Sanka, The Decaffeinated Variety

Submitted by David Alleyne

 

Sanka Price, Nation Newspaper Editor

I have read the rubbish published in the Daily Nation by a journalist who boasts the same name, appropriately, as a certain brand of decaffeinated coffee. Appropriately, because it promotes the idea that one is drinking real coffee, but denies the buzz or bite or essence. So, let us take Mr Fake Coffee’s dissertation to pieces.

The thrust of Mr Fake Coffee’s rambling is that the blogs (or social media) are not held to the same high standards of journalistic integrity as he, he claims, is. So, “journalistic integrity” is Mr Fake Coffee’s new buzz word for sloth and failure to report anything and for hiding behind his other favourite buzz phrase, “sub judice”, even when the matter is NOT sub judice, but “fair comment”?

THERE ARE TWO things that I have learnt from my job as a journalist – one is that the truth is not as simple and straightforward as it is sometimes presented to be, and secondly, that you don’t know who is connected to whom, so you’re never quite sure that what you’re being told is the truth.

He fails to add that, in Barbados at any rate, any sort of investigative journalism is the province of the blogs and must never be permitted to tarnish the face of the “fourth estate”.

Because of this, something that sounds plausible – especially if it involves a conspiracy theory and certain high-profile individuals – could turn out to be a total untruth.

Reminder To The Politicians In Barbados

Submitted by George C. Brathwaite

Notwithstanding my personal sentiments of praise for Mr. Arthur’s leadership especially in respect of CARICOM, or my respect for the current Prime Minister, I am from St. John (born, lived, and schooled there). I am also a member of the BLP and a friend of the late Prime Minister David Thompson.

I do not take kindly to any ridiculing of the people of St. John, regardless of the architects of such fumbling comments, as have been reported in the press.

Barbados has too many issues that have potential to wreck the livelihoods of many. It is folly and an insensitive approach for politicians of whatever persuasion (i.e. both political parties) to be wasting time discussing personalities and origins rather than economy and society.

GTUC Calls On President Jagdeo To Address Matters Affecting The African Community As Nation Marks ‘International Year for People of African Descent’

Lincoln Lewis, General Secretary Guyana Trades Union Congress

The Guyana Trades Union Congress in recognition of the United Nations International Year for People of African Descent this today delivered a letter to President Bharat Jagdeo, signed by Lincoln Lewis, General Secretary. The letter outlines 25 issues that are deserving of his administration urgent attention and which continue to negatively impact on the African community by virtue of the government’s action or inaction. The Congress embraces the view and aspiration of UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonovic, that “The International Year must become a milestone in the ongoing campaign to advance the rights of people of African descent and it deserves to be accompanied by activities that fire the imagination, enhance our understanding of the situation of people of African descent and are a catalyst for real and positive change in the daily lives of the millions of Afro-descendents around the world.”

This is not a year for fun and frolicking; it is a year for seriousness and achievements!

According to the UN Release, “the General Assembly proclaimed the Year in December 2009 in a resolution citing the need to strengthen national actions and regional and international cooperation to ensure that people of African descent fully enjoy economic, cultural, social, civil and political rights, to advance their integration into all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society, and to promote a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage and culture.”

Structural Engineer Grenville Phillips II Offering Course To Train Construction Foremen

Structural Engineer Grenville Phillips II

Structural Engineer Grenville Phillips II has initiated a new strategy to reduce the vulnerability of houses to natural hazards.  He has developed a course and hopes to train construction foremen – eventually awarding them with a College diploma with the support of Walbrent College.

Courses are scheduled to be held after normal construction working hours, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm.  The next course is scheduled to start on Tuesday, 1^st February 2011.  Please contact Walbrent College at e-mail: Admin@Walbrent.com for registration information.  You can also get further details at www.Walbrent.com.

Read out this proactive initiative on Grenville’s blog Weighed in the Balance.

The Inaugural Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race Offers Destination Media Coverage For Barbados

Schooner ELENA is one of the entrants and featured in this video

An Introduction To The Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race – The Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race will be held on January 21st 2011 organised by the Barbados Cruising Club, in association with Mount Gay Rum and The Barbados Tourism Authority.  The name, gives the game away.  It’s a race, around Barbados. “One Day, One Race, One Goal” we’ve said – and that’s it… a straight race, around Barbados….simple!

There’s been a core team of people working tirelessly on this race for the last 10 months, lead by Howard Palmer with Mike and Alene representing the Cruising Club, Sen. Peter Gilkes and Hayden Coppin representing the BTA and Raphael, Marc and Andre representing Mount Gay Rum.  We have a great group of enthusiastic event sponsors, The Barbados Tourism Authority, Mount Gay Rum, Albion Insurance, Miele, Scotiabank and The Beach House, all of whom are committed to creating a three day event that you won’t forget.

Accountability And Offering Excuses For Excuses!

Kammie Holder

Most of our problems in life tend to come about as a result of trying to evade being accountable. It appears like a disease in government, the private sector and in our personal lives, it`s just not an easy thing for some of us to accept accountability. Accountability means we are responsible and answerable for our actions or inactions, thus the consequences must be accepted. Managers and leaders must accept accountability for the actions of others in their organization or on their team, just as they accept praise when the team does well.

In order to be accountable, we must also embrace the fundamental principle of integrity. It’s not always easy to do the right things, but, we can save ourselves a whole lot of time and trouble if we invest a little more time to do things right the first time. In communications with the late Prime Minister of Barbados David Thompson, he always reminded me to  “Do what I think I have to do and what is always right”. It’s also much more difficult to clean up a mess, than to just simply avoid it.

Personal strength is based on your character. Our character is inherently a by-product of our integrity and our sense of personal accountability as well as our socialization. When you use excuses to avoid being accountable you are actually trying to justify failure. Excuses do not change the results, they only band aid the cancer while gangrene sets in. You either achieved your desired results or you didn’t! In business it’s the same thing. We all have personal problem, but in the end your choice is to either to achieve your desired outcome no matter what or find ways to work through it. Is a lack of accountability the cause of excuses, mediocrity and complacency?

Governor Delisle Worrell Pins Hope On Tourism And Construction To Fuel 2% Growth In 2011

 

Click image to watch Governor Delisle Worrell deliver Annual Economic Review 2010

Here is a link to the text version.

 

St. Michaels Cathedral, A National Treasure

Submitted by Charles S. Cadogan

I have read about the conditions of one of, what I would think is a national treasure, St. Michaels Cathedral.  I see the church that I attended as a young boy, knowing how it was very well kept, seeing it now truly make me sad.  Many dignitaries have been in that church over the years. I would like someone to tell me who’s responsible for the maintenance of such churches in Barbados?  In my humble opinion a national treasure like St. Michaels Cathedral should never have been allowed to reach such a dilapidated state. To add insult to injury the church is in the heart of the city. It is truly an eye sore seeing this church this way.

I saw a picture of Bethel Church and that was a very beautiful sight to see, so well preserved.  Why did St.Michael Cathedral fall by the wayside? What went wrong? Who does the church belong to? I thought the government had something to do with it?  Can any volunteer work be done to help restore this church to a much better condition?  Come on Barbadians at home and abroad, can we try coming together to make something happen for what is a NATIONAL TREASURE? I am sure that just like me many of you were members, or at some point in time went to church there.

Urgent Truths That Must Now Be Proclaimed From The Roof Tops

Submitted by Ras Jahaziel

TRUTH UNDER LOCK DOWN WHAT IS TODAY IS A RESULT OF WHAT WAS  YESTERDAY.

It is easy to point at the youths and ask “how did the youths get so?”

It is easy to point at African leaders too and ask

“how did African leaders get so?”

And it is easy to pretend that WE are so different,

and we don’t know

how THEY got so.

But listen to the song and realize that the colonial brainwashing from

school and church was meant to create

PERFECT REPLICAS OF THE VAMPIRE,

collared and tied in the mark of the beast,

embracing the unnatural and fighting against the natural,

promoting the batty man with his sodomite culture,

and fighting against the herbs man with his ital culture.

CONTINUED HERE with video and sound track

Has The DPP Made It Open Season On Women Who Refuse Sex?

Submitted by Peltdownman

Charles Leacock, Director of Public Prosecutors

In what is a quite unbelievable development for a country that aspires to be “developed”, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has stated that because a woman refused sex to a man who was virtually blackmailing her, she was, in fact, “provoking” him and his subsequent act of beating her to death could not be considered murder.

Does this now mean that any time that a man, having reasonable expectations that he might have sex with a woman, can now beat her to death if she refuses, and not be charged with murder? The DPP has declared open season on women in Barbados. I wonder what his wife thinks.