RIP Derrick Harriott (6 Feb 1939 - 24 Oct 2026). Legendary #Jamaican singer, songwriter, and record producer, a key figure in the evolution of ska, rocksteady, and reggae. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, the youngest of five children, Harriott attended Excelsior High School, where he developed an early interest in music. In the mid-1950s he competed on the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour talent contest, first as a solo act and then as a duo with Claude Sang Jr., achieving notable success. In 1958 he co-founded the vocal group the Jiving Juniors with Eugene Dwyer, Herman Sang, and Maurice Wynter. The group recorded hits including “Lollipop Girl” (for Duke Reid) and “Over the River” before disbanding in 1962. Harriott then launched a solo career and established his Crystal label. Early solo successes included “I Care,” “What Can I Do” (1964), “The Jerk” (1965), and “I’m Only Human” (1965), later compiled on The Best of Derrick Harriott. He opened a record shop in Kingston and became a respected producer, working with artists such as Dennis Brown, Keith & Tex, the Ethiopians, the Kingstonians, Big Youth, Scotty, and others. In 1971 Swing magazine named him Top Producer of 1970; he was also among the first producers to utilize the mixing talents of King Tubby, contributing to early dub recordings such as those credited to the Crystallites (including Scrub a Dub). His own albums from the period include Sings Jamaican Reggae (1969), Psychedelic Train (1970), and Songs for Midnight Lovers. Known for blending American soul and R&B influences with Jamaican rhythms, Harriott continued releasing music and performing in later decades. He received the Order of Distinction (OD) from the Jamaican government in 2009 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association in 2019. #Jamaica #Caribbean #Ska #Reggae #Rocksteady jamaica-gleaner.com/article/…

Without him, there would be no dancehall, no hip-hop, no rap, no Afrobeat. U-Roy (21 Sep 1942 - 17 Feb 2021). Legend of #Jamaican Music, born Ewart Beckford 84 years ago today, in Jones Town, #Kingston. He wasn’t the first, but he was the best and most influential of the pioneering #reggae deejays. #Dancehall #Jamaica theguardian.com/music/2021/f…

A 29-year-old Jamaican who grew up in abject poverty, lost her father as a little girl, watched her mother battle mental illness, placed in a girls home at 14 and had every reason to believe the odds were against her… just became a published author on Amazon. That woman is me.

Max Scherzer moves up the all-time strikeouts list and the @BlueJays 1-hit the Mariners!

Jamaican International Khadija Shaw has won the Professional Women’s Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season in England. Shaw produced another stellar season for Manchester City with 21 goals in 22 appearances as the club clinched it’s second WLS title. READ MORE HERE: ow.ly/qGK950ZFrKs

Happy 40th birthday to the fastest man in history, Usain Bolt!! 🥇🐐 19 Olympic and World Championship gold medals. He still holds the world records for the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m. Despite retiring in 2017, Bolt’s legacy and influence within the sport remain just as strong. 📸 Fernando Frazão

Toronto Blue Jays legend Buck Martinez shares news that he's cancer-free blogto.com/sports_play/2026/…

Usain Bolt, Greatest Of All Time, born 40 years ago today on 21 Aug 1986, in Sherwood Content, Trelawny #Jamaica #Jamaican #Caribbean #UsainBolt en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usain_…

DAZ CAMERON GOES 442 FEET FOR HIS FIRST HOME RUN AS A BLUE JAY! 😱

NATHAN LUKES. OUR CATCH OF THE SEASON!

August 20, 2013. A Georgia elementary school. An armed man walked through the doors, and he told everyone inside he didn't plan on walking back out. Chaos took over instantly. Teachers grabbed children and ran. Hallways cleared in seconds. Every instinct in that building said get out. Antoinette Tuff didn't. She was the school bookkeeper. No training for hostage situations. No weapon. No backup. Just a desk, a phone, and a man standing in front of her who had already given up on his own life — and was prepared to take others with him. So she did the only thing she had: she talked to him. Not about consequences. Not about threats. About life. She told him about her own divorce, her financial struggles, the hardest stretch she'd ever lived through. She didn't speak to him like a danger to be managed. She spoke to him like a person. And slowly, he started listening. Minute by minute, the tension in his voice began to ease. The anger that had walked through the door started to loosen its grip. A stranger who understood pain was reaching a man who thought no one could. Then Antoinette said the words that would later be heard around the world: "We're not going to hate you." He put his weapon down. He surrendered without a single shot fired. Roughly 800 children went home to their families that day. Every single one of them. Antoinette Tuff never carried a badge. She never raised her voice in anger. But in the moment it mattered most, she chose compassion over fear — and it saved an entire school. Some people make history with force. She made it with words.

The flag of #Jamaica was adopted 64 years ago today, on 6 Aug 1962. It was designed by a bipartisan committee of the House of Representatives after a competition with 360 submissions failed to yield a winner. The colours were originally interpreted as "hardships there are but the land is green and the sun shineth”, but in 1996 it was changed to black representing the strength and creativity of the people which has allowed them to overcome difficulties, gold for the wealth of the country and the sunshine, and green for the island’s lush vegetation, and hope. It is the world’s only national flag that does not contain red, white, or blue. #Jamaiacan #Caribbean

Happy birthday, @BarackObama! 65 never looked better. Every day, you make me a better person, and I’m thankful for all the ways you show up for our family and our country. Love you. ❤️