Free Republic

Bob Marley is a worldwide legend. During the 1970s, Bob Marley and the Wailers were at the forefront of bringing reggae to an international audience. They were known for their laid-back compositions and positive messages of peace. With Marley as their figurehead, they preached unity and love and advocated for social change. Marley himself was in a unique position to talk about race. He was born Robert Nesta Marley in rural Jamaica in 1945 — at this time, Jamaica was still under the rule of the British Empire and was home to vast plantations which were managed by the British...

Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, bassist with Bob Marley and the Wailers, dies aged 77 Influential musician also co-produced group’s albums and mentored many Jamaican artists Safi Bugel Sat 3 Feb 2024 15.33 EST Last modified on Sat 3 Feb 2024 17.22 EST Aston “Family Man” Barrett, bassist for Bob Marley and the Wailers, has died aged 77. The news was confirmed on Saturday by Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s minister for culture, who wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I share with you my deep regret at the passing of Aston Francis Barrett, popularly known as ‘Family Man’ or ‘Fams’ … He died...

The formidable head of a pride of lions has been killed in a vicious attack by younger rivals. Bob Junior - named after legendary reggae singer Bob Marley - was an incredibly photogenic big cat and a fan favourite with tour operators and visitors, who have paid tribute to him online. With his brother Tryggve, the 'coolest cat' in the Serengeti National Park had ruled his pride for more than seven years. The lion, who was also known as Snyggve and who some believed relished his celebrity status, did not put up a fight when he was mauled by younger...

Snapchat thought it had found a way to have a little fun on Wednesday, April 20, with a Bob Marley themed graphic. But the company went a little too far, according to irate users online.To acknowledge 4/20, known as "Weed Day," Snapchat created a special "lens" that morphed people's faces into Bob Marley, the late reggae icon.The lens added dreadlocks, a crochet slouch cap, changed the shape of eyes and noses, and darkened skin color.People flooded Twitter with accusations that Snapchat had created a blackface filter.Snapchat hasn't addressed the controversy and said in a statement to CNNMoney that the lens...

Filed under the heading of "You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up," I give you Terry Rambler, who is the Chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona. Rambler was in DC recently to represent his tribe at Tribal Nations Conference. He is also a signatory to a pledge calling for the Washington Redskins to change their name, because racism. With me so far? Good. While in DC, Rambler decided to partake in Halloween festivities where he dressed up as Bob Marley. Okay, no worries. Perfectly acceptable Halloween costume. Except for a certain altering of the facial complexion that...

In one epic journey four and a half years ago, stretching from Denver to Boulder, Colo., Privateer Holdings co-founder and CEO, Brendan Kennedy hit up 40 medical marijuana dispensaries in a single day. At the time, his unusual new business was just getting started. Today, his private equity firm, which invests in legal marijuana-related startups, crossed another milestone with the announcement of its first institutional investor, Founders Fund—perhaps the first ever to invest in the cannabis industry, Kennedy says. "This is a key milestone for us as a company, but it's also important for the industry as a whole," said...

The dude's a carpenter. Every once in a while, sometimes by happenstance - other times by plain old dumb luck, I find a bit of inspiration. In what seems to be a world on the verge of being devoured by any number of very serious problems, I was inspired yesterday in the course of a fifteen minute telephone conversation. The document embedded above will come with little commentary as it speaks for itself. I hope any who elect to read the document are similarly inspired. Whether it be a nurse in Florida or a builder from Massachusetts, seemingly ordinary people...

Scores of reggae fans from across the globe placed roses before a statue of Bob Marley on Wednesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of the musician, whose charismatic, loose-limbed stage presence and lyrics promoting "one love" took the Jamaican musical genre to an international audience. Tourists watched as three clerics from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church spread incense and holy water around the Bob Marley Museum, the singer's former home in the capital of Kingston. Rastafarians who gathered around the property spoke in reverential tones about the icon of reggae music who died of cancer in 1981 at...

Zo Funnin' About with Classics! I'm havin' fun makin' 'em and I hope ya have fun playin' em! If y'ad like to grab original music by 20 LB. SLEDGE just visit www.MachoSauceProductions.com and getcha some!

A strong odor pounces up your nose, choking it stone dry, as you drive into Harare's Mbare township past hostels and its popular market, Mbare Musika.

Close window Published online: 5 July 2006; | doi:10.1038/news060703-9 Rats taking cannabis get taste for heroinStudy suggests cannabis-users may be vulnerable to harder drugs.Michael HopkinNeuroscientists have found that rats are more likely to get hooked on heroin if they have previously been given cannabis. The studies suggest a biological mechanism — at least in rats — for the much-publicized effect of cannabis as a 'gateway' to harder drugs. The discovery hints that the brain system that produces pleasurable sensations when exposed to heroin may be 'primed' by earlier exposure to cannabis, say researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm,...

Addis Ababa - The African Union plans to relaunch attempts to gain reparations for the countless Africans who were abducted from the continent and sold into slavery over the centuries, the pan-continental body said. In a statement released late on Friday from its headquarters in Addis Ababa, the African Union said its executive Commission would push the issue, and would also call on African parliaments to do so. "In the coming months the Commission will relaunch a committee on repairing the damage caused by slavery," said spokesperson Adam Thiam. He added that the AU was calling on African countries...

SHASHEMENE, Ethiopia, Feb 1 (IPS) - When news of the Indian Ocean tsunami filtered through to Africa the day after Christmas, Gladstone Robinson was playing Bob Marley's 'Natural Mystic'. ''It's the prophecy!'' shouted the 75-year-old, shaking his knotted stringy beard and grey dreadlocks, over the din of the CD player. ''Marley's song says it all: 'Many people would die, many would have to suffer and many more would have to cry','' said Robinson in his husky voice. 'Brother, I'll tell you Babylon is going to fall.'' The month of February is indeed special for the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. It...

Marley's wife plans to exhume remainsBy ANTHONY MITCHELLASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- The widow of reggae legend Bob Marley said Wednesday she plans to exhume his remains in Jamaica and rebury them in his "spiritual resting place" - Ethiopia.No date has been set for the reburial, but it will be after February when monthlong celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Marley's birth are planned in Ethiopia. Both the Ethiopian church and government officials support the project, Rita Marley told The Associated Press and several other news organizations."We are working on bringing his remains to Ethiopia," said Rita Marley,...

Reggae star Bob Marley’s widow plans to exhume his remains in Jamaica and rebury them in his “spiritual resting place,” Ethiopia. The reburial is set for February when month long celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Marley’s birth are planned in Ethiopia. Both the Ethiopian church and government officials have expressed support for the project, Rita Marley said in Addis Ababa today. “We are working on bringing his remains to Ethiopia,” said Rita, a former backing singer for Marley’s band, The Wailers. “It is part of Bob’s own mission.” Marley died of cancer in 1981. Rita Marley said her husband...

LONDON (Billboard) - Bob Marley's 60th birthday will be celebrated with a month-long program of events in Ethiopia in February 2005. The program, titled "Africa Unite," will be spearheaded by a globally televised concert on Feb. 6, featuring the Marley children and his former backing singers the I-Threes. Harry Belafonte (news), Quincy Jones (news) and top African acts including Angelique Kidjo (news), Baaba Maal and Youssou N'Dour will also perform. The concert will be held in Addis Ababa's Mascoll Square, on what would have been Marley's 60th birthday. The singer died of cancer on May 11, 1981. Negotiations are under...

My self search...or, "My Comments" is jammed. Keeps showing "New Posts to You" even though I'm read them all.

Cannabis poses a greater threat to health than tobacco, lung experts have warned. The warning comes on the day that Home Secretary David Blunkett is due to make a Commons statement about the future of government drug policy. Many young people are simply not aware that smoking cannabis may put them at increased risk of respiratory cancers and infections . Dame Helena Shovelton: The Home Affairs Select Committee has recommended that cannabis is downgraded from a class B drug to class C. This would mean that possession would lead to a caution, rather than arrest. The British Lung Foundation is...