Tourism MATTERS – VI

Adrian Loveridge - Hotel Owner

There are different versions, but my favourite is when the ‘going gets tough, the tough get creative’. It probably comes from spending most of my working life trying to turn tiny marketing budgets into big picture realities. What prompted this was reading the classified section of the local papers and seeing one of our accommodation competitors renting its rooms by the hour.

Concluding that this property is targeting a particular niche clientele, we cannot let any market share be eroded. We think therefore that in many cases, hourly rates might be to optimistic, so of course the obvious answer is to offer a per-minute rate.

Flippancy aside now is the time, more than ever, with a tourism driven economy we have to explore every possible opportunity to recover lost ground.

Economic Review For The First Nine Months Of 2010 – Barbados Battling To Stay On Course

Economic Review for the First Nine Months of 2010 - Click Image to listen to Governor Delisle Worrell's Address

Here is the written form in PDF format.

Politics, People, Power And The Plight Of The Unwary: Ambush At Roebuck Street

Submitted by Yardbroom

 

Photo Credit - Nation Newspaper

We often fail to see what is written large before our eyes; as we focus on what we want to hear and allow Party affiliation to cloud our judgement and perceptive powers.  Some months ago it was clear to me that Owen Arthur had given a clear signal he would be back; it was true that his language was coded but I felt so sure of my ground that I wrote a submission on “The Master Tactician”. . . he was waiting for the opportune time.

It is true he would not have known of the eventual change in circumstances in the DLP camp; but a properly prepared plan takes account of most eventualities. It serves no purpose to dwell on the past, it is the future which should concentrate minds.

Ms Mottley if she so chooses, can be back as a formidable and sterling fighter but she must have a plan; take a fresh guard and work towards a single objective.  It is, and should not be a question of losing face… there is no greater honour than to lead ones country.  Some advise her to go for the “female vote” a flawed policy, it will not work.
All major female political leaders have been able to get loyalty from both male and female supporters.. . in the trench warfare of politics the males have been their most loyal allies….this is not the time for emotionalism.

Statement By The Hon Mia Amor Mottley, Q.C., M.P.

Photo Credit: Nation Newspaper

In public life, I have known defeat and I have known victory.  Neither defines you as a person.  Values and principles do.

Earlier today, I was informed that a letter was taken to His Excellency the Governor General to have my appointment as Leader of the Opposition revoked at the request of five of my Parliamentary colleagues.

I have never responded in the public on these issues neither last year nor this year but circumstances now demand that I break my silence.

This morning I telephoned the Secretary of the Parliamentary Party at five minutes to ten to formally indicate that I would not be attending the meeting to which I was summoned and for the reasons that follow. Further, I indicated to him that I remain committed to meaningful dialogue but not in this way.

For the past few days I have struggled and I have prayed as to whether I should attend the meeting to which I was summoned by five of my eight parliamentary colleagues. As always, I am going to be honest and sincere with you. This is the Mia that you know and this is the Mia that will always be.

Last Wednesday, I learnt of this meeting through Facebook and through the media. Let me say at the outset that it is the right of my parliamentary colleagues to request a meeting and it is their right to determine who should be leader. However, in my almost 22 years in the BLP, I do not know of anyone other than the Party Leader convening a meeting of the Parliamentary Party.  If you want a meeting, just ask for it and it will be convened at a time convenient to ALL parties.

 

All Roads Lead To Owen Seymour Arthur

George Pilgrim, General Secretary, Democratic Labour Party

I can’t imagine how history will record this period in the political life of the Barbados Labour Party. The current impasse has begged the question of whose interest are the current machinations taking place. My limited knowledge of what takes place in Roebuck Street has guided me to make some assumptions.

1. Owen and George Payne reached a private accommodation.

2. Owen intends to see that back of the BLP elites broken.

3. Owen does not care what the status quo in the party is thinking.

4. Owen has had a change of heart about being leader.

When taking the above assumptions into consideration, I am led to believe that Owen has promised Payne something big, whenever the BLP retains power [whenever that is]. This relationship is puzzling as we ponder on the historical relationship of the two individuals. We all appreciate that BLP politics is  viewed as a convergence of interests where minds meet for a stake in the bigger pie. In this scenario, we have witnessed the deafening silence of Owen, the man at the centre. However, he has managed to have  all knives and arrows  pointing towards Mottley and Payne.

There is something in this political equation that is fundamentally telling.  How does Owen, the principal  of the spectacle, stay so quiet and unnoticed? The BLP’s factions are calling for Payne to be pulled in line while others are saying that Mia should step aside and let Owen take over. Owen Arthur has been able to get two of his known party adversaries to go after each other in public.

Now that is where the coup is occurring!!!

David Estwick Sends A Warning

Minister of Agriculture

The attached full page statement in two parts (1,2) appears in the Sunday Sun, page 18A of 17 October 2010. The statement was signed by someone named ‘Barbadian’.  The statement is clear in what it sets out to do, i.e. list the exemplary record of Minister David Estwick while at the economic planning ministry. It also seeks to disassociate Minister Estwick from decisions taken by the Ministry of Finance.

It appears while most Democratic Labour Party supporters are currently revelling in the misfortune of the Barbados Labour Party leadership tug-a-war interests close to Estwick have determined this to be an opportune time to fire a cannonball across the bow of the Ship DLP. Perhaps the signal by Estwick is opportune given what is the bigger issue at play.

We are living in interesting times.

Are All Muslims Terrorists? “A Clash Of Two Civilizations”: How The War For Control Of Planet Earth Rages On In The Media – Who Will Survive Its Devastating Aftermath?

Submitted by Terence Blackett

Emerging alignments as predicted by Huntington in 1996. Thicker lines represent more conflictual relationships - Wikipedia

During the middle ages, the Arabs alone were the standard-bearers of a civilisation

Moorish Islamic Quotes

 

If history has taught us anything – is mankind cannot live together in any real harmonious union for any prolonged period of time. This was all too evident during the days of Muhammad after the revelations of the Qur’an came to him. He encountered bitter opposition and rejection from his kinsfolk and after the death of Prophet Muhammad in June 632AD, the emerging Rashidun Caliphs worked at the unification of the peoples of Arabia who in turn sparked insurgent military operations against the Byzantine Roman Empire and the Basined Persian Empire as these were crucial to Islamic conquest and further unification.

In the exodus, the Christian Abyssinian (Ethiopian) king called Aṣḥama ibn Abjar absorbed many refuge Muslims providing them protection during the persecution era where Mecca was a hotbed of murder and mayhem.

As the march of conquest continued – between 1095 and 1291, the Crusades and the Reconquesta was a period of centuries of capture, recapture, militarization and on-going war between two polarized civilizations.

In 1187, Saladin liberated Jerusalem with a classic historically epic battle – while fighting with Richard the Lionheart, the Saracens fought relentlessly as was proved by historical sources. What followed was the establishment of the Ottoman Caliphate; the “Conquest of Constantinople” by “Muhammad the Conqueror”.

The clash of civilizations continued apace with further conquest of Eastern Europe and the fall of Greece to the Ottomans. Vienna then fell to “Suleiman the Magnificent” or as for Muslims “Suleiman the Lawmaker”.

World Trade Centre 911 Debate Continues

Submitted by BAFBFP

It is so great to have been afforded the opportunity to make some kind of contribution to this blog; a blog that somehow has been able to attract an enviable variety of publicly respected opinion, and me, so often considered to be a lunatic fringe maniac, to have been given this opportunity to at least belch in your presence. I am humbled..! I am humbled..!

Two days ago in the Barbados Today on-line newspaper (I dun buying hard copies, too lazy) I came across a very likkle likkle article (Reuters generated of course) on the outcome of a case brought against the GOUSA involving claims by workers about ailments brought on by clearing the WTC (which stands for the now defunct World Trade Centre) site after the Sep 2001 media event…! Ladies and Gentlemen over nine thousand men and women won this case against the GOUSA… for working on ONE construction site….! Now I have no idea what ailments had been thrown up (talk to GP, he seems to know every damned thing ‘bout here), but of course I have to assume that they were not the usual broken hands and necks that one would expect on a construction site…! Again I implore that you see me as a lunatic, my accustomed disposition.

Now what originally concerned me was the lack of focus (by Starcom Network of course) on the fact that these people were actually taking the GOUSA to court on a winnable case that involved Human Rights… and were able to win… easily!

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The Fear Of A Lawless Society

Suleman Esuf

On Thursday October 14, 2010 Suleman Esuf was granted bail of 1 million dollars with two sureties of $500,000.00 in the Bridgetown Traffic Court. We recall Esuf was charged with having a traffickable quantity of cannabis stated as 2778.38 pounds with a street value of 11 million dollars.  It should come as no surprise that Esuf was granted bail. In our system of jurisprudence a person is considered innocent until proven guilty. In a case which does not involve rape or murder and if you have the money for the best lawyers little time is spent on remand. In this case Esuf had a cooling-off at Dodds prison for one month. He returns to court March 8, 2011.

BU continues to be very perturbed at the lawlessness which has become prevalent in our small society. The establishment in Barbados maybe comfortable with Commissioner Darwin Dottin’s statistics but a more than casual survey of the Barbados landscape gives reason to be alarm. Barbadians have become consumed by the political issues of the day but as the saying goes, the city burns while some fiddle. Yes we should be concerned about the political goings-on in Barbados, political stability has been a key attribute of our stable democracy. However as can be seen in Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and even St. Lucia, rising crime has the effect of destabilizing a society and in the process threaten its economic wellbeing.

Take a trundle through many neighbourhoods/villages and have a look at the side streets, behind the social centres, in the backroom of village shops to name a few. What do you see? Large numbers of young unemployed men gambling, smoking/engaging in illegal substances. These men are committing crimes which are not being reported Commissioner. In an environment where there is an economic recession that has led to rising unemployment and those activities across the island have been on the increase.

Promised Integrity Legislation Bill To Be Debated In Parliament

The Integrity Legislation (draft) promised by the Democratic Labour Party government is listed on the Barbados Parliament website to be debated soon. It is a 157 page document, look forward to feedback from the BU family.

See link to Prevention of Corruption Bill 2010