Another Strategic Defeat for Global Arrogance

Submitted by Pachamama

War in Syria continues

While Caribbean peoples are deeply engaged in an ever increasing battle for meagre economic survival, events half way around the world may have more to do with outcomes than any expected amelioration in the steadily deteriorating circumstances of Western capitalism. As we write the Syrian army and their Hezbollah counterparts, buttressed by support of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), Russia and to a lesser extent China are completing mopping up operations not far from the Lebanese border (al-Qusayr) and elsewhere. Even Obama and his ‘international community’ are less vocal with their illegitimate but central demand that the prospective victor in this Western led conspiracy against a sovereign state, Bashar Assad, be removed from office – logic turned on its head.  The West is on the verge of losing all influence in what they have called the ‘Middle East’. We are persuaded that America’s decline in the Middle East has accelerated since 9/11 and the influence of other actors, like the IRI, China and Russia has markedly increased.  On the other hand the Americans and Europeans have loss several of their clients states and will in short order loose Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and more. This will mean not only a loss of strategic control of the regions oil reserves but will extend to the removal of America’s cat’s paw (Israel) from the region. These will represent a seismic shift in Great Game politics. The events in Syria can be seen as an historical moment. This is a moment not dissimilar to the period after World War Two when as a ‘presumed’ victor, the USA, through the CIA, pressured the British out of the Caribbean and elsewhere. So Caribbean ‘independence’ was and is merely a function of Great Game politics. The same will happened again, in reverse.

In the war on Syria the West has been revealed as an ally of al-Qaeda, a group they sometimes call a terrorist organization. It is this very USA government which gave birth to al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda was from the beginning a CIA/Saudi/Zionist project. The evidence presented by Sibel Edmond is unassailable. Recent USA actions in Syria confirm her findings.  They have armed them, given them chemical weapons and diplomatic coverage for more than two (2) years in spite of a long list of war crimes committed by their terrorist proxies. Obama has long decided that the USA is only able to fight ‘smart wars’.

Fathers And Other Men’s Children

Submitted by Yardbroom

“in the UK, under the Child Maintenance Scheme if a named father continues to dispute he is the father he will be offered a DNA Test”

Matthew  18: 15-17

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.  If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.  But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.  If he refuses to listen even to them, tell it to the church.  And if he refuses to listen even to  the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

The urge in the male to reproduce is strong in humans, some animals and even insects; often the male of the species will sacrifice his life and even take that of others in efforts to produce his progeny.  A male lion taking over a pride, will kill all the young cubs in that pride, this not only allows the females to come into heat but it ensures any patter of tiny paws he hears will be as a result of “his” copulation.  “Lions obviously don’t care about the perpetuation of the species, only about the perpetuation of their own personal genes”.

“Sexual intercourse is the ultimate bond between male and female, but for some hapless males it is also their demise.  In the encounter between a male and female black widow spider, the female resorts to cannibalistic behaviour by eating the male during or after sexual intercourse.”  It would be crass of me to mention and mean this but here it goes, a matter of having your cake and eating it.

Compensation Fund: Another Screw-up By the Barbados Bar Association

Barry Gale QC, President of the BA

BU has been able to access the audited financial report of the Bar Association (BA) relative to the Compensation Fund. BU notes that the fund holds in excess of $2 million. The authority for the Fund is to be found at Part VIII of the Legal Professions Act Cap. 370A of the Laws of Barbados.

Briefly, the Act states:

1. The Fund is the property of the BA and must be paid into a separate bank account to the credit of the BA to be known as “the Attorneys-at-law Compensation Fund”.

2. Every attorney-at-law is required, when a Practicing Certificate is issued to him, to pay to the Registrar his/her annual contribution to the Fund, without which no Practicing Certificate will be issued.

3. “50. (1) Where it is proved to the satisfaction of the Bar Association that any person has sustained loss in consequence of dishonesty on the part of an attorney-at-law or any clerk or servant of an attorney-at-law in connection with that attorney-at-law’s practice as an attorney-at-law or in connection with any trust of which that attorney-at-law is a trustee, then, subject to the provisions of this section, the Association may, if it thinks fit, make a grant to that person out of the Fund for the purpose of relieving or mitigating that loss.”

A few points to ponder from the reading of the posted financials.

Leroy Parris v BLP, Nation and Barbados Advocate: Chief Justice Gibson Produces a What the Hell Moment

Marston Gibson, Chief Justice

Leroy Parris

Barbadians were treated recently to the news that the enigmatic Chairman of CLICO Holdings Barbados Leroy Parris who was deposed when the bottom fell out of the CLICO parent company in Trinidad has filed a legal action against the Nation, Barbados Advocate and Barbados Labour Party (BLP). Parris would not have made the top 200,000th popular person list in Barbados prior to his recent court action. Now that he has filed the action his position is likely to slide to 250,000th.

AG’s Lament

Attorney General, Adriel Brathwaite

The Attorney-General of Barbados is the primary legal advisor to the Government of Barbados – Wikipedia

Good luck to Barry Gale QC who defeated ‘pooch skinning’ Alair Shepherd for the position of President of the Barbados Bar Association (BA). Not sure if outgoing president Andrew Pilgrim was able to achieve anything of note except to attain the status of Queens Counsel which lawyers are willing to ‘die’ for it seems.

There was a time when individuals worked hard because there was a consciousness that it was the right thing to do. How ones legacy might be defined was an inevitable consequence. Truth be told in defence of today’s incumbents which see a level of mediocrity hitherto unknown, it may simply be a matter of (in)competence.

Former Attorney General David Simmons is highly regarded by the legal fraternity and the general public. BU however has always been halting in our praise for two reasons. When Simmons demitted the office of Chief Justice (under duress) the delivery of justice caused by the weight of a heavy case load and an inefficient Court Registry should have been the performance indicators which painted his legacy and NOT the quality of his decisions. It was insightful to read Barry Gale’s comments soon after assuming the office of President of the BA concerning the court system. In summary, a mess!

Try Quinoa!

Submitted by Readydone

Quinoa

Expecting Barbados food sources to transform from export to domestic is a very mighty task. This is compounded by the fact that we get up to five times our population in tourists annually. The result: the demand for food fluctuates too quickly for farmers to accurately judge what the market will be like when the crops are ready to harvest up to four months away. Our previous agriculture model of exporting sugar had numerous advantages for our small island. The fact the sugar takes a long time to expire and has excellent shipping and handling properties means that the farmer was almost guaranteed that his crop would be sold.

If agriculture is to survive given our small population, and benefit a greater number of people, not just the few that can afford the protection of the large greenhouses required if you want to grow vegetables for profit. We either have to find a more suitable export crop or promote the kitchen garden again. Baird Village Aquaponics has done some interesting research into finding an export crop. We researched rice, tobacco, grapes and soybean – all good – but Quinoa as a food crop for Barbados is showing the most real life potential, international research suggests the plant does not do well at low elevations, but Barbados has a very interesting environment that I personally believe can grow any crop.

Are We Bajans Really Lackadaisical?

Submitted by Napolean Bonaparte

Absenteeism on the rise in Barbados

Have you all heard? Latest findings coming out from a recent HR symposium proposes that Barbados has the highest rate of employee absenteeism in the Caribbean. Who Bajans? Is that right? Surpassing the land of the humming bird fete today call in sick tomorrow? All ya really sure you got that one right? So were we dreaming then, when we recently saw an award being accepted on behalf of  Bajans, for being number 38 in the World on the social development ladder, number 3 in the Americas? Wait lazy people wearing two different shoes nowadays then, (brand name) ‘industrious’ on one foot,  ‘shirkers’ on the other? Such a skewbald would surely tumble someday, being  confused and not know which foot goes first.

Could all this have anything to do with Bajans been  under a ‘trance by chance‘, like the one of the recent bus riding pensioner and her rude awakening from what could befall? Too much phantasmagoria maybe? One day we hearing we doing well, next we need  to “shift and adjust” like a lesson of a confusing schematic  inculcating too much  to pedants, who still recovering from an unaccustomed downward economic fall. “You all had better do this, don’t mind us, ”. If the shoes fits… Like a call to curtail perks and privilege of  statutory corps, but an unwillingness to lead by example. Sounds familiar?

Too much double standards man, some given license to sleep, while others sheeple. Any wonder some still stuck in gear?  Sheeple will always follow.

See NISE Report on Absenteeism

Notes From a Native Son: Pensioner Poverty and the Failure of Social Policy Planning

Hal Austin

Introduction:

By the time you have read this I would have carried out a promise to address the Caribbean elders of the Pepperpot club in what we used to call Ladbroke Grove in West London, which pompous estate agents have now renamed Notting Hill.These people are warriors, pioneers, unrecognised in their countries of birth and treated with disdain in their adopted home, Britain.

These are people who came to Britain in the early post-war years to labour in Lyons tea shops, the national health service, the army, and most of all on London Transport, because they wanted a better life.They are almost all now in their late 70s and 80s, ill-treated by the local Kensington and Chelsea local authority, the wealthiest in Britain, who want to deprive them of even the opportunity to meet in their lunch club to swap anecdotes and a few laughs until the good Lord calls them home.

These are people who left the sun-drench Caribbean to get out of their beds in a snow-covered city to look after the thankless patients, sweep tube platforms while remaining invisible to passengers, make breakfast in working men’s canteens for a pittance, all the while sending money back home to their loved ones to feed and clothe them and to repay the cost of their travel to Europe. These are the pioneers that two of our prime ministers – one BLP and one DLP – are on record as saying did not make any contribution to the nation.Now, with great reluctance, it is recognised that their remittances were the backbone of the foreign reserves in the 1960s that we now talk so much about. It will be a pleasure to talk to them, to share memories of being a young man in West London, birth place of the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival, that demonstration of street theatre that the British, especially the media and police, still find so hard to accept.The invitation to talk to them from the club’s chairman, Barbados-born Rudi Brathwaite (Kizerman), one of our brilliant authors, was so much appreciated that unusual for me, it has occupied my thoughts ever since then.

Mountain of Questions

Senator Tony Marshall

BU had eagerly looked forward to the contributions of Independent Senator Tony Marshall to the Upper Chamber. Based on the Systems Systematic Survey he was labelled the #1 talk show host never bashful to share his views on any subject. He was vocal as president of the Barbados Cricket Association. Surprisingly he never seemed to be as vocal when he wore the hat of Chairman of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). In his current public role as Senator again one senses he has been very below the radar in his contributions to the Upper House The few time sittings were called.

In his rookie contribution as Senator there was the opportunity for him to draw a line in the sand to define the tenor of is contributions by speaking to issues like NIS, EMERA, Four Seasons and outstanding financials; quick pick issues. In fact given his profile there is nothing to prevent him from speaking in the public forum. He is a public figure and the media would take note. BU does not expect Senator Marshall to raise these issues in the Senate because in our style of government what difference would it make anyway? This must be his mindset. Go for it Senator, it is legacy building time!

Along with earlier questions asked by BU in the public interest here are a few more.

Bunker C and BL&P Revisited

Stephen Worme, Barbados Light & Power Co Ltd

Some have always admired the candour of Stephen Worme of Barbados Light and Power (BL&P). He was recently asked by a BU family member what was the average price they (BL&P) had paid per ton for Bunker C in the 2003 compared to 2013. This is a follow up to an earlier blog - http://wp.me/p41kz-74Z

2003 – $435 per ton.
2013 – $1,439 per ton.

Were these prices regulated by Government or have been subsidised in any way at any time? We cannot confirm at this time?

FA Cup: Barbadian Emmerson Boyce’s Wigam Athletic v Manchester City

In less than an hour Barbadians will get a chance to support the Barbadian led Wigam go up against Manchester City. A classic David Goliath match up.

Two Questions

Bjorn Bjerkman is JADA Construction

Former Minister of Transport, John Boyce

BU wishes to ask the Cabinet of Barbados headed by Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart the following questions:

Was Jada Construction – Bjorn Bjerkman – awarded the GROTTO contract WITHOUT going to tender? If so is this a violation of government’s financial rules?

In December last year with much fanfare former Minister of Transport John Boyce launched the Super Saver Smart Card. This is a prepaid card designed to allow customers to ‘top up’ and use to pay for travel on Transport Board buses.

Notes From a Native Son: Is There a Future for African Caribbean Enterprise in the UK

Hal Austin

Introduction:
Not so long ago, the veteran Grenada-born UK broadcaster Alex Pascall invited me to give a short address to a group of Caribbean elders reflecting on the last 60 years of our presence in the UK. This was followed shortly after by a St Vincent-born retired teacher, who was asked by the senior Methodist minister at her church whey there was a noticeable absence of African Caribbean intellectuals in British life, unlike the 1960s and 70s. It was something that concerned me privately for sometime. Although in a superficial way this has no direct connection with Barbados, in a real way it does, since the lack of dynamism in the African Caribbean community in Britain has similar echoes in the Caribbean.

British Publish Space:
The observation that the Caribbean dimension to British public discussions is missing is very astute and the minister should be complimented for his profound perception. This absence, or more properly marginalisation, is particularly observant in the press, in local and national policymaking, in the work place, and most disappointing of all, in the universities and think-tanks. Even on matters of direct interest to the Caribbean community, the debate is usually between opposing white views and, on very rare occasions with a black input by default – a David Lammy or Trevor Phillips.

The other default position is using an Asian voice to speak on behalf of black people – Yasmin Alibhai-Brown of the Independent, for example. This is also seen in book reviews, profiles of black entertainers, sportspersons, etc; black people may be the performers, but they are never invited to articulate their art or skills, on the presumption that they are not intelligent enough to theorise their performances or skills.