 Ford Victoria “Skyliner” with great possibilities (or so I told my wife).
The first ten thousand dollars just kind of disappeared. The second installment paid for a mechanic’s lake house. The body and paint man still owns the title to my first-born son.

I ran out of money before I got to the engine. It needed lots of work. Sandra persuaded me that shoes for the boys and bread on the table amounted to a better investment. I might have dissented against the majority opinion had the suitcases not relocated next to the door. One of us had to go.

I traded my half-baked Ford to a covetous peer with a sheltered wife. I’m hoping that someday she will speak to me again. I meant no harm.

Restoration remains a fine and noble effort; it’s just not very useful if you run out of money or energy before you rebuild the engine.
I’m encouraged about the fine restoration work currently underway in many of America’s “first-ring” suburbs. Weathered storefronts are getting facelifts. School bond packages are passing. Streets are being widened and even an occasional bicycle lane gets a share of the new asphalt. Developers and City Planners are preaching and practicing sustainability. The cities’ lines and curves are being hand polished with love.

Things look better on the surface, but I’m a little nervous that the new paint job is a cheap cover for a multitude of sins lurking beneath the thin veneer. Are we spending too much time on cosmetic issues and ignoring the most pressing need – a rebuilt engine?
What’s going on under the hood?

I’m convinced a communities’ most important asset is its spiritual health. Spiritual energy drives suburban renewal. God alone gives new life. He sponsors revival.

Sometimes we are duped into thinking that putty and paint finish a project. Wrong. Looking good is only part of the equation. Being good, doing good, trusting good, and following the only One Who is good remain the best route to restoration. Just as a vintage auto is only as good as its engine, so a community is only as good as its power source.

I’m pleading for community renewal that prioritizes genuine spiritual revival. We need to rebuild our inner selves before investing in paint and putty. It’s what’s under the hood that matters!

Not long ago – about the time b.c. yielded to a.d. – the Great Restorer walked the tired streets of Jerusalem preaching the kingdom of God was at hand and admonishing folks to rebuild their hearts. God came from heaven to earth to launch a new life in His Spirit. He discounted the cosmetic quackery of the Pharisees and demanded authentic repentance and renewal. He invited the weary and worn-out to join Him. He promised new life.

The Great Restorer still invites and still promises – and still delivers! He is still the author of genuine renewal.

What makes Jesus’ plan for the suburbs superior is His insistence that we put first things first and start under the hood. In a world that honors cosmetics over substance, Jesus calls us to a greater depth of character and faith and to a power greater than ourselves.

My fellow Suburbanites, don’t settle for a cheap imitation of true renewal. Rebuild from the inside out.

-Ron Carlson

Why haven’t you been having sex?

cause my wife doesn’t feel good, its bad timing, too early, too late, too mid day, hadn’t had a shower, just took a shower, ummmm.. the stars aren’t aligned, that was a small window and it closed, I’m on my period, I’m on my phone, I’m on facebook, I don’t feel comfortable with the child in the next room asleep, its my birthday, its(insert any holiday)day, it doesnt feel right, your not romantic enough, I’m not turned on…. i dont want to make a mess, etc,etc,etc,etc,etc………..…….. ……take your pick

My child will come to motivate and inspire, says gunshot victim, broadcaster Jody-Ann Gray
BY JANICE BUDD Associate Editor — Sunday [email protected]
Sunday, April 08, 2012

FROM her hospital bed came an upbeat and optimistic message from 28-year-old broadcaster Jody-Ann Gray.
“I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from people all over the world. I am grateful to God because this could be worse,” the seven-months pregnant Gray told the Jamaica Observer via text message on Friday after giving the police her statement.
GRAY… I am grateful to God because this could be worse
1/3
Gray was said to be recovering well after being shot in a violent attack at her gate for which a co-worker and two men have been detained and are being questioned by the police.
The day before, against the odds, she had breezed through surgery to remove a bullet from her neck, which had lodged there when she was shot as she exited her car Wednesday night at the gate to her house in Golden Grove, Portmore.
How the popular Supreme Ventures television hostess, Kool FM announcer and former Fiwi Choice host came to be shot in the face and hand is officially a mystery, although there has been abundant public speculation about it.
The police are still interrogating Gray’s 44-year-old co-worker Wayne Whyte — with whom police allege she was romantically involved — and two other males.
Police said Whyte was driving the waiting car in which the shooter fled the scene. The police were able to quickly intercept the vehicle, which had crudely-made fake licence plates, and arrest the three men. The firearm believed to have been used in the shooting was later found on the scene.
Police reported that when the plates were removed, it was discovered that the motor car was registered to Whyte and a woman who shared his last name, of a Harbour View address.
“The broadcaster and the two other men remain in custody and will be questioned in the presence of their attorney,” said Collin Pinnock, senior superintendent in the St Catherine South Police Division, yesterday.
Police investigators say they have collected fresh information in the form of statements from the victim and her family but the senior cop shied away from making a comment about the possible motive for the attack.
“The police have received a number of reports and will be exploring all possible angles in the matter,” was all SSP Pinnock would say.
Since the shooting, Gray’s many friends on Facebook have rallied to her aid, posting their thoughts, prayers and wishes for her speedy recovery and the safety of her child, whom doctors say is in good health despite the trauma endured by Gray.
“Jody is in high spirits after surgery and is on the road to recovery from her physical and mental scars. Her family is asking that you respect her privacy and is grateful for all your prayers and good wishes. The investigations continue on the criminal end, with the key suspect still in custody. All we can now ask is for justice to run its course. Jesus said ‘you abide in me, and my word abides in you. You can ask anything in my name and I’ll surely give it to you’ (Sandra Crouch),” read the post of one close friend.
Subsequent updates gave progress reports on her physical condition after surgery.
“Guys, I’m happy to report that Jody is stable after a surgical procedure to remove a bullet lodged in her chin/neck region. By all accounts she is expected to have a full recovery and the baby is still comfortably onboard. You all should have heard by now that a suspect is in custody and being interrogated by the police. Hopefully justice will be swift and a strong signal will be sent to those who masterminded and executed the attempted murder of our friend, colleague and Godfearing Jamaican,” read another post.
But even with all this goodwill sent her way, nasty posts from random strangers caused the broadcaster to have someone pull her page from the social network site.
Close friend and fellow media worker, TVJ newscaster Janella Precius, who has been by her side since the shooting, said the injured broadcaster is a resilient young woman, who would overcome this horrific attack and rise again.
“I was very encouraged when I saw her; the swelling has gone down and she is very optimistic about making a recovery, especially because of the fact that she has her child,” said Precius, who grew close to Gray during their university internship programme at a local radio station some years ago. She was heartsick about her friend’s injuries, but marvelled at her spirit.
“What struck me is that despite everything, despite the bandage, I mean she looked a little disfigured, but she still was in high spirits. And you’re wondering like, ‘My girl, you nuh realise what just happen to you?’ You know? And she was very high-spirited and this is who Jody is, she just epitomises resilience. She just has this fire in her belly. No matter what happens, she always bounces back, and she never allows any adversity to keep her back.
“What is going to keep her going is the fact that she is carrying a life inside her,” she added.
Precius, like many of Gray’s friends, was shaken by how close she came to being killed, but all of them remain tightlipped about the swirling rumours about what was behind the near-fatal ambush, refusing to fuel speculation.
Precius did have something to say, however, about female media workers who are forced to live out their private lives in the public eye.
“Some other female media workers were discussing it yesterday (Thursday). You have to be so careful who you allow into your life, unfortunately, the people that you date, because it becomes a bigger issue, you’re out there in the public. People know you, and there are those who think they know you. But I know Jody is going to pull through,” said Precius.
Other friends, including former CVM sports journalist and advertising creative writer, Cassius Watson, said Gray’s energy was amazing.
“I’ve always been impressed by her drive from her intern days in the (CVM) programmes department. From then, she spelt out what she wanted to achieve in the business. I encouraged her to enter entertainment and it’s quite obvious she learned the ropes very quickly. She moved from What a gwaan to Hit List to On Stage to Fiwi Choice, along with being a popular Lotto Girl and radio presenter at Kool FM. Every time we spoke she wanted more, and attempted to make her grandmother, the woman she describes as her rock, very proud,” Watson told the Sunday Observer.
Previous articles written about the bright, talented and ambitious media worker, describe Gray as a young woman who has seen more than her fair share of hardship, including growing up without her birth parents; something she has spoken about publicly.
She was partially raised by her grandmother, who was eventually forced to send her to a boarding house on Mountain View Avenue when she could no longer take care of her.
A bumpy life followed, according to friends, including attempted suicide at a young age. Gray told a reporter in 2010 that years before, she had been verbally flayed by her absentee parents for failing her Common Entrance Examination. The distraught 10-year-old child set herself on fire, and bears the scars of that today.
But what followed was an upward trajectory marked by high achievement academically, while juggling student leadership responsibilities. She became head girl of Constant Spring Junior High School before moving to Merle Grove High, where she also ascended to head girl.
There, she got bitten by the media bug and broadcasts with FAME FM led her to the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication at the University of the West Indies, where she got her undergraduate degree and set her career as a female broadcaster in motion.
Sheer determination got her to her current job at Kool FM, where staff have reportedly been placed under a gag order. Tensions are said to be high among employees, appalled by the attempted murder on their pregnant, young media colleague.
Her friends and family, however, want to ensure she is protected until she recovers and returns to the beloved media fraternity, stronger and more determined than ever to be a success.
The eternally optimistic Gray herself texted this message to the Sunday Observer from her bed in her hospital room: “In every bad situation there is good, and in this situation I did not have to go far to realise that I am meant to be a testimony, and it is obvious that my child will also come to motivate and inspire. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!”

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/-I-am-meant-to-be-a-testimony-_11234461#ixzz1rTlFnw3r

http://youtu.be/J7be8wnEd9Y

http://youtu.be/nHFJ_1iUU4U

Mom forced to watch child’s rape

Rasbert Turner, Star Writer

A mother who witnessed her 17-year-old daughter being raped by four men took ill and died suddenly in the Spanish Town Hospital on Thursday.

The Star was informed that on Thursday night the child was at home with family members when four armed men are said to have entered the house. They reportedly took turns raping the child in the presence of her mother and other family members. The mother became ill shortly thereafter and was taken to hospital for a stress-related illness.

It was reported that she later died at the institution.

The Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse have started a probe into the incident.

In recent times, there has been an outcry against persons who are involved in sex crimes.