Notes From a Native Son: Is Greed Now Part of the Hippocratic Oath?

Hal Austin

Introduction:
As I sat down to write this week’s BU contribution on a pressing financial economic matter, I came across the break out of serious antibiotic-resistant bacteria problems at our only hospital. Those of us familiar with the various infections that plague British hospitals would not be surprised that Klebsiella bacteria has now arrived at the QEH. I must admit, it did not come as a shock to me, since a friend and I have only recently been discussing the rat-infested, rubbish-strewn, health and safety hazard that is the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. But it was the compulsive, arrogant, obstinate greed of the doctors behind their objections to alternative medicine that tipped me over in to widening the debate on the future of the health service and long-term care. It is not a concern about patient care, nor about the general welfare of ordinary Barbadians, but rather a determine attempt to co-opt the attorney general in their little game of protecting their money-making interests. To put it in simple terms, we are in a deep cesspit of our own making, typified by the abandoning of the elderly, so-called granny dumping, for which the entire nation should be ashamed, yet all these expensively educated people could think about is their own bank accounts.

Analysis:
There are issues of more pressing concern that doctors should be involved in, such as the mortality rate at the hospital, the high costs of X-rays and MRI examinations, of overall poor patient care by doctors, who attend surgeries as and when they like. Few Barbadian doctors, aware that their profession is about public health and not just money-making, have raised their heads from the trough that is taxpayers’ money to battle for improvements in the state of public health. But, typically, they are more concerned about the continuing rise of unregulated medical practice – so-called complementary medicine – not in the interest of the public, but because this medical practice main block one of their most lucrative income streams.

Can Self-improvement Go Too Far?

Submitted by Charles Knighton

To improve morally is to treat others better and have a more positive impact on the world.

It seems we are unable to listen to the radio, watch TV or read a newspaper without being urged to adopt some regimen of self-improvement (“The health of positive change” Sept. 7 Advocate) the most paradoxical feature of which is that self-improvement cannot survive without acceptance of imperfection and tolerance of failure. Devoid of this softening influence, a concern for betterment can easily turn into a narcissistic focus on oneself, or a self-critical perfectionism.

In the 1920s French psychologist Emile Coue argued that by reciting the mantra “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better” we could, by the power of suggestion, make it come true. Whether or not such techniques do work, surely it would be wonderful if they did? How could it ever be worse to be better?

The thought of, say, someone practicing air guitar 24/7 should be enough to challenge any assumption that too much improvement is a contradiction in terms. When it comes to being better people, some progressions matter more than others.

The Starship Song By Filthy Mouth Nicki Minaj Reported To Have Been Aired On The CBC

Anthony Nelson

It was reported to BU that the controversial Anthony ‘Admiral’ Nelson  played Starship, a popular song by Nicki Minaj at 8:22 AM on the morning of 07 September 2012. The BU family can listen to the lyrics and draw their conclusions. The CBC logs can be verified and hopefully appropriate action taken in the same way it dealt with the employee who allowed ‘heavy breathing’ to go out on air .

If Barbadians are serious about guarding public morals then the same way we reacted to a little boy who was goaded by an adult to gyrate behind a woman in a ‘back-shot’ position (A Picture Sums It Up!), so too we should be concerned by the playing of Starship on public radio.

We Have To Protect Our Children

The sights and sound…yes the pic is meant to arouse sensibilities on a Sunday morning

Barbados, like all of the other States in the Caribbean region has committed itself to protecting the rights of children through ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (C.R.C.). Integral to this collection of rights are those geared at the protection of children who are abused, neglected or at risk of harm.

CHILD PROTECTION IN BARBADOS

The story which continues to incense sensible Barbadians of a child being abused by two adults on Kadooment Day is rapidly reaching the end of the seven day period for top billing. Director of the Child Care Board (CCB) Joan Crawford, goaded by the public outcry, is quoted in the media that the widely circulated picture will be forwarded to the Police for investigation. Implied in the action by the CCB is that there is enough evidence to support a case of child abuse.

It was interesting to listen to Joan Crawford explaining that the picture does not expose the faces of the adults in the picture therefore it will be difficult to locate the individuals. Her apologetic observation begs the question, is Miss Crawford a member of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF)? She is obligated to report the matter and let the RBPF used its sleuthing skills to locate the individuals.

A Picture Sums It Up!

Submitted by JULIA HANSCHELL

The sights and sound…yes the pic is meant to arouse sensibilities on a Sunday morning

There is a lot one could blog about this image. In this case the less said the better (check those grinning in the picture). All who witnessed this and similar incidences on the road, what was your thinking? Have we become numb to the point it makes no difference?

Recently Minister Stephen Lashley commented on the slack dress sightings at the popular  Wadadah’s Back 2 School Party. What does he and others in authority plan to do about it if anything? Yes individuals are responsible for their actions but some times one has to save jackasses from themselves.

Self Reliance Through Learning

Submitted by Charles Knighton

The late Professor Oliver Headley, a pioneer in solar energy

Page four of the Sunday Sun featured a brief article in which former British gangster and cocaine addict Davey Falcus, now a religious minister, exhorted students gathered at the NCSA headquarters  to “live a good life based on Christian values, morals and ethics” and to “maintain a personal relationship with God.”  While strong moral and ethical values are indeed important, of equal importance though unmentioned, is the value of being able to change one’s life and perception of the world through learning.

Mr Falcus told students that “my background is that I organized crime. I grew up in a violent environment and I had a choice but I chose to go down this road. ” From gangster to minister: you are what you choose to learn.  If all you know is how to be a gang member, that’s what you’ll be, at least until you learn something else. If you study law, you’ll see the world as a competition. If you study engineering, you’ll start to see the world as a complicated machine that needs tweaking.

A View Of The NATION From Underground

Submitted by WordSong

Kaymar Jordan, Editor-in-Chief of the NATION Newspaper

No Kaymar Jordan you did not tell the truth and stand justifiably accused by the general public. Your manipulations and distortions converted what could have been an otherwise great story into a scandalous piece of journalistic tripe. Now you and whoever helped you write that editorial would hoodwink the public (again) into believing that there was merit in what you did; all you have done in the editorial is to confirm the stupidity of the NATION’s newspaper policy. Technology has seen it fit that newspapers remain widely read. So what was the point you were making about technology again? No amount of spin doctoring will alter what remains a travesty.

You distorted the truth – for effect and commercial gain and possibly out of pure ignorance. You could not even give the public that your deliberateness in distorting was influenced by the expectation of more information and for that you apologize. I now say any decent newspaper would have fired you or put you on the back bench like they will put Sinckler. I for one will not buy another Nation or Sunday Sun newspaper. But what does it matter? Who cares? Not the Nation . Harold Hoyte I am ashamed of you too because I know you still have influence in what goes on at the paper.

When Bad Is Good

Submitted by  Charles Knighton

The Advocate’s editorial of December 10th, “Rewarding bad behaviour?” makes the undeniable point that children will “….not learn half as much about values in school or a media campaign as they will from observing us, their elders.” Following such logic, and viewing the population of Barbados as one large extended family, one could argue that citizens draw value lessons from their leaders in government.

You rightly cite the Westbury cemetery imbroglio where the SSA has rewarded grave diggers who defrauded their employers, as well as the young mother who parlayed the crime of housebreaking into a NHC unit to the detriment of those following proper protocol.  You have drawn the proper conclusion in both instances, that doing the wrong things can get you what you want.  But what of doing the right thing?

The Moral Molecule: “Ye Shall Be As gods” – How Apotheosis is Science’s Last Attempt to Manipulate the Truth Behind Good and Evil

Submitted by Terence Blackett

The heart of man is desperately wicked – who can know it? Jer. 17:9

The year is 1066 AD. William (Duke of Normandy), later to be crowned King William 1 of England after his war and conquest of King Harold. After setting himself up as Regent – commissioned a survey of his realm and has the research findings compiled in a document called The Doomsday Book.

By royal decree – the survey legalized the confiscation of property, livestock, and anything of value in lieu of a taxation levy which would bring money into the Exchequer. The peasants, serfs and villagers across England rebelled – likening their experience to Judgment Day or the Day of Doom – hence the name given to the document.

King William subsequently died without the book being completed however; the book was used as the foundation for tax assessment during the medieval Middle Ages. Then in the 18^th century, English jurist Sir William Blackstone used it as a voting register to decipher who was eligible to vote. And so for a 1000 years this document has been used to verify land ownership in Britain (TITLE), rights of passage and planning permission for the establishment of towns, hamlets, villages and even businesses.

A similar Doomsday Book called the HOLY BIBLE* holds the keys to The Ancient of Days – His decrees, laws, commands, and rules. Inscribed within this document are fundamental truths which determine the outcome of “ALL” of our lives but most importantly, it also shows the topography which exist between the forces of “GOOD” arrayed against the alliances of evil in a quantum cosmic battle (being fought here on earth) where “LIGHT” and darkness are vying for supremacy.

The Origin of Life: Can Theories Like Abiogenesis, Exogenesis, Quantum Mechanics & Stellar Nucleosynthesis Help In The Debate Between Creationism And Evolutionary Science?

Submitted by Terence Blackett

Charles Darwin

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth – Gen. 1:1

Who holds the “patent” on the things we see all around us in nature? How do we explain that it takes an estimated 100,000 different proteins to construct a human being? Is that the product of accident, chance or randomization – or does it spell Intelligent Design? For many, the origin of how life emerged remains one of the great unsolved mysteries and conundrums for both ancient and modern science.

It is recognized that the subject of this current piece is beyond the gamut of unlimited word count to do it any serious scholarship – however as this is a galvanizing issue and feelings run deep on both sides of the divide, we will attempt to do some form of interim justice given our lack of brevity. For although questions regarding the genesis of life remain a talking-point even within the realm of philosophy – religion (understandably) dominates this platform; yet science continues to hold its own in keeping the debate alive.

So how can concepts like ‘abiogenesis’, ‘exogenesis’, ‘quantum mechanics’ and ‘stellar nucleosynthesis’ assist us in making sense of our primordial quest for understanding?

Let us begin in 1870 where Thomas Huxley opined that “I shall call the…doctrine that living matter may be produced by not living matter, the hypothesis of abiogenesis…” This was a paleoanthropological echo from a not too distant past when Charles Darwin had chained himself to the Tower of Babel in defense that there was no GOD* and in turn hatched a lurid tales of spontaneous regeneration of biological organisms which metamorphosed over billions of years to eventual form all living things including man.

Time For Political Change

Submitted by Charles Cadogan

I do wholeheartedly agree with what Mia Mottley said in the 18 August 2011 issue of Barbados Today in regards to political changes from the same old same old style of doing business. Both parties fighting and placing the blame on each other surely isn’t going to resolve the problems that Barbadians are having.  Instead a collaborative approach is required.

The problem right now isn’t going to go away because of who did what; collectively working towards a solution for the good of all Barbadians can and will make a difference, even in the minds of the followers of the different parties. Seeing UNITY will change the face of this political situation and gain TRUST.

PUT BARBADOS AND BARBADIANS FIRST before all other things party wise.

Should Same-Sex Unions Be Legalized?

Submitted by Caswell Franklyn

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

I hate to get involved in an area where I have no personal experience or knowledge. I cannot speak to the attraction and sexual urges that some people have for their own gender. I am therefore writing from the perspective of someone who has been brought up and culturally conditioned to believe that homosexuality is immoral, sinful and should be condemned. However, I recognise that homosexuals are people like myself, and must be entitled to some basic rights. The question now is which rights, since some among us are saying that the lifestyle should be recognised as normal under the law.

I hope that all can agree that a society/country must put laws in place to ensure that it survives and continues to grow. It is therefore reasonable when laws are put in place to discourage and punish the misuse of harmful drugs, even though some might argue that the addict is only hurting himself. In reality, he is harming the society because he would eventually become a burden on the state.

Pimping The Legacy Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr – Are Gay Rights The Same As Civil Rights? How The “Lunatic Fringe” Of Modern Religious Pharisees, Wishy-Washy Politicians, And Secular Humanists Masquerade In Deception And Disinformation

Submitted by Terence Blackett

 

On Monday January 17^th marked the 25^th anniversary of The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday – a day that saw “multi-racial” groups breaking bread together; political leaders setting aside their partisan politics to speak of the need for greater unity (even if only just so glibly); sprinkled with the solemn tributes and affirmations as well as the pontificators who lauded the name of MLK. Somehow you could feel this sense of fuzziness, and for a moment, you thought that some of the rival factions were literally going to break out in the singing of “kumbayah” my lord…

Sadly, the dust always settles and the smoke finally clears and it’s back to business as usual with the customary wrangling, infighting and squabbling over every inch of social terrain. It’s seems that after “THE DREAM” comes the cold, bitter morning of reality and we are somehow shocked into this polarized sense that we simply do not see eye to eye and are incapable of getting along.

A pedantic lurch back through the mid to late 1950’s and 1960’s history carries a stark reminder of a time when as Black folks our parents and grandparents faced in many ways a myriad of social pressures – monetary, political and religious alienation which has contributed and has been responsible for the psychic scar that remains a blot on the landscape of Black empowerment. This has due in part to the contemporary eyes of postmodernity through which we view that recent historical past but especially for those who were not privy to live through it. But even if we did, the memories have faded to a mere shadow of what life was really like. What does stand out is the socio-sexual revolution of the 60’s – and although this seismic shift in the last [50] years has defined the latter half of the 20^th century, we are seeing its resultant social metamorphosis now in the 21^st century.