What Our DETROIT TIGERS' Players Drive-- These Whips Are NOT Cheap...

Check it out. This is Detroit Tigers' VICTOR MARTINEZ's whip (slang for "car")that was spotted at the Tigers' Clubhouse, IN PLAIN PUBLIC VIEW. This is a 2010 or 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost. the Ghost is slotted below the father Phantom, which is so huge inside, it is often called a "rolling living room." The Phantom is priced starting at $380,000, while the Ghost (above) is priced starting at $245,000.


The Ghost is becoming popular among ballers, celebs, and Wall Street brokers since it's more 'sensible' and a more 'humbler' drive. I don't even know if humble's a word because a Rolls-Royce is still a Rolls-Royce.


Martinez's whip most certainly costs more than $245,000 because I can clearly see the custom Rolls-Royce rims, tinted windows, and custom body kit. I would like to know where he got this body kit.
Heyy, he just signed a $50M contract with the Tigers so what's you expect him to get?


FRREESSHHH!!!!!


Also see JUSTIN VERLANDER's 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia that was there on the same day.


 


See portfolio of Ferrari 458 Italia below:








Source: DetroitNews/ Jalopnik

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Darren Sammy to tie the knot!

Photo credit: St. Lucia Star

From the St. Lucia Star, comes this tidbit that cricketer Darren Sammy is engaged to his girlfriend, fellow Lucian Cathy Daniel, a model and former Carnival queen.

The two are set to get married this weekend coming - but not in bel Sent Lisi!

The location is being kept a secret for now but the Star says Sammy and Daniel are expected to "wed in a lush Caribbean island straight out of heaven next weekend."

And clearly, even after years of of the relationship, Darren is still thoroughly in love with his bride to be. Just yesterday he tweeted:

"I'm enjoying a beautiful sunset with my miss universe"

Say it all together now ... awwwwwwww!

Congrats to the happy couple!

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Darren Sammy to tie the knot!

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Big fail, Shelly-Ann :(

Daaaaammnnnn Shelly!

It's not like we think you wilfully cheated - after all, the drug that showed up in your failed test from the Shanghai meet is neither performance-enhancing nor stimulant-masking.

But it's just not a good look, hon. You know well enough that there are x-amount of haters out there looking for a flaw in Jamaica and by extension, the Caribbean's recent sprint success. The Americans in particular bexxx that we have been routinely cutting dey tail in recent times and your slip up gives them their opportunity to pounce.

And taking your coach's painkillers that he had for his kidney stones? That is so not a good reason to have a black mark against your name.

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Big fail, Shelly-Ann :(

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Shelly-Ann Fraser not running from tough past

AFP did a very moving article earlier this week about one of our favourite islandistas, Shelly-Ann Fraser.

The feature is all about Shelly's determination to be a role model, particularly in light of growing up in the gritty ghetto of Waterhouse, Kingston.

The piece deals very directly with the stark poverty Shelly was raised in:





Fraser has come a long way from the the drug-infested, crime-ridden Kingston slum of Waterhouse that she grew up in. At first Fraser's mother couldn't afford to even send her to school. The family had no money so they would often go to bed hungry.

One of her best friends died in childbirth at age 12 and she witnessed first hand the violence that plagued the Waterhouse district.

Raised by a single parent, Fraser's family lived off the trinkets and second hand goods that her street-vendor mother sold.


"She would come in sometimes from work and say she didn't make any money today so we couldn't buy anything," said Fraser.


The Wolmer's grad also shared her vision for Jamaica, and spoke of how women, like her own mother, are often hindered when teenaged pregnancy disrupts their education.



When the young girls in my country become pregnant and they don't have education they are stuck in the same situation as their parents. It is a cycle.
"It is bad, but a lot more can be done to try and teach people. It is hard when you can't afford to feed your children.
"You have to have a plan. You have to sit down and say this is what I want for myself and this is what I need to do to get there."
"Education needs to be the number one focus in our country.

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Rally round the West Indies ... women!

[picapp align="center" wrap="false" link="term=World+Twenty20+cricket+women&iid=8730734" src="2/a/c/8/England_v_West_68b2.jpg?adImageId=12837178&imageId=8730734" width="380" height="253" /]

Soooo... once again, the West Indies men's cricket team has disappointed us with their lack of heart, effort or discipline in the World Twenty20.

It's not so much that they lost to Australia - the Aussies have been like frigging Terminators in this series - machines covered in human skin and focused on one mission only. But it is how they lost that is hurtful. There was a limpness, a visible lack of interest or effort, that just compounded the defeat for Windies supporters.


Gayle apologised to fans, saying:

"There are no excuses and I apologise to the fans for our display in this World Cup but we have to hold our heads high."

Really? You have to hold your heads high? Why again?


Big. Dutty. Suck. Teet.

Let's focus on a team that can and should really hold its head high. The ones who fight on the field to win games, with amazing feats to outshine even those of the men and who defeated the defending champions England.

Let's talk about Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor and the rest of the West Indies women's team, led by Merissa Aguilleira.

Unlike the men, they play with just about zero glory and attention - though Deandra Dottin's staggering 38-ball century in the opening match against South Africa turned heads. In fact, it more than turned heads - she just about gave folks whiplash in scoring the fastest international T20 century. Ever. Man or woman.

Unlike the men, they don't throw tantrums before every tour to demand more money for mediocre performances. Their pay is minimal and they play for the glory and for the chance to bring more attention to the women's game.

They are in the semi-finals of the Women's World Twenty20 which has been playing alongside and in the shadows of the men's games.

Stafanie Taylor asked today for the fans to support them in their game against New Zealand on Friday, saying:

"We would love the people of the West Indies and, in particular, St Lucia, to come out and support us on Friday. We need the support and I can promise that we will give everything we have in an effort to get to the final. We want persons to come along in big, big numbers and bring their cheers just as they would for the guys. We will be spurred on by persons shouting and cheering us along the way. It will make a big difference and would mean a lot to all of us."

“I think people will be surprised by how good women’s cricket is these days. We train hard, we play hard and there is a lot of talent in the West Indies."

These girls deserve our support. And unlike the men, they have heeded the tournament call and they did indeed 'bring it'. So let's back them.

Islandista is rallying round the West Indies Women!

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Cydonie Mothersill finally gets her due

It was nine years in coming but Caymanian sprinter Cydonie Mothersill finally got her just rewards yesterday at the CARIFTA Games.

[caption id="attachment_2215" align="alignright" width="244" caption="Photo credit: Dennie Warren/Cayman News Service"][/caption]

Cydonie was just one of the athletes who was cheated out of her moment and medal by now-disgraced American sprinter Marion Jone during Jones' drug-fuelled heyday in the early 00s. Cydonie placed 4th to Jones in the 100 metres at the 2001 World Championships but since Jones was stripped of many of her medals in 2007 after confessing to doping, Cydonie moved up to bronze.

Indeed, she is one of many islandista athletes were deprived of glory due to Jones' cheating. From the 20001 World Champs, the list includes Bahamian track queens Debbie Fergusson (gold in the 100m) and Chandra Sturrup (bronze in the 200m).

From the 2000 Summer Olympics, the list is even longer - Pauline Davis-Thompson (gold in the 200m), Jamaicans Tayna Lawrence (silver in the 100m but widely held to be the real gold medal winner since Greek Ekaterina Thanou's wins are under a cloud of suspicion for years now), Beverley McDonald (bronze in the 200m) and former Jamaican rep and ... sprint queen Merlene Ottey (bronze in the 100m). We respect Merlene but that gets a hm from us. However, the IOC took the step of upgrading both Tayna and Merlene while leaving Thanou only as the silver medallist.


But back to Cydonie who finally got her hands on her medal at a special ceremony at the ongoing CARIFTA Games yesterday.

And while it's not the same as stepping on the medla podium in front of the world and seeing your flag go up, we at Islandista think it is especially poignant and fitting that she got her moment of glory in front of her home crowd in Cayman and more importantly, in front of our future generation of Caribbean sprinters.

Show them how to fight the good fight to the end, Cydonie. Congrats.

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Sanya Richards weds college sweetheart

[caption id="attachment_2140" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Photo credit: Ben Sklar/New York Times"][/caption]

Islandista Sanya Richards married her college sweetheart, NY Giants football player Aaron Ross last Friday in Austin, Texas, where they first met at the University of Texas.

Being a real-real power couple (her, Olympic gold medallist, US record holder and World Champion, him Super Bowl winner), their wedding was featured in the New York Times' Vows section and was also on Entertainment Tonight and is also set to be featured in WEtv's Platinum Weddings, as we told you in an earlier post.



[caption id="attachment_2141" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Photo credit: Ben Sklar/New York Times"][/caption]


When yuh big, yuh large!

The NYT write-up was really cute with Ross talking about his excitement when he finally got to talk to Sanya, after eyeing her for a while.


"I was playing it real cool while she was talking to me but deep inside, I was like ‘Yes! Yes!’ "

Bless!

Sanya and Aaron are now on their honeymoon - heading to Dubai, according to her tweets, where she also posted a pic of them at their rehearsal dinner.



[caption id="attachment_2142" align="alignright" width="256" caption="Photo credit:twitter.com/aaronandsanya"][/caption]


Oh... and for anyone who's wondering, Sanya has let everyone know that she is "Sanya Ross" but will run as Sanya Richards-Ross ... which has a nice ring to it we think.

Congrats to our fellow islandista!

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Sanya prepares for wedding day

[caption id="attachment_2063" align="alignleft" width="286" caption="Photo credit: Sanya Richards/Twitter.com"][/caption]

Jamaican-American track diva Sanya Richards is making the final preparations for her big day this Friday - which is both her 25th birthday and wedding day to New York Giants cornerback Aaron Ross.

On Friday just gone, Sanya tweeted this pic from Bridal Reflections on New York City's exclusive Fifth Avenue, where she was getting her final dress fitting.

She also tweeted another pic from her bachelorette weekend, specifically her spa day with the girls - nice!






[caption id="attachment_2064" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Photo credit: Sanya Richards/Twitter.com"][/caption]




The whole thing is being taped by WeTv's Platinum Weddings and indeed the nuptials for the Olympic gold medallist and World 400m Champion seem set to be platinum!

According to the New York Post, the wedding ceremony is going to be followed up by a dinner for 300 and then an after-party for 700!

Some of the guests include NY Giants past and present like Eli Manning and Michael Strahan, basketballer Dikembe Mutumbo and rappers Cam'Ron and The Game.

We here at Islandista wish the Jamaican golden girl all the best on her big day - enjoy!

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Sanya prepares for wedding day

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Island duo in Olympic figure skating!

Just because it's the Winter Olympics, doesn't mean that islandistas aren't still on the scene!

Even though we're from the tropics, we still know how to work the ice and Bermudan ice skater Vanessa James did just that on Monday, "electrifying" the crowd at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum along with her figure-skating partner, Yannick Bonheur as they competed for France.

James, who also has Barbadian roots, took a circuitous route to the Winter Olympics, where she and Bonheur made history as the first black pairs figure-skaters.


She had originally competed for Britain, as she had British citizenship through her Bermudian father, Kevin James and was that country's first black skating champion in 2005. However, after looking for a suitable pairs partner for years, she linked up with Bonheur and two years ago, switched to represent France.

As it so happens, Bonheur also has island roots, as his parents are originally from Martinique.

While they didn't win, the two endeared themselves to the audience with a daring, acrobatic routine and placed 14th.

Of their history-making turn on the ice, Bonheur said that they didn't set out to make history.

"I didn't search for a black girl in the first place, just a girl who wanted to try and work for it."

They aren't the first black skaters on the ice - Debi Thomas won a bronze medal back at the 88 Calgary Winter Olympics - or even at these games. German Robin Szolkowy (Tanzanian father, German mother) won bronze in the same contest with partner Aliona Savchenko.

But they are the first all-black duo in a sport ... shoot an Olympiad, that is still very light and the fact that there is now a black pair - and an island pair! in ice-skating is interesting to note.

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Island duo in Olympic figure skating!

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Caribbean quartet performs at NFL half-time show

Feeling so proud to be from the Caribbean today.

The Caribbean quartet of Hal Linton, Melanie Fiona, Shontelle and Vita Chambers performed as part of the half-time show today at the NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers at the Ford Field in Detroit. The four were part of a six-artiste set from Universal/Motown performing a tribute to Motown on its 50th anniversary.

Just to put it in perspective, previous performers at the half-time shows at NFL Thanksgiving Day games in Detroit (which has the oldest Thanksgiving Day Classic tradition - going all the way back to 1934) have included Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton. And now that list includes our Caribbean quartet.

And they rocked it out - every one of them. Check out the vid below.

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Island folk top the World Athletic Awards!

It was a Caribbean sweep at the IAAF World Athlete of the Year Awards in Monaco on Sunday.

[caption id="attachment_1770" align="alignleft" width="319" caption="Photo credit: AP"][/caption]

None other than Usain 'Lightning' Bolt won the Male Athlete of the Year Award - naturally. Who can argue with 9.58 and 19.19?

No-one - ever?

Exactly. And we bet the big man is going to fulljoy himself next week at his 9:58 Super Party in Kingston - this is just icing on the cake of his superlative year.


The Female Athlete of the year was Jamaican-born US Athlete Sanya Richards, who finally snagged her first individual gold medal at the World Championships this year, fulfilling the promise expected of a woman who has the most sub-5o second 400 metres of any female in history.

Sanya said that seeing how her countrymen (the Jamaican ones, not the US ones) like Usain enjoyed their running, helped inspire and lift her to that first gold this year in Berlin.

"These athletes were just having so much fun. I was so focused on winning, the medals and the money and everything that came with being a champion that I forgot the simple enjoyment and fun of track and field. ...I just felt like I was running a lot lighter, the races became a lot easier," she told the AP.

I know nuff yaardies have up Sanya for running for the US of A when she lived in Jamaica half her life (she migrated to Florida when she was 12 years old and she's 24 now) but she doesn't leave out JA, neither in word or deed.

Actually, just this month she was in the island for her third Fun 4 Kidz Fast Track programme event, which provides literacy training and extra-curricular activities for children in downtown Kingston high schools.

So big up yuself Sanya and congrats to all our island athletes both here and in the diaspora who continue to make us proud.
Caribbean to the worrrrld!

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Island folk top the World Athletic Awards!

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Picture of the day - Jamaica's golden girls

[caption id="attachment_1348" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="The Golden Girls (from l-r) Simone Facey, Kerron Stewart, Shelly-Ann Fraser and Aleen Bailey"][/caption]

 

We will keep it short and simple tonight. The above pic really says it all.

As we begun at these World Championships, so did we end - with victory. Jamaica's islandistas - Simone, Kerron, Shelly-Ann and Aleen, went some way towards making up for their disqualification disappointment in the 4 x100 at last year's Olympics by winning the the title today at the World Championships in Berlin.

The team so bad that they did not even need Veronica Campbell-Brown to take the gold.

The Bahamian women also represented for the Caribbean, placing second in the 4 x 100.

And in the men's 4 x 100, it was another Caribbean 1-2 - Jamaica first (of course) and Trinidad second.

This little region has sent an emphatic message to the world at this World Championships.

World, unnu hear we?

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Picture of the day - Jamaica's golden girls

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Golden glory for the Caribbean!

Oh, what a day it has been islandistas!

We just bossed up de World Championships in Berlin today, didn't we?

Where do we start?

[caption id="attachment_1343" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Melaine Walker (centre) and teammate Kaliese Spencer react after her 400 m hurdles victory. Trinidad's bronze medallist Josanne Lucas is at right. / Photo credit: AP"][/caption]




With golden girl and defending Olympic islandista Melaine Walker's sizzling 400m hurdles victory?




[caption id="attachment_1344" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Faster than that! The eventual time was rounded down to 19.19 seconds. / Photo credit: AP"][/caption]




Or with Usain Bolt's jaw-dropping 'yo, dat yute deh nuh normal' 19.19 second world record run in the 200m finals?

[caption id="attachment_1345" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Number one! Ryan Brathwaite celebrates his victory. / Photo credit: AP"][/caption]




Or with little Barbados finally getting its first gold medal at a major international meet, with Ryan Brathwaite's 11o metres hurdle victory?

Such an abundance of riches. We feel spoiled tonight by the amount of Caribbean medals! There has been such a gold rush today, that we all win bronze in the women's 400m hurdles, in the form of Trinidadian Josanne Lucas and nuff people ent realise.

It has been a big, big day for this little region at the World Championships.

We have said it here before and we will say it again - it is not only now Caribbean athletes have been among the greatest in the world.

It is only now the world is seeing it.

For so many years, we have seen those who were born here compete under other flags - sometimes after emigrating with their families in their youth. Sometimes after going to university overseas and deciding to compete for larger, better resourced countries.

We have seen athletes from larger countries set 'amazing' times under clouds of suspicion that seemed obvious to us but not to the powerful nations that backed them.

But now... now the playing field has been leveled a bit.

And I know every Caribbean person feels the way we do.

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!!!

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Golden glory for the Caribbean!

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Shelly-ann does it again!

[caption id="attachment_1326" align="alignleft" width="257" caption="photo credit: AP"][/caption]

Islandistas and islandistos are again doing it like only we  do (*coff - bussing up records drug-free*) in the World Championships in Berlin!

Of course, everyone in the world saw or watched the Youtube clips of Usain Bolt MASHING UP his own men's 100m world record last night in a sizzling time of 9.58 - the first man to delve into 9.5 territory - a place many thought they would never see.

And then today, Shelly-Ann Fraser did the double as well, adding the women's 100m World Championship title to her Olympic gold medal in the event.

She led a Jamaica 1-2 of the event, with Kerron Stewart (a lot of people's favourite) coming second.

Just like the men's final which was a Caribbean pepperpot with two Jamaicans, two Trinis and an Antiguan in de mix (yes, that is five out of eight finalists), the women's final had a strong Caribbean flavour.

There were four Jamaicans - Fraser and Stewart were joined by fellow yaadies Veronica Campbell-Brown and Aleen Bailey and the two Bahamian veterans - Chandra Sturrup and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie.

De world finally seeing that it is really de Caribbean that run t'ings pun de track! What Americans, what?!

Even more significant is that Shelly-Ann's time was 10.73 which is not only the fastest time this year, but the joint third-fastest time ever for a woman.

Let me repeat that for you again, in case you don't get the significance. She ran the joint third-fastest time ever
(Christine Arron also ran 10.73. Of course, Arron is also an islandista, born in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe)

The only two women to run faster than her are Marion Jones (10.70) and Florence Griffith-Joyner (10.49).

And well... de two a dem... EH! is all I have to say.

As far as I am concerned, Shelly wid har cute likkle self is the world record holder.

Yeh, Islandista say dat. Who ent like mih could bite mih, in the words of Queen Fay-Ann. Is real bad-gal talk I putting down here.

Shelly is my world record holder.

Because, see it...


Even Marion Jones with all the illegal juice she eventually confessed to taking, could not match the insane times that Flo-Jo ran. And we all know the suspicions around Flo-Jo. But dead women tell no tales, oui?

So congratulations to Shelly-Ann Fraser - the world's fastest woman!

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Real islandistas RALLY!

[caption id="attachment_585" align="aligncenter" width="416" caption="All photo credits: Getty Images"][/caption]






That's right. Thought we were just interested in fashion, music and suss? Nah - islandistas are Caribbean through and through and that means we love West Indies cricket - not just for the liming and all-inclusive partying from the Mound to the Trini Posse stand but the game itself.


 

True, it has been often been hard to love for the last decade and a half but islandistas ent sissies. We hang tough and keep rallying. And every now and then - like yesterday, we are rewarded for hanging in there and remembering that West Indies cricket is bigger than just the current crop of players. It goes to the heart of our Caribbean-ness - at least, for us in the English-speaking Caribbean.


Yesterday's innings defeat of England was one to savour. So here are a few pics of the action. Enjoy.

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Jizelle Salandy dies in car crash

Sad news for the new year coming out of Trinidad, islandistas. One of our young stars who was literally both fierce and fabulous as only an islandista can be, has gone.

Champion boxer Jizelle Salandy died on Sunday morning in a terrible car accident on the Beetham Highway in T&T.

[caption id="attachment_474" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Photo credit: Trinidad Express"][/caption]

According to the Trinidad Express, Salandy had just dropped off a friend at the airport and was heading to Alicia's Guest House when she lost control of the car and it smashed into a concrete pillar.

She was rescued by fire officers and taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital but died shortly afterwards from internal injuries.

She would been 22 later this month.

For those who don't know, Salandy had been kicking (well punching) ass for years, winning her first title at the tender age of 14, the Latin Ibero American title in Curacao, the only place that would let a boxer so young enter the ring.

She was by all accounts fearless, which was reflected in her professional record of 17 wins, no losses with 6 knock outs. She had a hard time growing up - absent father, her mother died when she was 11 and she spent time bouncing between children's homes and family and friends. But she never let it stop her.

This accident comes just a few days after Trinidad's double Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson, had a close shave in an accident on New Year's morning.

Two such incidents where such promising young people have lost or nearly lost their lives in close proximity, has to make you think. Any islandista who has been to Trinidad and Tobago knows that TnT's drivers are infamous for a reason.

Let's slow it down my people. It's too dangerous not to.

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Lewis Hamilton takes Formula One championship

Well, guess who's the Formula One champion in just his second season? Not to mention the youngest Formula One champion ever? Oh, and the first black Formula One champion?

Our own super-speedy, uber-sexy islandisto, Grenadian-descended Lewis Hamilton!



[caption id="attachment_345" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Formula One Champion, Lewis Hamilton"][/caption]



He clinched the title yesterday in a most dramatic fashion at the Brazilian Grand Prix.  Needing to place at least 5th to claim the title, he was behind for much of the race, in 6th position and on a wet track.

But Toyota's Timo Glock who was in fourth place, started to fall back as his team failed to call him in to change to wet tyres. Hamilton eased past him in the penultimate corner and managed to hold on to fifth place - and the title.

"I’m very emotional, I’ve cried,” Hamilton said. “My heart’s feeling so much strain right now. I think first and foremost of my family and then I thank God because he was with me all year as he always is.”

That family of course, includes his father Anthony Hamilton, born to Grenadian parents who moved to the UK in the 1950s. Lewis lived with his father since he was 12 years old and his dad has put everything into Lewis' career, even taking on as many as three jobs at a time to support Lewis when he was a young go-karter.

Despite the fact that he is actually a third-generation Grenadian, Lewis stays close to his island roots, visiting the island regularly to see his grandparents who moved back home, investing in land in the island and even dating Miss Grenada Universe.

From us here at Islandista, we say congrats Lewis! Keep making the region proud.

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Lewis Hamilton takes Formula One championship

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Things that make us go hmm...

Straight from the 'things that make us go hmmm' vault, a tale of a certain WI cricketer and his unorthodox method of approaching the ladies.

Apparently this cricketer who is often described as being quite outgoing and confident on the field is not so much so with ladies ...sort of. According to our sources, during the course of his many travels, he spotted a young lady recently who caught his attention at an airport.

Now, the regular thing that most West Indian men would do is go up and start chatting up. But West Indies cricketers seem not to be regular folk these days. Instead, he got his 'assistant' (brrr? what exactly do these overpaid cricketers need assistants for?) to sidle up to the chick and take note of her information - whether the assistant sneaked a peek at her arrival/departure form or just the tag on her suitcase, we don't know, but we're creeped out by it!

Then he called her a few days later using this information. Poor soul, she wasn't the cricket-watching type so she did not know him from Adam. And she wanted to know how de hell he knew her. So he told her.

Islandistas, we couldn't tell you what her reaction was because we fell about laughing at that point and didn't ask. However, we can well guess. "What... in de...stalkerish... HELL?!?!"

I mean really, that is like secondary school behaviour where yuh too shy to approach the object of your affections so you get your friend to ask a question for you. It's cute when you're a teenager. It's not cute when you're a grown ass man. And it is definitely not cute when you get someone to check out their info and then call them up. Then it's just strange and disturbing and smacking of arrogance ... but in a strange and disturbing way.

Well, well, well...

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Things that make us go hmm...

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https://nickiminaj-tdr.blogspot.com/2008/09/things-that-make-us-go-hmm.html

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Islandistas we love: Golden girls VCB and Shelly!

Jahknow, mi couldn't blog during di Olympics. Di at'lete dem just had me in such a uproar whe mi couldna constentrate.

Had to channel my Jamaican friends there just now. :) It is all done and dusted and it was truly the best Olympics ever for me as a Caribbean person. I don't know if any other Olympics could possibly compare for sheer joy, sheer amazing feats, the spirit of Caribbean unity and sharing each other's joy that enveloped the region. It was so absolutely wonderful to see our athletes truly shining the way we always knew they could when the drug-taking regimes got cleaned out of the sport. Not calling any names *coff* but they could only manage a few bronzes ... and some of those after they protest Caribbean athletes. Badmind and grudgeful, mi seh... only bronze fi dem! Dem haffi chat to wi back cos wi deh a finish line aready!

Anyhow, there were so  many islandistas and islandistos to be proud of at this Olympics. The Caribbean just BOSS UP the sprints - 6 out of 8 in the men's 100  metre finals and 4 out of 8 in the women's! Ye, it was like that.

But there were two islandistas who stood out the most for me - golden girls Shelly-Ann Fraser, the 100m champion and Veronica Campbell-Brown, the two-time 200m champ.

 They are a study in contrasts. Veronica Campbell-Brown was certainly the reigning and undisputed queen of Jamaican sprinting. Though she is only 26, this is her third Olympics  and she has medalled each time. VCB does not play when it comes to the big time. She is quiet, dignified and almost stoic in her demeanour. I have so much admiration for this woman. Particularly when Asafa was flattering to deceive over the last few years with records here and there but never the 'big ones, Ronnie Campbell always came through in the big moments. She is  well on her way to becoming JA's most decorated sprinter at the Olympics and eventually surpassing the icon of every female Jamaican sprinter, the temperamental diva Merlene Ottey. Ronnie is rock solid and so I was never bothered by all the chatter from the American commentators about what and what Alyson Felix would do. I knew that Ms. Campbell-Brown would come through. I had no doubt.

Shelly-Ann Fraser is a completely different character. Where VCB is the queen and a known quantity, she could now be seen as the princess. Certainly when she clocked 10.85 to edge out Campbell at the Jamaican trials, people were dubious. Kerron Stewart they had heard of, Sherone Simpson for sure but many thought that VCB should have been given a 100m spot - Fraser was the obvious choice to be left out with her lack of racing pedigree compared to the three older sprinters.

But Shelly-Ann proved her worth and in her very first Olympics, captured the heart of the world, not just with her speed (10.78!) but her sweet and bubbly nature, that trademark always-gleaming broad smile covered in braces and her witty claims that it was the yam, dumpling and 'reggae power' that pushed Jamaican athletes to such heights at this Olympics. She is truly just adorable and cute as a button.

Her background is an inspiration - coming from one of the most crime-ridden, poverty-stricken ghettos in Kingston, the infamous Waterhouse, she defied the odds (and long they are in JA) to attend one of the island's most prestigious schools, Wolmer's Girls and then on to the University of Technology. She has now risen to the top. Yet the home she will return to is a one room shack in Waterhouse, a poignant reminder that she has only just arrived and of how incredible her story is.

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Islandistas we love: Golden girls VCB and Shelly!

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