Barbadians Affected By The Collaspe Of Another Ponzi Scam, CLUB ASTERIA

In January 2011 BU exposed that Amway-Quixtar had Settled for 150 Million in the face of accusations it operated a pyramid scheme. It is no secret Barbadians from across the social spectrum participate in these Multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes as a means to supplement incomes. Despite several reports of MLMs collapsing, it has not deterred Barbadians from joining. Greed seems to be trumping commonsense these days.

The latest MLM to collapse is  CLUB ASTERIA. BU research confirms that several Barbadians have been affected by the collapse, one of the more recognizable names is Wayne ‘Poonka’ Willock. When will we ever learn? Do a search of the Internet to get more details.

Don’t You Dare Whisper Secrets In The Supreme Court Of Barbados

The Judicial Centre of Barbados

The administration of justice in Barbados has all but ground to a halt as the country waits for the roadblock which prevents Marston Gibson from taking up the position of Chief Justice of Barbados to be cleared. The Prime Minister and Attorney General are both lawyers and are aware of the issues which currently plague our system of justice. They obviously wouldn’t dare admit it publicly but they know.

One of the problems of several which lawyers of late have been concerned about is the audio recording at the Supreme Court.  It seems incredible but there you have it.  It appears  that the recording equipment is set to such a sensitive level that it even picks up whispered consultations between counsel on the same side and between counsel and clients.

Even for those who are not trained in law you  would have gleaned from Perry Mason or Matlock that disclosures between lawyer and client is governed  by the legal concept of attorney-client privilege.  To add to this betrayal of confidentiality the exchanges are then made a part of the court transcript. This is happening in the palatial environs of the Judicial Centre in Whitepark.

Stop The Politics, Make CLICO Interim Judicial Report Public

Submitted by St George’s Dragon

 

Chris Sinckler, Minister of Finance

Politicians just don’t get it do they?

The money in CLICO is public money yet Chris Sinckler is in the papers today saying that he would deem it “irresponsible” and “highly unusual” for the Judicial Manager’s interim report on CLICO to be released to the public. This after the BAICO report has only been made available to those who make the trip to the FCS’s offices – no copying allowed.

Mr Sinckler should refamiliarise himself with the revised Insurance Act of Barbados under which the Judicial Manager is appointed. The preamble to the Act says it’s purpose is to “to strengthen the protection given to policy holders under the existing Act”. The main thrust of the Judicial Manager is to protect the interests of the policy holders.

Section 61 (3) of the Act says the (final) report “or a copy of the report shall be open for inspection by any person during official hours, at the registry of the court in which the report is filed or at such place as the Supervisor determines.” The intention of the Act is to protect the public’s money; the role of the Judicial manger is to do the same.

It is scandalous that the interim report is not available to the policy holders. Stop the paternal politics and put it on the internet Mr Sinckler.

Local Farmers Crying Out For Leadership

Submitted by Ready Done

David Estwick, Minister of Agriculture

It is obvious by grouping farming with small business that the late Prime Minister David Thompson wanted us to elevate our current view of farming to a more business like model. With the help of our leaders we can quickly make this dream a reality, we only need some basic systems put in place to guide the agri-business sector.

To be successful any business needs up to date information about the market in which it operates to ensure the best possible plan/strategy is created. Being a small farmer myself – looking for information on Aquaponics in Barbados – I became painfully aware  of the many factions of authority governing agriculture on the island. My efforts came up empty. I was frustrated at the large number of different agencies involved in the sector, and more so, how they operate completely independently of each other.

Prime Minister Fruendel Speaks To The Nation, AGAIN

Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart is scheduled to speak to the nation tonight (8 June 2011) at 8. It means that twice in less than two months Prime Minister Stuart, whose taciturn disposition contrasts starkly with the late Prime Minister David Thompson, will communicate to the people he was elected to serve . It was on the 26 April 2011 the Prime Minister participated in The Interview hosted by CBC’s Rosemary Alleyne which drew ‘comment’ because of its one on one format. Reports suggest the Prime Minister will make the cabinet his own tonight.

REDjet Seeing RED!

REDjet forced to send home eight employees

The point is that the Government has been fully behind the establishment and operation of the REDjet airline, it has given REDjet the necessary certification … and it is incumbent therefore on this Government to add its voice to the call by REDjet for more prompt treatment in the region than it is getting  – Opposition Spokesman Ronald Toppin

 

REDjet actually got some kind of approval to fly the T&T and Jamaica routes, all that is required to complete the process is something Chairman of REDjet Ian Burns refers to as political and economic approval.  In a nutshell the approval just received from Jamaica and Trinidad confirms that the airline satisfies the safety requirements of both countries but …

It has been obvious to BU for sometime the big two i.e. Jamaica and Trinidad have been stonewalling the Barbados registered airline approval application process. The two countries recently mustered the political and economic will to seal the Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines (CAL) merger deal. Perhaps if it required such a long time to seal a deal in their interest, why the hell can’t REDjet wait?

Most surprising has been the feeble defense emanating from the Barbados government and other stakeholders about the position REDjet finds itself. It cannot be said that the local and regional publics have not been made aware of the bureaucratic pummelling Redjet has had to absorb. Both Bizzy Williams, a local investor in the airline and Chairman Burns have been refreshingly vocal on the blatant mamaguying being demonstrated by Trinidad and Jamaica.

Politician Could Be Charged Shortly With The Disappearance of $500,000.00

A reliable source has advised that an aspiring politician nominated to run in the East is to be charged for the disappearance of BDS500,000 shortly. Barbados Today is the only media outlet to date to have carried the story as far as BU is aware which raises the issue of freedom of the press in Barbados. The matter is not yet sub judice which is the ‘crutch’ traditional media often uses to explain its silence on stories the public has a right to know.

Here is a quote from a note circulating on email which BU intercepted:

“More and more it appears that for the Barbadian public to be well informed on current affairs they seem to have to turn to Blog Sites and Barbados Today for those big news stories.

I heard since Friday last week about the case of the missing money at Sagicor – only $500,000.00 of it – but I am yet to see a single mention of this news breaker story published by the Nation or carried on VOB. I seriously wonder how this could have failed to capture their attention, or did it capture their attention but set aside hoping and wishing for it to go away ? Then again some are so busy trying to elevate certain characters that the real news slides by them. It is with interest and I will wait to see if either the Nation or VOB set about reporting the story to the public as they ought to do.

CARIBBEAN STOCK REPORT 30 May to 03 June 2011

Compiled by the Department of Management Studies, UWI Cave Hill - Click image to read in PDF

Barbados Education In The Deja Vu Zone

Submitted by Raw Bake

 

Minister of Education, Ronald Jones

“Six males scored zero, but all the females scored between one and 100.”

After all the celebrations have ended, can you ask the Minister Of Education the following:

How fair is a system that forces students, who do not have the ability to get even one question right, to take an exam for entrance to a secondary school?

What is the rationale for subjecting such children and their parents to this mental trauma year after year?

Does the Minister agree with the observation that yet again, it would appear that children form the middle to upper economic classes have a higher than average chance of “succeeding” in this exam?

Cost Of Money Continued

Submitted by People’s Democratic Congress

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In the following PDC analysis, we continue to focus in a laser-like fashion on this very destructive cost of use of money variable in Barbados. And we will do so by partially looking at some of the political financial relationships between the said cost of use of money variable and the cost to a person’s/entity’s income of acquiring a particular basket of goods or a certain set of services.

As well, we will outline that given the real incomes of the broad masses and middle classes of people are so small/modest, individualistically speaking; that given the fact of the cost of living and the cost of doing business are at this juncture skyrocketing, and that given the values of whatever amounts of commercial properties, assets and resources that they have in Barbados are threatened by the latter circumstances to the point of their reaching very abysmal financial values, how most of the members of these said classes will  therefore be subject to becoming eventually subjugated and degradated by this political money system and those people that run and dominate this particular system and this wider property owning system.

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