Tornado Tears Through Atlanta

Another Storm Follows Atlanta Twister
By DORIE TURNER
Associated Press

ATLANTA (March 15) - Crews hauled broken glass and furniture out of downtown streets Saturday and homeowners surveyed damage caused by a tornado that caught residents and basketball fans by surprise.

More thunderstorms headed across northern Alabama toward the city Saturday. "We're bracing for another round of whatever mother nature throws at us," said Lisa Janak of the state emergency management agency.

The National Weather Service posted a tornado watch for a large area of Georgia, including the Atlanta area, plus portions of South Carolina and Alabama, and a warning was issued for parts of northern Alabama and northwestern Georgia.

At least 27 people were hurt Friday night, though no injuries were believed to be life-threatening.

All downtown events scheduled for Saturday were canceled, including the St. Patrick's Day parade."It's a mess," Janak said.

See: Rips Into Arena During Game

Dollar hits all-time low against euro and yen

The dollar fell to its weakest ever
International Herald Tribune

NEW YORK: The dollar fell to the weakest ever against the euro and to an eight-year low vs. the yen after a government report showed the United States unexpectedly lost jobs for a second straight month in February.

The U.S. currency touched an all-time low against the euro for the eighth trading day in nine as the report bolstered speculation that the Federal Reserve will cut the benchmark interest rate as much as a full percentage point to 2 percent at a policy meeting scheduled for March 18.

"There is the view that we're quickly sinking into recession and that the Fed only has a limited ability to offset that," said Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist in New York at the Bank of New York Mellon. "We certainly see more dollar weakness from here."

The dollar traded at $1.5426 at 8:44 a.m. in New York from $1.5380 Thursday, and touched $1.5459, the weakest level since the euro's debut in 1999. The U.S. currency traded at ¥101.68 from ¥102.67 Thursday, and fell to the lowest since January 2000.

The economy lost 63,000 jobs in February, after a decline of 22,000 in January, the Labor Department said.

See: Dollar hits all-time low against euro - International Herald Tribune

Chicago's Ahk Zarakyah hits the air waves with special guests Dead Prez

THIS WEEK ON SOUL REPATRIATION RADIO--DEAD PRECEDENTS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS DEAD PREZ
KNN-Chicago

LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF THE NEW WORLD--SOUL REPATRIATION RADIO ON WHPK 88.5 FM CHICAGO THE ONLY PLACE ON THE AIRWAVES WHERE TRUTH HAS THE INHERENT POWER TO PRODUCE THE PROMISED EFFECTS...

THIS WEEK (THURSDAY MAR. 13TH @ 12 NOON CST) ON SOUL REPATRIATION RADIO, WE WILL CONTINUE OUR DISCUSSION ON CHANGE VS. REVOLUTION WITH SPECIAL GUESTS DEAD PREZ!!!

IN JUST THE PAST TWO WEEKS, IT'S GOTTEN MUCH THICKER OUT HERE--OIL IS OVER $109 A BARREL, RANDOM SHOOTINGS, SCHOOL CHILDREN DYING, THE ECONOMY IS FALLING APART, AND A BLACK PRESIDENT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE POSSIBLE IS CHANGE REALLY ENOUGH OR IS IT TIME FOR SOMETHING A BIT MORE DRASTIC--UPHEAVAL MAYBE, REVOLUTION CERAINLY...

WE WILL DELVE FURTHER IN DEPTH AS TO WHAT THIS REVOLUTION MUST ENTAIL--WHAT ARE WE REVOLTING FROM, WHERE TO? WE WILL ANALYZE PAST "REVOLUTIONS" AND THE CONCEPTS OF PAST REVOLUTIONARIES IN ORDER TO SHINE LIGHT ON OUR PATH FORWARD!

WE WILL ALSO REVIEW THE DEMISE OF PREVIOUS CIVILIZATIONS IN ORDER TO GAIN INSIGHT AS TO THE DEATH OF THE PRESENT IT AIN'T JUST ENOUGH TO WEAR RED, BLACK, AND GREEN ARMBAND AND MALCOLM X BUTTONS, OR TO VOTE FOR A BLACK PRESIDENT--FREEDOM HAS A CRITERIA

WE WILL ALSO ANALYZE THE CURRENT SOCIAL PLIGHT AS A BACKDROP OF THE INEVITABLE--GET OUT BEFORE YOU GET CAUGHT!

SOUL REPATRIATION RADIO IS HEARD WORLDWIDE ON: WWW.WHPK.ORG

Dr. Sar Yadiel to speak at Caribbean Veggie Fest

Today is the first day program of the Caribbean Veggie Fest
by Sis. Ahmahlyah E. S. Elyahshuv
KNN - Dimona

The Caribbean Veggie Fest is proud to announce the merger of three (3) leading wellness segments (health, spa and culinary) under one roof, comprising VeggieFest, Health Tourism & Spa Conference scheduled for March 15-16, 2007 at the breath taking Rhodes Hall Plantation located between Orange Bay and Green Island, Hanover, Jamaica.

The culinary section will have a focus on every conceivable type of vegetarian food available in the Caribbean including five star gourmet preparations, raw foods, healthy juices, natural pies, natural herbs & spices, natural wines (from plant sources). Exhibitors will include vegetarian restaurants, vegetarian food purveyors, juice makers, natural seasoning producers, herb growers, and a farmers market.

The health section will take a more professional approach by having wellness professionals from around the world sharing their knowledge and expertise in the form of workshops and seminars. This section is usually reserved for individuals who are in the health and wellness industries and are looking to improve their skills, knowledge and marketing strategies.

Opening Programme Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting

9:00 a.m. Welcome by Sharon Chambers, Co-Producer

9:05 a.m. Opening remarks by Theo and Sharon Chambers, Founders & Co-Producers

9:10 a.m. Greetings: Dr. Reinhard Bergel, Day Spa Association, USA

9:15 a.m. Greetings: Karen Ford Warner, Executive Director, Tourism Product Development Co.
9:25 a.m. Greetings: Harold Davis, Executive Director, Jamaica Business Development Centre

9:40 a.m. Greetings: Lisa Bell (Representing Robert Gregory), President, Jamaica Trade & Invest

9:45 a.m. Greetings: (Representative of the Ministry of Tourism)

Opening address:

9:55-10:30 Dr. Sar Yadiel Ben Israel, Minister of Agriculture , for the African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem

10:35 a.m. Ribbon Cutting - End of Ceremonial Programme: Drumming, IIon Station

Tour of Exhibitions (Culinary/Health/Spa)

Programme Sponsored by: Jamaica Trade & Invest, (PSDP), Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC), Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Jamaica Wellness Network, Tourism Product Development Co. (TPDCo), Resort & Day Spa Association, Sunday Herald Newspaper, Hot 102 FM, Positive Tourism Network.

Celebrating Yom L’Mokereem with Royal Appreciation

by Zia
Antigua Sun Newspaper

So, my first thought was, “I really need to get some African evening attire.”

There’s something so regal and sophisticated about men and women adorned in the beautiful garments, with their unique and intricate designs that are synonymous with African beauty and pride. So, even though I would’ve been “decked out” by Western standards, I couldn’t help but feel a bit underdressed in the company of men and women who had gathered to celebrate Yom L’Mokereem.

But garments and accessories were the last thing on anyone’s mind as members and friends of the Hebrew Israelite community gathered to celebrate a season of love.

Notably, the day itself was filled with celebration, as millions around the world show their appreciation and love for women in recognition of International Women’s Day; but within the millions, there were also thousands who recognised the day as not only a celebration or appreciation for women, but appreciation for everyone.

The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem, abiding by the laws and lifestyle ascribed in the Old Testament, do not recognise nor celebrate Western events such as Christmas or Valentine's.

Yom L’Mokereem is a season of appreciation, where gifts are exchanged and people are celebrated. So without the hoopla of a fuss that accompanies the frenzy of Valentine’s Day or Christmas, gifts are exchanged “just because I appreciate you."

The Divine Day of Appreciation was celebrated in Antigua at the Saffron Restaurant in Jolly Harbour. With a healthy and scrumptious spread of vegan delights, the chatter was lively, the merriment in abundance and the genuine celebration for life, friendships and a close relationship with God was evident.

With prayers offered to God in the Hebrew tongue, the evening followed with the dinner, and then entertainment in the form of poetry, amusing skits and songs.

The members of the Hebrew Israelite community will tell you that their beliefs are not of a religious system, but a lifestyle based on the Old Testament. Theirs is a life filled with peace, an appreciation for life, education and the performing arts. But most importantly, with an offering of “Halleluyah” being heard ever so often, the most important element of their life is their praise of and relationship with Yah. In case you’re wondering, “Yah” is the Hebrew word for God.

One of the skits that I enjoyed was a two-man drama of one of the member's life changing experience when he was introduced to the “Kingdom of Yah”. Once living a life of parties, regular clubbing at Web (remember that night club, pretty close to where the Savoy Nightclub is located). Overwhelmed and completely mesmerised by his fellow Antiguan’s life change, Ammi Ben Israel, the young man returned to the God of his childhood days, accepted the teachings of the Old Testament and traded in his old Western influenced lifestyle, for one of peace, health and an enriching relationship with God.

Even though some may still not be able to understand, appreciate or even respect the Hebrew Israelite community and their lifestyle, there is a valuable lesson that we could all take from them and their celebration of Yom L’Mokereem. The lesson? To appreciate each other more, for no reason other than pure appreciation. The best type of appreciation or gift exchange? The one that’s given for no other sake than the sake of giving and showing the people around you that you love and appreciate them and their presence in their lives.
Happy Yom L’Mokereem to you from me!

Quarter of U.S. teen girls have sex-related disease

Forty-eight percent of black teen-age girls were infectedBy
by Will Dunham
Reuters News Service

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than one in four U.S. teen girls is infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease, and the rate is highest among blacks, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.

An estimated 3.2 million U.S. girls ages 14 and 19 -- about 26 percent of that age group -- have a sexually transmitted infection such as the human papillomavirus or HPV, chlamydia, genital herpes or trichomoniasis, the CDC said.

Forty-eight percent of black teen-age girls were infected, compared to 20 percent of whites and 20 percent of Mexican American girls. The report did not give data on the broader U.S. Hispanic population.

"What we found is alarming," the CDC's Dr. Sara Forhan, who led the study, told reporters. "This means that far too many young women are at risk for the serious health effects of untreated STDs, including infertility and cervical cancer."

See: Quarter of teen girls have sex-related disease Reuters

Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water
AOL News
Submittted by A. Zemrah E. Moriel

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas — from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky.

Here are some of the key test results obtained by the AP:

--Officials in Philadelphia said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city's watersheds.

--Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people in Southern California.

--Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed a Passaic Valley Water Commission drinking water treatment plant, which serves 850,000 people in Northern New Jersey, and found a metabolized angina medicine and the mood-stabilizing carbamazepine in drinking water.

--A sex hormone was detected in San Francisco's drinking water.

--The drinking water for Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas tested positive for six pharmaceuticals.

--Three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in drinking water supplied to Tucson, Ariz.

The situation is undoubtedly worse than suggested by the positive test results in the major population centers documented by the AP.

See: Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water - AOL News